The Importance of Self Examination

Okay, so again, good morning everyone. I'm gonna take this off. I can't hardly talk with this. Sorry I'm not gonna do like brother Mark Kansky and swing from post to post. He was wanting to see everybody and.

So hopefully I can stay put and won't be a distraction to you. So again, good morning. Uh, the Lord is so good to us and I hope you've had a blessed week. So this morning our touchstone Scripture that we want to look at if you will.

Please turn with me to your Bible with your Bibles and to 2nd Corinthians 13 5 and in 2nd Corinthians 13 5 We have the Apostle Paul and he's having to defend his ministry here and. And he's under scrutiny his message and his ministry is under scrutiny.

And this these are under scrutiny from Christians from believers that he is labored. He is brought up as children in the faith. And now he's wrestling their scrutinism like their sword out of their hand and now he turns it back on to them.

They're saying I don't understand. Why is your ministry about suffering? They're boasting about their strengths and he says no no, I'd me I boast about my weaknesses that God may be manifest. You're boasting in the wrong things.

Pride has slipped in again and entered in and what he does he rests their sword from them. He turns it back on them and says.

Examine yourselves.

That's the background of this second epistle. So let's just read 2nd Corinthians 13 5. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove yourselves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates.

Let's pray Father all things in us Lord Appall you and and and cry out rejection, but all things in thee Lord says reception. So Lord, I pray you're you are so beautiful and I pray that your people this day Lord will hear your word and those who have yet Lord to Come on to you Lord.

I pray that this will be the day of their visitation. Lord, we thank you for your love and kindness and thank you. You have not dealt with us according to our sins.

And.

Lord, please bless this stammering carpenters mouth this day. You're faithful and you're just we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. In worship today. Thousands thousands are gathering all around the nation and they feel churches today.

There's a great stir about religion today, and I'm sure you can attest to that. Today in worship. There are only two options. We're either Gladly gonna glorify God through Jesus Christ. Are we gonna harden our hearts and put God to the test?

Those are the only two options that's gonna happen today. And there's a tragic reality that's occurring this very moment. This very moment that people are coming to worship and they're gonna fall under God's wrath.

It's a fearful thing to fall in the hands of angry God. The only way to enter the blessing of God's rest is by faith in Jesus Christ. Do not deceive yourselves this very day and believe that you're going to remain neutral today.

So I did a little research this comes from The US Census Bureau quick facts. There are thirteen thousand eight hundred and forty one churches in Georgia alone. Thirteen congregations per ten thousand people in Bartow County.

There's a hundred and twelve thousand people. 23 ,000 in Cartersville. If you do the math that's 146 churches in this county alone and that means about 30 churches in the city limits of Cartersville. There's over 200 theological seminaries in the US.

30 to 40 of those are Calvinistic reformed. We have the Internet we have sermon audio. We have one place we have podcasts and you could probably name your you probably have a favorite as well. We have books publishers.

Producing great literature. Banner truth solid ground. Reformation heritage, you can probably name many more. Then you go to Christian book calm and there's 52 versions of the Bible that you we can purchase 52 versions.

Do you see we live in an age of spiritual privileges? To whom much is given much is required. Yes. So much our respect is being paid to Christianity today. God has been so gracious today and we are swimming in grace.

My question to you all this day is that are we any better for this? Are we any better for this information? But that's not the question. That is not the question. The question is but how is your soul?

How is your soul? Have you communion with your soul lately? Have we taken spiritual inventory of our soul? What are you craving for this morning?

Why are you here?

Humbly, I believe many people today are gathering in buildings for an excitement for externals. To have their ears tickle to be accepted by men. Kind of sounds a bit like a going when you're going through.

Acts.

The Athenians were always chasing something new. Always want to hear something new always want to share something new but never the old past. My question beloved is where is the where it's like a Where is the resolve of someone just being teachable?

Being hungry just as for the old past. And Just believing in God's Word not believing in not believing in God's Word, but believing God. People what if we really reflect on this and look back, you know I'm sure that as Noah's Ark was being built.

They would look at it and say that this structure really is gonna float. I believe in it. It's made out of gopher wood. This is a big boat boat. It's gonna it's a safe place. They could name all about it.

But that day came and they weren't they were not in it. They knew all about it. Could give it the essence probably a bunch of amens to it, but they were never in it. You see there's many young and restless today that are ready always to do the radical things.

And I'm preaching to myself. Always ready to do the radical things. But oftentimes we show up. We can't show up to work on time. We fail to pay our bills on time. We murmur about our bosses constantly complain about our wages.

The list could go on. I used to call this the young and the restless blood. I believe this young middle-aged old everybody's restless now. Because we have forgot God and we have turned from his ways.

And we must turn the searchlight on our own hearts. The greatest problem of our own country is our own hearts. Believe me. I share this to you and break this in love to you. The one that tells you the most truth is your best friend and beloved as Hebrew for Hebrews 412 says.

The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. That's the only impartial friend that you have. We have an impartial. We're our own best flatterer. And so we're impartial to judge ourselves.

We're not a just judge. We're impartial to ourselves by nature. So I invite you with me to stay with me as we endeavor on this great duty. That is often neglected within the church. It's so this morning I Want to launch out my outline this morning is going to speak about.

I want to share with you.

How the.

Everything originates and terminates in the gospel with self-examination. If you don't get anything from this a message remember this. Self-examination originates and terminates in the gospel and if we don't Start with the end with the gospel.

It's an unbalanced and it's an impartial test. It's a foul. It's a faulty test. And then we land in ditches. And we get in trouble and that's leaning upon the arm of the flesh. In Proverbs 28, I think 26 Round 28.

It says a man who trusts in his own heart is a fool.

Is a fool.

So this morning I want to speak to you of how the gospel Brings to you Purpose in self-examination the God how the gospel brings pattern How it brings pardon and how it brings power. So this morning I want to share with you how the gospel Brings to us in self-examination our purpose in this our pattern.

The.

Pardon and the power. And then I want to transition and speak about two D's. The difficulties of this and the dangers. And then I want to try to land this plane that we can go out and live this in a shoe-leather faith.

So let's launch out. The Apostle Paul says examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove yourselves. No, you not. Your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates. Beloved do you see it says examine yourselves whether you be in the faith.

Prove your own selves. That double repetition speaks of a necessity that has to be done. Because oftentimes at first glance we don't see things clearly and then we see it clearly. So there's two great purposes of self-examination.

Number one. It's to reveal sin.

Some.

66 18 says if we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear us. I Don't know about you, but I want the Lord to hear me. I need help. So number one is to reveal sin in our lives and number two It's the kindle encouragement to kindle encouragement.

So with those two great aims, that's our purpose is. The purpose says why who cares. So what? Beloved if we do not take this solemn act seriously. Eternity is at stake. And I don't know what else could be more serious.

You're a precious in the sight of God. So this morning as we continue When we look in we see the sin, but we take God's Word. And as a preface I want to share this with you first as a preface. There's a critical point in self-examination.

As I already mentioned it start it originates and terminates in the gospel. And this is the great news of Jesus Christ. And if it if you can't remember what the gospel is Jesus died for me. Remember four words.

Jesus died for me. That's enough.

That's enough.

But I want you to remember this please. Remember that it was his righteousness that was imputed to you. He stood before God as though as though he was you and now we stand before God as if it we were him all by faith a gift of God.

So this morning I want you to remember please. It's simply put we are not searching to see if there's anything within us to merit God's favor. It's through Jesus Christ alone that we've already merit the favors of God.

And the question is are we walking worthy of the manner in which we've been called? And that's what we want to seek out this morning. We want God to search us out and tell us the true inventory of our souls this day.

Let us not be deceived. The but the positive side in that is encouragement. Not only do we see our sin and shortcomings. We need to see the grace of God. Beloved there. I know you have remaining corruption.

We are in the world not of the world, but everything opposes a child of God in this world. This is a war this is a battle battlefield and when you Have put all trust in and forsaken all the riches as we just sung a lot of times Christians.

They say we don't tell lies we sing lies in church. The question is have we really riches. I heed not nor man's empty praise thou my inheritance now and always. Do we really embrace that? So the pattern I want to say if you look within but we beseech the Living God so.

As I already mentioned that there's an impartial judge. We cannot judge ourselves rightly. So what we do is we beseech God through the Spirit by the power of His Word to search us.

Yes.

And that's key. That is key.

So the pattern that So we have the key is understanding as first. John 2 6 says Christ is our standard. He is the standard.

He is as.

The as builders he is the plumb line to the whole building. So how do we do this? Where do we get started?

Well.

In in the gospel, we open up God's Word and we beseech him and we cry out Lord search me search me. A true child of God loves to be tested. He loves to be tested. He loves to be tested and then and we know the gospel brings second the third part is the part into our self-examination.

Beloved is wonderful truth to know that God knows the worst about you and still loves you. God knows the worst about you and still loves you. I Need that. I need to hear that every day. He is not dealt with us according to our sins and he says and If you're he who confesses his sins and forsakes them, we'll have mercy.

Basically, if we uncover it he covers it, but if we cover it, he's gonna expose it. That's scandalous that. That's a wonderful exchange. When we're resting in Christ the love of God causes self-examination.

Do you remember when the first part of self-examination started in the garden in Genesis chapter 3? Sin causes us to hide. It hides from our own selves. Adam, where are you? God cares about self-examination this month.

That was the first thing he said to the fallen creatures made in his glory the highest of his creation. That was able to be a partial a judge as though God is because we're made in his image. And then that's what differs us than the creatures of the field.

And many us prior to salvation live like beast of the field. So then we have the power the gospel brings power to the self-examination. Grace transforms this duty into a Christian Pilgrimage where it it takes like the drill sergeant and makes him a butler when he serves us.

Self examine examination does not have to be like buckets of water that quenches your faith. Charles Spurgeon said anything that quenches your faith is the enemy of God. Because it's by faith not works.

And that's what Hebrews tells us it's by faith by faith. Hebrews 11 6 I think it's 11 6 says without faith. It's impossible to please God. So faith is the element that the Christian lives and moves and has his being in.

But self-examination doesn't have to be like a bucket of water throwing it onto your fire. It can be a bucket of fuel. Let it be a bucket of fuel to fan you on and say I'm not that man. I used to be I'm not that woman.

I used to be. I have victory over sin. I have a new taste. Sin has become bitter and Christ is becoming sweeter. That's a blessing. That's the Spirit of God working in your life through the sanctification of his word.

You're beginning to taste and see that the Lord is good. Bitter things we spit out of our mouth and let us wage war on sin become resolved to say I'm waging war on sin. It makes me stupid. It quarter rises the inner courtroom and it draws me further away from the one I love.

So this morning I Want to talk a little bit about and share with you the difficulty of this great duty is difficult. That's why I believe here the the Apostle tells us examine yourselves and then prove your own selves.

He says it twice because they were naturally. We don't want to do this. We don't want to do this. This takes maximum effort. You remember the when Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount he comes to them and it's basically he's saying You have heard but I say unto you he's dealing with true and false religion in that Matthew 5 6 and 7.

He's dealing with true and false religion right there. And he ends that and he says basically a man who's built his house on the rock. It will stand. Because it takes a maximum effort to dig down. Search within and dig on that rock of Christ.

Maximum effort. The one who built on the sand it takes no effort up it goes. Both edifices look the same until the storm comes and then it's revealed. How that house is stood? The eye sees everything but itself naturally.

The eye sees everything but itself lust highs in secret corners. Men naturally we naturally read many books, but we must shift this and live in the book. Remember David. He thought very fat fair of himself and was going about his merry way until Nathan his friend came to him and said Thou art the man.

Today you are the man. So we're not here to judge a pastor or sermon or a carpenter expounding God's Word. The word is here to judge you. Many today eat drink and be merry as if there was no heaven or hell and it concerns them not.

Ever wonder why the Pharisees hated Christ. Because he dealt with their hearts. The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart and that's what the Lord said. I came To seek and save that which was lost.

He is the great physician. He can do a work which no man can do. And he delights to do it.

So why is this so?

Why is it so difficult? I was a false convert. I.

Ran into a church.

Because I.

Did a horrible act and I was afraid of the consequences. I was baptized and went about my way and nothing ever changed. Really all the other people around me were living the way I were. But now I'm doing everything.

As An outward professing Christian nothing ever changed. This burdens me this really burdens me because Many today are coming to churches many today are walking and living and Dreaming about paradise and they're gonna wake up in Satan's arms.

Many people are dreaming about paradise and will wake up in Satan's arms. This is sobering. This is very sobering Lord in Matthew 5 6 and 7. The Apostle in 2nd Corinthians 13 is not speaking to irreligion irreligious people.

He's speaking to religious people. Self-deception is how Satan works. As Spurgeon said as the worm hides in the sweetest part of the fruit. So does Satan in religion? How do people get lulled and self-deceived?

That's the question.

Isn't it?

Because they prayed a prayer they felt an emotional Excitement. They saw a film they saw a movie that that stirred them scurried them about. Someone told them to pray a prayer never doubted again. It's just that simple.

It's a formula creed. And off you go on your way someone has Giving you a false sense of assurance.

You know.

You can say all the right things. You can know all the right things and still.

Be lost.

You can say all the right things know all the right things and still be lost. Because there's a failure at self-examination. There's tests and examinations in every sphere of our lives. There's a driving test.

There's tests growing up at schools. There's tests in every aspect. There was a I had a Contractors test. My wife had a nurse. Everybody has we have exams that test us. Do you see the disconnect. Why are we not turning this searchlight back on ourselves and testing ourselves?

We have a great disease. We have a great disease, but beloved remember greater is our Savior. Greater is our Savior. So this morning I Want to continue on this? The deceived come in so many categories.

Superficial the involved and hypocrite that was from John McAuthor. So, how do we notice and how can we notice them and help them? That'd be the question. How can we notice first within our own lives to see if this is in us?

To build a help those because Jeremiah 17 9 says the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things who can know it. I don't know if you've ever made this correlation, but in and I think it's in 2nd. John's in Revelation.

It says the Antichrist is the deceiver of the nations. You have that form in your own bosom. Have you ever thought about that? You have a form of the Antichrist dwelling within your bosom. Your heart is deceitfully wicked above all things.

That should make you tremble. So my question is how can we spot these souls and be a service to them? First there's some that only are theologically academically here. This has the interest of Understanding more knowledge.

They're more committed to the reformed theology or denomination or whatever it may be. There's some that are even. They're caught up in the bot.

Always desire.

To have their feelings always in always caught up in the byproducts of religion, you know, there's a. There's a cuttlefish and I've always been interested in this fish for many reasons. I share with you many times then there's a fish in the ocean.

It's called cuttlefish. As a biology major, I studied this fish very interesting because. It has fish in his name, but it's not a fish. It's a mollusk. It's like a scale that came out of his shell never went back.

It has fish in his name, but it's not a fish. It's a mollusk. And it's like it's like an apron with a jet propulsion like bowling through a straw how it moves through the water. So it's like a propulsion through the water would like skirts on the side but you know one of its Ways of defending itself it blends in instantly to his background.

If it's a red danger red turn to red. In another way when it's serious danger, it shoots ink in the water. And then it escapes it has no backbone. It's an invertebrate.

Do you see what I'm going with this?

Can you tie these together? Many profess and have a form of godliness, but to deny the power thereof Does Christ dwell in you is the question. Is he everything to you? Not church attendance not anything.

Because when we start speaking of that we start shooting in the water. We start changing to our backgrounds if Christ is not all. So the dangers I want to say this morning is. I said I used to really you know we either swing to ditches.

We either don't do it or we do self-examination. Enough, so we're prone to swing to both hypers. How can we keep this balance and guard ourselves from being too introspective? Because we don't become like Christ looking within.

We look without so but when we look within and we see the darkness beloved go over to those windows when it's dark and yank them curtains wide open. And let the light of God shine through. Let it shine.

He is the light of the world. Christ is the light of the world and when there's darkness Rip those curtains open and let Jesus shine through there. So we have to be careful. Any good gift or duty can be misused therefore we must avoid twisting scripture.

Sin causes. You know we can take food and twist it to gluttony. We can take money and twist it to greed. We can take sex which God has given as a as a Privilege of being marriage. We could twist the lust.

Please hear me self-examination can be twisted to hypocrisy. At least a crushing shame therefore is misused and we must avoid this ditch. It can lead to legalism. As I said it's through Christ. We have the favor of God.

We don't merit God's favor. Jesus said God said this is my beloved son whom I'm well pleased and in him He's pleased with us. Because he doesn't see no longer the stamp of Adam on our neck and in Satan have us bound in feathers.

He sees Christ.

His son.

It was at the cross. We saw our first light. It is at the cross. We find forgiveness and healing and joyful restoration if we carry this burden of shame away from self-examination. We have missed the cross and we have failed this examination.

It is faulty. It is faulty.

Thomas Chalmers a Scottish church leader. Once compelled He says instead we must go to that window as I just mentioned open those curtains and soak. In that gospel sunlight. Christ is the light of the world.

And remember that self-examination originates and terminates in the gospel. So I want to share with you if you will flip with. Turn with me to psalm 77. And that was I was. This is a psalm of Asaph. Psalm 77 is a great example of this.

Cried unto God with my voice. Even unto God my voice. And he gave ear unto me in the day of my trouble. I saw the Lord. My sore ran in the night and sees not my soul. Refused to be comforted. I remember God and was troubled.

I Complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. Sela thou holdest my eyes awakened. He couldn't sleep. I'm gonna pause right here for a second. If you're listening, this is the occupation of the sleepless.

This is your occupation when you can't sleep. And it's not if it's when I remember God when I was troubled. I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. Sela thou holdest my eyes my thou holdest my eyes awakening.

And.

I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Here it goes. I have considered the days of old the years of ancient of times. I call to remembrance my song in the night. I communion with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off forever and will he be favorable to me. No more is his mercy clean gone forever. Does he promise? Fail forever have God forgotten to be gracious. Has he shut up anger? Have he anger shut up his tenor mercy Sela?

And I said this is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember the wondrous The wonders of old. I will meditate on all thy work And talk of all thy doings.

I'm gonna pause right there. If you look back up above in those 12 verses You see all the eyes. Do you see all the eyes? Something trait Trent. He's he's calling himself. He's been examining his heart in the midnight cry if you look back up.

Notice this is what he says. This is what he did. Number one. He considered the days of old. He drew upon God's faithfulness in his history that he's never changed. You've delivered me here. You won't change and you'll deliver me here.

So he starts preaching the gospel to himself. It remembers God of the ancient of days. I Call to remembrance my song in the night. Number two remembrance. How blessed is the memory of the righteous? Remember God says I'll give you the words to speak in that hour.

I Don't think it's just necessarily outward words. I think it's inward words. How can you give what you don't have to another if you don't own it yourself. Evangelism is only an overflow of your cup. That's all it is.

You can't Pete preach repentance if you're not living repentance. You can't tell and say behold the Lamb of God if you're not beholding the Lamb of God and people know.

Know.

Notice that the remembrance of my song we're to hide God's Word in our hearts. This is the occupation of the sleepless. If you're restless today, this is your occupation. Consider God's faithfulness from days past.

Remember.

Remember.

Remember those songs you want song? That he put a new song in your heart. I once was blind, but now I can see. And if you can't remember I see he told the Gadarene demoniac what I love about this. He didn't say go and preach the five points of Calvinism and talk about Tulip.

No go and tell what great things I've done for you. Wasn't that wonderful? It's like a Liberty set you free. It says just go and tell what great things I've done for you. Because I believe in that you will light a fire so big because you do not have to ever advertise a fire.

Get on fire and.

This is how it happens. Let take that let it not be a bucket of water self-examined. Let it be a bucket of fuel. Because he who began a good work is gonna finish it and you see in last and this he says I communion with my own heart.

And my spirit may diligently sir. That's what self-examination is communion with your own heart. That's all it comes up communion with your own heart. It's almost like the moment That you bring these words to an unbeliever one that's dead in their trespasses and sins.

They become a fugitive to this duty. They're a fugitive they run. But it's so sad because this is what Adam did to you and we're to pity them. We're to pray for them because they have the stamp of Satan still on them and They're doing so many things in the name of God and God is not going to be mocked and they're bound in fetters.

As already mentioned dreaming a paradise and it'd be an awful thought to wake up in Satan's arms.

That's awful. That is awful.

And I'll finish this so notice he's so taken up with God. He preaches God's to God. He preaches the word to himself. He draws upon this as he's restless. Notice this. The eyes are watch this after verse 12 eyes forgotten.

This is what we need to be so taken up with God. You're you forget yourself. Watch this in verse 13. Thy way. Oh God is in the sanctuary. Who is so great as our God? That's a question. Who is so great as our God who is like unto him?

Thou.

Art the God that doeth wonders. Thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast been my arm and redeemed Thy people thy sons of Jacob and Joseph. Sila the water saw thee. Oh God the water saw thee and they were afraid.

The depths also were troubled. Excuse me, the clouds poured out water the sky sent out a sound. Thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven. The lightnings lightning the world there are tremble and shook.

The earth was in the sea and thy path in the great waters and thy footsteps are not known. Thou leadest thy people like a flock by the hands of Moses and Aaron.

Oh.

He is a wonderful shepherd he is wonderful and I would say as Psalm 2 11 says Fear the Lord and rejoice with trembling. That's a holy mixture. That's a holy mixture. To be deceived in this matter is the most thing of considerations.

I Read this and this this is sobering. For a man to deceive himself is as a form of a self murderer. It's a form suicide. He said wow, how do you come up with that? Listen to this as a self murderer is Accounted a greater sin than a murder of just another person is Because he takes because it's against that charity to ourselves, which is the copy and rule of charity to another.

Self murder is accounted as a greater sin than murder of another person Because it's against the charity to ourselves, which is the copy and rule of charity unto another. Beloved one of my favorite missionaries William Carey pastor mentioned him earlier in 1834.

He passed away on his grave site his epitaph. You know what? It reads this man had a.

Honest.

Estimate of himself. This man his epitaph that little granite still preaches and it says a wretched poor and helpless worm. Owned I kind arms I fall. Oh. To be a worm. Oh to be a worm when God came and spoke and Addressed Jacob and Isaiah 41 14.

He addressed him and said fear not you were my Jacob you men of Israel. I am the one who helps you declares the Lord. I want to read that one more time. A wretched poor and helpless worm onto thy kind arms.

I fall. Do you see there's a secret there, too. Do you see do you hear the beatitude the first beatitude being preached in that blessed for those that are poor in spirit? Yes, do you see great faith in that?

I believe that faith marvels God. This man had an indomitable Spirit and he could not be conquered by sickness death. No matter what came his way. And when we look in. You know when we look in and we call upon the Spirit of God to help her the Spirit of God is the paraclete.

Christ is the paraclete I you have the physician applying the comfort. You have the comforter applying the comfort. We just as Jesus showed up in the midst of his Disciples. Tormented disturbed the shepherds gone.

They're back fishing back to where he found them y 'all caught anything. Y 'all caught anything. You could hear it probably no. Peter sees Jesus jumps off the boat. Swims before the boat hits the shore.

And how does Jesus restore his loving disciple his head upon his head disciple is a possible. How does he restore? The one that got rebuked by two-thirds of the Trinity, how does he restore a backsliding?

Leader of the church. I'm gonna pause right there. I'm gonna go back to one of one. A pastor brought this to me a long time ago. And I never forget it. One of the greatest questions asked in the Bible came from Judas.