It's All In The Presenting Series

4/25/04 – It’s All in the Presenting

Slide #1

Great Conmen

Frank Abgnale

Frank played the part of an Airline Pilot (passing checks on Pan AM for over 2.5 million dollars and jetting across the world free as a dead heading off duty pilot), a Doctor (a pediatrician), an Attorney (He actually passed the bar exam), and a professor in a university. And he did this between the ages of 16 and 21 years in the mid 1960’s

Once he posed as a security guard and standing outside a night deposit drop box he collected $60,000.00 in cash. Then when the bag was too heavy some state policemen helped him load it in his car. Another time he was caught and sent to state prison. He convinced the prison guards that he was an undercover agent and got them to let him out of jail.

Eventually he was caught and put in Federal Prison by the FBI. Today Frank Abgnale is a consultant for the FBI and he speaks as an expert on security to commercial firms and government agencies all around the country. His story has been told on the movie screen by Leanardo Caprio and Tom Hanks in “Catch me if you can”.

Here was a man who was good at passing himself off as almost anybody else

What made him effective was the presentation.

Once Frank too 8 young ladies on a world wide tour (at Pan AM’s expense) as part of an airline promotion. All of this was a cover for a scam in which he cashed checks for over $300,000.00 dollars in countries throughout Europe.

The ladies were simply the window dressing that turned the eyes of the bankers and made his story believable. The women thought they were in the running to win a contest to become airline stewardesses (In 1960 that was a high prestige job for you young lady!)

It’s all in the presentation.

Jesus is different

Jesus is the reality. Frank Agbnale looked like the reality but was a fake.

Jesus Christ was almost exactly the opposite. Jesus was not handsome and didn’t look the part - but He claimed to be and was the son of God. Here is the Godman who looks like a peasant, works like a carpenter, teaches like a learned rabbi, preaches like a prophet, does miracles like one annointed by God. Here is the man who claimed to be God - and is not a fake. He’s the real deal.

Jesus was the reality that looked (to many) like a fake. In John 7:14 what we see is the reality. Jesus as God and worthy of our worship. He came with all the proofs and testimony. Yet many refused to believe. In fact they reacted with hatred and attempted to kill him – eventually they did.

Jesus Honored God

Slide #2

John 7:16-18

16 Jesus answered, “The things I teach are not my own, but they come from him who sent me. 17 If people choose to do what God wants, they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me.

Slide #3

John 7:16-18

18 Those who teach their own ideas are trying to get honor for themselves. But those who try to bring honor to the one who sent him speak the truth, and there is nothing false in them.

How do you tell the real thing from that which is fake and false? It’s not hard. Just ask yourself, “Who is getting the honor?”

Con Men are about themselves. In many ways they are sociopath people because they care only about themselves.

Frank Agbnale started out with his father’s Marathon credit card. He would go to the gas station and buy 4 brand new tires with his dad’s credit card. Then when the attendant would ask if he wanted them installed Frank would say, “No, I want to sell them back to you for %50 less. You just give me cash and keep the tires. They would do it – keeping ½ the cash for themselves and the tires stayed on the rack in the gas station. Everyone was happy – except Frank’s dad when he got the bill that month for $2500.00 from Marathon. Who was honored in this transaction – Frank was.

The Jews and religious leaders weren’t about honoring God. They were about honoring themselves.

The reason I know Jesus was real because everything He did was about honoring the Father God. When Jesus talked to woman at the well in Samaria He did it to honor God. When He healed the man at the pool of Bethesda He did it to bring honor to the father. After He fed the 5000 he blessed the 5 loves and two fishes and thanked God. After the meal was over he gave the honor to God.