Be Real Series

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS: BE REAL

A. What is the REAL YOU, like?

1. I believe there are times when we HIDE behind MASKS and FACADES and not allow our “TRUE-

SELVES” to come out.

ILLUSTRATION:

When Karen Morse of Henniker, New Hampshire was about to GRADUATE from high school, she revealed a startling fact—she could not READ or WRITE at even the most BASIC level. Karen was in the National Honor Society, in “Who’s Who in America Schools,” was CLASS PRESIDENT, and was STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT. She was known as a SUPERB orator and MODEL student. Yet, Karen—a severe DYSLEXIC—had developed elaborate RUSES

through 13 years of school to COVER the fact that she couldn’t even READ street signs.

For her entire life, Karen had lived in FEAR that people would UNMASK her INADEQUACY. Her energy went into CONCEALING the TRUTH. She had become a SLAVE to PROTECTING her FALSE IMAGE.

2. Many people PLAY the same GAMES in their RELATIONSHIPS.

a. They try to HIDE their TRUE-SELVES from other people by PRETENDING to be something

they’re not!

ILLUSTRATION:

While around Christians they put on a PIOUS FRONT. They talk about SPIRITUAL things,

act HOLY, and show CONCERN for people’s NEEDS.

Around non-Christians, they don’t want to talk about anything that has to do with God. They act UNGODLY, and couldn’t CARE LESS for people’s NEEDS. (These, of course, are two EXTREMES, but many Christians fit in there somewhere.)

b. Also, there are those who try to HIDE their TRUE-SELVES from God.

COMMENT:

In their HEARTS they know the HIDDEN SINS that prevent a REAL RELATIONSHIP with their Lord. Deep down they know that their SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES are a FAÇADE. They know that things are not at all what they PRETEND them to be, but it has become more IMPORTANT to MAINTAIN the IMAGE than POSSESS the REALITY.

B. Jesus- “Blessed [HAPPY] are the PURE in HEART, for they will SEE God”- Matthew 5:8.

1. Being “PURE IN HEART” is more than just living MORAL LIVES.

a. The word that Matthew uses for “PURE” literally means “being free from mixture.”

b. In reference to the HEART, it describes one who is “genuine, consistent, uncontaminated,

without hypocrisy.” In other words, they are REAL—AUTHENTIC.

c. Jesus is saying that we need to “BE REAL before God and before others.”

COMMENT:

Karen Morse had no possibility of LEARNING to READ until she dropped the FAÇADE and asked for HELP. Likewise, it’s impossible to have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with God

while trying to maintain a DISHONEST FRONT—a PIOUS LIE.

If we wish to improve our RELATIONSHIP with God and others, we ABANDON the LIE, TAKE OFF our MASKS, and ADMIT our NEED. If we prefer to PRETEND that everything is okay, then we will never find TRUE HAPPINESS.

MESSAGE:

ILLUSTRATION:

Laurie Beth Jones in her book, Grow Something Besides Old, tells about one Halloween night when she had UNDERESTIMATED the number of CHILDREN who would come to the door to TRICK OR TREAT, and she RAN OUT of CANDY. In desperation, she EMPTIED her children’s PIGGY BANKS and began giving out QUARTERS, NICKELS, and DIMES.

One little girl about 5-years-old dressed as a FAIRY PRINCESS came to her door. She had the little CROWN and MAGIC WAND and GLITTER on her CHUBBY CHEEKS. Jones dropped TWO QUARTERS into the child’s sack, and said to her, “I’ve run out of CANDY, but tomorrow you can take these COINS to the store and TURN them into real CANDY.”

The little girl stepped back, and with a PUZZLED LOOK, said, “Lady, I can’t TURN

COINS into CANDY. This isn’t a REAL WAND!”

COMMENT:

(That story has NOTHING to do with my LESSON. I just thought it was FUNNY.)

The fact is, most of us, if not all, have PRETENDED to be something that we’re not at one time or another. There are times when we have HIDDEN our TRUE SELVES, whether it was by being SELF-RIGHTEOUS or by trying to HIDE our Christianity because being a Christian at the time wouldn’t have been POPULAR. We put on MASKS and HIDE behind them.

I. BECOMING “PURE IN HEART” REQUIRES REMOVING OUR MASKS (But before we can

successfully remove our MASKS, we need to understand why we HIDE behind them):

A. We want to be NOTICED or ACCEPTED by others.

1. So in an effort to PLEASE OTHERS, we sometimes PRETEND to be something we’re not.

ILLUSTRATION:

You may not like SPORTS at all, but when with avid SPORTS FANS you lead them to believe that you, too, have a great INTEREST in SPORTS.

When DATING that special someone, you PRETEND to like many of your boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s INTERESTS but in reality, you couldn’t CARE less.

You ENROLL into a COLLEGE CLASS that you DETEST, but that’s the CLASS the POPULAR kids are taking.