THE MASK
Text: Luke 12:2
INTRODUCTION:
1. Skit: Pastor Joe reads introduction, “With his fiery horse Silver that runs with the speed of light, and raises a cloud of dust and his hearty, ‘Hi Yo Silver Away!’ the Lone Ranger returns with his faithful Indian companion Tonto. His the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, where he led the fight for law and order in the early days of the West. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!” (The William Tell Overture begins to be played.) The Lone Ranger and Tonto come riding in on their stick horses. They stop down in the front of the church.
LONE RANGER: “Good morning Partners. I came to share my story with you today. There were six of us Texas Rangers riding into the sun. We were on an important case trying to bring down the Dalton gang. But we were caught in an ambush that resulted in death for all but one. I lay there on the trail the lone survivor.”
TONTO: “That is where I found him – almost dead on the trail. I hid him and buried the other Rangers. He mended quickly and then in the night we added another grave to hide form the outlaws that one man lived to continue the fight for justice. He used silver bullets as his trademark And he wore a mask to disguise himself from the Daltons. His horse was a great silver stallion.”
LONE RANGER: “Tonto, you know I don ‘t know what I would have done without you. You have been a faithful companion all these years. You have been like a brother to me.”
SILVER THE HORSE: (Play horse whinnies into the mic.)
LONE RANGER: “What is it you are trying to tell me Silver? Are you sure? There are thousands of Comanche Indians with Chief Sitting Bull about to attack us from the North? What’s that? And Geronamoe and his Sioux are coming over the; hill form the South? And what is that. The Worst Indian of them all Big Chief Killumcowboy is coming from the west? Tonto, what are we going to do?
TONTO: “What do you mean WE? Who are you paleface?” (And Tonto rides off the stage and down the center isle)
2. Well that’s how it is sometimes. Right? I tell you there are some things about the Lone Ranger that are interesting. Do you know he wore his mask throughout every episode of the Lone Ranger? Do you know why? He was covering up his identity for his protection. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHY PEOPLE WEAR MASKS TODAY.
SERMON BODY:
I. A SPIRITUAL MASK IS WORN TO TRY TO CONCEAL OUR TRUE SPIRITUAL IDENTITY. But when the Holy Spirit deals with us personally and we refuse to change it can be end of our usefulness to God and the church
A.Ananias and Sapphira did not want to contribute to the needs of the church body during a critical time. There was great poverty in the church at Jerusalem
because of the thousands of converts who were being put out of their homes and losing their jobs as they converted to Christianity. They paid a great price
to become a Christian. The emergency was shouldered by everyone. People began selling extra land holdings that they did not need. They cashed in their stocks and bonds and contributed it to the church. The deacons distributed it among the needy. Ananias and his wife raised their hand in a church meeting
and said, “We want to give all of a particular tract of land to the needy. We don’t need it and they do.” They had seen that everyone was doing this.
Barnabas did. Acts 4 says because of this attitude there were no needy families in the church. This couple had sold the land but they connived in their hearts to keep back part and contribute the remainder as if they were really giving the entire amount as they said they would do.
THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED THE WHOLE PLOT TO PETER. He said, “Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like
this? You did not lie to men but to God.” I think the thing that was at stake here was the commitment to the unity of the body. In chapter 4, Luke tells us that there was great unity and love…”one heart and one mind” are the words he uses. They were all sensitive to the needs of the whole body. They were caring. And they were genuine in their caring. But the truth is everyone had not reached that level of maturity. The problem came when one family wanted the reputation of generosity but did not want to pay the price. We are not all at the same level in Christ. We have to learn and God doesn’t hold us to a greater commitment than anther who is deeper in the faith. So what am I saying? Don’t be sinful in the way you represent your faith in Christ. Ananias and Sapphira should have just owned up to where they were in Christ and said, “Hey, you guys pray for us. You are ahead of us in trusting God with everything and caring, but we are going to at least trust God by giving part of the amount we received.” We always have a choice to make. One of the great benefits of the group sessions in our meetings at the Agape Recovery Center which meets
in our fellowship hall is that we are learning to be brutally honest with ourselves as to where we actually are in the Lord. We are learning to take off our masks. I have been thinking if this process can help bring recovery to the chemically addicted what could it do for those of us who are religiously addicted. Peter had already learned that. When he approached Pilate’s Judgment Hall in the darkest hour of his life, he had a decision to make. When he knocked on the door and the John the Beloved was the one who answered the door and let him in. There before him was the man who was closest to Jesus of any man on earth. What do you think he should have done? He should
have said, “John help me!” But he brushed right by him and went to the fire of the unbelievers. “Brother John why are you telling us this?” I’ m telling
you this because you do not listen. It is time to take your mask off and get help! Sometimes the problem is that while we may be mature in our age, we have never matured spiritually. The writer of Hebrews says in 5:12-14, “I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get across to you since you’ve picked up this habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one – baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong. So come on let’s leave the
preschool finger painting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place:turning your back on salvation by “self help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s
much more. Let’s get on with it!” We try to hide behind any number of masks: But the Holy Spirit exposes our super spirituality. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men. But God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16:15). Also power and position and hyper activity. It may be time to humble ourselves and say, “Lord, help me to mature spiritually like I am physically.” Then get into the Word of God and listen to your pastor and believe and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. Don’t let Satan get you in the terrible position of Ananias and Saphirra.
II. BUT SOMETIMES A MASK IS FORCED ON BY ANOTHER:
A.“The Man in the Iron Mask,” is a novel written by the great French writer Alexander Dumas. The story comes from some historical facts. In 1638 Queen Anne of France gave birth to a son, who would one day would inherit the throne. But few knew that there was a twin boy born just a few minutes later. Twenty-two year later, King Louis the XlV rules the country of France, but due to his sinful lifestyle and the costs of war, the people are forced to suffer hunger and
poverty. One of the Three Musketeers, Aramis, learns that this twin brother has been imprisoned with an iron mask forged and locked around his head to conceal his identity and his claim to the throne. Eventually, at a masquerade party the Musketeers help the twin to trade places with the evil brother who is forced to
take the place of his twin brother in the iron mask who now becomes the King of France and no one knows the difference except he is a good king.
1.How can this happen to us? Many ways. In Luke 4:18 Jesus tells us that He has been empowered to remove masks placed on him or free us of masks in at least 5 different areas:
a."…to preach the gospel to the poor.” THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DENIED THE GOSPEL TRUTH BECAUSE OF POVERTY. The mask of partiality is put on God. That He only loves the Rich & Famous
b.“To heal the broken hearted” TO BEGIN THE HEALING PROCESS FOR THOSE WHOSE HEARTS HAVE BEEN BROKEN. The mask of not caring about your social injuries is put on God. He is impervious to your pain.
c.“to preach deliverance to the captives.” OPEN THE IRON BARS TO FREE FROM ADDICTIONS, The mask is put on God that he is unable to help you break free from imprisonment of addictions.
d.“to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Bruises are severe internal injuries that no one can see. The bleeding is on the inside. No one knows about he. Relationships are short and unsuccessful. Perhaps you have been molested or unjustly treated as a youth and you have never found a place of healing or forgiveness. You now find it impossible to trust people now. You want to and you try but it always ends up the same way. People in the church shy away from you now. These are injuries form the past. David had these. His family never saw much in him as a child. Peter had these. He could not trust himself and the injures were self-inflicted. The Syrophonecian woman. Paul not being accepted in some church circles. CHRIST BREAKS THSE STORNGHOLDS FROM THE PAST. The mask is on you and it is a smiling mask that hides the pain of deep bruises.
e.“to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” THE RAPTURE –HOLD ON I AM COMING! This is a mask placed on Christ that he is not going to return for his own at the rapture of the church and that the dead will not rise.
III. SOME MASKS ARE LEFT ON FOR ETERNITY BECAUSE THEY ARE NEVER TAKEN OFF!
A. * Lot’s wife is mentioned in Genesis 19:26, “but his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” The mark she left was temporary and crude but the lesson she taught is ageless. She wore the mask of the ageless the religion of the faith of Abraham.
1. Jesus emphasized it. He said those freeze dried lips taught a lesson that His generation should hear, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
2. She belonged to an excellent family with great strength and tenacity much like our early wagon train pioneers. She helped write a new epoch in the world’s civilization.
3. She was a member of the greatest family of faith that ever lived. They are called the to this day the Patriarchs. She knew the reality of God’s
presence in that house hold. No dysfunctional family there.
4. But there came a time when a persona l decision had to be made. That time comes in all of our lives. Lot thought he was a clever man but his decision to move to Sodom was purely financial not spiritual.
5. Not only did Mrs. Lot move with her husband to Sodom but she allowed Sodom to move into her. She did nothing to change the fashions and life style of Sodom. The lewdness of that city is legendary. It fascinated her. The indecency dulled her sense of
morality. Hey, that is where we are in our society and the church today. Just look around.
6. But can I tell you something, the church never wrote her off! And neither have you been written off!
7. In the greatest time of intercession recorded in the Bible, Abraham stood between she and God and pleaded for her safety. He reached out to a woman who was exposed to the defilement of the greatest
debaucheries of all time. She couldn’t not fool old Abraham. Heaven sent angels to warn she and her family. They had exclusive information about what was coming. She seemed to be responding, but the truth was she was wearing a mask and refused to take it off until it was too late.
CONCLUSION:
1.Elijah addressed himself to the same problem. Then it was an entire population with masks, “How long will you halt between two opinions?” An undecided man is an invalid. Indecision saps your vitality. God deliver me from people who can’t make up their minds. Make your mind this morning. Right now. Paul says in Philippians 3:13, “This one thing I do.” Remember the Olympic story from a few weeks ago, the sprinter who looked over his shoulder lost the race. A man coming from behind on the opposite side from which he turned passed him at the finish line unseen.
2.The truth is Lot’s wife really wished she had never left. She wanted to go back. No one knew until now. Something inside of her was saying, “Go back, go back to the lights and the thrills and the loose living. Go back.”
3.She knew it was the wrong decision because she had left with her husband but while her feet left her heart remained in Sodom.
4.There were two figures found in Pompeii, Italy where it was unearthed from the terrible volcanic flow from Mt. Vessuvious. One was a sentinel. He was standing erect and tall in his place of watch at the city gates. His spear was burnt into his hand. His sword was there at his side. His helmet was in place. There the lava had frozen him in time for us all to see.
5.The other was a woman. Her feet were turned toward the gates of the city. It is clear she was trying to escape, but though her feet were turned in the right direction her body was turned toward Pompeii. Her hands were outstretched toward the ground. Just beyond the reach of her fingertips was a bag of pearls.
Possibly she had dropped them. At any rate, she had lingered too long. A second of indecision can make all the difference in the world. I did for her. And now we all think of the words of Jesus, “Look and remember.”
6.The question now is what kind of mask are you wearing today? It is time to remove the mask and get things right with God.
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*Some material used from C.M. Ward’s sermons “Remember Lot’s Wife.”
