FALSE FACES

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. Although Jason the 
(JW who reads this newletter will disagree!, but we won’t go into that :-) ) 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
hypocracy. 
Be honest beofre God, and ask Jesus to be your Saviour.

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

*****************************************************************

Andrew d9643176@qub.ac.uk

---

Return to Sermons

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page