April 21, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brave, the Bible teaching ministry of doctor Jeff Schwarzentra,
Senior Pastor of Brave Church in Denver, Colorado. Today I'm Brave.
Pastor Jeff begins his message God Honoring Faith from the
series Walk You're talked. It helps you examine your faith
to know if it truly is honoring God. Before we
(00:23):
get started with today's teaching, though, we invite you to
check out Pastorjeff dot com to find more resources to
help you grow in your walk. Now let's hear from
Pastor Jeff as he brings us today's teaching from God's Word.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
When you're building a home or doing a building project,
throughout the process, there are what are called inspections. Inspections
are part of the process because when you're building something,
whether it's the HVAC or the electricity or the work
of the carpentry around, you have to come in to
make sure it meets code. Because along the way if
something's not right, then you you have a chance to
(01:00):
fix it before the final product, and even all the
way through the final product. If you have a home
that's being built, then you have a walk through at
the end to see is this been done entirely to
scaled with the way that we wanted to do it.
And if the owners say no, this was wrong or
this was wrong, then changes can be made before full
ownership takes place. Inspections are important. We see it in
(01:24):
all other aspects of our life too. Oftentimes we set
doctor's appointments every six months to a year, not because
we're sick, but because.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
We want to get routine checkups. We want to make
sure that everything's.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Okay, So we don't go for a period of years
and then show up with the doctor and he says,
if you would have been here a couple of years ago,
we could have dealt with this, but.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Now things are out of control.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Or good teachers will give you quizzes along the way
before the final examination so you can kind of see
where you're at and are you getting the material and
are you are you sure you're understanding it, so that
the final doesn't come as a huge surprise or a
shock to your system.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
The same is true for us spiritually.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
God loves you so much that throughout his Word, at
different times he gives spiritual checkups. He gives you an
opportunity in his word to examine yourself and take a
look inside of you to make sure that you're trajectory
the right way, you're going the right way, so that
if you are, you can be confirmed and continue to
journey the way you are, and if you're not, you
can make.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
A course correction to get where He would like you
to go. So today we're going.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
To talk about what it means to have God honoring faith,
faith that is recognized by God, where God would look
down at your faith and say that's the kind of
faith I approve, so that other people, when they see
your life would say, yeah, that's God honoring faith that
really reflects what I believe that the Bible says. And
if you're willing to give yourself an examination this morning,
(02:44):
I believe that God has a word for you and
to encourage you to open your Bible up to the
Book of James Chapter one.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
We're going to be the last two.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Verses, verses twenty six and twenty seven today And as
you're turning to that place, you realize we've been talking.
As James begins telling us about what he's going to
talk talk about, he addresses himself as a slave of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he tells us who he's
writing to, and then he says, considered all joy when
you face trials of many, many kinds. So we talked
about trials and how they're important for building spiritual muscle.
(03:13):
And God's the one who ordains trials, and you're either
getting ready to enter one, you're in one now, or
you're coming out of it, and chances are there's myriads
of those going on at all times.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Then we said that's not enough.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
God also allows temptation in our life to see how
we're going to respond to him, to see if we
can strengthen our spiritual muscles and turn to Him and
let him provide the way out versus us doing.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Our own thing.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And then last week we talked about the Word and
how important it was to respond to the word and
not just be hearers of the word, but also ones
that put it into practice and are doers of the word. Well, today,
what you're going to hear about is what it looks
like if you're doing the things that God requires. What
does God honoring faith look like. What's the result of that?
And in these last two verses, is really the cherry
on the top of this first section.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So hear what he has to say.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
He says, 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, pure and undefiled religion in
the sight of God our Father. Is this to visit
orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
unstained by the world. They probably heard these two verses,
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and if you're like most Christians when you do Bibles sell.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You're like, yeah, I get it, and you move on.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
But because of that, and because this is so short today,
I'm gonna read it again so you can hear it
and let this sink into your heart, because this is
really the examination of your faith. It says, 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, pure and undefiled religion in the sight of
our God and Father as this to visit orphans and
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widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by
the world.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And they're in those two short verses.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
He's really unlocking for us what God honoring faith looks like,
what how God honoring faith is recognized? How does God
recognize your God honoring faith? How do others recognize your
God honoring faith? And James is not the only author
in the Bible that speaks to this. All of the
Bible is really dual authorship. This is God's word. God
(05:10):
is speaking. God shows men to pen this. But this
is God's word. And God cares so much about you.
He wants to make sure that you know that you're
on the right track. Paul did this, and two Corinthians
thirteen to five. He says, examine yourselves to see whether
you are in the faith. Now who is he talking to?
Who's talking to a church? He was telling church people
like you, Hey, examine yourself. Stop, pause, time out. Let's
(05:34):
make sure that you really are.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Of the Lord.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Peter said the same thing, and tewod Peter one ten.
He says, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm.
You're calling an election. In other words, if you say
you're saved, let's make sure, let's confirm it. Even Jesus said,
and the Sermon on the Mountain Matthew chapter seven to
twenty one. Not everyone who says Lord Lord will enter
the kingdom on that day. There'll be many that say,
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many that say, but Lord, to be not prophesy on
your name?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Do we not cast out demons? Do we not heal people?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
And then he'll say, these words depart from me, you
worker of iniquity. I never knew you, so Jesus said,
Paul said, Peter said, James is gonna say, just because
you profess and say I know Jesus doesn't mean that
you know Jesus. And I'm preparing you for the final
exam because every single one of you is going to
stand someday before the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. And today's
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message is to make sure that you're trajectoring the right way,
that you're going the right way, because the worst thing
ever would be to think that you're actually a believer,
to consider the fact when I die, I know I'm
going to heaven and then find out on the other
side I wasn't right, I wasn't ready, And wouldn't it
be good if you are that you can hear the
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Lord confirm today you're going the right way. It's going
good for you. I'm affirming your god honoring faith. And
that's what James wants to alert us to.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
He wants to.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Show us three different ways that we can understand whether
we have God honoring faith, whether God is recognizing our faith.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
He's going to give us three of these today, and
let's start with the first.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
God honoring faith is recognized when you number one, tame
your tongue. Let me say it again, God honoring faith
is recognized when you tame your tongue. Now this is
really interesting because these three aren't going to be what
you think about when people ask you, am I really
a Christian? Many times when people say am I really
a Christian? We say, well, do you did you pray
the prayer? Do you believe just died? Do you believe
(07:25):
j just rose? Okay, well then yeah, you're going to heaven.
That's not where James starts. James says, if you've really
been saved, then one of the evidences that you've been saved,
and one of the evidences of your God honoring faith
is that your.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Tongue is being tamed. Notice what he says in verse
twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
He says, if anyone thinks himself to be religious, religious
is the outward expression of what you say you believe
how you practice. If anyone thinks himself to be religious,
and yet this is not what bridle his tongue. Tame
is tongue, but deceives his own heart. This man's religion
(08:05):
is worthless. Now James understands something that we need to understand,
and that is this.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Your tongue is not.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Connected to the back of your throat, but your tongue
is connected to your heart. What comes out of your
mouth is truly what's going on inside. If you ever
get around people that are excited about something, whether it's
winning a championship or getting engaged, or the birth of
a child, or a new job, or a promotion, or
(08:33):
something that happens they won the lottery, there's an expression
that comes out of their mouth because of something that's
going on in their heart. And if you're around people
that are bitter or complaining or whiny, it all starts
in the heart, because your tongue is connected to your heart.
And here's the point God's trying to make. If you're
truly saved over time, week later, months later, year later,
(08:55):
two years later, decade later, your tongue will look different
than it did when.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
It was for saved. Why because your heart.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Is changing, and if your mouth is saying the same
things and talking the same way as when you say
you got saved, that's a warning light that perhaps nothing's
changed on the inside. Because one of the evidences of
being born again is taming the tongue.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
So let's be clear on this.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The gospel is that God soul loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him would not perish but have eternal life. We are
saved by grace through faith. It's not our own doing.
It's a gift of God. Not one of us can
boast we're not saved because we speak well. We're not
saved because we talk the right talk. We're saved because
there was nothing we can do, nothing we could do,
and God sin his own son, Jesus, to die on
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the cross for our sins, who took all of our sin,
took the wrath of God, was buried in the grave,
and three days later rose again and offered life to
those who would turn from their sin and trust him.
That's the only way that we're saved.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You're listening to Brave and today Pastor Jeff is sharing
his message. God Honoring Faith from the series Walk Your Talk,
helping you examine your faith to know if it is
truly honoring God. We'll get back to Pastor Jeff in
just a moment, but first, generous friends like you make
programs like this one possible, and when you give a
(10:16):
gift in support of Pastor Jeff ministries today, you're helping
spread biblical truth to a world in need. Simply visit
us at Pastorjeff dot com to give once again, that
website is Pastorjeff dot com. Now let's get back to today's message.
To listen to the conclusion of this teaching from God's word, Your.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Tongue will look different than it did when it was
first saved. Why because your heart is changing, and if
your mouth is saying the same things and talking the
same way as when you say you got saved, that's
a warning light that perhaps nothing's changed on the inside.
Because one of the evidences of being born again is
(10:58):
taming the tongue.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
So let's be clear on this.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
The gospel is that God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him would not perish but have eternal life. We are
saved by grace through faith. It's not our own doing,
it's a gift of God. Not one of us can
boast we're not saved because we speak well. We're not
saved because we talk the right talk. We're saved because
there was nothing we can do, nothing we could do,
And God sent his own son, Jesus to die on
(11:22):
the cross for our sins, who took all of our sin,
took the wrath of God, was buried in a grave,
and three days later rose again and offered life to
those who would turn.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
From their sin and trust him. That's the only way
that we're saved.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
But the Bible also goes on to say, for we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
In other words, we're.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Not saved by our good works, but we are for
sure saved for good works. And here's the problem in
the church. Here's the problem in the church. The church
is we say statements like this, they no matter what
you do, God can't love you anymore than he already does.
Is that true? Six of you agree? Okay, you're nervous
now to answer, aren't you Is it true that if
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you're born again that God loves you no matter what
you do. That's totally true, but we tend to make
that a blanket statement to tell people then it doesn't
matter what you do because God loves you anyway, so
do whatever you want. It's an abuse of the relationship.
It means if God loves me no matter what I do,
and even if I do wrong, God will continue to
love me, then why would I want to continue to
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do what this pleases God?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I want to do what's good.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
And where I don't measure up, His grace covers that.
That's the message. And here's what James is saying. He's saying,
take inventory of your life and think about your tongue.
Think about what comes out of your mouth. Is it
God honoring faith the way you talk? Does God see
it as God honoring? Do other people see it as
God honoring? Because it's either an evidence that you're moving
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in the right direction or it's a blinking warning light
that hey, perhaps there's nothing that's changed inside the heart.
And here's really where we get that from the word
of God. In Matthew chapter twelve, during the Ministry of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Here's what he said.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
He said this Matthew, chapter twelve, verse thirty three.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
He said, either make the.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Tree good and it's fruit good, or make the tree
bad and it's fruit bad.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
For the tree is known by its fruit. Here's what
he was saying.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
How you live your life is evidence of what you believe.
We tend to think that Christianity is just a profession
of faith. Well, if I say I believe in Jesus,
and you better believe that I believe in Jesus. And
even if I don't act like it, think like it,
talk like it, it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Matter, because I'm telling you I believe in him. That's
not what Jesus said.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Jesus said, bad trees cannot produce good fruit, and good
trees cannot produce bad fruit. So if you're not producing
a tongue that is representative of what's going on in
your heart, it's because your heart hasn't been converted. He
goes on to say, as he's talking to the religious
people of the day that claim that they knew God,
even though Jesus Christ is fully God.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Was standing in front of him them and they didn't believe.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
He says, you brewed vipers, How can you, being evil,
speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of
that which fills the heart, out of the overflow of
the heart.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
The mouth speaks.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
The good man brings out the good treasures, and what
is good. The evil man brings out of his evil
treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every
careless word that people speak, they shall.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Give an accounting for in the day of judgment.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And the fact that we didn't all just gasp, means
we didn't hear that, you didn't even account for every
careless word. All of us have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God with our tongue. I mean,
God holds us accountable to that. For by your words
you will be justified justified, and by your words you
will be condemned. If you've been converted, your heart changes,
and if your heart changes, your words will change. And
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as your words change, that's evidence as to actually what
you believe. If there's been no change in your tongue,
there's been no change in your heart.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
That's what he's saying. That's what Jesus said. That's what
James is saying. Know. That's what Jesus also says.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
In Mark chapter seven, in Mark chapter seven, people were
talking about, well, you only righteous and clean if you
eat the right kinds of foods. And here's what Jesa
said in Mark seven, verse eighteen. He said, are you
so lacking and understanding? Also, do you not understand that
whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him
because it goes in it does not go into his heart,
but into his stomach and is eliminated. And he was
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saying that which proceeds out of the man is what
defiles the man.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
He's like, what you eat doesn't make you clean or unclean.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
You know, just because you eat something that goes in
your stomach and comes out, that's not a big deal.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
It's what comes out of your heart. That's where everything starts.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
To notice what he says for from within, out of
the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, fornications, steps, murders, adulteries,
deeds of coveting, and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, evil, slander, pride,
and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and
defile the man. Before sin ever takes place on the outside,
It's always conceived on the inside. Any grievous sin that
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you see, any grievous sin you've committed, it all started internally.
That's why Jesus said, what needs to be cleansed. You
need to be cleansed from the heart, from the inside out.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Because if your heart.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Isn't changed, if your life isn't changed, you can't do
the things.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Required that the Word of God tells you to do.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
You can't do those things. It's impossible to change. Tame
your tongue. You know, I'm a pastor. So sometimes when
I'm out with people and they know I'm a pastor
and coaching football or playing golf or doing something, you know,
swear words come out of their mouth. And then when
they reckonnite, I'm playing with the pastor. Sorry pastor, Sorry pastor.
And if you're not Christian, I tell him this. You
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can't help it. No big deal, because if christ hasn't
changed your heart, you can try not to do something,
but it'll be an exercise in futility and the only
thing that will happen is you get more more frustrated
because you can't do it. And even if you're tamping
it down, that's the word that you're thinking of because
it's in your heart right. And this is what James
is saying. He goes, here's the evidence. Here's the evidence.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
You want to know.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
If somebody's believer, you want if you're a believer, are
you taming your tongue? Not perfectly, but increasingly. That's why
we have so many scriptures in the New Testament. And
when we get to James chapter three, we'll spend another
whole day on this. But in Colossians chapter four and
verse six, here's what the Lord tells us and Colossians
chapter four and verse six, through the apostle Paul, he
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says this, let your speech always be with grace, as
though seasoned was sold, so that you will know how
you should respond to each person. And in Ephesians four
twenty nine says almost the exact same thing. The Book
of Ephiesians chapter four and verse twenty nine, he says
it like this, Let no one wholesome word proceed from
your mouth, but only such a word as is good
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for edification, according to the need of the moment, so
that it will give grace to those who hear. In
other words, when should you tame your tongue?
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Always? Always?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
There should always be a restraint on that sucker right
when you're going to speak, and when you're not going
to speak, because of who the Lord is, and for
those of us who are extroverted, and for those of
us who speak for a living like here's truly here's
verse of conviction, probably chapter ten and verse nineteen. When
there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. But he who
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restrains his lips is wise. The more you talk, the
more you're gonna sin. Right, So you got to put
a bridle on that thing. That's why he says, if
you don't bridle your tongue, you're deceiving your heart. If
you say I'm saved, but there's no bridle on your tongue,
you're deceiving yourself. If your language hasn't changed over time,
you're deceiving yourself because your heart is really telling you
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through your mouth and expressing what it is that you
believe and who it is that.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
You actually are. And sometimes through the heart, here's what happens.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
The Lord tells you, don't say that anymore, don't talk
to them about that, shut your mouth and know you
could win that argument.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Don't do it right.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
And other times it's you're just backing up because you
don't want to tell them the truth, because you don't
want to lose a friendship. Use the tongue for this,
tell them the truth, speak the truth and love. And
there's this back and forth with the Lord as you
walk with him in relationship so that you can grow
with him. And when I think about a bridle, I
think about a horse being bridle, where you put a
bit in a horse's mouth with a bridle. And I
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don't know a whole lot about that, but my daughters
have taking horseback riding lessons. So I called their horse
trainer yesterday to ask, can you give me any insight
on a bridle and how it works? And this guy
has three horses and she said yeah. She's like, it's
different for every horse. She's like, you need to understand
that there's one of our horses I use it all
the time, there's another horse I don't.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
And here's what she said. I wrote it down.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
She said, the more in tune the horses with the rider,
the less they need the bridle because they know what
the rider wants before the rider even asks. And I said,
that's my whole sermon tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Thank you, what she was saying is when the horse
understands the rider and knows where the rider wants to
go and know this is the direction they want to leave,
the rider doesn't need to give it a whole lot
of direction because the horse.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Knows where to go.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
The more in tune you are with Jesus, the less
corrective nature He needs to be with you because he
knows you have his heart and he's going to go
that and he knows you're going to follow because you're
in a good relationship. And that a great story. That's
what James is talking about, and it's important that we
know the language of the Lord. He reminds me of
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the familiar story of the preacher that sold his horse
to an atheist, and he told the atheist when the
atheists bought the horse, hey, there's two words you need
to know, because I trained my horse as a Christian horse,
and to make it go, you have to say praise
the Lord. And the atheist said, well, how do you
get him to stop? He said, you have to say hallelujah? Well,
the preacher gave him a great price and it was
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a great horse, so the atheist took it, even though
he didn't want to have to use those words. And
one day he was out riding the horse and he
said Praise the Lord, and the horse took off.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
He's like, I want to go faster.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
So he's like, praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise
the Lord. Horse took off in a dead sprint. He
was having a ball until he realized the horse was
about ready to go over a cliff. And then he
couldn't remember the word hallelujah. So he starts quoting every
biblical word. He's like, Bible, Jesus cross, heymen, nothing's happening.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
And then it clicked in his head. He's like, hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And the horse stopped right at the edge of the
cliff and he looked down at that half mile that
he would have fallen.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
He's sweating bullets.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
He's relieved, and in his pc he muttered, Praise the Lord.
That's why you got to know the language of our Savior,
because there's different times he's gonna instruct you in different ways.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Amen.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
God, honoring faith is recognized when you tame your tongue.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Number two is this. God honoring faith is recognized when
you help the helpless.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
When you help the helpless he says, pure and undefiled
religion in the sight of our God and Father. Is this,
in other words, outward practices that God would accept look
like this. To visit orphans and widows in their distress
and visit here doesn't mean a drive by, It doesn't
mean dropping over to their house. Visit has the understanding
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of hospitable visit. Visiting has the understanding of I'm gonna
take care of you, I'm gonna I'm gonna be there
for you, I'm help out.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
And why widows and orphans.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
A widow is someone who's lost their husband, a wife
who's lost their husband.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
A an orphan is somebody who has no parents.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
And in the first century, much like in the third
world countries that we have today, you lose your husband,
there is no life insurance, there is no help, there's
nobody looking out for you.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
You're an orphan.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
In another country, there is no orphanage, there is no agency,
there's nobody it's gonna help. And I've had the privilege,
I'm in privilege of being in India, but I've had
the unfortunate experience of watching in India where I've seen
kids that are four and two years old walking down
the streets, going through the garbage and all sorts of
stuff you wouldn't even want to go near, trying to
find food so they can have something to eat, because
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if they don't, nobody's gonna do anything for them.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
So what do you say?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Pure religion looked like it was helping those who couldn't
help themselves.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
That's what it means. Now we like to say God
helps those who help themselves, that's not biblical. God wants
you to help those who can't help themselves. That's biblical.
It means you help them. It means you fight for
their justice.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
It means you stand up for them when they can't
stand up for themselves, and that's our job. That's an
evidence that you truly believe in Jesus when you want
to help the helpless. One of the things that happens
in your life when Jesus becomes the lord of your
life is you no longer just hang in your click
with your group that likes your stuff in your way.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
You start having a heart for different kinds of people.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
You start loving people and hanging out with people that
you said before I would say there's no way we'd
even hang out.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
They wouldn't hang out with me, and I wouldn't hang
out with them. Now we're friends.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Or you see people that are even hostile to the Gospel,
but because of Christ's love for you, you can demonstrate
love to them. Helping the helpless means that you don't
walk by when you see a need.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Jesus was compassionate.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
The New Testament uses the word compassion or the English
word pity simultaneously interchangeably.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
To say, when you see a need, meet it.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Because we have a tendency to want to see a
need and then hope somebody else does something about it,
or see a need in a somebody else to that need.
Here's what James says, here's what religion looks like. If
you're truly been converted. You want to know that you
have God honoring faith. Not only see your tongue being tamed,
but when you see a need, help the helpless, meet
(24:15):
the need, do what you need to do.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Thanks for listening to Brave. That was pastor Jeff with
his message God Honoring Faith from the series Walk. You're
talk helping you examine your faith to know if it's
truly honoring God. Before we say goodbye, we want to
remind you that when you give a gift to keep
teachings like this one going out to you and others,
you're helping spread biblical truth to a world in need.
(24:42):
Simply visit us at Pastorjeff dot com to give. That's
Pastorjeff dot com, and while you're there, be sure to
sign up for email updates from Brave to be among
the first to hear about new resources to equip you
in your walk. Thanks again for joining us today,
Welcome to Brave, the Bible teaching ministry of doctor Jeff Schwarzentra,
Senior Pastor of Brave Church in Denver, Colorado. Today I'm Brave.
Pastor Jeff begins his message God Honoring Faith from the
series Walk You're talked. It helps you examine your faith
to know if it truly is honoring God. Before we
(00:23):
get started with today's teaching, though, we invite you to
check out Pastorjeff dot com to find more resources to
help you grow in your walk. Now let's hear from
Pastor Jeff as he brings us today's teaching from God's Word.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
When you're building a home or doing a building project,
throughout the process, there are what are called inspections. Inspections
are part of the process because when you're building something,
whether it's the HVAC or the electricity or the work
of the carpentry around, you have to come in to
make sure it meets code. Because along the way if
something's not right, then you you have a chance to
(01:00):
fix it before the final product, and even all the
way through the final product. If you have a home
that's being built, then you have a walk through at
the end to see is this been done entirely to
scaled with the way that we wanted to do it.
And if the owners say no, this was wrong or
this was wrong, then changes can be made before full
ownership takes place. Inspections are important. We see it in
(01:24):
all other aspects of our life too. Oftentimes we set
doctor's appointments every six months to a year, not because
we're sick, but because.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
We want to get routine checkups. We want to make
sure that everything's.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Okay, So we don't go for a period of years
and then show up with the doctor and he says,
if you would have been here a couple of years ago,
we could have dealt with this, but.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Now things are out of control.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Or good teachers will give you quizzes along the way
before the final examination so you can kind of see
where you're at and are you getting the material and
are you are you sure you're understanding it, so that
the final doesn't come as a huge surprise or a
shock to your system.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
The same is true for us spiritually.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
God loves you so much that throughout his Word, at
different times he gives spiritual checkups. He gives you an
opportunity in his word to examine yourself and take a
look inside of you to make sure that you're trajectory
the right way, you're going the right way, so that
if you are, you can be confirmed and continue to
journey the way you are, and if you're not, you
can make.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
A course correction to get where He would like you
to go. So today we're going.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
To talk about what it means to have God honoring faith,
faith that is recognized by God, where God would look
down at your faith and say that's the kind of
faith I approve, so that other people, when they see
your life would say, yeah, that's God honoring faith that
really reflects what I believe that the Bible says. And
if you're willing to give yourself an examination this morning,
(02:44):
I believe that God has a word for you and
to encourage you to open your Bible up to the
Book of James Chapter one.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
We're going to be the last two.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Verses, verses twenty six and twenty seven today And as
you're turning to that place, you realize we've been talking.
As James begins telling us about what he's going to
talk talk about, he addresses himself as a slave of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he tells us who he's
writing to, and then he says, considered all joy when
you face trials of many, many kinds. So we talked
about trials and how they're important for building spiritual muscle.
(03:13):
And God's the one who ordains trials, and you're either
getting ready to enter one, you're in one now, or
you're coming out of it, and chances are there's myriads
of those going on at all times.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Then we said that's not enough.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
God also allows temptation in our life to see how
we're going to respond to him, to see if we
can strengthen our spiritual muscles and turn to Him and
let him provide the way out versus us doing.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Our own thing.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And then last week we talked about the Word and
how important it was to respond to the word and
not just be hearers of the word, but also ones
that put it into practice and are doers of the word. Well, today,
what you're going to hear about is what it looks
like if you're doing the things that God requires. What
does God honoring faith look like. What's the result of that?
And in these last two verses, is really the cherry
on the top of this first section.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So hear what he has to say.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
He says, 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, pure and undefiled religion in
the sight of God our Father. Is this to visit
orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
unstained by the world. They probably heard these two verses,
(04:18):
and if you're like most Christians when you do Bibles sell.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You're like, yeah, I get it, and you move on.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
But because of that, and because this is so short today,
I'm gonna read it again so you can hear it
and let this sink into your heart, because this is
really the examination of your faith. It says, 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, pure and undefiled religion in the sight of
our God and Father as this to visit orphans and
(04:43):
widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by
the world.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And they're in those two short verses.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
He's really unlocking for us what God honoring faith looks like,
what how God honoring faith is recognized? How does God
recognize your God honoring faith? How do others recognize your
God honoring faith? And James is not the only author
in the Bible that speaks to this. All of the
Bible is really dual authorship. This is God's word. God
(05:10):
is speaking. God shows men to pen this. But this
is God's word. And God cares so much about you.
He wants to make sure that you know that you're
on the right track. Paul did this, and two Corinthians
thirteen to five. He says, examine yourselves to see whether
you are in the faith. Now who is he talking to?
Who's talking to a church? He was telling church people
like you, Hey, examine yourself. Stop, pause, time out. Let's
(05:34):
make sure that you really are.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Of the Lord.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Peter said the same thing, and tewod Peter one ten.
He says, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm.
You're calling an election. In other words, if you say
you're saved, let's make sure, let's confirm it. Even Jesus said,
and the Sermon on the Mountain Matthew chapter seven to
twenty one. Not everyone who says Lord Lord will enter
the kingdom on that day. There'll be many that say,
(05:58):
many that say, but Lord, to be not prophesy on
your name?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Do we not cast out demons? Do we not heal people?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
And then he'll say, these words depart from me, you
worker of iniquity. I never knew you, so Jesus said,
Paul said, Peter said, James is gonna say, just because
you profess and say I know Jesus doesn't mean that
you know Jesus. And I'm preparing you for the final
exam because every single one of you is going to
stand someday before the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. And today's
(06:26):
message is to make sure that you're trajectoring the right way,
that you're going the right way, because the worst thing
ever would be to think that you're actually a believer,
to consider the fact when I die, I know I'm
going to heaven and then find out on the other
side I wasn't right, I wasn't ready, And wouldn't it
be good if you are that you can hear the
(06:46):
Lord confirm today you're going the right way. It's going
good for you. I'm affirming your god honoring faith. And
that's what James wants to alert us to.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
He wants to.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Show us three different ways that we can understand whether
we have God honoring faith, whether God is recognizing our faith.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
He's going to give us three of these today, and
let's start with the first.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
God honoring faith is recognized when you number one, tame
your tongue. Let me say it again, God honoring faith
is recognized when you tame your tongue. Now this is
really interesting because these three aren't going to be what
you think about when people ask you, am I really
a Christian? Many times when people say am I really
a Christian? We say, well, do you did you pray
the prayer? Do you believe just died? Do you believe
(07:25):
j just rose? Okay, well then yeah, you're going to heaven.
That's not where James starts. James says, if you've really
been saved, then one of the evidences that you've been saved,
and one of the evidences of your God honoring faith
is that your.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Tongue is being tamed. Notice what he says in verse
twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
He says, if anyone thinks himself to be religious, religious
is the outward expression of what you say you believe
how you practice. If anyone thinks himself to be religious,
and yet this is not what bridle his tongue. Tame
is tongue, but deceives his own heart. This man's religion
(08:05):
is worthless. Now James understands something that we need to understand,
and that is this.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Your tongue is not.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Connected to the back of your throat, but your tongue
is connected to your heart. What comes out of your
mouth is truly what's going on inside. If you ever
get around people that are excited about something, whether it's
winning a championship or getting engaged, or the birth of
a child, or a new job, or a promotion, or
(08:33):
something that happens they won the lottery, there's an expression
that comes out of their mouth because of something that's
going on in their heart. And if you're around people
that are bitter or complaining or whiny, it all starts
in the heart, because your tongue is connected to your heart.
And here's the point God's trying to make. If you're
truly saved over time, week later, months later, year later,
(08:55):
two years later, decade later, your tongue will look different
than it did when.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
It was for saved. Why because your heart.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Is changing, and if your mouth is saying the same
things and talking the same way as when you say
you got saved, that's a warning light that perhaps nothing's
changed on the inside. Because one of the evidences of
being born again is taming the tongue.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
So let's be clear on this.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The gospel is that God soul loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him would not perish but have eternal life. We are
saved by grace through faith. It's not our own doing.
It's a gift of God. Not one of us can
boast we're not saved because we speak well. We're not
saved because we talk the right talk. We're saved because
there was nothing we can do, nothing we could do,
and God sin his own son, Jesus, to die on
(09:41):
the cross for our sins, who took all of our sin,
took the wrath of God, was buried in the grave,
and three days later rose again and offered life to
those who would turn from their sin and trust him.
That's the only way that we're saved.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You're listening to Brave and today Pastor Jeff is sharing
his message. God Honoring Faith from the series Walk Your Talk,
helping you examine your faith to know if it is
truly honoring God. We'll get back to Pastor Jeff in
just a moment, but first, generous friends like you make
programs like this one possible, and when you give a
(10:16):
gift in support of Pastor Jeff ministries today, you're helping
spread biblical truth to a world in need. Simply visit
us at Pastorjeff dot com to give once again, that
website is Pastorjeff dot com. Now let's get back to today's message.
To listen to the conclusion of this teaching from God's word, Your.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Tongue will look different than it did when it was
first saved. Why because your heart is changing, and if
your mouth is saying the same things and talking the
same way as when you say you got saved, that's
a warning light that perhaps nothing's changed on the inside.
Because one of the evidences of being born again is
(10:58):
taming the tongue.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
So let's be clear on this.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
The gospel is that God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
him would not perish but have eternal life. We are
saved by grace through faith. It's not our own doing,
it's a gift of God. Not one of us can
boast we're not saved because we speak well. We're not
saved because we talk the right talk. We're saved because
there was nothing we can do, nothing we could do,
And God sent his own son, Jesus to die on
(11:22):
the cross for our sins, who took all of our sin,
took the wrath of God, was buried in a grave,
and three days later rose again and offered life to
those who would turn.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
From their sin and trust him. That's the only way
that we're saved.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
But the Bible also goes on to say, for we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
In other words, we're.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Not saved by our good works, but we are for
sure saved for good works. And here's the problem in
the church. Here's the problem in the church. The church
is we say statements like this, they no matter what
you do, God can't love you anymore than he already does.
Is that true? Six of you agree? Okay, you're nervous
now to answer, aren't you Is it true that if
(12:07):
you're born again that God loves you no matter what
you do. That's totally true, but we tend to make
that a blanket statement to tell people then it doesn't
matter what you do because God loves you anyway, so
do whatever you want. It's an abuse of the relationship.
It means if God loves me no matter what I do,
and even if I do wrong, God will continue to
love me, then why would I want to continue to
(12:29):
do what this pleases God?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I want to do what's good.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
And where I don't measure up, His grace covers that.
That's the message. And here's what James is saying. He's saying,
take inventory of your life and think about your tongue.
Think about what comes out of your mouth. Is it
God honoring faith the way you talk? Does God see
it as God honoring? Do other people see it as
God honoring? Because it's either an evidence that you're moving
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in the right direction or it's a blinking warning light
that hey, perhaps there's nothing that's changed inside the heart.
And here's really where we get that from the word
of God. In Matthew chapter twelve, during the Ministry of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Here's what he said.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
He said this Matthew, chapter twelve, verse thirty three.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
He said, either make the.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Tree good and it's fruit good, or make the tree
bad and it's fruit bad.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
For the tree is known by its fruit. Here's what
he was saying.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
How you live your life is evidence of what you believe.
We tend to think that Christianity is just a profession
of faith. Well, if I say I believe in Jesus,
and you better believe that I believe in Jesus. And
even if I don't act like it, think like it,
talk like it, it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Matter, because I'm telling you I believe in him. That's
not what Jesus said.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Jesus said, bad trees cannot produce good fruit, and good
trees cannot produce bad fruit. So if you're not producing
a tongue that is representative of what's going on in
your heart, it's because your heart hasn't been converted. He
goes on to say, as he's talking to the religious
people of the day that claim that they knew God,
even though Jesus Christ is fully God.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Was standing in front of him them and they didn't believe.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
He says, you brewed vipers, How can you, being evil,
speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of
that which fills the heart, out of the overflow of
the heart.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
The mouth speaks.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
The good man brings out the good treasures, and what
is good. The evil man brings out of his evil
treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every
careless word that people speak, they shall.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Give an accounting for in the day of judgment.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And the fact that we didn't all just gasp, means
we didn't hear that, you didn't even account for every
careless word. All of us have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God with our tongue. I mean,
God holds us accountable to that. For by your words
you will be justified justified, and by your words you
will be condemned. If you've been converted, your heart changes,
and if your heart changes, your words will change. And
(14:38):
as your words change, that's evidence as to actually what
you believe. If there's been no change in your tongue,
there's been no change in your heart.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
That's what he's saying. That's what Jesus said. That's what
James is saying. Know. That's what Jesus also says.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
In Mark chapter seven, in Mark chapter seven, people were
talking about, well, you only righteous and clean if you
eat the right kinds of foods. And here's what Jesa
said in Mark seven, verse eighteen. He said, are you
so lacking and understanding? Also, do you not understand that
whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him
because it goes in it does not go into his heart,
but into his stomach and is eliminated. And he was
(15:17):
saying that which proceeds out of the man is what
defiles the man.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
He's like, what you eat doesn't make you clean or unclean.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
You know, just because you eat something that goes in
your stomach and comes out, that's not a big deal.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
It's what comes out of your heart. That's where everything starts.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
To notice what he says for from within, out of
the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, fornications, steps, murders, adulteries,
deeds of coveting, and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, evil, slander, pride,
and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and
defile the man. Before sin ever takes place on the outside,
It's always conceived on the inside. Any grievous sin that
(15:53):
you see, any grievous sin you've committed, it all started internally.
That's why Jesus said, what needs to be cleansed. You
need to be cleansed from the heart, from the inside out.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Because if your heart.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Isn't changed, if your life isn't changed, you can't do
the things.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Required that the Word of God tells you to do.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
You can't do those things. It's impossible to change. Tame
your tongue. You know, I'm a pastor. So sometimes when
I'm out with people and they know I'm a pastor
and coaching football or playing golf or doing something, you know,
swear words come out of their mouth. And then when
they reckonnite, I'm playing with the pastor. Sorry pastor, Sorry pastor.
And if you're not Christian, I tell him this. You
(16:31):
can't help it. No big deal, because if christ hasn't
changed your heart, you can try not to do something,
but it'll be an exercise in futility and the only
thing that will happen is you get more more frustrated
because you can't do it. And even if you're tamping
it down, that's the word that you're thinking of because
it's in your heart right. And this is what James
is saying. He goes, here's the evidence. Here's the evidence.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
You want to know.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
If somebody's believer, you want if you're a believer, are
you taming your tongue? Not perfectly, but increasingly. That's why
we have so many scriptures in the New Testament. And
when we get to James chapter three, we'll spend another
whole day on this. But in Colossians chapter four and
verse six, here's what the Lord tells us and Colossians
chapter four and verse six, through the apostle Paul, he
(17:14):
says this, let your speech always be with grace, as
though seasoned was sold, so that you will know how
you should respond to each person. And in Ephesians four
twenty nine says almost the exact same thing. The Book
of Ephiesians chapter four and verse twenty nine, he says
it like this, Let no one wholesome word proceed from
your mouth, but only such a word as is good
(17:35):
for edification, according to the need of the moment, so
that it will give grace to those who hear. In
other words, when should you tame your tongue?
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Always? Always?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
There should always be a restraint on that sucker right
when you're going to speak, and when you're not going
to speak, because of who the Lord is, and for
those of us who are extroverted, and for those of
us who speak for a living like here's truly here's
verse of conviction, probably chapter ten and verse nineteen. When
there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. But he who
(18:08):
restrains his lips is wise. The more you talk, the
more you're gonna sin. Right, So you got to put
a bridle on that thing. That's why he says, if
you don't bridle your tongue, you're deceiving your heart. If
you say I'm saved, but there's no bridle on your tongue,
you're deceiving yourself. If your language hasn't changed over time,
you're deceiving yourself because your heart is really telling you
(18:32):
through your mouth and expressing what it is that you
believe and who it is that.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
You actually are. And sometimes through the heart, here's what happens.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
The Lord tells you, don't say that anymore, don't talk
to them about that, shut your mouth and know you
could win that argument.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Don't do it right.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
And other times it's you're just backing up because you
don't want to tell them the truth, because you don't
want to lose a friendship. Use the tongue for this,
tell them the truth, speak the truth and love. And
there's this back and forth with the Lord as you
walk with him in relationship so that you can grow
with him. And when I think about a bridle, I
think about a horse being bridle, where you put a
bit in a horse's mouth with a bridle. And I
(19:07):
don't know a whole lot about that, but my daughters
have taking horseback riding lessons. So I called their horse
trainer yesterday to ask, can you give me any insight
on a bridle and how it works? And this guy
has three horses and she said yeah. She's like, it's
different for every horse. She's like, you need to understand
that there's one of our horses I use it all
the time, there's another horse I don't.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
And here's what she said. I wrote it down.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
She said, the more in tune the horses with the rider,
the less they need the bridle because they know what
the rider wants before the rider even asks. And I said,
that's my whole sermon tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Thank you, what she was saying is when the horse
understands the rider and knows where the rider wants to
go and know this is the direction they want to leave,
the rider doesn't need to give it a whole lot
of direction because the horse.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Knows where to go.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
The more in tune you are with Jesus, the less
corrective nature He needs to be with you because he
knows you have his heart and he's going to go
that and he knows you're going to follow because you're
in a good relationship. And that a great story. That's
what James is talking about, and it's important that we
know the language of the Lord. He reminds me of
(20:13):
the familiar story of the preacher that sold his horse
to an atheist, and he told the atheist when the
atheists bought the horse, hey, there's two words you need
to know, because I trained my horse as a Christian horse,
and to make it go, you have to say praise
the Lord. And the atheist said, well, how do you
get him to stop? He said, you have to say hallelujah? Well,
the preacher gave him a great price and it was
(20:34):
a great horse, so the atheist took it, even though
he didn't want to have to use those words. And
one day he was out riding the horse and he
said Praise the Lord, and the horse took off.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
He's like, I want to go faster.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
So he's like, praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise
the Lord. Horse took off in a dead sprint. He
was having a ball until he realized the horse was
about ready to go over a cliff. And then he
couldn't remember the word hallelujah. So he starts quoting every
biblical word. He's like, Bible, Jesus cross, heymen, nothing's happening.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
And then it clicked in his head. He's like, hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And the horse stopped right at the edge of the
cliff and he looked down at that half mile that
he would have fallen.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
He's sweating bullets.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
He's relieved, and in his pc he muttered, Praise the Lord.
That's why you got to know the language of our Savior,
because there's different times he's gonna instruct you in different ways.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Amen.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
God, honoring faith is recognized when you tame your tongue.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Number two is this. God honoring faith is recognized when
you help the helpless.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
When you help the helpless he says, pure and undefiled
religion in the sight of our God and Father. Is this,
in other words, outward practices that God would accept look
like this. To visit orphans and widows in their distress
and visit here doesn't mean a drive by, It doesn't
mean dropping over to their house. Visit has the understanding
(21:54):
of hospitable visit. Visiting has the understanding of I'm gonna
take care of you, I'm gonna I'm gonna be there
for you, I'm help out.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
And why widows and orphans.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
A widow is someone who's lost their husband, a wife
who's lost their husband.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
A an orphan is somebody who has no parents.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
And in the first century, much like in the third
world countries that we have today, you lose your husband,
there is no life insurance, there is no help, there's
nobody looking out for you.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
You're an orphan.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
In another country, there is no orphanage, there is no agency,
there's nobody it's gonna help. And I've had the privilege,
I'm in privilege of being in India, but I've had
the unfortunate experience of watching in India where I've seen
kids that are four and two years old walking down
the streets, going through the garbage and all sorts of
stuff you wouldn't even want to go near, trying to
find food so they can have something to eat, because
(22:42):
if they don't, nobody's gonna do anything for them.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
So what do you say?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Pure religion looked like it was helping those who couldn't
help themselves.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
That's what it means. Now we like to say God
helps those who help themselves, that's not biblical. God wants
you to help those who can't help themselves. That's biblical.
It means you help them. It means you fight for
their justice.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
It means you stand up for them when they can't
stand up for themselves, and that's our job. That's an
evidence that you truly believe in Jesus when you want
to help the helpless. One of the things that happens
in your life when Jesus becomes the lord of your
life is you no longer just hang in your click
with your group that likes your stuff in your way.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
You start having a heart for different kinds of people.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
You start loving people and hanging out with people that
you said before I would say there's no way we'd
even hang out.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
They wouldn't hang out with me, and I wouldn't hang
out with them. Now we're friends.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Or you see people that are even hostile to the Gospel,
but because of Christ's love for you, you can demonstrate
love to them. Helping the helpless means that you don't
walk by when you see a need.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Jesus was compassionate.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
The New Testament uses the word compassion or the English
word pity simultaneously interchangeably.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
To say, when you see a need, meet it.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Because we have a tendency to want to see a
need and then hope somebody else does something about it,
or see a need in a somebody else to that need.
Here's what James says, here's what religion looks like. If
you're truly been converted. You want to know that you
have God honoring faith. Not only see your tongue being tamed,
but when you see a need, help the helpless, meet
(24:15):
the need, do what you need to do.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Thanks for listening to Brave. That was pastor Jeff with
his message God Honoring Faith from the series Walk. You're
talk helping you examine your faith to know if it's
truly honoring God. Before we say goodbye, we want to
remind you that when you give a gift to keep
teachings like this one going out to you and others,
you're helping spread biblical truth to a world in need.
(24:42):
Simply visit us at Pastorjeff dot com to give. That's
Pastorjeff dot com, and while you're there, be sure to
sign up for email updates from Brave to be among
the first to hear about new resources to equip you
in your walk. Thanks again for joining us today,
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