1. EXAMINATION TIME II CORINTHIANS 13:5

2. I Corinthians 11:27-28 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. We are to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In II Corinthians 13:5 Paul tells us that we are to examine all areas of our Christian lives. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified.

3. This A Command Of God We could fall at anytime therefore we need to make sure of our condition. Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; I Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. II Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

4. This Examination Is A Must Because Of Sin Sin separates us from God. In this life. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

5. I Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'' In the life to come. II Thessalonians 1:7-9 And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

6. This Examine Must Be Personal II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves No where in the Bible are we told to examine others. Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” It will do us no good on the day of judgment to have examined others. Romans 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

7. Because this a personal examine it is going to take a lot of personal thought. This is not something to take lightly. It is not something just give a few minutes of thought. II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified. We are talking about the salvation of our souls. When this life is over the only thing that will matter is did we die saved or unsaved. We must examine ourselves and give it the time it is due.

8. The Scriptures Tell Us That All Things Must Be Proved Galatians 4:6 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. I Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. I John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, to see whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This includes ourselves. James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

9. After We Examine Ourselves We Need To Make The Necessary Changes Psalms 119:59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. Lamentations 3:40 Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; When the people on the day of Pentecost realized they were lost, they asked what they could do to make it right.

10. James 1:22-25 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. Why is this so important?

11. God Does And Will Examine Us Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. Psalms 139:1, 23-24 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

12. Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

13. II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified. HAVE YOU EXAMINED YOURSELF? HAVE YOU PROVED THAT YOU ARE IN THE FAITH? IS JESUS CHRIST IN YOU? WILL YOU BE DISQUALIFIED?

14. Given by David Hamlin on 8-30-09 pm Hollister, Missouri church of Christ www.hollisterchurchofchrist.orgwww.hollisterchurchofchrist.org