DO YOU KNOW YOURSELF?

Introduction

Boy, y’all almost didn’t have a sermon this morning. Or at least not from me, as I got trapped in the bathroom. Not trapped like you normally think, the door worked all right, but as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And I just couldn’t pull myself away. So this morning we want to talk about self-examination and looking at ourself in the mirror. But unlike my illustration, honestly looking at ourself in the mirror.

And say, wait a minute, how am I doing? Where am I at in this journey? Am I where I need to be? Should I be further along?

What can I do to get where I need to be? Back to that illustration. That’s what that mirror really is for, not to look there and admire yourself, to see what corrections need to be made. What additions or subtractions or changes need to be made to make me what I need to be. And certainly, if that applies to so many areas of our life, it certainly doubly applies to our spiritual life. Frank, in our Bible reading, took us to 2 Corinthians chapter 13. Let’s go back there. Because we’re going to use that as our text this morning. Probably one of the most famous biblical texts that talk about the subject of self-examination is 2 Corinthians chapter 13, where the apostle Paul says in verse 5, just that.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.

Unless indeed you are disqualified.

Now, before we get into the lesson this morning, I think that we have to be honest with this text and look at it in its true contextual setting.

Paul, as he would tell us in this second letter, Paul was concerned about how they would have received that letter. Did it really work? Had they received it in the true spirit of love that it had been written? And were they making those corrections? And 2 Corinthians tells us that for the most part, yes, that was true. But there were those in Corinth, and sadly in other places, who had challenged Paul’s apostolic authority. You know, if you want to attack the message, the cheap, lazy way is to attack the messenger. And some had done that with Paul. You’re not a real apostle. You’re not like Peter and Matthew and those other real apostles, and so we don’t have to listen to you. And so we can discount what you say.

And so, Paul, as you may remember in your studies of 2 Corinthians previously, Paul spends much of this letter defending himself, which he would kind of facetiously call boasting of himself. And so when he gets to 2 Corinthians chapter 13, and he says, Examine yourselves whether you’re in the faith, he’s kind of using a method of logic.

If I’m not a real apostle, if I’m not a real preacher of the gospel, then what does that say about you? Who came to Christ by my preaching? Then you’re not a real Christian. Doesn’t that track? And so in defending himself, he says, you don’t really have to just look at me, you have to look at yourself in the mirror. Examine yourselves whether you’re in the faith. In other words, if you’re in the faith, then I was preaching the faith. That makes sense. Examine yourselves whether you’re in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know that yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you’re disqualified? But I trust that you will know that we, Paul, the apostles and others that worked with him, we are not.

You’re not disqualified, and therefore we are not disqualified. But in all of that context, Paul is challenging them, and then us 2,000 years later, to do some introspection, to do some self-examination, to pause and look in the mirror. And that’s challenging. It’s challenging for a couple reasons, because despite my joke at the beginning, I don’t like looking in the mirror because I don’t like what I see. Physically and every other sins. Because I see my flaws.

There’s so many other screens in my life that I can look at. I have television screens and computer screens in my house. I have computer screens here in my study. I have a computer screen I carry around in my pocket. And if I forget to carry it around in my pocket, I will turn around and go back home and get it. There’s so many things vying for my attention that it’s tough to just stop. And that’s what it requires. Stop everything and think about.

1. Are You a New Testament Christian?

Who I am, where I am, and where I ought to be. But I need to do that. And so I’m going to do that this morning and let you take that journey with me. And so, do you know yourself? Examine yourself. Do you know yourself whether you are in the faith? Let’s do three examinations this morning. First, let’s start at the beginning. Are you a New Testament Christian? That’s the beginning. We can’t really do any self-examination unless we start there. That’s the most basic and the most important question. Because nothing else matters if that’s not answered and answered correctly by the Lord’s standard. It’s such an important question that it must be answered, and it is so important of a question. Don’t take anybody else’s word for it except the Lord’s.

But just you, your heart, your conscience, and the word of God. Ask and answer that question. Now I phrased that brief question intentionally. Are you a New Testament Christian? That term Christian is used and I would argue overused and misused in our society to mean things maybe that the New Testament doesn’t mean by it. And so, in every sense in which the scriptures mean it, am I a New Testament Christian? And it’s important to look in the mirror, and the mirror is as James would tell us, is the word of God, and ask and answer that question. Because it’s possible to be wrong about that. Look with me in the book of Acts, chapters 18 and 19. As you probably know, we’ve been studying in the book of Acts here in our auditorium class this quarter.

And when we came to chapters 18 and 19, we encountered some people who thought they were right with the Lord, but they were wrong. If it was possible for them, it’s possible for us. In Acts chapter 18, the Apostle Paul comes to Corinth. And in Acts chapter 18, let’s skip down to chapter to verse 24. A certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. Paul leaves Corinth, goes to Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla are there. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. Now, up until the period in verse 25, do you think Apollos thought he was right with the Lord?

Well, sure he did. But we know, and Aquila and Priscilla knew that he wasn’t. He was mistaken. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. So here was a man who thought he was right with God, but was wrong. And if we can use our illustration this morning, which is a biblical illustration, remember James chapter 1, Aquila and Priscilla pulled him aside and said, Apollos, look into the mirror. Look into the mirror of God’s word.

You need to make some corrections. And thankfully, Apollos had that good heart, and he did that. In chapter 19. And it happened while Apollos was at Corinth, this is chapter 19, verse 1 of the book of Acts, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus, finding some disciples, he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, We have not so much as heard that there is a Holy Spirit. And he said to them, And what then were you baptized? And they said, into John’s baptism. Paul said, John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people they should believe on him and who should come after them, after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied, and there were about twelve of them. We don’t have time to break down everything that took place there. But again, much like Apollos, here are a group of twelve men. If we had asked them before Paul got there, y’all right with the Lord? Yes. No, you’re not. And again, what all Paul did was turn them around. Look in the mirror. It seems to me that as far as people’s relationship to God, we could put them in three categories. Number one, there are those who are outside of Christ, not Christians, and they know it.

You encounter those people every day. They’re outside of Christ, they’re not Christians, and they’re fully aware of that. The second category are those who are truly New Testament Christians and they’re aware of that. We would add in parentheses, that’s the only way you can be a New Testament Christian. You can’t accidentally obey the gospel. But there are those Christians, number two, you’re Christian, and you know it because you’ve read the scriptures, you’ve obeyed the scripture. But then, as illustrated in these two chapters in the book of Acts, there’s a third category, and that’s those who believe they’re right with God. They believe they’re in Christ. They believe they’re a Christian, but they’re wrong. And can we all agree that that third category is the most dangerous?

To be deceived, to think that you’re right when you’re wrong. And so we make that appeal to those who are here, to those who may be watching us online, and to those we encounter every day. Just examine the scriptures to see if you’re right with God. If what you’ve always believed, what your preacher preaches, your church teaches, what you did to get right with God is what God has commanded you. And we need in this day and time to insert this. It’s possible to know. Because there is a such thing as absolute truth. And it’s the word of God. And that’s why we emphasize unapologetically to put yourself into the Word of God. Read and examine it and to make sure that that’s what you’re doing, to be right with the Lord.

2. Are You Faithful? And Are You Growing?

But let’s take this self-examination thing to the next level. Are you faithful? And are you growing? Even a casual reading of the New Testament would make us aware that it’s possible to do all of those things right initially to get inside of Christ and then become a Christian, but then to fall away. Or to fall back. To not remain faithful or to not grow as we ought to. The Hebrew letter speaks of those people, doesn’t it? Look with me in Hebrews chapter 5. The Hebrew writer, you could argue he’s a speaker, some have argued that the Hebrew letter is really just a transcribed sermon. And I think that’s probably right. Here he is sermonizing, here he is preaching, and he’s talking about Melchizedek from the Old Testament, and he’s on a roll talking about Melchizedek, and he has to stop himself as he looks out on the audience and he goes, Oh, wait a minute.

I’d like to say a lot more about this deep subject of Melchizedek, but you can’t handle it. You should be able to handle it. You’ve been a Christian long enough that you should be able to absorb this material, but sadly you’re not growing as you ought to. And so he says of this in let’s just parachute in the middle of this sermon, uh, Hebrews 5 11, of whom that Melchizedek, we have much to say and hard to explain, since you’ve become dull of hearing. Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles, the oracles of God, and have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, and for he is a babe.

But solid food belongs to those who are full age. That is those who have by reason of use have their senses exercise both good and evil. Ignore that chapter break. Keep going. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ. Let us go on to perfection. The Hebrew writer just almost annoyingly stops in the middle of his discussion and says, You’re not where you ought to be. Turn around, look in the mirror. You need to be growing. Do better. You’re in danger. And then we think about another letter that our Lord Himself wrote in Revelation chapter 2 to a congregation that not only had stopped growing, but had regressed. In Revelation chapter 2. To that church in Ephesus, he would say, Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you’ve left your first love.

And we’ve puzzled for centuries, really, is it exactly what our Lord meant by that, but I think we know. I think the language there doesn’t mean that they had completely left the Lord. They had completely left the Lord whom they loved at first. Because the language doesn’t really match and line up with that. But he seems to be saying you’ve left the love for him that you had at first. I’ve heard no better illustration than the late Harry Pickup Jr.

Harry’s wife’s name was Joel. He often spoke of Joella in his sermons, and Harry used this illustration, and I’m sure I need to put this disclaimer in there. I’m sure he was being somewhat facetious and joking in this illustration. But Harry talked about when he and Joella were dating. He said, when they were dating, her hand never touched a doorknob because he would rush ahead and open every door. House, business, car. He opened every door for her. And he said, if there was a puddle of water, he would either pick her up and carry her across that, or he would take his jacket off and throw it on the puddle, and she would walk across that. But he said from the pulpit, he said, We’ve been married 50 years now.

And he said Joella could climb through a six-strand barbed wire fence, and I wouldn’t raise a finger to help her. And again, I know he was kidding. But he kind of illustrated that that here’s what I did when we were first in love. And I kind of lost that.

And I think that’s probably what our Lord means when he says, You’ve left your first love. That zeal and that interest and that dedication and that faith. Do you still believe in God? Yes. You still go to church every Sunday? Yeah. Still pray, read your Bible, yeah. But it’s just not the same. When I stop, if I dare, and look in that mirror. Is that me?

3. Am I Loving? Am I Gracious? Am I Kind?

Be honest. Have I left my first love? And let’s keep looking in that mirror is as comfortable as it is. Am I loving? Am I gracious? Am I kind? Turn with me to 1 John. First John, let’s start in chapter 3. We have made a grave mistake by separating doctrine from love. Well, this person’s doctrinally right, but they don’t have love. Make no mistake about it. Love is a doctrine. Love is a foundational teaching of the Lord. And John, or let’s get it right, the Holy Spirit teaches us in 1 John that you’re not a faithful Christian without love and graciousness and kindness. Let’s let the Holy Spirit speak to us. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 10. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.

Whoever doesn’t practice righteousness is not of God. Nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that we’ve heard from the beginning that we should love one another. Skip down. Verses 18 and 19 of the same chapter. My little children, let’s not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we’re of the truth and shall assure our hearts before us. Turn your page to chapter 4. Verses 7 and 8, beloved, 1 John 4, verse 7, beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God. For God is love.

Conclusion

Am I doing the things that I need to do to rekindle and to keep that love that I had, that zeal that I had at first, that faithfulness? Am I growing and progressing in my faith? And am I really a child of God? Do I love is God love? I’m trying. And as hard as it is, I’m looking in that mirror. And I’m trying to get prettier every day. And on the subject of love, I want to tell you I love you.

Seven and a half years ago, Deedra and I moved to work with you. And we’ve loved you ever since. But there’s an old saying, all good things must come to an end. And we’ve made the difficult decision to leave you. The need is great. We’ve received the Macedonian call to go to Joplin, Missouri. We spent nine years there, labored with a small church. They’ve been without a preacher since 2018. They’re doing okay, but they’re struggling. Also in Joplin, Missouri is Deedra’s aged mother. She’s not doing okay and she’s struggling. For those reasons, within the next month or two, we’ll be packing up the moving van and heading west. But we love you. Our time with you will come to an end, but our love never will doesn’t matter whether you never met me or whether you never see me again.

All that matters is that you have a relationship with God. And so we ask you to look into that mirror of God’s word this morning. And do not leave this building until honestly God’s word can agree with your conscience that you’re right with the Lord. Can we help you with that this morning? As together we stand and as we sing.