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Dec 29, 2023 18:30pm

Real or Fake?

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My mom and I were shopping around at a little antique store/flea market. I love finding neat treasures at places like these. Sometimes, the treasure is an antique, but there have been times when I’ve found something that was brand new and a great deal.

We were headed up the stairs to check out the second level, when I saw it hanging on a little hook. It was a purse, camel colored, and just the right size. I thought it would be perfect for me. I picked it up, opened it, and as far as I could tell, it was new.

I turned it around and I saw the label.

This was a very recognizable name brand. Immediately, I thought it has to be a fake. There’s no way someone would put this in a flea market.

Unless it was by mistake.

I’ll be honest. I don’t know much about handbags and determining their authenticity. I look for functionality and if I like it or not. But I know for some, it’s a big deal.

I paid the $20 and bought the purse. I thought, this will be fun to look up to see if it’s real.

I got it home and looked up “how to spot a real from a fake”. There were several tips and even videos on what to check. It was all in the details. The stitching, the hardware used, the zipper, the way the bag stands on its own, a special tag and number inside, and so forth.

After my extensive research, if we want to call it that, I concluded that I think it’s the real deal, but it’s just so hard to tell.

Can you spot a real from the fake?

Luke 22:3-6

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.”

Judas.

One of the 12 men Jesus personally called out to follow Him. From the outside, he looked like a disciple. He talked like them, he went the same places, he heard the same teaching, he participated in the same activities. He looked like the real deal.

But he wasn’t.

Satan entered Judas.

That is a powerful statement. One that is heartbreaking. Here was a man that had all the opportunity in the world to be a devoted true follower of Jesus, and yet, he wasn’t. Jesus knew who Judas was when He called him. Judas was a thief. But like the other disciples, he had the chance to hear the truth about Jesus, to witness miracles with his own eyes, and experience the power of God.

Judas made his choice. It just wasn’t the right one.

He allowed himself to be taken over by fear, greed, and pride. From the outside, he looked just like the real thing. But inside, he was a fake.

This message isn’t for us to start trying to examine every person we see at church or that call themselves Christians. This is a message intended for the reader.

Who are you?

Are you a real follower of Christ? Has there been a change in you since you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior?

Or are you just pretending? Are you an imposter? Do you put on a good show, where on the outside everything looks real, but on the inside, the truth is evident and Christ is not in you?

2 Corinthians 13:5

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. Ask the tough questions about your salvation. Test yourself to see if you are truly saved. Have you actually put your faith and trust in Jesus? Do you believe He is who He says He is? Do you believe He did the things He said He did? And do you lay down your life to Him as He did for you?

At a young age, I knew about Jesus and God. I knew Jesus died on the cross to take away the sins of the world. I knew I wanted to be in Heaven. So, I prayed a prayer the preacher told me to pray and said I was saved.

But the problem was, even though I knew sin was right and wrong, I didn’t think I was a sinner. I hadn’t done anything that bad. There were people worse than me. I was just a kid. How bad could I be? I claimed I was saved for years, but was I really?

Maybe your story is similar. Or maybe it’s completely different. Whatever the case, today is the day we need to be sure.

Just as I thoroughly examined that purse to see if it was a real or fake, we need to examine our spiritual lives to see who we are.

Real or fake?

If you need help or want to know more about following Jesus, message me.