Examine Yourself and Stand Firm in Faith
July 17, 2024 · 1:22:30 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
This midweek service gathered the church around one call - to measure our lives by God's Word and be transformed into the image of our heavenly Father. The first message reminded us that Christ came in the fullness of time and offered Himself once for our sins, and that we now live in the season of waiting for His return for salvation. The question is deeply personal: am I really waiting for Him? Like Paul urged Timothy, we are to give ourselves to Scripture, teaching, and prayer rather than crowd our days with things that pull the heart away.
Drawing on 2 Corinthians 13:5, the congregation was urged to examine itself and ask whether we are truly in the faith. Israel was tested at the bitter waters of Marah, and David prayed, "Search me, O God, and lead me in the way everlasting." A believer should not live unsure of eternal life - eternal life is to know God and walk with Him now, keeping the first love that the church in Ephesus had let slip, and never grieving the Holy Spirit with anger or bitterness.
The second message lifted up Christ from Colossians 1 as the image of the invisible God, by whom all things were created and in whom all things hold together. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and by faith we understand that the visible came from God's spoken word, which nothing can stop. Yet God works through surrendered people, so He calls us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, refusing to be conformed to the world and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Because all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him, our part is humble faith and obedience.
Key Points
- Christ offered Himself once for sin and will return for those who wait for Him, so live as one who is ready.
- Do not drift through the time of waiting - devote yourself to Scripture, prayer, and serving the Lord.
- Examine yourself honestly, praying with David, "Search me, O God, and lead me in the way everlasting."
- Be sure of eternal life now: it means knowing God and walking with Him, not anxious uncertainty.
- Guard the first love and do not grieve the Holy Spirit with anger and bitterness.
- Christ holds all things together by His word, and faith trusts that what God has said will surely come to pass.
- Present your body a living sacrifice, transformed and not conformed, so you can know and do God's will.
Devotional
Pause today and let God's Word become a mirror for your heart. Ask Him honestly whether you are truly waiting for Christ or merely filling your days, and invite Him to search you and lead you in the way everlasting. Remember that you are not asked to make God's promises come true by your own strength - you are asked to trust His word and surrender your will to Him. As you offer yourself as a living sacrifice, His Spirit will strengthen you, restore your first love, and keep you ready for the day you meet Him.
“A believer should not wonder whether heaven awaits - here and now we can be sure we have eternal life in Christ.”
“From the invisible and the spoken word the visible appears, and nothing can stop what God has said.”
“All things are from Him, through Him, and to Him, and our part is simply faith and humble obedience.”
