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Examine Yourself
Examine Yourself
John MacArthur
Are you a Christian?
Many people who claim to be point to some
event in the past to substantiate their claim.
But inviting Jesus to come into your life in the
past is not proof that you are genuinely saved.
In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul says to the Corinthian church, "Examine yourselves,
whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves."
He wouldn't have said
that if some event in the past were obviously the answer.
The Bible never
verifies anyone's salvation by the past but by the present. If there is no
evidence of salvation in your life now, you need to face the fact that you may
not be a Christian.
You need to
examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. How does one do that?
Jesus shows us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
The Distinguishing
Mark of a Christian
Before Jesus was born, the religious leaders of Israel had
already decided what it meant to live righteously.
They had developed a
system contrary to Scripture based on self- righteousness generated by doing
good works.
When Jesus entered
the world, He shattered their religious system by upholding the standard revealed
in God's Word. He revealed how a citizen of His Kingdom really lives.
If you want to know
if you're a Christian, compare your life with the standard Christ presents in
the Sermon on the Mount.
One word summarizes
His standard: righteousness.
Examine the lives of
many professing Christians, and you'll find no such righteousness.
Someone once told me
about a woman who said she was a Christian but was living with a man who was
not her husband.
First Corinthians 6:9 says that those characterized by
sexual immorality ("fornicators") "shall not
inherit the kingdom of God."
That woman was living
in a state of unrighteousness.
But righteousness
characterizes true conversion.
Matthew 5:20 the key verse in the Sermon on the Mount,
says, "Except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
The scribes and
Pharisees went to the Temple regularly, paid tithes, fasted, and prayed
constantly.
But Christ wasn't impressed
with their religious performance. He said no one would enter His Kingdom whose
righteousness didn't exceed theirs.
Righteousness - living
by God's standards - is what sets a person apart as God's child.
Hebrews 12:14 says, "Follow ... holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord."
Second Timothy 2:19 says, "The Lord
knoweth them that are his; and, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity."
Titus 1:16 says that some people "profess that
they know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient,
and unto every good work reprobate."
A person's
profession of Christ means nothing apart from obedience and holiness. Some
people believe you can come to Jesus Christ without a consequent change in
life-style. But God expects a transformation.
Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man
be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new."
First John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
Being righteous
doesn't mean you never sin; it means you confess your sin to the Lord, repent
of it, and despise it.
First John 2:3 says, "By this we do know that we know
him, if we keep his commandments."
In John 14:15 Christ said, "If ye love
me, keep my commandments."
First John says, "He that
saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until
now."
First John 3:9 says, "Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God."
The Bible makes it
clear that those who are genuinely saved are righteous and holy. They still
sin, but with decreasing frequency.
A true believer hates
his sin (cf., Rom. 7:15-25) and repents of it, hungering and thirsting for what is
right.
He obeys God, loves
his brother, and hates the evil world system. No one can be a Christian and
continue living the way he did before he knew Christ.
Making a decision
years ago, going to an inquiry room, walking an aisle, or reading a tract on
how to accept Christ is not a biblical criterion for salvation—the issue is
what your life is like right now.
If sin and unrighteousness characterize your
life, there is a possibility you are a disobedient Christian - but there is a
greater possibility you are not a Christian at all.
The Proper Entrance into Christ's Kingdom
In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, "Blessed are
the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The Greek text
indicates that the Kingdom belongs only to those who are poor in spirit.
Only those who admit
their spiritual bankruptcy and sinfulness can enter the Kingdom.
Being "poor in spirit" speaks of being poverty stricken in
one's spirit.
Verse 4 shows the result of that inner poverty: "Blessed are
they that mourn; for they shall be comforted."
Only those who are
broken and mournful over their sin ever receive salvation.
Meekness, produced by
the crushing weight of one's sin, also characterizes a person entering the
Kingdom (verse 5).
When a person is poor
in spirit, mournful about his sin, and meek, then he will hunger and thirst
after righteousness, and he will be filled (verse 6).
If you didn't come to Jesus Christ shattered
over your sinfulness, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness, you are
not a Christian.
Some people come to
Christ as if they are doing Him some great favor.
Sometimes Christians
reflect that same attitude by hoping some famous person will be saved because
of his potential influence.
But whoever wants to
come to Jesus must come on His terms: mourning over his sin, and desiring
righteousness.
When someone comes on
those terms, the Lord makes him
- merciful (verse 7),
- pure in heart (verse 8), and
- a peacemaker (verse 9).
Then because of what
he is, people will
- persecute him (verse 10),
- revile him, and say false things about him (verse 11).
But he will rejoice,
because he's a citizen of the Kingdom (verse 12).
Vital Signs of a Christian
A Distinct Testimony
In Matthew 5:13-14 Christ referred to believers as "the salt of
the earth" and "the light of the world."
A Christian's life-style will be easily
distinguishable from the world's.
Just as salt preserves
decaying meat, Christians are a preservative in the midst of a decaying
civilization.
One reason the
prophesied Great Tribulation of the end times will be so terrible is the
preserving effect of the Church will be gone.
Christ compares His
disciples to a light set on a hill and salt that has retained its saltiness.
Is it evident to those
around you that your life is different, or do you do the same things they do?
If your life didn't
change when you were supposedly saved, then you aren't really a Christian.
An Obedient Life
A child of God is characterized by obedience.
In Matthew 5:17-19 our Lord said, "Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall
teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven.”
Christ's point is
this: if you are truly saved, you will be obedient. You will have an
overwhelming desire to submit to God's Word.
Matthew 5:21-32 maintains that if you have really been
converted, you will think differently.
Apparently the
Israelites controlled their outward behavior but not their thoughts.
The Lord said to them, "Ye have heard that it was said by
them of old, Thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of
judgment; but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of judgment" (verses 21-22).
A believer doesn't
even desire to hurt anyone - let alone kill - because he has a different heart.
In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises that when you become
redeemed, He "will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and
... will give you an heart of flesh."
In Matthew 5:27-28 Christ says that a Christian is not to
commit adultery or even entertain adulterous thoughts.
Someone who claims to
be a Christian and continues to be immoral, practicing such things as adultery
or homosexuality, will never inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians
6:9-10).
Until you are
broken over your sinfulness and crawl into Christ's Kingdom hungering for
righteousness, you will never know what true redemption is.
In Matthew
5:33-37 Christ discusses perjury and keeping one's oaths.
He emphasized that true conversion produces pure and
truthful speech, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh" (Matthew 12:34 ).
In Matthew 5:38-47 He adds that a citizen of His Kingdom doesn't retaliate but
is kind.
- He loves his neighbor (verse 43),
- and even his enemies (verse 44).
The goal is for
believers to be like God (verse
48).
No one is a Christian
because he went forward at a meeting and signed a card, or because a counselor
said he was.
In fact, a counselor
should never assure someone he is saved after that person verbally commits his
life to Christ. No counselor can be sure of that.
It is the Holy
Spirit's job to grant assurance to a believer. He grants it by an inward
testimony (Romans 8:16 ) and an outward demonstration.
James 2:17 says that "faith, if it hath not works, is
dead."
An unfortunate legacy
of modern evangelism is that one's assurance of salvation is attached to a
decision.
Biblically, however,
assurance has nothing to do with the past; it's related to what your life is
like right now.
Evidence of salvation
is always present in a true believer.
Sincere Worship
His worship of God is
genuine, in contrast to that of the Pharisees, whose only concern was
attracting attention to their spirituality.
A Christian gives of
his resources because He loves God, not because he craves public recognition (Matthew 6:1-4).
His prayers aren't
hypocritical but a sincere expression of his heart (Matthew 6:5-15).
Also he doesn't
need for others to know that he's fasting (Matthew 6:16-18).
A Biblical Perspective of Money and Materialism
According to Matthew 6:19:24 the citizens of Christ's
Kingdom don't love money: they do not lay up for themselves "treasures upon earth" (verse 19).
They refuse to serve
money because they know it's impossible to serve both it and God (verse 24).
If you have committed
your life to acquiring wealth, you are not a servant of God. If you are a
friend of the world, you are an enemy of God (James 4:4).
Matthew 6:25-34 adds that Christians are not to be
preoccupied with the necessities of life.
They know God takes
care of those things (verses 31-32).
An Uncritical Love of Others
Matthew 7:1-12 emphasizes that genuine believers have good relationships. They don't constantly misjudge other people and act pious toward them while ignoring their own problems.
Matthew 7:1-12 emphasizes that genuine believers have good relationships. They don't constantly misjudge other people and act pious toward them while ignoring their own problems.
Perhaps after this
survey of what Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount, you are wondering how
anyone could ever live like that.
If you're thinking
it's impossible to do all those things, that's the very response the Lord wants.
After confronting a rich young ruler with his materialism,
Jesus said to His disciples, "Verily I say unto you that a rich man shall with
difficulty enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God " (Matthew 19:23-24).
It's impossible for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle! That's exactly what the Lord
wanted people to conclude.
Verses 25-26 say, "When his disciples heard it, they
were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who, then, can be saved? But Jesus beheld
them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible."
No man has the
resources within himself to live up to God's standards. That's why we have to
cast ourselves on the mercy of God.
The rich young ruler
in Matthew 19 wasn't willing to do that. He wanted to enter the Kingdom but on
his terms.
However, that's like
trying to put a camel through the eye of a needle.
The only way into the
Kingdom is by becoming broken in spirit, mournful, and eager for a
righteousness that you can't attain and don't deserve.
Most people don't
want to meet those conditions. They want to do things their way.
They resemble a man
with four pieces of luggage - worldliness, sin, Satan, and self - trying to get
through the turnstile into the Kingdom.
They want in so they
can have happiness and stay out of hell, but they want in on their terms.
However, the Lord said, "Enter in at the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be who go in that way" (Matthew 7:13).
Many people enter
through the wide gate because they can take their baggage of good works and
self-righteousness with them.
Verse 14 continues, "Narrow is
the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it."
The Greek word
translated "hard" literally means "compressed." You have to
strip yourself of everything to go through the narrow gate.
A Deceptive Illusion of Eternal Life
Notice that the broad way leading to destruction is not
marked as the way to hell—it's marked as the way to heaven!
People get on the
broad road because it doesn't require a change of life-style. You simply have
to say you made a decision, were baptized, went forward at a meeting, or signed
a card.
The sad thing is that
many people are on that road. But the way that leads to life is restrictive,
and very few find it.
If you still cling to
your worldliness and self-righteousness, you're on the wrong road.
You may think you're
headed to heaven and that your good works will get you in.
But someday you will
discover what John Bunyan described in The Pilgrim's Progress: that
there is an entrance to hell from the portals of heaven.
In fact Christ warned
people to beware of false prophets (Matthew 7:15-20) because they sell tickets to the broad way; they'll tell
you that you can get to heaven without changing anything.
In Matthew 7:21-22 Jesus says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who
is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out demons? And in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you;
depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Many people won't discover
until it's too late that they were on the wrong road.
Christ concluded the
Sermon on the Mount by illustrating the destinations of the broad and narrow
roads.
In Matthew 7:24-25 He
speaks of a wise man who builds his house on a solid foundation.
Verse 25 says, "The rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for
it was founded upon a rock."
That man came to God
on His terms—he built his house on the rock, which is obedience. Therefore his
house stood.
Christ continues, "Every one that heareth these
sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who
built his house upon the sand" (verse 26).
The foolish man built
a beautiful house; his religion looked good.
He is one of those
who prophesied, cast out demons, and did wonderful works (verse 22) but never came to God on His terms.
Verse 27 says, "The rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was
the fall of it."
What a disaster it
would be to come before Christ on Judgment Day and discover you are sentenced to hell because
you didn't come to Him His way!
Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. As
Peter said, "Be all the more diligent to make
certain about His calling and choosing you" (2 Peter 1:10 ; New
American Standard Bible).
Would you want to
have a deeper relationship with God?
God has made it
possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own
life by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father God, I confess I
am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and
help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your
Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and
hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to
become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day
forward. Thank You that according to your Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy
Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I
promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Please use me for Your
glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray.
Amen.”
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