MASKS WE WEAR
Brad Scheelke - August - September 2018
Brad Scheelke - August - September 2018
Are you wearing a mask?
If you were, would you like to know?
Why do we all so easily pretend to be something we are not? Why do we pressure others into pretenses? Why do we then criticize others for failing at the pretenses that we pressured them into? How does shame fit into this picture?
Could it be that we we need to learn to see a person as a whole person?
All people are image bearers of God. God is good and created the universe to display his goodness. As image bearers, our role is to thrive in dependence on his goodness. I suggest that this role is full of surprises. As the moon has no light of its own but reflects well the light of the sun, so we have no goodness of our own but overflow well with God's goodness in the moment that we are satisfied with God's goodness. In other words, we are not God and have no ability to do good directly. Rather, our role is to do good indirectly. And we do good easily and naturally while--and only while--we trust God's management style.
Our problem arises when we betray ourselves and seek to manage life our way--to take matters into our own hands. We sense deeply that goodness needs to be managed, and since we bear God's image, we wrongly assume that we are qualified to manage goodness directly. This assumption results in us putting on a mask. Masks take many forms but are all a result of playing God. We are so skilled at playing God that we rarely notice our masks.
The solution is not to try harder to resist putting on masks but to learn to thrive in our place in the world--in being satisfied with God's goodness right now in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Jeremiah pointed to Pentecost as the new place of freedom to celebrate God's goodness.
"I will fill the souls of the priests with abundance,
and my people will be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord."
-Jeremiah 31:14
Let's learn together to be satisfied with God's goodness and to understand our addiction to wearing masks. We are all born in shame and thus with a need to be covered. Since Jesus is our real covering, we don't need masks. They just give us an illusion of security and control.
If you were, would you like to know?
Why do we all so easily pretend to be something we are not? Why do we pressure others into pretenses? Why do we then criticize others for failing at the pretenses that we pressured them into? How does shame fit into this picture?
Could it be that we we need to learn to see a person as a whole person?
All people are image bearers of God. God is good and created the universe to display his goodness. As image bearers, our role is to thrive in dependence on his goodness. I suggest that this role is full of surprises. As the moon has no light of its own but reflects well the light of the sun, so we have no goodness of our own but overflow well with God's goodness in the moment that we are satisfied with God's goodness. In other words, we are not God and have no ability to do good directly. Rather, our role is to do good indirectly. And we do good easily and naturally while--and only while--we trust God's management style.
Our problem arises when we betray ourselves and seek to manage life our way--to take matters into our own hands. We sense deeply that goodness needs to be managed, and since we bear God's image, we wrongly assume that we are qualified to manage goodness directly. This assumption results in us putting on a mask. Masks take many forms but are all a result of playing God. We are so skilled at playing God that we rarely notice our masks.
The solution is not to try harder to resist putting on masks but to learn to thrive in our place in the world--in being satisfied with God's goodness right now in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Jeremiah pointed to Pentecost as the new place of freedom to celebrate God's goodness.
"I will fill the souls of the priests with abundance,
and my people will be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord."
-Jeremiah 31:14
Let's learn together to be satisfied with God's goodness and to understand our addiction to wearing masks. We are all born in shame and thus with a need to be covered. Since Jesus is our real covering, we don't need masks. They just give us an illusion of security and control.
WHY DO WE WEAR MASKS?
Adam and Eve put on the first mask. Why?
They fell from satisfaction with God's goodness,
and into pretended independence.
They experienced shame and
misunderstood their problem to be nakedness.
Shame distorts how we see ourselves, others and God.
Might the world want to trick you about how God covers shame?
When you see human shame, do you tend to see God's covering,
or do you tend to pressure yourself and others to put on a mask of human effort?
Would it be good for you to learn to be satisfied with God's goodness when you see human shame?
Adam and Eve put on the first mask. Why?
They fell from satisfaction with God's goodness,
and into pretended independence.
They experienced shame and
misunderstood their problem to be nakedness.
Shame distorts how we see ourselves, others and God.
Might the world want to trick you about how God covers shame?
When you see human shame, do you tend to see God's covering,
or do you tend to pressure yourself and others to put on a mask of human effort?
Would it be good for you to learn to be satisfied with God's goodness when you see human shame?
ARE YOU INTO QUICK FIXES?
Noah was faced with the problem of nakedness like Adam and Eve had been.
Why did he seek a quick fix and curse his son?
When you see lack in yourself or others, what do you seek?
Does the world have a counterfeit response to trick you with?
Do you see that Christ is the only good resolution?
Or do you pressure yourself or others to put on a mask of human effort?
Do you seek freedom from people or with people?
Noah was faced with the problem of nakedness like Adam and Eve had been.
Why did he seek a quick fix and curse his son?
When you see lack in yourself or others, what do you seek?
Does the world have a counterfeit response to trick you with?
Do you see that Christ is the only good resolution?
Or do you pressure yourself or others to put on a mask of human effort?
Do you seek freedom from people or with people?
ARE YOU HIDING IN WORLDLY WISDOM?
Two pharaohs--one wise and one foolish--were faced with shame.
Shame needs covering.
How did they respond?
Where do you run to find covering?
The enemy tricks us to hide in worldly wisdom.
If you have been tricked, would you want to know?
What does it mean to hide in God rather than from God?
Two pharaohs--one wise and one foolish--were faced with shame.
Shame needs covering.
How did they respond?
Where do you run to find covering?
The enemy tricks us to hide in worldly wisdom.
If you have been tricked, would you want to know?
What does it mean to hide in God rather than from God?
ARE YOU HIDING IN MERITED FAVOR?
Q: Why did God God give the law to Israel at Mt Sinai?
A: They begged for it.
Why would they do that?
Do you ever get tricked into hiding in merited favor?
Why would you do that?
Q: Why did God God give the law to Israel at Mt Sinai?
A: They begged for it.
Why would they do that?
Do you ever get tricked into hiding in merited favor?
Why would you do that?
DO YOU WANT FREEDOM FROM MASKS?
Rahab the harlot believed the testimony of God's goodness.
She was satisfied with God's goodness.
She hid in God's goodness and not from it.
All who hid with her were safe.
Do you want to be redeemed with other people or from other people?
There is no recording of this message. Outline is below.
Rahab the harlot believed the testimony of God's goodness.
She was satisfied with God's goodness.
She hid in God's goodness and not from it.
All who hid with her were safe.
Do you want to be redeemed with other people or from other people?
There is no recording of this message. Outline is below.
MASK REMOVAL - WHOSE JOB IS IT?
Isaiah's experienced God's moral perfection and took off his own mask.
Have you ever noticed other people wearing masks?
Have you felt like pulling their mask off?
Do you ever pretend to be something you aren't?
Do you like others pulling on your mask?
What made Israel spiritually blind and deaf?
Listen for the surprise in the context.
Isaiah's experienced God's moral perfection and took off his own mask.
Have you ever noticed other people wearing masks?
Have you felt like pulling their mask off?
Do you ever pretend to be something you aren't?
Do you like others pulling on your mask?
What made Israel spiritually blind and deaf?
Listen for the surprise in the context.
FREEDOM FROM MASKS
Jeremiah experiences God's presence
If you were wearing a mask, would you want to know?
Your only problem is forgetfulness of your identity in Christ.
When you see Jesus as your dread champion you don't need to pretend.
The last in the series on Masks We Wear
Jeremiah experiences God's presence
If you were wearing a mask, would you want to know?
Your only problem is forgetfulness of your identity in Christ.
When you see Jesus as your dread champion you don't need to pretend.
The last in the series on Masks We Wear
