2 Corinthians 7:5-13a says...
Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 7:5-13a, which read,
v.5-7 - For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.
In the passage this morning we will see the humanness of Paul. The stop in Macedonia is one of the reasons that he didn't come directly back to Corinth and rather sent Titus on to see how things were gong after the sending of a letter that we don't have. His arrival in Macedonia wasn't any different than many of the towns he stopped in with the gospel of grace of God. Opposition and persecution meet Paul and his companions as they pleaded with their words and deeds and sometimes feared for their very lives.
Paul received comfort from God in the depressed state that he was in by the returning of Titus to him. It wasn't just great to see Titus but to hear of what Titus had to say about the Christians in Corinth who had received that previous letter from Paul and responded to it. The report was that they wanted to receive Paul again in Corinth; they mourned and repented of the sin that Paul pointed out in that letter; and they supported what Paul was doing in his missionary efforts. Paul was depressed but now he is overjoyed.
v.8, 9 - For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it--for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while--I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
This is the second "for" of this passage. The first "for" is Paul's transformation from depression to joy with the returning of Titus and his news from Corinth. The second "for" is Paul seeing the need fulfilled with the sending of this letter that we don't have that brought sorrow to the Christians in Corinth. It was a hard letter to write but someone had to tell them. He is saddened that they were sad but so glad that the sorrow that they felt over that letter that pointed out their sin led to repentance. It was sorrow for a time but also sorrow with a purpose, the will of God, so that they would not suffer loss. They would not suffer loss because Paul, directed by God and surely with much prayer wrote the letter.
This is a hard spot to be in. You see something in a brother or sister in Christ and you know if you say something about it to them that it could bring sorrow. It could severe the relationship. It could turn ugly even if you pray about it and do everything by Biblical standards. You could come with the purest motives and it could end up with the other not taking that sorrow news and turning it into repentance. Many times we don't say anything. Many times we just stand back and watch. Many times we don't act like they are truly a family member. Therefore, they suffer a loss in light of something revealed to you by God that is hindering your brother or sister in Christ. Paul took the step and wrote the letter.
v.10 - For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
The third "for" weighs the cost of writing the letter or not writing the letter. It weighs the cost of following Biblical principles when addressing sin or disregarding Biblical instruction to address sin. Paul weighed the balance between these two and wrote the letter because salvation is greater than death.
When a brother or sister in Christ is approached in the Biblical way with motives of the deliverer being pure and they receive the revelation of sin, hopefully because of their relationship with Christ they will receive it with sorrow that leads to repentance of that sin. In the correction to being in step with God's Word and His ways, there is no regret. It leads to more knowledge of the grace of God upon our lives but not receiving that revelation of sin or rejecting it leads to not knowing more of the grace of God upon our lives. Do we want our brothers and sisters in Christ to live in more knowledge of the grace of God or in less?
v.11, 12 - For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent of this matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God.
The fourth "for" deals with the outcome of this sorrow letter being written of their sin. The godly sorrow led to vindication, the clearing of one's name; it led to indignation, what sin should bring instead of celebration; it led to fear, a reverence to God and for God's commands; it led to a longing, a yearning to do what is right and correct the wrong; it led to a zeal, a plan to proceed in the ways of the Lord and not get tripped up by sin; and it led to avenging, the correcting of the sin no matter the cost to open's own reputation for doing right in God's sight is more important than our very lives. This is the great outcome of what godly sorrow can do when faced with sin that is revealed.
In the face of all of that Paul wrote the letter not because of the sinner, the offender, or the one sinned against, the offended, but he wrote the letter out of obedience to God. There are great benefits from godly sorrow and there is great love that we should have for our brothers and sisters in Christ to hold each other to the commands of God but first comes our relationship with God and following the leading of His voice no matter the outcome.
v.13a - For this reason we have been comforted.
The fifth "for" is the comfort of obeying the Spirit's leading to write the letter. Paul received comfort from the Lord for being depressed about the opposition to the gospel in Macedonia. He received comfort from the Lord in the returning of his great friend and missionary mate Titus. He received comfort from the Lord in the report that Titus brought about the repentance in Corinth over the letter of sorrow written to them by himself. Finally, he received comfort from the Lord for obeying the leading of the Spirit to actually following through on that instruction.
A longer passage this morning to cover to show us a Paul that toyed with sending this letter of sorrow or not. It turned out great but it could have easily gone the other way. Paul is saying that it didn't matter how it turned out, it mattered that he obeyed God and now the joy is that much greater because he did see God's people respond to sin with repentance and a greater zeal to follow the Lord. If he would not have written the letter he would have been disobeying God and also never had the opportunity to experience that comfort that came from that sorrowful letter of sin turned to repentance.
Pray up and follow the Biblical guidelines given in Scripture and make sure your motives are for others and not yourself and obey the Spirit's leading. No one knows the ultimate outcome but God, so don't let that fact stop you from obeying Him. Love is tough sometimes.
"Lord, thank You for showing us a Paul who struggled over sending this letter or not. We have had those same struggles when we see a brother or sister in Christ start to veer from the path of truth. That awareness is You speaking to us to start to pray about what we should do and spend more time with You to follow Your instruction on this matter rather than disregard Your voice and disregard the sin. Lord help us as we obey You and love those who You have put around us. And Lord, if we get a 'letter' or instruction from a brother or sister in the Lord, may we see the heart and take it the route of repentance to great knowledge of Your salvation upon our lives. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.5-7 - For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.
In the passage this morning we will see the humanness of Paul. The stop in Macedonia is one of the reasons that he didn't come directly back to Corinth and rather sent Titus on to see how things were gong after the sending of a letter that we don't have. His arrival in Macedonia wasn't any different than many of the towns he stopped in with the gospel of grace of God. Opposition and persecution meet Paul and his companions as they pleaded with their words and deeds and sometimes feared for their very lives.
Paul received comfort from God in the depressed state that he was in by the returning of Titus to him. It wasn't just great to see Titus but to hear of what Titus had to say about the Christians in Corinth who had received that previous letter from Paul and responded to it. The report was that they wanted to receive Paul again in Corinth; they mourned and repented of the sin that Paul pointed out in that letter; and they supported what Paul was doing in his missionary efforts. Paul was depressed but now he is overjoyed.
v.8, 9 - For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it--for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while--I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
This is the second "for" of this passage. The first "for" is Paul's transformation from depression to joy with the returning of Titus and his news from Corinth. The second "for" is Paul seeing the need fulfilled with the sending of this letter that we don't have that brought sorrow to the Christians in Corinth. It was a hard letter to write but someone had to tell them. He is saddened that they were sad but so glad that the sorrow that they felt over that letter that pointed out their sin led to repentance. It was sorrow for a time but also sorrow with a purpose, the will of God, so that they would not suffer loss. They would not suffer loss because Paul, directed by God and surely with much prayer wrote the letter.
This is a hard spot to be in. You see something in a brother or sister in Christ and you know if you say something about it to them that it could bring sorrow. It could severe the relationship. It could turn ugly even if you pray about it and do everything by Biblical standards. You could come with the purest motives and it could end up with the other not taking that sorrow news and turning it into repentance. Many times we don't say anything. Many times we just stand back and watch. Many times we don't act like they are truly a family member. Therefore, they suffer a loss in light of something revealed to you by God that is hindering your brother or sister in Christ. Paul took the step and wrote the letter.
v.10 - For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
The third "for" weighs the cost of writing the letter or not writing the letter. It weighs the cost of following Biblical principles when addressing sin or disregarding Biblical instruction to address sin. Paul weighed the balance between these two and wrote the letter because salvation is greater than death.
When a brother or sister in Christ is approached in the Biblical way with motives of the deliverer being pure and they receive the revelation of sin, hopefully because of their relationship with Christ they will receive it with sorrow that leads to repentance of that sin. In the correction to being in step with God's Word and His ways, there is no regret. It leads to more knowledge of the grace of God upon our lives but not receiving that revelation of sin or rejecting it leads to not knowing more of the grace of God upon our lives. Do we want our brothers and sisters in Christ to live in more knowledge of the grace of God or in less?
v.11, 12 - For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent of this matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God.
The fourth "for" deals with the outcome of this sorrow letter being written of their sin. The godly sorrow led to vindication, the clearing of one's name; it led to indignation, what sin should bring instead of celebration; it led to fear, a reverence to God and for God's commands; it led to a longing, a yearning to do what is right and correct the wrong; it led to a zeal, a plan to proceed in the ways of the Lord and not get tripped up by sin; and it led to avenging, the correcting of the sin no matter the cost to open's own reputation for doing right in God's sight is more important than our very lives. This is the great outcome of what godly sorrow can do when faced with sin that is revealed.
In the face of all of that Paul wrote the letter not because of the sinner, the offender, or the one sinned against, the offended, but he wrote the letter out of obedience to God. There are great benefits from godly sorrow and there is great love that we should have for our brothers and sisters in Christ to hold each other to the commands of God but first comes our relationship with God and following the leading of His voice no matter the outcome.
v.13a - For this reason we have been comforted.
The fifth "for" is the comfort of obeying the Spirit's leading to write the letter. Paul received comfort from the Lord for being depressed about the opposition to the gospel in Macedonia. He received comfort from the Lord in the returning of his great friend and missionary mate Titus. He received comfort from the Lord in the report that Titus brought about the repentance in Corinth over the letter of sorrow written to them by himself. Finally, he received comfort from the Lord for obeying the leading of the Spirit to actually following through on that instruction.
A longer passage this morning to cover to show us a Paul that toyed with sending this letter of sorrow or not. It turned out great but it could have easily gone the other way. Paul is saying that it didn't matter how it turned out, it mattered that he obeyed God and now the joy is that much greater because he did see God's people respond to sin with repentance and a greater zeal to follow the Lord. If he would not have written the letter he would have been disobeying God and also never had the opportunity to experience that comfort that came from that sorrowful letter of sin turned to repentance.
Pray up and follow the Biblical guidelines given in Scripture and make sure your motives are for others and not yourself and obey the Spirit's leading. No one knows the ultimate outcome but God, so don't let that fact stop you from obeying Him. Love is tough sometimes.
"Lord, thank You for showing us a Paul who struggled over sending this letter or not. We have had those same struggles when we see a brother or sister in Christ start to veer from the path of truth. That awareness is You speaking to us to start to pray about what we should do and spend more time with You to follow Your instruction on this matter rather than disregard Your voice and disregard the sin. Lord help us as we obey You and love those who You have put around us. And Lord, if we get a 'letter' or instruction from a brother or sister in the Lord, may we see the heart and take it the route of repentance to great knowledge of Your salvation upon our lives. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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