"Examine Yourselves"
Galatians 6: 1– 10; 1st Corinthians 11:23– 32;
2nd Corinthians 13:5(Sermon)
In our lesson from 1st Corinthians we were warned to examine ourselves before we come to The Lord’s
Table to receive Communion. This is important because and later on in the service we will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s
Supper.
Our text from 2nd Corinthians also tells us "examine yourselves". The word,
"examine" in the Greek means to objectively scrutinize, to test yourself. In our text from
2nd Corinthians we see the purpose of examining ourselves is to see "is to see if you are in the faith" or to see if our faith is genuine.
I like the way the Living Bible translates 2nd Corinthians 13:5. "Check up on yourselves. Are
you really a Christian? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are
you just pretending to be a Christian when you really are not at all?
God’s word to us today calls on each of us to "examine ourselves",
to check up on ourselves, to test ourselves "to see if we are in the faith" – "to
see if we are really Christians".
When we talk about testing ourselves or checking up on ourselves this morning this will be a self-examination
that is strictly between you and the Lord.
First let’s think about why you need to examine yourselves. The Apostle Paul says some of you maybe
fooling yourself. Maybe you think that coming to church or joining a church will get you into heaven. While coming to church
and joining a church are good they do not determine if you are really a Christian.
Our human nature is to compare ourselves with other people. It is easier for us to see everybody else’s
faults and to fix everybody else’s problems than it is to see our own faults and to fix our own problems. So you see,
maybe you think you are a better person than you really are.
So the only way we can honestly and effectively examine ourselves is to begin with prayer, to use the Bible
as a measuring stick, and to depend upon the Holy Spirit to open our eyes so that we can see ourselves the way God sees us.
When we said we wanted to be a disciple of Jesus we promised to follow Jesus. We said we want to be like Jesus
and we said we would model our lives after Jesus’ life.
As disciples we are in training to think like Jesus, we are in training to talk like Jesus, and we are in
training to act like Jesus. So our spiritual self-examination will consist of comparing our attitudes, our motives, as well
as our actions to Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Bible. You see, being a Christian is much more than following a bunch
of rules of do this and don’t do that. Being a Christian is more than attending church on Sunday or joining a church.
Being a Christian is accepting Jesus as your personal Savior and solely depending upon the blood Jesus shed on the cross to
cover you sinful nature and all of your sinful acts. Being a Christian is loving the Lord enough to want to do what pleases
Him. Being a Christian is having an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ each and everyday.
Please take out your bulletin insert. I prepared this insert to help us in our spiritual self-examination.
I want to suggest three areas for each of us to look at this morning. After I read several questions I will
invite you to grade yourself in that area. When you grade yourself, give yourself the grade you believe The Lord would grade
you.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength. So the first
area we need to look at is our relationship with the Lord.
How often do you talk to the Lord in prayer?
Do your prayers consist of giving God your wish list OR are you asking God what He wants you to do for Him
each day?
Who do you go to when you have a problem?
Do you trust the Lord to provide for all of your needs?
Do you ask for God’s input prior to making a decision?
How often do you thank God for all that He does for you?
Do you spend more time reading the Bible than you do reading magazines, novels, and newspapers?
Are your daily actions in keeping with God’s commandments?
Are you experiencing joy and peace in your life?
Do you see God at work in your life?
When was the last time you told someone the difference Jesus makes in your life?
Is Jesus your closest friend?
Is worship the highlight of your week?
Do you really love the Lord?
When was the last time you told The Lord you loved Him?
Please take a moment right now and grade yourself on the way you believe The Lord would grade you on your
relationship with Him.
Jesus said the second great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, the next area we need to
look at is our relationship with other people. Think about these questions:
Is there anyone who you have not forgiven? Remember Jesus said to leave your offering at the altar and go
and be reconciled with that person before you bring your offering to Him.
Do you love other people or do you just love the ones who are like you and the people who do things
for you?
When was the last time you prayed for the people who offend you? What about the people who have hurt you,
the ones who are disrespectful to you, the ones who take advantage of you?
How concerned are you about the hungry people in our community?
How concerned are you about the people that are really trying to make ends meet but are still struggling financially?
How concerned are you about a friend or neighbor that is going to hell because they do not know about Jesus
Christ? Have you told them about Jesus? Are you praying for those people?
The book of 1st John is known as the love book. I challenge each of us to read 1st John this afternoon. It
is only 6 pages long but it is packed full of soul searching material.
Please take a moment now and grade yourself on the way you believe The Lord would grade you on your
relationship with other people.
Next, let’s look at our relationship with the church. The church is not an organization that you belong
to. Jesus established the church to carry on the ministry He started while He was on earth. The church is the family of God.
You are included in the church because of who you are- a child of God. Jesus calls His disciples out of the world into His
family. A family supports each other, loves each other, works together, and learns together.
You become a member of the church of Jesus Christ when you publicly profess Jesus Christ as your personal
Savior and you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Think about your relationship with the church as you think about these questions:
If Jesus loved the church enough to establish the church shouldn’t you love the church?
Do you know everyone’s name in your church family?
Do you take the time and make the effort to get to know the other members in your church family?
If Jesus was committed to the church enough to die for the church shouldn’t you be committed to the
church?
How involved are you are in the life of the church. Is your involvement only one hour a week?
Are you committed to your own spiritual growth?
Have you committed to come to the 6 Friday night Lenten studies?
Are you committed to be here on Ash Wednesday for worship?
Do you come to Sunday School on a regular basis?
Are you taking advantage of the opportunities Mt Paran offers for service?
When was the last time you made a casserole for Our Daily Bread?
When was the last time you volunteered to give someone a ride to church?
Did you respond to Elder Jeff Gross’ request to help establish a children’s choir and to teach
the 3, 4, and 5 year olds?
Have you volunteered to help your Youth Group Leaders with the Easter Egg hunt?
Did it bother you that 11 light bulbs need replacing last Sunday?
Does it bother you that trash is on the lawn this morning and the flowerbeds need mulching?
Do you regularly contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the church?
Do you think the bathrooms clean themselves? Do the carpets sweep themselves? And do the trashcans empty themselves?
Please take a moment now and grade yourself on the way you believe The Lord would grade you on your relationship
with the church.
Being a Christian is more than 1 hour a week on Sunday morning. Being a Christian is 24/7/365. We are called
to be like Jesus Christ at home, at work, at school, at social gatherings, when we are alone, as well as when we are in church.
The Apostle Paul calls on us to examine ourselves to make sure that all of our thoughts, words, and actions are like those
of Jesus. To make sure there are no inconsistent attitudes or behaviors in our lives.
In our text the Apostle Paul asked the question, "Do you feel Christ’s presence in you?" "Are
you experiencing Christ’s power working in your life?" Or "are you just pretending
to be a Christian when actually you are not at all?" The Apostle Paul tells us that you will know
that you are really a Christian if you feel Christ’s presence in you and if feel Christ’s power working in your
life?
Our scripture text for today calls on us to "examine ourselves". We need
to examine ourselves periodically is to make sure that we are genuine Christians. The Bible is clear we are to examine ourselves
and we are to take whatever action is necessary. So please write down the steps that you are going to take to improve your
relationship with the Lord, your relationship with the people around you, and your relationship with the church. Because one
day when God calls us home we will stand before Him to give an account. Are you a genuine Christian? AMEN
