II Corinthians 7:2-16

Good morning to you, uh, wherever you are watching this from.

Uh, warm welcome to you.

My name's Duncan.

If you don't know me, uh so good to be able to come together and to dive back into 2 Corinthians.

Uh, that's where we will be.

The passage has just been read.

So please do, if you have that on a phone or in a physical Bible, please keep that open.

Uh, we're going to be walking through that passage today.

But before we come, let me just once more pray for us and this time together.

Loving Father, I thank you so much that as we come before you, that you know us and you love us.

I thank you for your son Jesus Christ.

And I pray as we consider this passage, as we consider our reconciliation with you and our reconciliation that we can have with others, that you would comfort us, that you would assure us in our faith.

I pray for those who who have broken relationships in their lives, who have longed for reconciliation.

Would you comfort them today as they listen?

Would your words speak with power and authority?

And would you help us to see you more clearly and love you more fully?

For your namesake and your glory.

Amen.

As we come, uh, as I said today, we're back in 2 Corinthians, and in our passage, we find Paul once again encouraging the church at Corinth in their reconciliation toward him.

Paul has just warned them about their relationships with non-Christians, how how easy it can be for us to be shaped by those around us, how easy it can be to allow our culture to shape how we act and behave.

But for Christians, for us as Christians, we should live distinct lives.

And Paul has been encouraging them to live in a way that displays the gospel, that displays and reveals truth.

And now Paul wants to once again affirm this church in their reconciliation to Him, to encourage them that true reconciliation is still possible.

I know as we come this morning, as you watch this from wherever you're watching this, that if I were to ask you to consider a relationship in which you experienced hurt and pain through another person, it would not take long for you to consider someone.

To have in your mind a relationship that has broken down, a relationship that has fallen apart.

For some of you right now, as I even just say this, in your mind, you have that situation, you have that person.

Because sadly, we all know what it is to experience brokenness in our relationships with those in our lives, the pain, the hurt that it can cause, the anxiety that we can feel in the middle of it, the confusion that can come, wondering how has it ended up like this?

How have we gotten to this point?

When we look in our culture and our society, sadly we find that we live in a very divisive culture.

There are so many examples of broken relationships around us.

If you are on Twitter, you will know this all too well.

You don't need to search Twitter to find arguments and disagreements.

Compassion, humility, grace, love seem utterly alien in these situations.

Arrogance, anger, hatred, selfishness rule and dominate when disagreement happens.

The saddest truth, I think, for us, as we reflect, as we consider this, is the church that we are not removed from it.

Sadly, too often, our current church culture, we see disagreements and arguments arise too often.

And instead of grace, instead of love, instead of thinking the best of the other person, people are so willing and eager to tear down their brother and sister in Christ, ready to reveal their prideful, arrogant heart.

Yet this is not what the gospel does.

The gospel brings and invites us into true reconciliation.

The gospel makes possible for enemies to become brothers.

For the gospel makes possible for lasting restoration of relationships.

And this is what we see here in 2 Corinthians 7.

Paul shows us four marks, four marks of gospel reconciliation.

By displaying grace, recognizing concern, celebrating repentance and rejoicing in faith.

Let me say them again: displaying grace, recognizing concern, celebrating repentance, and rejoicing in faith.

Displaying grace.

Paul, as we know, has walked with this church for a long time.

He started this church, he has previously written to this church, he has visited this church, and here we come to him once again writing to them, expressing his continual love, his continual grace that he has been showing and revealing toward them.

Verse 2 sets the tone for our passage.

Paul writes this in verse 2 make room in your hearts for us.

We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

He wants to lay out for them as clear as possible that throughout everything, through the rejection of him, through his painful visit, which he has spoken of, through each letter he has written, he has acted with a gospel heart toward them.

He has not allowed the pain they have caused him to build in his own heart bitterness toward them.

You can imagine how easy it would have been after all he had done to serve and care and love this church, these Christians, how easy it would have been for him to be bitter, to treat them in the ways they have treated him.

But the reality is that the gospel displays to us that even when we are wronged, even when we are mistreated, that does not give us license to respond badly, to respond sinfully, to seek to justify our bitterness toward those who have wronged us, those who have caused us pain and hurt.

Paul will not allow the sin of others to produce a sinful response, but rather he displays grace at each point.

Even as he writes about the ways he has continually shown his desire for them, even in this moment, he does not write to heap guilt upon them.

Look down at verse 3.

I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts.

Do you hear the love he has for them?

At this point, for these Christians, as they would have heard this, it would be easy for them to feel just overwhelmed by guilt and shame.

But even at this stage, Paul continues to desire that they know that he is for them, that nothing can stop him from showing love, concern, grace, and patience towards them.

Because this is what the gospel does.

This is the transforming power of the gospel upon broken relationships.

And it is beautiful.

It can be so easy for us, can it?

To justify ourselves when we have been wronged, to believe the lie that it is okay to hold on to bitterness, it is okay that I hate them.

It is okay for me to speak badly about them.

It is okay for me to reject this relationship, to just act as though it is done with and it is on them.

Brother, sister, that is not the gospel at work.

That is sin ruling and reigning in our lives.

That is our pain and hurt causing us to hold on to a sinful attitude toward that person, to think certain things when they are mentioned or when they come to mind, to feel certain things when we consider them.

Because what Paul displays is an identity that is secure in Christ.

That it is when we fully know who we are in Christ, when we realize and embrace the gospel, we are able to love freely, we are able to forgive even when forgiveness is not sought, we are able to pursue continually.

Because is this not what Christ has done for us?

Is this not what we so desperately need, not just when we came to faith, but daily, moment by moment?

What if Jesus treated us how we treat others?

What if Jesus took every moment we have rejected him and gave us what we deserved?

What if Jesus took every horrible thing, every horrible word we have spoken, revealing our hatred of him and gave us what we deserved?

What if Jesus took every time we believed we knew best and gave us what we deserved?

Praise the Lord that he is not like us.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The truth for you and I is that if we do not allow the gospel to shape our relationships for grace to reign in the brokenness of hurt and pain that we have felt and experienced, we will be robbed of joy.

We will be robbed of knowing the life-giving power of Jesus Christ Himself.

It will eat us from the inside.

We will feel horrible as we are controlled by our hurt and pain, by our anger and bitterness.

Paul gives us an example, an example of the gospel-bearing fruit.

I know exactly what it is to experience deep hurt at the failings of others.

I have been in those situations and the eternal wrestle that takes place, the wide range of emotions that are felt.

And I know that there is nothing more I need than to embrace the gospel of grace and allow it to soften and to heal my broken heart.

A number of years ago, there was a situation in my family, a very painful situation.

And I don't need to go into all the details, that doesn't matter, but someone had caused great pain to a close family member.

And in their actions, they had caused pain throughout our family.

They were someone who had professed faith, who who said that they believed the gospel.

They believed what God had said.

And in many ways, it felt as though it was so surreal.

It was as if it wasn't really happening.

It was as if it was a life that was being played out before me.

One evening there was a conversation, and they basically shared more things that they had done.

And I rang them, and I can even picture now where I was stood when I was on the phone to them.

And I spoke to them for some time on the phone, and I said to them on that conversation, I said, you know what, I'm struggling to love you right now.

Really, part of me just wants to hate you and hurt you, to actually hurt you.

Yet I ended up pleading with them, desperate that they would stop, that they would not go down this road, because I know that this road will only lead to destruction, that there is no joy, no hope for them, but only death.

If they do not turn in repentance and faith.

Now, as I say this, as I share this, I'm not trying to paint a picture of me being better than I am, because I'm not.

But to share what God did in my life, to share how God opened up my eyes to see that I was not better than them, I was not more righteous than them, I was not less sinless than them.

But it was only because of God's grace I had not fallen as they had fallen.

It was only because of God's grace that I was able to express genuine love toward them.

Because in myself, I only wanted to be bad for them.

In myself, I only wanted to hurt them.

Brother, sister, if you have held bitterness towards someone, if you, as you as I've been just sharing and speaking, you you have in mind that person, you you feel that bitterness.

But don't just ignore that.

Acknowledge God is revealing something to you.

God longs that you might be free, free from that, free to love, free to forgive, free to experience peace in the midst of brokenness, to no longer be shaped by that.

Because the truth is, if you do not bring your wounds to the feet of the one who bears his wounds for you, then it will continually impact your present.

It will continually shape you as you go through life.

That hurt and pain will not stay in the past.

You might be watching, and maybe you are desperate for this.

Maybe you you're like, yes, I long for the gospel to to penetrate to impact.

Hear me, this isn't just a quick fix.

It can take time, it can take a long time of allowing the gospel to take its root in our lives for healing to take place.

But if you are desperate and you just don't know how to start, please reach out to a mature brother and sister in Christ, someone who you see is as best they can walking in godliness, pursuing Christ, who has wisdom and maturity in Christ, that they can seek to love you and care for you, that they can seek to ask good questions that expose your heart to yourself, that expose your heart to the gospel to find healing and restoration.

Paul, as he speaks to this church, displays grace and he recognizes concern.

In the relationship between Paul and this church, a major part of his letter is affirming their reconciliation.

This letter is wanting to help them.

You can imagine them waiting for Paul, waiting to hear where he is at, waiting to understand what he is thinking.

And as he writes, he wants them to know how their concern has been received.

Look at the second half of verse five.

We were afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within.

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, but not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you.

As he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoice still more.

You see, what he is doing is he wants to let them know that their concern for him was received with rejoicing.

That Paul did not just hear about their concern, and because all they had already done received it with skepticism.

Paul didn't just hear about their longing, their mourning, their zeal, and think, yeah, right, as if, as if they really care.

No, Paul is rejoicing, hearing words that speak of the work of the gospel in their lives.

That their concern is showing, is revealing the unity they have toward Paul.

That it is only the gospel that can bring this sort of restoration, this reconciliation, that from their rejection of him to now their deep longing after him, desiring that his affliction would end, that God would move, and that the work that God would work to restore Paul.

Because true reconciliation brings renewed concern.

You cannot say that you are reconciled to someone and yet show indifference when you hear about their suffering.

That if you truly are reconciled toward someone, when you hear about their suffering, you're grieved, you're sorrowful.

Because this is what the gospel produces: a compassionate heart toward even our enemies, hearts that overflow with love and grace, hearts that overflow with genuine concern.

And for Paul, he wants them to know he is rejoicing that God has used them, God has used them to bring such comfort in the midst of their affliction.

Simply for us, as we consider this, it will be clear whether we are walking in line with the gospel in our relationships, in how we respond to those who have wronged us.

If I hear of someone who has wronged me doing badly, and my heart attitude is, well, serves them right, that is not a heart captured by the gospel.

Especially if that is a brother or sister in Christ.

We should grieve for them when suffering comes their way.

Do not allow sin to deceive you, to rob you of the freedom of love, the freedom to love them.

Paul goes on to celebrate repentance.

When we consider our culture, this idea of reconciliation is rejected.

The possibility for people to realize and accept their error is either flattened or unforgivable.

It's flattened because, on one hand, there is an acceptance toward those who have done wrong when they place the blame upon something else, upon other factors.

Instead of owning their mistakes, they can't help what they did.

They are not responsible.

It was out of their control.

They became victims.

They become victims in the narrative.

They become the individual who was helpless toward external forces, and because of those external forces, what else do you expect?

On the other hand, you have a culture that deems whether someone can truly be accepted again after they've made mistakes.

Cancel culture is a word and a term we use now, which is crazy when you think about it.

It has become embedded into how we consider those who say or something do something that we don't agree with.

How if you say something that is not what the wider culture deems as acceptable, you are done.

There is no longer a place for you.

Both reveal a pride of humanity, we both show a lack of wisdom, a lack of grace, a lack of love.

Because the gospel does neither.

That there is a difference between grief and godly grief.

And in this, Paul celebrates their repentance, knowing that the grief they experienced was godly grief.

Grief that brings transformation and restoration.

The fact is they saw their sin for what it was, but that did not cause them to be crippled by it.

It did not cause them to just be undone by guilt and shame, but it drove them back to the gospel.

It drove them to the one who stands ready and able to forgive Jesus Christ Himself.

True reconciliation celebrates repentance.

When we see brothers and sisters in sin, our attitude, our heart toward them should be a longing not to cause pain, but a longing to see, to see them restored, that they would hear the truth that is being spoken, that they would be convicted to the heart and know that the gospel in which we hold to continues to offer assurance toward them.

In our brokenness, when we come, we are being met by undeserved, unreserved forgiveness of our Savior.

How sweet is that, how beautiful and glorious it is.

I'm not sure I know a sweeter, more joyful experience than seeing the gospel bringing repentance in the life of someone.

One of my greatest privileges is being able to see God do this in people's lives and seeing hearts turning back toward him.

I don't know if I can consider anything more glorious, more precious, more beautiful than this.

And as Paul encourages this church, he wants them to know how he celebrates their repentance.

This is our pattern, this is the goal of confronting sin.

Matthew 18 says this if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

What will stop us from stepping into this is not love but self-love.

A fear of what might be said, a fear of how we might be treated.

But if we truly see and love other Christians as we ought, this should be pursued.

We do not hunt for people's sin, but when we see it, we enter in, we step in with grace and point them back to the gospel, longing that we might rejoice with them once more.

Rejoicing because it is only the gospel that can produce this sort of reconciliation like this.

Finally, Paul rejoices in faith.

Throughout this passage, this theme of rejoicing, rejoicing in their faith has been evident.

I'm sure you may be picked up on it.

Verse 4, I am overflowing with joy.

Verse 7, I rejoice still more.

Verse 9, I rejoice.

Verse 13, we rejoice still more.

Verse 16, I rejoice.

At each point, the joy experienced is a result of faith being revealed.

That as you consider Paul in how long he has known this church, how much he has longed for their good, they're flourishing.

And as he sees and hears about their faith, he can't but rejoice.

He is overjoyed by the gospel being experienced and expressed in the lives of these Christians.

That they need to realize Paul in his heart is confident in them.

Look at verse 16.

I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.

This is not confidence that we see around us.

This is not a lie that says, I just want you to believe in yourself.

I just want to see that you in yourself are perfect.

You're fine just as you are.

That is not what Paul is saying.

He is not rejoicing like that.

This confidence is rooted in the signs of the gospel at work in these Christians.

This confidence is rooted in the Lord Jesus who declares all who are his will bear fruit.

Confidence in their godly concern for him, confidence in their godly grief, confidence in their testimony.

As Paul concludes, this is what he's talking about.

He shares how, as a gospel community, the testimony of their faithfulness has reached him through Titus.

Look at verse 13.

Therefore, we are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoice still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

Verse 15, his afflict affection, his affection for you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of you all, how he how you received him with fear and trembling.

Paul in his mind knows that reconciliation is at work between him and the church at Corinth.

His joy is not merely rooted in the restoration of their relationship, but the restoration of the gospel being trusted and lived out among them.

It is with joy Paul writes these words, with full confidence that there is no doubt in his mind at the work that Christ has done in and through them.

The opposite of rejoicing here would be envying.

Hearing this testimony from Titus, how God has been using them.

If Paul did not truly have a reconciled relationship, he would envy, he would feel bitterness.

Why are you thinking about these people in this way?

Why are you saying these things?

Why are you speaking about their faith, their ministry?

It reveals a heart that is not allowing the gospel to shape us.

When we hear about people's faith who have wronged us, if our heart is one of envy, one of how could you say that about them, not wanting that to be said about them when God is at work in them, that shows that we are not shaped by the gospel.

Gospel reconciliation brings deep joy in the other person.

Gospel reconciliation delights in the signs of fruitfulness in the gospel being lived out in their lives.

There should be nothing greater for us than celebrating the gospel at work in the lives of people.

To be able to hear how the Lord would use them for his name's sake.

Because it is this gospel that has brought us true reconciliation.

That we who were enemies, we who hated God, we who loved what was evil, would be brought near, and not just near, but declared children of the living God, given an inheritance that is eternal and unfading, chosen and loved.

This is the gospel.

That can cause a heart of bitterness to overflow with forgiveness, love, and grace.

So, brother, sister, be captured by the beauty and the wonder of the gospel once more.

Allow that to shape you as and to enable you to know true reconciliation.

Let me pray for us.

Loving Father, I know that when we think about relationships around us, people who have wronged and hurt and caused deep pain.

For some of us right now, we we feel the weight of that, we feel the burden of that, we feel the different emotions that we have inside of us toward them.

And I know that your gospel brings freedom, that you long for us to be free from these things.

You long for your gospel to penetrate our heart, to bring a transformation that gives us a freedom to love, to forgive, to be at peace.

So I pray for my brothers and sisters, right now, wherever they are, wherever they are sat, would you by your spirit minister to them?

Would you release them from the bondage of pain and hurt, from the bondage of anger that has been built up?

And to experience your grace once more, to know your love and your forgiveness that has never failed them and will never fail them.

In your beautiful name I pray and for your glory.

Amen.

Amen.