Technology has made many things easier! Imagine life without GPS! Imagine running late and not being able to call and give a heads up. Imagine typing documents on a typewriter or searching through a library for information. Yes, many things are much easier because of technology. And there is another: we can choose what image or persona we project to the world around us. This ability to filter our lives in the view of others may not be such a good thing. Once we start filtering, how long is it until we are pretending, until we are lying, until we are hiding? The more filtered our lives become, the more difficult it is to be authentic. Just think, who did Jesus have some of his harshest words for? Hypocrites.
This is a handout for working through the ideas in the sermon on your own: authenticity handout
Notes for the Sermon “#struggles: AUTHENTICITY
The more filtered our lives become, the more difficult it is to be authentic.
1-We fear authenticity.
a-So we avoid unfiltered communication.
b-We put on an image.
c-Why do we do this?
2-A veil that covers the face, eventually covers the heart.
a-When does filtering our image become lying?
b-Are you keeping people out?
c-We need intimacy, but we run from it.
d-With whom are we ever real? Another person? Ourselves? God?
3-Only Jesus can remove the veil.
a-Turn to the Lord-be honest with God Matthew 11.28-30
b-Experience God’s freedom Matthew 18.12-14
c-Be transformed Spending time with Jesus causes us to be changed to be like Jesus.
A Bible reading plan is available to follow up on our teaching today. It can be found at https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/948-authentic/day/1
Or if you have the BIBLE app on your phone (it’s just called “Bible” and it is from life.church), you can search in “plans” for “Authentic” and have your devotional plan on your phone.
Our current series #struggles is adapted from free resources from Life.Church and is used by permission.