Would you turn to Galatians chapter 6. I want to read verses 4 and 5 of Galatians chapter 6. but let every man prove his own work. And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let's pray.

Lord, we ask in Christ's name, that we might be given ears to hear and that we might hear from you. Lord, if you speak, what else can we ask for? Speak to each heart here according to your will. Lord, we're so thankful for who you are and our thankfulness we give in the name of thy son. We're so thankful for your salvation. We're so thankful for your grace. We're so thankful for the forgiveness of sins. Bless us for Christ's sake. Be with all your people wherever they meet together. Lord, meet our need. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

I've entitled this Proving Your Own Work. Now I hope that the Lord will enable me to say what needs to be said from this passage of scripture, but you can listen to what's being said this morning, and you can know whether or not you are saved. Now that is how important what is being said is. From this, you can know whether or not you personally are saved. You know, that's really kind of a scary thought in a way. I want to know, don't you? I don't want to be deceived. I don't want to deceive myself.

Proving your own work. Now, when he says in verse 4, let every man prove his own work, the word means to test, to examine, to scrutinize. It was used of testing metals to see whether they were real. Prove your own work. Yourself. It was used by John in this way. Try the spirits, whether they be of God. Test them. Put them to the test. And he gives us how to test them.

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, but is that spirit of antichrist. Test, try, the word is used with regard to taking the Lord's table. Let a man prove himself, test himself, and so let him eat.

And he's not talking about looking to see if your works are okay and you have sufficient evidence to prove you're saved, but do you discern the Lord's body? Do you discern that all of your salvation is in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you discern that? Remember when Paul said, let a man examine himself, whether he be in the faith.

Now this does not mean examine your life, your conduct, your character, as important as those things are. I would not minimize that in any way. How I conduct myself is of incredible importance. But he doesn't say examine your life, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith.

Examine yourselves whether you believe the gospel. Let every man try himself. We shall all give account of ourselves before God. Let every man prove his own work. Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 says, work out your own salvation. Work it out with fear and trembling, for it's God that worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. Let every man prove his own work, prove the reality of his own work.

And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. You're not going to have to prop yourself up beside somebody else and see how you compare with them. Just forget that thinking altogether. Oh, may God give us grace to do that. Let every man prove his own worth, then he'll have rejoicing in himself, and not just by comparing himself with somebody else.

Let me read a passage. As a matter of fact, turn there, 2 Corinthians 10, verse 12. Paul said, we dare not, just a few pages back, for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves. They're not wise. That's not the way to do things. Don't try to look at somebody else and see how you measure up to them. Let every man scrutinize his own work.

Verse five, for every man shall bear his own burden. Now there the word burden is a different word Then verse two, bear ye one another's burdens. This is a different word. And a lot of translations have it like this, and I think it gives us some idea of the meaning. Shoulder your own load. Bear your own load. Every man shall bear his own burden.

I'm to prove myself. to see if I am real. Now, how do I go about doing this? I mean, this is a tall order. I want every one of us to scrutinize ourselves. Judge yourself, whether you be in the faith. Now, how do you go about doing this? Well, the only way to do it is to look what the scripture says. Not looking within your life and your conduct How am I doing? How am I doing? I don't want you to think that way. That's not right. As a matter of fact, if you look at your life and your conduct and think, well, I must be saved, I fear for you. That's not looking to Christ.

That's looking to yourself. Let every man prove his own work, whether he be in the faith. Now, how do I prove? How do I test my own work, my own salvation, that I am indeed his workmanship? I'm so interested in this, I wanna know. How do you prove your own work?

Now you've heard many times over the years what is known as the five solas. Scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, the glory of God alone. and they are known as the five solas of the Reformation, and I think that's messing it up when we say that. These were and are eternal truths before the Protestant Reformation ever took place. This was true with regard to Adam, Abel, Noah, scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, Faith alone, the glory of God alone.

So if I'm going to scrutinize my own work and judge my own work, here's what I'm gonna have to do first of all. Can I go to the scriptures to give the reason for my hope? Well, I have a good hope. Is it a scriptural hope? I have a hope that on judgment day, when I stand before God, he's gonna look at me and say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Now the only way I can believe that is because Christ justified me. If I'm justified, that means I've done well. That means I've never committed a sin. That means I stand before God without guilt. This is the hope of the scripture, justification.

Now, can I go to the Bible? A lot of folks, I have a good hope that I'll be saved when I stand before God in judgment. Well, I'm glad you do, but is it a scriptural hope? Can you go to the Bible to show why you have this hope? Now, I'm asking you, do you have a scriptural hope? Not, I hope I'm saved, I hope I'll go to heaven. Can you go to the Bible and tell why you have that hope?

My hope is what the Bible says the sinner's hope is, that when Christ said it is finished, my salvation was finished. Now, is your hope a scriptural hope? to the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this word, it's because there's no light in them. Is my hope a scriptural hope? Scriptures alone, not looking to your evidences, your internal evidences, do you look to the word of God as to why you have this hope?

Now, the second sola is Christ alone. If I look to the scriptures alone, I will find that Christ alone, not Christ and, but Christ alone is my salvation. What do you think about that? Is Christ alone your salvation? Do you discern the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and see that all of your salvation, all of your acceptance before God is found in him alone?

Not Christ and. Christ and was the error of the Galatians. Christ and, my keeping of the law. Christ and, my experience. Christ and, my fill in the blank. No, it's Christ Alone. Do I see that Christ alone is my salvation? I look nowhere else. Christ alone is the message of the scriptures. I see that. You know, when the Lord reveals himself to you, that's what you see. You see Christ alone is the message of the scriptures. You understand what Paul meant when he said, I determined not to know anything among you. Say Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Do you see that? Do you see that his life is the only righteousness you have? You see that? His death. is your only sin payment. You have nothing else. Do you see that? Do you believe that? Now remember, you're to scrutinize yourself, to test yourself, whether you be in the faith.

Do you see that the death of Christ is your only sin payment and a sufficient sin payment? Do you see that when God raised him from the dead, that's why you're justified? He was delivered for our offenses, He was raised again for our justification, and you really believe His resurrection is the only ground of your justification. It's nothing you do, it's what He did. What makes you think you're saved? Well, because I fill in the blank. I believed, I repented, I did this, I did that. No, because He, because He.

That's the difference between life and death. Christ alone is the only object of faith. Christ alone is the only ground of assurance. Christ alone is the only reason for the forgiveness of sins. I don't say forgive me of my sins because I'm sorry, although I am. I say forgive me of my sins for Christ's sake. I have no other reason. Now, if I look to the scriptures alone, I'm gonna find Christ alone is everything in my salvation.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that Christ alone, he's all you have? And you don't want anything else. You don't wanna stand before God with your thumbprint on anything. You simply want to be found in him, not having your own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by faith. Now, test yourself. Do you look to the scriptures alone to find your hope of acceptance? And do you find that Christ alone is everything in your salvation? It's called the simplicity of Christ. Scriptures alone, Christ alone. And this is a very simple test.

Do you believe grace alone? Is my salvation by grace alone? Now, if my free will's involved, it's not. If I think through my efforts of putting down the flesh and prayer and self-denial and Bible study and fasting and Whatever it takes, I can become more holy and less sinful by the actions that I put into place. That's not grace alone. It's just not.

Do I think that I can, through my works here on earth, earn a higher reward in heaven and have a higher position? than somebody else because of my works. After all, I was more faithful than they were. I was more diligent than they were. I was more sincere than they were. I tried harder than they did. And therefore, I'll have a higher position in glory over somebody that didn't put the effort in it that I did.

That's not grace alone. Do I believe grace alone? Can I say my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness? I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Is my salvation all of grace? Every bit of it. I can't look anywhere but what he has done. Now, you can answer that. is your salvation, all of grace.

The test goes on, scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone. Faith that's not alone is not faith at all. Faith alone. Somebody says, well, what about works? Faith alone. Well, doesn't the scripture say, faith worketh by love? Yes, it does. Faith alone is never alone. It works by love. But if I confound this, I've missed Christ himself. Do I have faith alone? I love John chapter six, verse 29. They asked the question, what must we do to work the works of God? And the Lord replied, this is the work of God that you believe on him whom he hath sent. Period. Faith alone to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt, but to him that worketh not.

Would that describe you? You understand that salvation by works is impossible for you. We're not talking about what somebody else believes right now. We're talking about what you believe. Do you understand that if salvation is dependent upon you, you're toast. You will not be saved. You look to Christ alone. He only is the object of your faith. To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, His faith is counted for righteousness.

Now, would that describe you? You don't work. You know you can't be saved by your works. You really believe that. It's not just something you've been taught, but you believe it. You believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. There's your hope. that he justifies the ungodly. When we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. That is your hope. You look to Christ alone.

I love the way the Lord said, wide is the gate, broad is the way that leads to destruction. Many there be that go in their head, but straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it. Now, that gate is so narrow that if you have anything more than Christ, you can't get through. Think about that. Believe this, I stood for this, I experienced that. If you have anything other than Christ, you can't get through this gate. The way is so narrow that if you have anything other than Christ, you're gonna fall off. You'll fall away. And this is how important this is. Straight is the gate. Anything in addition to Christ is anti-Christ. That's a strong statement. It's a true statement. Anything in addition to Christ is anti-Christ. And you know the word anti doesn't mean against, it means instead of.

You're putting something in the place of Christ. Faith is faith alone. Do you have faith alone? Right now, while you're talking to me right now, while I'm talking to you right now, do you have, do you look to Christ only? And the last sola is the glory of God alone. Now in your salvation, does God get all the glory? In your personal salvation, you're standing before God. Does God get all the glory?

You don't give yourself the credit for anything. You know if you have faith, he gave it to you. You know if you have repentance, he gave it to you. You know your salvation didn't come because of your works. It's because of what he did. You really believe. You need to be elected.

That's the only thing that gives him all the glory. You need Christ to die for you and put away your sins, and he did it all. You need God the Holy Spirit to give you life. You'll have no life unless he gives you life and births you into his kingdom. If you persevere, you know it's because He enabled you to. He gets all the glory in your salvation and you get absolutely none.

And you love it that way, you want it that way. You want Him to get all the glory because that means He did it all. If He doesn't get all the glory, that means there's something I need to do. No, in my salvation, truly, I am saved to the praise of the glory of His grace.

Put yourself to the test, scrutinize yourself, examine yourself. Do you look to the scriptures alone as the only answer as to how you can be saved? You're not looking to your thoughts or man's thoughts, the Bible alone. Is Christ alone the only ground of your salvation, the only object of your faith? the joy of your heart to simply be found in him.

That's what excites you. That's what thrills you, to simply be found in him, not having your own righteousness. Do you have a repulsion about being saved by your own righteousness? Because you know, in reality, you don't have any. And you look to Christ alone.

Do you really believe grace alone? Do you really believe that? that all of your salvation is by the grace of God, the favor of God, and you rejoice that it's so. This is not dry doctrine to you, it's living, it's glorious, it's the doctrine of God, salvation by grace. Is your salvation by grace alone, or do you have some part in it?

What about faith alone, right now? Do you look to Christ only? What about God's glory, love? Does God get all the glory in your salvation? Will you be a example when you get into heaven of just how much salvation is by grace? Do you believe that about yourself? I'll be the biggest trophy of His grace there. There's nobody that needed grace more than me. Grace alone.

Now, if you scrutinize yourself and you can say yes to those five things, scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, the glory of God alone, you've passed the test. That's the test he gives. And if you can say yes to those, you've passed the test. You are a child of God.

Let every man, Artax verse 4, but let every man prove, scrutinize, test his own work, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. And that's the only way to deal with this, with fear and trembling. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it's God that works in you, both to will and to do, his good pleasure. Test your own work, and then shall you have rejoicing in yourself alone, and not simply by trying to stack yourself up by somebody else. Just forget that kind of thinking. It's so unwise, the religion of personal comparison. For every man shall bear his own burden, shoulder his own load. Amen.