The Mandates of Jesus – Self-Examination
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139: 23-24
“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7: 5
“Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?” 2 Corinthians 13:5 Amplified
Spoiler Alert: Jesus gave us all the right answers
Love the Lord your God … (Matthew 22:36-40)
“One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Obey
“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;” John 8:31
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15
Bear Much Fruit
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:5, 8
Love One Another
(Jesus) “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
“One another” applies to each other; in our world, Christians loving Christians. There are 59 “one another” verses in the NT. That is amazing. Of those, 16 are “love one another” statements. According to Jesus, this is the most important place to start among Christians – today within the body of Christ (churches).
(Jesus) “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. This I command you that you love one another.” John 15:12, 17
“If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” 1 John 4:20-21
Pray (Jesus’ Example):
After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Matthew 14:23
Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray. Mark 1:35
“Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
(Jesus) took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. Luke 9:28
Encouragement
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, Luke 18:1
Warning
“But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36
Go Make Disciples
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20
Be My Witnesses
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8b
How are you doing on the self-examination part of your test?
Invitation
For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death.” 2 Corinthian 7:10