James (Part 6) Religion That God Likes
As Jesus, James, Jude, Joseph, Simon and their sister grew up together in the same household as their parents Mary and Joseph, I cannot help but wonder what kind of things they talked about behind closed doors. What kind of things did they talk about and what instructions did they receive from Mary and Joseph in the privacy of their own home, especially regarding religious matters.
We know that Mary and Joseph must have had good hearts for Father God to choose them to raise His one and only son Jesus. We are told that before Mary conceived an angel visited Mary and told her that the Lord was pleased with her and she was highly favored. (Luke 1:28) I don’t believe that God would place His one and only son in a household of immoral, unrighteous perverts. Did they sin? With the exception of Jesus they all did just like we all do, but they probably did their best not to live in an evil or worldly manner.
So behind closed door what did Mary and Joseph try to teach their kids? What kind of things did they warn their children to wary of? Well, probably much the same things we warn our children about today; to be wary of those who lie, cheat, steal, those who abuse themselves and others, those who live ungodly lives, especially those who take on the appearance of being good but then do evil, even if they call them self a religious leader.
We know that during this time as these kids were growing up there was a lot of religious people who were hypocrites. I am sure it did not escape the notice of these kids, especially as they entered their teen age years. Teens can be very perceptive. I can just imagine these kids coming home and sharing behind closed doors things they saw that just weren’t right. “Mom, dad, today when I was down town I saw the teachers and priests out in front of the synagogue chanting and praying. Then they talked about how much they give each week like show offs. Then a poor old lady hobbled over to one of them and asked if they could give her something to eat, maybe just a small piece of bread because she hadn’t eaten in two days. But those men were really mean and yelled at her, and pushed her and told her to get away. I went over and helped her up and gave her the piece of bread you gave me for lunch because I felt sorry for her. Mom, dad why were they so mean, she was just hungry?”
If Jesus got mad about anything, we see in scripture it was when people, especially ‘so called religious people’, acted like phony hypocrites.
In Matthew 23, we read how Jesus blasted those Pharisees and teachers of the Law for acting like this. In 17 verses, Jesus called these men hypocrites over and over at least six times. In the context He also calls them;
“blind guides, sons of hell, blind men, blind fools, snakes, a brood of vipers, filled with greed and self indulgence, white washed tombs that look nice on the outside but on the inside they are rotten.”
And these were the ‘so called’ religious men they grew up with.
I think such behavior was a topic of conversation in their home and well as many other homes when doors were closed. I also believe that Mary and Joseph must have warned their kids about such evil behavior. They probably instructed their kids to obey the teachers and do what they say but they should not do the bad things that they do..
Their others son Jude, also wrote about being careful in dealing with the same thing in his letter, how even selfish hypocrites can and will enter and try to lead the Lord’s church.
Concerning them he writes,
“12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Then in Vs 16 he writes) 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”
And likewise James addresses the same issue about this kind of evil behavior as he concludes chapter one by writing,
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”1:21-27
I can’t help but believe that these men were first taught these lessons at home, as boys, behind closed doors, along with their other siblings. Of course its meaning became fuller and clearer as they grew older and accepted God’s own guidance for their life.
As I mentioned before in each of the previous lessons on James, he gives us good and practical instruction for holy living. Let’s look at what he says here:
#1. The 1st thing that James tells us in this text is that we need to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent .
It was prevalent then, and it’s prevalent today. But just because it’s prevalent that doesn’t mean we have to take part in it. It comes down to the choices we each make for our life. James was writing to Christians here. He tell us that if we have polluted our life with things that God sees as morally unacceptable, he said that you need to get rid of them. I’m not going to give you a list of those things here in this lesson, but all you have to do is read thru the New Testament, especially the epistles, because many of those things which we should avoid doing are repeated over and over by those early writers.
#2. The second thing he mentions here in this verse is that we need to humbly accept the word planted in us which can save us.
As I mentioned with the first point, it all comes down to what you decide to do, what you choose. Some of us only do what we want to do. Some of us are not yet humble enough to fully accept God’s will for our life even though we know what it is. God’s word which we have read and which is now planted in us tells us not speak in a evil or profane manner, it tells us not to gossip or judge others, we are told not to worry or fret but to trust in the Lord. It instructs us in many other things as well. But do we trust Him enough to heed His word? James tells us that we need to if you want to be saved. It’s that important!
#3. Likewise in Vs 23 he instructs, ‘Don’t just listen to God’s word, Do what it says.’
James stops here and carefully illustrates what he means. Did you ever look in a mirror, and then a moment later forget what you look like? He said that’s what it’s like when you accept God wonderful gift of grace;isHis His forgiveness, the knowledge and reality we can be free from a vile life, knowing that you are His son or daughter and co-heir with Christ; but then a moment later as if you forget, you turn away and act like the evil, ungodly, self centered people of this world… even though you claim to be a Christian.
Maybe you’ve seen or heard of people like that. I hope that you are not one of them. They go to church, they look good, The have a big thick Bible, they talk the talk, they may even serve in different ways, but then after they leave the church building it’s like they forget who they are in the Lord. People on the outside see them act and speak like everyone else in the world.
I have known preachers and elders who have preached and served, but then I heard of ungodly scandals which they were involved in. They end up saying the wrong things, or doing ungodly things and they looked like one big phony hypocrite to those under their care and those outside the church.
James said,
‘Don’t just listen to God’s word, Do what it says.’
#4. Then James wrote, 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”
Just like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law of old, just because a person is Christian, and is a regular church goer, that does not give us the right to talk down to others.
#5. James goes on to say, religion that God our Father wants is not a show, it’s not about portraying an image, or developing a routine. Rather I believe it involves how we use what we know about God. It’s seen in our attitudes and is demonstrated in how we act towards God and one another after we leave the church building. James wrote
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress….”
The knowledge and blessings He sends our way should overflow on to others. His love, mercy and grace should reflect in our own life.
I think that somehow Satan has effective tricked and robs many of us of the peace and joy we should be experiencing as a Christian. Over the years I have seen too many Christians going around feeling guilty and disturbed about things that they thought they should feel guilty about.
What does James say here? Does he tell us thatReligion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is… your need to bring a lot of people into this church and do your very best to make it grow? Does he say thatyou need to go out and pound on every do in the community and ask people to come to church. Does he say that we have to dress in holy garb, chant certain prayers, or make special sacrifices?
No. He specifically said that the kind of Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. I believe that James is telling us that God not only wants us to accept and do His will, here He also lets us know that the most acceptable practice and expression of true religion is seen by demonstrating love, mercy, and helping others when and wherever we can.
In much the same manner when we read of the judgment scene Jesus talked about in heaven, when all people will be gathered and separated before Jesus with some to the right, and some to the left to be judged. Do you remember why those on His right we allowed into heaven? Was it based on how many people they got to come to church? How perfect they lived their life? How many times they made it to church on time? No, none of those things are mentioned. Rather how much they loved and serve others in need. In Matt 25 it says,
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
… Maybe we are focused on and feeling guilty about the wrong thing? We wonder why people are leaving our churches, and why our numbers arn’t growing; is it possible some in our midst feel lonely, unconnected or even neglected? We all have busy lives and schedules, but I thinks is vital if not crucial to love our brethren, get to know them and evey once and a while spend some time with them. Otherwise they may decide to go elsewhere to fill that void. I believe God will take care of our numbers when we learn to learn to start showing His love and mercy to those both inside the church as well as those outside.
#6. And last of all James conclude by saying,
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.”
There is more than one way to poison one’s life. You can poison the body with chemicals and toxins such as mercury, and lead, and snake venom, toxic waste, and probably thousands of other unnatural or even natural compounds, but James tells us here that we need to keep our self from being polluted by the world. I believe he is making reference to those things that can sicken our mind, spirit, and soul.
In the same way you would not feed a little child mercury or lead, we also try to keep our children from being exposed to harmful, TV, movies, games, profanity and anything else perverse. Why? Because like poison those things can harm that child in so many ways psychologically. Why are we any different? We shouldn’t expose our self to any kind of immoral, unholy garbage either. It can poison our thinking, and our spirit.
These are wise words for a Christian to life by. My encouragement to is put them into practice and what happens.
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