2 Corinthians 13:1

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Father, as we look into Your Word this morning, we ask that You would give us insight. We pray that You would continue to work in us to will and to do Your good pleasure. God, that You would be glorified over our lives wherever You would carry us, Lord. Whether it's here in our own neighborhoods, in our own community in North County, or if it's to the uttermost parts in China or Mozambique, we pray that You would work powerfully by us and through us. Empty us of ourselves, Lord, that we would be able to most fully contain Your glory. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

The desire of every true pastor is that those whom they lead would be firmly fixed and centered in the grace and knowledge of God. That those whom they lead would have a completeness of heart and a wholeness of mind, and that they would exude joy and rejoicing in Christ. They should live at peace with one another, in harmony and unity with one another. They should be a body that comforts one another with the comfort wherewith they themselves have been comforted of God. Paul's words in Ephesians chapter 4 reveal this very clearly. If you turn there to the right of 2 Corinthians.

In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul speaks about the call and the gifting of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. In verse 11, he states, "And he, speaking of God, gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers." Why? For the equipping or the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ. This is to continue until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Paul emphasizes that we should henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and the cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. From Him, the whole body is fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Paul's desire was that the church at Corinth, or any church he was involved with or ministered among, would grow to maturity. He highlights the various aspects in these verses in Ephesians chapter 4, emphasizing that they would be equipped or perfected so that the body could effectively do the work of the ministry and build itself up. He talks about coming to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a mature or perfect man in Christ, with the fullness of Christ being evidenced in that person's life.

Paul wanted them to no longer be tossed around by strange doctrines but to stand fast. This was his desire as a minister of the gospel, whether he was in a place like Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, or Corinth. This has certainly been my aim as a pastor: to see those, whoever they may be, grow in their faith and maturity.

I am given the ability to speak into their lives and to lead. My desire is to see those whom I have the privilege of leading and caring for grow to maturity. I want them to come to a place where they are thoroughly equipped for every good work. That's what Paul spoke to Timothy: that the preaching of the Word of God is able to equip people to be ready to do the good things that God has called them to.

This was Paul's great desire, and it is very clear why it was so devastating to the Apostle Paul, or to any pastor, when they see those they have the opportunity to lead being led away. Whether it is being led astray by the cares of the world or being distracted by the deception of false teaching, it is heartbreaking for a pastor to see even one person led away in a direction towards false doctrine. The brokenness of Paul's heart has been evident in this letter, Second Corinthians.

As I mentioned eight months ago when we began this letter, Second Corinthians is Paul's most personal and most emotional letter of the thirteen letters that he wrote in the New Testament. Some in the Corinthian church had been carried away, which is very clear in First Corinthians. Some were led away to immorality and to a worldly sort of living that is not congruous with the teachings of Christ. Not only that, as we have seen in Second Corinthians, there were people who were distracted by devilish doctrines and divisive doctrines that were tearing them away from one another and from their founding pastor, the Apostle Paul.

Paul recognized that he did not have dominion over the church at Corinth. He states at the end of Second Corinthians chapter one, "I have no dominion over your faith." It was not his church; it was God's church. Paul understood that he was given a stewardship and the opportunity in the Kingdom of God to be a part of what was happening in places like Corinth. However, he never took it as if it were solely his work, even though he was the man that God used to plant the church.

In Corinth, the church was very close to Paul's heart. He had, in a sense, a fatherly view of that church, which was birthed from the ministry that God had called him to. When enemies of his ministry and of himself set upon the church to destroy the connection between him and the body of Christ, he was rightly indignant and angered by that.

There is a way in which we can have righteous anger. It is a very fine line, and we tend to cross over that line. However, in this passage, we see very clearly that God is speaking through the Apostle Paul as he calls out to the individuals at the church of Corinth. This message is not just for the church he knew well, but also for those who had come in seeking to destroy that work.

Paul makes it clear, as we saw in chapter 12, that he was not desirous of anything he could get from the Corinthians. Instead, he was desirous of them—the relationship and the connection they had with him, and he with them. This, as we have considered, was Paul's fourth letter, even though in our Bibles it is called Second Corinthians. There are two of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth that we do not have, and now he is preparing for his third visit to the church to minister in that city.

Nearly all of Paul's correspondence to this point with the church has been filled with very strong language. That strong language was not meant to scare them or intimidate them; it was meant to bring them back to a right standing before God and also to restore their relationship with Him.

Look at verse one of chapter 13. There, Paul says, "This is the third time that I'm coming to you, and in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." Paul's words remain strong as he closes this letter, quoting Deuteronomy chapter 19, verse 15: "Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established." Apparently, he considered his first two visits to the city of Corinth as being his first two witnesses among them, and now he is preparing for his third witness.

His third time interacting with them, he says that. Now, this being the third time, let these words be established among you. Hopefully, you will be firmly established also, not led away by any wind of doctrine.

I'm absolutely certain that Paul's heart, and we've seen this in his letter, was broken by the fact that there were many in the church in Corinth who were led away by strange winds of doctrine. This made it very clear that their foundation was somewhat shaky. Even though Paul had been with them for two years, it's clear that the enemies of the Apostle Paul were very persuasive.

The reality is that it's easy to be led away from the gospel of grace because our human nature desires to do something. We take great pride in what we do, and that's why so many of us tend to identify ourselves not by who we are, but by what we do.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. "Well, I'm a contractor." Is that it? I mean, we have a tendency to say, "Well, I'm an engineer. I do this." Even in our lives as Christians, we have a tendency to identify ourselves as Christians by what we don't do or what we do. "I pray. I tithe. I read the Bible. I serve in ministry. I don't do X, Y, and Z," whatever it may be. And that's what establishes our foundation many times.

Since our natural flesh, our human nature, desires to be able to point to something we've done, we love to have lists of things. "Well, if you just pray these prayers, and if you read these chapters, and if you execute these sorts of things in your life, then you will be a right-standing Christian before God and before the church."

Now, certainly, there are certain rules that are established within churches that say if you're going to be a member of this church, you have to live in this way. But that's, in many ways, extra-biblical. What's the foundation of our salvation? Christ came into the world to save sinners, and we all fit that. We've all sinned significantly.

When I say things like that, we all recognize that there's something that pops up in our mind. "Yeah, oh man, there was that time when I was not."

Walking in the Lord, when I was dead in trespasses and sins, the only requirement for the gospel of grace is to be a sinner. And so we all fit that bill quite well. Paul says in verse two, "I told you before and foretell you, as if I were present the second time. And being absent now, I write to them which heretofore have sinned and to all others that if I come again, I will not spare."

Since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you, Lord, is not weak but is mighty in you. For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He lives 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.

Some of Paul's critics had criticized his meekness when he was with them presently. In person, he was meek. He didn't come with great power or great force; he was not a presence, if you will. Have you ever been intimidated by someone's presence? Just being around them makes you feel like, "Oh goodness, I don't know if I should be." Paul was not like that, and the reality is Christ was not like that either. He was approachable. Young children would approach Him, and I think it's important to recognize that.

This is an indication of Christ being an individual that we like in the world. We like that people feel intimidated in our presence. In our carnal nature, there's a certain aspect to it that I believe is one of the reasons why people strive for political office or strive for some sort of high position in our society. It does, in some way, stroke that carnal desire to be a presence.

When I think about that, I can't help but think of the Wizard of Oz. That scene is just so perfect. Here's this freaky thing, and the little dog goes running out of the room. The cowardly lion too goes, "Oh, Oz is so amazing." Ultimately, the little dog finds the guy behind the curtain. Don't look at him.

There is that desire inwardly to be a presence. Paul was not like that. In 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2, he tells us, "When I came to you, I came in weakness. I came trembling with fear. I didn't speak to you with great, powerful words." Ultimately, his desire was that your faith would be in God, the wisdom of God, and not in the wisdom of man.

His critics criticized his meekness, but Paul makes it very clear that he will be as bold in person as he has been in his letters. If he returns to the Corinthians and finds the conditions continuing as they had been, if things had not changed, I'm not sure that his words could be any more stern. "I will not spare." Could you imagine a father figure saying, "You do this again, I will not spare"?

Of course, critics were saying that his letters are weighty and powerful, but his personal presence is weak. Paul says, "Listen, if you think that's the case, if I come again and I find that things have not changed, I'm not going to spare. I will be as bold in person as I am in my letters. Be sure of that."

The Corinthians and his critics there in Corinth sought proof that Christ was in Paul. An alternate reading of this verse comes in the New Living Translation, where Paul says, "I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me." In their minds, a person who has Christ in them, because Christ rose from the dead by the power of God, is going to be a presence. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with. However, Paul was not like that when he came among the people at Corinth.

So Paul says, "Listen, you're demanding proof of Christ speaking through me. Then I will reveal that if that's what is necessary." Meekness is not highly esteemed by the world. When Paul was present with them in meekness, he was accounted as weak by them. That is almost always how meekness is viewed in our world.

At this point, it may be important to define meekness. Some of you know the definition that is often given.

In a setting such as this, meekness is strength under control. The best evidence or illustration of this, as I've said before, is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Just as He was being betrayed by one of His own, Judas Iscariot, Peter took the sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword, fixed the man's ear, and said to Peter, "Do you not know that at this very moment I could call twelve legions of angels to my aid?"

That's phenomenal. In Isaiah chapter 37, one angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrian army in one night. Jesus said, "I have twelve legions of those at my disposal." This demonstrates incredible power and awesome potential power, yet it is all under control. Strength under control is definitely one of the fruits, the evidences, of God working in an individual. One of the fruits of the Spirit is meekness and gentleness.

Now, these qualities are not highly esteemed in our culture. You're considered weak if you don't stand up for yourself. People say, "Man up! Do something! Get it done! You have rights; you need to stand up for your rights." If you don't, you're accounted as weak.

Paul was most certainly not weak. He was whipped 195 times by Jewish leaders at synagogues, beaten three times by Roman magistrates with rods, and shipwrecked multiple times. There is evidence in the Scriptures that he was robbed while on his journeys. The reality is that this is not a weak individual. He was carried outside the city of Lystra, where they stoned him with rocks until they thought he was dead.

So, the reality is that Paul was not a weak person, but he certainly was a meek individual. You can be sure that the meekness evidenced in the Apostle Paul was not of him, because if you look at his life prior to his conversion, when he was Saul of Tarsus, it tells a different story.

This is the guy who was so irate at what was happening within the Jewish faith as people were turning to Christ, Jesus as Messiah, that he went to the chief priest seeking letters so that he could go and take Christians into custody. He could even have them put to death. He presided over the stoning death of Stephen in Acts chapter 7. This is a guy that did not know meekness before his conversion, before Christ was in him.

But there was a transformation that took place, and his meekness was accounted as weakness by those who were his critics. Christ was counted weak as well. He saved others; he himself he cannot save. While he was on the cross, some said, "Hey, if you really are the Christ, get yourself down off that cross." Apparently, it was the conclusion of some that harsh sternness from an individual was proof of Christ's presence and power in them.

You can imagine that those critics of Paul who came to the city of Corinth probably did not exercise meekness. They came with a very earthly, carnal, worldly power. This is why Paul says we do not war; we do not strategize after carnal means. We don't live that way. You're different as a Christian. There is a new restraining influence that comes into the life of the believer in Christ.

A person who puts their trust and their confidence in Christ for salvation is given a new heart from God. The Scriptures say they are born again. Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3 that they receive a new spirit in them. The Spirit of God dwells in them. After He raised from the dead, Jesus came to His fearful disciples who were cowering in an upper room in Jerusalem. He breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." Then He promised that they would have power, great power from the Spirit of God.

This is evidenced by the very same group of fearful people standing before multitudes on the day of Pentecost, with Peter preaching. This is the same Peter who denied that he knew the Lord Jesus three times on the night that Jesus was betrayed. Now he stands with the power of God and speaks forth. However, that power of God, enabling a person to do things that they otherwise would not be able to do, is not evidenced by their harshness.

Or their severity in the way that they deal with people. Paul was not harsh or severe in his dealings with others. His meekness was often mistaken for weakness. He did not exhibit harshness when he was among the Corinthians, and there were some who reckoned him lacking. Some counted him as deficient where the Spirit of God was concerned.

Therefore, he says, "I'm not going to spare when I come this third time." It appears that this is how they deduce spiritual power. Their idea of spiritual power is that a person will be a presence, a force. The judgment of some at Corinth was that Paul lacked the presence of Christ in him, that he was deficient in spiritual power and vitality.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Christ Jesus is in you, except you be reprobates?" He expresses trust that they shall know that he and his companions are not reprobates.

As we considered a few weeks ago, Paul concluded that it was unwise to commend oneself or to judge oneself by the appearance of another. It is foolish, as stated in 2 Corinthians 10:12. If you'd like to turn there, it says, "Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding."

Paul emphasizes that it is foolish to commend yourself or to use the life of another individual as a standard by which to judge yourself. It is easy to do so, isn't it? It is easy to commend ourselves as being something great, especially when we use the subpar life of someone else as a standard.

There are over 7 billion people on the face of the planet today. It is probably a pretty good bet that you can find somebody worse than you.

Or a billion people worse than you, maybe. It is real easy to set someone up as the straw man that you are going to use and say, "Well, look at how terrible they are. Look at me. This person is really bad. Let me show you all their weaknesses. Let me show you just how bad they are. And let me show you how good I am in respect to how bad they are." That is politics, isn't it? That is politics. That is not the kingdom of God.

So, Paul says, "Examine yourselves." It is very easy to examine others. It is very easy to point out the inconsistencies that you see in others. Your sin looks really bad in other people's lives, doesn't it? And it is easy to judge it in another person's life.

Now, the word "examine" here means to test so as to prove the quality of something. Paul is clearly questioning the genuineness of some of those in Corinth who claim to be in the faith. "Test yourselves as to whether you are in the faith," he says. "Examine yourselves," because there were some in the city of Corinth who were exhibiting far more of the works of the flesh than the fruit of the Spirit.

And so, Paul says, "Examine yourselves." Now, surely Paul could have gone on a long dissertation about all their inconsistencies and wickedness and pointed it out. But he just says, "Listen, you test yourselves. You're so quick to examine me, to test me, to say, 'Oh, he doesn't have great speech,' and 'Oh, he doesn't have great revelations,' and 'Oh my goodness, he's trying to take advantage of us.' It is so easy for you to set me up and to pick me apart. But examine your own selves to see that you be in the faith."

So, Paul comes right out and literally says, "You need to check yourself before you wreck yourself." Paul coined that phrase. I know you didn't know that, but he did, right here in 2 Corinthians 13:5. That's the updated version: "Check yourself before you wreck yourself."

We are often very ready to examine and test others. Why? Because it gets people's eyes off of us and onto someone else. We don't like to be exposed.

John chapter 3 describes Jesus speaking with Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. He says, "Listen, men love darkness rather than light." Why? Because their deeds are evil. They don't want to come to the light, lest they be reproved or exposed.

There were those who were quick to judge Paul, seeking proof of Christ's presence in him. Paul turns it around on them and says, "You examine yourself. You prove yourself whether Christ is in you." Let's see it. Is He really in your life? Is there really evidence sufficient to say, "Yes, I am of Christ"?

It's been said many times before; it's become cliché. If you were to be brought before a trial to prove that you're a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to convict? Would they say, "Yeah, this person stands the test"?

We partook of communion this morning. When we do, we read out of First Corinthians chapter 11, where Paul speaks about the revelation he received from God. He says, "I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you: that Christ Jesus, on the night that He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had broken it, He gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.'"

It goes on to say that after they had supped, He took the cup and said, "This is the blood of the new covenant. Drink this, all of you." Right after that, in First Corinthians chapter 11, verse 28, Paul says, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Paul uses the same word in verse 28 of First Corinthians chapter 11 as he does here in Second Corinthians chapter 13, to examine yourself. This exhortation, both here in chapter 13, verse 5, and in chapter 11, verse 28 of First Corinthians, reveals clearly that self-examination is not something new; it's not something odd. In fact, it ought to be a regular reality in the life of the Christian.

Paul goes on to say in First Corinthians chapter 11, verse 31, "For if you would judge yourselves, you should not be judged." If you would judge yourselves.

You should not be judged. It's interesting how many non-believers, people who do not believe in the word of God, do not really take heed to it. They will tell Christians that they are so judgmental. Jesus commands you, "Judge not, that you be not judged." Has anybody ever had someone tell you that before? So judgmental. "Judge not." You need to fulfill that command of Jesus. When you ask them where He said that, they won't be able to tell you. He did say that, but they won't be able to tell you that Jesus spoke those words in the Sermon on the Mount.

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7, because it is an often misquoted passage taken out of context by people who just don't know what is truly said. Jesus is teaching here in Matthew chapter 7, in the Sermon on the Mount, and it reveals the all-important Christian activity of self-examination. Matthew 7, verse 1 states, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again."

And why do you behold the moat, the speck, that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or will you say to your brother, "Let me pull that speck out of your eye," and behold, there is a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Note this: verse 5 says, "You hypocrite! First, cast out or remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast out the speck from your brother's eye."

See this: "Don't judge me." Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." This is so often taken out of context. The context is that you need to examine yourself first, and having done so, then you have the ability to speak into the life of another person. It's not just a straight prescription to never judge; that just is not practical. But the reality given here is clear.

Judge yourself first. First, remove the beam from your own eyes so that you can see clearly to be able to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Self-examination is essential; it is an essential Christian undertaking. However, it's not comfortable. It's not easy. It is crucial, but not comfortable.

How does one examine themselves? If you're taking notes, number one: prayerfully. In Psalm 26, verse 2, David says, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." That is a prayer of David: "God, examine me. Prove me." In Psalm 139, verse 23, he prays, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts."

Jeremiah chapter 17 reveals that our heart is so desperately wicked that we don't even know the depths of our own wicked heart. But verse 10 of Jeremiah 17 says, "But God tests the heart of man." This is a reality; we don't even know the depths of the wickedness of our own hearts. Therefore, we have to say, as David did, "Lord, search me and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts."

Now, that's an interesting prayer to pray. It's not an easy prayer to pray because if you pray that with sincerity, know for certain that God is going to answer that request. That's one of those prayers that I believe God says, "Yes, I will. Let me do just that, because that's what I do."

Are you praying for God to examine and search your heart? Are you asking, "Lord, know my thoughts?" I mean, you know your own thoughts; no one else knows your thoughts. How thankful are you sometimes that nobody else knows your thoughts? I was watching a documentary.

The other day, I watched a documentary on Tourette's syndrome. I want to clarify that I am not making light of it; please understand that. The documentary featured a young girl who, due to Tourette's, would say the first thing that came to her mind when she saw people. The things she said were often inappropriate, things that you just wouldn't say. She lacked the filter to keep those thoughts to herself. However, there was a level of honesty in what she expressed, even if it was shocking. As she bumped into people she had never met, her comments would often leave others taken aback.

Now, I wonder if anyone from the East Coast can relate. Some East Coasters seem to suffer from a syndrome where they just say whatever comes to mind. On the West Coast, we have an equally problematic tendency; we may not say things directly to people, but we will discuss them with everyone else.

So, how do we examine ourselves? First, we do so prayerfully. Second, we do it biblically. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow." The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; it exposes us. Psalm 119:105 and verse 130 describe God's Word as a lamp and a light. In Ephesians 5:13, Paul states, "But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever does make manifest is light." God's Word acts as a bright, shining light, exposing our inward heart motives.

About ten years ago, I took a class at Horizon called Biblical Self-Confrontation. It was presented as a counseling class.

And it's a great class. For six months, we went through a book entitled Biblical Self-Confrontation. Frankly, it was the hardest class I've ever taken because the foundation of the book was Matthew chapter 7, verse 5: "First remove the beam from your own eye, so you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Every chapter of the book focused on this principle, and all the homework was centered on looking at yourself in the light of God's Word, examining how you stand up to this standard. It was like spiritual heart surgery.

One thing is for sure: I saw serious growth in my life during those six months, but it was challenging. You are taking the Word of God, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and saying, "God, here is your standard, here is your Word, and here is my life." To examine oneself, you do so prayerfully, biblically, and publicly.

Notice what Paul says in verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 13: "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?" He begins by saying, "Examine yourselves," and just a few words later, he says, "Prove yourselves." These are two different Greek words that are synonymous in the Scriptures.

He instructs us to examine ourselves prayerfully with the Word of God, but then he emphasizes the need to prove ourselves. Make it known that Christ is in you; let it be seen. The life of the Christian is not lived privately. The lie of the enemy in our nation that your faith is a private matter is just that—a lie of the enemy. We have allowed ourselves to be covert in our lives as Christians, which has led to hypocrisy. We may be one thing at home, another thing at church, and yet another at work. Wherever we are, we may not be the same person. This is the reality of the Christian life.

Who's going to live an examined life before God and men? It is a life that is lived publicly. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bush, but on a candlestick, and it gives light unto all that are in the house." Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

So here's the question: Can those who are in darkness see light in us? Do they see the good works of God sufficiently in us that they say, "Wow, there really must be a God"? The self-examined life is a life that is lived prayerfully, biblically, and publicly. Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 9, that God had set the apostles as a spectacle before the world and angels. The reality is that the Christian life is to be that which both the world and the angelic beings of creation are looking at and seeing—the wisdom of God magnified in the church.

Don't believe me? Look at Ephesians chapter 3. This is a powerful, powerful verse to me. Verse 10—actually, we'll start at verse 9 because it gives it context. Paul says, "To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things."

To the intent, verse 10 continues, "that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church"—that's us—the manifold wisdom of God. Let's unpack that. God's intent is that His awesome wisdom and glory would be on display in us. Do you recognize that that life cannot be lived privately? God wants to show off His wisdom.

In us, we often ask, "Are you crazy? Do you know me?" He responds, "Yes, that's why I'm choosing to use you. Because you're such a bad backdrop for my glory." It looks so good when it's framed by you. That's what it says; that's what He is saying. His glory is glorious when the backdrop is us. What a contrast!

Paul lived his life openly before others. There was nothing hidden. His failures and triumphs were very clearly seen. He was not hypocritically two-faced. Now, you can be certain that prior to his conversion, he was. Why? Because he was a Pharisee. The Pharisees are that group that Jesus scathingly tore apart in Matthew chapter 23. He said, "You guys are like whitewashed tombs. You look great on the outside, but you're full of dead men's bones."

What happened when Paul became a Christian? He was turned inside out. It is so easy to live our lives one way at home, another way at work, and another way at church, and so on. But the proof of Christ in us should be evident. It should be clearly seen by those we come in contact with. The proof is the fruit of the Spirit. These are the evidential realities of a Christian.

In Galatians chapter 5, verse 22, we find the evidence of God's Spirit in us. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Against such, there is no law. There's nothing that says you can't be these things. But the only way to have these things is by the Spirit of God. This is God working in an individual. You can't get this from some self-help book or a crash course at Palomar College. It just isn't coming from there. It's Christ in you, the hope of glory, the hope of His glorious reality being manifest.

In us. This is why Jesus, in teaching us to pray by His own prayer in John 17, says, "Father, glorify Yourself in Me." That should become one of our prayers: "Father, glorify Yourself in Me," even if that means that I must die. Paul said, "I die daily." Why? Because he regularly examined himself. If you would judge yourself, you would not be judged.

These things ought to be evidenced openly and publicly in our lives as proof that Christ is in us. Except, what does Paul say in Second Corinthians, chapter three, verse five? The last verse, verse thirteen, says, "Except you be reprobates." If you are in the faith, then Christ will be in you, and the proof will be clearly seen by people as they come in contact with you, both by you personally and by others around you. You're going to see it; others will see it as well.

If there is no evidence, if there is no fruit in our lives, then you have to ask this difficult question: Am I a reprobate? Now, that's just one of those words we don't like—reprobate. What is that all about? Well, again, it's an incredibly difficult question to ask. To fully grasp what is meant by this is to consider what this word, translated as "reprobates" in the King James Version, is in the original language. The word is actually the very same root as the word that Paul uses just a few words later when he says, "Prove yourselves." It's the same Greek word; it's just negated.

What it means is "unproven." Unless you be one that is not standing the test, unless you be unapproved, Paul says, "Test yourself to see that you be in the faith. Examine yourself. Prove yourself, lest you be one that is untested, unapproved."

Just this last week, if you keep up with the news, especially in the sports world, you know that seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from professional competition.

By the United States Anti-Doping League, there are allegations against him that during his time competing and winning those Tour de France victories, he was doping. Any of you watch that? You know the yellow shirt? He was using performance-enhancing drugs of some sort.

At this point, he has issued a letter and a statement saying he is no longer going to fight these charges. He's not going to stand up against it, and he has some reasons as to why. Some of those may be good reasons, but it certainly doesn't look good. In a moment, they say, "No, you didn't win seven Tour de France victories." Why? He's unwilling to stand the test.

Just a few weeks ago, during the Olympics, several Olympic athletes were disqualified because their doping tests revealed that they were using performance-enhancing drugs. If you go back and watch some of the clips from the Olympics in the 1980s, it seems like everybody was using performance-enhancing drugs.

But no more. Unapproved. Disqualified. Did not stand the test. Paul uses this word, "reprobates," which is unapproved. Previously, back in First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 27, he says, "But I discipline my body and keep it under my control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified."

I make sure that I examine myself. I make sure that I test myself so that as I'm preaching these things to others, there will never come a day when they say, "No, you are a hypocrite." There are things we didn't know about—hidden things. It is devastating, whether it's in politics or in the church. When we find out that an individual has been a lie, it is devastating to the entire work of God.

This is why Paul was so ardently defending his character. Why? Because they were bringing false allegations against him, trying to disprove him, to show that Christ was not in him. He says, "Listen, you examine yourselves to see that you be in the faith, that Christ be in you." I am certain, he says in verse 6, "I trust that you shall know that we are not disqualified. We are not reprobates." When you examine yourself, I'm absolutely certain you're going to see that your allegation is false.

The reality is this: everybody else looks a whole lot better when you examine yourself. It's true, isn't it? When you genuinely take a look at yourself, even the people that drive you crazy in the church, you start to think, "Man, they're not so bad." Why? Because I'm the chief of all sinners. This was the conclusion that Paul came to. This is a challenging example that Paul gives. Paul disciplined himself to prove that he was not disapproved in his walk, in his faith, in the ministry that God had called him to.

Now, obviously, the question comes: what if we do not stand up to the test? What if, in the examination of ourselves, we recognize that we are wretched? Is that individual forever banned? No. What should they do? Repent. What does John tell us in 1 John chapter 1? It's just so beautiful. Turn there, near the end of your Bibles, right after 1 and 2 Peter.

I come back to this passage constantly because it's so awesome. Look at verse 7. John says, "If we walk in the light, as He, Jesus, is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin." If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Listen, if you think you're not a sinner, examine yourself in the light of God's Word, prayerfully and publicly, and you're going to see, "I'm a sinner." What am I to do? If we confess our sins, verse 9 says, "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness."

So Paul says, "Now I pray." In verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 13, he prays to God that you do no evil. Not that we should appear approved, but that you should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. There were people who were holding Paul up to a different test than the test of the fruit of the Spirit, than the test of the Scriptures. They were holding him up to a carnal test. They claimed Paul doesn't have power, Paul doesn't have eloquence, Paul doesn't have this or that; therefore, he's unapproved.

Paul acknowledges that he may appear as reprobate according to their standard, but according to God's standard, he is certain that he is not disqualified. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. If I am diminished, if I am brought low, and I look as though I'm weak among the people—these critics in Corinth—I don't care, as long as you are mature and you are strong. This also we wish: even your perfection.

When he says "perfection" here, he's not talking about sinless perfection. We will not have that here on earth. Anyone who tells you that they have sinless perfection is lying. First John 1:8 states, "If you say that you have no sin, you deceive yourself." Perfection here is completeness, wholeness, maturity. Therefore, I write these things being absent, lest being present, I should use harshness or sharpness according to the power which the Lord has given to me.

Why has God given me power? Not for destruction, but for edification. God has given me authority; that's what that word "power" means. He's given me authority so that you would be built up.

So Paul's conclusion is, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect. Be mature. Grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you." Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

What a great benediction! Paul's final word is a beautiful benediction: the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Let's stand. Father, we ask that You would work in us. God, examine us. If that's your prayer today, Lord, examine me. Just say amen. Lord, examine us. Search our hearts and see if there be any wicked way in us. There is. Lord, expose it. Bring Your light into that dark recess of our heart so that we would see it, allowing us to confess it. Knowing that when we confess it, You're faithful and just to forgive us. In Jesus' name, amen.