Pure Religon

Pure Religion

Text: James 1:22–27 (KJV 1900)

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Introduction:

* There is a religion that is not pure.

* Is your religion real, or is it dead? Has being religious made a change in you? If not your faith may very well be “dead” according to James.

James 1:22–25 (KJV 1900)

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

* Dead religion is religion that does not change us.

* We go to church, we go through the motions and the ceremonies, but we go home just like we came- nothing changes, week after week.

James 2:14–20 (KJV 1900)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

* James gives us two traits that indicate to us weather or not a person’s religion is pure.

James 1:26–27 (KJV 1900)

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

* True religion, religion that is not dead, causes a person to take a real look at himself and produces change.

* James reasons that True religion before God, is demonstrated by purity of heart, and compassionate Love.

I. Pure religion, the kind that God desires from us, is Pure in heart.

* Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:8 (KJV 1900)

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

* David was a man who understood what it meant to be “pure in heart.”

Psalm 51:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

* To be “pure in heart,” is to be honest with God about our sin. True religion, changes us and causes us to desire to us to be honest with God.

* Listen to the heart of David as he seeks God with a pure and a honest heart:

Psalm 51:1–17 (KJV 1900)

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

* David was a man who understood what it meant to be pure in heart, by being honest with God about his sin.

II. Pure religion, the kind of religion that God desires from us, is a religion that causes a compassionate love toward others.

* Listen to the words of the apostle Peter in I Peter 1:13 concerning the kind of compassion real, “pure” religion generates in our heart for other believers:

1 Peter 1:13–22 (KJV 1900)

1). First the apostle Peter, just like James, says the pure religion is first of all marked by a desire to have a pure heart before God through his word:

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit

2). Then, Just like James, the apostle Peter shows that pure religion is also marked by a genuine love for the brethren:

unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

* James illustrates what loving the brethren “with a pure heart” looks like this looks like, with a most practical example:

James 2:1–9 (KJV 1900)

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have despised the poor.

Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

* James gives another example of what it looks like to love the brethren with a pure heart:

James 2:14–20 (KJV 1900)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

* The apostle John tells us that if our religion does not change us in such a way that it causes us to have a compassionate love for others, then our religion is vain and dead!

* John tells us in no uncertain terms that if we do not have a compassionate love for the brethren, then we are not truly saved- our religion is not pure, our faith is dead!

1 John 3:10–19 (KJV 1900)

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil:

whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.

He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

* Now the apostle John gets very practical like James and Peter…

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

* Not only do we know that we are saved, and our religion is pure and not dead because we have a compassionate love for the brethren, but Jesus said that the unsaved would know that we are the children of God when they see our compassionate lover for one another!

John 13:33–35 (KJV 1900)

33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Conclusion:

* So there you have it in a nutshell this morning:

* What is pure religion? How do you know if your religion is good enough to save you this morning? The two major indictors this morning:

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, (that’s a compassionate lover for the brethern), and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (that’s a desire to have a pure heart before God.)

* So how is your religion doing this morning? Has it changed you, or do you go home every Sunday the same old person you were when you walked in?

* As James put it “Is your faith dead, or have you been just going through

the motions of religious ceremony all your life?

Notes:

1:26 religious. This refers to ceremonial public worship (cf. Ac 26:5). James chose this term, instead of one referring to internal godliness, to emphasize the external trappings, rituals, routines, and forms that were not followed sincerely. bridle his tongue. “Bridle” means “control,” or as another translation renders it, “keep a tight rein.” Purity of heart is often revealed by controlled and proper speech (see note on Mt 12:36).

1:27 Pure and undefiled religion. James picks two synonymous adjectives to define the most spotless kind of religious faith—that which is measured by compassionate love (cf. Jn 13:35). orphans and widows. Those without parents or husbands were and are an especially needy segment of the church (see notes on 1Ti 5:3; cf. Ex 22:22; Dt 14:28, 29; Ps 68:5; Jer 7:6, 7; 22:16; Ac 6:1–6). Since they are usually unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them clearly demonstrates true, sacrificial, Christian love. world. The evil world system (see notes on 4:4; 1Jn 2:15).

compassionate love