Double Exposure

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

Eph. 5:8-16

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Squeaky clean

1. One young woman decided to try clean her purse by throwing it into the washing machine—with the rest of the laundry. Her younger brother was startled, and asked, “Why are you washing your purse?”

2. Their father, who overheard them talking, shouted from the next room, “She’s money laundering!” [Shinae Hartley]

B. IDEA

1. How many of you like to take pictures with your phone? How many of you would say photography is a hobby of yours?

2. Tonight we’re going to see how our lives are like film in a camera. I’m wondering what kind of image are you putting on your film? We’re going to see that it’s best if we bring our private life into the Light of God’s examination.

3. The title of tonight’s message is “Double Exposure.”

I. THE MYSTERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

A. IMAGES – FROZEN IN TIME?

1. The photographic process itself was -- and still is -- mysterious. A piece of film is exposed to the light, and images are left -- Images where the light has reflected off people... buildings... things. Anything that reflects light leaves an image on the film.

2. Photographs have often captured things in the background that were unintended:

a. Australian field hockey player Jayde Taylor took a selfie of herself and a friend and they spotted, in the background, Queen Elizabeth, who had joined the picture!

b. The Myers family took a photo together outside the Capital building in Madison, Wisconsin, but when they looked at the picture, they discovered their picture had captured a thief, breaking into the building! It’s amazing what has been caught in pictures.

B. PHOTOS ARE NOW REGULARLY ALTERED

1. Photographic technology has advanced greatly in recent years. We can now digitally enhance photos – that is, scan a picture into a computer and then make changes to it digitally.

2. I remember the story of the photographer who took a family portrait. Afterward, one of the ladies in the picture came to his office and asked if he could “slim-down” her waist. He said, “Sure. I can do that.” The woman then pointed to a skinny woman in the picture, and asked, “Can you add weight to her figure?”

3. I’ve heard of a family who REMOVED a person from family pictures after a difficult divorce. All of the pictures were 'digitally enhanced;' no trace of the woman remained in the family pictures.

4. I heard of another family that ADDED a person into the family portraits. He was in the military and couldn't be there when some of the portraits were taken. So they simply added him into the pictures of the family.

C. THE DANGERS OF PHOTOS BEING ALTERED

1. That’s why “deepfakes” are such a worrisome issue today. Deepfakes are images or recordings that have been convincingly altered to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that they never did or said.

2. Star Wars CGI (computer generated imagery) can take photos of old or deceased actors (when they were younger) and make them walk & talk, do things & say things, they never did, in movies.

3. It used to be that a photograph was a snapshot in time. It revealed what was actually in front of the camera at a particular place and a particular time. That’s all become a little sketchy now.

4. Then, there’s DOUBLE EXPOSURE. Many times in history, people have accidentally taken two pictures with the same frame of film, resulting in a 'double exposure.' I BELIEVE ALL OF US WILL EXPERIENCE DOUBLE EXPOSURE – EITHER NOW, OF OUR OWN FREE WILL, OR AT THE JUDGMENT!

II. WHAT KIND OF FILM ARE YOU DEVELOPING?

A. OUR LIVES ARE LIKE PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM

1. Our lives are like that photographic film. We want the world, and God, to see what we put on that film, but God’s penetrating vision exposes what others do not see.

2. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)...11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them....13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible....15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Eph. 5:8-9,11,13,15-16 NIV

B. ARE WE LIVING 2 KINDS OF LIVES?

1. There are two kinds of lives being lived: those in the Light & those in the Dark. Both will be exposed by the Lord.

2. DEFINITION OF A HYPOCRITE is one who assumes a false appearance; one who engages in the same behavior or activity which they criticizes in others, or they claim to have moral standards or beliefs not borne out by their behavior.