Latest / Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self / 17.8 - James 1:26-27 - Your Religion’s Not Meant To Just Help You

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17.8 - James 1:26-27 - Your Religion’s Not Meant To Just Help You · Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self

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  Welcome to Tabernacle Talk. Tabernacle Talk is a Bible study
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  podcast from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Essex, MD.
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  We hope that this podcast will help you to know Christ, grow in
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  his word, and show his love to others.
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  Let's dive right in. Welcome back to Tabernacle Talk.
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  Today we are in James one and verses 26 and 27.
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  James 1 verses 26 and 27. We are at these verses kind of
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  getting into a slightly different portion of the letter
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  from James, probably the first, you know, 25 verses or so.
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  It's really helpful. It's really encouraging.
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  It's saying, hey, here's here's how to find joy in your trials.
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  Here's how to find wisdom from God.
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  Here's how to think about being rich and being poor.
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  Here's how you can, you know, think about God's like goodness
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  and his love and his blessings in your life.
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  And here's how to deal with anger.
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  And here's, you know, how to adopt the word of God into your
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  life and, and have it make a difference and accomplish
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  everything that God wants it to. And then we get to verses 26,
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  James 126 through probably chapter 5 and verse #6 and James
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  kind of gets a little bit of a, a, a fire in his bones.
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  And I think you'll see a little bit of this today.
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  And we're going to see it in earnest then over the next, I
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  think it's like 6 or 7 episodes that we're going through that
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  there is just a passion in James Hart for what we went over last
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  episode. And be a doer of the word.
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  Don't just be a hearer of the word that in a bunch of
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  different situations there were people within these communities
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  of Christians, within these churches all across the Roman
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  Empire, primarily made-up of Christians that had been
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  scattered out from Israel as a result of persecution.
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  And they were all over the place.
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  But as they were going to these different areas of the Roman
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  Empire, there were religious rich able to teach individuals
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  that came to power in the churches that they were put in
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  positions of leadership and prominence that should not have
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  been they they did not know and love Jesus in any sort of
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  meaningful way. And and probably even more so
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  than than that. I'll, I'll say they were like
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  the, the teachers in first John. So if you guys remember when we
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  went through that book together, the, the leaders in first John,
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  they blew in, blew up and blew out.
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  And right here in James one is kind of in the the blowing up
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  portion. So This is why it's kind of nice
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  that James is very close to 1st John in Scripture that you can
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  see a little bit of what John would have been writing about to
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  some of his people. That would be decades after
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  James is writing this, but the same type of thing and it's the
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  same type of thing that we encounter in churches today.
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  So let me read verses 26 and 27 and and we'll analyze this first
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  portion of when James begins to have this fire.
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  And it's this. Your religion is not meant to
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  help just you. Your religion is not meant to
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  just help you. So verses 26 and 27, if anyone
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  thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his
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  religion is useless and he deceives himself pure and
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  undefiled. Religion before God the Father
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  is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
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  to keep oneself unstained from the world.
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  All right, so there's kind of two, probably 3 main aspects
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  that we're going to look at today in this truth.
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  Your religion is not meant to just help you.
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  He says if anyone thinks he is religious without controlling
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  his tongue so a person can say, Oh yeah, I, I love God.
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  I'm, I'm very religious, you know, I, I, you know, I read the
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  Bible and I care very much about religion.
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  If someone asks you know how what religion are you, they say,
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  oh, I'm a Christian or they might say, you know, I'm a
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  Baptist or I'm a this or that. But a person that is religious
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  without this initial action, we're going to see this at
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  length in chapter 3 says if anyone thinks he is religious
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  without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he
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  deceives himself. This word to control one's
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  tongue, it's it's to bridle, it's to hold in check.
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  It's like for a horse that you guide them, you you put the the
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  bit in their mouth and then by pulling on the bridle One
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  Direction or another, you can get the horse to like turn his
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  head. And he says this.
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  If your tongue does whatever it wants and you aren't telling
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  your tongue what to do. Your religion he describes as
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  useless. It's idle, it's empty, it's
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  powerless, it lacks truth. And it says that he deceives
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  himself. He's misleading himself when he
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  thinks I'm a religious person, but I say whatever I want to
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  say, James says. Your religion is useless, and
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  you've tricked yourself into thinking that your religiosity
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  benefits you or others in some way.
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  Now here's what's important about this.
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  Our controlling of our tongues is not inherently like just a
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  for us thing. Your tongue by its very nature
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  means that it is saying things to other people that might be in
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  your teaching that a person can teach things that are wrong
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  about the Bible, about the faith, about Jesus.
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  And so in that instance, we have to control our tongue that we
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  would only say the things that are true about Jesus or
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  Scripture or, you know, that that end of things.
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  Far too many people just echo or parrot something that perhaps a
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  well known preacher says or, you know, pithy statements that
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  they'll just repeat, even if it's not true.
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  And I want to encourage you, don't just say something,
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  especially when it comes to matters of religion.
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  Don't just say something because someone else said it.
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  Like look into it personally and study it.
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  I can't tell you how many times, especially over the last, like,
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  I don't know, year or so as a pastor that all all here, a
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  brother or sister say something that I know like they didn't
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  come up with it themselves. Like they're just saying what
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  someone else said. And immediately in my spare, I'm
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  like, oh, well, that that's not accurate, that's not true.
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  Here's like this verse and this thing and that that would all
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  say something contrary to what this person has said.
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  So I, I think we ought to be careful in that sense about,
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  let's say things that are true and not things that are false.
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  But that's not primarily what James has in mind here, as we'll
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  see in chapter 3. Hear what James is what he has
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  at his heart is to control your tongue is that you would not
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  slander, gossip or harm other people through your words.
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  This is this is what he's talking about elsewhere in
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  Scripture in Ephesians 5, we would read Paul talking about
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  like vulgarities and you know, foolish talking, inappropriate
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  jokes. That kind of thing shouldn't
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  have a a place in a Christian's mouth and and we know that.
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  But here in the letter of James, James is much more concerned
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  about how do you treat other people with your words.
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  Do you speak kindly about them? Do you speak assuming the best
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  about others? Do you tear others down?
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  Do you make fun of them and deride them?
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  Do you talk as though you wish other people were just gone and
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  and we're not a part of your family or your friend group or
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  your church or your job? That kind of speech has no place
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  in a Christian's life. And James tells us why.
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  He says, because then your religion is useless when people
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  hear and again, I keep referencing chapter 3 it it's a
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  great portion of scripture. So let's do it all right now
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  James says this in chapter 3 with your mouth, you bless God
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  and you talk about the Lord and you share Jesus with your
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  friends and family and neighbors and you, you know, declare the
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  truth of God to other believers. But if that mouth that you're
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  doing all of that with also holds in it your slander and
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  gossip and unkindness and rudeness and tearing down and
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  anger and all of that and and complaining and arguing, people
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  will not listen to the good when they hear so much bad coming out
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  of your mouth. And so James says, don't let
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  your religion be useless. Let it be useful.
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  So bridal control your tongue. Tell your mouth what you are
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  going to say and what you're not going to say.
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  And in those moments where you screw up and you say something
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  that you shouldn't have enough character to, as soon as
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  possible tell the people involved, hey, I messed up.
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  I shouldn't have said that. That wasn't kind.
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  I haven't brought this or this to that person's attention and
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  I'm not, you know, enlisting your help to know how to better
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  deal in the situation and, you know, reconcile this friendship
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  or whatever. I'm just like talking so that
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  you guys can be mad at this person with me.
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  That that's not good. That that you would then go back
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  to those people and say, hey, I shouldn't have said that to you
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  guys. I shouldn't have brought that
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  up. That's a thing between me and
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  that person. I shouldn't have roped you guys
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  into it. That we, we would make it
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  important to us that we would only say what God wants us to
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  say. And when we do step outside of
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  that, that as soon as possible, we ask for forgiveness.
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  We own our mistakes and we go, hey, shouldn't have done that.
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  That wasn't right. And when we do that, when we
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  control our tongue, then our religion, our devotion to God,
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  it is useful. And instead of tricking
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  ourselves, instead we are thinking rightly about our life.
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  So that's verse 26. Your religion is not meant to
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  just help yourself. It's meant to speak life and
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  encouragement and God's word into other people.
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  That's verse 26, Verse 27, pure and undefiled religion before
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  God the Father is this. He says, here's the difference
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  between what some of these people in these churches have
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  been doing and what real devotion to God looks like.
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  He says to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
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  to keep oneself unstained from the world.
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  Look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep
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  oneself unstained from the world.
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  First, to look after orphans and widows.
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  All right, what are we, what are we to take from this?
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  How do we understand this, especially as we look tomorrow
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  at James 2? A lot of what the people were
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  doing was they were, if you will, courting the rich in their
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  areas or according the the rich Jewish individuals that may or
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  may not have been believers in Jesus as the Messiah.
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  And they were doing everything in order to make the rich feel
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  comfortable and cared for. And James says that's not what
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  God has for you. God wants for your life that you
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  would care for those that can do nothing for you.
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  Now I do want to mention this. This is not saying Contra what
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  some people that deny scripture, deny Jesus as savior, all that
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  kind of stuff. They've tried to look at this
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  verse and say, OK, the church should only exist to be a like
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  community Piggy Bank. And so, you know, if you have
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  some financial need, just call up a church and be like, Hey,
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  you know, I need 2500 bucks, you know, for my, for my rent this
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  month. Would you pay my rent?
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  Or, hey, you know, I need you to give me 500 bucks for utilities
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  for this or that. Or, hey, you know, I, you know,
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  I wasted all my money and, and now I just need some, some gifts
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  for, you know, a birthday or for Christmas or for Saint Patrick's
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  Day or whatever. And that often is how people in
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  the community see churches and they'll they'll just treat it
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  like, OK, if I don't have money, I know churches have lots of
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  money. And so I'm just going to go
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  there for that. That is not the point of this
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  passage. The point of the passage is not
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  give away tons of stuff to people.
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  And that's pure and undefiled religion.
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  No hear what James is advocating for is this.
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  There are people that have a love for God.
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  We would read this even in first Timothy 5.
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  There are people that have a love for God that are your
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  brothers and sisters in the Lord, but they are not going to
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  be the ones that benefit you the most.
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  These, you know, there's some pastors nowadays that in a
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  worthy way of saying like, hey, care for don't just care for the
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  poor, like care for the rich in your church.
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  And you know, for your 10% of biggest givers, you should make
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  sure you do, you know, a meal or something for them and like
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  thank them for their giving and encourage them to continue
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  giving so that way you can continue to be a light in your
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  community. That's that's all fine.
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  And well, you know, don't, don't only care for the poor and not
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  care for the rich. Don't show favoritism in that
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  way. But for some people, the
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  temptation is they're just kind of down and out and that's all
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  they'll ever be. God wants you to care for those
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  that do not have a father or a mother.
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  God wants you to be that in their life.
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  Don't just throw money or food or clothing at them.
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  They need someone that will love them and walk with them through
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  their life. And this is not something that
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  you just pass off on to some other person to say, OK, you
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  know, you 5 people, you give them lots of stuff and and then
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  I can feel good in my, you know, spirituality.
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  No, no, no personally, if you will adopt, that might sometimes
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  be literal, other times figuratively.
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  Adopt someone that is in need and care for them with the means
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  that God has provided you. Care for them by inviting them
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  over to your house. Care for them by consistently,
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  you know, like sitting with them in in church.
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  There are people that God has definitely equipped to be able
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  to do this like all the time in a full time way.
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  I can think even of some pastors in in my local area that have
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  done both actual, not not actual adoption, but they've done both
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  foster care and full adoption of, of children.
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  And God has really blessed them in those ways.
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  And they have had a pure and non defiled religion before God the
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  Father by looking after these, these orphans, these ones that
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  need not just stuff, they need parental figures.
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  And for you, you might not be able to have someone in your
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  house 24/7, but maybe as you come to a church service on a
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  Sunday morning and you'd look around and you'd recognize, OK,
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  maybe this person comes with their grandma or this person
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  comes, they just kind of walk in from the neighborhood.
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  They need someone who will love them, who will have a
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  relationship with them, who will know their name, who will, you
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  know, perhaps throughout the week, keep up with them that you
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  are asking about, Hey, how can I, how can I pray for you?
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  What kind of things can I do for you?
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  It's relational. It's not programmatic.
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  That you are seeking to love one person.
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  How you wish that you could love all of the orphans or all of
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  those that were in need, that you would love one person at a
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  time in the way that God enables you to.
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  When we do that, when we have personal love and care, personal
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  kind of, if you will, adoption, God is glorified and that person
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  feels the love of God because they are experienced.
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  They are experiencing it through your words and texts and
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  actions. And then I'll, I'll, I got a
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  hasten on here. Same thing with widows that you
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  would treat a widow in your church, in your congregation as
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  if it was your mother. I know we've got several widows
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  in our church and many of them sit on the same Rd. together and
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  I love every Sunday getting to see them and and I pray for them
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  when some of them maybe are sick and and they're not able to be
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  there. But care for widows in your
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  church as if it was your mother and if you will adopt them that
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  now they're, you know, you're their kid and you are caring for
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  them in that way and that love that is shown through that
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  relationship that shows the life of Jesus.
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  So look after orphans and widows in their distress that you would
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  have a loving relationship with them and you would care for one
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  how you wish you could care for all.
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  And then the verse 27 ends, pure and undefiled religion before
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  God the Father. Is this to keep oneself
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  unstained from the world that you are not pursuing the lust of
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  the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as we read
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  about in first John 2, but instead you are pursuing a
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  relationship with God that you are not going to be blighted
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  with. You're not going to be blighted
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  with covetousness, with greed. That's not going to define you.
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  You're not going to be blighted with.
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  Sexual immorality or adultery or pornography, none of that is
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  going to have a hold on you. You are not going to be one that
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  is seeking power or position over other people.
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  Instead you're saying I'm just here to serve.
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  I'm just here to love and I'm going to be generous.
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  I'm not going to be greedy and I'm going to be holy.
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  I'm not going to pursue like idolatry.
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  I'm not going to pursue a worship of other things.
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  I'm going to pursue God and I am not going to be defined by what
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  this world is defined by. Instead, I'm going to be be
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  defined by heaven. So your religion is not meant to
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  just help you. You are meant to help others
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  through your words. You are meant to help those who
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  can't really benefit you. You're to look after, to love,
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  to care for orphans and widows as if they belonged to you.
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  And you are not to be defined by this world and by this world
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  sins. Instead, you're to be defined by
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  your Savior. I hope that'd be a challenge to
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  you today. Even as we've been going through
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  this, I've been encouraged to in particular, just for me in my
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  life, I want to be looking after some people in our church that
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  that might need someone that would love them in some ways and
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  care for them, care for their souls, care for, you know, some,
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  some needs that they might have. Because God always has needy
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  people that we can be a blessing to.
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  And if we look for it, we can exercise devotion to God that is
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  meaningful both to ourselves and to those around us.
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  Thanks for tuning in. Hope you have a great day.