John Bevere - Unmasking Deception, The Key to Living in Truth
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I want to delve deeper into the fact that there are three images a human being can focus on. Okay, number one, we’ve gotten through chapter 13. If you’re doing this day by day, you’re on day 13 of a 42-day journey, a six-week journey, and I’m so proud of you for staying with it. Now, I want to explore the three images a human being can focus on. Okay, number one is our perceived image. What is our perceived image? That is the way someone else perceives me to be. Our projected image is the way I project myself, the way I want to be perceived, and my actual image is the image that God sees; it is my true self and will be revealed at the Judgment seat of Christ before all of Heaven’s assembly. Yes, 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, «For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the Judgment seat of Christ.»
When Jesus was discussing hypocrisy in Luke 12, he said there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed; there is nothing secret that will not be made known. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, «Don’t make any judgments about anyone ahead of time before the Lord returns, for He will bring our darkest secrets to light and reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.» God is not going to give any sinner praise at the unbelievers' Judgment. The only ones who will receive praise are believers.
Let me tell you, God says our darkest secrets and private motives will be revealed. So now, what does that tell us? If we walk in the fear of the Lord, it keeps us in touch and motivates us to live out of our actual image. In other words, we’re not trying to project something. Now, this is really important in this day of social media. Okay, we’re always projecting things on social media in the way we want people to see us. What I love is when I go on social media and see there is no facade, no hypocrisy, no deception; this is someone being brutally honest about how life is going for them. I remember my wife did something one time; her hair was all over the place, she had no makeup on, and she said, «Hey, this is me in the morning,» and she received so many likes.
You want to know why? Because people want the actual image; they really don’t want a projected image, especially one that is false or not true. The fear of the Lord keeps us deeply connected to our actual image. If you look at Jesus, he was perceived as being demon-possessed, a glutton, a wine-bibber, a drunkard. Even his own brother said, «Hey, if you’re going to be someone popular, go show off at the feast,» and Jesus said, «That’s not my time to do that.» It’s because he didn’t come to project His image; he came to live out of his actual image. God the Father said, «This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.»
God saw Jesus living out of his actual image of who he really was, and his actual image portrayed the image of God because the Bible states he is the expressed image of the invisible God. Listen, God has called you and me to live out of our actual image. If you slip over into a projected image and perceived image, you will easily become a hypocrite. The fear of the Lord is a protective force that God puts in our hearts that keeps us from slipping into the mask of hypocrisy.