James 1:26,27
Real Religion
James 1:26,27, 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.
Your Religion - superficial or supernatural?
Note these philosophies of life:
The beater-uppers: worldly people.
The passers-by: religion that is vain and false. (Refer to the parable of the Good Samaritan.)
picker-uppers: true religion.
I. Dangers of superficial religion.
A. Lacks reality - (seem to be religious) "form" of godliness. II Tim. 3:5.
1. Our religion should be as real as our fleshly birth.
2. Many people live in "limbo" never knowing whether they are saved or not.
B. Lacks restraint - (bridleth not his own tongue)
1. Your religion should change your life.
2. You just simply can't keep on gossiping (or any other sin).
C. Lacks results - (vain, fruitless, non-productive)
1. He deceives his own heart.
2. We need to give up our religion and find Jesus Christ!!
3. Many don't know they have superficial religion.
4. Note: they do go to church, those people who nailed Christ on the cross went to "Synagogue".
II. Delights of supernatural religion. Real religion helps us:
1. In time of sorrow - and all have sorrow.
2. In time of death - a religion that is good to die by.
3. In time on temptation - He will give us a way of escape. I Cor. 10:13
4. In time of judgment - Christ has paid the price for us.
A. Reaches upward - (to God) This is first because we know that if God doesn't help us, we won't be helped. We won't be able to help others if Christ doesn't show us the way.
1. He must raise us up.
2. We can't lift ourselves up.
3. We are sinking in sin and we need Christ to lift us out of sin.
B. Reaches outward - (to others by visiting the fatherless and widows) This is second because true religion will also cause us to reach out to others.
1. This help is not just to the widows and orphans, but to anybody.
a. Not the work of a "professional", you don't pay somebody to do it for you.
b. Parable of the Good Samaritan.
2. Sometimes the word "visit" means to bring evil. The meaning of this verse is not an evil visit.
a. Isaiah 1:23, evil religious people fail to help the needy.
b. Matt. 23:14 - Pharisees devouring widows houses. (Reminds me of many television preachers.)
c. Matt. 25:36 - Parable of goats and sheep - many people were visited, some visited to help themselves (as a means of eternal life), others visited to help people because God put that desire in their hearts.
3. Sometimes the word "visit" means to bring good. The meaning of this verse is a good visit.
a. Acts 7:23 - Moses visiting Israel.
b. Acts 15:14 - God visiting Gentiles to take out a people for His Name.
c. Acts 15:36 - Barnabas wanting to "visit" on the 2nd missionary journey.
4. To visit those in affliction. As in Acts 7:10,11 - Afflictions of Joseph. (Doesn't necessarily refer to hospital visits.)
C. Reach Inward (v. 27 - to keep himself unspotted from the world.)
1. The world is not the earth, not man, but the value system of the world.
2. No longer in love with the world. No longer a religious pagan.
3. Jer. 13:13 - Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
4. I Tim. 6:14 - Keep commandments without spot.
5. II Peter 3:14 - Be found of Him in peace, without spot, blameless.
6. I Peter 1:19 - Redeemed with Christ who is without spot.