Cecil A. Fayard
Elliott Baptist Church
January 30, 2005
True Religion in Tongue and Deed
James 1:26-27
INTRO: There are lots of folks who seem to be religious but are they? There is religion and then there is pure religion, true religion. There is worship and there is true worship.
James, the pastor, the servant of God with a shepherd’s heart defines pure religion for us in verse 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." In verse 26, James says that some men seem to be religious but their speech betrays them.
As you can see, James does not mention ritual, symbols, statues, liturgy, or massive buildings when he speaks of pure religion. What he does do is speak of a pure religion, a religion that works, a religion of words and deeds. Dr. W. A. Criswell calls pure religion: "down to earth religion." Barclay says: "What James is saying is, ‘the finest ritual and the finest liturgy you can offer to God is service of the poor and personal purity" (61). This is what Micah the prophet proclaims in Micah 6:6-8.
I. VS 26, THE SEEMINGLY RELIGIOUS
A. In this verse, James is speaking to those who profess to be Christians, those who profess to know the Lord.
1. There are those who are in the church who seem to be religious. James puts it this way: "If any man among you seem to be religious....."
a. From the Word of God, we learn that the Devil sows tares among the wheat. Satan’s goats infiltrate the flock of God’s sheep. Counterfeits are in with the true ones.
b. Lehman Strauss says: "Such counterfeits creep into many local churches today. They sit with the brethren, sing with the brethren, listen to God’s Word, but they have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior" (63).
2. James must have had a group of tongue waggers in this church for he addresses this issue over and over in this letter (1:9; 2:12; 3:1-3; 4:12).
a. A man who cannot bridle his tongue should not boast about how close he is to the Lord.
b. The tongue reveals a lot about a person. It reveals the heart of that person. Matthew 12:34 says: "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." In other words, what’s in the well comes up in the bucket!
c. The child of God must strongly adhere to the words of Ephesians 4:29: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Words that are dirty, words that are filthy do not build up, they tear down. We ought to be in the business of building up, not destroying the brethren.
B. It is a terrible thing to be deceived. The man who cannot watch his mouth and says he is a good Christian is deceived and his religion is vain.
1. James 3:6 tells us that "the tongue is fire, a world of iniquity..."
2. Think of it– the tongue is bathed in a pool of water and is put behind the prison bars of the teeth and lips. David said: "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psa 141:3).
II. VS 27, PURE RELIGION DEFINED
A. Real religion is characterized by action, by charity, by service to God.
1. Pure religion cares: cares for and loves folks. "Pure religion loves people– the lost, the unsought, the discouraged, the despairing, the weeping, the poor, the rich. It loves people–all of them" (Criswell 37).
2. Our Lord Jesus is full of compassion, full of caring and we should be to (Mt 9:36).
a. I John 3:17-18 tells us to have compassion, to care for our brethren.
b. We need to be active in helping the widows indeed, the orphans, and the needy.
3. Look with me at the word "visit." It is a word that means "to care for, to look after." The Bible says in Luke 1:68 and in Luke 7:16: "....God hath visited his people." God sent His Son out of heaven down to earth to visit us.
a. We are to follow His example and go out and visit the ones in need, in need physically, but especially those in need spiritually.
b. We are to go out into the highways and hedges. We are to visit the spiritually needy (Lk 14:23).
c. We are to go forth with the Word of God (Psa 126:5-6).
d. Visitation is house to house giving the Gospel with compassion (Acts 20:20-21, 31).
B. Another test of pure religion is separation: "to keep himself unspotted from the world." We have a responsibility as believers to keep ourselves unspotted from the world and God is responsible to keep our souls (II Tim 1:12).
1. The Bible urges believers to be holy, to "keep thyself pure" (I Tim 5:22).
2. The world wants to defile the Christian, to stain him, to ruin his testimony. The "word" spoken of here means "society without God or His Son."
a. Christians are in the world, but we are not to be of the world (Jn 17:14-18).
b. Note this progression that leads to disaster:
1) "Friendship of the world" (Jam 4:4).
2) Love of the world (I Jn 2:15-17).
3) Conformed to the world (Rom 12:1-2).
c. Dear Christian friend, there are so many things out in the world that can stain you. Stay away from them. We are to love God, not the world (I Jn 2:15-16). We are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
CONCLUSION: May we ever be committed to pure religion and true worship in word and in deed.
For additional copies of the sermon CD's, please contact the church office:
Elliott Baptist Church
566 Nat G. Troutt Road
Elliott, Mississippi 38901
Phone: 662-226-4425
Pastors Email: cecilafayard@msn.com