A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of June 7-11, 2021
MONDAY
Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup… if we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28, 32
The apostle Paul is giving instructions to the Corinthian church. These are familiar instructions. We read them each time communion is administered. These are vital instructions because they allow us to enter in to fellowship with God afresh. The communion table is a memorial to the finished work at Calvary and should not be taken lightly. It is like the wedding vow, in a sense. This new covenant was sealed and ratified in His blood. It is very important that we follow these instructions precisely. So why is self-examination such an important part of the Christian discipline?
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Mark 11:22-24 ~ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
June 7: Deuteronomy 11, Psalms 95-96, Isaiah 39, Revelation 9
June 8: Deuteronomy 12, Psalms 97-98, Isaiah 40, Revelation 10
June 9: Deuteronomy 13-14, Psalms 99-101, Isaiah 41, Revelation 11
June 10: Deuteronomy 15, Psalms 102, Isaiah 42, Revelation 12
June 11: Deuteronomy 16, Psalms 103, Isaiah 43, Revelation 13
June 12: Deuteronomy 17, Psalms 104, Isaiah 44, Revelation 14
June 13: Deuteronomy 18, Psalms 105, Isaiah 45, Revelation 15
TUESDAY
Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup… if we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28, 32
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18
The Word of God is a mirror in which we behold the image of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As we behold Him, we are being conformed into His image. Anytime we want to know how we look, we look in the mirror. Whenever we desire to examine ourselves spiritually, we look into the Word of God. When we examine ourselves in light of the Word of God, we are allowing the perfect work of the cross to be accomplished. We examine ourselves at the communion table, we can feel small and even unworthy in our own eyes because we recognize our weakness compared to His perfection. At the communion table is where this is helped.
WEDNESDAY
Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup… if we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28, 32
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in weakness, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
When we examine ourselves, we submit to God’s remedy, and we will not be judged with the world. We must submit to the process of transformation by looking into the mirror of God’s Word. When we allow the light of the Word to penetrate our souls, there is great mercy for us and great grace for us to become more like Christ. The communion table is where the remedy for our weakness is ministered. We exchange our weakness for His strength, our brokenness for His wholeness, and our darkness for His light. We are strengthened by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. We take on His life.
THURSDAY
Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup… if we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28, 32
For though He was crucified in 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. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—if not, indeed you are disqualified.
2 Corinthians 13:4-5
In examining yourself, and seeing your reflection in the Word, it is important that we listen to God’s remedy for us. So often, we hinder the transformation process by spending our time trying to cover our faults with excuses or denial. It is better to allow ourselves to submit to the light that He is pouring into our souls. God is merely doing what He has promised; He is making us whole. He wants us to partake of everything that redemption has bought for us. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so that we can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). We can live by the power of His resurrection life by faith in Him. This is a privilege that we cannot afford to turn down. We can actually have the best that God has for us through the process of self-examination.
FRIDAY
Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup… if we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:28, 32
For though He was crucified in 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. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—if not, indeed you are disqualified.
2 Corinthians 13:4-5
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17
The power of God is toward us to help us. That’s why we should never shrink away from self-examination. We are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him. When we confess our faults and weaknesses, His grace is sufficient for us, and the Holy Spirit unveils who we are through the mirror of the Word. As we behold Him, we are transformed from glory to glory by His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). We see ourselves, and we see Jesus Christ in us.
Do you want to be free? Then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. This communion with God allows us to become one with Christ in the very area where we had been at odds with Him. He wins us over at the communion table because we can clearly see His perfect love for us.. We escape judgment with the world when we examine ourselves. There is power and blessing in self-examination.