Examining Ourselves

January 3, 2025

The sermon, titled "Examining Ourselves - Sermon," is a message from Pastor Ray at Experience Gateway, published on January 3, 2025. It focuses on the importance of self-reflection and personal accountability as a new year begins.

Core Themes and Message

  • The "Man in the Mirror" Principle: Using the Michael Jackson song as a relatable starting point [01:21], the sermon emphasizes that before we criticize others, we must first look at ourselves. Pastor Ray references Jesus’ teaching about removing the "beam" from your own eye before looking for the "speck" in someone else's [02:41].

  • Avoiding Victimhood: A major point of the sermon is the transition from a "childish" mindset of blaming others to a "mature" mindset of taking ownership [08:10]. The pastor encourages viewers not to blame their circumstances, the "climate" (social or political), or even the devil for a lack of personal growth or "fruit" in their lives [56:42].

  • The Measuring Stick: Pastor Ray warns against using other people—especially those doing "worse"—as a metric for success [13:50]. Instead, he argues that the Word of God and the character of Jesus should be the only standards for self-examination [14:38].

  • Testing Motives: He notes that external "good" behavior can be misleading. True faith involves examining why you do what you do, ensuring motives are pure and directed toward God rather than human praise or manipulation [18:19].

Scriptural References

The sermon draws on several key passages to support the theme of self-examination:

  • 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves" [15:35].

  • Matthew 7:16: "You will know them by their fruits" [22:23].

  • Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart... see if there be any hurtful way in me" [47:46].

  • 1 Corinthians 4:3-5: Regarding being judged by others versus being judged by the Lord [37:49].

Conclusion and Prayer

The message concludes by shifting from self-examination to a call for "boldness" and change in 2025 [53:20]. The service ends with a musical worship segment featuring the song "Make Room," emphasizing a willingness to let God "shake up the ground" of tradition and religion to make way for genuine personal change [01:00:43].