Part 1:
Marks of Godly Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourself to be innocent in this matter.
In today’s scripture passage we have Paul making reference to his so-called “tearful letter.” That is a letter that was written to the Corinthians between 1 and 2 Corinthians. In that letter Paul was forced to be very stern in correcting the Corinthian Christians about their dealing with a sinful member. They were not doing anything about the persons sin. As a result they dealt with the sinner and the sinner was reclaimed to the fellowship.
In verse 8, Paul says, “At first I regretted sending the letter, having to be so stern. But in light of how it all turned out, how the sinner was brought back and all of you grew in response, I am no longer sorry about sending it. I do regret the temporary pain my words brought, but overall, I am thrilled with `the outcome.
Then he goes on to name 7 things he saw in the Corinthians, seven marks, seven proofs that they had truly repented.
Today I want us to look at these seven marks of true repentance.
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourself to be innocent in this matter. V. 11
1. Earnestness………. To do right
The Greek word used is it means earnestness or diligence. The main meaning of the word is HASTE… it implies seriousness about doing something, and being in a hurry to do it…. Being in a hurry to take care of important business…… ASAP
One mark of the truly repentant person is that they are very anxious to do right.
When they realize that they are guilty of wrong, they not only want to stop, and to be forgiven…. They want to do the right thing.
Many people say that repentance means to stop doing wrong. That is about one third right.
To repent is to 1. stop doing wrong
2. confess the wrong
3. START DOING RIGHT
It is not enough to stand still in your sin, to stay where you are. YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE!!!!!!
Paul saw that in the Corinthians. They not only realized that they were wrong… they not only confessed being wrong and asked for forgiveness…. They did right.
How about you? Do you have a burning compulsion, a haste, an earnest desire to do right when you have done right. Or are you content to stop doing wrong?
True repentance causes us to want to do right.
It is a sure sign of repentance because natural man does not care to do right… they want to do what is right for them.
2. CLEARING….. through apology
= apology, answer, clearing
Another mark of the truly repentant is their desire to be cleared of the charges,.
This leads them to make an APOLOGY.
A sincere apology is a beautiful thing. It diffuses the situation and brings reunion.
A false apology is just words and does not make the situation better. In fact, it makes the situation worse.
Paul could tell that the Corinthians had truly undergone a repentance … because they sent an apology, and wanted to be cleared of the wrongdoing.
How about you?
Have you a desire to be cleared, to have the black mark removed from your name, to see your name cleared.
NOTE: ONLY IF YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED YOUR SIN!
If you have not desired to be cleared…. One of two reasons
a. You have seen the thing but not realized it is sin
b. You would see it as sin but are unaware of the thing
How about you?
Have you Have you desired to be cleared
Have you not realized the thing
Have you not realized the thing is sin
That person can know the truth that King David discovered…. When we are cleared, we have great relief.
Psalm 32:1-6
1Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
3. INDIGNATION…… against sin
muchto grieve
originally the word indicated physical pain and suffering.
True repentance ALWAYS BRINGS PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes emotional…. Sometimes physical BUT ALWAYS PAIN
Read David in Psalm 38 O Lord, don’t punish me while you are angry! 2Your arrows have struck deep; your blows are crushing me. 3-4Because of your anger, my body is sick, my health is broken beneath my sins. They are like a flood, higher than my head; they are a burden too heavy to bear. 5-6My wounds are festering and full of pus. Because of my sins, I am bent and racked with pain. My days are filled with anguish. 7My loins burn with inflammation, and my whole body is diseased. 8I am exhausted and crushed; I groan in despair. 9Lord, you know how I long for my health once more. You hear my every sigh. 10My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 11My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.
Perhaps you are sitting there in that pew and thinking, “Boy, I have never had those feelings of pain because of my sin.”
THEN YOU HAVE NEVER REPENTED!!!!!!!!!
Probably you have never allowed yourself to meditate on the holiness and purity of God, on his goodness and his majesty.
ONLY IN REFERENCE OR IN COMPARISON TO HIS PURITY DO YOU KNOW YOUR SIN
4. FEAR….. of God
NO, THIS IS NOT A MIS-TRANSLATION OF THE WORD
The word is not respect or reverence, as some believe.
The word is fear….. s It means “that which causes flight; which causes people to run away in terror.”
It means dread or terror.
It is the same Greek word that is used in Luke where it says, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:8-9)
Do you think they felt respect or reverence? NO SIR, THEY FELT PURE UNADULTERATED FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES!!!
It is also the same Greek word that is used in Acts 19:17. I love this story.
8Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly each Sabbath day for three months, telling what he believed and why, and persuading many to believe in Jesus. 9But some rejected his message and publicly spoke against Christ ……. 11And God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles, 12so that even when his handkerchiefs or parts of his clothing were placed upon sick people, they were healed, and any demons within them came out.
13A team of itinerant Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out demons planned to experiment by using the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they decided on was this: “I adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, were doing this. 15But when they tried it on a man possessed by a demon, the demon replied, “I know Jesus and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16And he leaped on two of them and beat them up, so that they fled out of his house naked and badly injured.
17The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike; and a solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many of the believers began to confess openly and tell all the evil things they had done. 19 Some of them who had used magic brought their magic books and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about fifty thousand silver coins.
That was not respect or reverence!
Reverence might cause people to bow their head when others pray; perhaps to refrain from certain language at church.
BUT IT IS FEAR that caused the believers to come forward and confess all their evil deeds.
IT WAS REAL FEAR that caused the sorcerers to burn their black magic books and trinkets.
The bible says, “Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.”
The first sign that you are learning about God is FEAR… fear of his great wrath and punishment because you recognize your sin.
So, let’s recap…. Four of the seven marks of a truly repentant person… proofs that a person has truly repented.
1. EARNESTNESS ….. to do right.
Not just stop doing wrong but to start doing right
2. EAGERNESS to clear oneself through apology
Can’t wait to have the cleansing that comes from confession
3. INDIGNATION ….. against sin
Pain caused by recognition of sin
4. FEAR ….. of God
Not respect or reverence but FEAR… TERROR…. HORROR
Are you characterized by these things?
Do these things describe your life, your heart, your repentance?
If they do not…. Then it is not because your sin is not seriousness enough to elicit these kinds of responses.
It is because you have not TRULY seen your sin… for what it is
It is because you have not TRULY seen His Holiness
It is because you have not TRULY Repented
