Below you are going to read the sermon that i wrote for my homiletic class, if you have any question of something is not clear please dont doubt in send me an email to edhermanuelle@gmail.com i will joyfully answer any question that you may have.
Test Yourselves: 2 Corinthians 13:5
2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are
in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves
that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
Test
yourself, examine yourself. 2 corinthians is a letter of comfort to the church
of Corinth after the first letter, the apostle Paul see the repentance of the
church in Corinth and he claps them because of that, but as well there was some
issues arise. There were false leaders, who were questioning the apostleship of
Paul.
So
Paul at this point after encouraging the Corinth for their repentance and
giving some instructions, and defending his apostleship says:
test
yourselves, examine yourselves, the idea of testing here is this: in peru to
recognize a false bill, we learn to know how the genuine bill looks like, so
when we are exposed to the false one we are not deceive because we know how the
genuine looks like, this is what Paul had in mind, test yourselves, examine
yourselves,
you
must know the genuiness of your faith by knowing what Genuine faith is.
There
is a lack of discernment today in so many believers in recognizing real faith
because they don’t know what real faith is all about.
We
are so outwardly minded that we think because people do this or that, they are
saved, that is absolutely false.
So the first call is to discern what real
faith is all about, and real faith can’t be discerned by looking at outward
performance but the main inner motivation for what we do, our supreme passion
that consume us into do what we do.
…….”If
you are in the faith”, Paul is not questioning performance or Christian disciplines,
but faith; faith is to trust God and distrust ourselves, is to acknowledge and
believe that we are incapable in our own performance to satisfy the demands of
the Justice of God, but that if in any way we can be acceptable before Him is
because of Christ.
A
good way to rephrase this verse would be: test yourselves, are you trusting in
your performance or in Christ for your justification? People can be deceived by
their performance.
A
good example of this are the hypocrites in Matthew 6, they would pray publicly,
fast, give offerings, and even pray secretly but give a prayer that says:
thanks God that im not like that sinner.
There
is nothing wrong with Christian disciplines, they are healthy, but you must ask
yourself this question, what im living for, why im doing this, for the Glory of
Christ or for my glory in Christ’s name?
One of the most frightening things is not that
there are self-deceivers but that this kind of person may be you and the only
reason why you hearing this sermon are because God is having Mercy on you, so
you may not perish.
Maybe
you say there is people that I know who needs to hear this, but let me ask you
this question, Isn’t God Sovereign and that in His goodness He is allowing you
to listen this because of you?,
You
may ask yourself, edher, are you judging me? No im not. Then why you say that I
may be not saved, because you maybe not if you think that your performance
makes you acceptable before God. And this is demonstrated by a self-loving
heart that does any kind of Christian outward performance or discipline to feel
better than others.
Look I can’t judge you, some people use this
word in matters of condemnation but a judge in itself have the authority to
declare someone innocent and guilty therefore I can’t say that you are saved or
you are not but to call you to examine yourself so God may confirm you.
For
the believer this is a pleasure, because if you are a believer abiding in the
light, walking in the light motivated because of Him and His love for you and
the demonstration of His love through Christ death and resurrection, then you
won’t be afraid to examine yourself because if you abide in the light, the
Light of the Word of God through the Holy Spirit will affirm you.
But
if you are in darkness, the light is going to scare you because you don’t
belong to it. But don’t let your sin keep you from this truth God is abounding
in loving-kindness and mercy and He is able to forgive you but please Stop
trusting yourself and your own definition of righteousness, but trust Him.
Test
yourselves in this matter, expose yourself to the law of God, and it will smash
any kind of superiority in your performance. What make our obedience acceptable
before God, is Christ not you, your human righteousness are filthy rags before
Him, Only Christ could satisfy the demands of the Justice of God.
What
we need to know is this: the good father will be in the same place that the bad
one, the good son will be in the same place that the bad one, the soldier will
be in the same place than the terrorist; the policeman will be in the same
place than the thief. Why? Because for God, they all are the same. That’s why
Paul says, are we better than them? By no means, absolutely by no means.
You
disrespect God, when you look at your performance as something better than His
son, You spit on His face when you look at your works as more acceptable than
Jesus. He loves you my dear friend, He loves you, He emptied Himself, leaving His
throne and Majesty, taking human form to be like you, so He lived the life you
couldn’t so His death on the cross may be acceptable before the Father, and He
rose at the third day overcoming death in your behalf.
If
this doesn’t motivate to live the Christian life, then nothing will. It is all
about Him. Look to Him, Trust Him, repent of those silly thoughts but trust
Him.
One
scary thing about matthew 7 is that in the final day some people will say in
your name we cast out demons or we did miracles, this people were so secure of
their salvation because of the things they were able to do, but God will say to
them: I never knew you. You can be so secure that you are saved because of what
you may be able to do but you may not.
I
need no other argument I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died and
He died for me. Tell me is He enough or you feel you need to add something to
it? It is He enough? Please don’t say yes if you don’t believe it. Don’t
deceive yourself, it is he enough? You can be so agree with me and this may not
be a reality in your life. Please. It is he enough? Look unto Him, Seek Him. He
won’t reject you, He loves you but don’t you dare to trust yourself but Him.
