I am not sorry
2 Corinthians 7:8-16
Recap:
- Pastor Jay – Spoke on the kind of attitude Paul had when the Corinthian church pushed back regarding their “unbecoming” behaviors
- Toward the end of Pastor Jay’s spoke of how the Corinthian church had turned their lives around
- 2 Corinthians 7:7. …. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!
- Today we will dig deeper and see why and how they turned their lives around even after being hurt by Paul’s letter
- 2 Corithians 7:8-16 (Nlt) I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right. 12 My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us. 13 We have been greatly encouraged by this.
In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind[a] at ease. 14 I had told him how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true! 15 Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect. 16 I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.
- It’s very clear that Godly sorrow led them to repentance
- It was painful for you for a little while and that the pain led you to repentance
- Thank you, Lord, for putting me in painful situations, that allows me to get very uncomfortable and that pain causes me to change – to repent!
- We all want to be comfortable – don’t we – but we have to be careful that we don’t identify every uncomfortable situation as, it’s the devil or I am under attack.
- Stop looking for an exit – sometime God wants to set a table before the enemies (Psalms 23)
- Pastor Matt sermon– What are you going to do in the fire- Refined or make an idol?
- Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (Njkv)- “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are [a]full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are [b]multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart [c]is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
- Comfort brings in forgetting which leads to sin – which leads to building our own idols
- The Psalmist is honest with himself
- Psalms 119:67 (ampc)Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]
- Hardship brought the psalmist back to obedience
- Psalms 119: 71 (Nkjv) It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.
- Suffering teaches spiritual lessons and deepens faith – reliance on God & intimacy
- Hebrews 12:6 (Nlt) – For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.
- Hebrews 12:11 (Nlt) No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
- Hardship and discipline lead to repentance and righteousness
- Paul says – I am not sorry – though at first, he felt sorry but choose to be obedient
- Can I speak on how we preachers are driven by obedience- we would rather preach encouraging messages
- The goal of every message is repentance – If you feel uncomfortable as the preacher speaks – then know that as Paul stated: Pain caused you to repent and change your ways by leading you away from sin which results in salvation
not sorry
So, what did this Godly sorrow produce – why and how did the Corinthian church change their ways?
There are 7 things that Paul speaks about that Godly sorrow produced in the Corinthian church: And we can use these as the qualities of true repentance (vs 11)
Ask yourself how can I apply these to my life? – Today!
- Earnestness – See what earnestness this Godly sorrow has produced in you
- Earnest definition: showing sincereand intense conviction
- The Corinthian church responded with zeal and diligence to correct their mistakes
- Kids – I am sorry – or even grown ups
- Vindication – What eagerness to clear yourselves
- What eagerness to clear yourselves -before God and man
- Ampc – Clear against charges that you tolerate sins
- They wanted to be far removed from their sin – Sins not be named in their camp
- After realizing their wrongs, there was an earnest desire to change and that change to echo that they were not in sin anymore
- No associated with – Not to be in the company of the wicked
- They took responsibility, rejected sin and they were sincere
- They repented!!!
- Repentance must never be thought of as something we must do beforewe can come back to God. Repentance describes the very act of coming to God. You can’t turn towards God without turning from the things He is against. “People seem to jump into faith very quickly nowadays. I do not disapprove of that happy leap; but still, I hope my old friend repentance is not dead. I am desperately in love with repentance; it seems to me to be the twin-sister to faith. (Spurgeon)
- Indignation – What indignation
- They felt righteous anger against their sins
- They didn’t sugar coat it – or mask it with other things to minimize the death nature of it
- You know those people – that will play “Christian magic” look over here, so you don’t see the grave sin that is hidden in their life
- They knew as Paul said: vs 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
- They demonstrated their commitment to righteousness
- Righteousness – Right standing with God that comes through Faith in Jesus Christ
- Holy Fear ~ what fear
- What fear of offending God
- This sums everything – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10)
- Have you seen someone do something and you are like that is not smart – well, they had no wisdom – no fear of the Lord
- We need to have a deep reverential fear of the Lord
- Reverential fear of the Lord is a deep respect, awe, and honor toward God, recognizing His holiness, power, justice, and love. It is not a fear of punishment, but a profound awareness of His greatness and a desire to live in a way that pleases Him.
- Longing – What longing
- Have you ever been apart from a loved one – the longing
- Vehement desire – its expressed through heartfelt prayer and total dependence on God
- Psalms 84:2 (Ampc) – My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God
- The Psalmist expresses a physical and spiritual hunger for God’s presence
- Sin separates us with God – the Corinthian Church knew this
- And repentance, bring us back to intimacy with Christ
- Passion – What passion?
- If I asked you today, what are you passionate about?
- Your first answer should be: Matthew 6:33 (Amp) –33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things (passions) will be given to you also
- Do you have a Zeal to know God, to do what is right?
- Are we driven with passion towards God and His righteousness
- And do we have zeal against all kind of sins and impurities – we have a zeal to walk with the Lord daily
- Their commitment to holiness and obedience increased
- If I asked you today, what are you passionate about?
- Rediness to punish wrong
- Some translation says vindicate – clear someone of blame or wrong
- There was a vetting system in place to either encourage or rebuke
- It has to start with us – individually
- We have to have that in us- Be ready to punish the sin we easily tolerate – have a personal penalty for your sin
- Matthew 5:29 (Nlt)– So if your eye—even your good eye[a]—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
- If we did more of this, the Church would actually do what is meant to do…
- From where I stand, the Corinthian Church was radical about moving from death to life
- They didn’t just say, I am working on my submission (Lack of), my anger, my attitude …. fill in the gap
- They put enough restriction, guard rails, accountability…whatever it took to move from life to death
- I am not sorry to say that some of you are sick and dying – spiritually and physically because you choose to work on everything else (vanities) but REPENTANCE – and you fool yourself by microwaving prayer (Intimacy) for repentance (Pastor Matt’s sermon on Prayer)
- Jonah 3:7-8 (Nlt) – Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city
not sorry
“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 8 People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.
- Be real with yourself
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 (ampc) For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].
- Tonight, I want you to examine your level of repentance
- And then fully Repent
- Turning away from sin
- Turning towards God
- Have Godly sorrow for your sins
- Confess and have humility
- And let there be evidence of a Changed Life in Christ Jesus
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