The Ministry of Godly Sorrow
2 Corinthians Chapter 7
What do we know about sorrow?
1) There is sorrow that leads to repentance.
One of the great examples in the Bible of sorrow that leads to repentance is the story of the prodigal son.
Luk 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Peter wept because he denied the Lord those three times.
King David had a broken and contrite heart because of his adultery and the murder he committed.
2) There is sorrow that does not lead to repentance, but we still suffer because of it.
Rom 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Rom 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
This is the sorrow we may feel because some of our family members are not saved, especially at their passing.
This is the sorrow that Judas had because he had turned against the Lord, and it led to his suicide and not to repentance.
If you understand the meaning of joy in you, then you must realize that sorrow is the opposite of joy.
We cannot wallow in our sorrow; we must do something about it!
For instance: once the twelve disciples realized that the Lord Jesus was going to die when He went to Jerusalem, they were sorrowful.
Joh 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
Joh 16:6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Once these men, all but one, accepted the truth, their sorrow was not as great.
When our sorrow brings us to repentance, then we must repent for that sorrow to become joy in the Lord.
1Th_2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
*****2Co 7:6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
We know from chapter one that the Apostle Paul was in great distress.
In chapter two, Paul wrote how troubled he was and how anxious he was waiting to hear from Titus, who was to bring him the news from Corinth.
Paul was surrounded by hostile people; the love he had for the churches he had planted sometimes wore him down, especially the churches like the church at Corinth.
Titus brought good news: the church at Corinth was having a revival.
The first letter to these Corinthians had been effective to all that had read it.
Titus had brought "good news" from Corinth, and we all know that the "Gospel" is the "Good News" from Heaven.
The Gospel is the true "Good News" from Heaven.
Col 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Paul had written a stern letter to this church, but it still had shown them his great love for them and the great love that the Lord has for His Church.
We must never feel guilty for proclaiming the truth of God!
The Lord Jesus said: Jhn_8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Jhn_8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
The Lord Jesus is never wrong!
*****2Co 7:7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
The Apostle Paul was not just comforted by the news that Titus had brought to him, but he was also comforted that Titus had been comforted by what he had seen of this church in Corinth.
It is probable that Paul sat down and wrote this letter of 2 Corinthians shortly after he had gotten this good news from Titus.
This church had met this sin head-on and eliminated it without destroying the church nor rejecting the teaching of the Apostle Paul.
When God's servants are under attack, we should know that God will meet the need of His servants.
We should understand that the Apostle Paul had to first endure heavy trials for a long time before God moved.
We must learn from every trial we face to be better servants of the Lord.
This is not being a slave to God, but it is being a servant.
God has never ordained slavery as the atheists believe He has.
Even when the Jews had slaves, they had to pay them an honest wage and provide food, clothing, and shelter for them and their family until their debt was paid or a certain time had passed.
These slaves were those people who sold themselves to pay the debt that they owed.
A Christian is a servant and not a slave of God because God does not allow us to try to repay Him; His salvation is a free gift.
All He asks of us is to repent and return to Him with love.
Paul learned obedience by the things he had suffered, just as did the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our example in our Christian life.
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
When the atheist asks why a Perfect God would allow suffering in this world, maybe it is because this world we live in causes all of God's people to suffer along with that atheist who is always causing problems for God's people, whom he says he does not even believe exists.
A church that learns from suffering will stand its ground when evil tries to get through the doors to cause problems.
Paul had only written to them the truth of God.
We know that because we have a copy of the exact words that Paul had written.
*****2Co 7:8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
A church that has begun to believe in false doctrine is a church headed for trouble. It is the duty of that Pastor, that Man of God, to make sure that church gets back to the truth.
There is a great possibility that some members will leave that church because of this.
A Pastor must be very careful with who he allows to share his pulpit.
A church must be very careful about who is allowed to teach any of the classes of adults down to the children.
Once false doctrine gets into any church, it is hard to get rid of.
The answer to this is that every Christian has a good understanding of a proper translation of those Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that never change.
Paul regretted the necessity of having to take such a stern approach, but the Holy Spirit had required him to do so.
It is every soul that brings joy to Heaven, and losing even one is in itself a tragedy.
To give credit to this church in Corinth, they mourned, wept, wailed, and lamented over the sin that was within their midst and over their true minister, the Apostle Paul, and they made the necessary corrections, and then the church began to grow in the "Grace of God".
*****2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
To cause grief is never a pleasant thing, and no man of God wants to be a cause of grief, but every true man of God must preach the message given to them by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not allow a true man of God to preach against the written word of God.
If that church has been led astray, then that person was not a true man of God, and that person did not have the Holy Spirit living in them.
We are never to intentionally make people feel sorry for their actions; we are to simply give them the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit do His work in them.
We are always to work with the lost or the backslider in a way that God would approve.
The Lord Jesus died for the saved and for the lost, for we were all lost until we met the Lord Jesus Christ and had faith in His work.
It is sin that causes sorrow, but sorrow has no healing power by itself.
Only a change of mind or a turn of life (repentance) can heal the heart of that one suffering from sorrow!
**There is worldly sorrow: Sorrow over doing something wrong or coming up short from what is expected of us.
It can be said to be a violation of one's values.
It can also be sorrow from being found out for something that you thought was hidden, or suffering the consequences from doing something that was wrong, or even from punishment when you know what you did was wrong.
The sorrow of the world works death!
It eats us up on the inside with guilt and remorse.
Remember Judas who sold out the Lord Jesus: Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Mat 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
It can cause bitterness and rebellion: Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
**There is godly sorrow: This is the sorrow we feel from Holy Ghost conviction. Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
The Holy Spirit will go quiet in us: 1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will do His best to lead us in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can hinder that work: Mat 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Godly sorrow will always lead to repentance, where worldly sorrow leads to bitterness.
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
*****2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Repentance and returning to God will always bring the fruits of good living to honor and glorify God with our lives.
We should remember that this church had not at first acknowledged this individual as sin.
They had not immediately corrected this offender nor themselves for ignoring these things, even laughing about it.
Repentance cleared them of God's displeasure!
When the heart is changed, then life and the actions will change.
We must hate sin, but at the same time not hate the sinner.
We must see the hatefulness of sin!
It is the hatefulness of sin that will bring us to repentance!
Godly sorrow will repair our relationship with the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
*****2Co 7:12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
The modern church today seems to forget that we are all accountable to God.
We must take our stand on the complete, infallible Word of God and stay the course.
There is no room in the Church to veer to the left or to the right.
God says over and over that He will not and does not change, and we cannot read into the Scriptures hunting for an excuse to say He has changed or that He is not the same God from the beginning.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God has a purpose for every word He has given to us, and God has a plan that will be fulfilled just as it is written.
We can accept Him as He is, just as He accepts us as we are.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
There is nothing that is taught in this world that will ensure our future in God's New Heaven except the truth of the Scriptures!
It is only the truth of God that will bring comfort to the soul!
*****2Co 7:13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
We know that the Word of God brings results!
Look at the conversation that Moses had with Jehovah God.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
This is the God that I serve. He is not some old grandfather figure that does not care what happens to us.
He is not some wimp of a God who will let us get away with not repenting and returning to Him as our Creator, our Savior, and our Redeemer.
He is the God who gave us His Words to live by, and He expects us to do so.
Titus was comforted by what he saw of the church in Corinth, as they had repented as he had preached the Word of God from the Apostle Paul.
Paul was comforted at knowing that the Word the Holy Spirit had given to him to put in this Epistle had brought that repentance.
Paul was also comforted by the comfort of Titus, as he had been an eyewitness to the truth that the Word of God brings Holy Ghost conviction, Holy Ghost conviction brings repentance because the Word of God brings results.
There was now great joy in the Apostle Paul because the church could have closed its doors but became a powerful church in their community, and the work of the Lord continued its journey all around this world just as it continues today.
Paul was refired up to continue in the work that God had given him to do, and many souls were saved because of it.
Our biggest problem is that we do not listen to what God has to say.
We do not take the time to read and study our own Bibles.
We listen to men who tell us the same thing that the old Serpent told Eve. "Ye shall not surely die".
That same serpent, the Devil, is still spreading this lie in every church, and far too many of them have strayed from the truth of God.
God is not a tyrant, but He does expect us to obey Him!
God expects every local church to teach the truth!
*****2Co 7:14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.
This church at Corinth had a complete revival as they learned the truth of God.
The Church needs to have a complete revival today and get back on the right track.
The purpose of revival is always to revive the real, inner, spiritual life of each believer!
True revival will cause a dead church to come alive again.
True revival means each church member will come to new life.
God had used Titus as an instrument in His hands to turn this church around.
Titus was full of joy just to be a part of this revival, and so it rubbed off on Paul.
We all need to get caught up in revival!
Psa 85:5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Psa 85:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
We need to stir up the gift of God who is within us, which is the Holy Spirit.
Deep on the inside of Paul, he could just feel that these people in the church at Corinth would make the right choices.
In fact, Paul may have bragged about it to other Christians.
A true church will do its best to make the right choices that coincide with the Word of God and the Will of God.
In his heart Paul knew this church would respond to the love of God.
*****2Co 7:15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.
2Co 7:16 I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.
When Titus arrived at the church at Corinth, it was said that he had another letter from the Apostle Paul, and it brought fear and trembling to much of the church.
They were afraid that they had not done enough to rid the church of sin.
We must remember these were babes in Christ and had not fully understood the Word of God, and there is no one who can say that they fully understand the Word of God.
How to be saved is the most important part of the Word of God; then we need to pay particular attention to the Lord Jesus Christ and then the Apostles with us Gentiles, paying particular attention to the Apostle Paul and the Book of Acts, all the New Testament, then all the Old Testament, or we will never understand why God does what He does.
We must go back to the beginning and know that the same God who saved us is the same God who made us!
We must accept our creation and the creation of this world just as it was written in the Book of Genesis.
Church discipline must be exercised for the good of the whole church!
Church discipline must take place in every church to protect spiritual purity and the reputation of the church that is obedient to the Word of God using a proper translation of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures.
Let it be known that you can change your own translation to say what you want it to say, but the original Greek and Hebrew Scriptures have not ever changed.
2Pe_1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
There are no mistakes in these Scriptures!
The Pope cannot change the Word of God, nor anyone else!
Mal_3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;
We can only have confidence in the Word of God because we know that God will never change.
The Bride of Christ must remain pure, or the Bridegroom will reject her, and our Heavenly Father will never allow His Son to return to get His Bride.
Amen
