But Let a Man Examine Himself - Gerald Birky

Good morning, folks, extend Christian greetings to you. Thank you, brother

Levi for those those thoughts that that reading. I was reading on to the

end of the chapter, and it winds up with points. The end of

that chapter points to Jesus, and then it also points to us, and

it refers to a people, a people zealous of good works. And I

believe that's that's what we should want, we should want to be, and

I believe I believe we are. I believe this group is a people wanting,

wanting to get it right, wanting to wanting to be found doing good

works. H First, you can turn in your Bible to First Corinthians e.

Eleven. I'm going to for a for an introductory reading. Read this

this highly highly read passage. Read and quoted. For a sermon title,

I've chosen a rather generic one from the from the verse twenty eight. But

let a man examine himself. That's kind of where my my thoughts went.

We're here for a council council meeting service preparatory service examination meeting. There's various

various names given to this type of service and get we get our basis from

from this passage. So this morning I'm going to read this passage and then

I have some Then I have thoughts on well, maybe you could call some

thoughts on traditions, our traditions, the tradition of having the safe of service.

But let's read here thinking about our council meeting service. Verse twenty three,

Apostle Paul writing here, for I have received of the Lord that which

also I delivered unto you, that he said right after saying, but I

praise you not if you read the last sentence of verse twenty two, and

he was he was chewing them out for something. They had a problem with

something. But what I received of the Lord, that which also I delivered

unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed,

took bread, and when he had given thanks, he break it and

said, take eat. This is my body which is broken for you this

dew in remembrance of me. And after the same manner he took the cup

when he had saying, this cup is the new Testament my blood. This

do ye, as oft as you drink it in remember and of me.

For as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do

show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread

and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and

blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let

him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth

and drink is unworthily eateth and drinkth damnation to himself, not deserting the Lord's

body. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and

many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that

we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my beloved, Wherefore,

my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

And if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that ye

come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set an order when

I come, those little tidbits, the rest I will set an order when

I come. I praise you. Not. Apparently this church in Corinth had

they had a practice, They had a tradition that he was not really approving

of, and he was he was wanting to get through to them the way

it should be, and he said the rest, I'll set an order when

I come. And I've got a feeling that if that, if this rather

prickly writer were to come here, that he'd have something to set us an

order. About exactly what that would be, I'm not sure, but I

think we're being a little silly to believe that we've got a dial just just

right. This church had wound up with a tradition, a way of doing

things, kind of much like us, and traditions, while they have a

very stabilizing effect, they can also sometimes wind up taking you somewhere where you

didn't really realize. And we're just kind of pointing at us. I guess

maybe this is the the cold culture part of me, or the or the

straight lines and orderly liking that I that I like. But this this,

you could say, it's our tradition that has us celebrating doing communion the week

after Easter. That's just that says that. Well, I just can't explain

that very well, that that doesn't that doesn't stack up in my mind other

than I'll I will blame I will schedule. I mean, I was part

of the group the ministers that sat and tried to put a schedule together for

this spring, and this is just blame it partly on the moon. Easter

was Easter was early this year. But while we're on the topic of Easter,

I will I will say this and if and if this can be worked

into our tradition, I I'm all happy about it. But I did very

much appreciate the emphasis on Easter last Sunday, the Easter, the celebration that

we had, from ranging from the youth singing to the to the Sunday morning

snack to the well prepared meal that we had together. Thanks for the brisket

and the lamb that celebration. I guess I would say I approve of it.

I approve of it. I approve of it greatly. I think we

should. I think we do and we should celebrate Easter. I also think

we should probably have our Communion service before that. Just kind of that that's

the sequence of events. But that raises a question in my mind, do

we celebrate Easter properly or enough? Do we give it in do we give

it its proper amount of credence or credibility or value when you compare when you

compare our Easter, traditions with our Christmas traditions, I would say Christmas gets

the bigger. Christmas gets the bigger, the bigger show. It's also at

the end of the year there's a certain amount of I'll hand I'll hand you

that. But I'm going to share with you. In the last this actually

happened to me. In the last this question are we properly? Do we

celebrate Easter enough or correctly or properly? In the last fourteen days, there

were three separate incidents, incidents or things that happened to me. It made

me think about it just a little bit. One was well. The first

one was well, exactly two weeks two weeks ago, this morning, I

actually did something I'd never done in my life. But I did not go

to church here at Halsey, but rather went to Junction City. I went

with my wife and I went with the Venezuelan refugee family from Junction City and

we went to church with them Sunday morning. So I wound up in a

in a little room a group of about twenty five people in the Baptist church

in Junction City. And that anyway, the whites went into the big auditorium

and had their service, and we went down the hall and we got some

looks about what what's this gringo couple going in the latino's room with four But

anyway, we went in there and sat down and one of the first things

questions. This after their traditional singing and had a fairly traditional service, but

one of the first questions this guy asked to this group of twenty five and

there wasn't really anywhere to hide, but he asked, question, so about

the week this is this is Easter or it was Palm Sunday or whatever you

called it. Manna Santa was was just kicking off. How many of you

raise your hands? How many of you are getting time off from work this

week? Yeah, it's like a thought nobody. Well back where we came

from, this week we got the whole week off. But it's it's it's

the let's say mansan thing. It's it's the right week anyway. So that

put me to thinking, it's like, well, yeah, that's that's true.

Well cultural, you know, Catholic cultural will well, yeah, we

don't, we don't. We don't have to do it that way. True

enough. Midway through the week that was incident number one. I was asked

to raise my hand. If we're going to have time off, Well,

no, and and that our little business. If if we were going to

have time off, it kind of be up to me to determine that or

decide that. And then I didn't. I just kept doing things the way

we've always done things, easier that way. Later in the week I had

another conversation, and this time with a oh, I would say, I

would call it'll be too mean. But a normal Heathen from Eugene was on

the phone with scheduling some asking about some purchase and inventory and steel coils and

trucking schedules. I know, by the way, we're gonna be closed on

Friday for Good Friday. Well that seemed a little odd. I mean good

Friday. We had decided that we weren't really closing for Good Friday. And

now a company out of Heathen, Eugene taking Good Friday off, that is

a little different. I knew why. It turns out they were purchased by

a company from the Bible Belt, from Texas, and so this some Eugene

guys this year who probably had never previous they had Good Friday off, got

the day off in recognition of the day, and then later in the week.

Later in the week a my wife got a text from our from a

from a Christian neighbor across the street in lives on the street where we have

a house there in Mexico, and she just casually wondered, what you're doing

with your holiday week? I mean, I'm sure, basically, I'm sure

you don't have school. Our church we have services every night this week for

for anyway, I don't know what kind of excuse my wife gave her.

Turns out we had. Turns out we had church services that week as well,

not because of Easter, but because of our scheduling issues. We had

our revival meetings. So those three things got me, got me, got

me thinking about that a little more on this, on this topic of Easter

and how, how should how should that be? How should that be approached?

Just those questions Christ gave, the Great gave it and we just read

what Paul said there you know this do in remembrance of me and and so

our church. I'm not sure when I didn't even look into a read read

any of that history. When how how was the decision made that twice a

year would be appropriate as opposed to quarterly or monthly, or as the Catholics

would would would observe mass weekly. Those are all every every church, every

denomination, has their reason for doing what they're doing, but all pointing back

to Christ's command. Here Christ told the disciples at the last suffert, you'll

do this in remembrance of Me. Please, Paul reiterated that here in First

Corinthians. But this service, this preparatory services, council meeting service. How

important is this is this to you? Should it be part of the equation?

I realized, we we just accepted. I've just accepted it that way.

But there's one other one other incident that or one other one other time

in the last four weeks, well actually one other times since I was since

I was assigned this this sermon. Wee we sit as the minister's in.

I guess it was February, and looking at the schedule and who should who

should preach count the council meeting service, and my name came up from well,

apparently it had been a while since I'd preached at council meeting. Some

some of us, not me, keep track of those things. So this

was assigned me. What would have been in February, first of March.

We were in last time we were down there in in Mexico. I was

asked, I was asking a question after a church service that had me kind

of not quite stuttering, not quite stammering, but it made me think about

the importance of this this service. And the question was this. The question

was from my sister in law. The question was this, Gerald, why

did not Why did you not take communion with those people? The scene,

the story was I was at a we a family and I Sunday morning had

gone to a local church there where the where he had a sermon. They

had their normal It was a traditional service, the singing, the shaking hands

and greeting each other, the the sermon, and at the end of the

sermon, after the after that, he kind of just closed the service,

rolled it into a here's the here's the bread and the here's the communion,

and we're going to do this this morning too. And we did not.

Well, I and my family we stayed, we remained seated. Afterward,

I was asked, just just right over the front, so why did you

remain seated? Why did you not take communion with that group? Well,

fortunately there was some interruptions. I think maybe I was driving at the time,

answered it a little bit over time, and I guess in the remaining

minutes here I'm going to answer some of that, but and then get into

some practical the practical side of the title how should a man examine himself?

But my reply to that, why did you not? Why did you not

join with them in observing the Lord's Supper? And I guess I think the

first thing I basically said or came up what came out of my mouth first,

And I think it was It's probably the best answer, because I don't

believe it necessarily would have been sinful or or necessarily wrong for me to join

other Christians in partaking in the Lord's Supper. But the reply I gave was

this, I don't think I do not want to see for me and my

family this ordinance, this service of communion to be cheapened, to be made

that light a thing because in the in the context of that that service where

I slash we refrained, there were other visitors there. He had stood the

visitors up and if you're if you're here for the first time, who are

you, where you're where are you from? Well, I stood up.

We weren't. We weren't there for the first time. It was probably our

third or fourth time in that church building. But half half of our half

of our row, half of our bench, had not been there before.

For so I stood up, just stated who we were, the family.

So I'd identified us as visitors. There were other visitors. Visitors were free

to join them in their little their communion service. Not all the visitors did.

I think some did. And there were some others who were sitting there

who were not visitors who did not. So anyway, I didn't join them

because I didn't want to cheapen it. Didn't didn't want to see that ordinance

become that light a thing in my mind, in the minds of my children,

my family. Save it for later, make it an event, And

I think that's in a way, that's what we do. By the way

we have a preparatory, a council meeting service before communion, we were actually

making that event the the the formal remembrance of Jesus and his suffering. We're

elevating that, putting more importance on it. Remember this events events are made

special. Here's a couple of things. If you want to think about a

special event. You think about a wedding, and part of the wedding,

you know, you have that, you have the marriage ceremony. But part

of what makes the wedding special is the event, I mean what surrounds it.

And that's defined by the food and the activities, but probably as much

as anything by who is invited, by who is present. But in an

exclusive type event like a like a wedding where where there's two hundred and fifty

or four hundred guests invited, you could say that there's about there's there's a

whole, there's the rest of the world. The rest of the eight billion

are excluded, and that's part of what makes those things meaningful Saw Them one,

nineteen sixty three. There's there's this statement, not sure who that's attributed

to, but I am a companion of all them that fear THEE and of

them that keep thy precepts, a companion of in other words, a more

special relationship with these people. Psalm fifty five. There's a there's some verses

there there there there there was a hurt or a yeah, there was a

problem of some kind. I just let me read these three verses Psalm fifty

five, twelve through fourteen thinking about excluding of people from an event, excluding

in the words, an exclusive event, or the exclusion of some people.

For it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne

it. Neither was it he that hated me, that did magnify himself against

me, Then I would have hid myself from him. But it was thou

a man, mine equal, my guide, mine acquaintance. We took sweet

Council together and walked under the House of God in company. See there was

a problem here with with a man and Andy. They he didn't didn't like

what was happening, and I had a problem with that. David did,

But he is also painting the picture of walking to go, walking to the

House of God in company, or or attending an event, or being part

of an event with someone that he actually wanted wanted to be with. So

when you think about this, and I will hold up our communion service as

an exclusive event. It is something we do together for our benefit. You

might say, to the exclusion of others, But understand there must be a

path to get there for all. In other words, exclusive, yes,

not not continuously or or irredeemably exclusive, but rather an event that has with

it conditions, if the conditions are met, if you're a part of our

group. And Paul, in this little blip here to this Corinthian church,

he says here in verse twenty eight, well, in verse twenty seven he

raises the possibility that you could be coming here and eating unworthily, and in

verse twenty nine the result for that, if you eat or drink unworthily,

you eat or drink damnation to yourself. Well, when I was young,

those words really didn't make a lot of sense to me. Unworthy, damnation,

what does that mean? Well, worthy and unworthy? We know what

that is. You should or you shouldn't. You're qualified or you're not qualified?

What does that mean? It helped me to think about the opposite of

damnation would be salvation. So if you're if you're not worthy, if you're

if you're in the wrong frame of mind, if you're if you're eating for

the wrong reasons, if you're saying I'm part of the exclusive I I I'm

qualified. When you're not, you're bringing the opposite of salvation on yourself.

Conversely, or on the flip side, there's a blessing for those who will

who who are qualified. And then the qualification. But let a man examine

himself? That begs the question, Then on what points? What what is

our? On what points am I to examine myself? I understand we're not

supposed to be looking at the rest, looking at everyone else, And I

have I have four just simple points here. I'm I'm going to take a

lot of time on these. But how should a man, How should a

man examine himself? Or on what points? What questions should be asked?

The first? The first a very basic one? Am I in the faith?

On Corinthians sixteen A few A few chapters later, one Corinthian sixteen thirteen,

Paul says, this, watch ye stand fast in the faith. Quit

you, like men, be strong, Let all things be done with charity.

And then in Second Corinthians, the next, the next book, the

next, the next letter that he wrote to them, And I'm not sure

how how long a time went by here. But in Second Corinthians thirteen,

verse four, Paul's writing to this same church, for though he was crucified

through weakness, is talking about Christ. Yet he liveth by the power of

God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with

him by the power of God. Toward you examine yourselves whether ye be in

the faith, prove your own selves, know ye not your own selves,

how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates. But I

trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to

God that ye do know evil, not that we should appear approved, but

that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.

For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For

we are glad when we are weak, and ye are strong. And this

also we wish even your perfection. So in another context, Paul writes to

these people that examining yourselves, looking looking at looking at yourself, whether you

be in the faith is a is a valid thing to do. So a

question, is my faith in Jesus Christ? Or is it in other things,

my traditions, my habits, my family, my job, my my

securities? What is my faith in m next just a practical a practical thing.

I think it's it's fair that we would we would in this examination of

ourselves, ask yourself a question, Am I fight? Am I fighting with

my brother and the Lord? Am I getting along with the people? That

I that I view as part of part of this group that I'm going to

I'm going to formally commemorate or announce Christ's death John thirteen thirty four and thirty

five. Jesus said this to his disciples, a new commandment. I give

you that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also

love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.

If you have love one for another. And it pretty much just goes

to say, goes without saying that you don't fight very well with the people

you love. Those things are those things tend to be mutually exclusive. True

love, true concern self sacrificing love and fighting or trying to get the best

deal for myself. Those don't fit very well together. They don't fit at

all. Now. It's true in in life, as as life, as

life unfolds, at times we do things that we see in retrospect, we

see when we look back on the situation that that was not very loving,

that was a selfish move, and that needs to be that needs to be

repented of, that needs to be changed. Another question, another point to

examine yourself. Am I fighting with my neighbors? It's one thing It's one

thing to to look at the look at the relationships within our church, within

our group, with people we know well, But what about the what about

the neighbors? What about the ones down the street? What about the world,

the world that we run into from day to day interact with? Am

I fighting with them? Are my neighbors down the road? People I relate

to? Are they pleased with my contribution to their lives? Or am I

in the category with them where if I disappeared and never reappeared, they'd be

just as happy. Something to think about. Colossians four or five, verses

five and six say this walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming

the time. Let your speech be all the way with grace, seasoned with

salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. First,

Thessalonians four also talks about how we are to walk toward them that are

without, uses the same terminology there. First Thessalonians for eleven, and that

you study to be quiet and to do your own business, and to work

with your own hands, as we commanded you. That you may walk honestly

toward them that are without, and that you may have lack of nothing so

examine ourselves. Am I fighting with myself, with my brothers? Am I

fighting with my neighbors? Point number four, don't bother to try to hide

from God. Don't bother to try to hide from God. God is omniscient,

omnipotent, sovereign. There's no He has the data. People in this

people, in this country, people techy people worry about government surveillance and tracking,

and does the government know where you're at and what you're doing, and

what you've done and what you plan to do. That's fine, I guess

it's fine if they do. But the reality is God already does. He's

fully in the know, in the know for my past, my present,

and my future. Hebrews four eleven. Read Hebrews four eleven to sixteen,

and we can read those verses in just thinking about this this part. Don't

bother to try to hide from God. Let us labor therefore to enter into

that rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the

Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword,

piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, of soul and

spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a deserner of the thoughts

and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest

in his sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of

Him with whom we have to do, or with him with whom we have

to give an account. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that

is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold

fast our profession, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched

with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as

we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly under the throne

of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time

of need. You see the word word of God. The Word of God

knows. As we think about examining ourselves, that's fine. That that's just,

that's kind of just us coming to a recognition of what God has already

seen and knows about us. Do you find a problem, then what?

It's simple repent repentance. Don't mix up confession and repentance. Confession is a

stating with the mouth of what you've done. Confessing that Jesus is Lord is

very important. That's something that happens with the mouth. You need to hear

yourself say that Jesus Christ is Lord. Confession of sin, yes, But

more important than confession of sin is repentance. The Catholic Church, the priests,

confessionals, those are all things with men working at at trying to rectify,

rectify their conscience. But they need the mediator one Timothy two three to

six. For this is good and acceptable in sight of God or Savior,

who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of

the truth. For there is one odd and one mediator between God and man

men, the man Christ, Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all

to be testified in due time. So as we look at the look at

these things, look at who we are. Christ said this, do in

remembrance of me, where to remember him and and walk toward and and and

participate in the communion service. Paul gave this hint or this admonition. But

let a man examine himself. I think we probably at some in some ways

and take that somewhat out of context. I don't think Paul was necessarily I've

got a feeling I've got a feeling he was. He was probably pointing at

something a little different than what we tend to focus on in this thing of

examining ourselves. But that's fine, and the concept is there, the introspective.

Look what am I doing? I think it is a good and right

exercise for us. Hebrews twelve, verses one to three. In closing,

I'm just going to read these three verses, wherefore, seeing we are also

compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every

weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run

with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the

author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before

him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at

the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such

contradiction of sinners against himself, lest he be wearied and faint in your minds.

So consider ourselves, but also in the future consider Jesus. M hmmm,

that is all I have. I think it will call for a song,

and Brian, you want to lead.