Well dear church family, this Lord's Day I'll be thinking about that precious text in James 1.27 concerning pure religion, pure religion in God's sight. What is pure religion in God's sight? Not a man's sight, but what does it look like? Well James doesn't give us an exhaustive list here, but in the context of this epistle, James 1.27 says, pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The Apostle James in his general epistle. Some people may know it as the Catholic epistles. One of the Catholic epistles. I'm not talking about the rope Catholicism here. I'm talking about the Catholic and the true sense of it as in terms of universal. So James in his general epistle is seeking to really encourage and instruct Christians amongst the many, many afflictions and trials which they providentially were enduring in the faith. at that time. Many believers were being severely persecuted for their faith in Christ. Many lost their jobs, many suffered great trials, and James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit here, really is seeking to encourage and instruct the believers to exercise faith and patience amidst such trials of faith and to not succumb to feelings and passions which may stir themselves up and to endure such afflictions and to put into practice that which they know to be true in Christ and according to their holy faith. And this of course would be manifest And we see this in particular in James 1, in their speech, in their conduct, and in their contentment with the Lord, how they were to live out their faith. There was always the temptation, isn't there, beloved, when things go wrong in our life, and they will go wrong, we will be tried, will we not? Every Christian faith must be exercised, but there is a temptation, isn't there? when things go wrong, when sometimes we're brought into the valley of the shadow of death, that we succumb to the temptation to complain, or the temptation to give over to feelings, or even to draw back in the faith. And the Apostle James here is really encouraging us really to endure in the faith. And so for today's text, I would like us really, in this respect, to consider four points on what God has to say about what pure religion in the eyes of the Lord looks like. What is, what does pure religion in God's eyes, what does it look like? Well, four points for us to consider this Lord's Day. Firstly, pure religion, as our text says, it's pure, isn't it? and it is undefiled. Firstly, it is pure and it is undefiled. Secondly, pure religion is before God and the Father as opposed to being before men. It's not what people think of us, is it? Thirdly, pure religion's love is not simply a theoretical love, is it? It's a moving and an active and a practical love, isn't it? That's what sent Christ down to earth, wasn't it? God's love, God's love for us. And fourthly, pure religion is actively holy, is actively holy to keep himself unspotted from the world. Well firstly then, pure religion is firstly pure and undefiled. First I just want to say that when I speak about religion it is not a dirty word, is it? There's a growing popularity, isn't there, nowadays to say I'm not religious. I'm not religious. And you could say, I'm not someone, if we witness to someone, we could say, I'm not preaching about religion, I'm preaching about, I'm not trying to make you religious. Someone says, I'm not religious, but I'm preaching Christ. Well, there's some truth in that, but you will seem very foolish If you say to people, you're not religious, we who are walking by faith in Christ and following the Lord, we are religious people. People will think, you know, that we're idiots if we say that we're not religious. Our religion, and I was guilty of this when I was a young believer, it was very popular. People would say, well, I don't follow any religion. Well, I'm not preaching religion, I'm preaching Christ. You'll come across very foolish in saying that because we are religious. Our religion though is not a vain one. It's got a pure and a heavenly source. It's got a pure doctrine and it's got a pure practice behind it. The source of our religion in Christ is a pure religion. That's the difference between false religion and the pure religion, which of course is from the Lord God. And so when religion here is said to be pure and undefiled, it's talking about the source. It's talking about the pure source. And we can give the illustration of rivers and streams and brooks. They all come, do they not? From a source, there's a spring, there's a fountainhead, from whence the streams, from whence the brooks and rivers come from. And this, of course, is true of pure religion. There's a source, isn't there? From whence every true heartfelt believer in Christ, who is justified by faith, there's a source from which their religion comes from. All pure religion has a source and it comes from the Lord God, from our triune God. And in particular, It comes through the Word of God. The Word of God teaches us two fundamental things. If we have not yet learnt this, the Word of God teaches us two fundamental things. It teaches us about our own hearts, our own sinful and wicked hearts by nature. And it teaches us our great need of God's salvation in Christ. That is the two fundamentals of the Christian faith and the Bible. And it's an honest book, isn't it? It has to show us our sin and depravity and our great need to be justified by faith in Christ. As it says in John, John 1, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And of course, if We are of the truth and born of the truth. This truth will be manifest, will it not? In our speech, as James is talking about, it's manifest, the faith. James here in his epistle, from Paul in his epistle to the Romans, is interested in how the faith is manifest to other believers. Our faith is manifest in our speech, in our conduct, in our behavior, how we live our lives, what's the source, what's the pure source from whence we believe. That's what James here is interested in. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. Pure and undefiled religion by its very source and by its very nature opposes and of course exposes anything that seeks to contaminate and defile Christ's Church, whether that be false doctrine or whether that be ungodly practice. Pure and undefiled religion does not begin with what is culturally pragmatic. or culturally sensitive. It doesn't begin. That's not its beginning place. It begins at a heart full of love for the Lord and his word. That's where we begin. I'm not going to take what the culture says for me to do and impose it upon God's word. No. The Lord has loved me and given himself for me and has promised me that he has given me his word. It's everything that I need. And so pure religion and undefiled before God does not begin with what is culturally pragmatic. That is unbelief, isn't it? That's unbelief. It doesn't seek to impose man's philosophy and man's ways and impose it upon God's word and say, well, that's not pragmatic to my lifestyle. Living a life wholeheartedly for the Lord, being justified by faith, Walking in God's ways, that's just not practical. I would rather have a Christianity which I can cherry pick, and these things are more in line with my lifestyle, so I'll pick and choose, and that will be my Christianity. And the other three quarters, I'll just leave out. That's unbelief, isn't it? It doesn't need this world's pure religion. An underfile doesn't need this world's approval, does it? It doesn't need this world's gimmicks, as it were, to make it more relevant, to make it more fashionable. Pure and underfile religion is according to the truth, as it is in Christ. Jesus Christ said in John 3, 19, through 21, and this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought. in God. So the question we ought really to ask ourselves this Lord's Day is, am I ashamed? Am I ashamed of the truth as it is in Christ? Am I ashamed of pure religion? Of actually living a life that is conformed to the faith and conformed to his word? Or have I kind of adopted this kind of cherry-picking approach? I can do things my way, as it were. Is there a true desire to walk by faith in Christ, in his promises, in his words? Is the Holy Bible your final authority for both faith and practice? Men may have their opinions. Christians may have their opinions, but does God's word have the final court of appeal? That's what it comes down to. And how often are we confronted with this in our society, friends? You speak to so many Christians when you go out on the high street, and you talk to them about just the basics, the fundamental basics of the Christian faith. And it's, well, I don't care about that. What do you mean you don't care about that? A man must be born again. I don't know what that even means. And just the basics of what it is to live the Christian life. And there is this almost unbelief. Well, as long as I go to church, as long as I do these certain things, well, that's enough. God, I will be approved just to have certain things. Is the Holy Bible, is God's Word the final authority for both faith and practice? Or are we trying to impose what I think the Christian life should be, my feelings, what I want in the Christian life. And I'm sad to say that the Christianity, especially in Britain today, is becoming more and more like that. Well, I will decide the type of Christianity I want in my life. I don't have to give myself wholeheartedly in my home. I don't have to give myself wholeheartedly in Christ's church. I can just cherry pick the type of Christianity I want. That is unbelief. That is not pure religion. That's vain religion. Pure religion and under file before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world, James 1.27. Well secondly we see that pure religion and undefiled is before God and the Father as being opposed or rather first it must be before God. It's important that we shine the light before men. As it were, we are those cities on a hill that cannot be hidden. But it must firstly be before God. True Christianity is not what others think of us, necessarily. It's about what God thinks of us. It's about what God thinks of our hearts. It's what he knows is true within our hearts, our thought life, our imaginations, Our affections, our desires, where are they? Does God know them? Are we honest to God about those things? It's not what other people think, it's about what God thinks. And you can be one who is approved by many other Christians because of external privileges. Well, I'm a Christian because I know certain theology. I know these things. I have certain external privileges of the Christian faith. I don't swear. I don't do these things. And many other people say that I'm a Christian. I can be kind. I can be polite. And I can supposedly heal people and lots of people look up to me as some great healer or some person who can speak many languages and many... And so people look up to me and I've got this huge following. And yet really have no inner fidelity. an allegiance to the Lord and his word, as it were. Christ is not first in the heart. It's just all about what other people. My approval is more about being approved amongst fellow Christians. And as long as what they think about me is right, my heart can be Two-thirds in the world still. My heart and my affections can still be coveting this world. I'm not building up treasure in heaven. You see, it's all about being proved in the eyes of men and not in the eyes of God. Pure religion and under file before God and the Father. It means that He has the ultimate authority as a Father. He has the ultimate authority in our lives. As a Father of all, and of course, in particular, in regards to this text, as a Father of our blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, His approval must be sought before men's. It must be sought before men's, and sadly many make that mistake. They seek, as long as other people think I'm a Christian, then I'm fine. They fear what other people think of them. And this is the age that we're living in, the social media virtue signaling age that we're living in. And they hang all their hopes upon being approved by other people. But what about God? What about what he knows to be true of our hearts and our minds? Whether we are truly seeking his face. Whether we've truly sought him as the pearl of great price. Whether we are exclusively living for Him, He is first in our hearts, in our lives, because of His love and His grace and His mercy to us poor needy sinners. We can only be, of course, approved of God, if Christ is dwelling within us, richly by His grace. There is no other way to be approved of God, is there friends? No other way. We cannot be approved of God. One must be born again by the Holy Spirit of God. One must be justified by faith in Jesus Christ and what God has done for us upon the cross. of Calvary. God said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Jesus Christ is the only one who is approved. He being God, fully God and fully man, lived that perfect life of obedience, always doing that which is honorable, always doing that which is good. And of course, dying upon the cruel cross of Calvary and bearing our sin upon that cross to take our sin to bear it in his body upon that cross to take our punishment to be our substitute and so that we can be free now to live for him to believe in what he's done upon the cross of Calvary. So it's only through the approved God-man, Jesus Christ, only through Him dwelling within us, living within us, reigning within us, can we be approved, not in our own selves, but only through His righteousness, only through His blood, and trusting in that, and that love will manifest itself, won't it, in how we live our lives. God is omniscient. He knows everything. We cannot hide what's in our hearts, can we? We cannot, like Jonah, try to run away from God's judgments. He's omnipresent. He's everywhere, friends. There's no running from God. He searches the heart. He tries the reins. If our Christianity is all about what others think and not what God knows to be true, it cannot be said to be pure and undefiled. Well thirdly then, let us see what pure religions love. Thirdly, pure religion's love is not simply a theoretical love. It's not simply in words. Remember what the Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, pure religion in Christ being justified by his faith and living for him. It's not simply theoretical. You have people who can say some grand things about love. You have people who can say amazing things about love, theoretically. But in practice, there's no practicality in their love. There's no moving moving out of love for what the Lord has done for them. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Pure religion does not just speak of the love of God through Christ. It demonstrates it, doesn't it? It demonstrates and shows it out of love for the Saviour. 1 John 3, 17 and 18 says, But whoso have this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but indeed and in truth. Indeed and in truth. The love of God in Christ manifests itself. in a practical love that moves for our fellow man. Beloved, do we have a heart for those in most need? Not only, of course, in the Church of Jesus Christ, but within our society. Do we have a heart? for the lost. There are many fatherless and widows, you know, around us. Many fatherless and widows. There are many fatherless in the sense that their fathers take no interest in their children. There are many that have not the influence of a loving, tender father that takes no interest in their children's welfare, in their children's futures. Now they've become self-absorbed, selfish fathers, really. Their children have been given no direction in life. They've almost become rudderless in that respect. And there is a sense in our society, friends, where there are many in this situation. There are many in this situation and they are broken-hearted. Will we visit them in their affliction as Christ has visited us? and went through the towns, went into the deserts, wept over Jerusalem. Will we, out of a heart of love for what Christ has done for us, will we take the time to visit people and show the love of Christ? The Christian love, it's a moving love, isn't it? It's an active love. It's a practical love. It's a pitying and a compassionate love that pours out its bowels, as it were. Will we comfort them through the gospel of God's grace and love and give them hope? People need hope, don't they, in our society? And if need be, will we seek to supply, if God has put it in our power, to supply their practical needs, especially to poor saints? And likewise, widows. You have many women in particular who perhaps have not necessarily lost a husband. I know people have lost husbands. But there are also women in our society who their husbands are tyrants to them. abusers to them. They do not love them. They do not seek to protect them. They become selfish, as it were. You have many women here who don't have, or in a sense have become widows because they do not have that loving protection that a man ought to give. They are insensitive to their concerns. They don't even care for them. Many are in such marriages, sadly. Will we visit such friends with the love of Christ? And you may ask, well, how? How can I do this? How can I? I'm not a minister, I'm not this type of person. Well, do we seek to be approachable? Do we seek to be friendly? One must show himself, if I've got a friend in Jesus, do I show myself to be approachable? Do I confine my love just to my home? Do I speak to people, get to know them, as it were, like Christ did? Do I want to speak to people, get to know what's in their heart, get to know what they've been through, so I can apply the gospel to them, so that I can give them hope in the gospel? Is our faith and love like Christ's, a moving, an active, a searching, always seeking to do good for needy souls? That is really what it is. It's not just a theoretical love, is it? It's not just words. It's a love that seeks wholeheartedly to pour out like oil that's pouring over a vessel to our society, as it were. Well, if that's in your heart, friends, that is a great marker. This is not an exhaustive list, what James is giving. It's a pure religion. There's more, but if that's in your heart, that's a very good marker of grace. That if you truly love the Lord and you want others to know of God's love and hope, It's a great marker, isn't it? Especially if you do not look upon the gaiety, as it were, and you think, well, that person should become a Christian because look at how their lifestyle is. Well, what about the people who have hit rock bottom in life? What about them? What about compassion to them, as it were? For Christ said in Matthew 25, for I was hungered and you gave me meat. And I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. And I was a stranger, and you took me in, naked, and you clothed me. And I was sick, and you visited me. And I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee unhungered, and fed thee, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee. And the King, that's the Lord Jesus, shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. A practical heartfelt love that believers know to be true. Pure religion's love in Christ is not simply theoretical. It's practical. It moves, doesn't it? And it doesn't do so for reward either. It doesn't do so because I want people to think of me as such a person. I do it because I have been loved with an everlasting love. I have been loved and I want people to know of this love and grace. Well, fourthly and finally, we see that pure religion is not only actively loving, but it is actively holy as well, isn't it? It's not only actively loving, it's actively holy. 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. That doesn't seem to me like a static holiness, does it? It's a active holiness, to keep himself unspotted from the world. Where pure religion before God has active love, and active holiness, what can stand before it? Not the power of darkness. When there is an active love and there is an active holiness, what can stand before the Christian? Where one or the other is lacking, therein comes Christ's loving rod of correction. We know that from Revelation, don't we? Active love without active holiness in Christ is powerless, friends. The two are intrinsically inseparable, aren't they? In God's eyes. If we say we love, but there is no holiness of life, our religion is but a vain one, isn't it? You know, there's often people that talk about love, but their lifestyle is an unholy and ungodly lifestyle. The type of love that they have in mind, it's a vain one. If there is not holiness of life, and God is governing the thought life and the mind life and the imaginations and the affections, it's all in vain. Those who know the love of God reigning within them, Do not only first show an active love, it must begin with love, that's where it begins at. It starts with love but also active holiness in keeping himself unspotted from the world. And the world here is not referring to this physical world. Of course, we know that to be true. It's talking about the wicked and evil systems of this world. The wicked vices of this world that keep people captive. Materialism, feminism, the wicked systems of this world that take people away from the Savior. The fading fashions of this world. The men of this world who can defile by their communications. and corrupt good manners. David said, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes, as we read earlier. We're told to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live soberly, righteously, godly. Job said, I make a covenant with mine eyes. Why then should I think? upon a maid. You see, that's the standard that God requires of us. Why should I think upon a maid? Why should I even think upon that? That's the standard God requires to us. The pure religion is before God. What's in my heart? It doesn't mean that we cannot fail the Lord, but it means that we're honest with Him and we repent. There's daily repentance, there's daily faith, daily taking those spots to the high priest, getting them checked over as it were. Making sure that we're cleansed, making sure that we love him and we fetch grace. And we know of his blessing. You see friends, this present evil world is one large leper colony. I made a joke before leaving my house. Went down like a ton of bricks. I said, we're leaving the leper colony behind. Lots of people have got the lurgy in my house. They all looked at me with daggers, of course. I can probably take it a bit too far, my jesting, but this present evil world is like a leper colony, isn't it? And for this, we as Christians daily present ourselves before the high priest, don't we? Like in the Old Testament, we go to the high priest, we go to our great intercessor, and we come to him, and we have those daily, those honest reports, as it were, like Whitfield. Whitfield, every day, at the end of every day, he used to come to the Lord. We're not saying we have to do this, but he used to make a list of the things, of his failures, and he used to be honest with the Lord. I'm not saying we've got to do it in that way, but we must be honest with the Lord and bring those things and also know of that empowering, And, you know, the things which I used to struggle with in the Christian life, I no longer struggle so much. There are other things I struggle with. But, you know, the more you fetch grace every day, the more you depend upon the Savior by faith, the easier those battles will come over time. The easier, the more you'll have the victory over them. That's the whole life of faith, isn't it, friends? And so we go to our high priest, don't we? Do we keep ourselves unspotted from this world by keeping ourselves close to the Saviour and His heavenly calling for our lives? That's the whole way to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Keep close to God. Keep close to the Lord by faith and by prayer and by the means of grace. Are we keeping close to the Lord in everything? Walking by faith? That's the only way to live the Christian life, to be unspotted from the world as utter dependence upon the Lord and upon his word. Where religion is in its power and efficacy is when it is through encompassing this text, when it's through its purity, sincerity, love, and holiness in Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Feel free to contact us at Sovereign Grace Church in Tiverton. Email us at grace2seekers at gmail.com. That's grace2seekers at gmail.com. Alternatively, you can visit our website at www.sovereigngracereformedchurch.co.uk