Do You See What I See?

Introduction

Have you ever seen a movie with your spouse, had a meal, visit relatives, met someone and afterwards were polar opposite in your opinions of said movie, person visit, etc?

Your overall perceptions were not even close

In the Bible, one of the best examples of this is found in Rev. Chapter 3. The Church of Laodicea

Dubious distinction of being the most recognized or the 7 Churches - for all the wrong reasons.

First - their perception of themselves

Revelation 3:17 (ESV)

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing...

Now the reality of how God see’s them

Revelation 3:17 (ESV)

..not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Revelation 3:15–16 ESV

“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Couple of other perception vs. reality

James 4:13 ESV

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—

James 4:14–15 ESV

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

John 8:32–33 ESV

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

John 8:34 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

Many Do Not Accept the God of the Bible

Many do not see or accept the reality of things the way God see it - Why - because they don’t accept the God in the Bible

Here’s the argument: If God is out there, He wants people to believe in Him, and he want to save people because He’s all loving and caring and stuff - Then why is there not more evidence. Why doesn’t God be more overt.

My answer is sure He can, He’s God. He can appear every day on top of the Sears Tower and proclaim He’s God. HE can make you levitate and have angels wake you up in every morning and put you to bed every night.

The claim that there needs to be more evidence assumes that there is not enough evidence. This is false

Romans 1:20 ESV

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

A LACK OF EVIDENCE IS NOT THE PROBLEM

Recoil at the God of the Bible - why. He’s a direct threat to their Godhood, their sovereignty, their feelings.

Romans 6:17–18 ESV

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Refuse To Accept What We See in the Mirror

James 1:23–24 ESV

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

The Bible convicts what we see

The world applauds and praises what we see. PERCEPTION

We Allow our Emotions to Leads us Rather than the Truth

Some think reality and perception are the same thing. THEY ARE NOT

Perception - a physical sensation interpreted in the light of our personal experience. This is an emotional response

Major problem today because people intermingle their perception with reality because they want their perception to be the truth, WHY, because it’s their truth.

One truth

One Light

One Jesus

One truth

And truth comes from Jesus. NOT US

We are on a journey that everyone must take. You can’t sit it out.

On this journey we call life, there are traps we cannot see, explosive mines we cannot detect, pit fall designed to trip you up and quicksand that is hidden that will swallow us up. This prove that perception is not reality

We have a map

How you treat the map, will determine how you finish the journey.

The Enemy wants to distract you from the plan God has for your life. Satan's ultimate strategy is to lead you off course but, thankfully, God has a strategy to keep you on track.