Well, let's begin this morning by turning in our Bibles to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. I know 2 Corinthians is sort of the series that we've been in. We'll get there here in a moment. As we continue to see the relationship between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian church restore, restored after a difficult and painful issue had been resolved. Now, we're not exactly sure what the original issue was that Paul was dealing with in 2 Corinthians 7, where we've been and where we will be shortly, but it is quite possible that it was something that Paul had already addressed in his first letter to the Corinthians. And we see one of those main issues in 1 Corinthians 5, in verses 1 and 2, where we see that there was sin in the Corinthian camp. There was sin within the church. And it seemed like the entire church was not dealing with that specific sin properly and diligently. They may not have condoned the sin, but they certainly did not confront the sin within their midst like God had called them to do as a church. And so we read, beginning in verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 5, Paul's accusation. It was reported commonly that there is fornication among you. There is this sexual sin and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles. It was a scandal. What was it? That one should have his father's wife. Now, we're not exactly sure who this was. We're not exactly sure what position this person had within the church. It may have been a very prominent position. It could have been a deacon or an elder or just someone with a lot of money that was contributing to the church. And so the church as a whole, they kind of overlooked this particular sin. They didn't say a whole lot about this sin because they didn't want to affect the equilibrium of that church. And then he says in verse 2, he says it's not just about them, it's about you as a church, and ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. They did not exercise church discipline to this erring brother. And then as we go through the rest of those verses, Paul eventually gives them some specific instructions on how to deal with the one who is committing that sin. But just like it happens in our own lives, sin often begets other sin, doesn't it? Sin leads to another sin. And it appears as if this is what happened to the Corinthians. It wasn't just left with this one brother who was committing fornication with someone that he should not have had a relationship with, but then it spread to this church, this compromising church. They did not listen to Paul's instructions here in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. That's one of the reasons why we have a second Corinthians. And they continue to let that known sin within their midst fester. And just like a sore, a wound that is infected, if you don't take care of it, if you don't get it cleaned out, if you don't take those antibiotics, what's going to happen? It's going to continue to ooze and get worse and worse and worse. And that is what took place there in the Corinthian church. Now this may have been the reason why eventually Paul had to return to Corinth to make a sorrowful visit to them in order to make things right. And we read about this sorrowful visit in the book of 2 Corinthians. So go back with me now to 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Paul talks about this because he wanted to make things right. This was an issue that was really hindering the growth of this Corinthian church. And so in verse 1 of chapter 2, he says, but I determined this with myself that I would not come again to you in heaviness. That implies that there was a previous visit where he did come to them with a heavy heart, with sorrow in his heart, and with some very painful words to say you've got to get right. You've got to eliminate this sin from your church. You've got to get rid of the pride and humble yourself before God and before each other. And so he says, I did this sorrowful visit to bring you to repentance. But even with that personal visit, the Corinthians did not respond properly when they were confronted with their sin. And that caused Paul even further pain and sorrow in his heart. And so he decided to deal with the issue one more time in the form of a letter. It was a sorrowful letter. There are some who believe that the sorrowful letter mentioned here in 2 Corinthians 2, 3 is 1 Corinthians. There are others who believe it is sort of a middle letter, not 1 Corinthians, not 2 Corinthians, but one that would have been short, sweet, not so sweet, to the point and say, you've got to deal with this issue. I think that's probably what it was. It was a sorrowful, painful letter. And he describes this in verse 3 of 2 Corinthians 2. He had that sorrowful visit, and then he says, I wrote the same unto you. I wrote it. Lest when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice. Having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all, for out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye should know the love that I have more abundantly unto you. He wrote. because the sin that was in that church, the sin that was in that camp, grieved Him to the very core. And we also see in verse 9 of chapter 2, for to this end also did I write that sorrowful letter that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. Whether you really are a church. Whether you really are believers. Whether you really are going to show who you are in Jesus Christ. And so he sent that sorrowful letter with his faithful partner in the gospel by the name of Titus, and we spent a little time looking at that last Sunday. But that leads us to our text this morning. going back to 2 Corinthians chapter 7, where Paul now shares with the Corinthians his own reaction when he finally met up with Titus and heard the great news that the Corinthian church finally responded to and dealt properly with the sin in their church, and especially that particular sinner. He didn't know when he wrote that letter how they would respond. And so he sent Titus, he sent that letter, and he was anxious to hear what was going to happen. He was anxious to see Titus and find out what they would do. And so we read about this in verses 5 through 11. And we spent a little time looking at the first part of this text, and then we'll look at the rest here this morning. But picking up in verse 5, thinking about the context and the past history that Paul has with the Corinthian church, he writes, For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Without were fightings, and within were fears. And one of those fears was, what are they going to do with my letter? Are they going to listen? Are they going to respond? Are they going to obey? He continues. Verse 6, Nevertheless God, that comforted those that are cast down. Paul was cast down at that moment. But then He comforted us by the coming of Titus. Titus was the one He sent with a letter. Titus was the one He was waiting for to hear the results of this letter. And now Titus finally comes, but not by His coming only, but by the consolation, the comfort wherewith He was comforted in you. When Titus told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward Me, so that I rejoice the more. And this is what we'll focus on this morning. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent, or I did regret it. For I perceive that the same letter, the same epistle, hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrow to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, a godly manner, 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 ye have approved yourselves to be clear and innocent in this matter. So again, the verses that we will look at this morning are verses 8 through 11, and it all has to do with the Corinthians' response to Paul's sorrowful letter to them. And what kind of response was it? It was the response that he was after all along. It was a response of repentance. godly sorrow that leads to repentance. And I think through these verses we can learn a lot about the need of and the nature of true repentance in our own lives and even in our own church. So the first thing that we see is, in verses 8 and 9, the focus on true repentance. The focus on true repentance, where Paul explains that this is why he wrote that sorrowful letter in the first place. It was so that they would experience the right kind of sadness, the right kind of sorrow for their sin, which would then lead to repentance. Again, verse 8, For though I made you sorry with that letter, I do not repent. I do not regret it. Though I did repent, I did regret it at the time. For I perceive now that the same epistle, that same letter, hath made you sorry. Though it were but for a season, now I rejoice. Not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance. From this we learn that there often needs to be a special confrontation of sin in our lives and even in our church. When Paul wrote this sorrowful letter, he did so in order to confront the sin that they had been harboring in their church. Again in verse 8 he says, "...for though I made you sorry." Now even though, as we read through these verses, sorrow was the apparent result of this letter, do you realize that when Paul wrote this letter, one of the main reasons was to actually bring them sorrow? To bring them to a point of true sorrow for their sin. There needed to be some grief and sorrow over their sin. In fact, sometimes that is what is needed in our own lives as well, isn't it? Because so often we think so lightly of sin. So often we think so lightly of things that displease God, and there needs to be a certain sorrow over sin, especially in light of who God is and what God is like. But confrontation of sin can be difficult, right? Confrontation of sin in our own lives or in our brother and sister's lives, in our church life, it's difficult and painful. It's kind of like a doctor that will tell his patient that you need to undergo some kind of surgery that's not going to be pleasant. Maybe it's chemotherapy or some kind of surgery that will be painful for you. But he knows that in the end, it is what you need for your own health and for your own welfare. So yes, there may be some pain and sorrow for a time, but ultimately the goal is that there is joy and health and restoration. And that is what Paul did through his previous letter. He intended to cause them some pain. He intended to cause them a little bit of sorrow so that afterwards it would yield in them a peaceable fruit of righteousness. And that is what we often need as well. But along with this letter of confrontation, we also see a special concern. He writes also in verse 8, I do not repent, writing that letter, though I did repent, writing that letter. What we see is that confrontation of sin must always be done in the spirit of love. We see this in those two words, repent. Now the word repent here is not talking about the evangelical repentance that we often describe. This is the idea of regret. There is a certain sorrow in his own heart that he had to confront their sin. It's kind of like what we often have to do with our children when they do something wrong. And we don't always like to punish them. We don't certainly like to spank them. We don't like to see them cry. But sometimes it causes us that same sorrow as well. And we regret, in some sense, that we are causing sorrow. And that shows a spirit of love toward each other. But see, as Paul wrote this confrontational letter, he was experiencing some of those same feelings of regret. He says, I did regret this. He was feeling some apprehension while he wrote that letter. There were some times in our church where we've had to write some letters like this. And it didn't cause us joy at all. In fact, before we wrote it, we prayed and agonized. And while we wrote it, we prayed some more and agonized. And even after we wrote it, we prayed and agonized, thinking, how are they going to respond? Are they going to repent of their sin? Are they going to seek reconciliation and restoration? And imagine that is exactly what Paul was doing, feeling this anxiety, feeling this regret, thinking, are they really going to listen? Are they going to respond to You, Lord? Are they going to obey Your Word? But now, after hearing the outcome of this letter, he could also say in the same breath, I do not repent. Paul has absolutely no regrets now about writing the letter. Why? Because it achieved its God-given purpose. It brought them to true sorrow, which led them to true repentance. God used that letter to bring about wholeness in their lives. In fact, He immediately offers them, the Corinthians, a special comfort. He goes on in verse 8 and says, I perceive, I see that that same epistle, that same letter hath made you sorry, even though it was but for a season. Paul knew that his confrontation of their sin would be painful. He knew that his confrontation of their sin might be sorrowful, but it would not last forever. It's kind of like when you have to take a Band-Aid off a wound, right? And sometimes you can put it under water, but usually it doesn't even help that much. It's better just to tear it off, right? Get it over with. And in a sense, that is what Paul is saying here. The sorrow that I gave you through this letter was just the peeling off of the Band-Aid, ultimately for a short time. but it's going to lead to you repentance, and ultimately salvation, and ultimately greater growth in godliness as a church and as Christians. But isn't this a principle that we find all throughout the Scriptures? In Hebrews 12, verse 11, it says, Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous. I remember when I was a boy, I would get spankings, and those spankings were usually by a wooden spoon. Well, one day I did something wrong and I thought, I don't want to get spanked with a wooden spoon. So I went throughout the whole house and the kitchen, and I grabbed every wooden spoon I could find, and I hid them in my drawer. But guess what? I still got spanked. They found those wooden spoons. And I still experienced the sorrow that hopefully eventually led me to repentance. But no chastening for the present seems to be joyous. It's not pleasant. It's painful. It's sorrowful. It's grievous. But, nevertheless, afterward, Hebrews 12.11, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby. That is what this sorrow was to bring about in their lives. Because of their sorrow, because of their pain, because of this chastening, they could now experience the joy of forgiveness and renewed fellowship with Paul, with each other, and ultimately with Jesus Christ Himself. Chastening is what does this, because what we find is that sorrow did not remain sorrow. He goes on in verse 9, that sorrow turned into a special change. Paul continues, now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry. It's not that I like to see you in pain. It's not like I like to see you going through this difficult sorrow. But I rejoice because you sorrowed unto repentance. That's what Paul was at. That's what the Lord was at. Not just a sorrowful heart, but a true repentance. A true change of heart. Not just remorse over sin, thinking, oh boy, I got caught once again. But rather, a true repentance. That is a change of heart. A change of heart that will lead to a change in your mind, a change in your will, a change in your whole life. This is what repentance is. It means that you will pursue after the right kind of attitudes in your mind. You will pursue after the right affections with your heart. You will pursue after the right aims with your will and the right actions with your life. It means that you will turn. You will turn from your sin that causes sorrow and you will turn to the Lord who alone gives joy. And that is why Paul made repentance the special focus of his letter, the special focus of his desire for that Corinthian church. Because it's repentance over sin that will lead to true peace and joy in your heart as a human being and in your heart as a Christian. It's true repentance. And I believe that there still needs to be a renewed focus on repentance in our own lives as Christians and as a church. True repentance. Why? Because there are still sins in our lives and still sins that are present in our church that so easily beset us. So often we look so lightly and askance at sin. We don't think it as serious as it really is before a holy God. And so there are times in our lives where the Holy Spirit is convicting us and we need to heed that conviction and let that sorrow work itself into repentance, a true change of heart where we want to please Him and pursue after His holiness more and more. Not just live our lives as status quo. And yet that's so often how we live as Christians, isn't it? We think, well, there's not anything major in my life, no major sin. But there are still those sins that God needs to grant us that gift of repentance. But it all starts with that godly sorrow. It all starts with that godly song. God has given us the responsibility through the power of His Holy Spirit to address sins truthfully and lovingly in ourselves and with each other in order to maintain our fellowship with Him. But remember what true repentance brings. It's not fun sometimes to get on our face before God in prayer and say, God, search me and know me. and see if there be any wicked way in me, because what happens? He does. And He points out those things. And the Holy Spirit convicts us of those things. And that leads us to sorrow. Oh God, I can't believe I did this again. Or I can't believe I said this again. Or God, I can't believe I mistreated this brother in Christ. Oh Father, I have sinned greatly against You. Because of Your holiness, and Your goodness, and Your purity. But you know what happens when we repent of our sin, when godly sorrow leads to repentance? It leads to repentance that will ultimately give us that peaceable fruit of righteousness, as well as a renewed joy in and from the Lord. There's one thing we need to remember about repentance. True repentance does not loiter in sorrow. It does not remain in sorrow. Perhaps you've been driving somewhere downtown Indianapolis, you see this sign, no loitering. What does that mean? You just can't hang around, right? Usually it's because they don't want the riffraff. They don't want teenagers just hanging around and causing trouble or whatever. But no loitering. Don't just hang out there. And yet for Christians, what is repentance for? It's to bring us that peaceable fruit of righteousness, that joy that comes in the Lord. And so we are not to loiter in repentance. We rather let that repentance lead us to that joy, ultimately, that comes in the Lord. That is the focus that we need of true repentance. But then we further see in these verses the foundation of true repentance. How do we get to this point of repentance which will then lead to joy and peace from the Lord? Look at the rest of verse 9. He says, For ye were made sorry after a godly man. See, it wasn't just a sorrow that you got caught. It wasn't this worldly kind of sorrow that we so often see. But you were made sorry after a godly manner so that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow, this is the foundation of true repentance. For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of. but the sorrow of the world worketh death." The foundation of true repentance is not just any kind of sorrow. It's not just any kind of remorse. It is a godly sorrow. And so we need to understand the nature of godly sorrow. What does it mean to sorrow after a godly manner? Well, that phrase, after a godly manner, is a translation of just two Greek words, which remains in accordance with God. or according to God. The meaning of this is key to our understanding of what true repentance is and where true repentance comes from. It means that when you experience sorrow over sin, it is according to God's design and God's desire for your sorrow. See, sometimes I would want to correct my child, seeking a particular kind of sorrow, a regret of what they did to offend me. But ultimately, what is at stake is not just how the child offends me, but how the child offends God. It's not according to me or my standard, but according to God and His standard. It means that when you have sorrow over sin, it is in harmony with God's holiness. You need to see sin in its true light, in the light of God and His glory. You do not rationalize away your sin or call evil good and good evil. It also means that your sorrow is in harmony with humility. You see God for who He is, and then you see who you are, right? You see yourself as Isaiah did in Isaiah 6-5, which we'll read later this week. Remember, when he was standing there in that vision before the presence of God in heaven itself, he said, Woe is me, for I am undone. This was a prophet of God. This is a prophet that God used to minister to His people. A prophet that was inspired to preserve His Word for us. And He says, Woe is Me, for I am undone. For I am a man of unclean lips, He says. And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, because mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. When we sorrow according to God, we will see God for who He is, and we will see ourselves for who we are. Our sorrow will be in harmony of His holiness and in harmony with our humility, and then we will seek to honor our God. That is the kind of repentance that we need because of our sin. We need to be able to say with Isaiah, woe is me. It doesn't excuse your sin. It doesn't rationalize away your sin. It doesn't see your sin lightly in any way. It sees it as God sees it. And it treats it as God treats it. When there's this kind of true repentance of sin, it also shows that God Himself is in it. Repentance is a God-oriented repentance. It is in context of God Himself. And God uses that to bring us back to Himself. We also see, though, in verse 9, the need for godly sorrow. He says that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. You see, without godly sorrow and without true repentance, the Apostle Paul basically is saying here that he would have had to go to the next step of church discipline. And in this situation, it would have had to have been church-wide discipline, because if they as a whole continue to persist in their sin, not just the individual, but as a church, Paul is saying, you would have received damage by us. That is, you would have been deprived of our fellowship. You've been deprived even of your influence as a church, your Christian influence in the world and the community where God has placed you. Perhaps even, because of sin in the midst of that church, they could have been deprived of their Christian identity. You see, a church that harbors sin within its body, a church that continues to harbor error within its body, is no church at all. Because the church itself is to be the pillar and ground of the truth, and a pillar and ground of righteousness, and when that falls away, those pillars are gone, there's no real church there. And there was a very real danger in the Corinthian church of that happening if they did not, as a whole, respond to Paul's letter and repent of their sin before God. In fact, don't we see this also going on later in the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation? Of course, Revelation 2, verse 4, Jesus is actually speaking to one of these seven churches in Asia. And he says to Ephesus, I have something against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. And of course, we're familiar with this passage. We're familiar with what that means. Then he says this, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen. They were here and now they're there, right? They were up and now they're down. They were pursuing after righteousness and holiness as a church, and now they have fallen into sin and disrepair. And so Jesus says, remember from whence thou art fallen and repent! Repent! Let there be a change of your heart that will change your whole life. Repent and do the first works. Continue to follow after your love for Me. But here's the warning that's attached to that. or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of this place, except thou repent." In essence, that's what Paul is saying to the Corinthian church. The candlestick, the light that makes you the church that you are, can be removed. If you maintain error within your midst and sin within your midst, he says you must repent of these things or the candlestick will be removed out of this place. But what do we find in the Corinthian church? It was a true church. It was the pillar and ground of Christ's love and righteousness and truth. And the Corinthian church did respond to Paul's letter. The Corinthian church did repent of their sin. And now they were no longer in danger of this kind of damage or this kind of discipline. Instead, they experienced full restoration and full reconciliation with Paul, with Titus, with each other, with the other churches all throughout the area, and with God Himself. Because as we read in verse 10, Godly sorrow worketh repentance. unto salvation. Now, of course, this is something that is true for us personally. You see, God uses sorrow for sin to lead us to faith in Christ, right? Sorrow for sin, godly sorrow, works repentance, a change of heart that is given to us by the Holy Spirit to turn and trust in Jesus. But this is also the case for a church as a whole. Salvation here is not just dealing with eternal salvation, but continuing salvation. The ongoing preservation of the church. The ongoing purification of the church. The ongoing growth as a child of God. It leads us to Jesus Christ more and more. And that is why if we harbor sin within our church, if we harbor sin within our midst, guess what's going to happen? We're not going to pursue after Christ. But when that godly sorrow leads us to repentance, that repentance will lead us to that continuing growth and salvation as we live for Him and as we seek to pursue after Him. And it is this great principle that's true for us all. God uses godly sorrow and repentance to lead us to His full salvation. Now that does not mean that repentance is what saves someone, but it is what God uses to bring you to that saving faith in Jesus Christ. and experience His forgiveness and His fellowship. And then, any sorrow you may have experienced will be seen in its true light. It says, salvation not to be repented of. Now that could be applied to the salvation or to the repentance. I think it probably applies more to the repentance. Because again, sorrow is not pleasant. Sorrow for sin is not a pleasant thing, but you will never be sorry about your sorrow. when it leads you to the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that a wonderful truth? No matter what God uses to get your attention, no matter what God uses to bring you to Himself, you're never going to regret it. You're never going to be sorry for feeling sorrowful when it led you to Jesus Christ. You can hear testimony after testimony of people that were saved in a later age from horrific, sinful lives. And they will say that God brought them down to the lowest point of their lives. But now, as believers in Christ, they will look to you and say, I don't regret what God had to do. I don't regret what God had to do. I was listening to a testimony on the radio not too long ago about a man who became a pastor, but God first started working in his life when he was in prison. He was in prison because he was a white supremacist. And as a white supremacist, he did unspeakable things to a lot of people. And you know what? God used the word of God. God used the ministry of other preachers on the radio to show him, at the lowest point of his life, how dreadfully sinful he was because of his attitudes and actions toward God and toward men. And at the lowest point, God saved him. And God brought him to a point where he could live for the Lord. and please the Lord and serve the Lord. And in this testimony, he said, I don't regret those years in prison and those years in solitary confinement and those years where God was showing me the depth of my depravity and the depth of my own sin. Why? Because it brought him to the point of repentance, which then led him to faith in Jesus Christ. And now he can give his life for God. He had no regrets. You will never be sorry about your sorrow when it leads you to the Lord. But then further we also see the fruit of true repentance. The fruit of true repentance in verse 11. How did Paul know that the Corinthian church really repented from their sins against him and the Lord? Well, he knew it by their fruit. The fruits of true repentance is found in verse 11. He says, for behold, this self same thing. I want you Corinthians to see what I'm seeing, that ye sorrowed after a godly source. Again, according to God, 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 fact, in all these things, you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. You see, Paul saw this fruit in their lives, this fruit of repentance, and he wanted them to see it as well, to encourage them. There are times where we need to confront people of sin, but when there's true repentance, we need to encourage them. We see repentance in your life, brother. We see God working in your life, sister. You don't have to remain in loiter in sorrow because God is working this out in your life to bring you to repentance, to a fuller experience of your salvation in Jesus Christ. And so we see in this verse, first of all, the overall effect of repentance. What was it that repentance brought about in their life? It wrought in them carefulness or a special diligence. In other words, restoration in their relationships with Paul and God became their number one priority. It was an overall effect. And that's what true repentance will lead. a desire to pursue after restoration in our lives with God and with others. Now more than likely, we don't know this for sure, but I think as quickly as Titus came to them with that letter, that's probably as quickly as he left. Because as soon as they responded, they didn't want Paul to continue to be cast down and wonder what was going on. Titus, we receive your letter. Titus, we hear the Word and we want to restore this relationship with you, with each other, with God. So go back, tell Paul. Go back, find Paul. I'm sure he's wondering. I'm sure he's waiting. Go find Paul." And so he did. They wanted Paul to hear about their response. This was their number one priority, an overall effect of repentance. But we also see in this verse the inward effect of repentance. There were some things that took place in their hearts that showed they were truly repentant of their sin. There are three things. It brought about a deep feeling of guilt over their sin, a deep feeling of grief over their sin, and a deep feeling of the gravity of sin. First of all, the deep feeling of guilt. He says, yea, what clearing of yourselves. Do you realize one of the first things of repentance is that you personally acknowledge your sin, you recognize it as what it is. There are some times we ignore sin in our lives. That's not so bad, that's just that little white lie, that little sin. No, even as David said, it's against Thee, and Thee only have I sinned. There's this acknowledgement and this desire to admit that wrongdoing. This is a deep feeling of guilt over sin, but it continues. There's also a deep feeling of grief. Not just the guilt, but there is this indignation, an intense feeling of displeasure. This could also be translated a vexation over your own sin. That's grief. Remember what Paul said in Romans 7.24 when he considered his own nature in light of God's nature? He said, O wretched man that I am. Has God ever brought you to that point, dealing with your own sin? That I am so wretched in the sight of God because of my sin. This is one of the fruits of true repentance. Because if you see there's nothing wrong, then there will be no desire to make it right. But no, there was this deep feeling of grief, this indignation, but also a deep feeling of gravity about sin. Yea, what fear! This can be a fear of offending Paul, but I think it's especially dealing with a fear of offending God. A fear of God that reveals the serious nature of sin against God. This fear is a fear that recognizes that sin is no light thing in our lives. It is serious. Sin is serious. The smallest sin in our life is serious. And that's why there should be no more excuses, no more ignoring of those sins, no more rationalization about those sins. There needs to be a fear. and gravity about sin. But all this shows that God's working, right? But it's not just to stay there. It's not just something that happens within it. It then is expressed. We then see in verse 11 the outward effect of repentance. Not only did it bring about these deep feelings of grief and the gravity of sin, it also brought about a renewed affection. It turns positive and turns outward. Yea, what vehement desire, he says. We found this also back in verse 7. This is part of Titus' report to Paul. This vehement desire means that there is an intense love and a renewed desire to have the relationship with Paul restored. Instead of saying, Paul, we don't want you to come back, we want you to come. And we want to have that relationship with you. There is this vehement desire for God and for fellowship with Paul. We also see a renewed ardor Yea, what zeal, he says. Again, not just a zeal for Paul, but a zeal for the Lord, a zeal for His truth, a zeal for His righteousness, and even a zeal for His service. This too was reported to Paul back in verse 7, so it was something that could be seen in their lives. The word zeal here has the idea of something that is boiling over with heat. If you've ever put a pot of water on the stove and you wanted to boil something, You know what it's all about. When you have a pot of boiling water, not only can you see it with the bubbles, but you can hear it as those bubbles pop. You can even feel it if you're too close and you get burned by some of those bubbles. And that's the idea here. They had such zeal now for the Lord because their godly sorrow led to repentance. That repentance yielded this fruit of zeal for God. You know what happens when someone truly has been repentant of sin? There's going to be a zeal that is seen in their lives, heard about in their lives, even felt in their lives more and more by others around them. You see, those who are most dedicated to the Lord, in service to the Lord, are those who have found true repentance, but even more, have found true forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the more that you recognize God's love for you, the more you will love Him in return. We love Him because He first loved us. They had a renewed dedication to the right kind of Christian worship, the right kind of Christian witness, and even the right kind of Christian walk. And then the final thing is a renewed action. Yea, what revenge? Now this is not talking about them getting back at somebody, but rather doing what God called them to do to see God's justice done. God gave that church a responsibility to deal with sin in their midst. And so, this revenge was ultimately seeing God's justice done. It meant that they performed the appropriate measures of church discipline in order to maintain purity within their church. Yes, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. But then he says, you as a church need to maintain purity within your church. And all of these things, these seven things, were clear fruits of their true repentance before God and before Paul. And that is what true repentance will look like. There's an overall diligence. There's an inward change and an outward change. But what happens when true repentance takes place in the life of a Christian? Well, we see this in the last part of verse 11. He says, in all things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. What matter? We think it was probably the matter of that fornicating person back in 1 Corinthians 5. But ultimately, true repentance brings true resolution. True repentance brings true resolution. That's what it means to be clear. The offense that they had committed was cleared up. The offense that they had committed toward God and toward Paul was cleared up. Also, true repentance brings true restoration. Restoration with God and other Christians, and this led to full forgiveness and full fellowship with them. And all this flows from the grace of God through Jesus Christ. You need to remember that God uses godly sorrow and repentance to bring you into a closer relationship with Him. So the question I want to end with today is this. Is there a need for repentance in your life today? Repentance over some sin or even some sins? Are there some sins within our own church body that there needs to be genuine, godly sorrow and repentance about? Sins that we are harboring in our own heart and harboring in our own midst. You know what Jesus says? In Matthew 3.8, bring forth fruits Meet for repentance. Have a repentance that yields the kind of fruit that we just looked at there in verse 11. And it all starts with confrontation and conviction of sin. Now there might be a personal sin in your own heart that God is going to confront, even today, through His Spirit, through His Word. How are you going to respond to that? Are you going to listen? Are you going to heed it? Is there going to be a godly Sorrow? One that recognizes His holiness and humbles yourself before Him? Are you open to the Lord today? Are you open to His Word? Are you teachable? Can you say from the heart, Psalm 139, 23 and 24, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me. That's true humility. Knowing that there is. God will point it out. private sins, personal sins will be dealt with by God through His Spirit, but then it continues. It continues not with just conviction, but also confrontation. Maybe there's been a sin in our midst, or a sin that someone had committed against you, or something that we need to confront within our families. We need to do so. But then what happens is God brings forth a godly sorrow over that sin. Not a worldly sorrow. What's a worldly sorrow like? Helix Invert. Remember the story of Naboth and his vineyard? And King Ahab wanted that vineyard, and Naboth said, no, no, this is my family's vineyard. We've had it so long. And he sulked, and he sorrowed, and he cried like a little toddler, right? He was so sad about that. That's a worldly sorrow, looking within. I don't get what I want, or maybe it's because I'm seeing the consequences of my own sin. but rather it's a godly sorrow that looks upward. Not inward, but upward to the Lord. It's a sorrow that humbles your heart under the holiness of God. Remember what Psalm 51, 17 says? The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, that wilt not despise. And then that godly sorrow will lead to true repentance. And the fruit of repentance will be seen not only by you, but by others. Someone will look at you and say, something's changed in that person. And that's true. You know what's changed? Their heart. Because of repentance. You've changed. You've changed within and without. And you're changing more and more into the image of Christ Himself. And God uses His sorrow that leads to repentance that yields this fruit that can be seen within and without. a fruit that brings you to the point of looking more like Jesus. Because, as we close in verse 10, godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation. It happens at the first point of salvation where we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, but then it leads to a fuller experience of that salvation as we live for Christ and as we look more like Christ. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. Let's close in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for this lesson on repentance and godly sorrow. And I pray, O Father, that you will put your finger upon the sins that are in our hearts that, Lord, we need to experience a God-oriented sorrow about. Because, Lord, we know that when that sorrow is experienced, that you're in it. And when we experience that sorrow, it leads to repentance. And that repentance will yield the fruit of repentance, which can be seen and felt and heard. And so, Father, I pray that there will be some repentance in our hearts and lives today about our own personal sins and offenses towards you. Perhaps, Lord, that's one of the reasons why we don't have the joy of the Lord in our hearts. Perhaps, Lord, it's because that's why we don't have the peace of God in our hearts. And so, Lord, I pray that you will grant us this gift of true sorrow that leads to true repentance that will yield true fruit that will then give us joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, I know that even in our small body here today. Lord, there might be some who have never put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their own savior from sin. And I pray that even this morning you will put your finger on their hearts and show them that they are wicked because of their sin and that sin is not a light thing. But rather, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. And so Lord, I pray that you will humble them as you show them your holiness. But Lord, I pray that you will also show them your mercy. Because as Jesus himself says, come. And Father, I pray that they will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension into heaven, and be saved. Because Lord, that is ultimately where it leads. Then, Father, I know even as Christians there is still in the altar of our hearts sometimes something that should not be there. And so, Lord, I pray that we will also likewise confess those things, knowing that you are faithful and just to forgive us of those sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And then, Lord, having been confronted of those sins, and experiencing sorrow and repentance from those sins, and now confessing those sins, we can experience the restoration of our fellowship with you. And so, Lord, I pray that we will repent and bring forth the fruits of repentance concerning our own sin. And then, Father, I pray that you will help us as a church to not be blind to the sins that are within our midst. I pray, Lord, that we will see and understand them so that we, too, can sorrow over them, repent of them, confess them, and then experience a greater growth and vitality as a body of Christ. Because, Lord, we want that candlestick, which, of course, is our Savior Jesus Christ, to remain. We want to remain a pillar and ground of truth and of faith and of love within our own community and within the overall body of Christ. So, Father, I pray that you'll help us And that you will point out any way of wickedness within us and lead us, Lord, to repentance, which is what leads us full salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask all these things in his name. Amen.