The Sorry Game

Sermon: The Sorry Game

Scripture Ref: II Corinthians 7:5-11

‘For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side, without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless, God, that comforts those that are cast down comforted us by the coming of Titus, & not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me, so that I rejoiced the more. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent; for I perceive that the same epistle has made you sorry, though it were but for a season, Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance, for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world works death. For behold this selfsame thing, that you sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’

Introduction:

Have you ever played the BOARD GAME SORRY? You move your TOKENS around the BOARD & if you happen to land on the SAME SPOT of ANOTHER PLAYER then you say the word SORRY & you send them BACK to the very BEGINNING POINT. How many know the JOY of that game? SORRY!

I enjoy playing GAMES especially when I’m WINNING the GAME. It is no FUN to be the one who is KNOCKED BACK to the BEGINNING POINT of the GAME. However I LOVED to be the one who KNOCKED somebody else back.

When someone PRONOUNCED the word SORRY & then sent you BACKWARDS their SORRY was NOT SINCERE, it was very HYPOCRITICAL. The WORDS were SAID but they were NOT MEANT SINCERELY from the HEART.

This morning I want us to LOOK at the SORRY GAME that is OFTEN PLAYED when it comes to GOD & our RELATIONSHIP with HIM. The WORD SORRY is SAID but there is NO REAL GENUINE REPENTANCE & NO REAL CHANGE in their LIFE & the WAY they LIVE.. SORRY but there is NO REAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH. They SOON SLIP BACK into their SAME OLD INSINCERE LIFESTYLE.

Many PEOPLE PLAY that SORRY GAME with GOD. They SIN & then say the WORD -- SORRY but they NEVER COME OUT of SIN. They NEVER get VICTORY & they NEVER COME OUT of SIN. That’s the SORRY GAME:

As we LOOK at this PASSAGE from II Corinthians chapter 7 it is a VERY STRONG WORD from the APOSTLE PAUL.

Let me EXPLAIN to us BRIEFLY the CONTEXT of PAUL’S writing of this SECTION of his LETTER to the CHURCH in CORINTH.

PAUL wrote TWO LETTERS to this LOCAL CHURCH in CORINTH that is RECORDED for us in the BIBLE. There is 1 CORINTHIANS & there is 2 CORINTHIANS.

PAUL had PLANTED this CHURCH in CORINTH & he PASTORED there for a NUMBER of YEARS. He had great TROUBLE & TRIALS there but he PLANTED a CHURCH there.

CHURCH HISTORY tells us that PAUL WROTE at least FOUR LETTERS to this LOCAL CHURCH during his LIFE’S MINISTRY.

The 1st LETTER we don’t have. It was just referred to as the PREVIOUS LETTER.

The 2nd LETTER is what we call 1 CORINTHIANS.

The 3RD LETTER is referred to as the SEVERE LETTER.

The 4TH LETTER is what we call 2 CORINTHIANS.

PAUL had to WRITE 3 STRONG LETTERS to the CORINTHIANS to REBUKE them because of their SINFUL LIVING & LIFESTYLES. ONLY this 4TH LETTER, 2 CORINTHIANS does PAUL WRITE & COMMENDS them for their FAITHFULNESS & their OBEDIENCE to GOD.

There were 3 LETTERS filled with a STRONG REBUKE.

GET RID of the SIN that is among you. STRAIGHTEN UP & LIVE by the STANDARD of the WORD of GOD. REPENT & LIVE RIGHT.

3 STRONG LETTERS of REBUKE:

& THEN we come to 2CORINTHIANS from where we read our TEXT this morning.

In this PASSAGE in CHAPTER 7 PAUL is COMMENDING THEM for FINALLY OBEYING the LORD & for DOING WHAT they NEEDED TO DO with their HEARTS & their LIVES.

Here PAUL DEFINES the DIFFERENCE for us between GODLY SORROW & WORLDLY SORROW. He OUTLINES for us TWO DIFFERENCES of being SORRY for OUR SINS.

WORLDLY SORROW & GODLY SORROW:

This morning let us EXAMINE those TWO KINDS of RESPONSES to SIN & those TWO KINDS of APOLOGIES before the LORD. The SORRY GAME:

What the SORRY GAME is all about: WORLDY SORROW