Jump Start # 1430
James 1:26 “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”
This week we have been looking at what God considers worthless. Our verse today shows the failure of a person’s faith and the deception that has taken him down a dead-end road. The person, our verse describes, considers himself religious. That’s ahead of many people right there. There are some who know that they are not religious. They never darken a church building, never open a Bible and give no thought to the here-after. Their world is now. Their playing field is secular. They admit that they are not religious.
The man in our verse is not like that. He thinks that he is religious. He may have all the signs that point to that fact. He attends a church on Sunday. He carries a Bible. He knows the words that religious people uses. He understands some concepts. In his mind and in his heart, he is doing pretty good. He feels pretty sure that he’ll go to Heaven when he dies. Our passage tells us that he has fooled himself and that his religion is worthless. It has done him absolutely no good. Sitting in the church house has not changed him. Carrying a Bible hasn’t helped him. He has not only fooled those around him, he has fooled himself. Only God has not been fooled.
The tell-tell sign of this deception and worthless religion is this man’s tongue. He has not bridled his tongue. We understand bridles. They are put in the mouth of a horse and the rider can control the animal. A pull one way and the horse turns. Pulling back and the horse stops. Without a bridle, the rider is literally on a ride at the will of the horse. The rider must hang on for dear life, not knowing what the animal will do. A tongue that is bridled means that is under control. It’s not running wild. It can be stopped. It can be turned. The rider of the tongue is our heart. Without that bridle, the tongue is free to say anything. It is governed by emotion and circumstance. A tense moment, and the unbridled tongue with explode with angry and mean words. An unbridled tongue is likely to chew someone out. It doesn’t think before it speaks. Like a Kansas twister, the path of damage is wide and devastating. This man’s family will know about it first hand. The kids have been tongue lashed many times and walk on egg shells, never knowing when dad might blow up. This man’s wife has been verbally abused all their marriage. He claims he loves her, but he has said far too many cruel and insensitive things to her through the years. At work, this guy can be an embarrassment. His stories may be laced with prejudice and things that are just not proper to say. In a Bible class, he might spout out things that are hurtful to others, even naming names publically.
His tongue is running wild. His tongue will be his downfall. It will get him in trouble. His apologies will no longer be accepted. His out of control mouth ruins any good that he tries to do.
This is the surface issue. Under the layers, the real problem is his heart. The text tells us that his religion is worthless. He has certainly heard sermons and read passages about the tongue—it’s all over the Bible. He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t notice the compassionate Christ. He doesn’t understand decorum and tact. His religion ought to smooth the roughness in him. It ought to put controls and limits on his heart and tongue. It ought to make him considerate of others. Forget the light of the world and the salt of the earth stuff. He doesn’t see that, nor get that. His religion has not changed him. He remains rough, raw and indifferent.
His faith is defined by Heaven as worthless. He maintains a worthless religion. If someone were to say, “I have a worthless college degree,” that would tell us that they pursued a study that there is no job market for. They spent tons of money and years of their life and now that piece of paper has done nothing for them. This man’s religion is like that. It has not helped him. It has not brought him closer to the Lord. It has not made him a better person. He has been living in a delusional world. The worst thing about this is that a worthless religion will not save a person. This man lives his life, thinking he is going to Heaven, when he is not. Heaven will not be occupied with worthless faith.
Our passage brings to us the practical nature of our faith and religion. It’s not just about praising God. Our faith, our religion ought to change us. It ought to make us more like God. It should have an affect upon us. This is one of the major mistakes of mega church mentality today. Churches are filled on Sunday mornings with people who show up to watch an amazing musical concert who give no thought to how they are living with the Lord. Friday nights are spent partying with friends. Tongues are unbridled. Morals are loose. Attitudes selfish. But come Sunday, they are in the arena churches laughing, having a great time and being deceived. The religion is worthless. It’s doing no one, including God any good. It’s all a sham. It’s superficial, shallow and will not help them. The lack of substance and the absence of genuine faith will not turn around a sorry marriage. It will not help them raise their children as God wants. It will not keep them out of the ditches of life. In the end, it will not save their souls. They have been fooled.
The man in our passage needs to get serious about what is going on. He needs to build a real faith based upon Christ. He needs to imitate Christ. That will help him get the bridle around his mouth. It will help him become thoughtful and kind. It will help him do what God wants.
So serious is this that James continually comes back to this thought. The first chapter talked about being a doer of the word. In the second chapter, much thought is given to faith and works. This is not Theology 101, but rather, showing how religion is to be worthwhile in one’s life. The third chapter is devoted to the tongue. The fourth chapter mentions the danger of speaking against one another.
At the control of the bridle ought to be the Lord. The Lord ought to be THE LORD of our heart. It is He who leads us, guides us and fashions our decisions. In this way, our religion surrounds Him and it is He who shapes our lives. A worthwhile religion is one that honors God and makes us a better person.
Worthless or worthwhile…who is at the helm of your heart? Who is holding the reigns of your tongue? Who is in control?
Roger