WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.820 Morning, my name's Archie. If we haven't met, I'm one of the pastors in training here. 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:09.540 If you don't know me, and you might be thinking, I've been here for a couple of months, 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.480 how have I not met this guy who works for the church yet? It's because I haven't been to a 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:18.000 morning service here in at least a month, maybe even a couple of months. Katie, my wife and I, 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:22.839 we're on our way out of the door here and on our way down to People's Evangelical Church, 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:27.740 as Al prayed for us earlier. And that really is a bittersweet thing for us. 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:33.119 And genuinely, we're going to really miss it here. This has been a brilliant church for us. 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:38.899 But we are loving life in Peebles and we do appreciate your prayers. Please ask me more 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:43.359 about Peebles. If you want to hear about that, just come and chat to me after the service. 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:48.980 But before we dive into God's word together, why don't I pray for us as we do that? Let's pray. 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:56.980 Heavenly Father, as we've just sung, we bow our hearts before you now. 00:00:56.979 --> 00:01:04.640 We bend our knees and we ask that as we come to your word together, your spirit would make us humble 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:10.739 to receive it as we ought. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:12.359 --> 00:01:17.019 And so do get the Bible open to 2 Corinthians chapter 7. 00:01:17.299 --> 00:01:21.079 As Reuben said, that's on page 1163 of the Pew Bibles. 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:26.679 It's really my job to get out of the way, to let God do the talking and to speak to us through his word. 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:30.379 So you'd be crazy not to have it open in front of you. Get it open. 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:35.000 And as you do that, let me just tell a kind of story to get us into this text. 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:41.319 I used to help on these Christian camps and we did this wonderful thing at these camps. 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:47.859 We would meet together as leaders every day. We'd just spend 15 minutes or so and we'd sit there. 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.959 And for those 15 minutes, we'd intentionally encourage one another. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:58.419 It might be really specific things like, hey, Rory, I saw you filling up everyone's cup with water at lunchtime. 00:01:59.139 --> 00:02:02.359 You're great at serving other people first. You're so selfless. 00:02:03.419 --> 00:02:04.979 And it might be much more generic than that. 00:02:05.039 --> 00:02:09.759 Just like, hey, Lucy, you're a really kind person, something like that. 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:12.899 And it was great. Those meetings, they were great. 00:02:13.019 --> 00:02:16.459 You can imagine leaving those meetings. We were all positively glowing. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:22.479 And of course we were, because it's great to be encouraged like that, to be affirmed in what you're doing. 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:27.139 It feels really good to be encouraged and to be affirmed. 00:02:28.079 --> 00:02:33.840 It does not feel good to be challenged or corrected or rebuked. 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:36.979 How do you feel when somebody rebukes you? 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:43.379 And when they point something out in you, maybe expose your sin, tell you that you're getting something wrong. 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:45.159 It's not a nice feeling that, is it? 00:02:46.299 --> 00:02:50.299 But the truth is, we do sometimes need to hear that. 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:55.019 We do sometimes need, all of us, rebuke and correction. 00:02:55.179 --> 00:02:56.319 Certainly I do. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:03.039 Because as Christians, if you're a Christian in the room, we have been forgiven. 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:04.639 If you're here this morning, you're not a Christian. 00:03:05.019 --> 00:03:07.120 This is right at the heart of what we believe. 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:10.780 This is what Jesus offers, forgiveness. 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:16.939 That if we trust in him, our sin has been paid for and it has been dealt with. 00:03:17.019 --> 00:03:20.240 That there is therefore now no condemnation for us. 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:25.820 But that doesn't mean that we are now perfect, that we now never sin. 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:27.180 You probably know that about yourself. 00:03:29.640 --> 00:03:31.379 You'll be aware of some of your sin. 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:35.480 You definitely know that about the people that you spend time with, don't you? 00:03:36.820 --> 00:03:40.100 I mean, if you spent more than five minutes with me, probably less than five minutes, 00:03:40.160 --> 00:03:43.080 you'd realize very quickly that I am not rid of sin. 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:46.740 I am forgiven. I am not condemned. 00:03:47.660 --> 00:03:48.860 But I am not perfect. 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:52.240 And I do want to make progress in the Christian life. 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:54.140 I want to become less sinful. 00:03:54.939 --> 00:04:00.280 I want to be more aware of my sins so that I can do something about it and turn away from it. 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:04.939 A rebuke, a correction, it's not a nice thing to receive. 00:04:05.040 --> 00:04:07.200 But it is therefore sometimes necessary. 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:12.860 And do you know, it's not just not a nice thing to receive a rebuke. 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:16.199 But giving a rebuke is not a nice thing to have to do either, is it? 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:20.280 I don't think it's a nice thing to have to correct or challenge someone. 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:21.580 Maybe you do enjoy that. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:23.900 I just don't think it's a very nice thing. 00:04:25.060 --> 00:04:27.520 But again, sin is horrible. 00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:30.560 Sin hurts the person doing the sinning. 00:04:30.980 --> 00:04:32.900 And it hurts the people around them. 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:35.500 And of course, it causes offense to God. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:37.819 We do sometimes need to rebuke a sinner. 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:39.080 It doesn't feel good. 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:42.199 But it is sometimes necessary. 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:44.560 A rebuke. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:47.240 It does not feel good to give or to receive. 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:54.740 But in our passage this morning, we would be encouraged that the product of a timely and a well-received rebuke, 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:58.379 the product of that, is going to be joy. 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:07.339 Before we dig into some of the details of the text, it's going to be helpful to think about some of the events in the background of this letter that we've been reading together. 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:09.420 If you've been here over the last few months, you'll know. 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:14.319 This letter comes as one of a series of letters from Paul to the church in Corinth. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:19.599 We have two of them, two of them in our Bibles, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:25.740 But really, this is at least the fourth letter that Paul has written and sent to the church there in Corinth. 00:05:26.420 --> 00:05:32.420 Our 1 Corinthians mentions a previous letter, which means there must have been one before it. 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:35.280 Then you get what we call 1 Corinthians. 00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:42.360 And we know that shortly after writing 1 Corinthians, Paul made a brief and painful visit to that city. 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.660 And we read about that way back in chapter 2 of this letter, if you can remember. 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:55.080 And whatever Paul saw and experienced when he visited Corinth, it fractured their relationship, his relationship with the church there. 00:05:55.260 --> 00:05:58.060 So much so that he didn't want to visit them again. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.820 Instead, it prompted him to write a third letter. 00:06:02.580 --> 00:06:08.600 He left Corinth and he wrote again, a letter that he describes here as tearful and severe. 00:06:09.400 --> 00:06:14.879 A letter that in our chapter this morning in verse 8, he says grieved the church in Corinth. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:19.180 We don't really know anything about the precise content of that letter. 00:06:20.019 --> 00:06:24.639 We don't know what he was rebuking them for, but we know that it was a sharp rebuke. 00:06:25.459 --> 00:06:27.540 And as rebukes always do, it hurt them. 00:06:27.620 --> 00:06:29.000 It caused them sorrow. 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:34.079 And Paul sends this harsh letter with his friend Titus. 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.000 He then heads himself to Macedonia. 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:40.899 Again, if you remember, way back in chapter 2, we learned about this. 00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:43.199 He goes to this place called Troas first. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:46.579 He doesn't stay in Troas very long because Titus isn't there. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:48.959 And he heads then to Macedonia. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:53.420 And he's in Macedonia waiting for Titus to return to him. 00:06:54.039 --> 00:06:58.899 That's really where we've got to in the narrative of this letter and of Paul's journey. 00:07:00.099 --> 00:07:02.399 We left off there in chapter 2. 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:07.699 And we haven't actually heard anything about Titus or Macedonia in this letter since chapter 2. 00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:11.199 But now in verse 5 of our chapter, look at verse 5. 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:12.560 We pick up the narrative again. 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:20.980 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within. 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:23.039 So we hear again, Paul is in Macedonia. 00:07:23.219 --> 00:07:29.860 He's waiting to hear how the church in Corinth have responded to his severe letter. 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:33.620 Waiting to hear how they've responded to his rebuke. 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:34.819 And he's terrified. 00:07:35.660 --> 00:07:38.759 You see the language there because it had been such a harsh letter. 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:41.600 And then you get this wonderful verse 6. 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:49.780 But God, but God who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:51.179 So Titus arrives. 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:55.679 And that turns out to be a great comfort to Paul. 00:07:55.839 --> 00:08:01.619 And before we go any further into our passage, this might just be a word that some of us in the room need to hear this morning. 00:08:01.859 --> 00:08:04.319 That God comforts the downcast. 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:06.179 He does that. 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:10.319 Our God is in the business of stilling the anxious hearts of his people. 00:08:11.559 --> 00:08:14.559 He delights to comfort those who are suffering. 00:08:14.739 --> 00:08:16.379 And notice here how he does that. 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:19.620 It's not through some mystical experience. 00:08:20.939 --> 00:08:25.860 It's not a sort of wonderful feeling during a worship set or a prayer session. 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:30.120 God comforts Paul by the coming of Titus. 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:34.179 God uses Paul's friend to bring him comfort. 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:36.899 It's God who does the comforting in this verse. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.759 But he uses Titus to do it. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:46.379 And just so for us, God's comfort so often comes through a timely word and encouragement. 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:50.179 Or even just the presence and friendship of a fellow Christian. 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:56.799 But it was not the mere fact of Titus' coming that brought Paul comfort. 00:08:56.939 --> 00:08:58.000 It did do that. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.700 But more comfort than that in verse 7. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:07.700 Not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you. 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:14.820 And he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:18.120 Paul is happy to see Titus. 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:20.500 He's comforted by seeing him. 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:24.879 But even more, he is comforted and rejoicing because of the report that Titus brings. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:28.580 Remember, he sent the church in Corinth this letter. 00:09:28.860 --> 00:09:30.939 And this is how they've responded to the letter. 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:31.799 We'll see. 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.919 They've responded really well to Paul's rebuke. 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.059 So that's what's going on in the kind of background of the letter. 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:42.320 The narrative setting, if you like, of what we're reading here. 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:48.080 As we walk through the rest of the text, three things for us to take away. 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:49.159 Three things to remember. 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:53.200 First of all, to offer a rebuke is painful. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:56.960 Secondly, to receive a rebuke is also painful. 00:09:57.680 --> 00:10:03.960 And finally, we'll see that a well-received rebuke produces repentance and leads to joy. 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:08.000 So first, to offer a rebuke is painful. 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:11.980 If you look at verse 8 with me, it says this. 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:15.940 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:17.620 Though I did regret it. 00:10:18.060 --> 00:10:22.100 I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while. 00:10:23.879 --> 00:10:27.120 Paul didn't enjoy having to rebuke the church in Corinth. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.220 He even regretted sending the letter for a time. 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:34.940 We saw in chapter 2 that he literally wrote this letter with tears. 00:10:34.940 --> 00:10:40.020 Because to offer a rebuke is a painful thing to have to do. 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:43.860 And there's this brilliant scene in the first Harry Potter film. 00:10:44.640 --> 00:10:49.960 Harry, Ron and Hermione, the three main characters, they're about to head out of their common room into the middle of the night. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:53.000 They're on a mission to stop the bad guy. 00:10:53.140 --> 00:10:56.280 And they've decided it's worth breaking school rules to do that. 00:10:56.880 --> 00:10:59.300 But just as they're leaving, they bump into Neville. 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:03.419 Neville is the kind of bumbling and slightly useless guy in their class. 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:04.599 You know the sort of character. 00:11:05.079 --> 00:11:06.299 And Neville challenges them. 00:11:06.819 --> 00:11:07.259 He says this. 00:11:07.319 --> 00:11:08.939 You're sneaking out again, aren't you? 00:11:09.719 --> 00:11:10.719 I won't let you. 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:12.559 You'll get us into trouble again. 00:11:13.459 --> 00:11:16.219 Imagine how difficult that must have been for Neville to say. 00:11:17.319 --> 00:11:18.759 To challenge his friends like that. 00:11:18.819 --> 00:11:20.759 And his challenge falls on deaf ears. 00:11:21.439 --> 00:11:23.759 Harry, Ron and Hermione, they head out anyway. 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:25.179 They defeat the bad guy. 00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:33.000 But at the very end of the film, Dumbledore, the headmaster, he doesn't just honour Harry, Ron and Hermione's victory. 00:11:33.139 --> 00:11:34.079 He does do that. 00:11:34.859 --> 00:11:37.500 But in fact, he gives even more honour to Neville. 00:11:38.039 --> 00:11:38.939 He says this. 00:11:39.979 --> 00:11:46.899 It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. 00:11:48.359 --> 00:11:49.719 And, you know, I think that's exactly right. 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:51.519 We don't like it, do we? 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:52.419 We don't like to do it. 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:57.419 Maybe you do, but most of us probably don't like to offer our friends correction. 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:05.279 Maybe that's because you're just very aware of your own sin and you don't want to be a hypocrite or to be accused of hypocrisy. 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:10.879 Maybe it's just so much easier for you not to, to avoid the potential conflict. 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:12.439 You don't want to offend anyone. 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:21.460 To offer a rebuke, it is a painful thing to have to do, but it is sometimes necessary because here's the thing, right? 00:12:21.660 --> 00:12:22.500 I sin. 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:25.320 I don't want to sin, but I do sin. 00:12:25.800 --> 00:12:29.140 And there are lots of ways that I sin and I don't even know that I'm sinning. 00:12:29.139 --> 00:12:37.100 As members of this church together, you should be, very often you will be, better placed than I am to see my sin. 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:45.259 And so if I'm going to make progress in the Christian life, I need you to be prepared to go through the pain of offering me a gentle rebuke. 00:12:45.259 --> 00:12:55.480 In fact, pointing out my missteps and helping me see where I'm going wrong, casting light on the darkness of my sin, we have to say that's going to be the really loving thing to do. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:03.419 And Proverbs, that great book of wisdom in the Old Testament, has plenty to say about rebuking and correcting one another like this. 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:08.100 Just one example, and in chapter 27, verses 5 and 6 say this. 00:13:08.819 --> 00:13:12.080 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:14.799 Wounds from a friend can be trusted. 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:17.559 But an enemy multiplies kisses. 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:22.799 It is really good to just honestly rebuke a friend. 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:23.939 It is painful. 00:13:24.139 --> 00:13:25.120 It causes wounds. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:26.840 But it is good. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:31.439 Now, of course, there is an unloving way to rebuke or to correct someone. 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:36.200 This is not a license to criticize or to bully or to be unnecessarily harsh. 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:41.779 But a loving and gentle rebuke is sometimes going to be necessary. 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:48.639 And no matter how gentle you are with it, no matter how loving you are with it, it's still going to be painful to have to do. 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:53.500 Are you prepared to go through that pain for the sake of one another? 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:56.899 Do you love them enough to do that? 00:13:56.899 --> 00:14:00.539 Because to offer a rebuke is painful. 00:14:00.699 --> 00:14:03.959 To receive a rebuke is also painful. 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:06.819 Maybe this is slightly more obvious, but look again at verse 8. 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:11.600 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:14.959 Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:16.980 This letter, it caused them sorrow. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:17.879 It hurt them. 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:19.160 And of course it did. 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:23.580 Nobody likes to be told that they've got it wrong, that they need to change. 00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:26.379 Receiving a rebuke is painful. 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:29.900 And if you're a parent, you know this, don't you? 00:14:30.420 --> 00:14:31.460 I'm not a parent. 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:33.040 I did used to be a child. 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.080 I know that's quite difficult to believe, but it is true. 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:37.240 And I have nephews and nieces. 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:38.680 And so I've seen this, right? 00:14:38.680 --> 00:14:40.120 They're clearly doing something wrong. 00:14:40.540 --> 00:14:43.120 Maybe they just hit one of their siblings or something like that. 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:44.899 And so their mum or dad has to tell them off. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.019 They have to rebuke them. 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.639 And even though the child knows that they were in the wrong, 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:52.299 they know that they deserve to be told off. 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:55.740 Clearly when they're told off, it still hurts them. 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:00.940 Very often when a told off child is told off, they start crying, don't they? 00:15:01.019 --> 00:15:02.779 Even though they know they did something wrong. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.639 Most of us aren't children anymore. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:09.580 I hope, I'm sure that we don't need to be told off for hitting our siblings. 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:13.019 But we do know the feeling of being rebuked. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:13.539 Don't we? 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:16.659 And the truth is, we don't like it. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:18.480 We don't like correction. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.000 To be told that we're doing something wrong. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.419 I confess, I can be really bad at this, at receiving a rebuke. 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:28.080 And when I'm told that I'm getting something wrong, I hate it. 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:29.080 It's really painful. 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:32.200 Honestly, there are times when that makes me want to cry. 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:36.299 But the pain that we feel when we are rebuked, 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:39.639 do you know, it isn't actually always the same sort of pain. 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:42.919 Maybe you notice this as Reuben read our passage for us. 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.659 In our passage, there are two possible sorrows following a rebuke. 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:49.620 See how Paul describes them in verse 10. 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:55.179 One is godly sorrow, and the other is worldly sorrow. 00:15:55.179 --> 00:16:01.399 So big question for us this morning is, what is the difference between those two types of sorrow? 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:07.179 And we'll see in just a moment that the really big difference is in what those types of sorrow produce. 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:09.179 We'll come back to that. 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:11.500 But it's not just in what they produce. 00:16:11.599 --> 00:16:14.159 I think they do actually also feel different. 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.719 It's worth taking a minute just to think about how each of these might feel. 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.359 What does worldly sorrow feel like? 00:16:21.439 --> 00:16:21.819 How? 00:16:21.939 --> 00:16:23.659 In what ways is it painful? 00:16:25.439 --> 00:16:28.979 You know, very often when the child is rebuked for hitting their brother or sister, 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:30.399 and we see they want to cry, 00:16:30.699 --> 00:16:33.599 it's not because they're actually sorry for what they've done. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:37.019 It's because they've been caught. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:42.279 And honestly, I think that's the default for most of us when we're rebuked. 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:47.759 For me, my immediate instinct is to excuse myself, 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:52.120 to play the victim card, to feel sorry for myself. 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:56.580 I might actually regret the thing I needed to be rebuked for in my better moments, 00:16:56.700 --> 00:17:00.879 but ultimately, I regret it mostly because of the way it's made people think of me. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.480 To be rebuked, it's horrible, it's painful, 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:08.500 but ultimately, my sorrow is almost always self-absorbed. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:09.279 It's about me. 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:12.059 And that's worldly sorrow. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:13.740 That's how that feels. 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:16.940 Sadly, and I think much more rare, certainly more rare for me, 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:18.400 is the pain of godly sorrow. 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:22.960 When I'm made aware of some sin in my life, 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:24.579 when a friend offers a rebuke, 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.539 and I'm not primarily concerned with my own good reputation, 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:32.639 but concerned with the offense that I've caused, 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:35.099 the damage that I've done to other people, 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:37.700 and ultimately, the offense that I've caused God, 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:40.500 that feels very different. 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:43.339 And that is the pain of godly sorrow. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.039 We'll come back to those in a bit more detail. 00:17:46.159 --> 00:17:47.420 But for now, see that either way, 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:49.339 whether it's godly sorrow or worldly sorrow, 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:52.559 receiving a rebuke is always painful. 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:55.559 But it is worth it, 00:17:56.179 --> 00:17:59.259 because a well-received rebuke produces repentance 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:01.480 and leads to joy. 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:05.019 And you know, the stakes could not be higher here. 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:06.839 I see again in verse 10, 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:11.960 godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation, 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.099 and worldly sorrow brings death. 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:17.019 Do you see what's at stake here? 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:23.200 It is eternal life, salvation, or death. 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:26.200 And so it is a really important question, isn't it? 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:28.160 Godly sorrow, worldly sorrow, 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:30.119 we've thought about the difference in how they feel, 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:32.559 but the really key difference in this passage 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.980 is in what they produce. 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:37.619 Because godly sorrow produces repentance, 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:39.139 a turning around, 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:43.619 a real change away from sin and towards God. 00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:47.299 And in verse 11 in the church in Corinth, 00:18:47.959 --> 00:18:49.399 that's exactly how they respond. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:50.919 It produces earnestness. 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:54.319 That's a speed, a haste, a diligence in that change, 00:18:54.719 --> 00:18:56.419 an eagerness to clear themselves, 00:18:56.739 --> 00:19:00.079 to continue having turned around with a clear conscience, 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.419 to turn from their sin, to not turn back to it. 00:19:05.159 --> 00:19:07.099 This is the response of godly sorrow. 00:19:07.199 --> 00:19:08.559 That's true repentance. 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:11.899 And notice back in verse 7, 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:14.460 and also a hint of it in verse 13, 00:19:14.900 --> 00:19:17.580 that part of that good response for the church in Corinth 00:19:17.580 --> 00:19:20.460 is a return to Paul. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:25.580 And part of their error that he was rebuking them for, 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:27.240 I think, must have been a departure 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:28.440 from what he was teaching. 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:31.360 That was a particular danger in Corinth 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:34.300 where we know there were people teaching a gospel 00:19:34.300 --> 00:19:36.040 that was different to Paul's, 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:39.080 so-called super apostles in these letters. 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:42.519 And so Paul is especially concerned 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:44.779 by their fractured relationship with him. 00:19:45.159 --> 00:19:48.240 He's worried about the influence of false teaching in Corinth, 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.619 and their return to him 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.099 is therefore a return to the true gospel. 00:19:54.159 --> 00:19:57.220 And I just want to say that I think that's very current for us. 00:19:57.220 --> 00:20:00.259 There are lots of individuals, 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:02.100 there are many churches, 00:20:03.100 --> 00:20:05.900 who have walked away from the apostles' teaching, 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.720 who have denied the inerrancy and the truth of Scripture, 00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:16.720 who in doing so deny the sort of reality and substance of sin, 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:20.360 and who by denying Paul are leading people astray, 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:23.700 away from salvation and towards death. 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:27.279 And for Corinth, and for many today, 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:31.460 repentance is going to include a return to Paul and his teaching. 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:34.680 But of course, that return to Paul, 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:38.360 it is just part of a much more important repentance. 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:41.519 For Corinth, they'd return to Paul's teaching, 00:20:41.980 --> 00:20:43.700 but much more importantly, 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:46.620 they had turned away from their sin, 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:48.400 and they had turned back to God. 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:53.060 You know, the gospel is the most incredible good news. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.580 That God would offer us forgiveness, 00:20:56.780 --> 00:21:00.259 that he would die in our place in order to do that, 00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:03.340 that he would rise again so that we might be able to as well. 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:05.160 It's incredible good news. 00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:08.120 And it demands a response. 00:21:09.080 --> 00:21:09.900 Real repentance. 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.840 That is not to say, and hear this loud and clear, 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:16.060 that our salvation and our forgiveness 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.460 and our eternal life is somehow conditional 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:21.859 on our own efforts in turning away from sin. 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:24.759 It is the cross, the blood. 00:21:24.899 --> 00:21:26.559 It is Jesus' death. 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:29.539 It's not your sorrow that cleanses you from sin. 00:21:29.639 --> 00:21:32.759 It is not your repentance that earns you his forgiveness. 00:21:32.919 --> 00:21:33.399 It is him. 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:34.839 He has done that for you. 00:21:35.919 --> 00:21:37.559 And by his grace, 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:41.799 the response that he then will lead you in is repentance. 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:46.460 Ask yourself, has your sorrow at your sin 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:49.159 led you to the foot of the cross? 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:54.399 Has your sorrow at your sin seen you turn to him 00:21:54.399 --> 00:21:58.879 to cry out, I cannot bear this burden on my own, 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:01.440 to ask him to remove it for you? 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:07.619 Anything short of that godly sorrow 00:22:07.619 --> 00:22:10.619 is worldly sorrow that leads to death. 00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:12.519 It is worldly sorrow, 00:22:12.919 --> 00:22:15.839 the opposite of godly sorrow. 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.459 It is sorrow at having been rebuked, 00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:21.199 sorrow at having had your sin called out, 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:22.199 pointed out to you, 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:23.939 sorrow even at the sin itself, 00:22:24.939 --> 00:22:26.659 but with no repentance, 00:22:27.699 --> 00:22:29.579 no turning back to God, 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:32.119 no forsaking of your sin, 00:22:32.179 --> 00:22:33.619 and that leads to death. 00:22:34.239 --> 00:22:36.459 Sorrow in and of itself doesn't do anything. 00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:40.460 You know, I had a friend at university. 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:41.900 We were in the rugby club together. 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:43.319 He was one of those annoying people 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:44.860 who was just good at everything. 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:47.579 And he was one of the best players on our team. 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:49.319 And he was smashing his degree. 00:22:49.420 --> 00:22:50.600 He had a lovely girlfriend. 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.680 But he could be really quite badly behaved. 00:22:55.180 --> 00:22:57.240 Wednesday night after rugby games, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.440 we'd always have a team social. 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.259 And he just always seemed to take it a bit too far. 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:03.819 Occasionally dabbling with drugs. 00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:05.579 Occasionally cheating on his girlfriend. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.519 And one Thursday, 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:10.259 I got a text from him saying that he'd messed up again 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:11.700 and asking if we could go for coffee. 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:12.359 And we did. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:14.579 And he just explained to me 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:16.759 how his life was feeling pretty empty. 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:20.640 None of his success on the rugby pitch 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:21.559 or in the classroom 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:23.900 was really giving him any of the satisfaction 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:26.099 that the world had promised him that it would. 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:29.119 And that was an obvious opening for me 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:31.399 to share something of this good news about Jesus 00:23:31.399 --> 00:23:32.439 that I believe in. 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:35.500 That he could be forgiven and free 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.519 and find true satisfaction in him. 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:42.539 And of course, doing that included showing him 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:43.579 that he was sinful. 00:23:44.719 --> 00:23:47.500 Sinful in all sorts of fundamental ways. 00:23:47.639 --> 00:23:49.319 Right to the core of who he was. 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:51.980 But the way that he was living his life, 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:53.299 there were some pretty obvious things 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:54.879 that I could rebuke him for too. 00:23:55.899 --> 00:23:57.539 And as I shared that with him, 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:00.200 he was clearly really affected by it. 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.000 You can picture this big hulking rugby player 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:04.319 sitting in the coffee shop. 00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:06.440 And he started to cry. 00:24:07.659 --> 00:24:10.779 He felt genuine remorse and sorrow 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:12.299 for how he had been behaving. 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.139 Actually, over the kind of months that followed that, 00:24:17.220 --> 00:24:19.980 we were able to read John's gospel together. 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:24.019 He continued to be sorrowful over his sin. 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:25.120 It was a real sorrow. 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:29.299 But it was only ever a worldly sorrow. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:34.440 Do you know, he's still living that same kind of life 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.200 years later. 00:24:35.579 --> 00:24:36.680 I still pray for him, 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:38.839 that God would give him real godly sorrow, 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:40.860 that he would be led to repentance. 00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:44.220 To a changed life. 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:47.180 You see the difference then 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:50.259 between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, 00:24:50.360 --> 00:24:52.279 the difference is in what they produce. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.820 Worldly sorrow does not produce a change. 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:58.039 It does not lead you to the cross. 00:24:58.140 --> 00:24:59.740 There's no turn away from sin, 00:24:59.840 --> 00:25:01.180 no turn towards God. 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:04.980 Godly sorrow, on the other hand, 00:25:05.060 --> 00:25:06.060 produces repentance, 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:09.799 a turn away from sin and towards God. 00:25:11.860 --> 00:25:14.480 It's worth reflecting for a moment again, 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.880 just thinking about your own sin, 00:25:17.559 --> 00:25:18.880 sin that you're aware of. 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:20.480 Maybe you've been made aware of it 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.319 following the gentle rebuke of a friend. 00:25:22.819 --> 00:25:25.059 Maybe the Holy Spirit has convicted us of sin 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:25.920 in some other way. 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:27.460 And I guess that almost always, 00:25:27.940 --> 00:25:29.420 being made aware of our sin 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:31.819 produces some kind of sorrow in us. 00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:34.980 But as you think about your own sin, 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:35.680 just honestly, 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:38.519 what sort of sorrow do you feel for it? 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:43.519 Are you primarily concerned with yourself? 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:47.500 With how your sin makes you look 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:48.940 in other people's eyes? 00:25:51.019 --> 00:25:53.000 With the negative effects that you know 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:54.339 that sin is having in your life? 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:55.779 Is yours a worldly sorrow? 00:25:58.859 --> 00:26:00.539 Or do you have that kind of sorrow? 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:03.319 Sorrow at the offense that you have caused God? 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:09.099 Sorrow at the hurt that you've caused others? 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:12.139 And you'll know, 00:26:12.679 --> 00:26:14.679 because if you have that kind of sorrow, 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:16.519 it will lead you to repentance, 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:20.159 to turning away from your sin. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:22.899 That is not becoming sinless, 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.139 but a desire to flee from sin 00:26:27.139 --> 00:26:29.639 and to return to the cross, 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:31.900 to cry out, 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:33.420 and you can do this right now, 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.140 Lord Jesus Christ, 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:36.640 Son of the living God, 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:39.400 have mercy on me, a sinner. 00:26:41.620 --> 00:26:43.440 You know, for the church in Corinth, 00:26:43.820 --> 00:26:45.560 there really was a godly sorrow. 00:26:46.540 --> 00:26:48.500 It produced real repentance, 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:50.759 which led in verse 13 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:52.320 to Paul being encouraged. 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:54.340 Their response, 00:26:54.460 --> 00:26:55.680 it refreshed Titus. 00:26:55.800 --> 00:26:56.980 Paul had, in verse 14, 00:26:56.980 --> 00:27:00.180 Paul had boasted about this church to Titus, 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:02.799 and they were obviously seriously wayward 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:05.220 for Paul to write that letter in the first place, 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.299 and yet Paul loved them. 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:07.460 He boasts about them, 00:27:07.779 --> 00:27:09.160 but he's worried that his boasting 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:10.079 is going to be in vain, 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:11.360 that they would embarrass him. 00:27:12.120 --> 00:27:13.039 But they don't, 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:14.599 because they respond really well. 00:27:16.420 --> 00:27:17.640 And so now in verse 16, 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:18.519 at the end of our passage, 00:27:18.620 --> 00:27:20.720 Paul can have complete confidence in them. 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:23.240 It's been a painful process, 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:24.519 the process of rebuke. 00:27:24.620 --> 00:27:25.700 It's painful for the giver 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:26.819 and the receiver, 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:29.019 but it has led for them to repentance 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:31.580 and therefore to joy. 00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:34.019 And just so for us, 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:36.200 the process of rebuke is going to be painful, 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:38.420 but it's so worth it, 00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:41.200 because a well-received rebuke, 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:42.840 it produces repentance, 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:45.160 which leads to joy for everyone involved. 00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:46.279 Do you know, 00:27:46.340 --> 00:27:47.860 witnessing someone come to Christ 00:27:47.860 --> 00:27:48.840 for the first time 00:27:48.840 --> 00:27:51.799 is one of life's greatest joys. 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:55.000 And I think this comes a really close second, 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:57.059 and I've had the privilege 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:58.460 of being able to walk alongside 00:27:58.460 --> 00:27:59.900 especially a number of young men 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:00.700 here at Brunsfield 00:28:00.700 --> 00:28:01.819 over the last few years, 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:03.759 just to meet up occasionally 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:04.900 to read the Bible together. 00:28:05.079 --> 00:28:05.640 And there have been 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:07.200 some difficult moments in that. 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:08.980 I haven't had to write 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:09.960 any tearful letters. 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:13.079 I've never actually had to offer 00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:15.339 a clear and blunt and sharp rebuke. 00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:18.480 But as we've read the Bible together, 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:20.299 and as the Spirit has been at work, 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:22.660 some of them have clearly been convicted 00:28:22.660 --> 00:28:24.440 of some sin in their lives. 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:26.720 And helping them through that 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:28.259 has sometimes been painful. 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:29.960 But you know, 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:30.860 in all of them, 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:33.880 it has been just the most incredible privilege 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:35.680 and ultimately led to joy 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:37.220 as I've seen the progress 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:38.040 that they've made 00:28:38.040 --> 00:28:39.160 and that they are making, 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:41.060 as their godly sorrow 00:28:41.060 --> 00:28:43.000 leads them in repentance. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:46.460 Making progress as a Christian, 00:28:46.620 --> 00:28:47.800 walking away from sin, 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:48.960 is not easy. 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.639 But it is really good. 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:54.619 There's real joy in repentance 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:55.899 for me to look back 00:28:55.899 --> 00:28:57.379 at what I was like 00:28:57.379 --> 00:28:58.599 and to see how God 00:28:58.599 --> 00:29:00.039 has led me in repentance. 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.480 I've got a long way to go, 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:02.819 further than you know, 00:29:02.919 --> 00:29:03.859 further than I know, 00:29:04.919 --> 00:29:05.659 that I can look back 00:29:05.659 --> 00:29:07.059 and know that I've come a long way 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:08.720 and that is worth celebrating. 00:29:08.899 --> 00:29:11.259 It is cause for great joy. 00:29:12.879 --> 00:29:14.220 And I started by telling you 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:15.220 about those affirmation 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:17.220 and encouragement sessions at camp. 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:17.960 They were great. 00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:19.360 Honestly, you'd leave 00:29:19.360 --> 00:29:20.600 feeling so good about yourself. 00:29:21.620 --> 00:29:22.839 But it didn't take very long. 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:24.240 For me, it took no time at all. 00:29:24.339 --> 00:29:25.000 We'd head to lunch 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:26.480 or whatever was next 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:27.420 and very quickly, 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:28.400 I'd be confronted 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:29.920 by some sin or another. 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:32.200 Great to encourage one another. 00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:33.160 It is good to do that 00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:34.960 and it will produce joy for a time. 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:37.400 But what produces real, 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.519 lasting joy 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:40.460 is lives that are changed. 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:42.279 And a rebuke, 00:29:42.339 --> 00:29:43.500 it might cause pain 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:44.259 in the short term, 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:46.119 but a well-responded to rebuke 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:47.279 leads to repentance 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:48.819 and lasting joy. 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:50.660 Now, I'm not suggesting 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:52.000 that we should start having 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.099 like rebuke sessions 00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:54.920 like at camp 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:57.240 and rebuking one another 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:57.720 instead of it. 00:29:57.799 --> 00:29:58.259 Imagine that 00:29:58.259 --> 00:29:59.339 at your next growth group. 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:01.079 You just start calling 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:01.640 each other out. 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:02.200 I don't think 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:03.140 that would be very helpful. 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:06.339 But we do need to be prepared 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:09.039 to gently correct one another, 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:11.500 to walk with one another, 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:13.079 to know one another 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:14.420 so well 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:15.819 that we see the sin 00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:16.839 in one another, 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:19.119 to love and trust one another 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:19.559 so well 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:20.480 that we can gently 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:21.500 point that out. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:22.640 Can I just say 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:23.400 very practically 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:24.160 that when you want 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:24.980 to do that, 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:27.460 when you see a sin 00:30:27.460 --> 00:30:28.359 that you think 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:29.660 needs to be confronted, 00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:31.779 please don't just go 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:32.500 charging in 00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:33.539 and point it out. 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:36.079 The person in front of you, 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:37.079 they might already be 00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:38.380 well aware of that sin. 00:30:38.380 --> 00:30:40.660 They might not be 00:30:40.660 --> 00:30:41.180 in a place 00:30:41.180 --> 00:30:42.420 to hear your rebuke. 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:43.080 You might not be 00:30:43.080 --> 00:30:44.060 the right person 00:30:44.060 --> 00:30:44.900 to give it. 00:30:46.600 --> 00:30:47.740 Hear this loud and clear. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:49.360 Rebuke must come 00:30:49.360 --> 00:30:50.200 in the context 00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:50.760 of a loving 00:30:50.760 --> 00:30:52.060 and trusting relationship. 00:30:53.760 --> 00:30:54.680 Ask yourself 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:55.760 as you approach 00:30:55.760 --> 00:30:56.460 that situation, 00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:57.920 is my purpose here 00:30:57.920 --> 00:30:59.040 that the person 00:30:59.040 --> 00:30:59.680 in front of me 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:00.380 might be led 00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:01.380 to godly sorrow 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:02.060 and repentance? 00:31:02.880 --> 00:31:03.760 If it's not, 00:31:03.840 --> 00:31:04.920 just keep your mouth shut. 00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:07.020 Is this rebuke 00:31:07.020 --> 00:31:07.780 for their sake 00:31:07.779 --> 00:31:08.960 and for God's glory 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:09.599 or is it really 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:10.839 to make me feel good? 00:31:12.819 --> 00:31:14.099 We need to be prepared 00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:15.059 to rebuke one another. 00:31:15.160 --> 00:31:15.559 We do. 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:17.599 We need to do so gently. 00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:19.740 And we do also need 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:20.399 to be prepared 00:31:20.399 --> 00:31:21.379 to be corrected. 00:31:22.579 --> 00:31:22.980 Again, 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:24.200 to know and love 00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:24.879 and trust 00:31:24.879 --> 00:31:25.899 that when someone 00:31:25.899 --> 00:31:26.480 does that, 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:28.240 when they do that for us, 00:31:28.339 --> 00:31:29.200 that they desire 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:30.619 what is good for us. 00:31:32.099 --> 00:31:33.539 This isn't such a nice thing 00:31:33.539 --> 00:31:34.519 about church life, 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:35.539 to be honest. 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.539 There are lots of good things 00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:37.279 about church life. 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:39.019 We love to spend time together, 00:31:39.139 --> 00:31:39.740 to be encouraged 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:40.579 by God's word, 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:41.960 to sing together, 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:43.159 to drink coffee together, 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:44.720 to share food. 00:31:45.159 --> 00:31:46.200 But the responsibility 00:31:46.200 --> 00:31:47.759 to rebuke one another, 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:49.680 it just isn't a nice thing. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:51.119 But it is necessary. 00:31:52.379 --> 00:31:53.379 It will be painful. 00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:56.480 But when responded to properly, 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:57.779 if we're prepared 00:31:57.779 --> 00:31:58.819 to receive it, 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.559 it will produce joy 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:02.319 for everyone involved. 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:03.779 And it will be painful. 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:03.779 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:33.759 Thank you.