Gospel-Centered Self-Examination

Tracking applause tonight from our study in the book of Revelation to give attention to the Lord's table, and that's why read from first Corinthians chapter 11. We have these instructions. Rather detailed instructions on what we are to do to prepare ourselves for participation at the Lord's table. It is a memorial service. It is first and foremost a memorial in that we are to remember the Lord Jesus do this in remembrance of me. He says one of the prerequisites for participation in the Lord's table is self-examination in the second part of the passage that I read the begins in verse 27, down through 34 deals with that subject of self-examination. There are blessings pronounced upon those who engage in serious self-examination, and there are warnings of judgment upon those who fail to do so.

So we have a command here the strong admonition in relation to the Lord's table and let me read it again. Verse 28, but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. We have other places in the Scriptures where we are exhorted to examine ourselves. Second Corinthians 13 five examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith test yourselves.

Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified when there's more here than meets the eye.

The command is simple enough but has some very challenging aspects to it and what I mean is this admonition of self-examination. So let's consider tonight what it means and see if we can't learn profitably for our preparation for the Lord's table service tonight. The first thing I want you to see is that this is classroom language. It's a tool of evaluation. It's designed to measure our progress. Another set of strong element of subjectivity here. But where do examine ourselves to determine our mastery of the subject being studied.

The challenge here is to submit oneself to a thorough and stern examination. Unlike the quick glance we take in the mirrors were leaving the house to make sure everything's in order or if we fail to do that we get in our car flipped the visor down and look at that little merits but that big picture. Everything's in order.

That's not what's in view here what's in view here is the idea of a soldier standing at attention alongside other soldiers were also standing at attention as the platoon sergeant walks up with his scrutinizing meticulous gaze. That's the idea here. Not a quick glance, I attended a funeral of a relative who committed suicide in a man had darkened the door. The church maybe once in two years at a Christmas service in the minister, who was presiding over the funeral service wanted to assure everybody that Bill was okay because on that particular Christmas Eve service. He had a brief word with them as he was leaving the service and the man said don't you worry about me, preacher will not talking about that kind of self-examination that was a sad occasion. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon says at this point on this matter, self-examination, self-examination is not the simple thing which at first sight it might appear. No Christian who is ever really practiced it has found it easy. Is there any exercise of the soul which any of us has found so unsatisfactory, so almost impossible is self-examination. The fact is this, that the heart is so exceedingly complicated and intricate and it is so very near the guy, which has to investigate it and bows it in the eye are so restless and so shifting that its deep anatomy baffles our research, just a few things here and there brought an open and floating upon the surface. A man discovers, but there are chambers receding within chambers in that deepest of all deep things, a sinner's heart which no mere human investigation ever will reach it is the prerogative of of God alone to search the human heart and of quote from Charles Spurgeon, Hannah `ends, it is the prerogative of of God alone to search the human heart, and I say well I understand that but this is let a man examine himself and so let them eat of the bread and drink of the cup. So were going to have to reconcile with the word of God admonishes concerning what Mr. Spurgeon says, but suffice to say, when we when were talking about examination we have in mind to scrutinize our actions, our behavior, our motives, our thoughts, our ambitions, our struggles are temptations and it's it takes serious thought to do that I've mentioned from time to time that the Lord's table as a means of grace and there are some who've spoke to me and said is that which we really think about the Lord's table as a means of grace. I thought the word of God in prayer and assembly. The saints, those of the means of grace know this is a means of grace. This is ordained of God. He's instructed us. He's commanded us to observe the Lord's table, and there are these serious instructions around that are means of grace for us to pause and think seriously about our soul state.

Obviously left to ourselves, we can easily do this and do it in a nonprofitable way, what were being exhorted about here comes with some challenges. What makes this admonition challenging. Let me mention some things. Number one, the deceitfulness of the human heart. Examine your self but a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup while Jeremiah 79 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it was more right hope you understand there is more after that. I'm glad there's more after that and listen to the rest I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind. Even to give every man according to his ways. According to the fruit of his doings heart is deceitful. What is deceit deceit is the concealment or the perversion of the truth for the purpose of misleading we have this propensity. This defect in our hearts that would mislead us away from truth. The truth of the matter of our true souls condition is part of our anatomy is part of who we are. The heart is deceitful above all things loop really speaks about this issue in his book the complete husband and he speaks about pride in how deceitful it is. Listen to what he says. He says the sin of pride in blinds you and me to other sins in our lives and hinders us from repenting of them pride blinds. You not only to itself but to every other sin tucked away in the recesses of your heart and life. It causes you to hate correction and reproof. It hides your sin from you it justifies your sin, it excuses your sin and it keeps you from repenting of your sin.

It deceives you into thinking that you're spiritually well when in fact you have a deadly cancer and are in desperate need of the great physicians ball so says Looper Yolo not only do we have a heart is deceitful but were living in a world of deceit. Listen to second Timothy three verse 13, Paul is writing to Timothy's describing the latter days, he says, but evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived so there is this challenge of the deceitfulness of the human heart.

There is a deceit, deceitfulness in the hearts of others around us and listen also to this challenge. One of the nuance is one of the characteristics of sin is its deceitfulness. Hebrews 3 verse 12. Beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is deceitful. It conceals truth, it promises you something it cannot deliver, so we have a heart that's deceitful were living in a world of deceit that's going to grow even more deceitful were trying to identify sins in our own lives and the very nature of sin is to deceive and if that weren't bad enough, what else complicates this matter and makes this matter very challenging.

We've got the evil one who is the deceiver himself. Revelation chapter 12 verse nine so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world to see what were up against being commanded to examine ourselves and yet we do that with this awareness, I have a heart that's deceitful and if God doesn't help me if God doesn't turn the light on. If God doesn't reveal sin in my life. If God doesn't help me see me for who I really am. I will deceive myself. I will tell myself I'm fine, when in fact I'm fatally flawed and we have the deception of this world in which we live. We have the nature of sin and it being deceitful and we have the devil himself who is deceitful so that makes this admonition very very challenging and then there is this subtle danger that I want to call self absorption self absorption let a man examine himself. One of the challenges here is that while we are being obedient to that command in preparation for participation in the Lord's table self-examination while were doing that and trying to be faithful to that we don't want to lose sight of the whole purpose of the Lord's table and what is to remember him sight of him to highlight another side of Jesus. Remember Jesus while gazing within. Looking within doing this intense evaluation of self how I do that because introspection is deceptive because it looks like were doing the right thing were not indifferent to sin were serious about this matter.

I know my own heart I know how it can easily be deceived, so I want to go about this in the right way, but the more I give myself to that, the more inclined I am to introspection self absorption and is is not the Lord's table. Not to be up time of self absorption but at time of Christ, absorption. The were focused on Christ.

So there is this subtle danger that being obedient to this exhortation can easily turn us inward and self absorbed. Instead of Christ focused now, Thomas Chalmers was a Scottish pastor in the 19th century and he spoke on this matter, self-examination he once compared self-examination to a dark room full of objects we can't see what's there because the room is pitch black. This darkness is the reason looking at ourselves is often so unfruitful. He says how do we brighten the room, not by straining our eyes, or taking more time and effort to examine the darkness we will never see ourselves clearly simply by focusing more intently on ourselves. Chalmers says we must go to the window and open the curtains let the light of Christ break into the darkness of our souls. The sunlight and Chalmers imagery is the truth of God's word and if were going to derive good from self-examination is only gonna be as that self-examination is informed by the word of God. So we need this. We need this self-examination that remains gospel centered and at the same time shines light into the areas of our hearts that need attention and I believe that that is one of the the critical takeaways that this admonition for self-examination is found here in the context of the Lord's table in the context of not forgetting Jesus, remembering him as you can see how easily this thing can turn inward and become very unprofitable. I think of what Paul said in Romans chapter 7. I know that is within myself, self dwells no good thing was the apostle Paul speaking personally. The more you look within the lesson will be had. And if that's true, Paul. That's true of us if our only look at her only gaze is on ourselves. Looking within were in serious trouble will be much hope there will be much confidence that what we must much joy in your life.

So what we need to do. We need to soak in the sunshine of God's truth. So let me give you some truths about the gospel and how it informs and makes fruitful and profitable. This business of self-examination number one.

The gospel brings proportion to our examination.

The gospel brings proportion to our examination as we learn to treasure Christ. We will spend far more time looking to Christ than to ourselves because if we learn anything as a Christian, we've learned that we are not changed by beholding self we are changed by beholding Christ.

Second Corinthians 3 verse 18 it was Robert Murray McShane, who made famous.

These words for every look at yourself. Take 10 looks at Christ.

Let's not dismissing this admonition of self-examination. I'm not setting that aside on trying to give honest credence to this command. But in the context of the gospel that is set before us here in the Lord's table. We are proclaiming the Lord's death.

Here it is table until he comes.

So number one. The gospel brings proportion to our examination number two. The gospel brings pardon to our examination.

What I mean about that. Will God knows the worst about us and… Still he does not deal with us according to our sins. That's good news tonight if God kept a record of wrongs.

Who of us could stand. He promises that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The gospel brings pardon to our examination and it's only when we are secure in the love of God for us in Christ that we are empowered for self-examination that is humble that is confident that is fruitful because if God knows me better than I know myself. I should have no fear in opening myself up to God allowing God to examine me. Help me to see myself as I really am, because I discover anything that he doesn't already know about me is drive me away from God is gonna draw it's gonna cause me to draw near to him, but I think too often we relate to God the way we relate to one another. We hide our faults. We hide our sins we think will fear.

She knew me the way I really know me, that have nothing to do with me or they would back up. They put some distance between me and them, but is not that way with God, he knows us. He knows the depravity of our hearts is a mind-boggling thing to think that when Christ died on the cross of Calvary and paid our sin debt he was paying the penalty, the just penalty for all the sins I created in the past, creating in the present and will ever commit in the future there all paid for. So is there anything that I should be afraid of discovering your anything you should be afraid of discovering what you need to discover it. What you need to see what's there so that you can acknowledge it, you can confess that you can repent of it.

You can grow in holiness and godliness so the gospel brings proportion to our examination. It brings pardon to our examination number three and brings perception to our examination because the most important things we need to know about ourselves are not found by looking inward, but by looking to Christ in his death and his resurrection. Our identity comes into focus. We see how precious and honored.

We are in God's sight we see the seriousness of sin. Sin is so serious that it cost the Lord Jesus Christ's death we might be forgiven.

The draws attention to the glory of our new identity in Christ in the future that we have in Christ. So the gospel brings perception to our examination and in the gospel brings power brings power to our examination. You say wow so because grace transforms examination from a tyrant and a burden into a means of faith, love and hope it doesn't throw buckets of of cold water on our faith. It fuels our faith. It helps us to see where God is at work in us that we might move forward with confidence of knowing that he began a good work in us will bring it to completion.

And this is part of the unfinished work. So as we, and open herself up and allow the word of God to enlighten our minds and we pray Lord help me not to be deceived by my own sin by the evil one by the very nature of saying I want to see myself for who I really AM because I want to know those areas of my life that you are working in that I might be able to rejoice in and see progress in so the gospel brings power to our examination. So you see how important it is that the gospel informs our self-examination. If you remove the gospel from this component of self-examination.

Hee hee you're hopeless, because even whether set deceptive heart, even a little bit of honesty you're gonna look within and sale my oh my, I'm selfish on this on that on were not to fear and despair because God knows all these things that are there, and God wants to put the spotlight on those things God wants to work in us to conform us more and more to the image of Christ, so let the gospel inform your self-examination. That's the hope. So what's the challenge. The challenges always look up before you look in that's pretty clear.

As an look up focus on Christ rejoice in the gospel.

Get your self-centered, get yourself grounded. Get yourself anchored before you begin the look in because if you got to be serious about looking in your gonna see things that are going to be very flattering. You're going to be humbled by it. It should produce contrition and humbleness and repentance. You're only gonna be able to get that if you get the gospel centered first is always look up before looking in, and never, never leave the foot of the cross. Never leave the foot of the cross.

Welcome the sunlight welcomed the word of God, is it informs and instructs and illuminates and as you do watch the darkness scatter a love that imagery of charmers must not be like in the basement in the dark, squid, and trying to see his were looking within Assisi says open up the curtains. Let the light of God's word command darkness will scatter less. My challenge tonight is were going to be gathering around the Lord's table of thought, a good bit about this issue of self-examination and it seemed a bit unprofitable. If it was not anchored to the gospel that has to be hope filled it has to be directed in the gospel because I know myself and I think most of you are as honest as I try to be as you look within you say whoa this is a painful exercise so I trust that this will help us tonight as we gather around the Lord's table and obey our Lord's command to time of communion is a time of fellowship.

It's a time where were nothing between my Lord and the Savior that we keep short accounts with the Lord when he directs us to thoughts and motives and ambitions in things we've done that we shouldn't of done and things we failed to do that we should have done that. We quickly own notes and realize that those things are not our our relationship is not predicated on the absence of those things, or the presence of those things that we are accepted in the beloved in her such security and that that I'm in Christ.

I don't have to fear this ugly business of self-examination.

I can face my sin I can say I see God what you see.

It's ugly. I hate it I hate it because you hated and if I don't hated help me to hated but I'm secure in Jesus because I'm not learning anything about myself that God is a known when he said his affections on me in eternity past and determined to save me and give his son for me. While the gospel is powerful, was gospel powerful we think about these things and then were invited to this table were invited to come and commune and remember our's are Lord. Remember what he did for us. Remember his love for us that he said his affections on us. If he loved us when we were unlovely when he loved us when we were ungodly.

He loves us more now than he loved us, then, because were in Christ. He loves us, for Jesus sake so much good came to people because of Joseph is read that story in Genesis so much good comes to you and I because of Jesus, I would. I would strongly suspect it will hear Don Theobald say when he comes to be with us in a short time. I remember him saying so often from this pulpit, folks. All we got going forces Jesus remember him saying that and that's the truth is pray. Father, thank you, thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for what he's done for us in redeeming us in saving us. Thank you that were part of the family of God. Thank thank you that we are an heir of God in a joint heir with your son the Lord Jesus Christ Lord I thank you for this means of grace, the Lord's table. This time that affords us self-examination. Lord, protect us from an over preoccupation with ourselves and introspection and is we are looking within to be honest about ourselves.

Would you help us to see ourselves as you know us to be and then grant us grace to own our sin and to repent of our sin and the confess our sin and rejoice in fresh cleansing and fresh progress in our walk with you blessed this time around the table. I pray in Jesus name, amen