October Surprise : week 3

Levi Lusko  - Fresh Life Church

Mask On, Mask Off

Luke 12:1-3

Dealing with the Pharisees non-stop

The Pharisees wore clothing to show how religious they were.

More tassels meant more rules they followed.

"Pharisee Phoniness"

You can't hide behind a religious mask forever.

We all wear masks.

Masks of 

Perfection : successful

Hero : The hero looks for the victim - the victim falls for the hero - the hero resents the victim

Clone : need to be like everyone else. Chameleon. "don't judge my journey"

Everything's Fine : hurting, messed up, but put on the mask of 'everything is fine' refuse to acknowledge any pain we face. Hide the clutter, double chin, to get the perfect instagram shot. 

Fear : Gruffness, grumpiness. We're scared of intimacy. If they really see us, they won't love us. Suffocating. Self-sabotage. 

Sex-Appeal : Provocative. The need to be desired. The need to win approval. Craving love, to be viewed as beautiful.

Funny Guy : feel insecure, so we try to be funny. Perpetuating narcissism. Laugh it off becomes a defense mechanism. Deflecting the real me, that you're so sure no one would like. 

Why do we wear these masks?

Because we're afraid.

We've been hurt.

We just don't like ourselves.

We've forgotten who we really are.

We'll never be able to experience all God has.

Verb : mask off

Protects things you don't want to get paint on.

God can't bless what isn't authentically you.

Exhausting to keep up with the masks you wear.

"Multi-masking is soul taxing." Carl Lentz

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" Sir Walter Scott

The only way to love is to risk.

1 John 1:9 

God forgives and cleanses.

James 5:16

People help you heal.

We need each other for prayer.

We need each other.

4 Ways it's true:

1. People can't love you if they don't know you.

2. What you wear to obtain you must wear to retain.

3. We can't heal what you conceal.

4. God can't use who you WISH you were.

The first 3 have selfish benefit.

Fight for vulnerability.

Deception erodes intimacy.

Shame gives us a place to hide.

The 4th one : the mask needs to come down so you can help others.

David and Goliath

Right before the battle King Saul tried to put David in soldiers armor to give the perception that David was a soldier.

That could have killed David because he was NOT a soldier and was not used to wearing armor. 

What David felt was holding him back (that he wasn't a solider) was really his asset.

That person you're wanting to be, is probably not who they really are. 

So don't be jealous of a copy, of a copy, of a copy.

We are the most obese, addicted, in-debt, medicated generation who's ever lived.

You can choose to tale the mask off!

God can take any mask off!