Good Grief

Introduction

For 18 weeks this year, we have been studying the letter of 2 Corinthians. And ever since week 5, we have actually NOT been studying the main argument of the letter…we’ve actually been looking at an extended aside.

Ever since 2:12 - Paul has been defending his ministry. He’s defended the content of his ministry as he is a minister of the new covenant through Jesus Christ…and he defended the conduct of his ministry.

Paul showed how affliction and suffering prove the authenticity of his ministry and calling of God.

But finally here in chapter 7, Paul ends the defense of his ministry and he returns to theme of God bringing him comfort amid afflictions. Paul returns to the subject of God bringing him comfort in Macedonia. He returns to the subject of the severe letter he wrote to this church, and the impact that letter had on that church.

Paul leaves his defense behind - and he picks up his story of how he was looking for Titus in Troas and Macedonia. Remember back in 2:12 - Paul talked about a specified rendez-vous point that he and Titus had arranged…but he didn’t find Titus there...

And even though there was a great opportunity for evangelism in Troas - Paul left because he was stressed and fearful of what might have happened to Titus.

If you’ll recall from earlier in our study, Paul…after a painful and humiliating visit to Corinth, made his way to Ephesus, and while he was there, he wrote the Corinthians what he called a severe letter.

It was Paul’s way of being frank and open with a church he dearly loved…in order to bring about correction. Well, Titus was the mailman. He delivered that severe letter to the Corinthians.

Paul, as he described in 2:12, was to meet up with Titus in Troas in order to discuss what went down…but Titus never showed. 2 Corinthians 2:12-13

2 Corinthians 2:12–13 ESV

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

So an anxious Paul left Troas and went on to Macedonia. That’s where the story left off in 2:12, because after 2:12, Paul launched in to an extended defense of his ministry.

But what happened in Macedonia? Did Paul meet up with Titus? Did something happen to Titus? How did the Corinthians respond to Paul’s severe letter? Well, that part of the story is picked up again here in chapter 7. Hear the Word of God. We’ll read 2 Corinthians 7:2-16.

2 Corinthians 7:2–16 ESV

2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 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. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.

The way I read this passage it breaks down like this. Verses 2-3 is Paul’s final appeal for complete and total reconciliation in their relationship.

I see v.4 - specifically the last half of v.4 as the main argument of this whole section…and what the rest of the chapter spells out Paul’s reasoning behind his purpose statement in v.4

Paul writes in v.4 - I am filled with comfort. In all our afflictions, I am overflowing with joy. And the 3 paragraphs that this chapter is broken into describe the 3 sources of Paul’s comfort and joy...

though we’ll see that those 3 sources actually have the same singular source.

Titus’s Coming - Paul makes his main statement at the end of v.4 - I am overflowing with joy. But then, in v.5 Paul seems to contradict himself. He goes back to his time in Macedonia - a time of great conflict and distress in Paul’s life.

I am overflowing with joy - but our bodies had no rest - afflicted at every turn…fighting without, fear within. When he spoke earlier in the letter about his experience in Troas and Macedonia, Paul wrote that his spirit had no rest…here it is his body that had no rest.

It’s a reminder that even though Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus, called by the will of God, even though he was a minister of the new covenant…Paul didn’t live his entire life on cloud 9, unaffected by human emotion. Paul didn’t live a cushy and carefree existence.

It’s also a reminder that ministry life is difficult. Paul was not above having fightings without and fear within. Even great pastors and missionaries faced the same physical, emotional and spiritual stress that Paul describes here. There are times when both body and spirit are restless.

So how can Paul’s statement in v.4 be true? How can he be overflowing with joy - yet fearful and stressed out?

In vv.6-9, Paul goes on to describe a situation where God lifted him up out of his despair and brought him comfort and joy. Paul writes in v.6 - But God…isn’t that great?! Paul is fighting without, fearful within…he’s stressed and pressed and persecuted and knockdown..but God…God, who comforts the downcast, intervened in Paul’s life at just the right moment.

Earlier in the letter Paul called God the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our afflictions. God comforted a downcast Paul by reuniting him with Titus.

Paul waited to Titus in Troas…Titus didn’t show. Paul went to Macedonia…which was a wholly unpleasant experience for Paul. Just imagine how Paul felt.

He sent Titus to Corinth with the severe letter…and now Paul is longing to be reunited with him, but can’t seem to find him anywhere.

But God…in his own perfect timing, brought Titus at just the right time. And not only was Paul finally reunited with Titus, but Titus brought with him some good news.

With Titus’ coming also came the result of Paul’s painful and severe letter that he wrote to the Corinthians.

And Paul was relieved and comforted when he found out that it was successful in bringing the Corinthians to repentance. It was successful in showing them the error of their ways.

Throughout this whole passage, you can see Paul’s pastoral heart. It pained to write his previous painful letter, but he knew it was for the spiritual good of his beloved children in Corinth.

And now that he has received a report from Titus, Paul rejoices in the outcome. And in v.9, we see the reasoning behind Paul’s comfort and joy.

He writes that he is overflowing with joy - not because the Corinthians were grieved by Paul’s severe letter. “Good, they got what was coming to them..”

No, Paul was comforted and overjoyed because the Corinthians did something with their grief. They didn’t wallow in self-pity, “Who is us, Paul wrote us a mean letter.”

The grief they felt because of Paul’s letter was actually good grief, Paul calls it godly grief. Which brings us to the next reason that Paul was overflowing with joy.

Repentance - The Corinthians experienced good and godly grief after receiving Paul’s severe letter. And Paul writes that their grief was good because it moved them to repent.

And here in this middle section of chapter 7, vv.10-13, Paul highlights the difference between good and godly grief and bad and worldly grief.

let’s look at worldly grief first. Paul writes that worldly grief produces death. Worldly grief doesn’t lead to repentance - worldly grief cause us to be navel-gazers. And as we studied in our last week together in March, we can’t be navel gazers. Staring at our belly buttons - heads down, wallowing in self-pity.

But that’s not what happened in Corinth. When Titus came bearing the severe letter from Paul, when the Corinthians read that severe letter from their pastor and spiritual father...

They were indeed grieved by what was written, but their grief led them to repent of their wrongdoings. And that’s the key different between godly grief and worldly grief.

Good grief leads to repentance…now, what is repentance? Repentance is one of those words that is largely misunderstood. It conjures up images of red-faced preachers pounding on their pulpits yelling, “Repent.” But obviously that’s not really an accurate picture of what repentance is and what it entails.

We actually spent a whole summer a few years ago looking at the subject of repentance. We looked at Joel 2:12-14 - and yes, we spend a whole summer on 3 verses - to define the 5 steps of biblical repentance.

Joel 2:12–14 ESV

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

I’m going to repeat the definition for repentance I used back in that series. Repentance is a recognition of sin, a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of sin, a commitment to forsake sin and to walk in obedience to God. No pulpit pounding or yelling in sight.

As you can see - there’s no room for self pity in that definition. And as you can see, repentance isn’t simply being sorry cause we got caught in sin.

Repentance starts with a recognition of sin. And when Paul sent the Corinthians a severe letter, that letter served to help them see their sin.

But simply seeing sin isn’t repentance, seeing it must lead to grieving it…And according to Titus’ report, the Corinthians did in fact grieve and feel sorrow for their sinful ways.

And not only did the Corinthians see their sin and feel sorrow over it, but it looks as if they also renounced it. Earlier in the letter, in chapter 2 we learned that the Corinthian church punished the wrongdoer.

And the church as a whole was now wanting to move away from the mistakes of the past - they renounced their sin and were forging a new path of obedience.

Though we don’t know what was contained in Paul’s severe letter, we do know that God used that letter to affect change in the Corinthian church. That letter helped them see their sin, the Holy Spirit convicted them of their sin and they felt deep grief and sorrow for their sin.

The church took concrete steps to renounce their sin, to forsake it and walk in obedience. Paul lists 7 ways that the Corinthians proved the depth of their repentance.

Paul writes - What earnestness, what eagerness, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment.

And all of this - their godly grief, their repentance, the 7 signs of their repentance, caused Paul to be filled…overflowing with joy.

Paul, who earlier admitted that he had no rest - his body had no rest, and in chapter 2 he wrote that his spirit was troubled...

Paul now writes that their good news delivered by Titus brought him comfort…his body and spirit were brought rest.

Titus’ Joy - Remember, we’re focusing on the sources of Paul’s overflowing joy. But Paul never missed an opportunity to gives theological instruction - hence the digression into repentance. But in the second half of v.13, Paul continues to write about his source of joy.

He was overjoyed at finally meeting up with Titus in Macedonia. He was relieved and comforted when he heard Titus’ good report. Paul was filled with more joy when he heard of the concrete action the Corinthians were taking in their repentance.

But Paul lists one more source of joy in this chapter. One more source of comfort. Paul found joy in the joy that Titus had because of his interaction with the Corinthians.

Remember, Titus was the mailman of the severe letter. Just imaging the weight he must have felt carrying and delivering that letter. Perhaps he was filled with anxiety and apprehension about returning to Corinth…they did, after all just humiliate Paul and run him out of town.

But Titus was refreshed by his time in Corinth. Their relationship grew - and even though Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was rocky, he still spoke highly of them to Titus.

And when Titus when to Corinth - he was refreshed in their company - and their affection for each other grew.

Application - So Paul lists 3 sources to back up his claim that he was overflowing with joy. How?

Even though he was in the pit of affliction - he was brought joy by meeting up with Titus and Titus’ good report. He was brought joy through the Corinthians repentance and thee refreshing relationship between Titus and the Corinthians.

But what I find interesting about Paul’s sources of joy and comfort is that none of them directly relate to Paul. His comfort doesn’t come from within himself, but is brought to him.

And what I also see in Paul’s sources of comfort is that all 3 have one common sources…God.

It was God who brought Titus and Paul together at just the right time in Macedonia. It was God who caused the Corinthians to respond favourably to Paul’s severe letter. It was God who caused the Corinthians to see, grieve, renounce and forsake their sin and walk in a newness of obedience.

it was God who strengthened the bond between the Corinthians and Titus.

And all of this reminds us of how God brings comfort and joy in our lives. Sometimes - we can feel God moving directly in us our lives. Our joy and comfort comes from within ourselves. As God’s Spirit moves and works in us.

But sometimes, God brings other people into our lives to mediate that joy and comfort. Paul was comforted by Titus and by the Corinthians’ repentance. God brought sources into Paul’s life at just the right time in order to bring him comfort and joy.

And as we close today, I want you to ponder 2 questions. After we’re done here, take some time to think about and answer these questions, write the answer down if you want to.

Question 1 - Who has God brought into your life as a source of joy and comfort? And secondly, How can God use you as a source of joy and comfort to other people?

Who can you reach out to and encourage?

Ponder those two questions, as you look at HOW God has moved and worked in your life, and as you look at how God can use you.