Let's open our Bibles now to
2 Corinthians chapter 13. I have a little problem staying
with my thoughts. I think you recognize that, and
I have to stay pretty close to my text, the text and then my
notes, because my ability to recall, to quote scripture, And
to develop a point that I haven't already studied and already prepared
is just going away. I don't have it anymore. And
so that's the reason I have to stay close to the text and close
to what I've written down. Because my ability to recall
and to quote scripture and to to develop a point that I haven't
already prepared is just very difficult, very difficult. So
I'll stay close to the text tonight, especially in the evening. In
the morning I do better, but in the evening it's a little
more difficult. Now when Brother Joe read this
text, 2 Corinthians 13, you may think that as we read it, that
my message tonight would be one of doubt and discouragement.
For example, in verse 5, Paul said examine yourselves whether
you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except
you be reprobate? But usually, you know, when a
preacher takes a text like that, that it is a message of examination
and a message of doubt and discouragement, but quite the contrary. I've
looked carefully at this scripture and at other scriptures relating
to this scripture, and I found that it's the opposite. The whole chapter, chapter 13,
was written not to plant doubts in our minds, not at all. But Paul wrote this chapter to
believers to give them a blessed hope, an encouragement, a living
hope, a good hope, a sure hope. Let me show you what I'm saying.
Let's look first of all at 1 Corinthians 11. Let's go over here to 1 Corinthians
chapter 11. Now here's a scripture that talks
about examining yourself, examining yourself. 1 Corinthians chapter
11. Let's look at this one. This
is coming to the Lord's table. 1 Corinthians 11 and Paul says
in verse 28, But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Let a
man examine himself, and so let him eat. Well, what Paul is saying
here is the believer is not examining himself in order not to eat,
He's not doing that. He's looking here, examine yourselves
and so let him eat of that bird and drink of that cup. He's not
examining himself so as not to eat. I can think of a lot of
reasons not to eat. Can't you? Don't you think of
a lot of things about yourself that would keep you from coming
to the Lord's table? Well, certainly you don't. But that's not what
he's asking us. He's saying examine yourself
and so let him eat. Examine yourself in the light
of His mercy, His grace, His blood, His righteousness, His
goodness. And when you examine yourself
in the light of God's mercy to you through Christ, you come
to the Lord's table. That's what that's saying there.
So let a man examine himself. Not in order not to eat. Not
in order to stay awake. but to come to the table of the
Lord because the Lord is merciful, the Lord is gracious, the Lord
is good. Now look at that 2 Corinthians 13. 2 Corinthians 13 that we read a
moment ago, verse 5. Now examine yourselves whether
you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves? Don't you know yourself? Of course
you do. How that Christ is in you, except you be a reprobate.
Examine yourself whether you be in the faith. Don't you know
your own heart? Of course I know my heart. Of
course I know that Christ is in me, that Christ has redeemed
me, that the Spirit of God is within me. That's the reason,
that's the reason we're in the faith, because we're in Christ.
That's the reason we're in the faith. We're not in the church.
We're not in an experience. We're not in a denomination.
We're in Him. Examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. Prove yourselves. Know you're
not your own self. Jesus Christ is in you. That's
why we're in the faith, because we're in Christ. That's the hope
that we have in Christ. Here's another one, 2 Peter.
2 Peter chapter 1. These verses are to encourage
believers, to encourage them to rest in
Christ, believe on Christ, trust in Christ, and be encouraged. 2nd Peter, I believe it's 2nd
Peter chapter 1, verse 10, yeah, 2nd Peter 1, 10. Wherefore the rather brethren
give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Give diligence,
not to doubt God, not to depart from the faith, but to make your
calling and election sure. Why are you examining yourself
to make sure of your calling and your election? Well, he tells
us why. If you do these things, you'll
never fall. If you make your calling and
election sure, you'll never fall. You'll have a blessed hope, have
a sure hope. And look at the next verse, verse
11. For if you make your calling and election sure, you'll not
only never fall, but so an entrance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. That's why. examining ourselves
whether we be in the faith, examining ourselves, so let it be. Give
diligence to make our calling and election sure based on the
scriptures and Christ and his precious blood because we have
a good hope and a sure hope. All right, go back to my text.
Go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 11, chapter 13. And Paul said here in this scripture,
and this is a chapter of encouragement, in verse 1 of chapter 13, this
is the third time I'm coming to you. What do you mean by that? Well, he visited them first in
Acts 18. In Acts 18, you remember I quoted
this this morning, Acts 18 verse 9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in
a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not your peace,
for I am with you, and no man will set on thee to hurt thee,
for I have much people in this city." I have much people in
this city of Corinth. And he continued there for a
year and six months. So he said, this is the first
time I've come to you. Came there and preached for 18
months. And then the second time he came
to them was when he wrote the first epistle. The first epistle
to the Corinthians. He came to them with that scripture,
with that epistle. Now he said, this is the third
time that I visited you. Once in person, once with the
first Corinthian letter, and now with the second Corinthian
letter. This is the third time. And he says in verse 1 of chapter
13, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be
established. Paul, two or three witnesses. Let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter
19. Deuteronomy 19, this is an established rule in the scriptures, and I
want you to read it, Deuteronomy 19 verse 15. One witness shall
not rise up against a man for any iniquity or any sin. In any sin that he sinneth, at
the mouth of two or three witnesses, at the mouth of two witnesses,
or at the mouth of three witnesses, let every word be established."
Now that's the truth of Scripture, and that's what Paul is saying
here. I'm coming to you, three witnesses, first in person, and
with the epistle, first Corinthians, and then the second Corinthians.
This is what our Lord said. You don't turn, I'll just turn
to these scriptures with you. Our Lord said in John chapter
5 about this two or three witnesses. He said in John chapter 5 verse
30, I can of my own self do nothing. As I hear I judge, and my judgment
is just, because I seek not my will, but the will of the Father
which sent me. Now watch this, this is Christ
speaking. If I bear witness of myself, only me, no other witness,
no other person speaking. My witness is
not true. That's what Paul is establishing
here in verse, in chapter 8 of John. Listen to what the Lord
says here. Listen to this. John 8, 17. It is written in the law that
the testimony of two men is true. Not one, two men. I am one that
bears witness of myself, and the Father which hath sent me,
hath borne witness of me. And that's the rule that Paul laid down here
in this first verse. All right, first verse. Chapter 13, 1 and 2. This is
the third time I've come unto you. Let there in the mouth of
truth be witnesses, let every word be established. I've told
you before, and I tell you and foretold you as if I were present
the second time, and being absent now, I write to you, to those
who hitherto have sinned, and to all others, that if I come,
I am not spared." You know, Paul said in Philippians, he wrote
the Philippian church a letter, and he said in Philippians chapter
3, This thing of repetition, here a little, there a little,
line upon line, precept upon precept, witness after witness. Paul said in Philippians 3, Brethren,
rejoice in the Lord, to write the same things to you, to repeat
what I've said to you again and again and again and again. to
me is not grievous, but for you it's safe. Keep on, keep on,
line upon line, precept upon precept, speaking the word of
God. All right, verse 3, let's look
at verse 3. Since you seek a proof of Christ
speaking in me, since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in
me, you know, We've dealt with this a couple of times, but let's
look at 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 1 and 2. Since you seek a proof that God
speaks through me, through Paul, and this is imperative for us,
because this man is the one God sent to give us the scriptures,
the apostle Paul. Am I not an apostle? Am I not
free? Have I not seen Christ our Lord?
Are not you my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others,
I am to you. Because there's a, listen to
this, there's proof. For the seal of my apostleship
are you in the Lord. You're proof of my apostleship. You're conversion. your salvation,
your understanding of the word. That's the proof, I think. The
proof. I'll show you another scripture
about this, 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Listen to this. In 2 Corinthians
10 verse 8. For though I should boast somewhat
more of our authority, God gave him the authority to write the
scriptures, preach the word, confirm it, which the Lord has
given us for edification, not for your destruction. That's
not our end or goal at all. It's not to hurt you, it's to
help you. I should not be ashamed. Now
watch this. That I may not seem as if I would
terrify you by letters, for his letters, say they, are weighty
and powerful. Paul's letters are weighty and
powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible. They said Paul's letters are
weighty and heavy, but his bodily presence is weak,
his speech hard to listen to. And what's verse 3 now in 2 Corinthians
13? Seek ye a proof of Christ speaking
in me, which to you it is not weak. What I preach to you is
not weak. The apostle Paul may be weak
in body, he may be weak and frail in appearance, but his message
is not weak. His message is mighty, mighty,
mighty in you. revealing Christ revealed in
you. I looked up an article on the
Apostle Paul. There's a, if you buy a Bible
dictionary, the best one is Smith's Bible Dictionary, but they wrote
a long article about the life of the Apostle Paul through various
testimonies. Josephus and others, and I know
much of it. He was born in A.D. 5. Our Lord
Jesus came forth in the Bethlehem 1 A.D., and Paul was born five
years later. But they wrote a little, some
things about Paul. And I just took a lot of it as
a grain of salt. But here's something they did
say about Paul that fits this scripture here. That one where
he said that his bodily presence is weak, his speech is contemptible. And here his bodily presence
is weak, but not weak towards you, it's mighty in God. But
here's what they said about Paul. His personal appearance had little
to command any admiration or even respect. The Apostle Paul
was a very small man with weak eyes and very poor health. That's what the writing says
about him. But I tell you this about his
gospel. It's the power of God to salvation.
The power of God to salvation. And God's servants may be weak,
they are weak, and we can fail. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
3, if you don't mind turning to a lot of scripture with me.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 3, 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 1 and 2, it says here, do we begin again to commend
ourselves. Or need we as some others epistles
of commendation to you or letters of recommendation from you? You are our epistle, written
in our hearts, known and read of all men. That's the proof
of his power and his preaching. God's true preachers God's true
preachers profess no personal power, no natural strength, and
no natural charisma in themselves. They're always weak. Always weak. In fact, the Apostle Paul said
here in 1 Corinthians 2, he said this in verse 3, I was with you
in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech
and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration of the spirit and power." Oh, if we could just
learn that. It's not natural charisma and
eloquence and intellect and power and human strength. It's in demonstration of the
spirit and power, listen to verse 5, that your faith should not
stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Our gospel
came to you not in word only, but in the Holy Spirit in power
and much assurance. All right, now here's what we're
looking at in chapter 13 now. Paul, weakness in the flesh. power in the spirit, weakness
in the flesh. But our gospel is not weak, our
gospel is mighty. All right, verse 4. Now he's
talking about the Savior here now. For though he, our Lord,
was crucified through weakness, there was a time when our Lord
was weak. The Savior himself was weak. He was crucified Who
hath believed thy report? To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? He shall grow up before him as
a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form,
no comeliness, and when we shall see him there is no beauty we
should desire him. He is despised, rejected of men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hear it as it
were, our faith is from him, he's despised and we're esteemed
in naught. He was crucified through weakness. Our Lord was weak. That's right. Look back at verse
4 now. Though he was crucified through
weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. Our Lord lives
by the power of God. His blood is effectual. His righteousness
is sufficient. His spirit is invincible. His
kingdom is forever. And because He lives, we live. Look at that next line. For we
are weak in Him. We're weak with Him. Our master
was weak. But we're weak with Him. Everything
about us is weak. Is that not true? I know that.
Very strongly at this time. Very weak. Everything about us
is weak. You get weaker all the time. Listen to Psalm 39. And getting
weaker, not stronger. Psalm 39. Psalm 39, listen to
this, verse 4 and 5. Now Lord, make me to know my
end. Make me to know the measure of
my days, what it is, what is it, weakness, that I may know
how frail I really am. Behold, thou hast made my days
as a hand-breath. That's not very long, is it?
My age is as nothing before thee. Verily every man at his best
state, all together, Boy, Paul's talking to us here,
isn't he? Talking to us. Though he was
crucified, our Lord was crucified through weakness. He died. My
God, why have thou forsaken me? I thirst! Yet he lives by the power of
God. He lives. And because he lives,
I live. You live. And we're weak with
him. We just don't know how weak we
are and how weak we're going to be. He said, he was crucified through
weakness, but he lived by the power of God. And we are weak
with him and we're going to live with him by the power of God
towards you. We're going to live with Christ,
the life of Christ. You're not. Crucified with weakness, live
by the power of God. Weak with Him, frail. Help me
to know how weak and frail I really am. But I'm going to live by
the power of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's right.
Turn to John 17. John 17. This is John 17. Listen to our Lord. John 17,
verse 20. Now neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word, through the gospel, that they may be one as thy Father
art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us, that the
world may believe thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou
hast given me I have given them, that they may be one even as
I am one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect and one, that the world may know how thou hast sent me, and thou
hast loved them as thou hast loved me." Now look at this verse
5. When you look at it like this,
It doesn't lead to doubt and fear and it leads to assurance
and confidence because we're in Christ. So examine yourselves. What's the question? Examine
yourselves whether you be in Christ. That's the question. Whether you be in the faith of
Christ and whether Christ is in you. Let me read the whole
verse. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith, prove your
own selves, know you're not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ
is in you. I'm in him, and he's in me. You're in him, and he's in you.
That's right. You're in Christ, and Christ
is in you. Now, the question One of the old writers said,
now the question here is not, is Christ in the world, filling
heaven and earth? He is, and he does. The psalmist
said, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the
world and all that dwell therein, he's here. Somebody said, in
the scriptures, further shall I go from thy presence. If I
take the wings of the morning, they aren't there. If I dwell
in the other parts, other most parts of the sea, they aren't
there. If I say, surely the darkness will cover me. No, it'll be light
about you. He's everywhere. So the question
is not, am I in the world because Christ is in the world. He's
everywhere. Secondly, the question is not,
Is Christ in every rational creature? Is he in every person as their
creator and life giver? Well, that's what the scripture
says. It said, in him was life, in him was life, and the life
was the light of men. And the lightness, and the light
shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
Christ is in a sense, the creator of every man, every woman. So that's not, when we say if
Christ in you and you in Christ, we're not talking about every
rational creature. Because you know the Lord said, thou
hast given me power over all flesh. He's the Lord of the dead
and the living. All things are naked and open
to him with whom we have to do. Act 1731 says God is upon the
day in which he adjusts the whole world by this man. So what is the question here?
Well, I'll tell you what it is. Examine yourself whether you
be in Christ and Christ in you. That's it. Here's the question. Whether you and I are in Christ
and Christ is in us. We are in Christ and Christ is
in us. How are we in Christ? Examine
yourself whether you be in Christ. Now I talk about is he in the
world or is he the creator of all people and has some kind
of relationship and judgment upon all people. We're talking
about here this question. Am I in Jesus Christ? Is Jesus
Christ in me? That's it. That is the question.
Samuel says, whether you be in Christ and whether Christ be
in you. How do I know that? Very clear. Number one, we are in him and
he is in us by an everlasting covenant of mercy which the heavenly
father gave to us. in Christ Jesus. David said this,
he said, Although it be not so in my house, God hath made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, and this
is all my salvation and all my desire, that everlasting covenant
of mercy. We're in Christ by divine sovereignty. by divine choice, by divine election,
by divine predestination, we're in Christ. God put us there. He put us in him and him in us. Secondly, we are in Christ in
a special spiritual manner by the Holy Spirit whom God has
sent to us to quicken, to regenerate to give us life, born again by
the power of the Spirit of God. Listen to John chapter 1. Turn
to this scripture, John chapter 1, verse 1 John chapter 4. I'm sorry, 1 John chapter 4.
Listen to this. 1 John chapter 4, verse 13. that we dwell in God. We're in
Christ and Christ is in us, and he's in us. Isn't that what we're
talking about? Hereby we know this divine covenant
of mercy by the act of the Father put us in Christ. Now, hereby
know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he has given
us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify
that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that
Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. Isn't that what we're talking
about? I in you, Christ in you, and you in Christ. God, the Son of God, God dwells
in us, and we dwell in God. You see that? All right, thirdly, we're in Christ by divine regeneration,
substitution, and representation. In order for God to redeem us,
the Lord God had to raise up unto us a redeemer, a savior,
a messiah. Take our place, take our guilt,
take our sin, pay our debt, redeem us. And that's what it says here
in 2 Corinthians 5. I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians
5 and listen to this. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. We're in him by substitution,
regeneration, and representation. As in Adam we die, in Christ
we're made alive. All right, 2 Corinthians chapter
5, verse 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
that's what we're talking about, he is a new creature. Old things
have passed away, behold, all things have become new. And all
things are of God, who hath reconciled us, we had to be reconciled,
to him set by Jesus Christ and had given to us the ministry
of reconciliation. that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and
had committed unto us this world of reconciliation. Now then,
we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you
by us. We pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God, for he hath made him to be sin for
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. And fourthly, in Christ's covenant mercies,
in Christ by spiritual birth, in Christ by regeneration, substitution,
reconciliation, and we're in Christ by a sovereign act of
the will and the power of our Heavenly Father. Let me read
you from the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. Now listen
to this. It talks about what we were and
where we came from. And verse 4 of Ephesians 2. But God who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were
dead and sinning, he quickened us to gather with Christ, by
grace you are saved. And he raised us up together,
and he made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
God did all this, that in the ages to come he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, the
Father's workmanship. We're created in Christ Jesus
on two good works, which God hath before ordained. We should
walk in them. That's how I know that I'm in
Christ, and Christ in me. And that's how you know. And
that's examination that is conducted by Scripture, what Scripture
said, what God said. All right, let me give you this
before we close. Let's go down to verse 6, 7,
8 here. I trust that you that you shall know that we,
that I'm not a reprobate. Well, what is a reprobate? The
scripture says the word is unapproved, rejected, worthless. That's what
a reprobate is, worthless, unapproved. And Paul says, I trust that every
one of you will know that I and we, the apostles, are not reprobate. And I pray to God that you do
no evil, not that we should appear approved, But that you should
do that which is honest, even if you think I'm a reprobate.
Now watch this. For we can do nothing against
the truth, but for the truth. I found something here that is
so powerful. God's sovereignty. who all things are of God. We
can do nothing against the truth. None of us, or all of us, can
do nothing against the truth. But for the truth. God's truth, God's promise, God's
purpose, and God's will. And here's what one of the old
writers said. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The Lord God is sovereign, the
gospel is true. The Lord Jesus Christ is God
manifest in the flesh. The will of God in covenant mercies,
the redemptive work of Christ, shall be victorious. All that
my Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to
me I will no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the will of God which has sent me. that all that you've
given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day.
So, you can't do anything against the truth. Neither Paul, nor
the Corinthians, nor the Baptists, nor the Methodists, nor the Catholics,
nor any man, nor any woman, nor any person, nor Satan, nor the
forces of evil, can do anything to alter God's person, God's
purpose, or defeat God's truth, whether in obedience or a rebellion,
his will shall be done. I'm glad. I rejoice. God's will shall be done. You can do whatever men will,
in rebellion or in obedience, whatever, but they're not going
to do anything against God's truth. Verse 9, so I'm glad when I'm
weak, because when I'm weak and when his preachers really know
they're weak in themselves, we're not weak in the gospel, we're
not weak in God, but we're glad when we're weak because God taught
us our weakness and our inability in order that the power of Christ
might rest upon us. One of the men said to me this
morning, I think it was one of the old preachers, Jonathan Edwards
I think it was, he said, you know I've lost that. I'll get back to it next week. He said, I'm glad when I'm weak.
Because you're strong. When he takes our gospel and
preaches it to you, that makes you strong in Christ Jesus. And this is what we wish, even
your perfection, your maturity, your growth and grace. Therefore
I write these things unto you being absent, lest being present
I should use sharpness according to the power of God which the
Lord hath given me. He gave me this power, this authority
to edification, that's why he gave it. That's what God, he
gave us our weakness that the power of God might rest upon
us. He gave us the authority to edify his people, not destroy
them, not run them off, not make them unhappy. He hasn't given
us this authority and this power to to destruction but to edification. Teach the people of God. That's
where it is. All right, here's the benediction.
Finally brethren, farewell. Be mature. Be what we ought to
be. Be of good comfort. Be of good
comfort. Be encouraged. Be of one mind. agreeable in one mind with one
another. Live in peace. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace
be with you. Greet one another with a holy
kiss. All the saints salute you. And
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion
of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Now that, like I told you
at the beginning, that wasn't a message to doubt and flee from
God, it's a message of encouragement and comfort for the people of
God.