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Pure Religion

TEXT: James 1:26, 27

James 1:27 — 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.

I. Religion: What is it?

John 3:3 — Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

  • New Birth is invisible, spiritual miracle of the soul and our "religion" is the visible expression of that new life. We are not saved by our religion, we are saved by our SAvior! But this is not say we have no "religion".

  • Sometimes a claim of "no religion" is merely a request for "no accountability".

  • Religion: our worship of and relationship with God and how those influence our treatment of our fellow man

  • Acts 26:5 — Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

  • Colossians 2:18 — Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

  • James 1:26 — 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.

  • James 1:27 — 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.

1. Religion

A. DEFINITIONS: - RELIGION: ceremonial observance:--religion, worshipping (Galatians 1:13,14 Paul a Jew saying: "The Jew's Religion")

  • Observances (middle ages english: ‘life under monastic vows’):r from Latin religio(n-) 'obligation, bond, reverence'
  • Duty
  • Ceremony, Worship
  • In Acts 25:18, Festus calls Christianity a "religion"; in some roman histories the christians were described as a "cult".

B. A religion by definition Must have 1) Deity and 2) Worshipper.)

  • Even those who claim "no religion" have a "religion" of some sort. If nothing else they serve themselves as god to themselves.

C. Religion itself is not the end, it is a means/way to God.

2. Purity (must also be an "impure")

  • PURE: of uncertain affinity; clean (literally or figuratively):--clean, clear, pure. (Katharos: Matthew 5:8; 23:26; Luke 11:41; John 13:10,11 <-- Judas' religion?; 1 Timothy 1:5)

1 Timothy 1:5 — Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: [unfeigned: no hypocrisy]

  • One's own "Religion" can be vain.

James 1:26 — 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.

- ceremonious in worship (as demonstrative), i.e. pious:--religious.
  • "True Christian" "True Church"

II. Religion: How do you get it?

As a Matter of Consience

Choosing "religion"is not primarily a matter of preference or culture, but primarily a matter of conscience.

Philipians 2:12 — Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

As a Matter of Conscience it is a matter of THE HEART

Mt 16:15 — He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

How we answer as to the nature of TRUTH shapes our religious experience more than anything else.

  • "What is truth?" concerning: - Who is God? - What does God want? - What does God say about me?

Hebrews 11:6 — But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

  • Salvation Testimonies

When I was 15 years old I had an encounter with Jesus. In the middle of the night, He came into my room and talked to me. I believe I was in a trance but not sure. I remember waking up going to the bathroom. When I went back to my bed the encounter happened. It radically changed my life forever. He set me free of things that were tormenting me. At an early age, I was very interested in mythology and ancient religions. I thought it was interesting and fun to read. What I didn’t know that it was impacting me on a spiritual level. I started to have some very dark encounters and I became very fearful. He showed me His love and kindness in that encounter.

My story has a rocky start, a messy middle but a beautiful ending. I grew up fighting battles on all sides, in the world, in my heart, and at home. My parents went through an absolutely horrendous divorce when I was 3 years old. My mother left my father for another man and we went to live with him very abruptly. That man was my stepfather for the next 22 years. The dysfunction of a broken home plagued my childhood. My parents struggled to co-parent across all of that pain and my siblings and I got caught in the cross-fire. ------- After my first year of college, I hit a low point and decided to transfer schools under the pretense of going to live with my best friend. In reality, I was trying to run away from myself and believed a “new start” would cure my feelings of restlessness and emptiness. That following summer, I ran into an old friend from high school who was a Christian. He genuinely surprised me with his kindness and Christ-like attitude towards me. This softened my heart and slowly pointed me back to Jesus. (Fun fact: This old friend would eventually become my husband).

  • These Answer, "How they were born again?" But not how they got "religion"? right?

John 14:15 — If ye love me, keep my commandments.

III. Religion: How does it work?

It Frames our "World View"

  • There is evil, if there is good.
  • If evil and good exists, they are in a conflict, they contradict and oppose one another.

Christians recogznize the One Who Created all Things, Sent His Son to Die on a Cross and gave to us the Holy Bible as the one and only to be worshipped. All other religion by this definition is "false".

1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

  1. STATUTES/COMMANDS: a written law that has been formally enacted

1 Jo 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

  1. PRECEPTS: refers to a general rule or principle that is intended to guide behavior or thought.

Psalm 119:128

Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

  • Not a blank slate for me to impose my definition, but the exectation is that I act in honesty -- INTEGRITY

Ge 20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

1Ki 9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

It Keeps Us Consistent

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Hebrews 10:25 — Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

  • We are not just "making it up as we go along". We are cherry picking ideas that suit or fancy.
  • We are walking in communion (not in conflict) with our creator and in simple honesty listening,learning and doing.

It makes us Useful

James 1:27 — 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.

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