Revelation
Week 5
"Choose Authenticity"
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We are in wk 5 of a series called Revelation. I know most people think “End of The World” “Dooms Day” when they hear The Book of Revelation, but in the first chapters of this book we have the final words of Jesus to 7 church much like our own. And from Jesus affirmation, correction, & rebuke of these churches I believe their are principles that we can learn & really grow from.
If you have missed any of the messages in this series they are all available on our FB page, iTunes, & our Website.
CONNECT:
I don’t know about you but I have a lot of experience with FAKE people.
They come to me presenting themselves one way, but before long their true colors come shining through. :)
I had a woman who came in for Finacial help a couple months after I got here back in 1996, she didn’t attend the church, but claimed to be in real need, spent 30 minutes listening to her story, I took about 15 minutes and offered counsel, encouragement & prayed with her & then she said very bluntly, with an annoyed tone as info had been wasting her time "are you gonna give me money or what?"
She didn't want counsel, she didn't want help with changing her situation, she was faking it, she hoped to play on my sympathies & manipulate me.
I wish I could say this was an isolated incident & nothing like that ever happened again. I wish I could say that….but I can’t….because it has happened a lot.
I’ve had other situations where people come to me & pretend to be really Godly & Spiritual, and try to use that to manipulate & get their way, they are FAKING IT. Being disingenuous. Wearing a mask, playing a part, pretending to be something they are not, like it were Halloween or something.
I wish I could say, I’ve never been like that. I wish I could say I have always been secure in who I am, but I can’t.
I too have played the game, I spent several years of my early ministry FAKING IT, afraid to be myself, to be honest, to be vulnerable. So I wore a mask, I held back my true self. I kept up appearances. Going through the motions. Pretending, no passion, no heart.
TENSION:
Can anyone one relate to what I talking about?
Have you been there? Hiding, playing the game? Sometimes with a selfish & wicked heart manipulating people; sometimes with a fearful heart, afraid of people? Sometimes just going through the motions, keeping up appearances, hoping no one finds out. Simply, not being REAL?
TRUTH:
I think this was the struggle of our 5th church, the Church in Sardis
“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again” Revelation 3:1-3
Jesus, starts with “I know ALL the things you do” Here is the funny thing, we call fool people, we can even fool ourselves, but we can never fool Jesus. Because He knows ALL the things we do. ( And loves us anyway)
He says, “You have a reputation for being alive” you have everyone around you convinced, but the truth is you are DEAD.
**WAKE UP!!! Jesus tells the to WAKE UP! Telling them your living in a fantasy, it’s time to come back to reality. It’s time to stop playing games. It’s time to get real!
You’ve been slipping, strengthen what LITTLE remains. You are holding on by a thread.
Jesus says to them GO BACK to what you first heard & believe. Get back to the innocence of your faith.
Go back to that place where you loved Jesus with a pure heart. Go back there and hold on to it. REPENT (We’ve heard that word before) Align yourself with the truth.
They started off GREAT & ended up faking it! It’s a slow fade from REAL FAITH to FAKE RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOR.
They were fooling themselves & faking it for everyone around them. Pretending, playing a part for whoever is in the audience at the moment.
I wish I could say I’ve never seen it happen, in 20 years of ministry I have seen this too many times. People wearing one mask at church & then behind closed doors the mask comes off & what’s beneath is scary.
Sardis somewhere along the way TOOK THEIR FOCUS OFF OF JESUS & PLEASING HIM & BECAME FOCUSED ON PEOPLE PLEASING!
But Jesus loved them enough to call them on it & call them back. And He loves you enough too!! If you have been playing a part, wearing a mask, faking it with people. He loves you enough to call you on it!
Don’t Fake It! Choose To Be Authentic!!! BE REAL!!!
APPLICATION:
Now for some this is a HARD message, for some you may be offended (Probably because it’s speaking to you & touching a nerve, people make a lot of noise when they are in pain) But I love you & want you to be all Jesus wants you to be.
How do we do that? How do we stop playing the game? How do we get real? So glad you asked :)
It’s pretty simple, HARD TO DO, but simple…Are you ready?
1-Be Vulnerable:
Fake people don’t let anyone close, they are guarded, don’t want anyone to see behind the veil. They are afraid to let anyone see the real THEM.
A lot of times this is rooted in having been hurt in the past.
Sometimes it’s because of sin in their life that they don’t want anyone to see or find out about.
And for others it just plain old INSECURITY
Regardless of the reasoning, when we CAN’T or WON’T be vulnerable we hinder our own spiritual growth & limit our ability to genuinely connect with people. So you end up Doing Life Alone, and that’s not good!!
For many people, it’s easier to wear the mask & play the game than actually deal with their crap & grow.
To get past our stuff, to deal with our issues, we MUST BE VULNERABLE!!!
Now I’m not saying you need to broadcast your business on the Evening News or all over your Timeline, but you need to let your guard down with some people and BE REAL. The Bible says in James…
“Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” James 5:16
Confess, open up, be vulnerable & the result HEALING for your soul!!!
If we are going to be REAL, we need to be VULNERABLE!
2-Be Selfless:
Fake people are all about themselves, guarding the image, only interested in what benefits them. They’ll play the game & pretend to care if it helps them. Because at the end of the day in their mind it is all about them.
If we are going to be REAL, we need to be SELFLESS Philippians 2:3 says
“Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” Philippians 2:3
When we are being fake we are putting ourselves first, trying to make a good impression, trying to maintain the facade. But Paul says think of others as better than yourself. Take a selfless stance.
If we are going to be REAL, we must BE SELFLESS!
3-Be Humble:
Fake people think they know everything about everything, they lie to themselves & everyone else all for the sake of the illusion. They always have a story or an experience that makes them the center of attention. They embellish, always trying to make themselves look better. It really boils down to PRIDE.
But Proverbs says…
“Too much pride can put you to shame. It’s wiser to be humble.” Proverbs 11:2
It better to be humble, pride will get you into trouble, EGO is a dangerous thing. Pride says “I don’t have a problem” All the while your life is falling apart. Pride keeps us from repenting, because we arrogantly think we are right all the time. Pride is a trap & it keeps us from being REAL.
If we are going to be REAL, we must BE SELFLESS
4-Be Honest:
Fake people are all about putting on airs & trying to impress. They will lie and deceive to preserve the illusion. Sadly they will LIE to themselves. We get into the most trouble when we LIE to ourselves.
When we tell ourselves, “I can deal with this issues on my own” Those are dangerous words! The HONEST truth is, you can’t you need help.
We need other people to walk along side of us, to help us work through things, to hold us accountable. And it starts with being honest about WHO we are, WHERE we are at, and WHAT we are struggling with.
Around RCNE, We say we value being REAL over being religious. This is a place where it is OK not to be OK, we all have faults, failings, sins, struggles. SO there is no need to lie about it, or pretend you don’t struggle too, you are in good company,
This is a place where it’s OK not to be OK, it’s just not OK to stay that way because Jesus wants to help us work through our stuff so we can be OK!
Proverbs says…
“Lies will get any man into trouble, but honesty is its own defense.” Proverbs 12:13
I love that, HONESTY is it’s own DEFENSE!!!
If we are going to be REAL, we must BE HONEST!
BOTTOM-LINE: Choose Authenticity!!!!
No one likes the Shady Used Car Salesman. We are drawn to be people who are genuine, who are authentic who are real! We are repealed by people who are FAKE & always fronting.
I want us to be like JESUS, He was the most authentic Dude to ever walk this earth. He was Vulnerable, Selfless, Humble, & Honest!!! He embodied REAL.
Let’s Choose Authenticity!!!!
LANDING:
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a scathing rebuke from Jesus, I don’t want Him to tell me I’ve been deciding myself.
SO let’s REPENT (We’ve heard that word a lot in this series) get our heads & hearts in alignment with Jesus. Let’s commit to BEING REAL, TO NOT FAKING IT, Let’s Commit to Choose Authenticity!!!
Imagine what our Church, our Community, Our State, New England would be like if we would all live this way!!!
