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First Point

False Religion is deceptive.

Edmund Burke

“Man is, by his constitution, a

religious animal”

False Religion is embraced through a deceptive self-

dialogue.

Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise

man listens to advice.

James 122 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

παραλογιζομαι paralogidzommai Deceiving with words… a deceptive self-

dialogue.

False Religion is embraced through deceptive lures.

James 126 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

απαταω/ apataō •Occurs 3 times in the New Testament.•Means to deceive, to cheat or to trick.•Used in Eph. 5:6 to refer to the deception of Eve in the Garden.

False Religion is deeply established through empty

rules and rituals.

Θρησκός/ThrayskosReligious

•Only occurs once in the Bible in James 1:26.•Refers to someone who is ritualistic in their faith and keeps the “externals” of pious ceremony.

Isaiah 113Bring no more vain offerings;incense is an abomination to me.New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Isaiah 114Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates;they have become a burden to me;I am weary of bearing them.

Second Point

True Religion flows out of a personal

relationship with God.

True Religion is pure.True Religion

James 127 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

True Religion is practical.True Religion

James 127a Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…

Psalm 68:5

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Luke 711 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.

Luke 712 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

Luke 713 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Luke 714 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Orphans in America – Relevant Magazine

•The number of children waiting to be adopted out of the U.S. foster care system has held steady around 100,000.•There are more than 300,000 churches in the country.

“If just one family in every third church would welcome home one of these kids, we would have no more orphans in foster care; it would be the most powerful witness ever to the love of Christ.”

Kelly RosatiFocus on

the Family

Practical Pro-Life“It is time for the pro-life movement to embrace the natural extension of the argument, and I think they’re ready to do that.”Randy

Bohlender

True Religion is persevering.

True Religion

James 1

27b …and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

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