Exam Week

WNBS Recap
March 14, 2007

What is your least favorite part of the school year: a specific day of the week, a season, homework, competitions, lunch? For me, my least favorite part was always exam week. Why? Because it became very clear very quickly whether I had done my work throughout the year. The less I did leading up to exam week, the harder exam week was. But, when exam week was over, it always seemed to be one of the most rewarding times of the year. When those final grades came out and I saw how the studying paid off, I felt relieved and excited about the next semester. If, however, I did poorly on exams, there was little to be excited about.

Well, this week, Paul is going to encourage us to an even more regular exam week: examine yourself week.

Remember that Paul has just spent time showing how he relates to the churches God has placed him in leadership over, and how that relationship between Paul and the churches gives us a picture of God's relationship to the universal Church. Paul finishes up this explanation by expressing a few fears at the end of 2 Corinthians 12.

2 Corinthians 12:20-21
For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

This "fear" that, despite his efforts in relating to and ministering to the church as a servant from God, the church is still walking down a path more like the surrounding culture than the path toward holiness leads to a warning and a challenge from Paul in the next 5 verses.

In verses 1-4 Paul says that by the "testimony of two or three witnesses" (quoting Dueteronomy 17:6) Paul will not spare anyone in the church that is still living in the sin he has exposed in his previous two visits to Corinth. He also warns that he will not spare anyone else either, possibly counting them as accomplises to their sin after the clear instructions he has given the church in dealing with sin in the church. Why is he being so harsh? He knows that at this visit he will see the true heart of the church. Have they listened to the words of God and repented, or are they continuing to live like the culture around them. Also, they claim to want the truth, but if they are not allowing the truth to work a powerful work IN them, then they are still living in weakness, wanting, like the pharisees, God to work toward them, only cleaning the outside of the cup while the inside remains dirty. So, this is Paul's warning: I'm coming to see you again, and, just so you know, I'm not going to go easy on you. I expect to see certain changes in you, just like a father expects to see certain behavior in his sons, and, just like a father, there will be consequences for everyone if sin still remains.

Paul follows this warning with a challenge in verse 5; one of the most difficult exhortations for anyone to adhere to: EXAMINE YOURSELF! Not just in a surface way either. Go right down to the heart of the matter: are you even a believer to begin with? If so, then why not live with the power of Christ that is IN you? And if you fail the test, look to us because we have the truth and the power of Christ to work in you and not just toward you, cleaning you from the inside out.

This challenge to examine yourself has come through 1900 years of world history to you and to me. This week is exam week. Examine yourself, first to see if you are in the faith, and second to allow the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit to wash you from the inside out, not giving sin a home anymore.

Examine yourself. Please! It won't be easy, but it will be rewarding!