WORKS

Mini-Series—Just Stop It!Part 7-Stop Waiting For Someone Else

to Do Your Job

“Who Died and Made You God?”

This morning’s message brings us to the end of James 1 and the end of the mini-series, “Just Stop It!”

The big ending to James 1 is a description of what pure religion is all about and in a short two verses he will bring each and everyone one of us to a point of decision and change in the way we live our Christian lives.

If we say with our mouth that we know and love Jesus but our life remains unchanged then our religion is considered worthless.

James 1

Stop Dropping Names

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

James 1

Stop Wasting Your Trials

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1

Stop Paying Stupid Tax5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1

9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

James 1

Stop Blaming the Devil

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

James 1

Stop Blaming the Devil

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

James 1

Stop Blaming the Devil

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

James 1

Stop Playing God

19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

James 1

Stop Deceiving Yourself

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;

James 1

Stop Deceiving Yourself

24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1

Stop Waiting For Someone Else to Do Your Job

26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Useless Religion

• Useless=μάταιος—and the related word group—corresponds to the older sense of “vain.” It denotes the world of appearance as distinct from that of being. … a word, does not rest on the causes which it alleges, “deceptive,”

• 1 Corinthians 15:17, And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

• 1 Peter 1:18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

Take Responsibility for Your Relationship

with Jesus ChristWorthless Religion is characterized by an unbridle tongue• James 3:1-12—The Power of the Tongue• Proverbs 15:4, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of

life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit• Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power

of the tongue…”• Ecclesiastes 10:12, “The words of a wise man’s

mouth are gracious…”

Take Responsibility for Your Relationship

with Jesus Christ• Worthless Religion is characterized by an

unbridle tongue• Worthless Religion is characterized by an

unclean lifestyle• Worthless Religion is characterized by an

unregenerate lifeIs Your life characterized by a useless, vain and deceptive religion? Are you in the faith?

Take Responsibility for the Hurting and Needy around You

• Pure Religion visits the orphans

Enormity of the Need

• It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide (recent UNICEF report.)

• Current population of the United States is just a little over 300 million… to give you an idea of the enormity of the numbers… (The current population of Russia is 141 million)

• Every day 5,760 more children become orphans

Enormity of the Need

• 2,102,400 more children become orphans every year in Africa alone

• Every 15 seconds, another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan

• There are an estimated 14 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa (a number higher than the total of every under-eighteen year old in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland combined)

• 8 out of 10 children orphaned by AIDS lives in sub-saharan Africa

Enormity of the Need

• Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…

• Each year 14, 505, 000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen

• Each day 38,493 orphans age out• Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out with

no family to belong to and no place to call home

Enormity of the Need

• Galatians 4:5–7, “5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

• Pray and Consider whether God would have you follow the example of your heavenly Father and become an adoptive parent.

Take Responsibility for the Hurting and Needy around You

• Pure Religion visits the orphans• Pure Religion cares for the widowed– Acts 6:1—Example of the early church– 1 Timothy 5:3-16—Caring for widows indeed

• Pure Religion meets the physical needs in order to address the greater spiritual need– James 2:15–16, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of

daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

Making it Personal• Have you verbally assaulted your spouse, kids or coworkers

this week? Are you guilty of seeing people in physical need around you and just passing them by when you could have helped? Have you allowed ungodly and sinful habits to become a part of your daily life so as to make your life indistinguishable from your unbelieving coworkers?

• If you answered yes to any of these questions then according to James your religion in that area was ineffective and worthless. I want to urge you this morning consider James’ description of pure religion and then measure your life against God’s standard. Where you have fallen short, ask God for forgiveness and make a plan to be transformed in that area of your walk with Him.