Godly Grief
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8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.
9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
Thank you for standing,
You may be seated.
Background
Background
I want to give you some background on the passage that we just read
There are two main views about the letter Paul mentions in verse 8
The modern view
and the Traditional view.
The Modern view is that there is a lost letter
One written after 1 Cor and before 2 Cor
In my humble opinion
This theory is an illogical argument from silence
and is unnecessary
as the letter of 1 Cor fits the description
of what Paul is referring to in 2 Cor
So, the other is the traditional view
which posits that Paul is talking just about 1st Cor
and the sin mentioned in chapter 5 of that letter
which is that a member of the church was in a relationship with His father’s wife.
It isn’t clear if this is his own biological mother
or if it is his stepmother
but the text says “His father’s wife”
Which seems to imply it is a step mother
However, it is no less evil
But Paul writes 1 Cor in part to correct that terrible sin
And he is very stern in that letter
Like a Father correcting his son
Paul tells them plainly that they need to stop what they are doing
and repent.
Of Course, when a father corrects a child
They often feel a bit of regret at first
for how stern they had to be
but if the child does repent and make the correction
then the father is brought comfort in knowing
that his sternness was not without warrant
And that is the setting of our current passage
Paul is addressing a church
that has made a big mistake
and he was worried that his sternness would cause them to rebel more
but he is overjoyed to find out through Titus
that they didn’t rebel
but instead, they repented
and turned back to God
And so, in this story, we get to see Paul’s teaching on repentance
In a way that we don’t get to really see elsewhere
Of course he mentions repentance in many places
BUT we could be left to our own interpretation of
what exactly repentance is
if not for this egregious sin that the Corinthian church committed
And so, we find that there is more to repentance that just being sorry
But in fact, real repentance requires something called Godly Grief.
Which is my title tonight…
Godly Grief.
Repentance
Repentance
When we pay close attention to the word of God
We find that repentance is the foundation of all salvation
I know there are many who preach that faith alone will save you
but even before faith
something in your heart and mind
has to hear the Gospel of Jesus
and cause you to change directions
and it is only in that change of direction can you truly have faith
If someone is running away from Jesus
they cannot be said to have faith in Jesus
and that initial step then must be to turn toward Jesus
And that turning is called repentance
The word is a military word
In the Roman Army, the word Repent
was a command given to the soldier
similar to the words “About Face” today
When a soldier is commanded to “About Face”
They are to turn around 180 degrees
and face the opposite direction they are currently facing.
When John the Baptist came onto the scene
He didn’t preach a message of Faith
He didn’t preach a message of Grace
He didn’t talk about tolerance or acceptance
He preached simply.. Repent and be baptized
When Jesus came on the scene
He started drawing crowds of people to hear him preach
including many of John’s own disciples
and Jesus did not preach anything new
In fact, he preached the exact same message
Repent, for the Kingdom is coming
Repent, or you shall all likewise perish
There are some today that do not preach repentance
They have a new Gospel
One that calls for tolerance of sin
and acceptance of all sinfulness
Keep going in the direction you are going
and just have faith — they say
But remember, you can’t have faith in Jesus
If you are walking away from him
And the Bible makes is clear
That it is God’s will that ALL come to repentance
All means ALL
Yes, the Bible talks about God’s Grace
but Paul tells us that Grace is in no way a substitute
for real repentance
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
When Jesus ascended to heaven
When Jesus ascended to heaven
Peter preached the 1st Gospel message
and when he was done
they asked Peter, what shall we do?
And Peter didn’t say, believe
He didn’t say, just have faith
He didn’t say, keep sinning because you’re fine
He didn’t say, repeat this prayer after me
No… Peter’s first word was “Repent”
Before you can have faith in Jesus, Repent
Before you can be baptized, Repent
Before GOD can put his Spirit in you, Repent
Before anything spiritual can happen in your life… REPENT
God will not, and cannot do anything for someone that is facing away from him.
I believe that before we leave this house tonight
that God wants to move in a mighty way
His Spirit is hovering over us now
waiting in anticipation
for a church to turn and face him
turn from the things that are distracting us
turn from the sin that binds us
turn from the world that keeps us captive
and turn to his face in repentance
If we do that… there’s no telling what will happen in this place.’
There is no miracle that can’t happen
There is no healing that won’t happen
You say, pastor, I repented years ago
That’s great, but do it again tonight
Because Paul said, I die daily
and there isn’t a day that goes by
that you don’t need to turn your focus toward Jesus
and away from this world
and the things of this world
If you ever think you are good enough that you don’t need to repent
Then you need to repent of either lying or pride
because only liars and prideful people think they don’t need to repent.
But those who have Godly Grief
Are sensitive to the need for real repentance
First Letter
First Letter
In Paul’s 1st letter, he was so stern with them
That it brought him to tears.
4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
This is like a father saying,
This is going to hurt me more that it hurts you
I don’t want to discipline you
but I know it is needed.
But I want you to know that I do love you.
God our Father has to do this to us sometimes
He has to discipline us
but he does it out of love
just like Paul did to the Corinthians
In that first letter he wrote.
Knowing that it would cause them grief.
but knowing that it needed to be done.
So, he says…
8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.
So, Paul says, I don’t regret writing the letter
Why?
Because, as we will see, that letter caused them godly grief
and that kind of grief always leads to repentance
which leads to salvation
And Paul didn’t regret the outcome of the letter
but he did regret having to write it
and he DID regret that it would grieve them
even if it was only for a little while
No father wants to have to disciple a child
but if the child responds to the correction
in a positive way
then we rejoice that the child is going to be just fine
It is kinda like having to get a shot at the doctor
The shot will sting at first,
but the medicine will slowly start to heal you
and the sting is worth the healing in the end.
So long as healing does come…
then the shot was worth it
Paul tells them in chapter 2…
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
The discipline of 1 Cor, was a test
A test of obedience
Sometimes when you disciple a child
they do not respond with obedience
they respond with rebellion
Paul says, I was testing to see if you would be obedient
When God brings us under conviction for something
It is a test to see if we will be obedient
and not rebellious.
If God starts dealing with you
about getting something out of your life
or giving up something you love
make sure you check your heart
and respond with obedience
and not rebellion
Back in chapter 7 we see that they Corinthian church
didn’t respond in rebellion
but they responded in repentance…
9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
So, Paul is full of joy after writing 1 Cor
even though it caused them to grieve
that grief led to repentance
and grief that leads to repentance is called Godly Grief
Which is proven in the next verse.
Grief doesn’t always lead to Godly Grief
When we are corrected
we have two directions we can go
Either Godly Grief which leads to repentance and obedience
or Wordly Grief, which leads to rebellion and death.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Godly grief always produces repentance.
In this context, “grief” refers to regret and emotional pain,
and “repentance” means a change of mind and behavior.
When believers become aware of their sins,
they often react with bitter sorrow.
But they do not repent unless they change their lifestyles.
Godly grief always leads to repentance.
This means that Godly grief is NOT repentance itsefl…
but it leads TO repentance.
It isn’t enough to just feel sorry,
or to be sorry,
but that sorrow MUST produce a change.
otherwise it is not godly.
Notice that it says repentance leads to salvation WITHOUT regret.
This is because regret and repentance are not the same thing.
Regret says I’m sorry that I did something.
I’m sorry that I failed
And even, I’m sorry that I got caught.
But Repentance says, from this day forward,
I’m not doing that again.
I’m changing my mind and my actions
I’m not just sorry for my past;
I’m making sure my future is different.
Judas had regret, not repentance.
Matt 27.3 says that he was “Stricken with remorse” in the KJV.
Meaning, he felt bad for what he did
he was remorseful
he regretted betraying Jesus
but regret or remorse does not lead to repentance
Judas didn’t truly repent
by letting that sorrow or grief become a Godly grief
which would have led to repentance and salvation
But, instead his remorse or regret was a form of worldly grief
Which, as Paul says, leads to death.
Which is exactly where Judas ended up,
both physically and spiritually.
He died.
Esau is another example
he wept bitterly when he realized what he had done
by selling his eternal birthright to his brother
for a temporary carnal satisfaction
He showed regret
he showed remorse
he showed grief
but it wasn’t godly grief
On the surface, worldly grief may look similar to godly grief,
but it brings death instead of life.
The outcome of grief indicates its true nature.
by your fruit you will be known
Even unbelievers may regret sins that they have committed,
but this grief does not bring about God-centered repentance,
because the focus is on the failure,
not on the one we have failed. (repeat)
When we fail at something, we often try again.
If we continue to fail, we will either continue to try again
or we will give up completely.
Since sin is something we can never conquer on our own,
we will always fail.
So, focusing on the failure always leads to death. Always.
The path to life, and salvation is Godly grief.
Instead of focusing on the failure,
we must focus on the one we have failed…
What did my sin do to my relationship with Jesus?
How did my sin affect my Savior?
Those questions lead to a Godly grief.
because the focus is on Jesus
not on me and my failure.
Because if you are concerned with your failure,
you will work through your own flesh to try not to fail again.
But if you are concerned with the ONE you have failed,
then your goal will be to never hurt Him again,
and that motivation will lead to godly grief
and true repentance.
You’re NOT just saying, I don’t want to mess up again.
You ARE saying, I don’t want to hurt the one who died on the cross for me.
Why does this work?
It seems like such a subtle difference
but the difference is actually huge.
Because being concerned with the one you are sinning against,
and the one you are hurting with your sin,
is born out of LOVE and compassion.
And LOVE is the most powerful force in this universe.
That’s why Jesus said, If you love me,
you’ll keep my commandments.
He knew that love was the only thing powerful enough
to overcome sin.
It was love that nailed him to the cross,
and it is love that will separate you from your sins.
through godly grief.
On the other hand,
worldly grief does not progress beyond remorse.
There are deep regrets over what has happened,
but there is no accompanying change of mind and heart,
nor any willingness to change behaviour,
nor any true faith in God.
The result is not salvation, but death
despite feeling grief.
11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
The fruit produced by godly grief is found in verse 11.
They didn’t just regret their failure
they were earnestly and eagerly trying to clear themselves
They had a righteous indignation
meaning, they hated the sin
You’ve got to get to a place where you hate sin
If it hurts Jesus, I hate it
Anything that hurts my wife or kids
I hate it because I love them
And our sin hurts Jesus
Do you not know that the nail scars in his hands
are because of our sins?
The scars in his feet are due to our faults and failures?
He would never have gotten those stripes in his back
if no one every sinned
There would never have been scars on his head
from that crown of thorns
if we never sinned
So, it is our sin that caused the cross
It is our sin that caused his blood to be shed
it is our sin that hurt him
bruised him
killed him
He died because of my sins
and I hate my sins for that
This is the indignation you need to have
a righteous hatred of the things that hurts our savior.
The Corinthians had this indigation
they also had a fear of God
and a longing for God
and zeal for righteousness
and punishment for the sin.
And Paul says, at every point you have proved yourselves innocent.
Even though they sinned
Even though they failed
they were innocent
Not because they had grief
but because they had godly grief
A grief that is born out of love for the one that loved us
A grief that is concerned with the hurt our sin causes Jesus
A grief that is not sorry for getting caught
but sorry for the pain my sin caused
Paul says that it is evident that their grief was godly,
because it produced hatred for sin
and an eager zeal to get things right in every way.
This verse is an excellent description of genuine repentance.
Now, let me clarify something
there is a difference in godly grief
and condemnation
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
God is not trying to make you feel condemned
or ashamed
or embarrased
or defeated
God is reaching out in love to us
like the father waiting eagerly for his son to return
and then running out to meet him in the street
The devil tries to get us stuck in condemnation
because it is there we often dwell on our regrets
and that is wordly grief
and that kind of grief doesn’t lead to repentance
it leads to death, like in the case of Judas.
Godly grief is like what Peter did.
he wept bitterely
but then he turned and went to Galilee to see Jesus
because he Loved him
and Jesus asked him 3 times, do you love me Peter
and Peter said, yes, Lord, you know I love you.
Godly Grief is like what David did.
When he wept bitterly
but turned his heart back to God
He said…
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
David was not focused on his failure
David was focused on the one he failed
Against YOU only have I sinned
That’s Godly Grief
It leads to a broken and and a contrite heart
and David said, God would not despise that kind of heart
a heart that is broken because of the ONE we have sinned against
Closing
Closing
God will not, and cannot do anything for someone that is facing away from him.
God wants to move in a mighty way tonight
His Spirit is hovering over this place
waiting in anticipation
for a church to turn and face him
in unity, and in one accord
to turn from the things that are distracting us
to turn from the sin that binds us
to turn from the world that keeps us captive
and turn to his face in repentance
If we do that… there’s no telling what will happen in this place.
I know that there is no miracle that can’t happen
if we enter into a godly grief
and true repentance
I know that there is no healing that won’t happen
healing in your mind
healing in your body
or healing in your spirit
What do you say?
…
