Identifying Our Present Character in God's Word Part 2 "Examining Ourselves"
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1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Introduction.
Introduction.
Welcome Justin and Lana Purdy Jasper, Willow Judah
There was a saying during the French Revolution that “Revolution eats its own children” which is a way of saying that insecure political leaders must always have enemies, even if the enemy is of their own kind.
Eventually no one is pure enough, no one is good enough, all are involved in a sinister plot to destroy us, when in actuality the destruction comes from within.
Jesus is saying that a person filled with bitterness should never attack the object of his bitterness. He loses all ability both to see clearly and to help his brother.
If we do not have the ability to help or to warn properly, why do it?
It is very easy to turn the mirror of God’s Word on our brothers and sisters and identify them in the Word, but what about ourselves?
Why is it that we are always with Moses, Nathan, and Micaiah, and our current enemies are always with Balaam, David and Ahab?
Paul had a different idea in the New Testament:
4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
This does not mean that wrong doesn’t need to be dealt with, it just means make sure you’re looking with an unclouded eye. There’s a little bit of both in all of us, and we need to have some humility and recognize that.
The Gospel works by self examination.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
What are you? You’re a Christian, you live before everybody as a Christian. And if you take that and don’t live as a Christian, you’re not discerning the Lord’s Body.
You’re putting a stumbling block in somebody else’s way, see, as they see you trying to do that and then not living what you’re supposed to live. 65-1212 — Communion
If its okay to take communion by yourself this Scripture is meaningless. You don’t have to discern the Lord’s body to take communion alone.
When we take this, it shows to the church, that, “I believe every Word of God. I believe that He is the Bread of Life that come from God out of Heaven. I believe every Word that He says is the Truth. And I live by It, to the best of my knowledge, God being my Judge.
Therefore, before my brothers, before my sisters…I do not swear, I do not curse, I do not do these things, because I love the Lord, and the Lord knows it and bears me record.
Therefore, before you, I take the parcel of His body, to know that I am not condemned with the world.” See, there you are, then it’s a blessing. 65-1212 — Communion
The discernment of knowing that you are the Lord’s body, you can’t discern it in wickedness and sin; we’ve got to be above that.
That we discern that the Lord is righteous, and we discern that He’s our Propitiation; that all of our sins we’ve confessed, and we believe in Him of waiting upon His atonement to cleanse us from all of our iniquity; then we’re discerning the Lord’s body to what it’s, discernment of what it’s for.
And then discerning again, that in among us, as the Lord’s Bride body, let’s discern if there’s anything wrong with us in here that would hinder the Gospel from growing, or the Lord from presenting us before God as a chaste virgin.
Let’s discern that out right now and find if it’s wrong. Let’s confess it if it’s wrong. Let’s say, “Lord, I’m sorry about that.”
So therefore, there might be something that we’ve done, you’ve done, something I’ve done. It might not be consciously, right now, let’s ask God to forgive us for it. 63-0707E — Communion
The Word examine means “to approve after testing”
If we examine ourselves, we won’t be led astray.
The Corinthians weren’t sure that Paul was telling them the truth.
3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
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?
Now, just examine yourself by the Word, by the Message. Examine what a real Christian should be: rugged, loving, not one of this modern Christianity. Why, it’s soft, flexible, half dead, rotten, interbred.
See, it’s not the real Christianity; live any kind of a way, and belong to church. Don’t you want that sweet fellowship with Christ, the Holy Spirit, that you’re…the conformity of your own heart to the Word, move right up into Christ? 65-1207 — Leadership
As I told you, a while ago, listen to what I say! Listen close. Look back down, examine yourself with the Word and see where you’re at.
You women that’s got short hair, let her grow. You’re wearing shorts; take them off. Act like a lady. You men still smoking cigarettes, and running to pool halls, stop it.
I don’t care how much you profess. If you’re still holding that organization, and saying, “This is It, and this is It,” you better stop. Look back down, examine it with the Word.
We ought to have lived above the short hair and all. This age now, we’re back into Something now, that God is revealing the hidden mysteries, had been put on the Book before the foundation of the world.
And those who have obeyed in these small things, will catch It in these other things. If they haven’t, It’ll go over the top of their head, as far as the east is from the west. 63-0324M — Questions And Answers On The Seals
We must look in the mirror and discern our position in Christ.
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Do you get what I mean? That we are dead, that you already are raised with Him. That’s the earnest of our salvation, we’re setting together in Heavenly places. Look back to the places you come, look what’s going on, examine yourself, take inventory.
See: “Have I bypassed His Word? I don’t…I know the Bible says that, but I don’t believe it that way.” Be careful, you’re not dead yet. If the Holy Spirit was in there He would say, “Amen, That’s My Word,” See?
“Well, I believe the days of miracles is past.” You do, and the Bible said, “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever”? “I believe that the signs of Mark 16 was for another generation.”
You do, when He said, “These signs shall follow them that believe”? How far? “To the end of the world. Lo, I am with you always. And the works that I do shall you do also.” How long? “To the end of the world.” 62-0518 — Letting Off The Pressure
It’s difficult to examine yourself, but its good for you. (Castor Oil) (KM)
So I think that’s the way with preaching the Gospel. If It don’t stir you up a little bit, get your…feel your spiritual gastronomics started right, make you a little sick, to examine yourself with the Bible:
see if that old temper, and selfishness, ungodliness, love of the world, television, and things at night; and leaving the church set empty, and the pews set empty.
When, you ought to be out there like Jesus, you got His Spirit in you, trying to get everybody in the country to come to your church, to receive Christ. And we call ourselves then the Bride of Christ? Oh, what a pity, friend! 62-0121E — The Marriage Of The Lamb
The Bride is washed by the water of the Word here, she examines herself, makes herself ready, because she does not stand before the white throne judgment, she is herself a judge.
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
We must learn to judge righteously here, before we go there. Jesus is saying “Judge yourselves first.”
Death does not change who we are, only our dwelling place.
Moses and Elijah
And this was to bring forth two witnesses, Moses and Elias, prophets. Which, the Jews only believe their prophets. And they’ll come forth with the sign of the prophets, and their work will be that of the prophet, for they did exactly.
Showing one thing, that, man, when you die or whatever, when you leave this world, your nature doesn’t change. If you’re a liar now, you’ll be a liar there. If you’re hot-headed here, you’ll be hot-headed there.
If you’re a doubter here, you would be a doubter there. Men and women, it’s time to shake yourselves and to examine yourselves, and see where we are standing, for death does not change it. 64-0726M — Recognizing Your Day And Its Message
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Examine yourself for a root of bitterness. The root produces fruit.
Notice how organization breeds hatred. It destroys fellowship. It makes bitterness. That is what myrrh means. This is what Smyrna was full of. Bitterness.
A root of bitterness defiles many. So more and more defilement was coming in. Every age would feel its scars. CAB-04 — 4 - The Smyrnaean Church Age
And we know that every seed, or promise of God, will bring forth of its kind, what it promised, if it strikes the right ground, the ground that’s prepared, ready; all the rocks has been thrown out, and the roots, and the bitterness, and selfishness, and indifference, and jealousy, has all been grubbed out;
that root of bitterness that springs up, that sometimes so spoils the thing that God is trying to do. We pray, God, that that won’t be among us, but that the good Word will find good ground in these. 64-0403 — Jehovah-Jireh #2
Examine yourself and see if the fruit you are producing is right. Examine yourself by what a prophet said.
And now you’ve got tapes on that. You’ve got tapes on what we believe. You’ve got tapes on discipline in the church, how we behave ourself in the church of God, how we got to come here together and sit together in Heavenly places.
Don’t stay home. If God is in your heart, you can’t hardly wait for them doors to open out yonder, to get in here to fellowship with your brothers. If you don’t feel that way, then I tell you, it’s time you got to praying.
Cause, we’re in the last days, where the Bible exalted, or, exhorted us to, “Much more as we see that day approaching,” to love one another with Christian love and Divine love, “to assemble ourselves together in Heavenly places and Christ Jesus,” and love one another.
“This will all man know you are My disciples, when you have love one for the other.” That’s right. Stay right together.
If the brother, you think he’s a little wrong, or the sister, say, “Lord, don’t let me never have the root of bitterness spring up, ’cause it’ll affect him, and it’ll take the Christ right out of my life.”
That poison acids of malice, and jealousy, and hatred, that will just take the Holy Spirit right away from you. It will run Him from the tabernacle here. It’ll kill the Spirit of God, or drive It away from here, hurt your pastor. It’ll do everything. See? Don’t you do that.
You just wax that much closer together. Draw up the…Take the buckle, as the brother testified, a minister here the other night, about having a buckle, seeing it in a vision. Just, that buckles on the whole armor of God.
Just pull her on, tighten up, move right up close to one another. Love one another, anyhow. Talk nice about one another, say nice things about one another, and then God will bless you. 63-0728 — Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed
Examine yourself. Are you in the faith?
The Pentecostal Laodicean Church could not examine themselves.
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:
Back to a Pentecostal Inheritance. Yes, sir. That’s your Possession, denomination is not your possession, Pentecost is your Possession, not a Pentecostal organization, your fathers come out of such a thing, the Pentecostal Experience is your Possession.
Examine ourselves. The sounding of the Trumpet, “What kind of a Trumpet?” The Word, God’s Trumpet, the Holy Ghost in the Word. 62-1122 — Return And Jubilee
We are the elected, predestined Bride of Christ, but we need to check at times and see that what He has given us has not been lost.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
The church better be examining theirself by the Word of God, our purity, our loyalty, our devotion.
We’ve become tattlers, talebearers, cigarette smokers, backbiters, painted-up Jezebels, everything in the calendar that the rest of the world does, the Christian church is associating in those things today till you can’t hardly tell the one from the other. It’s time we took inventory. It’s getting late.
The candle and the broom.
Now, in order…it was so late till she had to light a candle. And she got a candle. Not only did she get a candle, but she got a broom and she went to housecleaning.
Oh, brother! If there ever was a need of a time of a lighting of a candle, the sending forth of the Gospel Light, the Holy Ghost back into the church…
Not so much for emotion, not for some fantastics, not for some emotional work-up, not for a jump for joy, but for a heart-searching experience when men and women get right with God. Right. We’re at the end time.
Bro. Branham wasn’t against jumping for joy, but He was telling us that isn’t the only thing the Holy Ghost does.
And she lit a candle, to give her light. And, brother, every little candle in here ought to be lit tonight. Not only that, but she got the broom, and the neighbors could see the dust flying.
She had a real housecleaning time, for her husband was about to come. And if he caught her with that one coin out, she was “a harlot.”
Brother, we the Church of the living God, in these great hours that we’re now living, it behooves us to check up, go before God, light the candle of the Word of the Gospel, and examine ourselves and find out if we’re not falling short, and especially when we see all these things coming.
We’re at the end time, the Coming of Christ is at hand. There’s not another hope in the world for the Church.
And, look, the church is lollying. The church has no conscience no more. You can hardly wake them up.
Illustrate: Waking up from Anesthesia.
The Bible said they would come in that condition when they’d say, “‘Lo, our Lord delays His Coming.’ And they’ll be devouring and biting one another, and so forth, and fighting around.”
It’s just exactly that hour. Everything’s ready. The pages is turned, as it was like that, and it’s ready, the Coming of the Lord.
The Lutheran church lost her light. The Methodist church lost her light. The Baptist church lost her light. The Pentecostal church lost her light. Every light seems to be gone.
The Pentecostal people, the Holiness people, is acting just exactly like the Methodist. The Methodist is acting like the Baptist. The Baptist is acting like the Lutheran.
The Lutheran is acting like the Catholic. And it’s all gone back to one great big conglomeration of sin. That’s right. We’re in the end time, the Coming of the Lord.
Now, she had a housecleaning time. She scrubbed the floors, she swept the walls, she took down the cobwebs, she kept on until she found what she had lost. And, when she did, she called her little sister churches to come now.
I don’t care if you’re a Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, come, let us rejoice together.
When that time come, when the church finds its brotherly love, when the church finds its holy decency, when the church finds its place in Christ, it’ll call to the other members of the body, “Come and rejoice with us.” God wants the church to love Him. 57-0417 — The Second Coming Of The Lord
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Examine Yourself by the Message of the hour, not by the church down the street. Are you in the Faith? Are you ready for a rapture? Is your heart on fire for God?