 2 Corinthians chapter 7 we'll begin reading together at verse 1 I'll read to verse 10 we'll get into our study 2 Corinthians chapter 7 beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 10 the apostle Paul writes therefore having these promises beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God open your heart to us we have wronged no one we have corrupted no one we have cheated no one I do not say this to condemn for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together to live together great is my boldness of speech toward you great is my boasting on your behalf I am filled with comfort I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation for indeed when we came to Macedonia our bodies had no rest but we were troubled on every side outside were conflicts inside were fears never the less God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus and not only by his coming but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us of your earnest desire your mourning your zeal for me so that I rejoiced even more for even if I made you sorry with my letter I do not regret it though I did regret it for I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry though only for a while now I rejoice not that you were made sorry but that your sorrow led to repentance for you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us and nothing for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted but the sorrow of the world produces death now as we look at chapter 7 let's review a few of the things that led up to what Paul is about to say remember that in verse 16 of chapter 6 Paul had just commanded the church not to enter into what we would refer to today as compromising agreements and he was saying do not enter into these agreements these compromising agreements because you belong exclusively to God he had said in verse 16 that we are the temple of the living God in other words God's true dwelling place is within us God's true dwelling place is not temples made by human hands now Paul made that very clear when he was preaching in the great city of Athens it's recorded in Acts chapter 17 and in Acts chapter 17 Paul was speaking to what we refer to now as Athenian intellectuals and when you look at Acts 17 Luke who was used by the Lord to write the book of Acts Luke said that the Athenians had been given completely over to idolatry and so the apostle Paul was in the city of Athens he was awaiting some traveling companions and as he waited his heart was completely stirred within him Luke tells us because of the place being filled with idolatry and it caused him to want to proclaim the gospel and he began to preach and he began to speak concerning Jesus Christ and the resurrection now when these Athenian intellectuals began to hear him speak they were confused at what he was saying because when they heard him speak of Jesus they also heard him speak of resurrection now when they heard the name Jesus they associated that with some man but when they heard the word resurrection in the Greek Anastasia they began to think that he was speaking of gods and that Anastasia resurrection was a goddess of some sort and so they were confused and so they said let's hear what this babbler has to say and they took him to a place called Mars Hill and they wanted him to explain more fully the things that he was preaching and all and so as Paul was beginning to speak to them it's found in Acts chapter 17 verse 24 Paul said the God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands so so Paul from the beginning made it clear when he's preaching to Gentiles God does not live in temples made by human hands what God has chosen to do is make if you will his own temple so the temple of of God is is us our bodies the church is God's living temple and as his living temple we have been set apart for his habitation when Paul was writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 16 he said do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you to the Ephesians in chapter 2 verses 20 and 21 he said we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord and that's what makes us different than people who practice world religions people who practice world religions are not the temple of the Spirit of God God is not dwelling in the Buddhist because that Buddhist is so religious he's not dwelling in that Muslim because that Muslim is so religious he's not dwelling in in anybody other than the believer who has received Christ as Lord and Savior and to many that is such a backwards thing to say because people like to say that that all religions are equal and that people are all people are good when in fact all people are not good all people are evil and that's why God sent his son Jesus Christ to dine across for us see we were not born naturally good we we are not good there's none good no not one the scripture says what happens is the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin righteousness and judgment when we hear the gospel we are awakened to the reality of our lost condition and at that point an invitation by God himself through the word of God comes to us where he says open your heart and receive me and so when you gave your heart to Christ when you said to Jesus Christ be merciful to me I'm the sinner God forgive me God come into my life when you did that you became the Bible says the temple of the spirit of God and the spirit of God dwells in you you were not a Christian before that you were not a Christian because you went through certain church rituals you did not become a Christian or follower of God because you tried hard you became a Christian when you were convicted by God's Holy Spirit conviction of the spirit that awakened you to the fact that you were in need and being in need you said God help me and that's basically what Paul is speaking about because he's saying don't you understand you are the temple of the spirit of God and that God's spirit dwells in you and that by the way again is what makes us different than religions of the world God takes up residence in us by his spirit when we're born again in John in chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 Jesus said I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not neither knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and shall be in you so when you gave your heart to Christ you became the temple of the spirit of God and as his temple we are set apart for him and Paul is making that clear because if we've been set apart for God we do not make alliances that compromise our relationship with him that's because we've been ransomed and because we've been bought at a price we don't participate any longer in what has been called the uncleanness of the world verses 17 and 18 of chapter 6 made it very clear that we're to live what are called separated lives and he gave two basic aspects when you read verse 17 it says come out from among them and be separate sayeth the Lord do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you I'll be a father to you you shall be my sons and daughters sayeth the Lord Almighty so there are two basic aspects here that he reveals to us in verse 17 one you come out and you're separate and two God receives you but first you come out you're separated separation speaks of being separated from the things of this world this world the word world is used very often in scripture to speak of the satanically energized death system a system in complete opposition to God hostile to him and it is it is under the sway of the enemy it's the world system and so we're to come out from that system in Ephesians 5 verses 5 through 8 Paul says it like this he says of this you can be sure no immoral impure or greedy person such a man as an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God and then he goes on to say let no one deceive you with empty words for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient therefore do not be partners with them for you were once darkness but now you are a light in the Lord live as children of light so be separate come out from amongst them and be separate say at the Lord and so you come out and then you separate or you're separate unto him separation in other words from the world is to lead to fellowship with God in Psalm 4 verse 3 the psalmist said know that the Lord has set apart for himself he who is godly and so you come out of and you come to you come out of the world and you come to the Lord and that's what Paul is speaking about and that's what we were looking at last time we're together as we went through chapter 6 and that's what is leading us now as we're about to enter into our study in chapter 7 verse 1 because he says in verse 1 therefore having these promises beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God and so when he says having these promises well these are the promises that he had just mentioned in verses 16 through 18 where God had promised to dwell in us to walk amongst us to be our God that we would be his people that he would receive us that he would be a father to us these are the promises that he's speaking about therefore having these promises do you want to have those promises yes well therefore having these promises let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh because of these promises we avoid defiling any aspect of our lives with sin now that should produce a holiness in our life and when you're walking according to the things of the Lord by the Spirit of God it actually reveals that that God is your father and that you're saved there's this sense of I want to live a pure life it's like what first John 3 verse 3 says everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as Christ is pure so this is what motivates us to live a life that is pure we conscientiously avoid defiling any aspect of our lives and he says come on out he says and you have these promises and therefore cleanse yourself cleanse yourself from notice verse 1 chapter 7 from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God cleanse yourself from these things from the flesh notice and the spirit he's speaking of flesh and spirit purity and when he speaks of that he's speaking about something internal and something external you see holiness is separation to God we dedicate ourselves to God and we do so as an act of faith and there's a practical aspect of holiness that requires a decision of the will just because I got saved in other words doesn't make me automatically walk in holiness I have to actually become a disciplined person I have to separate myself from certain things that's what Paul is commanding us right now to do and separate myself to something I separate myself from the the impurities of the flesh and spirit the internal and external things that are driving me and are finding expression in the behaviors and and I'm drawing closer to the Lord and as I draw closer to the Lord I'm walking more like him and I'm becoming more holy or separated like it says in 1 Peter 1 15 and 16 just as he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do for it is written be holy because I am holy and so I make a decision we make a decision guys I'm going to separate myself from the flesh I'm going to separate myself from the things that are impure and I'm going to follow the Lord Romans 6 verses 12 and 13 makes makes this statement do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness and that's what you do you're separating yourself from the world you're walking with purity you're cleansing yourself from filthiness of the flesh and spirit and you're walking in holiness you're maturing in a holy life in the fear or reverence of God so we progress towards spiritual maturity we make determinations to do so and we we want to live lives that are are pure both externally in the things that we do and internally the things that we that we are and so that's revealed by by speaking of the flesh and the spirit the external and internal how does this happen how can I have a holy life how can I walk close to the Lord and be separated in that way well it comes by faith and it comes through obedience to the word of God it's faith and obedience because faith and obedience work together faith in the Lord faith in its word and obedience to those things that he teaches me and I I leave the basic things so that I might walk deeper with him and mature in my understanding and I do that in what is called the fear of God the fear of God is what provides proper motivation and so as you're speaking concerning these things you have promises you're to be separate you're to not touch the things that are unclean but as you come out from amongst those things God receives you blesses you cause you as children these are promises he gives to us we want those promises so cleanse ourselves we cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and spirit and we walk in the fear of the Lord with the with a life that is demonstrably holy so as he's saying this he goes on into verse two and he says this open your hearts to us we have wrong no one we have corrupted no one we have cheated no one for those of you who've been with us and are taking notes you'll remember I mentioned to you that Paul throughout 2nd Corinthians answers a variety of charges that have been leveled against him by false teachers this is the 14th charge that he is going to answer the 14th charge and what they're saying is that he has wronged he has corrupted and he has defrauded the Corinthians that's the charge wronged corrupted and defrauded them so he's answering this charge now I want you to notice how he does this notice verse 2 again please it says open your hearts to us where did we see that recently well we saw that in verse 11 of chapter 6 when he had said we've spoken openly to you our heart is wide open so we saw it there when he was speaking concerning his heart being open and then in verse 13 he had said in return for the same I speak to you as children you also be open and so it's already spoken concerning the fact that he has opened his heart he's already asked them to open their hearts and he continues that in verse 2 in chapter 7 when he says open your hearts to us he's saying this is something I desire from you in other words you can trust me I'm asking you to open up your heart because you can trust me in contrast to the false apostles who are untrustworthy you can trust me I have not wronged you I have not corrupted you I have not defrauded you when he says this is how I've treated you and that's what he's doing he's reminding them of how he has treated them in contrast to the accusations that are being lodged against him notice how he says we have not wronged that word wronged means to injure it can speak of financially taking advantage of someone we have not wronged you we haven't injured you we haven't taken advantage of you he says we haven't corrupted you we haven't ruined you we haven't defiled you the word corruption carries with it a sensual impurity we have corrupted we haven't taken sexual advantage of anyone we haven't ruined or defiled anyone and then he says we have defrauded no one we we have not taken unfair advantage for personal enrichment we haven't taken advantage in that way at all but these are the things that are being set up him by the false teachers they're saying that that that Paul has taken advantage of them and has hurt them and now as he says this this shows you something I want you to see it with me in verse 13 notice how he says I do not say this to condemn for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together I don't say this because I'm because I think you're guilty of practicing sin I'm not saying that you're guilty of believing and listening to their gossip I don't want to be misunderstood as if I'm condemning you because in fact I'm not whenever a minister preaches the word there are passages in scripture that are taught that can be very difficult because you know that when you go out and teach you know that somebody's going to take it personally in a way that is not spiritually personal but actually think that you're talking specifically to them and they get offended they get hurt they can take it personally in this ministry that's happened more than once they take it personally he's talking about me and sometimes people get really kind of different about they're kind of a little odd I remember a lady who walked up to me after a church service one Sunday and how she had approached me after the service and had said to me that message really spoke to my son that was a message that really applied to my son so next time could you not say the things that you said because he thinks that I told him everything that you just said and he's mad at me and I said you know it's the Holy Spirit who leads us in our teaching and illustrations and cross-references I said so how would I know what anybody is doing in the church anyway how would I know that and you know but some people take things personally they think that you are specifically condemning them they think you're saying something to them you guys have discovered that you've experienced that there are times you've had conversations with somebody and they you know they think you're telling them directly something when in fact you're not you're just talking to them I had to learn that about myself I had to learn that sometimes people think I'm speaking to them specifically when in fact I'm just generalizing just having a conversation not even thinking that way at all happens all the time when I teach happens all the time when I teach and Paul is saying listen I'm not telling you these things to condemn you I'm not telling you that I don't want you to think that I think you're guilty of these things in particular not all of you there are some amongst you who are but I'm not saying these things to be harmful to you or to hurt you I'm I'm not saying that I believe all of you are guilty of believing the things that have been said about me I'm not saying that and I'm concerned for you and and that's why he says in verse 3 I don't say this to condemn what he's actually saying here in a in a simpler form if you will is what he's basically saying here is is I don't want to sound like I'm condemning you because in fact I love you in fact I care about you in fact I'm telling you the truth because I love you and I'm and I'm forever committed to you I'm committed to you for the rest of my life notice how he puts that he says I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together I'm not going anywhere and I'm not asking you to I want to be with you I love you and I want to go to the end of this journey with you I'm forever committed to you now the false teachers who have come in well they are guilty of all of those things they are wrong in you they are corrupting you and they are defrauding you but I'm not doing that a false teacher comes in they'll take advantage of you they'll go someplace else and take advantage of those people and Paul's saying I'm not doing that I'm here with you I'm here to die together to live together I'm here to enjoy life to the very end with you when I was a young pastor I was 28 29 years old at the time right in that area about 29 I was an assisting pastor in another Calvary Chapel and the senior pastor and I at that time were speaking to a secretary who worked at the church we had rented a church building and she was a secretary who worked in the church building and on a Sunday she had come to open the the doors of the church for us and um and when this young pastor and I walked in she began to speak to us and again she was she was older than us and I again it was about 29 and so as she was speaking to us she said something I'll never forget she said you guys are young and um and we were and she said this church that you're ministering in right now is that your stepping stone church and and I asked her I said what do you mean that by that what do you mean she says you know what I mean she came from a denominational background so she said you know what I mean you know how you start out in a small church and then you move to a medium-sized church and hopefully you can advance to a bigger church is this your opening opportunity is this your your first church that you're you are pastoring so that you can move to something greater later on I'll never forget that conversation with this woman and I said to her I'm a Calvary Chapel pastor I said Calvary Chapel pastors don't have this attitude most of us don't don't have an attitude to just come to start something leave it and go somewhere else I said we start the church and we stay with it and that's a fact and those of you in this church you know you probably you're aware of that too because I've been here 38 39 years 39 years now and though you may want me to go I'm not I'm not going I'm here to live with you and die with you and I'm gonna outlive you so stop praying that I die no we're we're here to live with you and to die that's the way it is and that's that's talking about commitment we don't look at people as stepping stones as something greater we look at them as God's children that God has graced us with the ability to minister to and to love and that's what Paul was simply saying to them I don't want to condemn you I've said before you're in our hearts to die together to live together and this is in contrast to the false teachers who come and take advantage of you you see the false teachers have accused Paul of being unloving it's a charge that he's several times in 2 Corinthians actually deals with as I mentioned to you recently he'll say it again in a moment when he deals with this kind of thing in 2 Corinthians 11 verse 11 he had spoken to them and he had said why because I don't love you and they didn't went on to say God knows because again they were saying that he didn't love them he's saying oh God knows how deeply I love you I'm here to be with you because that's what pastors are and he's saying I'm devoted to you I don't want to condemn you I don't want to make you sad he says you're the ones who make me joyful why would I want to break the hearts of those that I get so much joy from but when he was writing to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8 he said being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel of God only but also our own souls because you were dear to us you know a pastor for those of you who may sense a call to pastoral ministry a pastor does not take advantage of the sheep a pastor loves the sheep a pastor cares for the sheep and a true pastor lays down his life for the sheep that's what he does he lives with them and and and he goes to the very end with them that's the way true ministry really is a true pastor doesn't take advantage of them financially doesn't take advantage of them to become a great person on their back so he can boast about the amount of people that come to listen to him speak he doesn't take advantage of them physically these are the things that they're saying about paul but paul didn't do those things he didn't wrong anybody he didn't take advantage of anybody he said i'm here to live with you and i'm here to die with you because he truly was a minister of the kingdom and so that's the point he's making in verse 4 he says great is my boldness of speech toward you great is my boasting on your behalf i'm filled with comfort i'm exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation you see i've just spoken frankly i've spoken openly because i'm confident in you now why am i so bold well i'm sure that god is at work in you and uh that you can receive what i've been saying for indeed verse five when we came to massadonia our bodies had no rest we were troubled on every side outside were conflicts inside were fears nevertheless god who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of titus and not only by his coming but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us of your earnest desire your mourning your zeal for me so that i rejoiced even more now at this point if you're taking notes and i'm not going to belabor this just let you know if you take notes at this point paul is resuming where he left off in an earlier chapter when we were in chapter two i had mentioned to you in verses 12 and 13 that we were going to have like a parenthetic portion of of his letter while he's now returning to what he had been saying in chapter two verses 12 and 13 and so he's now telling them that he had expected to meet up with titus while he was in northwest turkey in a place called troas but his hopes were frustrated when he got to that area because titus had yet to arrive now titus had not come and that caused him great unrest so he speaks of outer conflicts and inner concerns and these are things that began to weigh him down there were things going on on the outside and concerns and pressures on the inside because paul as a minister was filled with antagonistic opposition as well as having to deal with inner pressures and so titus finally arrives he says and he brought good news and what is he saying verse six he says the Corinthians are strong and so titus comes with good news there are guys that i've known over the years who seem to like to arrive with bad news well thank god for the guys like titus who come with good news as it says in proverbs 25 25 as cold water to a weary soul so is good news from a far country and that's what's happening he came with good news and he says this is what they're feeling about you paul he says they have a zeal for you they have remained faithful to god and loyal to you that's what he's saying in verse seven it says not only by his coming but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us of your earnest desire your mourning your zeal for me so that i rejoice even more paul was concerned that that the enemies of of him and his and the message had had undermined his relationship with the Corinthians and was concerned that they no longer cared about him and the things he was teaching them and had followed and the people had followed after these false teachers and so when he hears this it blesses him because titus arrived to say no they have a zeal for you they've remained faithful to god and they're loyal to you and the news brings him comfort they loved him his work isn't in vain notice how titus told paul of their earnest desire to see him notice he speaks of their mourning why were they mourning he speaks of their mourning why were they mourning they were mourning they were mourning because they had brought grief to his heart and he speaks of zeal their zeal on his behalf they had a zeal for for him as their as their father in the faith and they had a zeal for the message that he brought them the other day i'll illustrate it with something that just happened last week something i read last week i had mentioned on facebook that my wife marie and i come to the church to the grounds on sunday i'd mentioned that and i had said it'd be a blessing if some of you might come and just drive by and say hi because i like i like to see our church you know i like to see the people come drive by and say hi you know and and we'd love to see you and so some people very sweetly began to respond and they were writing and uh they were saying oh you know we look forward to seeing you pastor and and uh it'll be it'll be good to see and we'll come and see and i thought that's nice i you know i'm reading that and i i think that's kind it's nice and and then somebody who doesn't go to our fellowship but i i i do know who he is wrote and said you're not supposed to be making pastor david and marie into celebrities uh they're not celebrities um they would rather you um give honor to the the law enforcement and all of the people who are caring for those who are going through this time but they don't want you to be holding them up as celebrities and so i responded i said yes i am no i didn't i didn't do that i responded because i understand he said because he says i think pastor david would agree with this and he's right and i wrote and i said you're right i said we're not celebrities i said but there's a difference and i i wrote that so that he might understand this but so that others who are being shamed into feeling guilt about loving me and my wife because you can spiritualize things to the degree that you can actually cause people to not love their pastor by saying things like that it's not hard to do oh you shouldn't love him because he's just a man of course i'm just a man of course who's ever said i'm not so i wrote and i said you know you're right um we're not celebrities but that doesn't mean that we don't love our sheep and it doesn't mean that the sheep shouldn't love us that's what paul's saying here that's what paul is saying here he said titus came and gave me a report again notice what he says in verse seven he told us of your earnest desire your mourning and your zeal for me so that i rejoiced that's what he's saying your earnest desire you wanted to see me your mourning because you've brought concern to my heart your zeal for me because you love the word i'm giving to you and your dear to me and that concern and that joy reveals his heart towards them it shows that he's a pastor because he understands that and he loves them now after all of this i'm only going to touch on this for a moment he goes on to say in verse eight for even if i made you sorry with my letter i do not regret it though i did regret it for i perceive that the same epistle made you sorry though only for a while now i rejoice not that you were made sorry but that your sorrow led to repentance for you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us in nothing for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted but the sorrow of the world produces death and so paul says in verse eight even if i made you sorry with my letter he's referring to a previous letter and he'd already mentioned this letter in chapter two verses three and four and the letter he's referring to is the letter that dealt with a man who had been in sin with his father's wife so he's speaking of this letter this letter that he had sent them and what he's saying is the letter had the desired effect they had been made sorry he says in a godly manner now we're going to look at that what does that mean being made sorry in a godly manner we're going to look at that in detail next time we get together because the verses that follow after this give us greater insight but i chose to stop at verse 10 today so i'll just refer to the fact that we'll look at that in more detail next time we're together but what he's saying here and i want to touch this in verse nine and ten is i rejoice not that you were made sorry but that your sorrow led to repentance for you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us in nothing so i rejoice not just in the fact that you were made sorry but that you repented now when it says in verse nine i rejoice that you were made sorry the word sorry in the original language speaks of grief or distress even being hurt he said so i rejoice not that you were grieved or distressed or or hurt i rejoice not that you were made sorry this is what i rejoice in that your sorrow led to repentance i am blessed that you repented why because godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation notice he says in verse 10 godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted but the sorrow of the world produces death death when he speaks of a godly sorrow that word sorrow in verse 10 speaks of pain in the mind a godly sorrow speaks of a painful mind this godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation not to be regretted this godly sorrow this pain that you had this this mental pain if you will led to a change of mind that that led to salvation speaks of a change of mind that resulted in salvation and that is not something that you'll ever regret when you go through times when the conviction of the holy spirit now speak to you about this for a minute when you go through times when the holy spirit convicts you there are people today guys who don't want to preach the whole counsel of god and i'll tell you why because they don't want people to to to be hurt i understand that paul has already said that i don't want to condemn you i understand that any minister understands that you never go out to hurt people you should never go out to proclaim a message intending to hurt people to use the bible as as a a bludgeon to hurt people and cause them to to get in line they call we call that beating the sheep and we're not called to do that we don't go out with the intent to cause people great pain we don't want to cause them emotional distress we don't want to give them pain in their mind we don't want to do that one of my dear friends that everybody who's familiar with calvary chapel ministries knows him rawl reese i can still remember my friend rawl as he was pacing in the back before he went out to teach muttering under his breath he he didn't want to have to teach what he is going to teach i don't want to teach what i'm about to teach because he knew that some people would be hurt by what he was going to say because sometimes when you go on and you teach the word you know it's like a sword it's a surgeon's scalpel it'll cut to the heart you know that and you know that there are many times and when i as a pastor i i've been doing this a long time i can tell you this that i'll be looking at the passage and i know that this is a passage that can cut i know it i know it this is a passage that if it's not handled properly it can come off like i'm condemning people in a self-righteous way and i know that anybody who teaches the word knows that anytime you're given the whole counsel of god there are blessings and there are buffettings there are blessings that come out where you say oh you're you're going to be blessed by the lord but there are also buffettings where where a heart is exposed and conviction occurs and and and it can cause this pain in the heart and that's what he's saying i i didn't teach you this i didn't come with the attitude to cause pain i don't want to bring sorrow to you but a godly sorrow well it produces a repentance that leads to salvation and so you have to be willing to give the whole counsel of god knowing that the fruit will be people's people being saved and that's what i do that's that's what i do i've i've had people say in the past more than once they'll say you have a boldness about you and that's not true it's not that i have a boldness it's that the word of god is bold and what i have is a desire to honor it so boldness comes from a desire to speak what god says not because you've got some natural propensity towards speaking with firmness because the word of god guys when it goes out it comes first through your heart you have to be convicted by what you're bringing to other people or yourself righteous you have to first look into the word yourself and the word needs to first look at you before you go out and speak it to somebody else you don't go out with a self righteous attitude you're supposed to go out with a humble attitude and and when he's speaking here and sharing he's making it very clear that godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation and isn't that what we want yes we want people to come to faith in christ we want people to know jesus christ and even if it's difficult when they hear it and even difficult when it's being spoken the fruit is something that is wonderful because it produces a repentance when received by faith that leads to salvation and being saved is not something you should ever regret but he contrasts that with the sorrow of the world the sorrow of the world he says in verse 10 produces death so he's contrasting two attitudes towards correction human regret you have human regret remorse if you will shame so you have human regret being contrasted with biblical repentance never confuse regret or remorse with biblical repentance never confuse the two they're not the same thing you see regret is a general sense of sorrow and often people regret regret things because they got caught when they did wrong it's not that they're repenting there are a lot of people who just simply regret they feel bad i wish i wouldn't have done that i'm i'm sure every person in this room who's old enough could could say there are things i've done i wish i never would have done i regret that i regret hurting that person i regret saying that thing i regret whatever it's a regret it's a it's a sorrow that you have it's a general sense that you have a pain that you did something you regret doing it but that isn't the same as repentance listen when you look at judas he's a good example of somebody who regretted what he had done judas regretted that he had betrayed christ in in matthew chapter 27 verses three through five it says when judas who had betrayed him saw that jesus was condemned he was seized with remorse and returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and the elders i've sinned he said i i've betrayed innocent blood they said what is that to us that's your responsibility and judas threw the money into the temple and left then he went away and hanged himself now when you look at verse 10 notice again godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted the sorrow of the world produces death what did it produce in the life of judas suicide anxiety of heart and depression remorse and sorrow something he couldn't get past and he ended up killing himself the fruit of simple regret very often is death because it doesn't lead to christ and to forgiveness and no sense of forgiveness of sin no joy no sense of restoration to right favor with god none of that is the fruit of regretting judas felt regret and the result was he went on and hanged himself killed himself now repentance is a change of mind it's a change of mind or purpose it's a it's a reversal it's a reformation it's a greek word metanoia and it speaks of turning away a turning away from sin it's a total changing of the mind and disposition in regard to sin and when you look at repentance in scripture you'll see that there are elements to genuine repentance one you have an intellectual element because in true repentance there's a change of view regarding yourself sin is recognized for being sin it's no longer excused as a mistake an error it's an awareness that i have done wrong it's like psalm 51 verses 3 and 4 where the psalmist said i know my transgressions my sin is always before me against you you only have i sin and done what is evil in your sight so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge i'm aware of this my sin is before me i have sinned against you it's got an intellectual portion to it secondly it can include a true emotion a genuine sorrow that can occur over sin in luke 18 verse 13 it speaks of a tax collector who stood at a distance he wouldn't even look up to heaven he beat his breast and he said god have mercy on me a sinner so it can have a genuine sorrow of heart over sin but then there's the volitional their inward turning of your heart toward god see you you can have a view that well i shouldn't have done that and i feel bad about that but genuine repentance leads to a transformed life because you turn to god and you receive forgiveness and a new life is given to you through the power of the holy spirit when the holy spirit is convicting you it includes fact that you will confess your sin and you'll say god be merciful to me it's a confession an agreement with god and if i confess my sin he's faithful and just to forgive me my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness so i confess god i have sinned against you and then there's the forsaking of that sin because see sometimes people oh i hate the way that i am but they go right back to doing it again oh i hate the things that i i wish i wouldn't have hurt you and then they go right back to doing it again they're not repenting they're regretting they're feeling bad they got caught or they feel guilt no true repentance is a changing it's a turning away from sin it's it's a confession of it as sin in proverbs 28 verse 13 he who conceals his sins doesn't prosper but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy and so you confess your sin and you forsake your sin and then you turn to god isaiah 55 verse 7 says let the wicked forsake his way the evil man his thoughts let him turn to the lord and he will have mercy on him to our god for he will freely pardon that's how you got saved right that's how i got saved i can still remember and i won't bore you with a lot of details and memories but i can say this that just before i got saved i can tell you this that i got to the point where i actually hated the way i was i really did i got sick of the way i was i got sick of the way i was and there's an old saying we used to say i used to get i was sick of being sick that's what happened to me lord i can't stand this anymore i do not like what i am no more excuses no more i just simply agreed with god i can't do this anymore by the way that's an ongoing thing in repentance true repentance you know i get saved then one day i have a girlfriend i end up marrying that girlfriend and i can be a creep in our marriage and i start hating being what i am and how i've spoken or how i've but i've done and and that's how i changed um john um not that john and john john is interviewing marie and me for our fridays that we do my wife marie and me our friday we have a friday program where we answer marriage related questions and it's been a blessing because she's learning so much now it's such a blessing maybe that's that was a joke ha ha ha they all they're all laughing but anyway there you go um john asks questions of of us and and i'm trying to be real and honest and and i can say that after all of these years of being with with my girl i can say my life has changed to be really much different than i was when we first got married by far by far i've learned what love means i've learned what tenderness is i've learned what listening means i've learned much of that i didn't know those things when we first got married i didn't learn those things and nobody nobody does when you first get married you know some things but you learn those things through marriage i learned what it means to live with somebody who's unlike me to listen to somebody who has opinions different than mine who has ways that that that are not the same as mine i learned that in marriage and then you have your children and you relearn those things because every child has his own personality their own way of thinking their own way of doing and you learn and keep learning you keep learning and as you keep learning those things you see things about yourself that you don't like and when you see the things that you don't like you don't make excuse for them anymore you don't say well that's just the way i am that's how i'm wired that's i don't do that anymore i i take it to jesus and i say i hate this i want to be loving i want to be kind i want to be caring i want to be like you and no i haven't done anything recently i'm just being real with you right now i just i just want to be a good man and i don't want to be what i was and i don't want to return to the way i thought i don't want that i hate those things i want to be new in christ and you can be and you are because jesus made you new but that's how it works no excuses you know you can't judas i have betrayed innocent blood he had remorse but no repentance the apostle peter he betrayed christ too didn't he he said three times i do not know the man three times three times and yet he was broken because what he did led to repentance and it broke his heart and jesus had to restore him bring him back and reconciled him and sent him off to learn lessons that he learned through his brokenness because he had failed judas killed himself the sorrow of the world brings death but godly sorrow brings salvation a repentance and that's what we're speaking about here godly sorrow reduces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted but the sorrow of the world produces death the result of true repentance is joy it's restoration and psalm 51 7 through 9 cleanse me with hyssop i'll be clean wash me i'll be whiter than snow let me hear joy and gladness let the bones you have crushed rejoice hide your face from my sins blot out all my iniquity you see the result of rejecting mercy leads to death it can lead to a mental anguish like judas is which led in him killing himself led to him killing himself it can lead you to that and it also results in eternal death so instead of just feeling bad and regretting we repent god be merciful to me i'm a sinner i turn for my wicked ways and i turn to you wash me and cleanse me with the blood of christ fill me with your presence in your holy spirit transform my life make me like you cause me to know joy oh lord write my name in your book of life and thank you because your word teaches us that you do such a thing and when you have a godly sense of repentance there's the joy that results because god god does forgive you and god does transform you we all need to keep that in mind every day father i asked that you would work in us and that lord we would live lives that bring pleasure to you and honor to you for this lord we're grateful and lord in jesus name i lift up all of us who are listening to this right now to the many who are watching this program right now this bible teaching there are some in the listening congregation right now lord we need to get right with you may your holy spirit speak to them right now and even as our eyes are closed and our heads are bound if you're watching right now the holy spirit is speaking to you you got you you regret things but you haven't repented well it's time for you to turn away turn away from the sin to have a change of mind metanoia a change of mind that leads to a change of direction you need to have a change of mind and how to be right with god the way you're right with god is through jesus christ by saying god be merciful to me i'm a sinner jesus died on a cross to save sinners like me forgive me wash me cleanse me and make me new and if you have a desire for that you can receive that now right where you're at you're watching tv right now you're watching your computer right now and you can in the quiet of your own hearts you can say god be merciful to me i want to be born again i i turn for my sin i turn to you i don't want to just regret i repent lord and if you have a heart for that i would invite you to come to faith in christ right now to pray with me and if you desire to get right with him and to pray and and give your heart to christ and in your heart why don't you repeat with me these words father i know that i'm a sinner jesus died on the cross to save sinners jesus died to save me forgive me of my sins cleanse me give me a new life i will follow you every day from this day forward in jesus name amen and if you prayed that just now with faith please contact us let us know so we can connect with you and encourage you please just contact calvary chapel of the chino valley and let us minister to you and i'd welcome you into god's family and then finally let's close by saying father in jesus name i pray that you continue to move amongst us to work within us and lord we will follow you and lord again i ask that you would make it possible for us to once again assemble as churches to worship you that this plague would be ended and that your church lord will once again be able to be that light even as we are right now but even more so as we gather for for worship in the word so that we can be used by you to reach this world lord we ask these things in jesus name amen