Precious Faith or Worthless Religion

INTRO: Building on quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger

Know God, and then allow Him to be introduced to others - Superficial words and actions show an empty/worthless religion

ILLUST. - Pyrite - “fool’s gold” - looks pretty, shiny, resembles something of great value

How Do We Show Our Faith Precious (not worthless)

1) Control the Tongue

Use it less, Use it wisely

Use it wisely

“Tight rein”

Failure to do so shows our religion worthless - a farce

It’s very easy to deceive ourselves with mere talk

2) Help the “helpless”

truly helpless

self-inflicted

Both have potential to be

in the community of the church

in local sphere of influence

3) Personal, Proper interaction with the world - Show them YOU KNOW GOD

Active, outreaching

(but not just good social works, like 1 and 2)

Keep unstained - we affect world, not the world affect us

Key: Need to know God, and when you do, really do, 1 and 2 fall into line more easily, led by the Spirit

KEY - Chapter 1 sets up the rest of book: Know God, Know Basics, Active Faith. Let’s explore tongue, helpless, and knowing God

1) Tongue

James will deal with this in chapter 3

When we let our tongues go, people know, they notice

Don’t deceive yourself

We don’t deceive others, they are not deceived, they already KNOW

(ASIDE: , know the truth, and truth will set you free)

James sees an inward and outward life

Inward - honest with self (REM the mirror?)

Outward - focuses on others, once the self is properly related to God

One without the other makes for “worthless religion”

Some hear - learn, “know”

Some do - actions, emotions, look good

GOAL: knowledge of God, knowing Him, leads us to demonstrate heart

FAITH MAKES “RELIGION” REAL - NOT JUST OUTWARD SHOW

James focuses on “before God and Father”

(not measured by human standards)

2) “Helpless” - Why?

(Society prefers the wealthy)

Widows - no opportunity to support self/family (society has changed?)

Orphans - self-explanatory (also, “fatherless”)

These need material help, to not grow weary in Christ

What about the self-inflicted?

Drugs, alcohol

Lazy, derelicts

These need hole in life filled with Christ

Context, like in Isaiah (abusing widows) - is charity starts at home, we need to care for our own first (5 kids outside hungry, one is your child…)

NOT SOCIAL GOSPEL

Pure and Faultless - which is what our religion is to be

Need refining - test, forge/heat, quench, rid impure, test…)

Not a one-step process - takes work, “eye on final product”

KEY throughout - knowing God, goes beyond salvation

as you grow, truly know Him, you develop a relationship

the more you know God, the less stained by the world

PROBLEM

Man’s focal point is himself, we are selfish

Jesus says faith shows by thinking of an acting toward others

- spend less time focused on self, more time focused on the majesty of God

Some work is unpleasant, and the result of faith might be unpleasant trials - SO WHAT??

If you don’t permit the expectation of unpleasant circumstances, or if you allow them to improperly influence you, you are not fit for the kingdom of God

Citizens of heaven are characterized by wise use of tongue, and a spirit of helping others

A.W. Tozer, John Mark Comer

God is a person, personal, can be known, IS KNOWN by many, He can be related to!

Knowledge of God is a free gift - like sunlight on a field (?)

BASIC

We forsake sin - , “Blessed are the pure in heart”

Commit life to Christ - keep commandments, carry cross, love God and fellow man

Don’t give our spirit, our very being, to the things that unbelievers set their hearts on (define world)

People live for ________, Believers live for CHRIST

Simple faith is desired, Christ is sufficient, the rest is rubbish

Philippians 3:7–11 NASB95

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

KNOWING GOD

Question: What is the Church doing?

Depends: What are YOU doing? YOU are the Church!

James issues an individual challenge

Any positive steps by the Church START with the individual believer!

GET BUSY - Know God, Serve God, by serving others

Ridiculed? Rely on God’s power, not yours

Bottom line: Get to know Him, and then allow yourself to have a transforming view of God

THEN TELL OTHERS!

ASIDE: Pure and Faultless - which is what our religion is to be

Need refining - test, forge/heat, quench, rid impure, test…)

Not a one-step process - takes work, “eye on final product”

KEY throughout - knowing God, goes beyond salvation

as you grow, truly know Him, you develop a relationship

the more you know God, the less stained by the world

(ASIDE: , know the truth, and truth will set you free)

As we increase knowledge of God (not just facts, etc.)

It becomes imperative (command realized) to increase service to others, fellow man

(why the Gospel needs to be included with service) - Blessed knowledge needs to be shared!

GOAL: Intensified knowledge of of God

Soon affects those around us

In the community of the church

Must seek this out, purposefully, intentionally

THEN: We can overflow beyond, and toward outreach

Food, $$ are OK, but help is not actually provided if devoid of the Gospel

ILLUST:

MUST BE DONE PROPERLY - PEOPLE NEED TO BE TOLD!

Notice how worship comes into play?

We worship with the focus of God’s majesty and awesome-ness!

Infectious!

We must share an intense sharing of God’s wisdom and knowledge of Him!

QUESTION: Just how passionate are you about your relationship with Jesus? Do people know?

CLOSING ILLUST:

Do you know someone? Who? How do others know?

You spend time, daily, how do you know God? How would you describe your relationship?

How do people know you know Him?

Expect to impact and influence others?

Faithfully represent Christ here, now

At some point, you have to decide how strong a Christian you want to be, and then not be surprised when people don’t react, notice right away, or make a fuss about it

Guard tongue

Help the helpless

Embrace the closeness of God not the world