Sermon by Mike Smith Let us examine some vital areas concerning your spiritual life and your living the life of faith that God has called you to live.

2. •2 Cor. 13:5-8, 11-14
•Verse 11 encourages us to
•“Become complete,” NKJ
•“Perfect yourselves,” LITV
•“Keep on growing to maturity,” ISV
•“Be striving for perfection” ALT
•In order to accomplish this goal as
Christians today we must properly
examine ourselves!

3. • The Examination Must Be Personal:
– Each and every person will be responsible for
their own sins. Ezekiel 18:20
– When we meet God at judgment, each one will
give account of himself only.
2 Cor. 5:10; Rom.14:12
– The question is, “Am I in the Faith?,” “Am I
faithful to God?”! Mt. 25:31-32

4. • The Exam Must Be By The Right Standard:
– One cannot examine himself by the standards &
doctrines of men. Isaiah 55:8-9; Jer. 10:23
– Its absolutely foolish for one to trust in his own
feelings during this self examination. Proverbs 14:12
– Comparing ourselves with other humans is not the
right standard. 2 Corinthians 10:12
– The standard by which we examine ourselves must be
by the high and infallible Word of God. John 12:48

5. • The Examination Must Be Thorough:
– Whether you are in the faith is not to be assumed,
but proven. Psalm 139:23-24
– We should seek to improve and grow stronger in
the Lord, day by day. Hebrews 6:1
– Solomon, after trying vainly to find happiness in
worldly things, concluded that man can never be
truly happy until he serves God faithfully.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
– We must look for our strong points as well as our
weak ones. James 1:3-4

6. • The Examination Must Be Honest:
– Most people are prone to apply to themselves easy and
partial tests.
– Sooner, or later, our sins will catch up with us!
Num. 32:20-23; Jas. 5:16; 1 Jn. 1:8-10; Prov. 28:13
– Be honest in answering these questions:
• Have I obeyed the gospel of Christ from the heart?
• Am I faithfully living the Christian life based on
God’s standard?
• Do I really sacrifice to give to God?

7. • The Examination Must Be Continuous:
– A favorable inventory for the business man one
year does not automatically mean a favorable
one every year.
– Many verses of scripture show that this
examination must be continuous.
1 Cor. 9:27; James 1:25; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 2:10

8. Conclusion:
•The businessman who finds errors in his
management and fails to correct them will
bankrupt himself. (How about us spiritually?)
•The person who finds cancer in his body and
refuses to have it removed will surely die.
•The one who finds sin in his life and does not
remove it will be eternally lost! Hebrews 5:9
•Are you in Jesus Christ now? 2 Tim. 2:10
You can be if you…
Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, and Are Baptized
Acts 18:8; 2:38; 8:37