2 CORINTHIANS 7:2-162005 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Amen. 2 Corinthians chapter 7. Now, to give you a little bit of background to remind you of where we've come from and how we got to this point. 1 Corinthians, you remember, was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in the city of Ephesus.

a little bit of a distance away, but he wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians for several reasons, and that was to make some corrections as well as answer some of the questions that they had. Well, one of the issues that Paul had to deal with in 1 Corinthians was a man who was in sin. He was living in sexual relationship with his mother-in-law, with his father's wife, not his mom, but his stepmother.

stepmother. And so, he's living in this relationship. The church has accepted him and embraced him in this and rejoicing at how tolerant they are. But in 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote to them in chapter 5 to rebuke them for this and to tell them that they need to deal with sin and put him out of their fellowship until he repents. And so,

He writes 1 Corinthians and they receive the letter and it's received but it's not completely obeyed. And the person who is in sin, tradition tells us, led a sort of rebellion against Paul. He didn't leave the church and the church didn't put him outside but they kept him and he began to make divisions within the body there at the church of Corinth. And he began to cause problems and lead a rebellion really against the authority of Paul and who Paul is.

And so Paul left Ephesus and went to Corinth for a short visit and corrected some of the situations and things and put the things in order and then went back and went on on his missionary journey. Well, he also had heard though after he had left that

that corrective visit didn't really do anything. They didn't make the corrections that they were supposed to make. They weren't being obedient. There was still the same problems, still the same divisions, and that guy was still there leading a rebellion against Paul and setting himself up against Paul. And so Paul sits down and he writes another letter. Now it's not 1 Corinthians and it's not 2 Corinthians, but it's a letter in between that we do not have this day. But it was a fierce letter, a pretty harsh letter,

rebuking the Corinthians. And we know that because of what is shared here this morning. He rebuked the Corinthians. He sent the letter by Titus and he was waiting for Titus to bring back word. He meets up with Titus there in Troas and

And Titus tells them the good news, that they had received this harsh letter, this hard letter, and had repented and had done the things that the Apostle Paul had asked them to do and put things in order the way that he had asked them to do it. And so Paul writes 2 Corinthians after receiving this news. After receiving, yes, they repented, they believed, they've turned back and they've made some corrections. There are some false apostles that are still there that are preaching against you, but the body as a whole has repented and has corrected their ways.

And so as we pick it up in verse 2, understanding that Paul is writing because he's heard this great news that they have repented, that they have restored and revived their relationship with God and done the things that he had asked them to do. And so let's read together 2 Corinthians chapter 7, starting in verse 2, it says this.

Verse 1.

Great is my boldness of speech towards you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. For indeed, when I came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts. Inside were fears. Nevertheless, God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus.

And not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. Verse 8. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it, for I perceived that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Verse 9.

Verse 10. Verse 10.

Verse 2.

Verse 13. Verse 13.

Verse 1.

Paul starts out this portion here in verse 2, and he asks the Corinthians to open their hearts to him. Now this goes back to chapter 6, what we studied last week, where Paul said, look, we've opened our hearts to you there in verse 11. We've spoken openly.

openly to you, our heart is wide open to you. And then he went on to share with them not to be unequally yoked, the relationships and the ties that would pull them away from their relationship with Christ and as a result as well, their relationship with the Apostle Paul because he was bound to Christ, he was yoked with Christ and so if they walked away from him, their relationship with Paul would be torn as well.

And so Paul says, look, let's mend our relationship. Let's restore the fellowship that we once had. Now that you've repented, now because you've made these corrections and you've done the things that are right to bring yourselves back into a right relationship with God, he says, open your hearts to us.

We've not wronged anyone, nor have we cheated anyone. We haven't corrupted anyone. Paul is saying, look, we haven't done anything wrong to you guys. And so let's mend our relationship. Let us, he asked them, be a part of your lives again. We haven't done anything wrong to you.

In verse 3, he goes on to say, You see, Paul, he is telling the Corinthians, he's demonstrating his great love for the Corinthians. He says, look,

You guys have wronged me. They were the ones that were dividing against Paul and saying the evil and vicious and vile things against Paul. It would have been very understandable. We could have agreed with Paul if he said, Hey, forget you guys. I'm an apostle. I don't have to put up with this. I don't have to worry about this relationship. Forget you guys. But the apostle Paul demonstrates his love. He says, Look, I haven't wronged you. I haven't cheated you.

Let's restore our relationship. Open up your hearts to us again that we might have fellowship together. He says, you have a place in our hearts. In life or death, it doesn't matter what you do or what happens. You have a place in our hearts. We love you, Corinthians. We have this great love for you and there's nothing that can break that. You're in our hearts.

In verse 4, he goes on to say, so as a result, since they're in our hearts, since you're in our hearts and we love you this way, he says, great is my boldness of speech towards you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I'm filled with comfort. I'm exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. Paul says, hey,

We love you guys. So I have great boldness in my speech towards you. I'm able to share these things and free to share the truth with you. And great is my boasting on your behalf as well. I don't speak bad about you. I'm not talking negatively about you guys, but I'm excited about what God is doing with you because I have this great love for you.

And as a result of what God is doing, and as a result of your repentance, he goes on to say, I'm filled with comfort and I'm exceedingly joyful. But notice he says, in all our tribulations. Paul the Apostle was going through tribulation at this time. 2 Corinthians, as he's referring to this, he's probably referring back to Acts chapters 19 and 20, where Paul was in Ephesus for some time. And

And he spent some time there, but after spending a couple of years there, they began to, the people who were making the idols and

Those who were practicing idolatry, they began to notice a change that not as many people were coming to their idolatrous services anymore and not many people were requiring their making idols any longer. But now they were attending this other church. They were fellowshipping as Christians together. So their business was declining because people were worshipping Jesus rather than these other idols.

So they got together, they bounded together, and they created this big riot there in the city of Ephesus. And you might remember it's there in Acts chapter 19 where the Ephesians are together in the stadium proclaiming, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Diana was one of the goddesses that they worshipped there. And so they began to have this big riot and they basically ran Paul out of town. And everywhere he went...

There was those types of situations. You can read it for yourself in Acts chapters 19 and 20. So Paul was going through a lot. But notice the words he uses. He uses the words comfort and joy in the midst of those tribulations that he was going through. And all of his problems and all of his tribulation, he had comfort and joy

From what? Well, he says, from knowing that they had repented and were doing well. He was comforted by the news about how they were doing and what was going on. Listen, this is a great lesson to you and me.

If I want to have comfort in my tribulation, if you want to have comfort in your tribulation, because we all go through tribulation, we all go through hard times and trials and persecution. If we want to have comfort, we need to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, and that is having a care for others.

Paul was not so concerned with the tribulation that he was going through. In the midst of that tribulation, he found comfort because the people that he cared about were doing well. And so he found comfort and joy in the midst of his own trials and tribulations. The best thing that we can do in times of tribulation, in times of sorrow and heartache, in hard times in our own lives, is to pray.

is to help others and to demonstrate our love for them. Taking our eyes off of our own lives, our own sorrows, our own hurts, our own pains and tribulations, and giving ourselves to helping others, and we'll find comfort and joy, just like the Apostle Paul. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 10, verse 39, "...he who finds his life will lose it."

and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. If you want to have joy, if you want to have life, then stop worrying about your own life and invest your life in the lives of those around you. Use your time, use your energy, use your attention.

to bless others, to help others. So he says, in the midst of all this tribulation, I find comfort and joy. Now that word comfort, it literally means to call to one side. It's to call someone to your side. And that's how you would comfort someone, isn't it? You would come up beside them and put your arm around them and say, hey, let me comfort you. Let me share with you some encouraging words. Now, obviously, the Corinthians were not physically there. But

But Paul is using this word because it's the same idea. It's that feeling of strength and hope and encouragement that comes from having someone next to you. Paul says, I get that same, oh man, just hearing, just hearing about what's going on with you guys and how well you're doing and that you're walking with God and God is doing these things brings such comfort. It's just like having you right next to me because I have this care for you. I have this concern for you.

Verse 5, For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. What is the tribulation that he was going through? Well, as he came to Macedonia, he said our bodies had no rest. Now, he left Ephesus and went to Macedonia.

because of the riot. And so he's experiencing these things. He's describing these things to them. He said, we had trouble on every side, on the outside as well as the inside. Outside, he says, were conflicts. There was these physical, political, emotional, social, all these things going on around them. People not liking them and hating them and stirring up strife around them. The Jews were plotting against him. The Greeks and the Gentiles did not like him because they took away...

Their business. So Paul said outside of the conflicts, there was these problems coming against us. But inside were fears. And that's interesting to me because the great and mighty Apostle Paul, he was afraid. He was fearful. It's a good reminder to us because sometimes we forget that God uses people. And the great men of God are still men.

The Apostle Paul, he was fearful. He had these trials and tribulations. But the key for him was he had his focus in the right place. Now, we see the stories of all these guys in the Bible, and we look at the Apostle Paul and we go, wow, they become our heroes and almost invincible in our sight. But the Bible records their fears, their stumblings, their sin, all of these things to remind us that they're just men. They're just like you and I.

God uses people just like us to do His work and to accomplish the work of His kingdom. The riot in Ephesus, Jews in Greece were plotting to take His life. Now, don't forget too, He was on His way to Jerusalem. And as He's on His way to Jerusalem, in Acts 20-23, He says that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city. Wherever He goes, the Holy Spirit is testifying, saying that chains and tribulations await Me.

Paul was going there to Jerusalem and he would be bound. He would be there taken into captivity by the Roman soldiers. The Jews would try to beat him to death. And the Holy Spirit was warning him and telling him, hey, you're going to be beaten. Everywhere he went, as he left Ephesus, as he went through Macedonia, everywhere he went, outside were conflicts, inside were fears, but he found comfort in knowing that the Corinthians had corrected their ways and that they were walking uprightly again.

Verse 6, nevertheless, God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus. Nevertheless, even though all these things were going on, even though I had all these troubles and all these things on my mind, Paul says we found comfort. God who comforts the downcast. And isn't that

encouraging to know that God comforts those who are downcast. When you're downcast, when I'm downcast, we need to come to God because He comforts the downcast. He said He comforted us by the coming of Titus.

Titus now, remember, he had delivered the letter to the Corinthians, and they had received it, they had repented, they had corrected their ways, and then Titus came back to meet up with Paul to continue on in the journey. So Titus shows up here at the right time, as he's going through these things, and has these conflicts, and has these fears, and he's going to meet up with Paul.

Titus shows up. It's like having a good friend show up or call at the right time. And how comforting that is. You know that feeling. You know that experience. Verse 7, And not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you. So not only was Titus' coming that comforted him, his good friend showing up at the right time, but also the news that he had to share.

The consolation that he had received, that Titus had received from the Corinthians, was able then to be passed on to the Apostle Paul. And Paul says, oh, that brings comfort. That helps me. As I was looking for strength, as I was searching for strength, as I was dealing with these tribulations and these conflicts and these fears,

brought comfort to me. He came, oh that was great, but not only that, but he had good news of what you guys have been up to and how you guys are doing. So he says, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. Paul uses these words over and over again, comfort and rejoice, comfort and rejoice, comfort and rejoice, all the while he's in the midst of this situation, of these trials and these problems. Titus told Paul about how they'd received the letter that he had sent.

Now, their response was these three things that Titus shared with him. What three things? Well, your earnest desire, your mourning, and your zeal. These are the things that were the proof that they had repented, that they had corrected their ways, that they had done the things that they write. And so Paul, knowing that they had repented, was made even more joyful. If you want to find comfort and joy in your tribulation,

Learn to care for others. Love others. Give your life for others. Philippians chapter 2 verse 3 says, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. You see, it's not just a good rule to apply or it's what you should do and it's really good, but it's more than that.

It's the way that God designed us to work. If you want to find happiness and joy, if you want to find comfort and peace, then you need to die to yourself. If you want to save your life, if you want to find your life, you need to lose it and give it to others. And then you will find it. There you will have comfort. There you will have peace. There you will have joy. The Apostle Paul is modeling that, demonstrating that to us this morning.

He goes on now in verses 8 through 10. He talks about, well actually 8 through 11, he talks about the sorrow that they experienced. And you'll see that word over and over again, that word sorry or sorrow. He made them sorry. They had great sorrow. Now, that word for sorrow is the word that's used to indicate an internal sorrow, something that's happening on the inside. It's not an outside wailing or moaning or crying or anything like that, but it's something that's happening on the inside.

They were deeply sorrowful within. There was something within their heart that was made sorry with his letter. And so that's why in verse 8 he says,

Paul talks about sorrow here. Now, there's two things I want to highlight here. Principles of correction that Paul used in sending this letter and correcting the Corinthians. The first principle that I'd like to bring up is found in the phrase where he says, though I did regret it, there in verse 8. He sent this letter to them. It was a harsh letter. It was correcting their areas that needed correction. It was dealing with the problems and situations there.

It wasn't a flowery, fluffy love letter. It was hard. It was harsh. It was dealing with sin and problems. Now, none of us would like to receive a letter like that. This is all the things that are wrong in your life and this is what you must do to correct it. So, Paul sends this letter.

And he says, I did regret it. I regretted sending that letter and making that letter. I had a hard time with it. Now, you and I here this morning, we, I pray, love each other. And there are people in your life that you love. And there are people in your life that love you. And so there will be times where we need to correct each other because we have this love for one another.

We will have to share with someone that there's something in their teeth. There's sin in their life. There's a problem, a situation that's going on that's not right, that's not good, that's bringing destruction, that's causing embarrassment.

that will take them away and lead them away from their relationship with Christ. We'll have to do it because we love one another. There's sin in our lives. We stumble, we fall, we get caught up in sin. And so the first principle that we need to know, the Apostle Paul says, though I did regret it. Principle of correction number one, if you enjoy it, do not do it. Do not correct. Do not find pleasure. Do not enjoy sin.

correcting people. Paul didn't enjoy it. It wasn't a joyful thing like, oh man, they're really going to be rocked by this one, man. It's going to be, whoo! No, he regretted it. He's like, I don't want to make them sorrowful. I don't want to make them experience this pain, but I need to because I love them.

So the first principle we learn is, if you enjoy it, do not do it. It wasn't a fun thing for Paul. It tore him up inside. He knew he had to tell them the truth. He knew he had to love them, but it was a difficult thing for him to do. He explained it a little bit more in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 13, because he'd sent the letter with Titus, and he was waiting anxiously to hear back from Titus,

about how they'd taken it, about what had happened, about what had taken place. Because he had this fear, this feeling within him

Oh, he hated to make them sorry. He hated to make them be sorrowful. And so he was anxious to hear back from Titus. In 2 Corinthians 2.13 he says, I had no rest of my spirit. After he left Ephesus, he said, I had no rest of my spirit because I did not find Titus my brother. But taking my leave of them, talking about the area of Troas where he was, he left for Macedonia. He was trying to get back so that he would meet up with Titus a little bit quicker, that he would be able to find out even sooner where

how they're doing, and how they'd responded to the correction that he had given to them. Paul, his heart was heavy. It was not an easy thing. It was not an enjoyable thing for him to bring this correction into their life. Now, in dealing with correction and sharing with one another in this way, I would encourage you to spend some time on your own. In Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 through 20, Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 through 20, talking about correction and

understandings that we need to have in dealing with bringing up correction and correcting those around us, as well as Galatians chapter 6, verses 1 through 5. Galatians chapter 6, verses 1 through 5. Matthew chapter 18 talks about if your brother sins against you, and so if someone is sinning against you, here is what you need to do. Here is what God says, what His Word says you should do in that case.

As well as Galatians chapter 6 verse 1 talks about if someone is caught up within a sin, they're bound up within a sin. Someone who's been a believer, but then they get caught up and bound up in these things again. Then he says, you who are spiritual should restore them. And so Galatians chapter 6 verses 1 through 5 and Matthew 18 verses 15 through 20.

But the first principle that we see here in verse 8 is if you enjoy it, do not do it. Then in verse 9 we see the second principle. He goes on to say, "...for you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us in nothing."

Principle of correction number two is found in his phrase that your sorrow led to repentance. The second principle is about our motives. Having the right motive when

when sharing these things with those that you love. The motive, the goal should always be for restoration, restored fellowship with each other, as well as restored fellowship with God. Now, sometimes, you know, we're not the best human beings ever, right? Sometimes we enjoy making people feel bad. Sometimes we enjoy watching them kind of wince whenever we say those words and cut to their heart.

Because we're vicious and we're evil. But that should never be the motive of our sharing corrective words with one another. It should always be something we regret, something that's hard to do and not easy to do, not fun to do, but something that's done out of a pure motive of love because we want them to have a restored relationship with us as well as with God.

And it's not about hurting people, enjoying making them feel bad, but it's about leading them back to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Somehow, for some sick reason, it makes us feel better to make others feel bad. And it's not right.

We need to take joy in people's repentance, not in their sorrow. That's why Paul says, I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. Principle of correction number two, let it lead to repentance. Let it be for restoration. Our job is not to push people away, but to draw them close.

Not to reject them and cast them off, but to teach them and lead them to Jesus Christ. Their sorrows brought Paul regret, but their repentance brought him great joy. Verse 10.

For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation. Not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. And Paul explains to us here that there's a difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. And so he rejoices that their sorrow led to repentance because the sorrow that they experienced was not a worldly sorrow, but it was a godly sorrow. And you can tell the difference by what is produced.

Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow. And those are two hard phrases to say together. Try it later. Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance. Now, repentance is not just to feel bad or feel guilty.

But the word repent, it means to change direction, to change what you're doing. If I repent something from something, it's that I stop doing it and I go a different direction. I'm going east while I turn around and I start heading west. Or I'm going west and I turn around and I start heading east. A complete 180 degree, a complete change in my life, a complete change in my direction. Those who decide to change direction change.

Paul says, will not regret it. He says, godly sorrow produces repentance, the changing of direction, leading to salvation, not to be regretted. It's not regrettable. Man, I wish I would have never stopped that. I wish I would have continued on in my sin. No, it's never.

It's not to be regretted. It's something that's good, something that's always the best for us. To repent, to turn from our sin and to walk towards God. It's what we need. It's what's best for us. Repentance is not just feeling guilty or feeling bad about something. We do that. That's our natural tendency. But it's then to take action.

And to turn around and to walk away. To stop sinning in the same way, in the same direction. It's easy to tell worldly sorrow from godly sorrow. It's easy to tell worldly advice from godly advice. If it draws you close to God, then it's from God. But if it pushes you away from God, then it's not from God. Sorrow that says, well forget it, I'm just going to walk away, that's not from God.

But Saul that says, oh my God, and draws me close to him.

To receive the love and the forgiveness that he has to offer. That is from God. That's what he desires in our lives. Worldly sorrow produces death. Why? Well, because it doesn't draw you close to God. And in God is life. And so it pushes you away from God. It continues you in your sin. You don't change the direction. You continue on doing the same things, living the life of destruction. You might feel sorry. You might feel bad. You might feel guilty. But if you do not change direction, you continue down the road of destruction and it leads to death.

There's a lot of people that feel bad and guilty about

But we need the sorrow that causes us to repent and to actually change our direction, change our ways, to stop what we're doing. Godly sorrow. So Paul says, you had godly sorrow. It led to repentance. You stopped. You changed your ways. You turned around. You didn't continue on. You didn't just feel bad or sorry and cry and weep and wail and moan. But you turned around. You actually did something. You put a stop to it. That's godly sorrow. That's proof.

that God was working in your heart and you've been drawn closer to God as a result. Verse 11, he tells us, for observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner. He says, look, you can tell you sorrowed in a godly manner. How can you tell? Well, he says, observe this. Watch. Look at this. It's not just something that happens within, because that's what that word sorrow means, but it leads to action. It's

It's not just a crying and a weeping and a feeling guilty within, but it's an action that takes place. He goes on to say, Paul says, look,

You were aggressive in dealing with the problem and taking whatever steps necessary to correct it, to cut it out of your life. That's why Jesus said, hey, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. He says, this is how you were. This is the attitude that you had. You were zealous. You had this great desire to clear yourselves.

And to get rid of these things and to correct the situation so that you proved yourself clear in this matter. It was the sign, the evidence of repentance, the proof of true repentance, the result of godly sorrow. We need to have this type of sorrow in our lives because we sin, because we walk away from God, we wander. And so let us repent. Let us feel sorry, but put it to action and turn around and run to God.

Because that's why he died, and that's why he's still here with his open arms saying, Come, I know, I'll forgive you, I'll cleanse you. Just come. Godly repentance, godly sorrow. Verse 12, Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who had suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

Matthew Poole, a commentator, says this about this verse. He says,

for which I blamed you, but out of that general love and affection which I have to you all. Paul says, look, I wasn't partial to one side. I wasn't dealing with something. It wasn't because I was enraged as I heard something you said and in the heat of passion I wrote this letter. I wrote this letter just because I love you guys and I wanted you guys

to be in right relationship with God. I wanted to make that evident to you that I'm not about trying to redeem myself or defend myself, but I just love you guys and I want you to do what's right. I want to see God do great things in your life. Paul says, I did this. I corrected you to demonstrate my love for you and to share my love with you. And so as we love one another, there will be times where correction needs to take place.

Proverbs chapter 27 verse 5 says that open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. I can see my neighbor, my brother, my sister in the Lord and I can love them and see them involved in something but if I carefully conceal it then it does them no good.

It's better for me to rebuke them, to share with them the corrective things that they need to hear. Having a true love for people means that it will not always be easy. The goal of love is not always to make everyone happy all the time. But love does what's best for the person whether they think so or not. And that means sometimes dealing with hard issues, sharing with hard things, causing pain, causing sorrow, just like the Apostle Paul did with the church there in Corinth.

It's like when you're a kid and your dad has to pull the splinter out of your finger. And boy, does it hurt. And you would give anything. Dad, just leave it there. It's better just to leave it there. I'll deal with that. Rather than you causing me this pain by squeezing my finger and sticking the tweezers in there.

It was a painful thing. It was a hard thing. But my dad loved me. He knew what was best for me. Even though I didn't agree, even though I didn't necessarily want it at the time, he did what was best. By inflicting pain to pull out the problem, to deal with the problem, that I would be able to be healed and restored. It's the same thing in our lives. There's splinters. There's things in our teeth. There's problems that need to be taken care of sometimes. Sin that we get caught up in.

And if we love one another, we need to deal with it and share with one another those things. Verse 13, Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort, and we rejoice exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because the Spirit has been refreshed by you all. So Paul goes back to the same thing. So we've been comforted by you, because you've been, so you repented, and all this, man, it's just an awesome thing, he says, because you were obedient. Titus was refreshed by you. You brought him joy, right?

People who are obedient to God are refreshing to be around. Everybody loved to be around Jesus Christ because he was completely obedient to God. And so there's times in our lives where we need to ask ourselves, are people being refreshed around me? And if they're not, maybe I need to be sorry and I need to repent and I need to be obedient to what God is saying and what God has told me to do.

Verse 14, For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. Verse 15, And his affections are greater for you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. Paul says, I was telling Titus how great you are.

I was telling Titus about you guys and how much I love you guys and you haven't proved me wrong. You received it. You repented. You changed. Oh, it's great. I'm not ashamed. And his affections for you are even greater. He loves you too, just like I do as he remembers your obedience, as he remembers how you refreshed him and what you did, how with fear and trembling you received him.

So verse 16, therefore, I rejoice that I have confidence in you and everything. Again, Paul says, I rejoice. I rejoice. It brought him great joy. If you want to find comfort and joy in your tribulations, care for others. Have a concern for others. There's two things I want to look at very quickly. Two perspectives that we can walk away with and examine our own lives. First, the Corinthians perspective in this letter. They're

Maybe some of us here this morning who are like the Corinthians. And there's something that's going on within our hearts, within our lives, that needs to be taken care of. And to you, to me, the scripture would say, be sorry. Have sorrow. Be grieved. Be sorrowful.

But repent and change your ways. Let it motivate you to action, to draw close to God. Don't let it continue to push you away from God or keep you from God. Be sorry and repent. Do whatever you need to do. Take whatever action you need to take. Drastic measures if need be, but cut it out of your life so that you can live with God.

The second perspective is the Apostle Paul's. And that is to care for others and find comfort and joy in your own life. To care for others, to give your life for others. Because that's what the scripture says. That's how God designed us to be and made us to be. We see these two perspectives quite clearly here in 2 Corinthians 7. Now,

As we prepare for communion this morning, the guys are going to come forward and the worship team is going to come up. There's another perspective. There's another thing I would like you to meditate on and to think about. Turn with me to Galatians chapter 3. There's just one book there to the right. Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3, looking at verses 22 through 24. Galatians chapter 3.

It says this, Galatians 3.22,

The principles that we looked at and that Paul used here in 2 Corinthians 7 are the same principles that God uses with us.

He says in verse 22 that the scripture has confined all under sin. We're familiar with this. It's the law. The Bible says this. The Bible says that. This is what God's word has to say. Now, the purpose of the law, the Old Testament, the Genesis through Deuteronomy that God gave, was...

to confine us under sin, to make us sorrowful, to make us understand how bad we are and realize what we have done. We all know that feeling. We've all experienced a wounded conscience when we've broken God's law. We feel the sorrow, the guilt, the condemnation that comes with it. And so we're not too happy about the law. We don't get very excited about the law. We know it's right. It's

But it makes us feel horrible. It gives us great sorrow. But the law was not bad. The law was right. It was true. It was good. It was from God, created by God for us. Why?

Well, he gave it to us that we might feel this way. That we might have sorrow and guilt when we break his law. Not because he enjoys our sorrow, like the Apostle Paul said. Hey, I didn't write this to you so that I could rejoice in you being sorrowful. But I wrote this to you so that you would feel this way and repent. That you would have a godly sorrow.

That you would realize and understand, yes, you've broken God's law. You've walked away from God. You've spat in His face. You've nailed Him to the cross.

So repent and turn from your sin and walk with God. And that's why Galatians 3.24, Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith because the sorrow that we experienced there by the law taught us that we need a Savior. We cannot redeem ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. We're unrighteous. We're unholy. We're sorrowful, pitiful people. And that's the truth.

But it was our tutor to lead us to Christ. God didn't enjoy making us sorrowful. That's not why he created the law and wrote the law. That's not why he gave it to us. But he gave it to us because he enjoys us coming to Jesus Christ and having a relationship with him. That's his purpose. That's his desire. That's his goal in giving us the law and giving us the conscience. We know that feeling. We understand what it's like. We've broken God's laws before.

And so we need to be zealous and repent, as Jesus told the churches there in the book of Revelation. This morning as we take communion and partake of it together, I ask you to let the law bring you sorrow. Let your conscience burn within you. Let God speak to you about things in your life that need taking care of.

As a worship team leads us in worship, spend time with God. Let Him speak to your heart, but don't stay there. Repent, remember the cross, and run to Jesus Christ. He died, He paid the price so that you do not have to feel this way any longer. Repent and turn to Him.

by partaking of communion together, recognizing the body, the blood, what He did for you. And if you've never been born again, if you've never received this, you can partake as well, saying, yes, I want to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Yes, I want to be forgiven of my sins. I know the feeling of guilt and sorrow, and I want that to be washed away, wiped clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. Allow God to speak to your hearts now as we worship the Lord.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.