Text: 2 Corinthians 7:8-10
Memory verse:
”For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.“
II Corinthians 7:10 NKJV
Billy Graham once said, “The word repentance is sadly missing today from the average pulpit. It is a very unpopular word. The first sermon Jesus ever preached was ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
It is also the second step, after remembering where you have fallen, to come out of complacency.
To the church of Ephesus, Jesus laid emphasis on the need to repent in order to be restored (Rev 2:5).
To repent is to be sorry about the wrong things you have done and to change your mind, change the way that you are living, and determine that with God’s help, you will live for Christ. Repentance means to make a U-turn. You can’t continue to go on your former way and claim that you have repented. This change of way must be preceded by genuine remorsefulness.
Today, in trying to make the gospel attractive to sinners, many people have removed the place of penitence from repentance. Repentance has become so casual that sinners laugh, chew gums, and pocket their hands, with no sense of being sorry for their sins at the altar. This is why we have unconverted believers in the church today. They believe Jesus as the Lord, but their hearts are not converted.
David said, ”The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.“ (Psa 51:17). The CEV puts it like this, “The way to please you is to be truly sorry deep in our hearts. This is the kind of sacrifice you won’t refuse”. Did you see that? God won’t refuse this kind of sacrifice. It also means He won’t accept the prayer of someone who is not deeply sorry for his sins. No wonder God justified the tax collector. “The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, “God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.” (Luke 18:13 CEV). Can you break someone’s heart and then be laughing while you are saying sorry?
Trying to prevent, excuse or shield a believer who sinned from being disciplined, broken, and genuinely sorry for his sins is unhelpful and counterproductive. This is the message of Paul in our text. He said such sorrow should not be regretted.
Friends, God will refuse any repentance that is not accompanied by godly sorrow and a change of mind or ways.
Prayer points
1. Father, please, remove the stony heart from me and give me a broken and contrite heart in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, please, let me never refuse discipline or godly sorrow in Jesus’ name.
Today’s declarations
1. God won’t refuse my prayer when I am genuinely sorry for my wrongdoings.
2. There is no repentance without a change of mind and of actions.
Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng