Help Wanted: Relationship or Religion
James 1:26-27
Good morning, would you turn to James chapter one, the text will be various verses from chapter one.
James is writing to believers.
You would think some of the things he says to them that he would be writing this letter to unbelievers.
James chapter 1:26-27 Read from the Bible
You may have chuckled when you saw the Sermon Series title- Relationship or Religion. You cannot assume that most people know the difference.
You have to define relationship and you have to define religion.
James sets clear boundaries on both. Two things I want you to see in the passage this morning. (1)There is a difference between relationship with God and religion.
(2) There is a difference between Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom.
Very quickly in this conversation, you have to decide from where and how you define wisdom.
Is wisdom from man or is it from God?
Are you a believer or unbeliever?
Do you have a relationship with the Lord or do you have some sort of religion without relationship.
To some these things seem like they would be the same and not matter from what source you get your wisdom… but that is far from the truth.
The book of James is written and speaks to believers. It is filled with practical applications for a believers life, to be enriched/happy/ and walking with the Lord/ strong in your faith.
Religion is what people wear on the outside for all to see.
Having a relationship with God will put feet to your faith and will extend to those that are around you.
With all the disasters happening in the southern states right now with flooding and loss of life, religion would reason that they would have to help themselves. Knowing Christ- we have the eyes of Christ, we see hurting people and we would extend a hand of love to help.
Being in a relationship with Christ, we want to be a part of the solution instead of the problem.
James says- if you cannot control your tongue, your religion is worthless! James 1:26
Religion that God accepts- James 1:26-
Look after widows and orphans
Keep yourself from being polluted from the world.
Paraphrased-
you will help others-
you will keep yourself pure/ different from the world
Listen to what Mark Twain says- I am not even sure he is a Christian.
“Having spent considerable time with good people, I understand why Jesus liked to be with tax collectors and sinners”
Jesus likes real! Relationships are meant to be real- you know me, I know you and we love each other anyway!
James is dealing with the times- he addresses religion because for most religion is external.
It is something you do on the outside at certain times.
Example-
Cleansing your hands, not touching dead things, observing the law (all 613 of them)
James is saying that if the ceremonial washing is more important than the moral washing- you are missing the mark.
If you are going to have a strong walk with God, you are going to have to separate the two.
There are a lot of religions out there that have nothing to do with God at all!!
Most Religion’s in practice that will never take a person to heaven. They have been deceived into believing a lie.
Quote-
Some people have enough religion to make themselves (and others) miserable.”
Most of you know how I feel about theology. There is nothing wrong with it…we need it, but a theologian and a preacher are usually two different people.
Preacher- will take God’s word and present it for the better understanding to the hearer.
Theologian- is constantly breaking down the word to find new avenues, sometimes good but most times bad.
Because in the breakdown process of God’s word they forgot God.
They lost track and become prideful with self attained achievements.
Question-
Do you know someone like that?
Digging into God’s word and ends up distancing themselves because of a lack of faith?
Someone who has gone off to college and lost their faith in the process.
Most people cannot find Godly wisdom because they don’t even look to the Lord when they think of where they will get wisdom.
Most do not know the difference between religion and a relationship with God
James the practical preacher is speaking to believers in the church and he is saying that they don’t need and we don’t need more religion- They need and we need a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
James begins his letter saying that we as believers and people of faith should be coming to the Lord for our wisdom and decision making about what is going on in our lives. He states that if we are wanting wisdom (Godly wisdom) that God gives to us freely when we ask. He is not hiding answers for the solutions going on in a Christian’s life. We must not doubt that he wants to give us those answers,
We should not be tossed around in our faith wavering on what we believe and not be double minded.
It is better to see who we are on Monday than who we are on most Sundays!
Our spouses have a better view of who we are than most of our church folks.
We are fooling ourselves if we keep pretending to be someone we’re not.
Two things to grab from these verses-
Relationship with Jesus over Religion
Godly wisdom over worldly wisdom
If the inside of you does not match the outside of you…you may be needing the Lord to work in your life.
Relationship over Religion
Religion by itself cannot stand because it will leave you empty and James says that it is worthless as far as a spiritual part of your life.
(You have religion) You will not be able to handle the storms in your life with religion
Illustration-
The Eagle does not run from a storm. It rises above the storm. It does not leave its territory when bad weather comes. He will only leave if he’s badly injured and will return as soon as he is able.
THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR SUCH A PERSON. ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS A RELATIONSHIP NEEDED AND NOT RELIGION.
You will not be able to persevere and move forward
Illustration-
A child wanted to go to a party- it was extreme bad weather. The father said he could go and fought his way through the blowing snow. He arrived at the party and looked behind him to see a shadow in the background- it was his father making sure that his child arrived safely.
Only a relationship can do that!
You will not be able to handle the attacks of the enemy
Doing things in your own strength
Your faith becomes weak
Your praise becomes passive
Illustration
September 11th, 2001 attack- 23 years ago, we knew who the enemy was- now it seems we forget who the enemy is and we are attacking each other instead of the enemy.
Worthless religion cannot save you
You cannot play in polluted waters and not become dirty.
Jesus tells us the sick of this world need a spiritual doctor- He is the great physician!
He prescribes/ His prescription
Take as directed
Take with Food
Finish all the medicine
Don’t take old medicine
The doctor prescribes but we don’t follow the directions.
When we want religion over relationship, we lose worship.
We lose the presence of the Lord.
We desire rituals over the closeness of relationship.
It is an easier way to do what you want instead of being sensitive to what the Lord wants in your life.
True worship as defined by James is pure and undefiled.
It is the worship of your God and to do service for those less fortunate.
At times we get caught up in beautiful buildings and forgetting what the Lord has commanded us to do.
James is condemning a religion that has no sensitivity to the Lord and to the Lord’s work with people that need help.
You cannot make rituals a substitute for sacrifice and service.
Godly wisdom over worldly wisdom
James 1:5 “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God”
Lack is the Greek word “leipo” (lie-po) a word that pictures a deficit. a shortage. Shortage of electrical power paralyzes a whole city. a shortage of wisdom concerning mankind is a shortage that makes him lack what is needed and he is not knowing how he will get it properly.
A lack of wisdom is the most devastating kind of deficit a person or nation can face.
Wisdom is the ability to find solutions and principals needed to reverse the situation.
When a person lacks this kind of wisdom, it paralyzes him/her because they do not know what to do.
When James says “if any of you lack wisdom”, the word wisdom is “sophias” this word means enlightenment, insight, or even special insight.
Just because someone has a decree does not mean they have wisdom. There are many who have decrees and do not have wisdom. Many have education, but lack the wisdom to make their lives fruitful and practical.
Godly wisdom given only by God contains the principals that will lead you out of this baffling situation into a place where things begin to work again.
Wisdom guides you to do right.
Man has education. God has wisdom.
It there something in your life right now that you need godly wisdom about in a particular situation?
Even though you have tried to find solutions on your own, it is time for you to get wisdom from on high.
Godly wisdom that comes from the Lord.
That is why James says that “if you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.”
James is telling us that we will have enlightenment, insight…that we cannot have without the Lord providing it.
When James tells us to ask God for wisdom, the Greek tense used is a command. God isn’t suggesting that we come to Him for wisdom; he is commanding us to come to Him for His wisdom.
God wants you to come to Him first, not last after you have exhausted all your other options.
Rather than struggle, He is wanting us to not come in our strength but in His strength when our minds are enlightened by Him to direct our paths.
Closing,
How can we live a life like that? Personal relationship with the Lord.
How can we be quick to listen?
Slow to speak?
Slow to anger?
Strip ourselves of moral filth?
Stop us from being only hearers of the Word?
How can we tame our tongues?
THE ANSWER IS JESUS. JESUS IS THE ANSWER!
All we need to do is ask for help
Jesus who is all-powerful
Jesus who is all-loving
Jesus who is all-knowing
Question-
Did your God rise from the grave and give you a chance for a personal relationship?
Did your God settle the sin issue once and for all?
This resurrection not only gives us hope for immortality but also provides life!
John 11:25-26
“I am the resurrection and the life. those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish.”
Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in His glory
Apostle Paul said the same power that raised Jesus form the dead is ours to enable us to live for Him and to have the wisdom needed to live a glorious life her on this earth and in glory.
Do you need to begin a relationship with Jesus? Do you need to renew your relationship with Him today?
Has religion caused you to come up short? It is not religion…it is relationship!
Pharisees had religion and look what it did for them. look what Jesus thought of their religion.
Relationship with Jesus is what sinners receive when they ask for forgiveness and find a God that is able to not only forgive them but saved them from their sins.
My Testimony
My God saved me from the streets of Milwaukee
My God saw me through some dark days sin my life
My God brings me happiness and has provided a wonderful women to share life and ministry with.
Jesus is my claim to fame- it is having a personal relationship with Him!
Do you know Him personally this morning?
Prayer-
