I've entitled this message, Examine
Yourselves. Now, may the Lord give us the
grace to truly examine ourselves in light of what the scripture
has to say about this subject. Now, before I get into the text,
if you examine yourself and you can look within and think, well,
I am this, this, or this. I'm holy. I'm obedient. I don't
have sin in my life. If you can come up with that
and think, therefore, I must be a Christian, if that's the
kind of examination you do, you've missed it altogether. Now, I'm
sure of that. That's not what Paul means. I
don't know how many people have put themselves through so much
in self-examination, trying to look and see, am I good enough?
And so on. I can tell you right now, you're
not. And if you think you are, you've deceived yourself. So
I wanted to say that at the very beginning of this message regarding
examining yourselves, because somebody is thinking, oh no,
oh no, what's going to happen? In 2 Corinthians chapter 13 is
where Paul made this statement. And from chapter 11 until now. Paul was defending himself. You know, that's so sad. He had
to defend himself, the false apostles had been putting a question
mark upon his call, upon his apostleship. And he was defending
himself, and he was not doing this to vindicate or validate
himself. He knew that if a question mark
was placed upon him, a question mark would be placed upon his
gospel, and he said, I've become a fool in glory, and you've forced
me to do this. Look what he says in chapter
12, verse 11. I've become a fool in glorying and commending myself.
You've compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you.
For nothing am I behind the very cheapest apostles, though I be
nothing." Now, this was his attitude about himself. He knew, in and
of myself, I'm nothing. But I don't come behind the very
cheapest apostles. And the false apostles were questioning
his apostleship. Now, I, like you, I'm a sinner. I'm a fallible. Weak man. Prone to anything you are. Y'all feel sorry for me. I'm
just like you. You're just like me. We're sinful,
weak men prone to make mistakes, prone to go astray. That's true. And I would be dishonest to present
myself in any other way. But God has placed me as pastor
of this church. And he speaks to you through
me in the preaching of the gospel. That's how important this thing
is. He speaks through the preaching of the gospel. And if somebody
is questioning whether or not God has called me or question
my motives, they wouldn't be able to hear me, would they?
Not really. If that is questioned, I've said
this before, the man that I want to hear, the man, I've got to
have this in a man before I can hear him. If I don't have these
three things, I really don't want to hear him. First, he's
got to be God sent, having God's message. I've got to have that. I'm not interested in anything
else. Secondly, that man has to live
what he believes. And if he doesn't live what he
believes, I don't care how accurate his doctrine is. I'm not interested
in listening to him. I'm not going to listen to a
man who does not live what he believes. And thirdly, that man
has to have my best interest at heart. He's got to truly desire
for me to know the Lord, to be more concerned about me knowing
the Lord's name than his own name. I don't want to just be,
quote, part of his ministry. Those three things must be in
place before I can hear a man. Now, Paul said to the Corinthians. In verse one of Second Corinthians,
Chapter 13, this is the third time I'm coming to you. In the mouth of two or three
witnesses, shall every word be established, I told you before
and foretell you as if I were present the second time and being
absent now, I write to them which year to foresee it. And to all
other that if I come again, I'll not spare. Now here he was talking
about coming in apostolic authority. I don't know what all that means,
but I know that he had the ability to strike people blind. And I tried to think about that.
What if I had that power? You cross me, I strike you blind.
You don't believe what I say? I strike you blind. I'd be the
wrong man to have this kind of apostolic power. I know that.
It's a good thing I don't have it. He delivered people to Satan,
to the destruction of the flesh. What all that means, I don't
know. But it doesn't sound good, does it? He had this apostolic
authority. But notice when he spoke of this
apostolic authority earlier in this book, he said this is for
edification and not destruction. What if you believe simply because
you're afraid of what I do to you? That wouldn't be faith,
would it? That wouldn't be real. He said this is for edification
and not for destruction. But he says to these people who
did not believe, he said, when I'm coming to you, I'm not going
to come to spare you. Verse three, since you seek a
proof of Christ speaking in me, they were always questioning
whether Christ really spoke in him. Since you seek a proof of
Christ speaking in me, which to you it is not weak, but is
mighty in you, the gospel. For though, verse four, he was
crucified through weakness and the Lord Jesus Christ. Died. As a very weak man. On the cross, he was so weak
he was a man. Would you be weak if you were
nailed to a cross? Of course you would. He died
through weakness, the weakness of the flesh. For though he was
crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. God raised him from the dead.
For we also are weak in him. We also are weak, we make no
greater claims, but we shall live with him by the power of
God toward you. Now you're examining me. Here's
what Paul is saying. You're examining me. You're testing
me. Let's turn the tables around. Examine yourselves. whether you
be in the faith. You're wondering if Christ really
speaks to me. OK, that's OK. But let me wonder
about yourself to examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith,
prove your own sales, put your own sales to the test. No, you
not your own sales. How did Jesus Christ is in you? Except you be. Reprobate. Now Paul was telling the Corinthians,
and like I said, it's so sad the way they were questioning.
I mean, these people had learned the gospel through this man.
They first heard the gospel through him. God had taught them the
gospel, and yet they were always questioning. And you can see
all the problems that took place in that church as a result of
that. And he says, well, you examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. Don't you know your own selves
how the Christ is in you? Except you be a reprobate. That's a horrible sounding word,
isn't it? Reprobate. You know, there's words that
just sound bad. That's one of them. A reprobate. Don't you know that Christ is
in you except you be a reprobate. And Paul was not smug in his
use of that language. You know, he said in 1 Corinthians
9, 27, he said, I keep my body under subjection unless by any
means after I preach to others, I myself would be found to be
a castaway, which is the same word, a reprobate. Paul feared
that for himself. And, you know, I have eternal
security in Christ Jesus, and I fear this for myself. I don't
I don't want to be somebody that ends up being a reprobate. Now,
what in the world is a reprobate? Well, it simply means not passing
the test. Being examined and failing. being weighed in the balances
and found wanting, being rejected by God Himself as not being real. Now, I dare say that every believer
in here has feared that. Have you not feared before that
lest you be a reprobate? I know I have. It scared me to
death. The thought of not being real, not being genuine, because
you know something about the sinfulness of your own heart
and you can see where you could go in that direction. What is
a reprobate? The word is first used in Romans
chapter one. Would you turn with me there? Verse 28. And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge. God said, OK. You won't be, I
won't be in your knowledge. God gave them over to a reprobate
mind. Now, reprobate is someone who
God just takes his hand off. You don't want me. OK, you're
not going to have me. I'm going to leave you to yourself.
Look in verse 18 of this same chapter and see what led Paul
to make this statement. He said, For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men who hold, and that is literally who hold down the truth
in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them, for God has showed it to them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen.
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead, so that they're without excuse. All I have to
do is look at the creation and that renders me without excuse
before God. Verse 21, because that when they
knew God and I think what is interesting here, what who he's
talking about right now are the Greek philosophers, the wise
men, the educated men. The Greek philosophers, here's
what they did. Because when they knew God, they glorified him
not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools. And they changed the glory of
the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore,
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who
changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served
the creature more or rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen. For this cause, God gave them
up unto vile affections. For even their women did change
the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise,
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another, men with men, working that which
is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of
their error, which was meat. And here's what was behind it
all. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
what they knew of God, they didn't like. What did they do? They
didn't like to retain Him in their knowledge. So God gave
them over to a reprobate mind. Now we read in 2 Timothy 3, 8
of those who are reprobate concerning the faith. They're void of understanding. They can't hear. They can't understand. God has removed the light and
the reprobate concerning the faith. And then we read in Titus
1, 16 of those who are to every good work reprobate. Now, if
I'm not in the faith, If I don't have Christ in me, that means
I am reprobate, worthless, having not passed
the test. And Paul says to the Corinthians,
examine yourselves, put yourself to the test. First of all, because
of the importance of this subject. Where you spend eternity hinges
on this, all the things that are going on in life. How important
are they in comparison to where you spend eternity? Examine yourselves,
because if you're mistaken, that can be rectified here. But if
I find out I'm mistaken in the world to come, it'll be too late. Examine, you know, if I'm not
real, I want to know, don't you? If I'm counterfeit, I want to
know, I want the Lord to show me and grant me true faith in
His Son, true repentance. Third, examine yourselves, because
many have been mistaken. Did not our Lord say, many shall
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not preached in
your name? And in your name have we not
cast out demons? And in your name have we not
done many wonderful works? These fellows were very religious.
They thought they were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
what does he say to them? I never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from
me, ye that work iniquity. Examine yourself, because you'll
be examined by the Lord himself. Now, notice what he says back
in our text, 2 Corinthians 13. Verse five, the first thing he
says is examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith. Now, like I said, most people,
when they do a self-examination, Well, look and see how obedient
you are, how holy you are. Do you have any known sin in
your life? Do you have any allowed sin in your life? And I've read
those. I've read a lot of biographies of preachers and so on. And they
would talk about self-examination. They said, I looked and I didn't
see any known sin in my life. And I'm thinking, man, you know,
who are you? You know, I can't identify with
that. I know you don't know what all
your sins are, but... If you can, if you can examine
yourself, I must be a Christian because of how holy and good
and humble and everything I am, you know, well, you know, I can't
relate with you. That's not what that means, though.
He says, examine yourselves, first of all, whether you be
in the faith. And you put yourself to the test
and examine yourself right now, whether or not you are in the
faith. You see, there is something called
the faith of God's elect, Titus 1.1. It's the faith that all
of God's elect possess, and it's called the acknowledging of the
truth. Which is after godliness, wherever there's a true acknowledgement
of the truth, there is godliness. Now, the gospel is a person and
the gospel has a content. There is someone and something
that must be believed. The Lord said, he that believeth
not shall be damned. That right there tells you there's
something that must be believed. He said, if you believe not that
I am he, you'll die in your sins. There is something that must
be believed. Turn to 1 John chapter 4. I love the simplicity of this
summary of divine truth. First John, chapter four, beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, put them to
the test. The preachers are hearing, put him to the test, whether
they are of God, because many, not just a few, many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God. This is how you can know whether
a man is false or whether he's true. This is how you can know
whether what you believe is the true gospel or something false. Every spirit that confesseth. Now, before I go on, the only
thing you really believe is what you'll confess publicly. If you
don't confess it publicly, you don't believe it. And a preacher's
preaching. What does he believe? What he
says publicly. Nothing more, nothing less. He may say many
things privately, and he may be in agreement with you, but
if he doesn't say it publicly, if he doesn't confess it, and
if you don't confess it, you don't really believe. If I don't
confess this, a man doesn't believe any more than he actually confesses. Verse 2, Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God, every spirit that confesseth, that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God. Now, I want you to notice the
simplicity and the power of that statement. Every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. Now, there's three things I say
in making that confession. First, I confess he was before
he came. I confess his eternal deity. He's the uncreated Son of God,
the creator of the universe, the sovereign over all things. I confess that. And I confess,
He came in the flesh. God became a man. I confess that. Jesus Christ
is the God-man. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. And I confess that He did what
He came to do. When He came in the flesh, He
had a reason. He had an intent. He had a purpose
in coming. Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. And that's exactly what He did.
When he died on Calvary 3, when he said it is finished, that
meant I've saved my people from their sins. And we confess that. That's our confession. Verse
3, And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist
which you heard that it should come. And even now already it
is in the world. Examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. Now that's talking about what
we believe, but this means more than believing the right thing.
I want to ask you a question. I want you to think about this.
Don't you reckon the devil is a Calvinist? I have no doubt he is. He knows
the Bible. He doesn't blame free will. He
knows the doctrine of grace is true. You believe there's one
God, James said, you do well. The devils believe and tremble. This is not just talking about
having the right doctrine and the accurate doctrine, because
you can make a righteousness of that, a self-righteousness.
You can think I'm saved because I believe the right thing. That's
not faith and that's not salvation. This is more than simply believing
the right thing. Although if you have faith, if
you're in the faith, you do believe the right thing. Turn to Galatians chapter 2. Paul says in verse 20 of Galatians chapter 2, I am
crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. I've been crucified with Christ,
Paul said. When he was crucified, I was. This is my hope. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is behind every truth in scripture concerning salvation.
I was crucified with Christ because I was in him. When he was crucified,
I was crucified. When he was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead. But notice in that last sentence,
I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave
himself for me. And I do live by the faith of
the Son of God. But that word by can also be
translated in. I live in the faith. of the Son
of God. I live in Him. I live in His
faithfulness. Because I am in Him, I am living
in His faithfulness. He is the faith I'm in. I'm in
Him. I live by His faith. That's what it is to be in the
faith. It's more than just believing the right things. It's being
in the Lord Jesus Christ so that his faithfulness is your faithfulness
before God. His faith is your faith before
God. What do you think about your
faith? It's weak, isn't it? You think about how unbelieving
you are. Somebody had to believe God perfectly. He did. I'm living in His faithfulness. Now, how do I know I'm in the
faith? Listen to this. Because I'm consciously, completely
dependent on being in Him. Right now, consciously, I understand
this. I understand this. And I'm completely dependent
upon being in Him. Now, what that means is, no man
comes to the Father but by me. The only way I come to the Father
is when He comes to the Father. And when He comes to the Father,
I'm in Him. So I come to the Father by Him. In the Lord Jesus Christ. What is it to be in the faith?
It's to be in His faith. In His faithfulness. I am saved
by Him. And I know that that's my only
hope. Now, you put yourselves to the
test. He said, don't you know your own selves how that Christ
is in you? Except you be reprobates. Now, what is this thing of Christ
being in a man? Well, first turn to Romans, Chapter
eight. Romans, Chapter eight. Verse
nine. But you are not in the flesh.
But in the spirit. Now, this isn't something you
go in and out of. You're either in the flesh or
you're in the spirit. It's not like you're one day in the spirit
having a really good day and another day you're in the flesh,
you're having a really bad day and kind of going back and forth
and no. He says, you're not in the flesh, but in the spirit,
if so, be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any
man have not the spirit of Christ, he's none of his. The spirit
of God is the spirit of Christ, and if Christ be in you, the
body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because
of righteousness. Now, Christ in you is the indwelling
of his spirit. The physical body of Christ is
not in you. He's seated at the right hand
of the Father. That's where He is. He's not
in you in that sense. He's seated at the right hand
of the Father. But He is in you by His Spirit. The church is
His body, and He dwells in each member of the church by His Spirit,
the Spirit of Christ. Notice how He says, In verse
10, and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin,
but the spirit is life because of righteousness. And what do
you mean by that? I'm not dead. I'm alive. The infant isn't in
the grave yet. So he's not talking about physical
death, but he's talking about the old man. He's dead. Is there
going to be anything better than that? It's dead. No goodness in it. But the spirit
is life. Because of righteousness, the
righteousness of Christ in me, the new birth. Here we have the
two natures, don't we? The one nature's dead. That's
all you can call it. Nothing but sinful. Going to
be put in a grave. The other is life because of
righteousness. Now, I know people say, well, that means I don't
need to worry about my sin. I can't help it. You know, it's my sin
doing it. You can have that if you want, but you can have that
attitude if you want, but you'd miss Christ if you do. That's
not the attitude a believer has. It's not like, well, I don't
need to worry about my sin. It was the old man doing it. I won't worry about
it. No, you did it. You did it. And it's all your
fault. And you know it was the old man
in you. And the new man is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Turn back to Galatians chapter
two. We've already read this once, but let's look at it again. Know ye not your own selves,
how that Christ is in you, except you be reprobate. He says in
verse 20 of Galatians, chapter two, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Now, I'm
the one I believe. I do. I believe. I repent. I love the Lord Jesus Christ,
I really do. If God cut open my heart, you
can see what's really there. You find someone who in his heart
loves and adores the Lord Jesus Christ. I bow before him. He's
my Lord. He's my God. I live. I live. I really do. But look what he
says next. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life that I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Now, here's what I'm relying
on. Here's what motivates me. He loved me. And he gave himself
for me. Now, that statement is meaningless
if universal redemption is true. If Jesus Christ died for everybody,
without exception, Well, everybody can say he loved me and gave
himself for me, and I might wind up in hell anyway. But this is
talking about the particularity of his love, of his grace, and
the assurance we have, knowing that Christ died for me. He loved
me and gave himself for me. Now, I live, yet it's not me,
but Christ liveth in me. Now, I know where the faith I
have comes from. It's Him in me. I'm dead sure
of that. I know where the love I have
to Him comes from. It's Him in me. I can't give
myself the credit for this. It's Christ in me. The hope of glory. Verse 21, he says, I don't frustrate
the grace of God for righteousness came by the law. Then Christ
is dead in vain. You really believe grace when
Christ is in you. You don't frustrate. You don't
make void or meaningless the grace of God. And look in Galatians
chapter four, verse 19. My little children. Of whom I
prevail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. I desire
to be present with you now and to change my voice for I stand
in doubt of you. You say you're believers, but
you're not acting like a believer. Tell me you desire to be under
the law. Now, whenever I find somebody
that desires to be under the law, I know that's somebody that
Christ is not in. Because I know this, if Christ
is in you, you're going to have a strong desire to not be under
law, but under grace. How about you? Is that your desire? To not be under law, but to be
under grace. Tell me you that desire to be
under the law. Don't you hear what it says? Christ formed in
you. And you know what that means?
You have the mind of Christ. You have the mind of Christ.
If Christ is in you, you have the mind of Christ. Christ loves
his father. You do, too. Christ believes that His glory
is more important than anything else. You do too. You have the mind of Christ. Christ knows He's the only Savior. He knows that in His own mind.
You know it too, don't you? Christ knows He's successful.
You know it too. You have the mind of Christ.
You believe the way He believes. Christ formed in you in character. Christ is merciful. Him formed
in you makes you a merciful person. Christ forgives. Him formed in
you makes you a forgiving person. The Lord Jesus Christ is humble
and lowly. He said, I'm meek and lowly in
heart. And if Christ is formed in you,
You're going to be a meek, lonely person. You're going to know
yourself for what you are. You're going to see yourself
at the bottom. He even called himself the least. You call yourself
the least. He's seen in your character the
fruit of the Spirit. That's Christ in you. It's called
love. Love to God for who he is. You
wouldn't change him if you could. You love every attribute. You
love his way of saving. You love him. Joy. The joy that
comes from believing he is salvation. Peace. Oh, the peace of knowing
that all God requires of you. He looks to his son for it. You
get peace from that. Then everything he requires from
you, he looks to his son for it. Oh, the joy and peace of
knowing that. Long suffering. knowing he's
in control, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,
Christ in you, by his Spirit, the hope of glory. What did all
three bad ground years have in common? Remember the parable
of the sower, the four different years? What did the three bad
ground, the wayside, the ones that soon sprung
up, And the thorn choked here, none of them bore fruit. You
know why? None of them had Christ in them.
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now, one last scripture, Colossians
chapter 1. Verse 26. Even the mystery, which has been hid from ages
and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints,
to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you. The hope of glory. And you know what my hope of
glory is? Christ. All my hope. That I'm in Him
and He's in me. That's all my hope of glory. I have a hope. I have a confident
expectation. It's me in Christ and Christ
in me. And I believe from the depths
of my heart If I have faith, it's Christ in me. You believe
that about yourself? If I have true repentance, it's
Christ in me. And he is the hope of glory. Now, can a man know Christ is
in him? Yes. Yes. You can know right now for sure
whether or not Christ is in you. How? Well, Paul tells us in our
text, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Do I believe? One last scripture,
1 John chapter 5. Now, I want to make this as open
and wide and clear As it stated, I don't want to put any qualifications
on it. I don't want to put any anything
to hedge it about. Here it is. First John, chapter
five, verse one. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. The Christ is God's anointed.
It's not just his last name. He's God's anointed prophet.
He's the word of God. He's God's anointed priest. The
only way I can come into God's presence is through my great
priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's God's anointed king. He's
the king of kings and Lord of lords. And I need him as the
Christ. I need him as God's prophet to bring the word of God to me.
He is the word of God. I need him as God's priest to
represent me before the father. I need him as God's king to reign
in me by his grace and to subdue me. I need him. And I believe. Now take this. Here it is. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. Is born of God. There you go. If you believe
that Jesus is the Christ. You're born of God. You're in
the faith. And Christ is in you. Examine
yourselves, whether you be in the faith. Know you not your
own selves, how that Christ is in you, except you be reprobate. Let's pray together.