It's a pleasure to be here. Today I'm going to be sharing on the Christian's joyful duty of visiting and caring for the distressed. If you would, I'd like you to turn in your Bibles to the book of James. James 1. James 1.27 says this, 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." Now, I chose this verse because fulfilling this verse opens up massive opportunities to be spreading the gospel. Fulfilling this verse opens up massive opportunities to be spreading the gospel. And as we go to South Africa, it's our goal to help the churches there to fulfill this verse. We want to help them flesh out what this means in a place of pain, sorrow, and death. And so today, as we look at this verse, I want you to be asking and considering yourself how this should be fleshed out here in two different ways. The first way is a way of in-reach, reaching your body of believers right here. Caring for the distressed among your body of believers. And the second is a way of outreach. Reaching out to your neighborhood, your workplace, your town, and your world. Caring for them. Caring for the distressed. This care is done to demonstrate the love of Christ by our actions so that we can be sharing the gospel with them. As a means to be sharing the gospel with them. Now, you may already be doing many of these things here, but it's always good to be reminded of these things and encourage ourselves in the Word of God with them. So, as we look at these verses, before we do that, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Ask His assistance one more time in this. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You, Lord, for who You are. We praise You for Your perfect control. We praise You for Your grace in saving us. Praise you that you allow, you work in our lives to open our eyes to see things in your word. You open our hearts to believe them and to live those out. I pray that today that you will be working in our lives to give us eyes to see what you are trying to teach us from your word. Give us eyes to see areas in our life that may be changed and give us the strength and ability through your spirit to listen, and to obey all that you've committed us to do. We pray that you would be glorified through this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now, before we look at this verse of James 1.27 specifically, we're going to take a step back and look at some of the passage. We're going to read James 1.22-27. James 1.22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, This person's religion is worthless. 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." So what was James' goal in writing these verses, this passage of Scripture? Well, first of all, we see in verse 22, James' goal was first that his readers be doers of the Word. Verse 22, he says, "...be doers of the Word and not hearers only." He wanted their faith to be backed up by their actions. The reason this is so important, that he wanted their faith to be evidenced by their actions, is because salvation does not happen apart from this evidence of faith. The verse is set in the context of comparing worthless religion, in verse 26, to pure and undefiled religion, in verse 27. Verse 22 says, but be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. So, if someone is a hearer only, they hear the Word of God, but they're not a doer, they're deceiving themselves. Their faith is not real. It's fake. You can see this very clearly in James 2. If you turn over to James 2, verses 13 to 17. James writes, For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace and be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." See, there is a teaching that James was combating in these verses. And the teaching was this. If you have faith, so-called faith, you can live however you want and be saved in the end. And what James is saying is no. So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Now what he's not teaching is this. He's not teaching that faith plus works equals salvation. He's not teaching that. What he's teaching is this. Faith equals salvation plus works. The works will always be there if there's faith. It's inseparable. One of my teachers used to say, faith is like calories. You can't see them, but you can always see the results. You can always see the results. This is the reason why James wanted his readers to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. He wanted to make sure their faith was real. He didn't want them to be deceiving themselves. See, there are many people who have made a mental assent to the Gospel, but have no true saving faith, and will end up in hell. This is why Christ said in Matthew 7.20, Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. The fruit is an evidence that there's a root. This is also why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13.5, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize just about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet the test? So as James writes on this Christian duty of visiting and caring for the distressed, he's not doing it flippantly. There's a seriousness with which he is writing these verses. He does not want his readers to be deceived, so he's telling them, here are some things to look for in your lives. If you're not seeing these things, Be wary. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Look at your lives. See if these things are evidence there. How do we know an apple tree is an apple tree? It grows apples. How do we know a person is a Christian? They bear the fruit of a Christian. And He is giving us some of the fruits to look for. Listen to Christ's words in Matthew 25. You don't have to turn there. It's Matthew 25, 31-46. He's saying that visiting and caring for the distressed is necessary for final salvation. It's not necessary because the works save, but because the works will always be there if salvation has taken place. Matthew 25, 31-46. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people, one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me." Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you in, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them, truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you cursed. into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me in. Naked and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer saying, Lord, when do we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them saying, truly I say to you, You did not do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to me and these will go away into eternal punishment But the righteous into eternal life So as we examine the Christians joyful duty of visiting and caring for the distress, let's do it with seriousness Not flippantly. This is something we should be seeing in our life something that's inseparable from faith Now, James is, first of all, serious about his reader's salvation. But he's also serious about their joy. Verse 25 of James 1 says, But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. In this passage, James is telling us how to live in obedience to God. Now, verse 27 is an explanation of how to abide in the law of liberty. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. So, being a doer of the work, in verse 25, if you look in the passage there, being a doer who acts, verse 25, would include Visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, down in verse 27. If visiting is part of what it's talking about in verse 25, being a doer who acts, then the results are the same. Namely, that he will be blessed in his doing. The word blessed is the Greek word makarios. It carries the idea of being especially favored. Fortunate. Happy. Privileged by God. Obeying God's commands brings great joy. Obeying God's commands brings great joy. In Psalm 119.47, For I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. Psalm 119.77, For your law is my delight. Psalm 119.111, Your testimonies are my heritage. For they are the joy of my heart." This is why I called the sermon, The Christian's Joyful Duty of Visiting and Caring for the Stressed. Yes, it is a duty. God commands it. But joy is dependent on our obedience. So as James writes, his two primary goals are first, he desires to make sure his readers have true, saving faith. And secondly, He wants to make sure that they're acting in such a way as to maximize their joy. He wants them to act in a way that's going to maximize their joy. So now we come down to James 1.27. 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. When James says that religion that is pure and undefiled consists of these Christian duties, visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction, keeping oneself unstained from the world. When he says it consists of these Christian duties, he is not limiting it to those alone. What he's doing is he's passing by many things of great importance. And what he's saying is this, Without these two things is worthless. Without these two things, religion is worthless. The Christian duty that God is pleased with also is more than just a few isolated acts. It's the fundamental attitude behind the actions. It's the heart issue that God is concerned with here. And these actions are an evidence of what's in our hearts. Man must realize that he does not exist of and for himself, but of and for God and others. In Matthew 22, 37-39, Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment was. He replied this, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Why is the second like the first? Why is the second like the first? Because if we love God, it will spill over into love for others. Our love for God will spill over into love for others. We demonstrate our love to God by loving others. You can see this in Matthew 25, 40, which you read earlier. When Christ said, truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. You did it to me. The reason this Christian duty is linked with pure religion is because it's an evidence of where our heart's at. It's an evidence of where our heart is at. If our primary love is ourselves, we will spend our time and our money and our lives focused on ourselves and doing things to better our position. If our primary love is to God, we will spend our lives on others. When we love God, we act out that love. We live out that love by loving others, by helping others. James then goes on to say that this is before God the Father. before God the Father. In saying this, he desires to remind us that pure religion does not consist in pleasing men, but in pleasing God. Our actions are done primarily before God the Father, not before man. We seek to please God to have our work seen by Him. So what is this Christian duty? It says to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. To visit. To visit is the Greek word episkeptima, which carries two ideas. Two ideas are kind of wrapped up in this one word. The first is that of visiting, meaning to look upon someone, to inspect in order to see how they are. To visit, to go see one. But it never implies merely to visit in the usual sense, but always to be concerned about someone, concerned about their welfare, their well-being, with a sense of responsibility to them. First idea of visiting. The second idea is that of caring for, meaning to look after someone in order to help them or to benefit them, to have care for them, to provide for them. It's going to see someone with a helpful intent. And in this context, it's used to imply that care is given to those that are in need. So this word means to visit someone out of concern for them with the goal of meeting their needs. Things like doing the dishes if they're unable to do it. Other daily activities. Fixing something around their house. Caring for the sick. Taking care of children. Sometimes the need is loneliness. Going to spend time with them. Being a friend. Listening ear. Someone to pray with. It's more than just stopping by to say hi. It involves a genuine care and concern for the individual that you're going to see. And it involves every kind of relief that we're capable of giving to others. So this Christian duty is visiting and caring for. Who are we called to visit and care for? James says to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. Orphans. Someone who is deprived of one's parents. But this word also carries the idea of one who is abandoned, helpless, or unprotected. Abandoned, helpless, or unprotected. It's kind of wrapped up in that meaning of the word. In South Africa, the orphans are the thousands whose parents have died, who are left to fend for themselves on the streets, to take care of themselves. They have to grow their own food, and that food is often taken from them. They're frequently abused and taken advantage of. Truly, they are abandoned, helpless, and unprotected. The widows. A woman whose husband has died. But this word also carries the idea of neediness. Neediness. In South Africa, the widows are the thousands who are left when their spouse dies. These are the women whose husbands were unfaithful, gave them AIDS, now have to die knowing that their children are going to be left to fend for themselves. Truly, they are needy, afflicted, troubled, and distressed. Now, while James particularly mentions orphans and widows, he's not limiting it just to them. James is not limiting it just to orphans and widows. What he's doing here is he's stating a part for the whole. He's stating a part for the whole of a group. He has in his mind everyone that is afflicted and distressed. For what he says next is this. Visiting orphans and widows in their affliction. In their affliction. Affliction is literally, the word that's used there is literally pressure. Pressing together. It's used figuratively to describe suffering that's brought on by outward circumstances. I'm under a lot of pressure right now. That's what it's used to describe. outward circumstances, affliction, oppression, trouble, distress, or hard circumstances. I read this quote this morning where Matthew Henry said, Fatherless and widows are here particularly mentioned because they are generally most apt to be neglected or oppressed. But by them we are to understand all who are proper objects of charity, all who are in affliction. So there are many others besides orphans and widows who we are called to minister to. There are many others who are abandoned, helpless, unprotected, needy, in affliction, trouble, and distress. So we are to visit and care for the distressed. The Christian's joyful duty of visiting and caring for the distressed. Just a few words of application. First of all, above everything else, our heart has to be right. Our heart must be right. We must understand that this is more than something we just have to add to our Christian to-do list. One more thing to do. It's more than we just add to our to-do list. At the very core of this, at the very center of this, is a heart that loves God. It's a heart that loves God. A heart that loves God will demonstrate that love to God by loving others. Especially those who are distressed, the downcast, the hurting. This is a command of God. It's a command of God to ignore it as sin. Don't ignore this command. And as with all other Christian duties, God does not desire a grudging, joyless response to His commandments. He does not desire that. That does not honor God. want us to act only out of duty. Now, duty is not always wrong, but duty must be done with the right attitude. The great sin of the Pharisees was they acted only out of duty, but their heart was far from God. He wants our obedience to His commandments to be our delight. He wants it to be our joy. Our actions must be a joyful overflow of love to God. But joy, this is the amazing thing about joy, Joy causes our obedience. We have great joy in God. Therefore, we desire to obey as we love God. It's a joy to obey Him. But joy is also the result. As we obey, we find great joy as we obey His commandments. To obey God is to act for your joy. Do you ever think about that? To obey God is to act for your joy. Obeying God is not a grudging thing. It's the most joyous thing you can do. To obey God is to act for your joy. Your joy as Christians depends on your obedience to God. If you do not experience joy as a Christian, there's a good chance you're not obeying God's commands. So, first of all, in application, our heart must be right. We need to look for opportunities to minister. It's so exciting to see how God opens our eyes to see ministry opportunities around us when we seek Him. And it's a thrill to minister to those around us when we see the needs around us. Starting first in our church and then moving out into our workplace and our neighborhood and our world. This is the reason we're going to South Africa. The churches over there see a huge need. and the desire to start ministering to those around them. At the beginning of the sermon, I asked you to consider how this verse should be fleshed out. Two different ways. First is a way of in-reach. Caring for the distressed in your body of believers here at Lemoyne Baptist. Caring for the distressed here in your body of believers at Lemoyne Baptist. Fellow believers are our primary responsibility. Galatians 6.10 says, So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. And God rewards us in our obedience in this area. Hebrews 6.10 says, For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do. Matthew 25.40, And the king will answer them, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. We are called to minister, especially to those in the household of faith. Let us be diligent and be found faithful in this area. The second way is as a way of outreach. Caring for the distressed in your neighborhood, your workplace, your world, as a means of demonstrating the love of Christ by our actions and giving opportunity to share the gospel with them. Giving opportunity to share the gospel with them. See, our goal in showing compassion is more than just humanitarian aid. Our goal is to meet people's real need, their eternal need, not just their temporal needs. People's real need is to have their sin forgiven. Romans 6.23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, people are going to hell unless they repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as hurting people see our love for them and our concern for them expressed in tangible ways, they'll be far more likely to listen to our words when we share the Gospel to them. So, showing compassion often breaks down people's opposition to the Gospel. Our actions show that we care for them. Our actions show that we desire the best for them. And when they see our words being backed up by countless actions, Our words will land with far greater force. It gives us an opportunity to share the hope they can have. It gives us an opportunity to tell them why we're taking the time to show compassion on them. Why in the world are you doing this? Let me tell you. 1 John 4, 10 and 11, In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. We get to tell them that Christ's dying love for those who would believe is the reason why we show love to them. Isn't that a great message? He is the reason why we get to share that love. And we want them to experience that same love that we have experienced ourselves. Hurting people will see Christ's love lived out through us when we find ways to express that love to them in tangible ways. We need to keep looking for ways to demonstrate the love of Christ to the distressed, to visit and care for the distressed. First of all, here in your body of believers, and secondly, as a way of outreach. Show compassion with a desire to see God save their soul if they're unbelievers. And if they're a fellow believer, that they would encourage them and encourage them to be spreading the gospel to more and more people, to be a faithful witness. One of the things I found helpful to do, just as a way of more practical application of taking these things and sitting down and praying over this passage. Maybe pray over it for the next week. And secondly, pray that God will be bringing people to mind that are here in your church, or around your neighborhood, people who are distressed. It doesn't have to be something major, just some situation in their life where they are in a stressful situation or distressed physically, financially, whatever it may be. Pray that God will be bringing these people to your mind and start writing down names. Then be praying over those names and seeing how you can start reaching out to these people. Maybe it's taking a meal over to them. Maybe it's stopping over for a visit. Each situation is going to be different. But see how God would have you to be involved. Maybe it's one person at a time. Maybe it's going to be a list of 20 people. Every person is different. But see how God would have you to start applying this verse on a daily and weekly and yearly way that you are reaching out, fulfilling this verse, so that you will be visiting, and caring for the distressed, and glorifying God in that way. Let's go ahead and go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You, Lord, for who You are. We praise You for the salvation You've given to us. Lord, we thank You that You have changed our hearts. Continue to grow our love for you. I pray that as you grow our love for you, that you will cause us to spend our lives on others. Demonstrating that love for you by loving others. I pray that you would use that as an opportunity to be spreading the gospel. Using it as an opportunity as a tool for others to see what love is. As we give evidence of what love is, we show what love is, as we love others. I pray that You would be glorified through our lives in this way, Lord. Help us to be faithful where we are unfaithful, Lord. We pray this in Your Son's name, Jesus Christ. Amen.