2 Corinthians 7:2-16
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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I’m thankful for these last three weeks Cameron has led us well in teaching the word of God. I have enjoyed his teaching and his leading us. The Wednesday night question and answer sessions on facebook live are excellent.
They are so full of hope as the questions have revolved around the second coming of Jesus and eternity.
It is evident Cameron takes great care in responding to questions and teaching the Word of God. He does not dodge the hard issues of scripture but does the research to take them head on.
We at Bridge of Faith are blessed to have Cameron leading and teaching at Bridge of Faith. Cameron and Jodi are coming up on 10 years of service for us here at Bridge of Faith. If you missed any of the sermons or Wednesday night Bible studies you can log onto the Bridge of Faith Facebook page and find them there. It is high quality Bible study and I would strongly encourage you to listen or re-listen to those studies.
I remember when we first started here at Bridge of Faith we did not have the ability to record the sermons. We made that possible and then you could get a sermon put on CD. Now today you can go back and watch every message on your phone. To whom much is givin, much is required. We have great access to quality teaching don’t take it for granted!
2 Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one.
3 I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.
4 I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions.
5 In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside.
6 But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8 For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while.
9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death.
11 For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.
12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God.
13 For this reason we have been comforted. In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.
14 For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth.
15 And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.
16 I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you.
Pray
In Chapter 6 last week, we learned that we are not to be yoked up with unbelievers or one with the world.
In chapter 6, Paul speaks of idol worship when he mentions Belial and idols in verse 15 and 16
15 What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Again Cameron did an excellent job sharing how we as believers should not be one with the world and for the Corinthians some of them have given themselves to idol worship.
2 Corinthians 7:2 Paul pleads with them to accept them into their hearts
2 Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one.
Some have placed doubt upon Paul and the Gospel ministry. We know this from the use throughout the letter of Paul speaking of letters of recommendation and his defense of the Gospel.
Here he says accept us or open wide your hearts to us!
We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, and defrauded no one.
Paul has obviously been accused of wronging others, corrupting others and defrauding others.
Some were saying that Paul took up a missionary offering so he could use the money himself.
Paul is willing to die for the Corinthians and here they are criticizing him.
He pleads with them accept us into your hearts. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one and defrauded no one.
3 I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.
Paul again reaffirms his love for the Corinthians. I don’t say this to condemn you.
You are in our hearts.
To die and live together.
English Standard Version Chapter 7
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.
The Christian perspective is here again present. As Paul says to die together and to live together.
2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 5. A Further Appeal for Reconciliation (7:2–4)
The idea is that those involved have a friendship that will be sustained throughout life and will keep them together even if death is involved (cf. Mark 14:31). In his affirmation of friendship Paul reverses the order, i.e. not to live and die, but to die and live together, and this reflects a fundamental Christian outlook.
It is by dying that we live; it is by suffering that we are prepared for glory.
Jesus said this
34 Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.
36 For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?
It is by dying that we live.
Paul continues to encourage them.
4 I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions.
Some have attacked Paul and tried to discredit the Gospel ministry through Paul and his response to them is.
I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in our afflictions
He speaks words of affirmation and encouragement to the Corinthians.
I am convinced that words of affirmation should always be present but i believe this is something that is desperately needed today.
Parents children need words of affirmation. When I grew up you “needed to be careful about words of affirmation because the person you was talking about might get a big head”
That’s not scriptural. Paul models for us these words of affirmation to those who have doubted him and the Gospel ministry. I have great confidence and pride. I am filled with encouragement. I am overcome with join our afflictions.
Let me challenge you this week to see how many words of affirmation you can use for others this week. Parents, how often can you speak words of affirmation to your children this week.
He has written them a difficult letter and he says I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions. We will dive more into this as we go along in this chapter this morning.
5 In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside.
Paul says when we came to Macedonia looking for Titus we had no rest. The words no rest here literally mean the whole person has been affected from the turmoil.
He describes this turmoil as fightings on the outside and fears on the inside.
This could be the result of the physical dangers he had faced or it could be that he faced opposition from unbelievers or even perhaps some of the believers he had faced.
The fears within could be the fears of persecution they might face.
This internal fear might also be that he is concerned with how the church at Corinth will react to the severe letter he had sent with Titus.
Either way we see and here the tension Paul is under. Fightings from the outside and fears from within.
6 But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
Fightings on the outside and fears within and Paul says but God...
The God who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus.
Not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he received from you.
He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow and your zeal for me so I rejoiced even more.
Paul had written them a difficult letter and when he hears of their response he is rejoicing.
8 For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while.
9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death.
Paul writes this painful letter to the Corinthians and he says I grieved you with my letter and I do not regret it even though he did regret it when I saw that the letter grieved you.
This is the ministry of repentance. Paul writes this letter and hears that it grieves them. Because they are grieved Paul regrets the letter.
I have had the honor of walking with some people through some difficult repentance conversations and I can tell you that it is not easy and often I regret every word I say when i speak truth in order to help people.
I rejoice not because you were grieved but because your grief led to repentance.
Godly grief produces repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation
Worldly grief produces death
Examples in scripture
David’s grief leads him to repentance, Peter denied Christ and his grief led to repentance.
75 and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Worldly grief brings death
We see this in Judas
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!”
5 So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting by Brene Brown
Worldly Grief = Shame
Godly Grief = Guilt
Shame: is belief that we are unworthy of love and belonging. We don’t deserve to be in connection.
Guilt: I have done something bad but I am still worthy of love.
Shame prone kids are more prone to attempt suicide, drop out of high school and engage in high risk sex, drug and alcohol behaviors.
Guilt prone kids are less likely to do these things.
Do we separate ourselves from our behavior or do we not?
As parents what is more powerful,
The things we say to our kids or the things our children see us do?
The things our children see us do.
So as a parent when we make a mistake we often say ah man I am a loser and I should not have done that.
Children see that and reflect that.
The opposite is to say I made a mistake but you know what Jesus still died on the cross for me and Jesus still loves and accepts me.
The enemy wants us to experience worldly grief that is shame. The enemy wants us to believe that we are not enough and we don’t measure up.
Often people interpret the message of repentance as shame. God I messed up and I am not enough for you to love me.
The message of repentance is to separate our actions from who we are in Christ and the wrong that we have done.
David and Peter repented of their actions. Judas on the other hand was filled with shame and took his life.
Godly Repentance
11 For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.
12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God.
13 For this reason we have been comforted. In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.
14 For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth.
15 And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.
16 I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you.
