Hi guys, I'm going to do the reading now.
Alright.
This reading is taken from 2 Corinthians 7, verse 2-16.
I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts, that we would live or die with you.
I have spoken to you with great frankness. I take great pride in you.
I am greatly encouraged in all our troubles. My joy knows no bounds.
For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn.
Conflicts on the outside, fears within.
But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.
And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort you had given him.
He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me,
so that my joy was greater than ever.
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while.
Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.
For you became sorrowful as God intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death.
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you.
What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,
what readiness to see justice done.
At every point, you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong,
nor on account of the injured party,
but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.
By all this, we are encouraged.
In addition to our own encouragement, we are especially delighted to see how happy Titus was,
because his spirit has also been refreshed by all of you.
I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.
But just as everything we said to you was true,
so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,
receiving him with fear and trembling.
I am glad that I can have complete confidence in you.
This is the word of the Lord.
Great. Thank you, Jamal.
Let's pray as we come to God's word. Let's pray.
Gracious God, we want to just pause and ask now for your help as we look at your words.
We're hungry. We want you to feed us.
We're thirsty. We want to drink of the truth of your word.
We're empty. We want you to fill us.
We know our neediness, and we want you to meet our needs.
And so we pray now that as we look at your word together,
that you would guard our hearts, speak to us, we pray.
Help us, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen. Amen.
I think it's true that anything that is good or desirable can be faked, right?
If something is good and you want it, it can be faked.
So if you go to Shepherd's Bush Market, you could get yourself a fake Rolex.
You could probably get yourself a pair of fake Nike trainers or fake perfume.
Sometimes it's true that even things don't try that hard to be fake, do they?
So if you shop at Aldi, like we do, you can get wheat biscuits instead of Weetabix, right?
It's not even trying that hard to cover the fact that it is a fake,
or wheat shreds are shredded wheat.
Even now we're in a world where the fake phones you up on your mobile phone, yeah?
So my phone rings and I am offered a brilliant new contract.
Whatever you're paying, sir, we will halve it.
Oh, I'm only paying five pounds a month.
Two pounds fifty and you'll get a brand new iPhone.
It's a fake, isn't it?
Anything good and desirable can be faked.
And what I hope we've seen over the last few weeks as we've been thinking about repentance
and jumping around the Bible a little bit for that series,
is that you can see that of all the spiritual goods, repentance is good and desirable.
Repentance is right there at the top of the list.
Repentance, we saw, didn't we, Peter says,
opens the door for times of refreshing for the Lord's people.
In Psalm 32, repentance brings joy and wholeness.
If you read your Bible, you will notice that repentance is good and desirable.
It is brilliant.
But, like a Louis Vuitton handbag or a Rolex watch,
because it is so good, it is also often faked.
Faked.
Not everything that calls itself repentance is repentance.
And that, you'll notice, is the idea in our passage this morning.
You'll notice, if you've still got it open and if you've not, get back to it,
that Paul talks about sorrow for sin, but he distinguishes between two kinds of sorrow,
a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow.
And while both might look the same for a moment,
one godly sorrow leads to a genuine repentance,
and the other, worldly sorrow, is a fake, and it leads to death.
And our sermon this morning, as we finish this mini-series in repentance,
we're going to think about how repentance is not just being sad at things going wrong
or at the things that you have done wrong.
I want to suggest to you that everybody feels sad for the things that they've done wrong.
Everybody feels sad for the things they've done wrong.
It is just a common human experience.
We have a moral conscience.
We feel a sense of sadness when we do things wrong.
Some people are more sensitive than others, right?
So some people feel particularly sensitive about things that they have done wrong,
and other people, it seems to take something wilder for them to feel guilty.
But we are all sad.
So if I asked you this morning, you know,
do you feel sad for getting angry or lashing out or lying or cheating?
Do you feel sad that you didn't listen to that good advice,
that you pretended to be better than you really were?
Are you sad at the relational breakdown and the hurt and the mess?
We all are, aren't we?
That is a common universal human experience.
But being sad does not mean we've repented.
Because the question to us,
the question our passage is going to ask us this morning is,
that sadness that you feel,
is it godly sadness or is it worldly sadness?
Which is it?
Is it the real deal from God which leads to genuine repentance and life?
Or is it a fake sadness that leads to death?
Because it's possible even for a Christian to be sad and yet unrepentant.
It's possible, isn't it,
that what we think is repentance is really just a knockoff of the real thing.
Now to see that, we're landing in the middle of this letter
and we're going to have to do a bit of work to kind of understand it.
We're jumping into the middle of something
and that's not always the easiest thing to do
when we want to understand a part of the Bible.
So let me try and explain to you briefly what's going on here in 2 Corinthians
and stay with me if you can
and then we'll come back to some big ideas about repentance.
Okay, what you need to know
is that in Acts 18,
Paul visited Corinth and started the church.
Paul stayed in Corinth then for about 18 months,
establishing the church, teaching the new Christians
and then he moved on.
After moving on,
Paul and the Corinthian church exchanged letters several times.
Now, two of those letters are in our Bibles
as 1 and 2 Corinthians,
the other letters we don't have.
And what's important for us this morning
is to notice that between writing 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians,
Paul visits the church in Corinth again.
But he's not there for very long.
He only visits for a short time
because while he is there,
somebody in the church opposes him
and his apostolic authority.
So we don't actually know exactly what they did,
but in some manner they oppose him and his authority.
It was really bad.
And the badness of what he did is magnified
not just because it was one person who opposed him,
but because the Corinthian church as a whole
were largely ambivalent towards it.
And so they just stood by and let it happen.
And so Paul was undefended
against this man's accusations and his rebellion.
So Paul left.
He was only there briefly.
And having left,
he then wrote to them another letter
confronting the way that he'd been treated.
We don't have that letter.
It's not in our Bibles.
It's been lost in history.
But it's mentioned in 2 Corinthians several times.
So in 2 Corinthians 2 verse 4,
Paul says that he wrote out of much affliction
and anguish of heart, he says.
In other words, Paul was chewed up
about the way he'd been treated
and the seeming ambivalence
of the church in Corinth towards him.
And so he poured over that in his letter
and spilt that out,
explaining in his letter why he was so grieved.
And so it's no surprise that in our passage this morning,
you hear that that letter that they received
made them sorrowful.
They did not like reading this letter from Paul.
In fact, 2 Corinthians 10,
it seems to suggest to you that some people
even accuse Paul of being bold in his letters
but weak face to face.
He writes stern letters,
but when you see him, he's nothing.
Now, having written this letter
calling out their behavior,
Paul is, as you might imagine,
anxious to know how they're doing.
How are they going to respond?
Are they going to change their minds?
Are they going to repent and move towards me again?
So he waits for a guy called Titus,
who is the guy who took his difficult letter
to the church in Corinth.
He waits for him to return
with news of their reaction.
And this waiting is really difficult for Paul.
He's anxious to know how they've responded.
In chapter 2, Paul describes being in Troas
whilst he's waiting for Titus to come back
and says that he's so distracted
by this concern for the Corinthian church
that he was unable,
even though the door was open to ministry,
he was unable to do anything
because he was just so overwhelmed
by his concern for what the Corinthian church
were thinking of him.
But now, in chapter 7,
you find that Titus has returned
and brought good news.
The Corinthian church were sad
at how they'd wronged Paul.
Paul expected that much,
but the good news is that their sorrow
was not worldly sorrow,
but godly sorrow.
And it led them to repentance.
Paul's opponent is temporarily put out
of fellowship with the church,
the record is corrected,
and the relationship is restored.
And that's what we are jumping into the middle of
in chapter 7 here.
And so if you can keep that kind of situation in mind,
let me show you three things
about genuine repentance from 2 Corinthians 7.
Let me show you firstly
the importance of genuine repentance.
I hope you see here
that Paul is really clear, isn't he,
that without genuine repentance,
there is no restoration of relationship.
Paul's anxiety,
I'm not sure whether anxiety is the right word
because that implies that there's a wrongness to it,
but it's not anxiety in that sense.
There's an eagerness from Paul for news.
His inability to concentrate in troas
comes from the relational breakdown
with the Corinthian church,
a relationship that cannot be restored
unless the Corinthian church
are willing to deal with their sin
through genuine repentance.
Of course, we know this, don't we,
from our own experience.
If someone is not genuinely sorry
for what they have done,
for how they've mistreated you,
for what they've said,
or how they've behaved,
you cannot be truly reconciled, can you?
It doesn't matter how willing you are
to be forgiven,
the absence of reconciliation
is there if there's no genuine sorry.
And that lack of reconciliation
is a terrible burden to carry.
But what I want you to notice,
which I think is the surprise of the passage,
is not that it's just a burden for Paul.
You might kind of expect that.
What I want you to see
is that a lack of repentance
would have been a great burden
for the Corinthian church.
Look down at verse 10.
I'm going to read verse 10
a number of times through this sermon
because verse 10 is really the point.
So if you get verse 10 in your minds
and that's what you go away remembering,
you've understood.
Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation
and leaves no regret.
But worldly sorrow brings death.
Do you see this?
Worldly sadness, worldly sorrow,
sadness that it just happened,
sadness at sin brings death,
death, while godly sorrow
brings repentance and salvation.
Now, both sorrows, as we mentioned,
might look the same at the start.
I'm sure there's lots of tears
from both kinds of people.
But the truth is that they both
come from different places
and lead to different places,
different destinations.
And what I want you to notice
is that Paul is writing to a church here.
The salvation and death
that he is talking about in chapter 7
are not necessarily the categories
of heaven and hell.
They could be, couldn't they?
Right?
So it is true.
It is the gospel, isn't it?
That if you individually
are only sad at your sin
and do not repent and turn to Christ,
you will not be saved.
You will die in your sin
and for your sin,
not just physically in death,
but spiritually dead,
separated from the mercy of God
who made you for all eternity.
But if you are genuinely godly sorry
for your sin,
then with godly sorry,
you will repent and you'll be saved.
That's what we've been thinking about
for the last few weeks.
That's not what he's talking about
here in chapter 7.
This is talking about
the Christian's repentance.
How Christians should repent.
Repentance is how the Christian life starts,
but it's also how it goes on.
And so for Christians,
to people Paul calls saints,
called, adopted, and rescued,
he says to them, doesn't he,
ongoing godly sorrow and repentance
is important to you.
Because there is,
even for the Christian,
a kind of death
and a kind of health or salvation.
There is a rottenness
in the Christian life
that comes from persistent unrepentance.
and there is a health
and a life
that comes to the Christian
through genuine repentance.
On our willingness
to genuinely turn
from our ongoing battle with sin.
I don't know what you're thinking.
There is,
there's perhaps a chance
that through this series
on repentance,
you've been thinking,
well, you know,
this is all very well, Steve.
Yeah, all this talk about repentance.
I know that's important
for people who don't come
to church very much.
You're probably not Christians.
I've been a Christian for years.
Will you please say something
that's relevant to me?
I repented of my sin long ago.
Please tell me something
that will help me
with the battle
for Christian maturity.
I want to learn
the deep truths
of the Christian faith.
I want to know
how to live as a Christian
in the complicated situation
that I find myself in now.
Well, listen,
if that's you,
here is the deep truth
that leads to maturity.
Here's the deep truth
that will help you
live a Christian life
in the complex world
that you're in.
Here it is, right?
You ready?
Repent.
Turn back to the Lord.
That's it.
Repent and believe.
That's maturity.
And it's maturity
not just for us
as individuals,
it's maturity for us
as a church,
corporately as well,
dealing with our sins
and our failings
by taking them to the Lord,
yet full of sorrow,
but joyfully receiving salvation.
So that as a church,
we don't rot
from the inside out
with a kind of death
of worldly sorrow
that doesn't lead
to repentance.
A friend of mine
works in cancer research.
He's a professor.
He's one of those
really bright people, right?
So it's very gracious
of him to be my friend.
But anyway,
he works in something,
it's not chemotherapy,
but it's more training
your own body
to defeat cancer cells.
He does explain it to me,
I don't understand it, right?
He's had quite a lot of success,
he's been on the television
with it and that kind of thing.
It's not quite there yet.
But I want you to imagine
that it works, okay?
And he has in this treatment
an infallible cure for cancer.
And imagine then
that you receive a diagnosis,
a terminal diagnosis
for cancer.
There's no hope,
the cancer will kill you.
And so you come to my friend
and he offers you
the wonder drug, right?
And you take it.
Cancer is defeated,
there's great joy,
you were dead,
you're now alive.
Imagine though,
that as you go on,
you discover
that the cancer
is still there
and it's coming back
a little bit.
You see the marks
on your skin
and the lumps in your body.
What do you do?
I guarantee
that you don't say,
do you know what?
Well, I took the cure
about 10 years ago
so I'm not going to bother
with it anymore.
I'm not really interested anymore.
Of course you wouldn't.
Would you go back?
Give me some more of that.
I need more of that.
I thought then
that's what I need
but I realize now
I need more of it.
Please, give me some more.
And that's what's going on here.
Sin, wickedness and rebellion
is the disease
of the human race.
We all have it.
It will kill us.
It will eternally kill us.
Christ is the solution.
God the Father
in his love and mercy
sent his son
to die in our place
so that we can be forgiven
and shown mercy
and restored as human beings.
Great joy
that you don't receive him
just once.
You need to keep
coming back to him
and receiving him
because we're not perfect yet.
And so when we sin
what do we do?
We return to the cross.
We own our sin
and with godly sorrow
we repent
so that that joy
is ours again.
And here's the thing.
It's as we are humbled
by this process
of realizing our ongoing sin
and turning to God
we become less
and he becomes more.
We are humbled
and he is glorified.
And God in his wisdom
thinks
that you as a Christian
this morning
are best perfected
through a lifetime
of being humbled
and him being glorified.
That's what he thinks.
And so for us as a church
we are to be a community
of repentance.
Why?
Well because the alternative
is to be a community
of death
where sin is just kind of
brushed under the carpet
and not dealt with
and rots away
our life together.
That's the importance
of repentance, right?
The importance of repentance.
Let's think about
the source
of genuine repentance.
Come back to verse 10.
Godly sorrow
brings repentance
that leaves the salvation
and leaves no regret
but worldly sorrow
brings death.
Now notice with me
that godly sorrow
brings repentance.
It's similar.
Verse 11 if you look at it.
See what godly sorrow
has produced in you.
Verse 9 carries a similar idea.
It says that they became
sorrowful as God intended.
Now we're going to think
in a moment about the marks
of genuine repentance
but let's just think
more specifically
about what this godly sorrow
actually is.
What does it mean
to be godly sorrowful
for our sin?
Paul in writing his letter
to the church in Corinth
calling out not just
the man who opposed him
but the whole church
who just stood by
and watched.
He knew that that letter
would make them sad.
That was a given.
No one likes to have
that conversation.
But his hope and prayer
was that God
would be at work in it.
That God would use
his letter to convict
them of their sin.
That God would show them
what they've done wrong
so that they might repent
and make things right.
Now listen let me show you
two things here.
His first assumption
is that godly sorrow
is essentially
it's a work of the spirit.
You can be sad
at your sin
in your own strength
but godly sorrow
requires a work
of the spirit.
And so Paul's hope
was not so much
in the church
but his hope
was in God
as he wrote.
Paul's hope
was that God
would use his letter
to bring about
what only God
is able to do
which is a godly sorrow
that leads to repentance.
That's the first thing
it's a work of the spirit.
The second thing
to notice
is that you cannot
then mature
as a Christian
without an ongoing
Holy Spirit
awareness
of your sin.
We're going to do this
a number of times
this morning right?
So we're distinguishing
between becoming
a Christian
for the first time
and our ongoing
growth as a Christian.
So when you become
a Christian
for the first time
God by his spirit
opens your eyes
to see your sin
and your need of Christ
and you run to him
and flee to him.
And the process
of growing
and going on
as a Christian
is that you become
increasingly aware
of your sinfulness
and run to Christ
for salvation.
And so you might hope
might you
that the Christian life
might be different
to this.
You might hope
that the Christian life
was growing
in a sense
of awesomeness.
Right?
That might have been
your preferred
version of the Christian life
that day by day
you'd wake up
and think
I am more brilliant
than I thought
I was yesterday.
That is not
the Christian life.
It turns out
that in God's wisdom
the road to maturity
is marked by sorrow
at our ongoing sin.
We need to be careful.
Right?
Godly sorrow
is not hopelessness.
It is possible
to overdo this
isn't it?
It is possible
to beat ourselves up
as if sadness
for sin
atones for sin.
Christians behave
like that sometimes
don't they?
Christian churches
can be like that.
You know
Christian churches
love to make
their congregations
feel perpetually guilty
because you can make
them do whatever
you want
if you can make
them feel guilty.
But that's not it here.
Rather the point
is that you cannot
grow in your love
for Jesus
without at the same time
also growing
in your knowledge
of your need
for Jesus.
and so
as you see
your sin
you delight
that Jesus
is the solution
and God
by the spirit
makes you love
Christ
and hate sin
and be sorrowful
at it.
I think this is
the nub of this
for us this morning
that the Lord
does this work
matures you
and me as Christians
by
this is in part
by showing us
our sin
and our ugliness
and showing us
Christ.
perhaps a
wounded friend
tells you a difficult
truth that you
didn't want to hear
and so you realise
just a little bit more
that you are more
sinful than you
perhaps thought.
Now of course
that means doesn't it
that if you pray
to grow as a Christian
what you are praying
in part at least
is that you would
be grieved at your sin
that you might keep
turning to Christ
the doctor
for our sin.
Let me try and be
a bit more concrete
about this.
How does this work?
Let me give you a couple
of personal examples.
It was pointed out
to me a couple
of weeks ago
I was in a phone
conversation with
a church member
and they said to me
listen you were
dismissive and defensive
over the concerns
that I raised with you.
It wasn't particularly
easy to hear
and actually
ironically
my instinctive reaction
was to be dismissive
and defensive
of the person
on the phone.
That was what was
going on in my heart.
But I realised
they were right.
They were right.
I was sad.
Oh Steve
why did you do that?
Why did you speak
like that?
And I had to say
to them
listen I'm really sorry.
Shouldn't have done that.
It was me.
I was defensive.
I was dismissive
of your concerns
and I shouldn't have been.
I was reading
this week
that this blew my mind.
I was reading this week
that God doesn't
love efficiency.
Right?
See
I love efficiency.
I think that the best
way to do anything
is the fastest way
to do anything.
But have you thought
about the fact
that God doesn't
love that?
God could have
created this world
in an instant
like that
but he didn't.
He took time.
There was a process.
God could make
you and me
perfect in an instant.
Take us straight
to glory
the moment we come
to faith.
We might wish he did
but he has a process
that takes time.
And so I've realised
this this week
thinking oh
your love of efficiency
Steve
might actually
at times be sinful.
You need to be sorry
for that
and repent of that.
See God is very patient
isn't he?
Isn't he?
He's not in a rush.
And so in our
Christian maturity
this is how it goes
isn't it?
We see our sin
we have sorrow
for our sin
we say sorry
for our sin
and we receive
salvation for our sin.
So let me ask you
if you're a Christian
this morning
let me ask you
where is God
grieving you
at the moment?
What is it
that the Holy Spirit
has his finger on
in your life?
It's painful
you know it
don't you?
It's probably
very sad
but let me encourage
you not to resist
his work
his grief
is not his final goal
salvation
is his goal
but he takes you
through grief
that you might be
godly sorrowful
at your sin
that you might
repent
and receive salvation.
That's the source
of genuine repentance
godly sorrow
finally then
let's think about
the marks
of genuine repentance
if you look again
at verse 11
you'll notice
that instead of
repeating
godly sorrow
produces repentance
he swaps out
the word repentance
for a list
of different
characteristics
so look down
at verse 11
see what this
godly sorrow
has produced in you
you expect the word
repentance
but instead
you get a list
of seven
different characteristics
take a look at them
earnestness
that is a
seriousness
to not stop
until the right
thing is being done
it's a recognition
that this business
is important business
eagerness to clear
yourself
not as in a right
to sort of argue
that it wasn't really
you who did it
but to put right
what was wrong
to straighten things out
indignation
crossness
I think here
in the context
that the offense
to Paul
anger at its wickedness
this was wrong
this shouldn't have happened
Paul should not
have been treated
like that
alarm
wow
I can't believe
that Paul was treated
like that
this is shocking
it's almost as if
they've woken up
to what they did
longing
again in the context
it's longing
for relational
reconciliation
with Paul
who left
so quickly
concern
again a concern
for Paul
readiness
to see justice
done
again a desire
to put things
right
to hold
Paul's opponent
to account
and so Paul
concludes
that
they have
proved
themselves
innocent
in this matter
not because
they proved
that they didn't
actually do it
not at all
rather that
they have dealt
with their guilt
in the right way
their repentance
is visible
and real
and so they are
therefore innocent
now in a way
those marks
are context specific
aren't they
we're not Paul
we're not the
Corinthian church
but just notice
a couple of things
notice first
how earnest
action
marks real
repentance
earnest action
marks real
repentance
if you are
really
godly
sorrowful
for your sin
you will seek
to do something
about it
not atoned
for your sin
because Christ
alone can do
that
but seeking
to put things
right
receiving forgiveness
and making
recompense
genuine repentance
does not try
and cover it up
does not try
to pretend
it didn't happen
or pretend
it didn't matter
you know
if we're serious
of repenting
of anger
or pride
or lust
or cold heartedness
towards the Lord
if you are genuinely
repentant for those
things
you will seriously
go about action
to do something
about it
and stop
you will be
earnest about it
it will be the most
serious thing
you are doing
if you are serious
of repenting
about relationship
fallout
of slander
or gossip
or tearing others
down
you will earnestly
seek to do something
about it
to put it right
to set the record
straight as far
as you are able
perhaps you can put it
the other way around
to make it clearer
if your sadness
at your sin
if my sadness
at my sin
causes me
to do nothing
other than try
and pretend
it's not there
I have not been
godly sorrowful
for my sin
I am worldly sorrowful
for my sin
and that leads
to rottenness
earnest action
means that
genuine repentance
is more
doesn't it
than just saying
sorry to God
oh how I would
love that
right
oh Steve
you were dismissive
and defensive
when I spoke to you
about my concerns
oh it's okay
I prayed to God
about that
it doesn't matter
anymore
it's not that
is it
we need
don't we
to be able
to say sorry
to one another
as well as the Lord
because it is
living out
sorry towards
the offended person
repentance
towards God
involves recompense
towards others
it wasn't possible
was it
for the Corinthian church
to say a private
sorry for a public
wrong
to Paul
they had to take
public action
they had to
remove the man
from the church
and in chapter 2
it seems as though
Paul is urging them
to bring him back
so they don't squash him
with unbearable sorrow
and then notice
so not only does it
require earnest action
really also
genuine repentance
is really only visible
over time
repentance here
is not just a quick
conversation with Paul
it took time
and so for us
the more serious
the sin
the more time
genuine repentance
takes
let me try and be
clear on this
if you
if you've been
unfaithful to your
husband or your wife
repentance is not
just saying sorry
once in a moment
it's not just one
tearful conversation
it might begin there
but it will involve
more than that
it will involve
a willingness
to be transparent
in the years to come
to share your messages
and show your phone
to receive the help
that you need from others
to work through the struggles
that's what genuine
repentance will involve
it takes time
but there's one more
mark of genuine repentance
I wonder whether you
noticed it
it's there in verse 10
which I'm going to read
to you again as we finish
godly sorrow brings
repentance
that leads to salvation
and leaves no regret
but worldly sorrow
brings death
here's the final mark
of genuine repentance
repentance
no regret
now it doesn't mean
I don't think
that we don't regret
the sin
that's not I think
the point here
it would genuinely
have been better
had the Corinthian church
not treated Paul
as it did
the regret here
modifies the repentance
so it's that genuine
repentance
never regrets
that it repented
you know
it never regrets
that it saw its sin
and was grieved by it
and then repented
in a way that's surprising
isn't it
surely you
you regret being sad
but why doesn't
genuine repentance
include regret
well because it receives
the blessing of forgiveness
which is more than
compensation for the sadness
you know
you wouldn't regret
taking the cure
for cancer
would you
if you had cancer
you would
delight in it
you would be grateful
for it
and so real repentance
walks through grief
and sadness
but arrives at joy
a joy that in verse 4
knows no bounds
as it brings salvation
that is better than sin
the reconciliation
was even better
let me try and finish
with a story
that will hopefully land
some of these thoughts
for us this morning
it's a true story
I share it because
it's been shared publicly
I don't know the person
involved
his name was Dave
and he was the pastor
of a church
until the point
at which his adultery
was uncovered
and he had to stand down
shortly after
standing down
as a pastor
Dave suffered a heart attack
and very nearly died
and he wrote this
a few weeks ago
on his substack
he wrote this
during my rebellious years
I both wanted to die
and was terrified
of dying in equal measure
I wanted a way of escape
a way out of the web
of deceit
that I had woven
and yet the thought
of standing before Jesus
without having come in clean
was terrifying
though I know
I would have been
welcomed home
at that time
because my salvation
doesn't depend
on the extensiveness
of my repentance
but on the sufficiency
of Jesus' life
death and resurrection
and reign to save me
however living
with a clean conscience
is nonetheless
liberating
as the ambulance
careered towards
the hospital
scattering cars
in all directions
my heart
was at peace
I did not feel
panicked
or frightened
I felt safe
because I was safe
my day could have
ended in heaven
in the ultimate sense
for me
that would have been
perfect
literally
that my friends
is the power
of godly grief
genuine repentance
that leads to clear
conscience living
before the Lord
before whom one day
we will stand
who alone
has a solution
for our sin
in Christ alone
so let's pray
that he would give us
that godly grief
let's just take a moment
of quiet
maybe
the spirit
in your own heart
is putting his finger
on something
maybe you want to talk
to the Lord
about that now
may may may
may
Thank you.
Heavenly Father, we are so, so prone to try and deal with our ongoing battle with sin, with anything other than repentance and faith in Jesus.
Even as Christians, we do that really stupid and dumb thing of just pretending that we're better than we really are because we're afraid you might not love us if you know what we're really like.
And it's stupid, Lord, because you know exactly what we're like.
And knowing what we're like, you love us and sent your son to die for us.
And so, Lord, we pray individually and corporately.
We want to have less of our sin and more of Jesus.
Please, we pray.
May you grow in us this godly grief at the ways in which we offend others and offend you.
That we might, through godly grief, repent and have more of Christ.
We pray, please, that you might grow us as Christians.
That we might be increasingly humble and willing to serve one another.
And increasingly persuaded of your glory and your goodness.
And so, Lord, we want to pray this morning for anybody who maybe hasn't even experienced the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus for the very first time.
How important that is, Lord.
And so, we pray that they might turn to you.
And we pray also maybe for an individual Christian who is holding on to something they shouldn't be.
Please, Lord, we pray this morning.
May you give them godly grief that they might turn in repentance and receive salvation and wholeness from the Lord Jesus.
In whose name we pray.
Amen.