Examine Yourself and Keep Your Word

Summary

The evening service opened with a call to tune our hearts to heaven and truly listen, since Jesus said to take heed how we hear. The first message, drawing on John Wesley and the Oxford Holy Club, walked through the 22 questions those early believers used daily to examine themselves - covering honesty, priorities, spiritual discipline, sharing the faith, stewardship of money, overcoming sin, relationships, complaining, and whether Christ is truly real to us.

It is natural to hear a good word and immediately think of who else needs it, but the preacher urged each listener to ask instead, what is God saying to me? Scripture calls us to examine ourselves and to hide God's word in our hearts so that we will not sin.

The second message took up one of those questions - do you keep your word? Through Joshua's oath to the Gibeonites, when the sun stood still, and the famine that came generations later because Saul broke that covenant, the preacher showed how seriously God honors a promise. Finally, from Gethsemane, he warned that Peter could not watch even one hour, calling us to watch and pray so we do not fall into temptation, and to stay faithful to the vows we made to God and our families.

Key Points

• Tune your heart before God and take heed how you hear - the word is meant for you, not only for someone else.
• Examine yourself regularly: honesty, priorities, discipline, relationships, and whether Christ is real to you day by day.
• Hide God's word in your heart and stay rooted in Scripture and prayer so that you will not sin.
• In Christ we are more than conquerors - His cross and His blood give victory over sin.
• Keep your word, because God Himself stands behind promises, and broken vows carry lasting consequences.
• Watch and pray so you do not fall into temptation - Peter failed because he slept instead of praying.
• These questions are not meant to load us with guilt but to help us grow into the image of Christ.