Relational Religion
James 1:19-27
Intro: The word “religion” has really gotten a bad rap in modern history. It is almost a dirty word to some. Maybe you’ve heard some of these phrases before: “Oh, you got religion!” “Don’t shove your religion on me!” “I am not a religious person!” Even in the church we have tried to distance ourselves from the word “religion.” We say, “Christianity is not about religion, it is about relationship!” I agree with the relationship part, but I’d like to make peace between the two words today by joining them together. Thus, the title, “Relational Religion.”
-See, the word religion in James refers to “ceremonial observance, or worship.” Throughout the history of the church, we have adopted rituals or ceremonies that help us express our faith and worship God in various ways. The Bible is filled with ceremonies and observances that helped people remember who God was and how to respond appropriately to Him. The only time these ceremonial observances or rituals of worship are unhelpful or even repulsive is when they are divorced from relationship. If we just go through the motions of worship with no heart or love for God or man, then our worship is in vain. Jesus addressed this issue and quoted from Isaiah to wake people up from dead religion: Mark 7:6-7 6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”
-Well, I sure don’t want my worship to be in vain. I want to experience God for who He is and allow Him to make me who He wants me to be. Here’s the main thought today:
Prop: God wants your religion to be characterized by love, compassion, and holy living.
Interrogative: How can we avoid just being religious with nothing of substance to show for it?
TS: Let’s look at some descriptions of relational religion and ask the Lord to help us see ourselves in light of His word today.
I. Relational religion shows kindness to others (James 1:19-20)
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
-The context of these verses appear to relate to the revolutionary aggression of Jewish Zealots of the mid-first century who were plotting violence against Rome, attempting to overthrow the Roman government. As James wrote to his Jewish church family scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, his message to them is familiar: violence is not the answer; furthermore, it is inconsistent with the nature of someone who has experienced a new spiritual birth through the word of truth (1:18). So James tells them what is appropriate for the people of God, followers of Jesus.
A. Learn to Listen
-It wasn’t by accident that God gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth. He expects us to spend more time listening than he does speaking. Dale Carnegie says that you can make more friends in two weeks by becoming a good listener than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you.
-Here are some listening skills that might help you.
1. Act like a good listener. Change your physical body language from that of a deflector to that of a receiver, much like a satellite dish. Our faces contain most of the receptive equipment in our bodies, so it is only natural that we should tilt our faces towards the channel of information.
2. Look at the other person. Your eyes pick up the non-verbal signals that all people send out when they are speaking. By looking at the speaker, your eyes will also complete the eye contact that speakers are trying to make. A speaker will work harder at sending out the information when they see a receptive audience in attendance. Your eyes help complete the communication circuit that must be established between speaker and listener.
3. React to the speaker by sending out non-verbal signals. Your face must move and give the range of emotions that indicate whether you are following what the speaker has to say. By moving your face to the information, you can better concentrate on what the person is saying. Your face must become an active and contoured catcher of information.
4. Stop talking and use receptive language instead. Use the I see . . . un hunh . . . oh really words and phrases that follow and encourage your speaker's train of thought. This forces you to react to the ideas presented, rather than the person. You can then move to asking questions, instead of giving your opinion on the information being presented. It is a true listening skill to use your mouth as a moving receptor of information rather than a broadcaster.
5. Move your mind to concentrate on what the speaker is saying. You cannot fully hear their point of view or process information when you argue mentally or judge what they are saying before they have completed. An open mind is a mind that is receiving and listening to information.
-Hey I finally figured out why preachers have such a challenging job. I was searching for material on improving listening skills and found this:
Roadblocks to Effective Listening:
The following types of responses indicate ineffective listening: * warning * interrogating * PREACHING* ordering * judging * diverting * analyzing * blaming * labeling * moralizing * probing * ridiculing * threatening * reassuring * distracting * sympathizing * demanding * interpreting * teaching * withdrawing * giving solutions * scolding * praising * advising * criticizing * directing * lecturing * name-calling.
-Hopefully, these are helpful. We will revisit listening and hearing in a few minutes as we learn to listen to God speak to us through His word.
B. Recognize the Power of words – We often say things in the heat of the moment that we don’t really mean. Sometimes our anger drives us to say things we never knew could come out of our mouths. James says, be slow to speak. Think before you speak. A great verse to memorize for this is from Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”
-A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper,” She said, “I blow up, and then it’s all over.” So does a shotgun,” Sunday replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!”
-James will elaborate more on taming the tongue in chapter 3. For now, we just need to know how powerful our angry, spiteful words can be and how much harm they can do. On the other hand, we also need to be aware of how powerful our words can be when we speak life, hope, and blessing over others.
C. Respond, Don’t React
-Someone wrote that if you want to trace anger back to its source, just use the acronym AHEN (A-H-E-N). When you see Anger (the “A”) it is usually covering a Hurt (the “H”) If you peek under that Hurt, you’ll see you had an expectation (the “E”) And if you look under that expectation, you’ll find a need – the “N”
-Apply this to James’ readers and you can see that their anger could easily be traced to a lot of hurt. Some of them had lost family members and friends to Roman cruelty. Thousands of Jews had been crucified by Roman soldiers as examples of what would happen to people who resisted Roman rule. Read the book of Acts and you see that the Jewish religious body of leaders (Sanhedrin) worked hand in hand with the Roman government to squash the growth of the church. Persecution grew so harsh that many families were forced to flee to others cities where they had a chance of survival.
-The Expectation that was never met was that they would be able to live and worship freely. Instead, they lived in danger and feared the Roman soldiers who had the authority to force them to carry their armor and supplies for a mile. They could also confiscate property in the name of Rome. So there was hurt and unmet expectations which all stemmed from a need – the need for peace. Rome prided itself on keeping the peace, but an awful lot of blood was shed and many families ripped apart to give them this illusion.
-Now James doesn’t even get into the injustice of it all. He just says, “Calm down. Be a good listener. Choose your words carefully. Watch your temper. Your anger and the violence that comes with it will not bring God’s kingdom any sooner, nor will it make you more of a righteous person.”
-We may not face the same situation James’ original readers faced, but we still deal with some of the same issues. Violence is not the answer. Instead, here is what you should do…
II. Relational religion honors God by hearing and doing things His way (21-25)
21 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. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does.
A. Take Out the Trash (21) Some scholars say that this is the equivalent of saying, “Clean out your ears!” The Greek word for filth is rupos which is a medical term for earwax that needs to be washed away to restore hearing. So, clean out your ears so that God’s word can penetrate and clean out your heart and mind! You’ve got to love the KJV’s rendering of verse 21: “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.”
B. Receive God’s Word (21b) It is often a challenge for us to listen to one another, but apparently we also struggle with listening to God. According to George Barna, a Christian pollster, in a given week about 37% of Americans will read their Bible, but 85% will pray. I guess we like to talk more than we like to listen.
-It is important that we make a habit of reading our Bibles, but we also need to let the Bible read us! Let it do a heart scan on you while you read. Let it do a mind scan. What do you find yourself preoccupied with? What is it that you spend the most time thinking about? Let God’s word read you and tell you what’s really going on in your life. Receive His word humbly, not excusing or defending yourself, but owning up to your reflection. “Yes, Lord, that’s me all right. It’s not the mirror’s fault how I look. I am not just a product of my circumstances. I humbly take responsibility for the way I am, and Jesus, I ask You to help me change.” That is the kind of heart that is receptive to God’s word.
C. Do God’s Word (22-25)
-Several years back, the annual convention of The American Heart Association met in Atlanta. That year 300,000 doctors, nurses, and researchers gathered to discuss, among other things, the importance a low fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy. Somebody decided to do some checking and found that during meal times, these people consumed fat-filled fast food—such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries—at about the same rate as people from other conventions.
When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high fat meals set a bad example, he replied, "Not me, because I took my name tag off." (Boston Globe [11-10-93] as quoted in PreachingToday.com)
-It is amazing how wide a gap there is between our knowledge and our behavior sometimes!
-I had an opportunity to audit a couple of classes in the seminary I attended. Graduates can audit one free class per year. I enjoy learning and want to be better equipped for ministry, so I took one class before we moved here to Elgin, and then I returned and took another one after being here for a year. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself, but you know what was kind of fun about it? No coursework and no test! It was nice to be there, but I was not really investing myself into the class in the same way I would have if I had been taking it as part of my degree program.
-We need to take care that we are not auditing God’s word. Whether reading it in the Bible or hearing it in a sermon. If we aren’t willing to apply it to our lives, then we are missing the whole point. In fact, our hearts can become hardened if we hear but never apply or act on what we have heard. There are a lot of interesting things to read on the menu in a restaurant, but I’d much rather eat a meal than simply read the menu! Acting on the word will bring the growth and nourishment we need!
-If we hear but do not act, James says we are deceiving ourselves. How so? First, perhaps we are exempting ourselves from the truth we hear. Maybe we think that applies to others, but not to us. Or maybe we seem to have good valid reasons for not doing what the Bible says. Perhaps we look around and don’t see other Christians doing what the Bible says, so we assume that it is not that important. However, we won’t answer for how others lived when we give an account to God. We will only be able to give an account for ourselves.
-So, let’s clean out our hearts and ears and humbly receive God’s word, and then respond to it. Take action and do what God says to do.
III. Relational religion affects every area of our lives (James 1:26-27)
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his 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.
A. Watch your words - Verbal Restraint (26)
-"Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak." "The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds." (Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
-V.26 could apply to gossip, or to the angry words of the Zealot-type people who were trying to stir up enough anger and dissatisfaction that the people would revolt against Rome. James may also be addressing the person who has plenty to say about God, but has very little to do with Him on a heart-felt level that leads to action. Your walk should match your talk (the never-ending challenge of a preacher’s life).
B. Show compassion - Loving Generosity & Service (27) – Orphans and widows were 2 social classes that were often exploited and afflicted by society. The people of God in all ages are called to look after them, not look over them. We have kids today who are orphaned by divorce and oppressed by dysfunction in what home they do have. They need our love and attention! There are likely some in your neighborhood! Look after them! Pray for them! Ask God to show you how to reach out to them. Their parents may be in the same boat and know nothing different than to pass it on to their children, and their children’s children.
-We have widows all around us who could use some extra love and kindness. Some of them suffer from loneliness and depression and just need to know someone cares about them. We are called to look after them, whether they are part of our church or not!
C. Guard your heart - Holy Living (27) – Don’t let the world system or our culture pollute the way you see reality. Our world system does not honor God. Our govt. often does not honor God. Sometimes our justice system tries to play God. Our media often does not honor God. The entertainment industry often fails to honor God. The advertising world is often so image-based and eager to make a buck that it leaves no room for God. So, we have to ask ourselves, “What affect do these things have on my heart and mind?” “Where am I getting my information from?” “How can I keep myself from being polluted by the world?”
-The short answer leads us right back to God’s word. Don’t leave home without it in your heart and mind! And look for ways to put it into practice. Do life with God, not with movie stars or music groups who don’t even know you exist! Do life God’s way! Lean into the race with all you’ve got! Keep your heart pure because the One who made it is pure!
Conclusion: Relational religion – As we seek to worship God in spirit and in truth, our lives should be characterized by love, compassion, and holy living. Otherwise, we are just following another lifeless religion. Relational religion reminds us that there is a God who knows us and loves us and wants us to know and love Him back. He doesn’t want us to get distracted by other agendas that are driven by man’s ideas. He doesn’t want us to force things to happen by our own anger and aggression. Rather, He wants us to humbly receive His truth from His word because it shows us how to stay connected with Him!
-If you don’t know this God who is so into relationships and love that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son so we could find forgiveness and healing and life, you can make a new start with Him today!
-If you already know this God as your forgiver and leader, then keep growing! Keep your ears cleaned out so you can hear His word and respond to it. Let Him help you with things like controlling your anger and learning to listen first, and speak when appropriate. Stay connected with Him. He loves you and is proud of you! In fact He is actually pretty crazy about you!
-Let me end with these words: Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” [Rejoice - to spin round (under the influence of any violent emotion)]. He is crazy over you! You delight Him! Let Him do the work you need in your life today! Respond to Him. Take action where needed! Don’t just hear what he says, do it!
