Unknown: Turn with me to James, and the first chapter. Our text this morning is verses 26 and 27 We'll begin reading at verse 19, because I'm sure those of you here the last time I preached remember James doesn't follow the logic as Paul does with a theme, and then a theme, and then a theme, but he will have a statement or an instruction, and the next one builds off of that, and the next one builds off of that, so whereas with Paul, when you get to the what shall I say then questions, you know that if you haven't come up with that question, you haven't understood what said in the chapter before.
Unknown: He talks about the full forgiveness of sins. He starts off then says, what shall I say then? Shall we sin that grace may abound, which makes no sense unless you understood what he said before, that's a question that follows. Well, James, a different pattern. James has been talking about the goodness of God and the sinfulness of our own hearts, and particularly under the realm of temptation, how we're stirred up, and how that God is the one who, out of his grace, has redeemed us by His mercies, born us again unto life. And now, beginning at verse 19, we begin reading. This is God's word.
Unknown: [19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Unknown: [22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Unknown: [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.
the Father is this: Thus far, the reading of God's word. Let's pray.
the Father is this: Lord, we do come before you with grateful heart that you do speak to us clearly, plainly, telling us that which is pleasing in your sight. We thank you for the mighty work of your spirit, and planting that word within us to give us life. We pray now that we might bear fruit, that we might grow in grace, and might give you all honor. Receive us now, we pray. We thank you for the blessings that are ours in Christ. Thank you for the privilege of being able to assemble today to meet with you, and your promise to meet with us to bless us. So prepare your blessing on those who could not come, who are providentially prohibited, that you would bless them with peace and comfort, that they might know your nearness. For those who simply choose not to come, we pray you would bless them with conviction and bring them again to sit under your word to be obedient to what you have said. We pray for those who travel for safety for them and a restful time away. We pray for us that you would give to us quickened hearts and minds to honor and serve you in this day. We do ask it in Christ's name and to His glory. Amen.
the Father is this: James has noted that the word of God is implanted in the heart, and He says it's not enough to be just a hearer, but to be a doer, and from that there is oft times the error of simply being doers. I'm going to do it, I'm going to be there, I'm be faithful, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do the other, and James draws us back again to the heart. Most religious things that we deal with, and what James is dealing with, are public or external things, and the word he used here for religion is that which literally comes from trembling before. The gods a recognition of God, God's power, God's awesomeness, and it's a response to Him, and in many cases it ends up being outward response to go to these services, to do various ceremonies, to have robes and smells and bells and all the stuff associated to get an emotional high of some sort rather than day to day living.
the Father is this: How do we live trembling before him day by day, not just in the outward thing? See, the world has known for a long time the being of God and our accountability before Him, and so the world at large has confessed for a long time that religion is good for you. It's not a new thought. Karl Marx wrote it in 1844 that religion was the opium of the masses to keep them from rebellion, keep them comforted. So he thought it was a good thing, as long as you didn't have too much of it. What do you see in our society today?
the Father is this: Well, it's good to have a little religion. Doesn't matter what it is, you got a little bit of religion that's going on, and it does you good. Well, the problem is it doesn't. How many times have you seen or read of occasions where religion has been a disaster, families torn apart because of things that are supposedly religious but have no grounding in the word of God?
the Father is this: You can go to the extremes of, like the Jim Jones massacre, where they all suicided, or various cults through the years, where there is disaster because of that, and particularly the question is not whether it's good for your day-to-day life, but does it have any value before God if you are supposedly trembling before God, living in a way that reflects your awe of Him, as well as your love for Him, is this the way that God is going to see that that God tells you to live and to be and to do fasting and special services, special music. How many I've raised in the South. How many times you have churches that every year have revival services and somehow get excited for a week or 10 days and never really have revival. What is pleasing to God, and particularly, what is the value from that word implanted within us? It's not just the things we do. He said that word gives life, it comes in, and that word implanted brings forth fruit. And he says it's not just every kind of religious thing that's done. It raises the question, what has value before God, and that doesn't exempt Christian religion, so to speak. What do we do that has real value before God? What is pleasing in His sight? He gives a hint here refers to God our Father, and it becomes more elaborating on it later on, but here there's that hint of the nature of God that is there. You contrast that with Christ's words in Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats, goats that Lord, we prophesied your name, we did mighty works, we did this. He said, I never knew you, you never were mine.
the Father is this: Contrast that with his words to the sheep about what they had done. How do I know that word has really been implanted in my heart, and this is a particularly piercing question when you start coming into your maturity, particularly as a teen or a young adult, why am I doing these things? Why am I worshiping God? Why do I come?
the Father is this: What's what's the point about what's what's really pleasing to God? And as you reach your full years, am I honoring God? Is my religion that which God accepts.
the Father is this: Have I been fooling myself? The goats thought clearly that they had been pleasing God. They really diligent. Well, here's the warning. He's warned earlier about hearing the word and.
the Father is this: Nothing else about not hearing it. He's talking to those who have heard it accurately and fully. He's talking about those who have an accurate theology, like the goats did. They called him Lord. They acknowledged that it was his power that did things, all of those parts. This is a greater danger to have an orthodox theology than not. It's easier to spot a counterfeit bill when it's crudely drawn. If I were to bring $1 bill size paper up here and written on in crayon $100 and a picture on it that I drew, you would know immediately that that's not really money, but what about a counterfeit dollar that's really close? I know the truth about God, I've heard His word, understand the biblical message, but am I saved? Has the word bearing fruit within me? Calvin notes that they who have put off the grosser vices are especially subject to this disease. Who is neither an adulterer, nor a thief, nor a drunkard, but, on the contrary, seems brilliant with some outward show of sanctity will set him off self off by defaming others, and under this pretense of zeal, but really through a lust of slandering. What's he talking about? He's dealing with what James says, if you think you're religious and do not bridle your tongue, you can be deceiving yourself, deceiving your own heart, you're sincere, deceiving yourself and others. So, what does he say? What is the word?
the Father is this: Where do we go to from here?
the Father is this: What did James say? An implanted word, an implanted word, and where does God implant that word, in your thinking, in your doing, or in the heart, the core of your being. That's the joy of regeneration, that God reaches not to tell us how to do things differently, but makes us different, so that we do things differently. We are different, we think and act differently, we behave and believe differently, but from the core of our being, subsequently, then in our behavior, the heart is transformed by that regeneration, so the first evidence that he draws is this.
the Father is this: How do you use your tongue? How do you talk to people? What do you say, and how do you say it really, that's where you're going to start with how we say things and how we converse with others. We're kind of surprised, but we really shouldn't. Do you remember Christ saying that it's out of the heart comes evil, out of the mouth comes that which is in the heart and reveals it, that's the shortest distance is to your heart, to your mouth to pops out, it comes clearly there, and it's something that we all have to deal with, unless we are mute, in which case you can use Amazon and sign language in the same way that others use tongue, but the outward communication comes from who we are. There's a pipeline there, and we know it. I'm sure you've heard many times the thing about in vino veritas in wine, there's truth, somebody gets a little too much alcohol in them, and the tongue starts slipping, they start saying what they didn't really mean to say. I heard of a Freudian slip where you say exactly what you mean instead of what you meant to say. I take this woman to be my awfully wedded wife, what you're thinking instead of what you're saying. By the way, we just finished 57 years together, and she's my lawfully and delightfully wedded wife. There are times in fits of anger or distress, times when, as a pastor, you go visiting, and so he just blurts some things out, and they're in the midst of a crisis. Seminary professor said that's not the time to discuss it, but don't forget it, go back later and discuss it, because in the stress that which was inside. It came out, and all the filters were stripped away. The mouth reveals the heart, and that's where God begins His work, and that's why you have
that little hint: religion that is pure and undefiled before our Father, the transforming of the heart to be more like the Father. And while the Father does denounce sin and wickedness, it's the Father who says there is forgiveness. There is an abundance of forgiveness.
that little hint: There are blessings to be bestowed. Follow my law, it'll be good for you, and his word is good. So, as that word begins to go within, it affects our life, particularly with our tongue, and James uses the term of a bridled tongue, and bridle you put on a horse to guide it, you lead him with that head gear, it allows you to control the whole animal, and the different kinds of bridles, going from very gentle ones for animals that are easily led to those that almost have barbed wire in them for rebellious animals that just are unmanageable, and we'll try to kill those around them, but whatever the needful bridle, then you put the bridle on, and it might be that with hardly a bit, or that what is technically called the twisted wire bridle, it turns the head of the animal by force, makes it go a different way, keeps the animal from running away with you, but basically it's generally to give control. Well, the bridal tongue is a control of your speech to make it go the direction it's supposed to go the bridal tongue sets the person and the words on the path of obedience to God's directions and directions in the things we say and every word that's not a vow of silence, you don't say anything, then put the bridle on and keep your mouth closed, but here's the interactivity that deals with controlling that sinful remnant of the heart that still tries to leak out. We confess our sins, we're not saying we're lost, we're saying, Lord, I love you, but I still see wickedness within. Well, the bridle is to keep that wickedness from popping out and being spread everywhere. Word of God is replete with instructions on that ninth commandment, not bearing false witness against your neighbor, not saying the things that are contrary to his well-being, Ephesians 425 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each of you speak truth with his neighbor. Verse 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, only that which is good for building up what we say. How much we say, you don't let it run away.
that little hint: Proverbs 17, whoever retains restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.
that little hint: When he closes his lips, he's deemed intelligent. Bring forth the words that need, it's not to keep the horse from going anywhere, it's to let him go in the proper direction. In fact, Proverbs 31 says, "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are desperate.
that little hint: Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights. It's a life of deliberately and consciously guiding and restraining our speech from sin, a life of constantly doing it, because we know that sin will pop through, and God, our Father, is not pleased, but when from the heart we're directing our words, our speech in every way to his honor and to his service. Why do we have to do that? Well, speech gives us away. It shows that in dwelling corruption, Matthew Henry says the man who has a detracting tongue cannot have a truly humble and gracious heart.
that little hint: What do you talk about? How do you talk about people? What do you not talk about? How do you describe them? What are the things you say, the things which. Comment on how do you comment on them. You see, your speech reveals your person, it shows your heart. There, as Matthew 12, Jesus said, 'For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. And let's just say that goes beyond the physical tongue. I'm sure you're familiar with the term a keyboard warrior, someone who gets on their phone or on the computer online, and they will say things online they would never dare say face to face, because they value the structure of their nose a little more than they would think. Bold would spew forth and how is your communication? How do you deal with others? It's a need, because you are not yet made pure. Your heart is not yet freed from the remnants of sin and bad habits and evil that are there, and the other side of that is it's the same principle as that revelation of sin. It reveals righteousness. It shows a likeness to God the Father that you speak as He speaks, that you speak things that are right. The old evil expressions are gone, and the new is theirs.
that little hint: James says later on about salt water and fresh coming from a fountain, and this is, you know, it's not right that should both come to the same fountain. As a Christian, your heart wants to bring fresh water forth. Your logic here is your heart's going to be revealed by the way, you speak, you will talk differently if that word is implanted in you, and you guard your tongue, that God might be honored. Why do you have to do it all your life? I, some of us are seasoned saints. Why do you still have to do it? Well, it's not tamed, and James says it's not tameable.
that little hint: That's the word used back in Mark five for the man with the demoniac. He was unchained, they couldn't put chains on him, he was a wild man, and when you chain him down, he'd break the chains and still go wild. Your tongue is like that, it's going to try to break free, and you put the most harsh, painful bit on your tongue you can. It's still going to break free at times. It's a horse that you ride, but you have to be aware it's going to run away, and the damage done is irreparable. The damage done is not something that can be done. You can't unspeak a word. The corruption coming forth is not something..
that little hint: oh, oh, forget that. You can't forget that. It's like taking a beautiful piece of wooden furniture and burning it, you can't reconstruct it in that beautiful piece of furniture, or the story of the pastor who was trying to impress on his parishioner the dangers of gossip, and how terrible it was, and he said, "Next time, bring a feather pillow. Okay, so next time she came, she brought a feather pillow, and just go outside now. Tear that pillow open, throw the feathers in the air. Okay, now I want you to go collect every single one of those feathers. You'll never be able to collect all those words that you let loose. It's something that is irreparable.
that little hint: How do I do it? First step is real easy. You're aware of the need. You don't do something unless you think you need to do it. Yeah, your tongue is that bad when you get ready to speak.
that little hint: Ask yourself, is this horse tame? Am I.. don't I need to put a bridle on it? Be careful how I say these things. I've got a dangerous beast in my mouth, have to be careful. But the root, since it's the expression of the heart is to deal with the root mortification of the sin in the heart, when anger and bitterness are replaced with love, when ungodliness is replaced with righteousness.
that little hint: Then the waters that flow forth will be more pure and easier to share. Words of censure come forth less when pride is abased words of conflict are reduced when there is peace in the heart and desire to be a peacemaker when the word of God is embraced and the word of God is the focus of our thinking and our vocabulary. Pray, then words that God forbids become less there when we suffer. Excuse me, when we submerge ourselves in God's word, then the lies begin to dry up, and when the heart is full of praise to God, then that praise begins to come out.
that little hint: That's why we sing. God's told us to sing, and we may remember the words to a Taylor Swift song better than we do some of the hymns in the book, but God tells us to make a joyful noise. Why?
that little hint: So that that beast that is expressing what's in the heart is saying to God be glory and to God be honor. There it's habitual hesitation to use it, to think about it, remember that it's there mortifying the heart, and then hesitating. My brother, who's gone to be with the Lord now, was cerebral palsied. He never walked a step in his life.
that little hint: His speech was such that only the family could understand him, and so he was very careful in trying to say something, because it would take several minutes to understand any sentence he said he he learned to think before he spoke. We need to think before we speak, so that God put our tongue behind two fences, the teeth and the lips, and we need to use both of them, using them so that God's glory will be shown. The fountain that is opened up in our heart praises Him. But here's the second part of that. He says, "You're going to guard your speech, you're going to show a change in the way you talk, and you're going to change the way you act. All right, now, now we're going to have ceremonies. Now we get to the robes. Now we get to the bracelets that say WWJD, and we flash them everywhere. Now we go around what religion that is pure and undefiled before the God the Father is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to visit the orphan and widows in their affliction, we're not just listeners. Now, what does it mean? Well, the fatherless and the widows is again kind of a flashback. We talk about God, our Father, and in Psalm 68 he's described as the father of the fatherless and protector of the widows is God and His holy habitation. This is that God likeness caused by the work of God implanted within us.
that little hint: So, what do we do? This is true religion, as God sees, not the world, and a lot of religions don't see it, but true religion and undefiled is pure. This is the expression of the very nature of God. Is what visitation now? That does not mean you go and you sit down, you have some coffee with them, you talk about the weather and talk about the grandkids, and you say, "Bye, we'll see you later. That's not biblical visitation. When God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, He said He went to visit them.
that little hint: When He brought the people back from Babylon, He went to visit His people in their afflictions, an active intervention to deal with what is oppressing, and he says you visit them in their affliction, things are hurting, they're suffering there. Why widows and orphans? Why these categories? Because when James is writing, they're the most defenseless. Many times a woman couldn't own property. Orphans were left to run the streets and try to find what food they could, or be sold off. They're the ones without any protection.
that little hint: You remember the importunate widow pleading with the judge, and she had no leverage on him, but she kept going and going and going until finally the judge said, I'm tired of hearing it, I'm going to give her what she wants, but she had no appeal, she had no power or no right to go any further. Those who are helpless, those whom in. Cases are virtually hopeless. They don't see any out. What do you do? You visit, you go and care for the prisoners, as Paul, excuse me, as Christ says in Matthew 25 to the sheep, I was in prison, and you visited me.
that little hint: How many brought food, medicines, clothes, because in prison they weren't provided.
that little hint: Taking care, it's social unto practical social in the sense you got to know who they are and what they need, what they think they need, may not be what they really need, or they may not be willing to tell you what they really need until you get to know them and they know you, but then that's a goal, is not to just have a good chat time, but practically to take care of what the problem is, there, John Gill says it's not only to see them and speak a word of comfort to them, but to communicate to them and supply their wants as they may require, according to the ability God has given to help us those passed by and why is this what God says is pure and undefiled, as opposed to smells and bells and robes and golden jewelry, or whatever. What did God do? What's the character of God when He came to you by the power of His Spirit? Did He come to you to make you feel better, to put a little more money in your wallet, to put a band aid on your corruptions, or to go to your soul and deliver you from your sin, and to bring you to life, and to give his own son to the ones who could not do a thing about it, reflecting the character of God the Father. God didn't get nothing from saving me. He gets no glory that wasn't his own to start with. I haven't done a thing for him that paid him back, but out of his goodness and mercy he came to relieve and to save my miserable soul. This is like God, a God who speaks words of comfort, and a God who acts to deal with the very core of the need, and that's why he wraps it up with that phrase that seems a bit out of place until you look at it, keep oneself unstained from the world, don't get tinged by the patterns of the world in doing these things. A lot of the world's good deeds, relieving poverty, bringing medicines, blah blah, is rooted in self love, even in giving. I remember my very first pastorate. There was a man there who was relatively infrequent, but he came one early December and said, yeah, we were out taking baskets of food to the poor, taking mood around for that's great. He says, yeah, it made me feel so good to do it. That's why he did it, not to help them make himself feel good. Why do you relieve the needs? Why do you speak words of comfort and do deeds of care and provision and correction and help there, because your heart is like that of God. You remember the sheep in Matthew 25 when Jesus said,"I was in prison, you visited me, and I was all.. we talking about Jesus, huh? You're citing that it's just what they were, it's who they are, it coming from the heart, and James says your heart is revealed as trembling before God when your words are restrained from wickedness and turned to righteousness, and you pour forth deeds of help and mercy to those around you. How are you doing? How is. Religion, this is what God approves. It's what He calls pure and undefiled. It's the closest you're going to be to being like God and acting like God is when you give to the ones who need it, and you have it, and you're doing it because they need it, and you have it, whether it be a word, whether it be money, whether it be food, whether it be transport, whatever you know them enough to know their need, and your heart is provoked to speak and to act, how is that word implanted in your heart? Well, hopefully your first response is, oh man, I got a really sparse harvest coming in on that good, because that means you're not doing it to be aware of it, you're doing it because that's who you are now.
that little hint: May God bless us as we serve Him and reflect the image of the Father, so let's pray.
that little hint: Almighty God and King, you are our Lord, you are our Redeemer.
that little hint: You came to visit us in our sin and iniquity and death, and brought to us life. And so we come to you with thankful hearts, and yet with confession, we pray that you would turn us, our hands and our tongues, to more full service for you to reflect your nature. We ask it in Christ's name and to His glory. Amen.