March 16, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, from a chapel service held on Friday 28 February 2025, Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College, speaks on 2 Corinthians 7 and the joy that results when godly sorrow leads to godly repentance.
He points out the privilege, as well as the difficulty, of Christian ministry, and reminds us that sometimes you just have to wait, stay the course and pray.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:09):
Welcome to Moore in the Word, a podcast of Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia that seeks
to glorify God through biblically sound, thought-provoking and challenging talks and interviews.
In this episode from a chapel service held on Friday 28th of February, 2025, Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological
(00:31):
College speaks on 2 Corinthians 7, and the joy that results when godly sorrow leads to godly repentance.
He points out the privilege as well as the difficulty of Christian ministry,
and reminds us that sometimes you just have to wait,
stay the course and pray.
We hope you find the episode helpful.
(00:53):
Heavenly Father, we pray that you might take all distractions from us as we sit here under your word this morning.
Lord Jesus, we pray that through the words of your apostle, you might not only instruct our minds, but change our lives.
And this we ask for the great glory that is yours.
Amen.
(01:16):
Of all the letters of Paul, the one that most shows how invested he is in the people he is serving.
To Corinthians the Apostle Paul as much as anyone, uh, knew that the authentic Christian message is all about Jesus.
Jesus, crucified, risen, ascended, and returning.
Sent by the father to save us.
(01:39):
Anointed by the Spirit as the long promised Messiah, the son of God, who's shown to be who he is by his powerful resurrection
from the dead, the one who knew no sin becoming sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Yet, Paul also knew that authentic Christian ministry occurs in the context of real personal
(02:05):
relationships, which generate occasions of great joy and can bring great heartache as well.
Walking through life with people is an enormous privilege that I hope you will never take lightly.
The people, the Lord entrusts to your care are precious in his sight.
(02:27):
Every one of them don't forget that they are the sheep for whom the good shepherd laid down his life.
But just as a life in general, in a fallen world is messy.
So too are the personal relationships, which are the fabric of ministry.
You can't pretend they're easy all the time.
(02:50):
Paul certainly doesn't, but I do want to remind you at the start of this sermon how the chapter we're looking at this morning ends in verse 16.
I am glad I could have complete confidence in you.
So how have we come to this point?
In the letter, we know as two Corinthians, you might remember that it's at least the fourth letter that he's written to this young congregation.
(03:15):
There's been somewhat of a turbulent relationship between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian Christians.
He'd visited them.
He's written to them again and again.
He's answered their questions and he's had to rebuke and challenge them as well.
It hasn't all been easy.
Two Corinthians itself makes clear that there's been quite a lot of pain and grief on both sides.
(03:41):
The words grief or grief occur 11 times in their letter.
And then there's the words pain and painful and additional six times and words like sorrow, sadness, anguish, and despair.
So there's a lot of sadness as well as joy.
So as we look at the passage that's just read for us, um, I have, uh, three points to make this morning.
(04:05):
The first, no, Titus, sometimes you just have to wait.
Paul interrupted his account of his, uh, ongoing turbulent relationship with the Corinthian church near the end of
chapter two, and then went on a long digression about the nature of New Covenant ministry in chapters three to six.
(04:26):
But as he returns to the story of their journey together in chapter seven verse two, it's almost as if Paul is second guessing himself.
He'd sent them another letter.
One we don't have anymore, but perhaps he did press the send button a little too soon.
Perhaps he could have toned it down a little.
(04:47):
Perhaps he should have slept on it and written the next morning.
Had he overstepped the mark, would it do any good or would it just show their relationship has been irreparably damaged?
As you and I know, there was no send button.
Uh, the letter had to be hand delivered and sent with a messenger most likely on foot, and there was no prospect of an answer by close of business.
(05:12):
The next day, Paul had to wait for the letter to travel from Macedonia to Corinth for the letter to be read and digested, and more time than that too.
And then for the messenger to return before he could hear how it had gone down.
How the Corinthians had responded to his words in chapter two, verse 15, we'd left Paul in Macedonia when he arrived.
(05:38):
Titus was not there with news from Corinth or perhaps, uh, as perhaps Paul had expected he would be not yet anyway, and Paul just had to wait.
Our instant world demands instant results, but Christian ministry is not like that, is it?
(05:59):
It's not over in a flash.
Walking through life with people means taking time with them.
Sometimes responses are quick and almost immediate, but more often lasting.
Change takes time.
Time to surmount obstacles in your life.
Time to examine and discard unhealthy habits.
(06:23):
Time to fall and be raised to your feet again.
Time to realize what is entailed in your commitment to Christ.
There have been, uh, letters and emails that I sent for which I've awaited a reply impatiently and with some trepidation, uh, checking the inbox or
the mail tray regularly and waiting not sure whether what I'd written would have the effect that I'd hoped it have or something else all together.
(06:52):
It was easy for me at those points as it was for Paul to second guess myself.
Should I have written differently?
Should I have written it all?
And maybe you've been there too.
Paul waited in Macedonia.
And here's a slightly unconventional lesson to learn from Paul's experience in ministry.
(07:13):
Sometimes ministry is about waiting, and waiting is not easy.
Upfront about his anxiety as he waited in Macedonia for news from Corinth.
In the first few verses of this chapter, we hear him honestly wrestling with the doubts that went through his head.
Make room for us in your hearts.
(07:34):
We wrong.
No one we corrupted, no one.
We've exploited no one.
He reassures them of his love.
Despite the frankness of his letter, he explains his restlessness.
Yes, it had been tough in Macedonia.
The external struggle was real, but there was an even greater one within conflicts from the outside.
(07:56):
Fears within What did they think when my letter was read to them?
Will they just distance themselves from Paul even though ha, they have such a place in his heart, or will they make room for him in their heart?
Friends, it wouldn't have been a great deal.
(08:18):
It wouldn't have agitated Paul as much if he didn't care if he just thought about ministry as a job like any other.
And those he taught as customers or clients.
He waited perhaps a little less than patiently because these people meant so much to him.
(08:40):
Sometimes I think, uh, we give up on people too easily.
At least I do work with the willing and move on.
That's the saying.
We take as our model, the example of Paul earlier in his relationship with the Corinthians in Acts 18, there was a point when
Paul just had to leave the synagogue and those who opposed him there and go next door and teach in the House of TIUs justice.
(09:08):
Wipe the dust off your feet and move on.
But that was with those who did not yet follow Christ.
With the Christians in Corinth, the Church of God in Corinth, his example was different.
He took the risk.
He persevered, and he waited because these people were precious to God and precious to him.
(09:34):
So Paul's strong letter to the Corinthians could have gone either way, and Paul knew it.
He had to wait until Titus returned.
To know which way it had gone.
Sometimes you just have to wait.
But then Titus returned and everything changed.
Paul's letter had been read, and the response was a powerful demonstration of the grace of God in the lives of the Corinthian Christians.
(10:02):
So second, no regret.
Godly sorrow brings repentance.
That leads to salvation.
Paul says that on hearing the news that Titus brought him, my joy was greater than ever the God of all comfort.
As Paula described him in chapter one of this letter had comforted Paul again this time through
(10:24):
the news that Titus brought, and at this point, Paul bears his soul to them in verse eight.
Even if I caused you sorrow for my, by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while.
Yet now I am happy not because you were made, sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance for you became sorrowful as God intended.
(10:52):
And so were not harmed in any way by us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Paul's intention in writing his strong letter to the Corinthians completely aligned with God's intention.
The sharp challenge that Paul provided did sting.
(11:16):
It did bring them grief or sorrow, but it didn't stop there.
That sorrow led them to repentance.
Now repentance is a word that seems to have dropped out of much Christian conversation and even much Christian preaching,
but you might remember that it's there in the very first message Jesus preached in Mark's gospel, the time has come.
(11:42):
The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believes the good news.
Jesus told the Pharisees and teachers of the law, I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
He described the mission of his disciples in terms of repentance.
The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the
(12:05):
forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning of Jerusalem.
On the day of Pentecost, when those who heard Peter's sermon responded with brothers, what can we do?
Peter's response was repent and be baptized.
Every one of you.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
(12:29):
I can't help thinking too, though I know it's not in scripture of that document that sparked the reformation.
Martin Luther's 95 thesis, which begins when our Lord and master Jesus Christ said, repent.
He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance, and yet we speak so little of it.
(12:55):
Why is that, do you think?
Paul was elated that the stern letter he had sent to the Corinthians had resulted in their repentance.
Repentance, not just of one or two individuals within the church at Corinth, but repentance of the church itself.
(13:15):
The gathering of Christians in that place.
They needed to repent of how they had behaved towards each other when sin was
unearthed among them and how they behaved towards Paul, who challenged them on this.
Their sorrow could have led them in either of two directions.
(13:36):
Entrenched resentment against Paul and his associates for calling them out.
All godly repentance.
And they'd chosen repentance.
That is what Paul wanted.
That is why Paul rejoiced, no doubt that is what Paul had been praying for, and it's clear in verse nine that is what God intended too,
(14:00):
that they would take to heart what Paul had written and know that they'd been heading in the wrong direction and needed to turn around.
Their grief in that case would be good grief, godly sorrow.
Paul had written sternly to them.
He knew that and it had unsettled him as well as them, but he'd done it with his
(14:25):
mind set on the repentance that could only come from sorrow at their sin and sorrow.
That in turn could only come from hearing the truth as unpleasant as it was.
His mind was focused on their good, on their welfare.
He'd written the way he had not to vent his anger.
(14:46):
His stern letter was not an act of retaliation, nor was it meant to harm them in any way.
Paul's goal all along was a godly sorrow that brings repentance, that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.
I remember once hearing somebody describe how they had the gift of rebuking.
(15:12):
It's an odd thing to say, isn't it?
When you think about it, it was almost as if that person, uh, delighted in taking people to task, pointing out
their floors, exposing their mistakes in either their teaching or their living, and he was really good at it.
In contrast, Paul, as you've noticed, did not take delight in challenging the Corinthians.
(15:37):
He wasn't simply ignatious spoiling for a fight, and if there's not one coming, ill create one.
Paul wanted them to repent, so they would have no regrets.
No regrets because repentance always accompanies the salvation of sinners and is at the same time proof of it.
(15:59):
In the end, they were not harmed by Paul's letter, but they were instead greatly benefited from it.
Paul heard that their repentance was real, just as their sorrow had been godly.
He traced their earnestness, their eagerness to clear themselves, their indignation, alarm,
longing, concern, readiness to see justice done, and he summed it up with a sentence at every point.
(16:26):
You have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter, but did you notice what for Paul was the final proof?
Verse seven.
He Titus told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me.
Verse 12 before God.
(16:47):
You could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.
Whatever was the issue that caused Paul to write the harsh letter, and we just don't know though,
perhaps it had something to do with a new and negative assessment of Paul and his ministry.
The final proof that Godly sorrow had produced genuine repentance rather than mere superficial remorse, was the way they were now treating Paul.
(17:17):
They weren't bitter about the letter after all.
They weren't resentful.
They weren't drowning in self-pity and just sorry that they had to bear this.
No, they realized they needed to change and they loved Paul all the more for being God's instrument of that change.
(17:40):
Friends, how do you respond
to those who challenge you?
Who give you the negative feedback you need to hear, even those who call on you to lift your game and put your back into it and not just coast along.
How do you respond when you're told that for the gospel's sake, you need to think again
(18:03):
about how you've been doing ministry with resentment or with ardent concern and devotion.
With gratitude that the person challenging you has loved you enough to say these things to you,
and does your consistent pursuit of the welfare of those God has given you to love, mean that it's how they respond when you have to say a harsh word.
(18:35):
So first, no Titus.
Sometimes you just have to wait.
Second, no regret.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.
And finally, no doubt personal work is worth it as you rejoice in changed lives.
What was it that allowed Paul to say at the end of this chapter, I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
(19:05):
It wasn't just that chain of earnestness, eagerness, indignation, alarm, longing,
concern and readiness to see justice done that we, uh, Mo mentioned a moment ago.
It wasn't just that they now knew how devoted they were to Paul.
It wasn't just the report of them that Titus had last relayed.
(19:28):
It was in some measure the way Titus had been since he'd returned.
There was a spring in his step.
He was thrilled and had been refreshed by them even though he'd gone to Corinth as a messenger of Paul Titus had not been given the cold shoulder.
(19:48):
They'd not transferred a hostility against Paul onto Titus.
Could so easily have been a case of shooting the messenger.
Instead, he'd seen that the repentance of the Corinthians, their about face was real.
He'd seen their love and concern for Paul play out in their behavior.
(20:09):
He'd seen that the things Paul had said about them, the good things, his boasting about them were really true.
They took Titus seriously because they took Paul seriously.
That's why they received him with fear and trembling.
According to verse 15, there's an more than an echo here, isn't there?
(20:32):
Of the Lord's expectation of how all faithful people will respond when they're confronted with God's word recorded for us by Isaiah.
These are the ones I look on with favor, those who are humble and contr in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
(20:52):
I often say when I'm asked that one of the great joys of serving in this place is watching how people change over their time here,
watching the way their confidence in God's word grows and the difference it makes to the way they think and the way they live.
That is always entirely God's work, humility and trembling before God's word.
(21:19):
Is evidence that God is truly at work in us and among us.
And Titus had seen that in Corinth.
It put a spring in his step.
He returned with a greater affection for the Corinthians than when he had left to visit them.
He saw their repentance.
He saw their obedience.
(21:41):
He saw their humble trembling before God's word.
Titus's testimony to the way they responded to the word of God is what enabled Paul
to rejoice all the more and say, I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
So Christian ministry, walking alongside people as they live before God, as a disciple of Jesus, sharing God's word with them and sharing their lives.
(22:10):
Is the most extraordinary privilege you could imagine.
It brings some of the greatest joys you can imagine, but it's not always easy, and sometimes you just have to wait, stay the course and pray.
And sometimes that ministry will involve strong words being said, but the stakes are too high not to say them, even if it risks being misunderstood.
(22:39):
For godly sorrow at sin uncovered and acknowledged brings repentance and that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.
And the joy of seeing that genuine repentance played out lives changed because they have taken the
word of God seriously, is one of the very best things you can experience in Christian ministry.
(23:03):
It was like that for the Apostle Paul and Titus.
Struggle sometimes.
Yes.
But wonderful rejoicing at others as you see the work of God in people's lives.
Well, would you take a minute, uh, with me to silently thank God for those who have had the courage and love to challenge you
(23:29):
about what you've been saying, about how you've been living, or even about the way you've been conducting yourself in ministry.
And also to thank God for the work that he's done in your life because of those
challenges, godly sorrow, bringing repentance, leading to salvation, and leaving no regret.
(23:49):
Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for giving us this word, and we pray that you, by the
power of your spirit, might write it on our hearts so that it might change the way we live.
For this, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
(24:13):
Thank you for listening to Moore in the Word, a podcast of Moore Theological College.
Our vision as a College is to see God glorified by men and women living for
and proclaiming Jesus Christ, growing healthy churches and reaching the lost.
We invite you to attend any of our upcoming events, including this one from the Donald Robinson Library “Theology in the Margins”, which
(24:37):
is being held on Wednesday 26th of March from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Mark Earngey, Head of Church History, speaks on what the event is about.
In Archbishop Cranmer's famous
prayer that he wrote for the second week in Advent, he speaks of the importance
of reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting the holy Scriptures.
(25:00):
We might be familiar with reading Bibles and learning from that, but why did he emphasise marking—physically marking—up our Bibles?
We’d love you to come to Moore College on the 26th of March to find out about how the Reformers themselves
marked up their own personal Bibles and indeed learn how to do reading, marking and learning, so that we might inwardly digest God’s word even more.
(25:25):
To find out more and to register, visit the Moore College website moore.edu.au/events/ and select “Theology in the margins”.
You can find out more and register by going to the Moore College website:
(25:48):
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(26:15):
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(26:40):
The music for our podcast was provided by MarkJuly from Pixabay.
Until next time.
Welcome to Moore in the Word, a podcast of Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia that seeks
to glorify God through biblically sound, thought-provoking and challenging talks and interviews.
In this episode from a chapel service held on Friday 28th of February, 2025, Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological
(00:31):
College speaks on 2 Corinthians 7, and the joy that results when godly sorrow leads to godly repentance.
He points out the privilege as well as the difficulty of Christian ministry,
and reminds us that sometimes you just have to wait,
stay the course and pray.
We hope you find the episode helpful.
(00:53):
Heavenly Father, we pray that you might take all distractions from us as we sit here under your word this morning.
Lord Jesus, we pray that through the words of your apostle, you might not only instruct our minds, but change our lives.
And this we ask for the great glory that is yours.
Amen.
(01:16):
Of all the letters of Paul, the one that most shows how invested he is in the people he is serving.
To Corinthians the Apostle Paul as much as anyone, uh, knew that the authentic Christian message is all about Jesus.
Jesus, crucified, risen, ascended, and returning.
Sent by the father to save us.
(01:39):
Anointed by the Spirit as the long promised Messiah, the son of God, who's shown to be who he is by his powerful resurrection
from the dead, the one who knew no sin becoming sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Yet, Paul also knew that authentic Christian ministry occurs in the context of real personal
(02:05):
relationships, which generate occasions of great joy and can bring great heartache as well.
Walking through life with people is an enormous privilege that I hope you will never take lightly.
The people, the Lord entrusts to your care are precious in his sight.
(02:27):
Every one of them don't forget that they are the sheep for whom the good shepherd laid down his life.
But just as a life in general, in a fallen world is messy.
So too are the personal relationships, which are the fabric of ministry.
You can't pretend they're easy all the time.
(02:50):
Paul certainly doesn't, but I do want to remind you at the start of this sermon how the chapter we're looking at this morning ends in verse 16.
I am glad I could have complete confidence in you.
So how have we come to this point?
In the letter, we know as two Corinthians, you might remember that it's at least the fourth letter that he's written to this young congregation.
(03:15):
There's been somewhat of a turbulent relationship between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian Christians.
He'd visited them.
He's written to them again and again.
He's answered their questions and he's had to rebuke and challenge them as well.
It hasn't all been easy.
Two Corinthians itself makes clear that there's been quite a lot of pain and grief on both sides.
(03:41):
The words grief or grief occur 11 times in their letter.
And then there's the words pain and painful and additional six times and words like sorrow, sadness, anguish, and despair.
So there's a lot of sadness as well as joy.
So as we look at the passage that's just read for us, um, I have, uh, three points to make this morning.
(04:05):
The first, no, Titus, sometimes you just have to wait.
Paul interrupted his account of his, uh, ongoing turbulent relationship with the Corinthian church near the end of
chapter two, and then went on a long digression about the nature of New Covenant ministry in chapters three to six.
(04:26):
But as he returns to the story of their journey together in chapter seven verse two, it's almost as if Paul is second guessing himself.
He'd sent them another letter.
One we don't have anymore, but perhaps he did press the send button a little too soon.
Perhaps he could have toned it down a little.
(04:47):
Perhaps he should have slept on it and written the next morning.
Had he overstepped the mark, would it do any good or would it just show their relationship has been irreparably damaged?
As you and I know, there was no send button.
Uh, the letter had to be hand delivered and sent with a messenger most likely on foot, and there was no prospect of an answer by close of business.
(05:12):
The next day, Paul had to wait for the letter to travel from Macedonia to Corinth for the letter to be read and digested, and more time than that too.
And then for the messenger to return before he could hear how it had gone down.
How the Corinthians had responded to his words in chapter two, verse 15, we'd left Paul in Macedonia when he arrived.
(05:38):
Titus was not there with news from Corinth or perhaps, uh, as perhaps Paul had expected he would be not yet anyway, and Paul just had to wait.
Our instant world demands instant results, but Christian ministry is not like that, is it?
(05:59):
It's not over in a flash.
Walking through life with people means taking time with them.
Sometimes responses are quick and almost immediate, but more often lasting.
Change takes time.
Time to surmount obstacles in your life.
Time to examine and discard unhealthy habits.
(06:23):
Time to fall and be raised to your feet again.
Time to realize what is entailed in your commitment to Christ.
There have been, uh, letters and emails that I sent for which I've awaited a reply impatiently and with some trepidation, uh, checking the inbox or
the mail tray regularly and waiting not sure whether what I'd written would have the effect that I'd hoped it have or something else all together.
(06:52):
It was easy for me at those points as it was for Paul to second guess myself.
Should I have written differently?
Should I have written it all?
And maybe you've been there too.
Paul waited in Macedonia.
And here's a slightly unconventional lesson to learn from Paul's experience in ministry.
(07:13):
Sometimes ministry is about waiting, and waiting is not easy.
Upfront about his anxiety as he waited in Macedonia for news from Corinth.
In the first few verses of this chapter, we hear him honestly wrestling with the doubts that went through his head.
Make room for us in your hearts.
(07:34):
We wrong.
No one we corrupted, no one.
We've exploited no one.
He reassures them of his love.
Despite the frankness of his letter, he explains his restlessness.
Yes, it had been tough in Macedonia.
The external struggle was real, but there was an even greater one within conflicts from the outside.
(07:56):
Fears within What did they think when my letter was read to them?
Will they just distance themselves from Paul even though ha, they have such a place in his heart, or will they make room for him in their heart?
Friends, it wouldn't have been a great deal.
(08:18):
It wouldn't have agitated Paul as much if he didn't care if he just thought about ministry as a job like any other.
And those he taught as customers or clients.
He waited perhaps a little less than patiently because these people meant so much to him.
(08:40):
Sometimes I think, uh, we give up on people too easily.
At least I do work with the willing and move on.
That's the saying.
We take as our model, the example of Paul earlier in his relationship with the Corinthians in Acts 18, there was a point when
Paul just had to leave the synagogue and those who opposed him there and go next door and teach in the House of TIUs justice.
(09:08):
Wipe the dust off your feet and move on.
But that was with those who did not yet follow Christ.
With the Christians in Corinth, the Church of God in Corinth, his example was different.
He took the risk.
He persevered, and he waited because these people were precious to God and precious to him.
(09:34):
So Paul's strong letter to the Corinthians could have gone either way, and Paul knew it.
He had to wait until Titus returned.
To know which way it had gone.
Sometimes you just have to wait.
But then Titus returned and everything changed.
Paul's letter had been read, and the response was a powerful demonstration of the grace of God in the lives of the Corinthian Christians.
(10:02):
So second, no regret.
Godly sorrow brings repentance.
That leads to salvation.
Paul says that on hearing the news that Titus brought him, my joy was greater than ever the God of all comfort.
As Paula described him in chapter one of this letter had comforted Paul again this time through
(10:24):
the news that Titus brought, and at this point, Paul bears his soul to them in verse eight.
Even if I caused you sorrow for my, by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while.
Yet now I am happy not because you were made, sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance for you became sorrowful as God intended.
(10:52):
And so were not harmed in any way by us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Paul's intention in writing his strong letter to the Corinthians completely aligned with God's intention.
The sharp challenge that Paul provided did sting.
(11:16):
It did bring them grief or sorrow, but it didn't stop there.
That sorrow led them to repentance.
Now repentance is a word that seems to have dropped out of much Christian conversation and even much Christian preaching,
but you might remember that it's there in the very first message Jesus preached in Mark's gospel, the time has come.
(11:42):
The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believes the good news.
Jesus told the Pharisees and teachers of the law, I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
He described the mission of his disciples in terms of repentance.
The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the
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forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning of Jerusalem.
On the day of Pentecost, when those who heard Peter's sermon responded with brothers, what can we do?
Peter's response was repent and be baptized.
Every one of you.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
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I can't help thinking too, though I know it's not in scripture of that document that sparked the reformation.
Martin Luther's 95 thesis, which begins when our Lord and master Jesus Christ said, repent.
He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance, and yet we speak so little of it.
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Why is that, do you think?
Paul was elated that the stern letter he had sent to the Corinthians had resulted in their repentance.
Repentance, not just of one or two individuals within the church at Corinth, but repentance of the church itself.
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The gathering of Christians in that place.
They needed to repent of how they had behaved towards each other when sin was
unearthed among them and how they behaved towards Paul, who challenged them on this.
Their sorrow could have led them in either of two directions.
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Entrenched resentment against Paul and his associates for calling them out.
All godly repentance.
And they'd chosen repentance.
That is what Paul wanted.
That is why Paul rejoiced, no doubt that is what Paul had been praying for, and it's clear in verse nine that is what God intended too,
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that they would take to heart what Paul had written and know that they'd been heading in the wrong direction and needed to turn around.
Their grief in that case would be good grief, godly sorrow.
Paul had written sternly to them.
He knew that and it had unsettled him as well as them, but he'd done it with his
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mind set on the repentance that could only come from sorrow at their sin and sorrow.
That in turn could only come from hearing the truth as unpleasant as it was.
His mind was focused on their good, on their welfare.
He'd written the way he had not to vent his anger.
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His stern letter was not an act of retaliation, nor was it meant to harm them in any way.
Paul's goal all along was a godly sorrow that brings repentance, that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.
I remember once hearing somebody describe how they had the gift of rebuking.
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It's an odd thing to say, isn't it?
When you think about it, it was almost as if that person, uh, delighted in taking people to task, pointing out
their floors, exposing their mistakes in either their teaching or their living, and he was really good at it.
In contrast, Paul, as you've noticed, did not take delight in challenging the Corinthians.
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He wasn't simply ignatious spoiling for a fight, and if there's not one coming, ill create one.
Paul wanted them to repent, so they would have no regrets.
No regrets because repentance always accompanies the salvation of sinners and is at the same time proof of it.
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In the end, they were not harmed by Paul's letter, but they were instead greatly benefited from it.
Paul heard that their repentance was real, just as their sorrow had been godly.
He traced their earnestness, their eagerness to clear themselves, their indignation, alarm,
longing, concern, readiness to see justice done, and he summed it up with a sentence at every point.
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You have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter, but did you notice what for Paul was the final proof?
Verse seven.
He Titus told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me.
Verse 12 before God.
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You could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.
Whatever was the issue that caused Paul to write the harsh letter, and we just don't know though,
perhaps it had something to do with a new and negative assessment of Paul and his ministry.
The final proof that Godly sorrow had produced genuine repentance rather than mere superficial remorse, was the way they were now treating Paul.
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They weren't bitter about the letter after all.
They weren't resentful.
They weren't drowning in self-pity and just sorry that they had to bear this.
No, they realized they needed to change and they loved Paul all the more for being God's instrument of that change.
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Friends, how do you respond
to those who challenge you?
Who give you the negative feedback you need to hear, even those who call on you to lift your game and put your back into it and not just coast along.
How do you respond when you're told that for the gospel's sake, you need to think again
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about how you've been doing ministry with resentment or with ardent concern and devotion.
With gratitude that the person challenging you has loved you enough to say these things to you,
and does your consistent pursuit of the welfare of those God has given you to love, mean that it's how they respond when you have to say a harsh word.
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So first, no Titus.
Sometimes you just have to wait.
Second, no regret.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.
And finally, no doubt personal work is worth it as you rejoice in changed lives.
What was it that allowed Paul to say at the end of this chapter, I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
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It wasn't just that chain of earnestness, eagerness, indignation, alarm, longing,
concern and readiness to see justice done that we, uh, Mo mentioned a moment ago.
It wasn't just that they now knew how devoted they were to Paul.
It wasn't just the report of them that Titus had last relayed.
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It was in some measure the way Titus had been since he'd returned.
There was a spring in his step.
He was thrilled and had been refreshed by them even though he'd gone to Corinth as a messenger of Paul Titus had not been given the cold shoulder.
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They'd not transferred a hostility against Paul onto Titus.
Could so easily have been a case of shooting the messenger.
Instead, he'd seen that the repentance of the Corinthians, their about face was real.
He'd seen their love and concern for Paul play out in their behavior.
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He'd seen that the things Paul had said about them, the good things, his boasting about them were really true.
They took Titus seriously because they took Paul seriously.
That's why they received him with fear and trembling.
According to verse 15, there's an more than an echo here, isn't there?
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Of the Lord's expectation of how all faithful people will respond when they're confronted with God's word recorded for us by Isaiah.
These are the ones I look on with favor, those who are humble and contr in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
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I often say when I'm asked that one of the great joys of serving in this place is watching how people change over their time here,
watching the way their confidence in God's word grows and the difference it makes to the way they think and the way they live.
That is always entirely God's work, humility and trembling before God's word.
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Is evidence that God is truly at work in us and among us.
And Titus had seen that in Corinth.
It put a spring in his step.
He returned with a greater affection for the Corinthians than when he had left to visit them.
He saw their repentance.
He saw their obedience.
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He saw their humble trembling before God's word.
Titus's testimony to the way they responded to the word of God is what enabled Paul
to rejoice all the more and say, I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
So Christian ministry, walking alongside people as they live before God, as a disciple of Jesus, sharing God's word with them and sharing their lives.
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Is the most extraordinary privilege you could imagine.
It brings some of the greatest joys you can imagine, but it's not always easy, and sometimes you just have to wait, stay the course and pray.
And sometimes that ministry will involve strong words being said, but the stakes are too high not to say them, even if it risks being misunderstood.
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For godly sorrow at sin uncovered and acknowledged brings repentance and that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.
And the joy of seeing that genuine repentance played out lives changed because they have taken the
word of God seriously, is one of the very best things you can experience in Christian ministry.
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It was like that for the Apostle Paul and Titus.
Struggle sometimes.
Yes.
But wonderful rejoicing at others as you see the work of God in people's lives.
Well, would you take a minute, uh, with me to silently thank God for those who have had the courage and love to challenge you
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about what you've been saying, about how you've been living, or even about the way you've been conducting yourself in ministry.
And also to thank God for the work that he's done in your life because of those
challenges, godly sorrow, bringing repentance, leading to salvation, and leaving no regret.
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Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for giving us this word, and we pray that you, by the
power of your spirit, might write it on our hearts so that it might change the way we live.
For this, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
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Thank you for listening to Moore in the Word, a podcast of Moore Theological College.
Our vision as a College is to see God glorified by men and women living for
and proclaiming Jesus Christ, growing healthy churches and reaching the lost.
We invite you to attend any of our upcoming events, including this one from the Donald Robinson Library “Theology in the Margins”, which
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is being held on Wednesday 26th of March from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Mark Earngey, Head of Church History, speaks on what the event is about.
In Archbishop Cranmer's famous
prayer that he wrote for the second week in Advent, he speaks of the importance
of reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting the holy Scriptures.
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We might be familiar with reading Bibles and learning from that, but why did he emphasise marking—physically marking—up our Bibles?
We’d love you to come to Moore College on the 26th of March to find out about how the Reformers themselves
marked up their own personal Bibles and indeed learn how to do reading, marking and learning, so that we might inwardly digest God’s word even more.
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To find out more and to register, visit the Moore College website moore.edu.au/events/ and select “Theology in the margins”.
You can find out more and register by going to the Moore College website:
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moore.edu.au.
That's moore.edu au.
If you have not already done so, we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast
through your favourite podcast platform so that you'll never miss an episode.
For past episodes, further resources, and to make a tax deductible, donation to support the
work of the College and its mission, please visit our website at moore.edu.au.
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If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend and leave a review on your platform of choice.
We always benefit from feedback from our listeners, so if you'd like to get in touch, you can email us at comms@moore.edu.au.
The Moore in the Word podcast was edited and produced by me, Karen Beilharz and the Communications Team at Moore Theological College.
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The music for our podcast was provided by MarkJuly from Pixabay.
Until next time.
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