Examine Yourselves

Examine Yourselves

Text: II Cor.13: 5; I John 5: 13

Intro: Paul’s statement in II Cor.13: 5 was written to a church that boasted of being a spiritual body of believers. As a matter of fact, according to Paul’s own testimony, the Corinthian church possessed all the spiritual gifts (I Cor.1: 7), yet he said they were carnal (I Cor.3: 1-4). So great was the carnality among some of the professing Christians of Corinth, that Paul said they needed to examine themselves to see if they were truly saved.

Carnality is certainly no stranger to the Church of today. Paul’s admonition to examine one’s self is as much justified in today’s Church as it was in the church of Corinth. Some present-day professing Christians can curse a blue streak with the best of them; think nothing of regularly watching “R” rated movies and looking at pornography; consume alcoholic beverages like it is no big deal; and are obliged to slip around on their wife if they can get away with it. I’m not saying a Christian can’t commit these sins. I’m saying that they are not the normal course of conduct for the true child of God. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” God’s Word says.

Ray Comfort, founder of Living Waters Publications and Way Of The Master Ministries, made the same observation concerning the worldliness within the Church, when he quoted a leading religious leader who said the following:

In survey after survey, researchers find that the lifestyles of born-again Christians are virtually indistinguishable from those of nonbelievers. The divorce rate among Christians is identical to that of nonbelievers. Christian teens are almost as sexually active as non-Christian teens. Pornography, materialism, gluttony, lust, covetousness, and even disbelief are commonplace in many of our churches.1

When the professing Christian is more at home with the things of the world than they are with the things of God, they clearly need to examine themselves to see if they’ve really given their heart to Christ. If they truly want to know where they stand, the Holy Spirit will certainly make it clear to them. If they’ve never had a change of heart and life, they’ve never been converted.

I challenge all of us to examine our lives today. If your salvation experience won’t bear examination, it’s not worth holding on to.

Theme: For the true child of God:

I. A NEW CONDITION PREVAILS WITHIN

A. The Christian Is A New Person.

1. The Christian has a new lifestyle.

II Cor.5: 17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

NOTE: [1] If a person is the same as they were before they made a profession of faith in Christ, they’re deceived about their salvation.

NEW CREATION

London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.2

[2] Salvation is not spiritual restoration, but rather spiritual regeneration. It is a completely new work.

2. The Christian’s heart no longer condemns him.

Rom.5: 1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

3. The Christian has a desire for the things of God.

Rom.8: 5 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

a. Do you have a desire for the Word of God?

I Pet.2: 2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

Job 23: 12b “…I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

b. Do you have a desire for the worship of God?

Ps.122: 1 “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Heb.10: 25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”