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So tonight we finish the first chapter of James.

Everyone pat yourself on the back for making it this far - high five your neighbor.

Only four more chapters after tonight!

But tonight we see that James continues to press home the idea of authenticity.

He takes last week’s idea “be a doer, bro” and applies it to specific area’s of our life.

So let’s look together and see how James goes about this in (v.26):

So James decides to get at authenticity by talking about religion?

Well that’s different.

I mean religion, that word, and the images and ideas that are conjured up when we talk about “religion” has fallen on hard times.

James says here that if you think that you are religious, but you can’t control your tongue, well your religion is worthless.

In a nutshell what James is really saying is if you claim to be genuinely religious you must submit that claim to some tests.

Like prove it.

So who in here is wearing a Christian t-shirt tonight?

What about a cross necklace?

Who in here has a Christian tat? Anyone post some inspirational Christian verse or quote on social media today?

Okay, for all those raising their hand - you most likely think that you are religious and what James challenges us on tonight is this: prove it.

So imagine you wanted to become a Navy Seal - to even be considered to the program you have to pass something known as the PST “Physical Screening Test”.

It begins with a 500 yard swim, followed by pushups, situps (called curlups) and then a mile and a half run.

But you don’t get in if you like finish the course.

No the minimum standards are 12.5 minutes to finish the swim, 50 pushups (like the real kind - right after the swim) in 2 minutes, 50 curlups in 2 minutes, 10 chinups in 1 minute and 10.5 minutes to run the mile and a half.

Transition: like you guys are going to have to put down the xbox controller and the iphone if you think you have any chance to just get into the Navy Seal Training.

These guys are put to the test again and again.

Physically and mentally and emotionally.

They are strong.

And so James says - let’s put your religion - your claim to be an authentic follower of Christ to the test.

Let’s hold it to the flame and see if it burns or if it shows to be even more pure.

And we see three tests in this passage.

Look back at (v.26) to see the first test of our religion:

1. Test 1: Control Your Tongue

Look religion is not a popular word in our culture - it’s not something we toss around often - “like hey guys, I’m so religious.”

No, we don’t do that.

In fact, the term religion seems to have a negative idea that surrounds it in our culture - usually meaning, some sort of worship, but most likely it is always outward and ceremonial.

Symbolic.

Religion, the way we use the term, doesn’t effect the affections.

It doesn’t touch the heart.

So the first test we see tonight is - are we able to control our tongue?

James uses imagery here to help us capture what it is like to control the tongue - he says “bridle.”

Now, I know most of you are not horsemen and neither am I - in fact, my dad owned horses when I grew up and I would go and watch the preachers wife barrel race them as a kid - but in all my years of being around horses I only rode them a dozen times.

But a bridle is the headgear on a horse that is used (with the bit and reins) they all connect to direct and control the horse.

That’s the image he is provoking - true religion and real heart change in Christ will be displayed in a myriad of areas including being able to direct our speech.

I said this in the beginning of our series but James relies heavily on the sayings of Jesus - I mean he was his half-brother.

And one of the things Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew was this:

Do you see what Jesus is getting at here?

Do you see what Jesus is getting at here?

Christian your words tell on your heart.

They reveal your allegiance.

They are the thermometer of your soul.

Do you have a hard heart toward God?

Check your words that day.

See our words really are a flame test to our faith.

Application: so are you overly critical of others - always judging their motives out-loud, always having harsh things to say about them and do you never have the ability to see the good in them.

Or maybe you struggle with filthy talk - that’s what she said - like crass joking that is out of place in the people of God.

Maybe you can’t help but let your curse words fly - you like the sound of them coming of your tongue - well around your people.

Or honestly, maybe you are just a liar.

You’ve spun so many webs that you are beginning to bind yourself.

Look we live in a day of twitter and snapchat and instagram that says if you have a though - share it.

And so I see Christian after Christian sharing things on social media that is hateful, crass, rude, insensitive and honestly betraying to Christ.

The blogs they write and the texts they send demonstrate that the core of their heart doesn’t belong to God - at least not in that moment.

I remember a few years back - probably three - the Subway was actually a donut shop.

And the owners were Buddhist.

I know this because I remember going into the shop and buying donuts for Sunday school.

And one morning I brought it up in our class and we had a discussion over the merits of buying products from heathens.

From people who literally worship idols - they had an altar to Buddha with sacrifices of incense in their shop.

Listen to what what Doug Moo says about claiming to be religious or an authentic Christ follower, but being unable to control your tongue, he says this:

If that’s you are only fooling your heart.

You are deceived.

Your religion is worthless.

I love what Doug Moo says:

The “religion” that people who do not control their speech have is no better, James suggests, than idolatry.

Don’t fool your heart.

Don’t deceive yourself James says.

The mouth is the overflow of the heart.

Your mouth tells on the condition of your heart.

And if you have no control your religion is worthless.

That’s the first test.

I hope you are grading yourself.

Transition: but the second and third test can be found in (v.27) look there with me:

So here James points to what “pure religion” is - what someone who has met Jesus acts like - what shifts in their heart and changes when they meet the living Lord.

He gives us our second test:

2. Test 2: Care for the Helpless

Let me just quickly clarify what James is not saying - he is not saying what we are doing here tonight is not good, he is not saying that personal devotion like bible reading and prayer, fasting and scripture memory is bad.

He isn’t saying that going to church and participating in the Lord’s Supper and baptism is bad - James isn’t trying to define what religion is but as John Calvin puts it “[he] reminds us that religion without the things he mentions is nothing.”

Which means - all the personal discipline and worship if it doesn’t form into specific and concrete action then are religion or you could say your faith is warped.

Like a tree in the desert - at best it is not healthy - at worst it is dead.

So here he says that test #2 is to care for the helpless.

He says that we are to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction.”

Can you imagine what it would be like to be an orphan - a child with no parents or a widow - most likely referring to women who lost their husband during this time.

They were helpless.

They could not work - there was almost nothing they could do.

That’s why we read all over the OT of God’s compassion on this group of people.

Listen:

or

or

And so there is a concern throughout the OT for the widow and the orphan, but listen to how David describes God in :

Psalm 68

And so it is for you and I - we are to imitate God himself who is the Father to the fatherless and a protector of widows.

Application: so hold yourself to the flame for a moment.

How are you doing in this?