Godly Sorrow

Hello Everyone,

Charles Spurgeon said: “Repentance is to leave The sin we loved before, And show that we in earnest grieve By doing so no more.”

Paul rejoiced when writing to the Corinthian Church, not because his letters to the Corinthian church made them feel bad, but because the letters forced them to deal with the issues they faced on a personal level as well as on a church level.

They certainly had plenty of issues to deal with! Look with me at some of them:
(1) There were divisions in the church (a difference of opinion; disagreement) …I believe it the way Paul teaches it, I believe it the way Cephas teaches it … carpet blue/green, she should teach/sing, no, he should)
(2) There were “super saints” in the church trying to run the show.Did you know that super saints usually don’t run anything?
They are usually the one who do the praying, fasting, working, and giving without wanting any recognition.
(3) There was sexual immorality in the lives of the church members– wrong relationships…
(4) Lawsuits among the members – wouldn’t obey Scripture to deal with their problems so they turned to the world.
(5) Marital problems.
(6) These were just a few of the problems down at Corinth Assembly of God Church

There has not been much change in the church today.

I believe if they could have then, and if we could now, follow the one another commands found in the Word, we could all spend less time around the altars repenting and more time receiving the blessings of God on our lives.

To mention a few;
John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Instead of fighting, envious, jealous)
Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Rom 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Gal 5:13 …by love serve one another. (What can I do to make your relationship better with Jesus?)
Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Tolerating)
Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
1Thes 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thes 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, ( instruct one another in such a way as to improve, enlighten, or uplift morally and spiritually)
Heb 3:13 But encourage one another daily, (urge earnestly by godly advice)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

So, Paul rejoiced, not because his letters to the Corinthian church made them feel bad, but because the letters forced them to deal with the issues they faced on a personal level as well as on a church level.There is a difference between “godly” sorrow, and “worldly” sorrow – “worldly” says, “I am sorry that I got caught!” – “godly” says, “now that God has helped me see these sins, I must do something about them?”

God doesn’t just want to make us feel guilty about our personal sins; He wants us to deal with them! He doesn’t just say, “I think I’ll let you squirm for a little while, and then I’ll let you off the hook!” God comes to us and says, “What are you going to do about this sin? Do you realize that it is affecting our relationship with each other?”

Are there issues that God wants you to deal with today? (Personal sins) He is waiting all we have to do is draw close to Him and He will draw close to us.

All for Jesus
Pastor Phil