Worthy Sermon Week 2.1

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speak to people in their bibles.

Welcome/Intro

Whose lives to you see as worth loving and serving?

Is it those who can give back?

Is it those who could benefit you?

Is it those who could give nothing back?

What about God?

Whose lives to God see as worth loving and serving?

Is it the rich and powerful?

Is the the famous and prestigious?

No, it is the down and out

the lowly and lonely

the distraught and downcast

We are in a three week series using the book of James to answer these questions.

Last week we said that “your life matters to God, therefore it matters to God how you live”

We are called to love others in the same way

Because of our love (devotion) to God

Because of his love for us.

Nothing else will work, nothing else will sustain.

Deeds without devotion are devoid of power (are deemed worthless / are dead)

Deeds for others, without devotion to God are devoid of any true (changing) power.

James

This is James main concern that we would live lives devoted to God.

Last week what we said was that James is concerned that people not just be Christians by name, but in their whole lives

That we don’t want to be a people that just talk about Jesus a lot, but also walk in the way of Jesus.

We call this discipleship.

A disciple is someone who has decided to follow Jesus and in his following they become more like him.

This is having a life like Jesus and a heart like Jesus empowered by the spirit of Jesus

You could sum up the book of James in four statements:

Be quick to listen

Be slow to speak

Be slow to anger

Don’t just be a hearer of the word but a doer.

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Wouldn’t you agree that we need more people in the world like this?

Who were more willing to listen than to speak their mind?

People who knew how to regulate their emotions and respond in a gentleness?

People who didn’t just talk about doing things, but actually followed through with them?

And especially as the church?

Let’s not just talk about our devotion to Jesus

Let’s demonstrate it with our lives.

What we need from the church is not just talk but talk coupled with action.

like breathing in our lungs

Let’s not just be a church strong on doctrine, but also demonstration of that doctrine in our lives.

This is James’s aim

To bring together what is so often torn apart.

What James is going to teach us today is what true devotion looks like.

Pray

praying

True Deception

here is our text today

James 1:26–27 ESV

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

If anyone thinks he is religious..

“Religious” - what does this mean?

it means liturgy, practices and ritual that demonstrates a devotion to God

Think piety.

But he immediately connects it with speech.

The things we say

Someone who doesn’t have control over what they say and things he/she is religious, is devoted to God

is self-deceived

Why?

Why is what comes out of out mouth so important to James?

he spends quite of bit of time on this.

I assume, being the brother of Jesus and a Disciple of Jesus that he is simply restating what Jesus has already taught and demonstrated by his life.

Let’s look at one of Jesus’ central teachings on what comes our of our mouth.

Matt:12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

What we say is indicative of where our hearts are.

Jesus goes on

Matt 12:35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

He elaborates on his point, but it gets even more serious.

Matt 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

In Jesus’ mind words are so important, because by them hang your ultimate salvation.

Why?

Because the mouth speaks from the heart.

And if you haven’t recieved a new heart, if you have been born of the spirit, if you haven’t believed in Jesus, then your hearts are still dead.

First and foremost what you need is to be alive to God, that is to be saved by the person and work of Jesus from your cold and sinful heart.

So for James, as with Jesus, what we say is of massive importance.

So if you can’t control your speech, what does that mean for you?

I take this to mean forms of speech that are harmful to others or self:

gossiping, slandering, hateful speech

hypocrisy, empty talk, flattering speech

lying, deception and demeaning self or others

But it is also hpyocriscy

saying that we are living for God when we are not

Saying we are going to do this or that for God but will not.

I think it also means what he has already said “being slow to speak, but quick to listen”

And not speaking from a place of anger.

So what are some of the things that regularly come out of your mouth?

This kind of person, though they claim to love God, their devotion is useless, worthless, futile.

That is it has not substance

It is of no use to God or others.

True Devotion

Then James tells us what true devotion to God looks like.

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

religion that is pure and undefiled (clean, whole, on of integrity)

True devotion is demonstrated by two things:

to visit orphans and widows in their affliction

to keep oneself unstained from the world.

True religion, true devotion is one of social concern and moral purity.

Why moral purity?

Because this is not possible without the gospel.

there are those who fight for injustice in one areas, yet participate in it in other.

The student who can Ace his/her Ethics class yet looks down on those of a lower socioeconomic status

The one who fights for racial justice, yet participates in the sexual slave trade by partaking in pornography.

or take any number of politicians who fight for just laws yet are living lives full of deception and the exploitation of the very people they are meant to serve.

“Christian leaders” of course have also fallen pray to this kind of idolatry and hypocrisy

in which case we have to ask how did they get to that point?

How does anyone get to that point?

This is what you might call ‘double-mindedness’ to which James refers in the throughout his letter.

James 1:7–8 ESV

7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 4:4–5 ESV

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

true devotion is a devotion that recognizes the allures of the world and the temptations of worldly power and keeps itself free from its practices.

Thus true religion, true devotion to God is a life that is both externally devoted to the love of others (widows and orphans) and internally devoted to the love of God (moral purity)

Why widows and orphans?

Orphans in the Hebrew culture referred to children who had lost at least a father; thus they were “fatherless” or “children without a father.” In many languages the term used for “orphan” refers to a child who has lost both parents.

Orphans and widows are often grouped together because they constitute the two social classes most open to exploitation and therefore most needing help and concern.

These have always been the people that the people of God have served and had concern for.

In fact it was OT law to care for widows and orphans:

Exodus 22:22–24 ESV

22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Deut 10:18, Isa 1:17

The church has always served those who were most in need, those who were cast aside by society.

They did so with not hope of gain for themselves.

They did so becuase the spirit of Jesus was working in them to live as Jesus did from the heart that Jesus had.

It was the Christians who put an end to infanticide in the Roman Empire where parents would leave their unwanted babies on the trash heap.

It was Christians who eventually put an end to the gladiatorial games where slaves were brutally murdered as a form of entertainment for the public

It was the Church that cared for the needs of the poor and offered them not just food and shelter but the good news of everlasting life.

This was the predominant church growth strategy of the church in the first 2 centuries.

how went from 12 ment to over 40 million

So who are our orphans and widows today?

right here in East Orlando?

I believe that God is working out an opportunity for us in our very midst.

What if I told you that:

Last year there were hundreds of widows and would have been orphans right here in our zipcode? real people, with real names.

What if I told you there where thousands of orphans created in our communities every hear

At One Hope Church we believe that the Church is called to protect those most vulnerable to harm.

what better description of an orphan than one who has been abandoned to death by their parents?

At One Hope we believe that we ought to fight for the life of unborn babies becuase every person, every baby in the womb is a child of God and bears his image.

And so we fight for life in the womb

But the call of the church goes far beyond that

We are called to fight for life outside of the womb as well.

Where I think the church so often fails to speak and act is in the lives of those who choose life.

We celebrate when a mother and father choose life for their unborn baby.

But we must also understand that when a couple chooses life, and choose to parent their baby, they are choose a life that will often be difficult.

We’ve had a few babies, and even having everything we need, it is still difficult.

We have an opportunity as a church, to serve the widows and orphans (single moms) right here in our community.

1. Adoption

2. Thrive

Thrive

We have been partnered with Thrive for a number of years now.

Thrive is a Christ centered medical clinic that equips people to make healthy, life affirming decisions, regarding pregnancy, sexual health and relationships.

They see hundreds of women every year, share the gospel with them and walk alongside of them.

some 79% of women that come to Thrive choose life

In many ways this is the ultimate sacrifice. You are sacrificing your well being, comfort and convenience to bring in a new life into the world.

The demands of having a small baby are incredible and much support and care is needed.

James says true religion is to ‘visit’

this word means to care, to have concern for and to act for benefit of another.

One of the things that Thrive is doing is what is called the Aspire Program where for those women interested mentorship and teaching is offered to them until their child is 1 year old.

The opportunity for us is to be a place where those young families can continue their walk.

This can be as simple as leading a group where these young families would be invited in to be in relationship with some of you.

This is a place to walk with, care for and share God’s love with these young families

I can’t think of a more tangible way that we could fulfill James 1:27, James call to the church.

So let’s be a church that fights for life both inside AND outside of the womb by offering ourselves to the sake of others.

And the secret that we will find is that this sort of life is one that brings joy.

Where do we find the power to live this way?

Where can we find the power to live for the sake of the least of these and to not give into the temptations of our world and our flesh (sinful desires)?

Well, luckily James tells us:

James 1:17–18 ESV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Our power is brought forth from God above.

God doesn’t change, he hasn’t changed.

he cared about orphans and widows then, and he does so now.

Every good gift comes from him.

Of his own will/desire

He brought us forth to be a new kind of creation.

This is the New Creation

In Christ, we have been given new hearts, with new desires and new abilities. He has filled us with his spirit to lead and empower us to live as he did.

The greatest give have is the Word of God

James 1:21 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

How do we do this?

by the implanted word of God, which is able to save your life

it has power

It really reads this...

James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness [not And] but by receiving with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

The ‘and’ is not there the greek.

These are not two separate things we do,

one is the cause of the others.

When we receive with meekness/humility/teachability God’s word implanted in us, it does save our souls and removes all filthiness and wickedness

As we are filled with the implanted word that grows from a seed, we are emptied of sin

God’s presence literally pushes sins out of our bides, just as you would add water to a bucket that would displace it’s contents.

If we want to live a truly devoted life, one of joy, peace and freedom

we can only do so by our union with Christ and our daily walk with him and with each other.

We grow, we are transformed by God’ Word, God’s Spirit and God’s People

where are they in your life?

How is your walk with Christ? Your personal devotion time?

Do you want to experience true life?

Go to the source

Just as if you are hungry you go to the fridge

you don’t wait for someone to bring you food.

God’s fridge is full in abundance

our part is to go and get it.

Only this will allows us to live the kind of life the Bible calls us to

one that is ultimately loving God (moral purity) and loving others (serving the least of these)

The Love of God

Ultimately the power comes from the Love of God.

Our ability to love others in this way comes from our love of God becuase his love for us.

If you have not experienced (not just known about but personally known) the love God there will be no power in your life to live this way.

This is what our transformation series was about.

We have to become right with God

We have to remove the obstacles of sin and hurt to be able to see him clearly

To be able to recieve from him.

Many of you have experienced at least a degree of being an orphan yourself.

Maybe your parents didn’t actually leave you physically, but they did emotionally

Maybe you have lost a parent

Maybe you have experienced divorce

All of these are by some degree the experience of an orphan

The only remedy for your soul is the love of Christ

To be able to see God the Father, as your true, loving and gentle father.

This only comes from the hard work we talked about last fall, transformation.

Some of you have the experience of the widow.

perhaps you have actually lost a spouse and are a single parent.

perhaps your spouse hasn’t abandoned you phsycially but he/she has emotionally, or mentally

you have essentially been abandoned and are all alone

this coudl be through any number of sins:

alcholo, drugs, pron, adultery, workaholism, even just anger and unresolved wounds

some of you have unbelieving spouses and so in a sense spiritually you are on your own.

What widows and orphans need it to not just know about the love of God, his provision and protection, but the experience of it.

That Jesus is your true husband

The one who died for you, who will protect you and provide for you

The one who is present with you now.

When we experience the power of Chrit’s forgiveness of our sins and his presence with us, our hearts will change and we will actually desire to love the kinds of things that he loves

We will be ready to sacrifice our lives, our desires wants and conveniences for the sake of another

And not only that, it will be a joy to do so.

so much of what is called christian, is wrote ritual and lifeless obligation

This is not true devotion, this is not true ‘religion’

True devotion flows our of our relationship with Jesus

Then we will say what Paul does in Gal 2 where Paul is meeting with Peter

Galatians 2:9–10 ESV

9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

The very thing i was ‘eager’ to do.

A Worthy Life

If you are not motivated to love and serve others then we have to ask are we actually living the kind of life that God has called us to live?

We are called to live as Jesus did, from the same heart Jesus had, with the same holy spirit that Jesus was filled with.

If we are lacking in Godly motivation, then the answer is to ‘draw near to Him.’