Transcript

Repentance Without Regret - Part Three

2 Corinthians 7:8-16
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Pastor Randy Smith

We really should have known better. I can't say we weren't warned. We did it anyway, and I can say with the utmost certainty I strongly doubt it will never happen again. I mean after all, who doesn't want to go on a family camping trip? The only mistake was the choice to drive south on the Garden State Parkway at the start of the Fourth of July weekend.

The traffic was there when we merged off the exit 98 ramp . But after all the preparations and anticipated happiness, how could we turn around? We joined the other cars in a virtual parking lot. Though very slowly, exit 88 came and exit 88 went. "Perhaps things will let up once we get through Brick," as we still tried to convince ourselves that we made the right decision. That wasn't the case. The only plan now was to turn around and go home. The Toms River exit couldn't appear soon enough. After driving for over an hour and covering sixteen miles, hitting that ramp on exit 82 for my children was like arriving at the entrance of Disney World!

We realized intellectually that we made a tremendous blunder. We regretted the decision. We did a 180 and asserted to never repeat the same mistake again. This is basically what repentance is. It is doing a 180, making a complete change in direction.

However, when the Bible speaks about repentance it deals specifically with offenses we commit against God as He has revealed them to us in Scripture. Perhaps it could be the things we are doing that we should not be doing (the sins of commission). Or perhaps it could be the things we are not doing that we should be doing (the sins of omission). Either way, repentance is needed to enter the Christian life (1 Thes. 1:9) and is a necessary component of every Christian as he or she lives the Christian life. Spurgeon said, "There can be no peace between you and Christ while there is peace between you and sin."

The Holy Spirit is continually revealing sin, and we are to be continually in the process of repenting from sin. God's goal and our desire in all of this is holiness, progressive conformity to the image Christ. Repentance is not optional. Repentance is a command. Acts 17:30, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent." The desire and ability to repent is the best evidence of a born-again believer.

Let me see if I can map out the progression: First we come to Christ and trust Him as our Savior, a process that involves faith and repentance. Then we by necessity affirm these points: Jesus is my Lord and I do as He says. Jesus is holy and I admire His holiness. Jesus wants to make me holy and I welcome that transformation in my life. Jesus points out my sin through Scripture. Jesus provides the strength I need to turn from that sin. Jesus has proven to me turning from sin makes me happier. Jesus is glorified when I respond this way.

I am not teaching all Christians are not sinners. I am teaching that all Christians are repentant sinners. I am not teaching that repentance is always easy. I am teaching that repentance is always possible. I am not teaching that we can muster up the strength to repent on our own. I am teaching that repentance is a gift that God grants His children.

Last week in part 2 we looked at the church's passion for the Lord as seen in their desire and ability to repent. We began to discuss the three necessary elements that mark genuine repentance. We made it through the first one - an intellectual change. Our goal this week in part 3 is to cover the other two - an emotional change and a volitional change.

2. Passion For The Lord As Seen In The Church (Verses 9-11)

First, by way of review, there is the intellectual element that will mark all genuine repentance.

Intellectual

The Greek word for "repentance" (metanoia) literally means to change the mind. It goes without saying that in order for there to be any change in our lives, our minds first need to be informed of where we fall short. The source to enlighten the mind is always God's Word, the Bible, but it comes to us through a variety of means - reading, sermons and personal comments from others.

So in the case with this Corinthian church, we learned that Paul wrote them a rather severe letter calling for their repentance. The drama of 2 Corinthians chapter 7 was Paul wondering how they were going to respond to the letter.

The wrong way

The wrong way for them would be to do what we are at times all guilty of doing ourselves; approach the correction with a hard heart that believes we have already arrived. Jerry Wragg in "Exemplary Spiritual Leadership" said, "The moment we imagine that we have exhaustively assessed the sin of our hearts, we have planted, watered, and harvested a crop of pride" (p. 43). Then in a manifestation of that pride, we immediately find ways to dismiss the charges in an effort to enhance self-preservation.

We covered these last week. Perhaps we judge the process. Perhaps we throw a pity-party. Perhaps we attack the other person. Perhaps we parade our strengths. Perhaps we create a federal case. Perhaps we do all the above!

In other words, we see the words in our Bibles or hear the words of the Bible from others, but we find a way to never let them penetrate our minds for personal application. They are rejected as inapplicable for personal change as soon as they come. This short-circuits God's process.

The right way

The right way is to be humble. The right way is to realize that these are the means the Lord often uses to burn off the rough edges and make us more godly . Regardless of the messenger, we take everything with a grain of salt. We pray about it. We examine our own lives. We give the Holy Spirit some time to work. Energy and contemplation is not placed on, "How am I going to defend myself from this attack," but rather, "What is the Lord trying to communicate to me?" Within time, our mind will be convinced as to where, to whatever degree, we need to make some changes.

So Paul sends the Corinthian church this stern letter. They sit on it. God works within them. They intellectually come to the agreement that they were wrong in their actions.

Alright, the new material…

Emotional

It takes more than an intellectual understanding that we did something wrong in order for repentance to be genuine. There must also be the right change in our emotions. The goal is a change of behavior, the 180, but the will will never be moved if the emotions are not stirred, not stirred in the right way.

The wrong way

So what is the wrong way? Back to our passage. In verses 9 and 10, Paul talks about the sorrow of the Corinthian church that his letter produced within them. At the end of verse 10 we read that "the sorrow of the world produces death." What does that mean?

So a man robs a bank. He is apprehended and though his attorney pleads "not guilty." The trial lasts for days and eventually it becomes clear that he committed the crime. The jury with unanimity rules against him. The judge delivers his verdict: Ten years in jail. The defendant breaks down in tears with deep remorse and regret for his actions. How many times have we seen this?

The Bible calls this "worldly sorrow" or the "sorrow of the world." The focus here is the fact that a person is sad that he was caught or is grieved over the unfavorable consequences of his actions or is crushed that he's missing out on some pleasure in the world. The point is that almost all people, from the mass murderer to the kid who steals the cookies before dinner are capable of expressing this sorrow. It's a worldly sorrow, a selfish sorrow that is birthed in self-pity and anger for being exposed. Hebrews 12:16-17, "That there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears." Judas fits into this category as well. According to verse 10 it leads to spiritual death because it is about self, and God is excluded from the process.

The right way

The right sorrow that our Lord desires is the grief that we feel inside, not because we were caught or embarrassed or personally disappointed in what we did, but because we realized intellectually that we sinned against the Lord and that action in and of itself has broken our hearts. In other words, the grief in my heart is there because I know how much grief my actions as His child have brought to my heavenly Father .

Is it any different on a personal level? Ultimately we want our children to make good choices in an effort to please God, but isn't there a virtue to the daughter who says, "I am not going to do that because this would crush my dad" as compared to the daughter who says, "I am not going to do that because my dad would really punish me." This is how genuine relationships work. And the more we mature in Christ, the more sorrow we should feel over our sin.

Look at verse 9. "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful." Paul took no pleasure, even if the outcome was noble, to make people sorrowful. But he was glad, as he told the church, still in verse 9, "That you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance." If his letter to them brought sorrow over their sin, which got them on the road to true repentance, Paul's sorrow vanished and he now found reason to rejoice. The rest of verse 9, "For you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us."

The heart was grieved leading to an emotional response. There was a strong desire in them to honor Christ. Look at the charged words in verse 7: "longing" and "mourning" and "zeal" or verse 11, "earnestness" and "indignation" and "fear" and "longing" and "zeal" or verse 15, "fear" and "trembling." This is still not complete repentance, but with a heart stirred like that they might now for their own good as Paul says ("not suffering any loss") take the first steps to move in the right direction.

A word the Bible frequently uses for this type of heart is "contrition." This is the soft heart that God desires from His people. It is a tenderness that is always seeking to do all things in a desire to please our heavenly Father. And when we fall short, as we will - a brokenness , a godly sorrow - that seeks His forgiveness and a restoration of the relationship.

As the first two Beatitudes teach, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Mt. 5:3-4). A contrite heart. Listen to Isaiah 66:2, "'For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,' declares the LORD. 'But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word'" (cf. 57:15). Or Psalm 51:17 after David sinned with Bathsheba, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." How can we not mention Luke 18:13-14, "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' [Jesus said] I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Lord will happiness divine
On contrite hearts bestow;
Then tell me, gracious God, is mine
A contrite heart,or no.

I hear, but seem to hear in vain,
Insensible as steel;
If ought is felt, 'tis only pain,
To find I cannot feel.

I sometimes think myself inclined
To love Thee, if I could;
But often feel another mind,
Averse to all that's good.

My best desires are faint and few,
I fain would strive for more
But when I cry, "My strength renew!"
Seem weaker than before.

Thy saints are comforted, I know,
And love Thy house of prayer
I therefore go where others go,
But find no comfort there.

Oh make this heart rejoice or ache
Decide this doubt for me
And if it be not broken, break -
And heal it, if it be !

(William Cowper)

Godly sorrow produces godly repentance. Verse 10 makes that clear. "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation." And not only does godly sorrow produce repentance, but it produces repentance "without regret."

This is such a beautiful concept! The sorrow of the world often leads to a lifetime of guilt. On the contrary, the sorrow of God has momentary pain (the end of verse 8 teaches that), but it knows that once it goes to God there is immediate forgiveness and therefore immediate comfort (Psm. 51:7, 10).

This is an epidemic within the church. Children of God living as the world with perpetual guilt and deep regret. Didn't Jesus die for that sin already? Don't we believe that His blood has already covered us from God's wrath? Don't we believe that our heavenly Father is eager to forgive us more so than we are even eager to ask? So why do we then make a mockery of the cross by either feeling the need to somehow make up for the sin through some act of penance or carry the guilt when we have already been declared forgiven. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). True repentance will not lead to a prolonged period of regret. With Christ there is instant healing. With Christ there is freedom from these debilitating emotions of guilt and regret when we repent.

So worldly sorrow leads to no biblical repentance and guilt while godly sorrow leads to biblical repentance and no guilt.

Volitional

I'm trying to avoid a "part 4" so we need to move on to the final component. So we have an intellectual change where the mind acknowledges the sin. We have an emotional change where the heart is moved over the offense toward God. And lastly, we have a volition change where the will is now moved to turn from the sin and pursue righteousness.

The wrong way

So what's the wrong way? Rather obvious. We know we are doing wrong. We feel guilty that we are violating God's word. But we make no efforts to change our behavior. It's been said, "Sackcloth for the body and remorse for the soul are not to be confused with determined abandonment of sin and return to God" (ISBE).

For example, I know it's wrong to use that language. I feel horrible every time I say that word, but it's a word that still marks my vocabulary. Or, I know the Lord wants me with His spiritual family, worshipping Him on Sunday morning. When I skip the Lord's Day I feel bad all day. However, other activities are still a greater priority for me and my family on Sunday mornings.

The right way

The right way? By God's grace, this Corinthian church changed their behavior. They followed through on this final step in our progression and made a willful decision to turn from what was wrong to pursue what was right. That is complete repentance.

We see it hidden away in verse 11. We read they vindicated themselves and they avenged the wrong. It says, "In everything [they] demonstrated [themselves] to be innocent in the matter." They are now right with God, innocent and cleansed. Then as Paul says in verse 15 of Titus, "His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all."

Like my example with the Parkway, know how the Lord wants you to make decisions according to His Word. And when you realize you are on the wrong road, by God's grace, hit the exit and return to Christ. Have a humble heart whereby the mind and emotions and will can all work together to achieve genuine repentance without regret, for your joy and God's glory.