How to Make Religion Our Business (1): A Sermon by Thomas Watson

Luke 2:49. Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?

These are the words of the Lord Jesus, whose lips dropped as a honeycomb. The occasion was this: Christ, who had the Spirit of wisdom and holiness poured on Him without measure, went to the temple when but 12 years old, and began to dispute with the doctors [that is, teachers] (v 46). Where should learning blossom out but on that tree which did bear several sorts of fruit? Who could better interpret secrets than He who lay in His Father’s bosom? (Col 2:9). “All that heard Him were astonished at His understanding” (Lk 2:47). In the Greek it is “they were out of themselves” with admiration. Well might they admire – that He who had never been at university should be able to silence the great rabbis: “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Jn 7:15).

While they were wondering, His mother, who had now come to seek Him, propounded this question, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us?” (Lk 2:48) – that is, Why hast Thou put us to all this labour in seeking Thee? In the words of the text, Christ makes a rational and religious reply: “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” In the Greek it is, “in the things of My Father” – as if Christ had said, I must be doing the work which My Father in heaven has set Me about; this is why I received My mission and unction: that I might do the will “of Him that sent Me” (Jn 9:4). Why am I in the world but to promote His glory, propagate His truth, and be as a lodestar² to draw souls to heaven? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?

From this example of the blessed Saviour making His Father’s work His business, we learn the great truth: It is the duty of every Christian to make religion his business.

Religion is not a thing by the by, proper only for spare hours, but it must be the great business of our lives. Paul made it so: his great care was to know Christ and to be found in Christ (Phil 3:9,10). How abundantly did he lay himself out for God! “I laboured more abundantly than they all . . .” (1 Cor 15:10). Paul moved heavenward, not slowly as the sun on the dial, but as the sun in its hemisphere, with a winged swiftness. He made religion his business.

To illustrate and unfold this, there are three questions to be resolved:

¹Taken, with editing, from The Morning Exercise at Cripplegate, vol 1. Watson (c1620-1686) was a noted Puritan minister.

²A star used in the navigation of a ship, especially the pole star.

Question 1. What is meant by religion?

I answer, sin has loosened us from God, but when religion comes into the heart, it fastens the heart to God again, as the members are knit to the head by several nerves and ligaments. Religion is the spiritual ligament that knits us to God. The Greek word for religion signifies “a right worshipping”. This is religion, when we not only worship the true God, but in that manner which He has prescribed – by a right rule, from a right principle, to a right end.

Question 2. Why must we make religion our business?

Because religion is a matter of the highest nature; while we are serving God, we are doing angels’ work. The business of religion infinitely outweighs all things besides. Pleasure, profit, honour (the trinity which the world adores) are all inferior and must give way to religion. The fear of God is said to be “the whole duty of man” (Ecc 12:13) or, as it is in Hebrew, “the whole of man”. Other things may delight, religion satisfies; other things may make us wise to admiration, religion makes us “wise unto salvation” (2 Tim 3:15).

Question 3. What is it to make religion our business?

It consists principally in these seven things:

1. We make religion our business when we wholly devote ourselves to religion. “Stablish Thy word unto Thy servant, who is devoted to Thy fear” (Ps 119:38), as a scholar who devotes himself to his studies makes learning his business. A godly man may sometimes, through rashness and thoughtlessness, run himself upon what is evil. There is no one so bad but he may do some good actions; and there is no one so good but he may do some bad actions. But if the course and tenor of a godly man’s life is religious; when he deviates to sin, he yet devotes himself to God.

   Christians are like a company of mariners at sea: they are bound for some coast. While they are sailing, they may meet with a crosswind that may turn them back and drive them in a quite contrary way; but as soon as the storm is over and the sea calm, they recover themselves and get into the right way where they were sailing before. So it is with a Christian: heaven is the haven he is bound for, Scripture is the compass he sails by; yet when a contrary wind of temptation blows, he may be driven back into a sinful action. But he recovers himself by repentance, and sails on consistently to the heavenly port. This is to make religion our business, when, notwithstanding some departures through human frailty, we are devoted to God’s fear and dedicate our entire existence to God.

2. We make religion our business when we pay chief attention to the business of religion; it gains the pre-eminence. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Mt 6:33) – first in time, before all things; and first in affection, above all things. We must give religion the precedence, making all other things subordinate to it. We are to provide for our families, but chiefly for our souls: this is to make religion our business. Jacob put the cattle first, and made his wives and children follow (Gen 32:16). It is unworthy to make religion come in the rear: it must lead and all other things must submit to it. He never had religion in his heart who says to any worldly thing, In the throne thou shalt be greater.

3. We make religion our business when our thoughts are about religion. While others are thinking how they shall get a living, our thoughts are about what we shall do to be saved. David said, “While I was musing the fire burned” (Ps 39:3). Thoughts are as passengers in the soul; when we travel every day to the city of God and are contemplating glory and eternity, this is to make religion our business. Theophylact³ calls holy contemplation “the gate and portal by which we enter into heaven”. A Christian is, by divine soliloquies and cries, in heaven before his time; he is carried up to paradise; his own thoughts are all packed up and gone.

4. We make religion our business when our main end is to serve God. He is said to make the world his business whose great design is to get the world. Paul’s ultimate end was that Christ might be magnified and the Church edified (Phil 1:20, 2 Cor 12:19). Our aims must be good, as well as our actions. Many make use of religion for sinister ends; like the eagle, while she flies aloft, her eye is on her prey. Hypocrites serve God on account of something else, the temple for the gold (Mt 23:17); they court the gospel, not for its beauty, but for its jewels. These do not make religion their business, but a prudent artifice to get money. But then we make religion our business when the glory of God is mainly in our eye, and the very intention of our life is to live to Him who has died for us (2 Cor 5:15). God is the centre, and all the lines of our actions must be drawn to this centre.

5. We make religion our business when we trade with God every day. “Our conversation is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). The Greek word for conversation signifies “commerce”, so our merchandise is in heaven. A man may live in one place and carry out his trade in another; a saint, though he lives in the world, yet he trades above the moon; he is a merchant for the pearl of great price. This is to make religion our business. When we keep holy intercourse with God, there is trade between us and heaven; “our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). God comes down to us upon the wing of His Spirit, and we go up to Him upon the wing of prayer.

6. We make religion our business when we redeem time from secular

³A Bible commentator in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and in Bulgaria.

things for the service of God. A good Christian is the greatest monopoliser: he hoards up all the time he can for religion. “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee” (Ps 119:62). Those are the best hours which are spent with God; and David, having tasted how sweet the Lord was, would borrow some time from his sleep that he might take a turn in heaven. It well becomes Christians to take time from worldly occasions, sinful dressing, idle visits, so that they may be the more intent on the matters of religion.

I have read of a holy man who, when tempted to sin by his former evil companions, answered, “I am so busy reading in a little book with three leaves, that I have no leisure so much as to mind my other business”. He was asked afterwards if he had read over the book and replied, “This book with three leaves is of three separate colours: red, white and black, which contain such deep mysteries that I have resolved with myself to read therein all the days of my life. In the first leaf, which is red, I meditate on the precious blood of Christ, which was shed for my sins; in the white leaf I meditate on the pure and delightful joys of heaven; in the black leaf, I contemplate the hideous and dreadful torments of hell, prepared for the wicked to all eternity.”

This is to make religion our business: when we are so taken up with it that we have scarcely any leisure for other things. Christian, you have a God to serve and a soul to save; and if you have anything of religion in you, you will take heed of the thieves of time, and will engross all opportunities for the best things. How far are they from Christianity who jostle out holy duties! Instead of borrowing time from the world for prayer, they steal time from prayer that they may follow the world.

1. We make religion our business when we serve God with all our might. Our strength and spirits are drawn forth about religion: we seek, sweat, strive, bestir ourselves, as in a matter of life and death, and put forth not only diligence but violence. “David danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Sam 6:14). This is to make religion our business: when we shake off sloth and put on zeal as a garment. We must not only pray, but pray fervently (Jas 5:16); we must not only repent, but “be zealous . . . and repent” (Rev 3:19); we must not only love but be “sick of love” (Song 2:5).

   This is to be a Christian indeed: when we put forth all our vigour and fervour in religion and take the kingdom of God as it were by storm (Mt 11:12). It is not a faint wish that will bring us to heaven; there must not only be wishing but working; and we must so work as those that will be damned if we come short.

Application 1: Information.

1. Hence learn that there are but few good Christians. How few make religion their business! Is he a tradesman if he never worked in the trade? Is he a Christian if he never worked in the trade of godliness? How few make religion their business!
   (1.) Some make religion a leisure activity but not their business. They profess to be religious and, if need be, religion shall have their letters of commendation, but they do not make religion their business. Many of Christ’s disciples, who said, “Lord, evermore give us this bread,” yet soon afterwards basely deserted Christ and would follow Him no longer. “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (Jn 6:34,66).
   (2.) Others make the world their business, “who mind earthly things”. (Phil 3:19). Earth puts out a fire; so the love of earthly things puts out the fire of heavenly desires. It was a judgement on Korah and Dathan when “the earth swallowed them up” (Num 16:32). Thus it is with many: the world swallows up their time, thoughts and talk; they are swallowed up alive in the earth. There is a lawful use of these things, but sin is in the excess of them. The bee may suck a little honey from the leaf, but put it in a barrel of honey and it is drowned. How many engulf themselves in created things and drive such a trade in the shop that they quite break in their trading for heaven! The farm and oxen have kept millions from Christ. These do not make religion their business but make the world their business, and what will all be at death but as a dream or fancy? “The people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity” (Hab 2:13).

2. Hence see how hard it is to be saved. It is not so easy as some assume: religion must be our business. It is not enough to have a mere taste of religion, a touch and away; but we must make it our business. How many precepts have we to obey, how many temptations to resist, how many graces to treasure up! Religion is the work of our whole lives, and all little enough! Lord, how hard then it is to be saved! “Where will the . . . sinner appear?” What will become of the fashionable people of our times, who make sin their business, whose whole employment is to indulge and pamper the flesh? “All their care is,” as Jerome speaks, “to crisp their hair, to sparkle their diamonds; instead of steeping their souls in briny tears, they bathe themselves in perfumed waters, and ride to hell upon the back of pleasure.”

Though true repentance be never too late, yet late repentance is seldom true. Herein delays are dangerous, for the longer we defer it the worse is our case. The further a nail is driven in with the hammer, the harder it is to get out again. The longer a disease is let run, the harder it is to cure. The deeper a tree is rooted, the harder it is to pluck up again. The longer we defer the time of our repentance, the harder it will be to repent; and therefore it is dangerous driving it off to the last cast.

What a man the better though he have all things, and be without Him which is the author of all things?

Arthur Dent