Embracing Authenticity: A Journey of Spiritual Truth
Summary
In today's reflection, I invite you to embrace authenticity and honesty, not just with others but with yourself and God. This journey of self-examination is inspired by the fourth step of the 12-step program, which involves taking a fearless and searching moral inventory. This process is challenging, as it requires us to confront our shortcomings and the ways we may have misrepresented ourselves to others. It is a call to be genuine, to align our outward expressions with our inner truths, and to seek God's help in this endeavor.
This exploration of authenticity is deeply connected to our understanding of space, spirit, and the presence of God. Drawing from Dallas Willard's insights in "The Divine Conspiracy," we are reminded that our contemporary understanding of space often conflicts with the teachings of Jesus. The vastness of the universe can make it difficult to comprehend God's presence, yet Willard suggests that space is not empty but filled with spiritual reality. Just as our bodies are mostly empty space, yet we are present within them, so too is God present throughout the universe.
Our spirit, will, and consciousness occupy our bodies, but they are not confined to any physical part. This understanding challenges us to see our bodies as vessels through which our spiritual reality is expressed. Our faces, eyes, and hands are not merely physical objects but are where our spiritual presence becomes visible to others. This is akin to how the heavens declare the glory of God.
Growing up often involves learning to hide our true selves, but spiritual maturity calls us to be transparent and genuine. Those who have attained spiritual stature are noted for their childlike authenticity, not using their bodies to conceal their spiritual reality. This is a profound spiritual attainment, one that I long for and seek God's help to achieve.
God's relationship to space is similar to our relationship with our bodies. He occupies and overflows space, yet cannot be localized within it. His presence is accessible at every point, just as our consciousness is accessible throughout our bodies. The Incarnation of Jesus is a special manifestation of God's presence, enlightening us with the knowledge of His glory.
In conclusion, let us strive to be real and present with God, recognizing that we do not live in a vast, empty universe. God lights up every moment and every inch of space. May our faces, eyes, and voices be true expressions of our spirit, and may we seek to be genuinely present with God and others.
Key Takeaways:
1. Authenticity requires a fearless moral inventory, confronting our shortcomings and aligning our outward expressions with our inner truths. This journey is challenging but essential for genuine spiritual growth. [01:07]
2. Our understanding of space often conflicts with the teachings of Jesus. Space is not empty but filled with spiritual reality, just as our bodies are mostly empty space yet house our spirit and consciousness. [02:46]
3. Our spirit, will, and consciousness occupy our bodies, but they are not confined to any physical part. Our faces, eyes, and hands are where our spiritual presence becomes visible to others, declaring the glory of God. [07:27]
4. Spiritual maturity involves transparency and authenticity, akin to childlike faith. Those who attain spiritual stature do not use their bodies to conceal their spiritual reality but are genuinely present with others. [09:00]
5. God's presence is accessible throughout the universe, similar to how our consciousness is accessible throughout our bodies. The Incarnation of Jesus is a special manifestation of God's presence, enlightening us with His glory. [10:26]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:27] - Invitation to Authenticity
- [00:42] - Exploring Faith Barriers
- [00:54] - Personal Reflection and Moral Inventory
- [01:34] - Misuse of Persuasion
- [02:15] - Relationship with Body and Spirit
- [02:31] - Dallas Willard's Insights
- [03:04] - Understanding Space and God
- [04:05] - Spirit and Personality
- [05:11] - The Nature of Matter
- [06:16] - Spiritual Reality in Our Bodies
- [07:09] - The Human Face and Spiritual Presence
- [08:18] - Childlike Faith and Authenticity
- [09:30] - God's Relationship to Space
- [10:26] - The Incarnation and God's Glory
- [11:57] - Closing Reflections and Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
2. Matthew 18:3 - "And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'"
3. John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
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Observation Questions:
1. How does the sermon describe the relationship between our spirit and our physical bodies? ([06:16])
2. What does the sermon suggest about the nature of space and God's presence within it? ([10:26])
3. According to the sermon, how do our faces, eyes, and hands serve as expressions of our spiritual presence? ([07:27])
4. What is the significance of the Incarnation of Jesus as discussed in the sermon? ([10:07])
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of taking a "fearless moral inventory" relate to spiritual growth and authenticity? ([01:07])
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that our understanding of space might conflict with the teachings of Jesus? ([02:46])
3. How does the sermon connect childlike faith with spiritual maturity and authenticity? ([09:00])
4. What does the sermon imply about the accessibility of God's presence in our lives and the universe? ([09:50])
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you may have misrepresented yourself to others. What steps can you take to align your outward expressions with your inner truths? ([01:34])
2. How can you cultivate a sense of God's presence in your daily life, especially when you feel distant from Him? ([11:57])
3. In what ways can you use your face, eyes, and hands to genuinely express your spiritual reality to others? ([07:27])
4. Consider the idea of childlike faith. How can you embrace this quality in your spiritual journey? ([09:00])
5. What practical steps can you take to conduct a "fearless moral inventory" in your own life? How might this process impact your relationship with God and others? ([01:07])
6. How does understanding God's presence in the universe change your perspective on your own spiritual journey? ([10:26])
7. Identify one area in your life where you struggle with authenticity. What is one action you can take this week to be more genuine in that area? ([01:07])
Devotional
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Quotes
I want to the invitation today is to be real, to be honest and authentic with my whole self from the core of my being, my face, my body language, and it's also to be deeply with God. We're going to get very deeply into what are some of the things that most block our faith. [00:00:27]
Step four is taking a fearless and searching moral inventory. You know I decided to do that looking back over the last three or four or five years of life, and trying to look at not just difficulties that I've experienced but what have I done wrong, what do I need to learn, what do I need to own, what amends do I need to make. [00:01:34]
Dallas says that no place I think does our contemporary mindset more strongly conflict with the life and good news of Jesus than over the understanding of space. If we are to make sense of Jesus' teaching and practice of the kingdom of heavens we must understand what space and the spiritual are and how they are in space. [00:02:46]
I am a spiritual being Who currently has a physical body. I occupy my body and its environs by my consciousness of it, and by my capacity to Will and act with and through it I occupy my body and its proximate space but I am not localizable in it or around it you cannot find me or any of my thoughts feelings or character traits in any part of my body. [00:04:25]
Your spirit, your will, your thoughts, your mind are not matter. They're not atoms, they're not neurons, they occupy our bodies but we ourselves can't be found in any little piece of our body, and Dallas writes the unity of experience that constitutes a human self cannot be located at any point in or around my body, not even in my brain. [00:06:16]
Dallas goes on the human face and especially the eyes are not just additional physical objects in space. We say the eyes are the windows of the soul and there is much truth in it. They and the face and hands are areas in space where the spiritual reality of the person becomes present to others. [00:07:09]
Interestingly growing up is largely a matter of learning to hide our spirit behind our face eyes and language so that we can evade and manage others to achieve what we want and avoid what we fear. And that's the problem I find so deeply in myself as I do this step four even at this point in life. [00:08:18]
Those who have attained considerable spiritual stature are frequently noted for their child likeness. What this really means is they do not use their face and body to hide their spiritual reality. In their body they are genuinely present to those around him this is a great spiritual attainment or gift and that's what I want and long for. [00:09:00]
Now roughly speaking God relates to space as we do to our body. He occupies and overflows it, but cannot be localized in it. Every point in it is accessible to his Consciousness and will, like our bodies are available accessible to our Consciousness and will we can move our bodies about in a unique way. [00:09:30]
In the Incarnation he focused his reality in a special way in the body of Jesus. This was so that we might be enlightened by the knowledge of the glory of God in the face, the presence of Jesus Christ. So Dallas goes on page 77 we should assume that space is anything but empty. [00:10:26]
God sends his son his light out gloriously into space today seek to be real God would you help my face my eyes my voice my body to be the undisguised expression of my spirit I can't would you help me do that today be real and be with you do not live in a vast Dark Universe of cold empty space. [00:11:57]
He lights it up every moment every inch be real, be with second thoughts about the universe. [00:12:21]
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