“How to BE REAL before God” looks into the importance of spiritual authenticity and provides actionable tips to foster a genuine relationship with God. Join us as we explore practical steps to enhance your faith journey by being true to yourself and honest in your prayers. Learn how to connect with God on a deeper level and cultivate a sincere Christian life.
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Notes on How to BE Real for God
How to BE REAL Before God
Ephesians 4:14-25 MSG
No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretence. Tell your neighbour the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Can I pray?
We are continuing in our look on how to LIVE LOVED
Live LOVED
L – Leave pretence behind Psalm 62:8
O – Operate out of who God says you are Ephesians 2:10
V – Value revelation Romans 8:15-17
E – Embark on having well-healed wounds Psalm 147:3
D – Draw ever-deeper into His love Ephesians 3:14-19
The first step to Live Loved is to Leave Pretence Behind.
What do I mean by that?
The Problem
I’ve never been taught, but I’ve definitely caught and probably passed on a view that I’d call plastic Christianity.
You’ve definitely seen this. You’ve maybe even practiced it yourself.
6 Characteristics of Plastic Christianity
- Superficiality see Mt. 15:8-9
- Legalism see Ga. 5:4
- Cultural Conformity seeRo. 12:2
- Transactional Faith see Is. 29:13
- Inauthenticity see 1Jn 1:6
- Focus on Self not God see Ph. 2:3-4
The good news is… with any one of those characteristics the solution is confession and repentance. Confession is agreeing with God His judgment is right. Repentance is turning around and going in the opposite direction. I’ll show you how to do that in the remainder of this message.
I am all in favour of having scripture verses on our walls and around our photos. I’m not of fan of leaving it at that.
That to me is plastic Christianity. It’s when people see the show before they see the love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control. It is telling people about the hope that you have before they ask the reason for the hope you have and it’s ignoring the gentleness and respect part that we should never forget.
I cannot do it for the show or do it for the dough or do it for the worry or do it for the hurry. Jesus explains all this on the sermon on the mount.
In fact I’ve learned the value of doing everything with my whole heart. My emotions, my decision and my actions need to align for me to do anything with my whole heart. We’re told to do 7 things with our whole heart
7 things we are told to do with our whole heart
- Trust God – Proverbs 3:5
- Seek God – Jeremiah 29:13
- Forgive Others – Matthew 18:35
- Love and Serve God – Deuteronomy 10:12
- Thank God – Psalms 138:1
- Praise God – Psalms 103:1
- Work as unto the Lord – Colossians 3:23
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”
So I believe we’re to do everything we do with our whole heart.
What is our whole heart? It’s our decision, our actions and our emotions. All three need to agree.
Every one of those characteristics of Plastic Christianity are focussed on something other than our whole heart.
1. Superficiality see Mt. 15:8-9
2. Legalism see Ga. 5:4
3. Cultural Conformity seeRo. 12:2
4. Transactional Faith see Is. 29:13
5. Inauthenticity see 1Jn 1:6
6. Focus on Self not God see Ph. 2:3-4
When you’re doing everything with your whole heart, working as unto the Lord, you cannot live as a plastic christian.
Does it really matter?
We live in a culture that ignores the positive things the church does for society.
I grew up watching every Christian in almost every tv show be the murderer, adulterer or child molester. It was lazy writing. See a Christian in a murder mystery, you know who did the murder. As a church we are irrelevant to society… we have an incredible positive effect on society, but it’s unrecognized and unappreciated.
Most of the church doesn’t know the positive effect it has on society. It does little to no good to clammer to get a seat at the table.
But individuals, people God has intentionally placed in the day-to-day of your everyday, respond beautifully to the love of God they see you in you. Everyone needs to know they are loved. They won’t know they’re loved if they don’t trust your love is real. No more plastic christianity!
Let me give you an example that happened over 30 years ago.
Story of two guys I worked with at the hospital on the weekend…. They told me about their lives and it was heartbreaking. We had some amazing conversations over breakfast. They were both gay…
When I told them I was stopping the shift because I was headed back to school, they asked where I’d be going. I told them “Seminary” and they were shocked. “You’re a Christian? But I like you.” I told them, “I like you too, I really appreciated getting to know you!”
They were the first people in that situation to share their reality with me. I was the first Christian they knew who didn’t yell at them, disown them or beat them up.
Christians, we’ve got to do better.
More recent friendship…looking for micro aggressions. People hold to all kinds of pain and don’t know God loves them and have only been told and only experienced that Christians hate them.
Christians, we’ve got to do better.
It’s starts with being real before God before we can be real before people.
What is the greatest commandment?
Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT): Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
To live LOVED we love God. And we can love God and love others by remembering how we are loved by Him…
To live loved means that we’re loved…
and the fact we’re loved by God is most important.
John 16:27, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1; 4:10;19, Revelation 1:5
Because God’s love for us surpasses knowledge
Ephesians 3:17-19
and nothing can separate us from His love…
Romans 8:35-39
…remembering God is love and love comes from God
1 John 4:7-8;16
…and he disciplines those He loves.
Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19
Understanding and experiencing God’s love for us …allows us to L – Leave pretence behind
How do you leave pretence behind?
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked.
You need to BE REAL before God.
How to BE REAL before God Tool
BE REAL
B – Be honest with your self and God 1 John 1:9
E – Examine your humility James 4:10
R – Respond to Him in Worship John 4:24
E – Engage trusting Him Proverbs 3:5-6
A – Access available accountability Galatians 6:2
L – Leave the judging to Him Psalm 139:23-24
Let’s unpack…
B – Be honest with your self and God
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Superficiality refers to a shallow approach to faith that prioritizes outward expressions, such as rituals or appearances, over genuine inner transformation and heartfelt devotion to God.
Matthew 15:8-9: “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”
Confession and repentance replaces superficiality.
We have His pardon so we can BE REAL before God
Romans 3:23-24 NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Would God say I’m superficial in my walk with Him?
E – Examine your humility
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Legalism is strict adherence to religious laws and rules, often at the expense of grace and mercy. Legalism emphasizes performance and compliance over a personal relationship with God, leading to judgmental attitudes.
Galatians 5:4: “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”
We have His propitiation so we can BE REAL before God. Propitiation means God’s justice is satisfied. It’s part of the aspect of grace we need to BE REAL before God.
Be honest with God. You can say to God, “Not that it’s true, but it feels that it’s true…”
Hebrews 4:16 NLT So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Would God say I’ve fallen away from grace?
R – Respond to Him in Worship
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Cultural Conformity is tendency to align one’s beliefs and practices with societal norms rather than biblical truths. This can result in compromising core values in order to fit in or be accepted by the surrounding culture.
1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Worship keeps us away from cultural conformity.
We have His presence so we can BE REAL before God
In His presence is fullness of joy. His presence transforms us. Worship cannot be the slow part of the song service, it needs to be our life.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Would God say I’m conforming to the world or do I worship Him in Spirit and in Truth?
E – Engage trusting Him
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Transactional Faith is mindset that views the relationship with God as a transaction, where blessings or favours are expected in return for religious actions or behaviours, rather than emphasizing trust, love, and surrender.
Isaiah 29:13: “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.’”
Transactional faith is overcome when we trust God to be God and God to be good.
As we trust in Him, we have His peace, hope and joy so we can BE REAL before God.
Romans 15:13 (NLT) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Would God say I’m trusting Him? Do I have peace and joy and hope?
A – Access available accountability
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Inauthenticity involves presenting a false image of spirituality that does not reflect true faith or integrity.
1 John 1:6: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
Inauthenticity is seen by everyone. It’s confronted by friends.
We have His people so we can BE REAL Before God.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Do I allow someone else to see me as I am?
L – Leave the judging to Him
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Focus on Self not God is emphasis on personal desires, happiness, or success over selflessness and service to others. This characteristic often leads to a self-centred approach to faith rather than a commitment to love and serve others.
Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Don’t give God credit for the works of the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t judge someone else’s servant.
Leaving the judging to God destroys our focus on self.
We can have His perspective so can be BE REAL before God
What do you love about them?
Romans 14:10 NLT So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Would God say I have selfish ambition or vain conceit?
How do you Leave Pretence behind? BE REAL before God.
BE REAL
B – Be honest with your self and God 1 John 1:9
Mt 15:8-9, Ro 3:23-24, His Pardon, Would God say I’m superficial in my walk with Him?
E – Examine your humility James 4:10
Ga 5:4, He 4:16, His PropitiationWould God say I’ve fallen away from grace?
R – Respond to Him in Worship John 4:24
1 Jo 2:15-17, Ro 12:1-2, His Presence, Would God say I’m conforming to the world or do I worship Him in Spirit and in Truth?
E – Engage trusting Him Proverbs 3:5-6
Is 29:13, Ro 15:13, His Peace, Hope and Joy Would God say I’m trusting Him? Do I have peace and joy and hope?
A – Access available accountability Galatians 6:2
1Jo 1:6, Heb. 10:24-25 His People Do I allow someone else to see me as I am?
L – Leave the judging to Him Psalm 139:23-24
Phi 2:3-4, Rom 14:10 His Perspective Would God say I have selfish ambition or vain conceit?
His pardon, propitiation, presence, peace hope and joy, people and perspective enables us to BE REAL before God.
Will you BE REAL before God?
2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
It’s not the politicians or economy or society to change. It is on us to humble ourselves and pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways…
That’s what it takes to BE REAL before God?
Will you BE REAL before God today? Will it change the way you live this week?
Can I pray?
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