FALSE FACES

(GLEN CAMPBELL)



In 1985, there was a man in the city of Florence, who went to visit a doctor. He was exhausted from lack of sleep, he couldn’t eat. He was really down and depressed. The doctor listened very carefully, and then recommended that the man should go down and visit the Circus, which was in town. He said “ There’s a clown there, his name is Grimaldi, and he will really make you laugh! You’ll split your sides with the things he gets up to, it will really do you good!”. The man looked at the doctor and said “ It’s not good, I am Grimaldi !!”

Sometimes we can give the impression on the outside that we are one thing, while inside truly we are very different. The bible says “Man looks on the outward appearance. But the Lord looks on the heart!”. I work part-time in a supermarket, recently it was Halloween, and off course we sold many false faces. Masks. You could be Tony Blair, Dracula, a werewolf or Jason out of Friday 13th. The Tony Blair one I think was the most frightening! . I’m going to write about False faces. Were going to look at 3 people in the bible, who gave the impression that were something that they were not! If we are Christians, we need not put on a false face before God, but be open and honest before him, and if you’re not a believer, the time has come, when you should be open and honest, turn away from your sin and trust Christ!

A man is standing over a grave. The first grave that was ever dug. he was responsible for the death of the person in the grave. He wiped the blood from his hands as he stood there. Suddenly the voice of God was heard in his ear. “ Where is Abel your brother! “ and Cain said “ How should I know? I didn’t know I had to look after him!”, and God said “ The voice of your brother’s blood calls to me from the ground!”

Cain put on a false face. A mask of innocence. Did you notice how lying went together so comfotably with the murder he had just committed. He was putting on a false face. “I’ve done nothing wrong,.Why are You asking me? ”

When you think about it. There are so many people who think they have done nothing wrong. People accused in the media, and the newspapers for having an affiar, they always protest “ I’ve done nothing wrong! ” . Cain protested his innocense, and it was a false face. His concious deep down within him told him he had done something wrong. “ Concious makes coawards of us all!” William Shakespere siad that, and it’s true. We are not innocent. We are not innocent before God. None of us are without sin. Someone once said “ Sin is the root. Sin is the fruit. Sin is what you were born. Sin is what you do beacuse you were born!” and we can’t avoid it!

There was a social worker in the USA. She took pity on a young boy from the streets, who was in an accident and was knocked down by a car. He was terribly injured. The social worker brought him to a specialist surgeon who agreed to operate. It took 2 years for the boy to walk again. He walked into the social workers office without the aid of crutches, and the two embraced each other with a hug. There was great joy! On night the social worker was telling her colleagues about the young boy. She asked them a question “ Where do you think he is now? ” . They suggested he was a teacher, a doctor, a surgeon or even a social worker! The social worker responded “ No, he is in prison!, for one of the worst crimes a human being can commit......you see my problem was, I taught him how to walk.....but I never taught him where to walk!”

There is something within each of us, that takes us in the wring direction. if you’ve ever played bowls, are even seen it on T.V , you will know that inside the bowls is a bias, that pulls it over to one side. There is a bias in our lives, that pull us constanly in the wrong direction, so that we rebel against God’s commandments.

How do you measure up to God’s Ten Commandments? Do you put anything in God’s place?, use God’s name in vein?, not keep the sabbath day? kill?, steal?, want what others have?. When we measure oursleves up to God’s pure and perfect standard. None of us is innocent. In work, I was talking to a friend, and he thought that all he had to do, was live up to the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount!. I once thought that myself, but I’ve never yet met someone who can live up to the commandments and the sermon on the mount. We all fall short of God’s standard. Did you know that James said “ If we have offended one point, We are guilty of All!” none of us is innocent!

God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Why do you think he asked Cain? Would God already know? off course he did. God wants us to own up! Yoyu will never be a true believer, a true Christian until you own up to your sin and have done with it!

There was a soldier who was given the authority of Napolean to go into a prison, and give a pardon to one prisoner who he felt deserved it!. He interviewed each inmate, not telling why he was there, asking them why they were in prison. He heard all kinds of stories, false evidence, framed, judge bias and bribed jury. All kinds of excuses of why they should’t be there. Then he came to one man, who confessed to committing a crime, and he realised he was paying the penalty of that crime. The office reached inside his coat and he took out the pardon and said “ I’m not going to allow you to stay here one more day, beacuse if I do, you will corrupt all these good men!!” and he gave him the pardon. Why was he given the pardon? Because he admitted that he needed it! You will never be truly saved until you own up to your sin. Don’t put on a false face of innocense. Let Christ cleanse you from the wrong in your life, and give you a pardon from hell.

Another incident in the book of Genesis concerns Jacob. Jacob conspired with his mum to steal away the blessing that was meant for essau. Jacob pretended to be Essau. You know the story. If you don’t read it. He put on a false face selfishness. “I” trouble. Did you know the more you think of yourself the more miserable you become. But if you think of others the more your life flowers. The centre letter of Sin is “I”, the centre letter of Guilt is “I” Selfishness means that we cut ourselves off from the God who made us! Jesus said “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself!, and take up his cross and follow me” We all have a problem of selfishness. We need to let God have his way!

When you learn to drive, often your driving instructor has a dual control car. he has a clutch pedal and break, in need of emergency or trouble. There is alot of people who would like to treat God like that! Come into their lives, to stop a disaster, illness or death. They want God to intervene, put his foot on the brake! But God wants us to allow him to move from the passenger seat into the driving seat of our lives. He doesnt want to be a passenger. He wants to decide where you go, What you do! If Jesus is not Lord of All!, He isnt Lord At all! If you want to be a christian, be done with selfishness, and let Christ have his way!. Jacob’s false face was a face of selfishness.

Then we come to Acts of the Apostle. Ananias and Sapphira were struck down. Again look it up and read for yourself. They sold their land, but kept back some of the price, which they gave to Peter. They tried to carry it off decietfully. They gave the impression that they were totally committed to Christ! The word hypocirte in greek, means an actor, and in early days of Greeks theatre, they put on false faces. Masks. Thats what a hypocrite is!

When we come before God, we do not dare put on a false face, or be hypocritical. Because God can see right down into the depts of our hearts. People might think you are a christian, you might even fool yourslef, your at church every Sunday, don’t use bad language, you a good neighbour, don’t drink etc. But do they know what your like on Monday morning, or Saturday night. Deep down in your heart you know your not a christian. You’ve never committed your life to Jesus! Don’t try to put on a false face before God or others. Own up to the fact that you nee him!

Jesus never wore a false face. he was God Incarnate. He was both God and man. His words were real, his love was real. his sacrafice was real. His pain on the cross was real. He really died, as he payed the price for you sin and mine.

If you’ve never own up!,repented, committed your life to Jesus and turn away form all that’s wrong in your life. Youy need to do it. Don’t wear a false face of innocense, selfishness or hypocrarcy. Be honest beofre God, and ask Jesus to be your Saviour.

When you think of what Jeus has done for us. How dare we put on a false face!



OPTIONS

NEXT:
BACK:
Homepage: