31 January 2010
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 7
8. 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--
9. 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.
10. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
11. 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.
-- the last time I went to Disney World in Orlando, we went on the kid's ride, "It's a small, small world" -- more from nostalgia than anything else -- but, as I was on that ride, it occurred to me just how small the world has really gotten
-- if you were to look at a newspaper from 150 years ago, the focus of the paper was on its immediate vicinity -- people didn't care what was going on outside of where they lived -- they really didn't concern themselves with what was going on with others in this country, much less on the other side of the world
-- but now, with the advent of the internet and satellite TV and all of the other technology that we have, we have reached the place where, not only can we instantly know what is happening on the other side of the world, but we care about it -- 150 years ago, we wouldn't have worried about an earthquake in Haiti -- we probably wouldn't have even heard about it for months -- but now, because of technology and the shrinking of our world, we knew about it instantly and it spurred us to action
-- along these lines, our leaders no longer concern themselves only with the affairs of just our country -- but they worry about the global impact of their decisions -- no longer are we an isolated nation or an isolated people, but we find ourselves increasingly becoming more and more part of a global community -- and with that brings new struggles
-- how do we come to grasp with this changing, new world? -- what do we have in common -- what do we share with people in Asia or eastern Europe or South America? -- how do we move forward in this age of increasing globalism? -- What can we find that ties us together with all the citizens of the world?
-- well, as I was pondering that question, it occurred to me that there is one thing that we all have in common -- regardless of race, religion, natural origin -- regardless of whether we live in a mansion or a corrugated hut in the desert region of the world, we all share one common characteristic -- we all make mistakes
-- all of us -- you've heard that before -- I certainly heard it growing up -- I would drop a glass and spill milk all over the floor and my mother would say, "Don't worry about it -- just clean it up -- there's no use crying over spilled milk -- everyone makes mistakes"
-- and that is true -- everyone does make mistakes
-- for instance, you probably heard about the woman who was taking an art class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York this past weekend -- as she bent in to take a closer look at Pablo Picasso's famous painting, The Actor, she stumbled and fell into the picture and ripped a 6-inch vertical tear near the bottom
-- now, you might be thinking to yourself, "So what -- it was only a 6-inch tear in a canvas that is 4 foot by 6 foot in size -- it was only a mistake" -- but this was a $65 million mistake -- the total cost of the painting was estimated at $130 million, and that little 6-inch tear reduced the value of that painting by half and damaged a priceless work of art -- thankfully, the damage can be repaired, but still, how would you have liked to have been that woman who made a mistake such as that?
-- everyone makes mistakes -- some mistakes are minor, like a spilled glass of milk -- others are more costly, like a 6-inch rip in a Picasso painting -- but some mistakes are so large and so devastating that there is nothing we can do to make amends -- there is nothing we can do to correct our mistake
-- so, what do we do with mistakes like that? -- what do we do when our mistakes cost more than $65 million? -- what do we do when our mistakes destroy relationships with our family and friends? -- what do we do when our mistakes destroy our lives and the lives of those around us? -- what do we do when our mistakes separate us from God?
-- those are the questions that bring us together today -- those are the questions that form and inform the church -- those are the questions that Christ came to answer
II. Scripture Lesson (2 Corinthians 7:8-11)
-- in this passage that we opened with, we find the second letter from the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth -- the Corinthians had made some mistakes -- some really big mistakes -- if you've ever spent some time reading the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, it reminds you of a Jerry Springer show
-- Corinth was a very large and prosperous Roman city located right between the east and the west -- it was a crossroads for commerce and culture and community -- the people there enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle as travelers from all over the known world converged there to trade on their journeys from Europe into Asia and back -- but, with this prosperity and influence came pride and excess and iniquity
-- the Corinthians excelled at making mistakes -- at doing things that God did not want them to do and that He distinctly told them not to do -- for instance, the church there actually boasted of their tolerance by accepting into membership a man who was sleeping with his father's wife -- we're talking about mistakes and sins on unprecedented levels
-- and, so, the Apostle Paul wrote them his first letter with two purposes in mind -- first, he needed to open their spiritual eyes -- he needed them to see that what they were doing was wrong -- that the sexual immorality -- the pride -- the division in that church were mistakes -- they weren't something to be proud of -- they were sin -- it was not what they should have been doing -- so, the first thing Paul did was point out to them that everyone makes mistakes
-- secondly, Paul made sure they knew what to do about the mistakes -- he pointed them back to the cross -- he pointed them to repentance -- he pointed them to forgiveness and reconciliation and healing
-- and here, in Chapter 7 of Paul's second letter, we see him referring back to what happened and how they responded when they got his first letter -- so, let's take just a moment and look at what God had to say to the church of Corinth through Paul
-- verse 8
8. 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--
9. 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.
-- Paul's first letter had the desired effect -- it opened the Corinthians' spiritual eyes -- it made them see that what they were doing was wrong
-- sometimes, that's the first step that we have to take in overcoming mistakes in our lives -- we have to be made aware of them -- we have to know that they are there
-- one of Satan's main strategies to keep Christians powerless is to hide their sins from them -- to keep them from knowing about the mistakes that they make -- and, unless we know about our sins -- unless we are made truly aware of the mistakes that we have made -- we can do nothing about them -- that's where having a good friend or being in a small group can help by holding you accountable and by holding a mirror to your life to let you know when you have done wrong
-- Paul says that when the Corinthians were made aware of their mistakes, they became filled with sorrow -- they were sorry for what they had done -- that's a common stage for us in our spiritual lives -- when we realize that we've made a mistake -- that we've done something wrong -- maybe we've hurt someone that we love -- we get sorry -- we feel bad about it
-- we go to God and confess our sins and tell Him, "We're sorry -- we didn't mean to do that" -- sometimes we might even go to the person that we wronged and apologize to them and tell them, "I'm sorry"
-- there's many afternoon talk show hosts on TV that have made their living simply by bringing people on their shows and getting them to own up to their sins and to apologize right there on stage
-- but being sorry doesn't erase the mistake -- being sorry is not enough -- Paul points out that here -- being sorry is just the first step
-- Tiger Woods is learning that lesson now -- when it finally came out that he had had multiple affairs and had cheated on his wife and his family, Tiger was sorry -- he was especially sorry when his wife beat him with that golf club and when he lost all of his endorsements -- but he found out that going on TV and confessing your sin and saying you're sorry doesn't make everything better -- he is still separated from his wife -- he has damaged their relationship to the point that it may never get repaired -- the Corinthians had learned what Tiger is learning now -- being sorry is not enough -- being sorry is just the first step
-- verse 10
10. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
-- you see, being sorry is the world's way of covering up problems -- it really comes down to this -- we want people to suffer for what they have done -- when a celebrity makes a really big mistake -- whether it's Tiger Woods or John Edwards or Michael Vick -- it's not enough for us to just have them admit they made a mistake -- we want them to suffer -- we want them to pay for what they have done the rest of their life -- that's the goal of worldly sorrow -- and that's the difference between worldly sorrow and Godly sorrow
-- Godly sorrow is constructive -- Paul intentionally hurt the Corinthians with his first letter, but he did it for a reason -- he wanted them to be sorry -- not so they would feel bad -- but so they would do something about it
-- in God's kingdom, the purpose of pointing out another's mistakes is not to just make them feel sorry about what they did, but to get them to the next step -- repentance
-- God uses sorrow to get us to repentance -- outside of the word, "faith," there is no other word in the Bible that is more important to us -- all of prophets in the Old Testament preached repentance to the nation of Israel -- John the Baptist made his career by preaching repentance in the wilderness -- and repentance was the sole message of Jesus -- "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
-- being sorry is not enough -- you have to repent, as well
-- that word, "repentance," is so misunderstood in our day and time -- repentance is not the same thing as feeling sorry -- repentance starts with sorry and goes on from there
-- to repent means that you know you've made a mistake -- you're sorry about what you have done -- you're telling God that you don't want to do it again and you're asking Him to forgive you of what you have done and to keep you from doing it again
-- repentance is turning around -- it's making a U-turn on a lifestyle of mistakes and sins and wrong decisions -- but, repentance is not just a matter of the will -- it's a matter of the heart
-- a lot of times, we get sorry about the sins in our lives -- we make a vow that we're not going to do them again -- but, after a little while, depending on how strong your will is, you find yourself going right back and making that same old mistake again -- that's not what we are talking about
-- to repent of your sins and mistakes means that you ask God to forgive you and deliver you from the burden of sin -- to repent of your sins means that you change your focus -- your focus is not on avoiding the mistake -- your focus is on following God
-- this seems like a minor thing, but it's not -- it's the heart of what repentance is all about -- let me give you an example -- I once watched a young girl learning to ride a bicycle -- what she was trying to do was ride down the lane to the end of the road and back -- simple task, right?
-- but, there was a big, green trashcan sitting out there next to the road -- and I told her, "Don't hit the trashcan" -- and from that moment on, that's all she could think about -- that was all she saw -- that big, green trashcan -- and, sure enough, she steered her bike right down that lane and ran smack dab into the side of that trashcan, both going and coming
-- if she had ignored the trashcan -- if she had focused on the end of the road and blocked out everything else, she wouldn't have made a mistake and she certainly wouldn't have made that same mistake twice
-- that's what we're talking about with repentance -- repentance means you shift your focus from the sin and the mistake to God -- you let God take care of it -- you let God remove that burden -- and you put your eyes on Him
-- in other words, when you sit down at the end of the day and think about what you have done, you don't review in your mind and say, "I did good -- I stayed away from this sin today" -- not, you review in your mind and say, "I did good -- I walked with God today"
-- if sin is still your focus, you haven't repented -- you haven't left it behind -- you haven't let God take care of it for you -- and if you're still focusing on it -- if you're still fixated on it -- then you're not letting God take control of your life -- you're still in charge
-- repentance means letting go and letting God take care of it -- repentance doesn't mean "Don't do this" -- repentance means, "Don't do this -- do this instead"
-- think about what the prophets and John the Baptist and Jesus all preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" -- they didn't just focus on the sin and say nothing more -- they said, "Don't sin -- but live for God" -- shift your focus from sin to the kingdom of heaven -- shift your focus from sin to God
-- that is what repentance is -- it's a total change in heart and mind and will -- it's not just being sorry about a sin -- but, it's choosing to live a life of obedience for God
-- verse 11
11. 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.
-- see how the focus of the Corinthians has changed? -- before, they were worried about the sin -- they focused on the sin and on avoiding the sin -- now, they're focused on God and the things of God -- Godly sorrow led them to repentance which led them to living lives for Jesus
-- that's why we're here -- that's what our churches are supposed to look like and to be like -- not fixated on sin, but on the grace and the abundant life that follows true repentance and reconciliation with the Father
III. Closing-- you know, we all have a problem with understanding and applying repentance in our lives -- I know that after I got saved, I kind of got stuck at the altar -- I became stagnant and didn't grow in Christ because I was worried about sin -- I focused on sin -- sin became for me that big green trashcan in my life -- and no matter what I did, I kept steering my bicycle right into it, because that's all I was focused on
-- I stayed in that pattern for 10 years until a friend convinced me to go to a Promise Keepers conference -- I didn't want to go -- I knew I was struggling -- I knew I wasn't doing right and I knew I wasn't following God's plan for my life -- I didn't want to go to a meeting like Promise Keepers and be reminded of just how bad I was -- but I ended up going anyway
-- and through the messages that weekend and through the fellowship with thousands of other Godly men -- I became convicted that what I was doing wasn't right -- I rededicated my life to Christ and asked for His forgiveness and His power to fix all the mistakes I kept making -- I asked Him to help me focus on walking towards Him rather than just trying to live life by avoiding sin -- and once I did that, my spiritual life began to grow
-- do I still sin? -- sure -- do I still make mistakes and allow things to come between me and God and between me and the others in my life? -- of course
-- but the difference now is that I recognize them and I carry them to the cross and I allow God to remove them from my life so they don't hamper my spiritual growth -- I let Godly sorrow over my sin lead me to repentance and the cross and fix my eyes on the prize and not the obstacles in my path
-- as I close today, I want to encourage you to embrace the life that God has given to you -- to embrace the life that God has planned for you
-- the Christian life is a daily decision to repent of our sins and to take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ -- this means that you let Christ rule in your life -- this means that you let the power of the Holy Spirit work in your life to keep your focus on God and to fix any mistakes or sins that are affecting your relationship with God and with others
-- everyone makes mistakes -- the difference is what we do with those mistakes -- do we continue to hold them up and let them trap us in a dead-end way of living -- or do we give them to Jesus and put them behind us, repenting of them and focusing on life with God?
-- this morning, as I close, I want you to encourage you to take a moment and consider your life and the mistakes you have made -- most of here are Christians -- think about where you are in your walk with Christ -- what are you focusing on? -- is it following Him or just avoiding sin? -- until we reach the point where our focus is on Christ and Christ alone, we will never be the people that God has called us to be
-- for those of you here who don't know Christ -- who are still weighed down by your sins and your burdens and your mistakes, then I want to introduce you to my friend Jesus -- Jesus wants to help -- He wants to take care of your problems -- He wants to fix your life -- but, you have to take the first step -- you have to believe in Him -- you have to admit your sins and confess them to Him -- and you have to repent and move forward in faith in Jesus
-- whatever you need to do today -- whatever steps you need to take -- I would invite you to do so as we close in prayer and as the last hymn is played -- as always, the altar is open for any who wish to come or who need special prayer for themselves or a loved one
-- let us pray
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