Look In

· The change I want to see, must first begin in me

· You cannot take anyone anywhere that you first have not been’

· You cannot expect others to do things that you yourself have not done or are unwilling to do

Hypocrisy –

· Expects others to change without personal change first

· one of the biggest hinderance to the Gospel and evangelism

· Before we can ever reach out, we must first reach in, or else the blind leads blind

(NLT)

Matthew 15:14 NLT

14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

Key Words: Inventory, Assessment – survey – examine

(NLT)

Psalm 139:23 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

He will show you

convicts of sin (FROM sin TO Truth)

(NLT)

John 16:8 NLT

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Look in the mirror of Word – accurate reflection – does not flatter – it is what it is

Our eyes look out (at others) – but only a mirror looks back at you

(NLT)

James 1:25 NLT

25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Candle of the Lord

(NLT)

Proverbs 20:27 NLT

27 The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.

(NLT)

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

verse that lets us know we have fallen short of God’s glory, we can immediately go to God in confessional prayer and be forgiven.

God’s Holy Spirit knows us better than any married couple who have been together so long they can finish each other’s sentences. They even give each other a sideways glance if one hears the other saying something that “doesn’t sound like you.” There’s no fooling people who know each other intimately.

God knows us intimately, but something else knows us just as intimately. And that is the Word of God. God is obviously “living and powerful,” but so is His Word. God can discern the “thoughts and intents of the heart” () and so can His Word. Which is one of the benefits of reading Scripture consistently—to show us who we really are on the inside. And when we encounter a verse that lets us know we have fallen short of God’s glory, we can immediately go to God in confessional prayer and be forgiven.

Let the Word be a mirror for your heart. And let God cleanse you of any thought or intent that is not pleasing to Him.

We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.

Elisabeth Elliot

· Motives

· Self-examination – should be a wellness visit vs an emergency room trauma

· Self-assessment

· Of all the self-things we do, let’s put self-exam on the top of the list

To cure society’s ills, we must START with the HEART – not the head or the actions

· Much money and time is spent on “Behavior modification” with limited success

· Focusing on a person’s behavior is like treating the leaves of a tree

· Success can only be guaranteed when a person’s HEART is transformed by the power of God’s Word!

· Only God’s power can bring down crime rates, divorce rates, or political upheaval

· Change the heart – change the world!

· Heart change must begin with the church

(NLT)

Luke 6:45 NLT

45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

(NLT)

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

· Everything starts from the heart – whether good or bad

· From the heart flows the “issues of life”

· Where the heart is – the mouth follows

(NLT)

Matthew 15:17–18 NLT

17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

· The Root Word of MOUTH is “OUT” – it speaks “out” what is inside

o (a person’s regular pattern of speech, not an isolated incident)

· From out of the mouth speaks what’s on the inside

· Would you be interested in knowing how you really sound like to those around you? Then record yourself for one day (or live stream if you prefer to see what you LOOK and SOUND like!

o Examples – hot mic on accident – social media posts

Where the heart is – the mouth follows

Where the mouth is – the feet follow

Repeated actions become – habits – then character

· A tree is known by FRUIT

· Fruit is the VISIBLE (and Audible) OUTSIDE evidence of the invisible root on the INSIDE

· Fruit = decisions you make, words you choose to speak, attitudes you display, walk vs talk

(NLT)

Matthew 7:16–18 NLT

16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

Definition – a REAL friend tells the truth…

(NLT)

Proverbs 17:17 NLT

17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING TO ME

(NLT)

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

(AMP)

2 Timothy 4:2 AMP

2 Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.

Do not deny sin but deal with it

(NLT)

1 John 1:8–9 NLT

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Don’t beat yourself up over the mistakes, but rejoice that

1 – you SAW it – recognize it

2 – you DEALT with it – fruits of repentance

Look In

Intro

Key Scripture – Search my heart

Ask GOD

Holy Spirit - convicts of sin - guides to Truth

Word = MIRROR

Word = SWORD

The Discerning Word

Ask YOURSELF

START with the HEART

Examine your Heart

Examine Your TALK

Examine Your WALK

Ask Your FRIEND

Neighbor

Spouse

Pastor

Closing – Make Necessary Adjustments

Repent

Rejoice in Your Progress!