Self-Examination

A Danger in our Time

Revelation 3:14–17 (AV 1873)

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

The biggest deception in the end = self-deception

- Thinking that our spiritual condition is good when it is, in reality, degraded and deformed.

Revelation 3:18 (AV 1873)

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

We need spiritual illumination to see the true spiritual condition we have.

Jeremiah 17:9 (AV 1873)

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

We do not have good spiritual discernment on our own. We cannot trust our own hearts to show us our true spiritual condition.

Thankfully Scripture tells us of a remedy to self-deception:

Self-Examination

2 Corinthians 13:5 (AV 1873)

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The word “examine” [G3985] means “to test(obj.), i.e. endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline:—assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.”

The word “prove” [G1381] means “to test (lit. or fig.); by impl. to approve:—allow, discern, examine, × like, (ap-) prove, try.”

Here is the verse again in the ISV which is a solid rendering:

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ISV) Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don’t you, that Jesus the Messiah lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test?

Same thing commanded us before we partake of communion:

1 Corinthians 11:28 (AV 1873)

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Haggai 1:7 (AV 1873)

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Examine Self With What?

Our heart? Feelings?

James 1:22–25 (AV 1873)

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We should compare our lives with the law of liberty and love.

But even more so, we should compare our character with Christ, our perfect Pattern:

Christ declared:

Psalm 40:8 AV 1873

8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.

Christ lived the law out in His life, so He is the living law, not just the transcript!

1 John 2:6 (AV 1873)

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1 Peter 2:21 AV 1873

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

When we consider the character of Christ when we examine self we should have responses like follows:

Isaiah 6:5 (AV 1873)

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Daniel 10:8 (AV 1873)

8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

Luke 5:8 (AV 1873)

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

I want to encourage you all to have this kind of encounter every day.

At the end of each day we should review the events of the day in our mind, asking God to reveal our flaws and misteps so we can learn from our mistakes.