Let us turn then to God's Word
in the portion of Holy Scripture we read, directing you to words
that we have here in 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. For Godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world
worketh death. In 2 Corinthians 7, 10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world
worketh death. And the subject matter that I
want to address is that of evangelical repentance that is real true
repentance what we term evangelical repentance but first to just
remind you a little of the context I did make some reference to
it when we read through the passage as I said Paul is dealing with
a matter of church discipline in the church at Corinth And
we see that from what he says in verses 8 and 9. The information that Titus is
able to bring back to him. He sent Titus to Corinth. Previous to that he'd written
and addressed the matter of immorality. And as I say here, He's pleased now to see how they've
handled this matter. Verse 8, Though I made you sorry
with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent. For I perceived
that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but
for a season. Now I rejoice not that ye were
made sorry, but that ye sorrow to repentance. For ye were made
sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us
in nothing, he says. And then, again at verse 12,
Wherefore though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause
that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the
wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might
appear unto you. And he speaks, you see, of the
two individuals, one who had caused the wrong, one who had
suffered the wrong and the incident is spoken of quite specifically
in the first epistle to Corinth and there in the opening part
of chapter 5 and it was a matter of incest really it is reported
commonly that there is fornication among you and such fornication
as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should
have his father's wife that's not his mother this would be
another woman but it was his father's wife and he are puffed
up and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed
might be taken away from among you for I verily as absent in
body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were
present concerning him that hath so done this deed And then he
tells them, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are
gathered together in my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus
Christ, to deliver such and one unto Satan, for the destruction
of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus. To be delivered to Satan, that
means they're put out of the church. They're excluded from
the company of God's people. and the cause of course there
is a matter of immorality but it might also be necessary sometimes
to take such drastic action because of heresy because of false teachings we read of those who were disciplined
for such a cause as that In 1st Timothy 1.20, Hymenaeus and Alexander,
Paul says, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn
not to blaspheme. They were denying the doctrine
of the resurrection. So, Paul is concerned for ordering
the churches of Jesus Christ. And one of the marks of the true
Church of Christ, of course, is attendance to that matter
of church discipline. these things are not to be winked
at, they are to be handled and they are to be handled wisely
and they are to be handled tenderly because ultimately the purpose
of the discipline is that the offender might be restored, that
the man might be brought to see the error of his way and know
a real repentance of the evil that he has done. And he is concerned,
you see, lest the Corinthians are being too heavy-handed in
dealing with this matter. He says in chapter 2 and verse
6, sufficient as such a man is this punishment which was inflicted
of many, so that contrarywise you ought rather to forgive him
and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed
up with overmuch sorrow. wherefore I beseech you that
you would confirm your love toward him this is the context of the
things that he is writing about here in this seventh chapter
but as I said I really want to take this tenth verse for a text
and from what we're reading here to deal with the subject of repentance,
evangelical repentance. For godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world
worketh death. That godly sorrow that is so
much bound up with that real repentance. There are of course
in a sense different types of repentance that are spoken of
here in scripture. There is a repentance that we
might say is quite natural. There is national repentance,
we read of that in the book of the prophet Jonah where he is
commanded to go to Nineveh and to declare to the Ninevites God's
judgments that are going to fall upon them but there is national
repentance there. and the Ninevites are spared
when we come to the New Testament remember the ministry of the
Apostle recorded in Acts chapter 17 we see him at Athens and he's
preaching to the Greek philosophers and so forth and he reminds them
really I suppose of what God's dealings were of old he was interested only really in the
people of Israel. You only have I known of all
the families of the earth, he says to Israel. But with the
coming of the Lord Jesus, how matters have changed. God had
left the Gentile nations to their own devices, to their idolatrous
ways. But what does the Apostle say
there in Acts 17, 30 at Athens? The times of this ignorance God
winked at, he says. referring to his dealings in
the Old Testament, where he's taken up only with Israel. The
times of this ignorance amongst the Gentiles God is winter, but
now he commands all men everywhere to repent. Men are to repent
of their foolish ways, their idolatrous ways. That's not necessarily
evangelical repentance that he's speaking of there. But God's
word is to go to all the nations. And they are to hear what God
is saying. We know how the ministry of the
Lord Jesus Christ, of course, is introduced by the preaching
of John the Baptist. And John the Baptist is one who's
preaching repentance. This is that that ushers in the
day of grace, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are
these various types of repentance that we see spoken of in scripture,
but we're going to consider something of this evangelical repentance. First of all, we have to notice
there's a contrast between that and what can only be described
of as false repentance. he says at the end of the text
the sorrow of the world worketh death the sorrow of the world
and we certainly have examples of that we see it for example
in the matter of the Pharaoh under the judgments of God that
came by the hand of his servant Moses when Moses is sent to be
the deliverer of the children of Israel And remember how there
are those occasions that judgments come and we seem to see some
repentance on the part of Pharaoh, but it's only the sorrow of the
world, it's not a real and a genuine repentance. For example, if you
turn to Exodus chapter 9, Exodus 9 and there at verses 27 and
28, There are other passages we might
look at, but turning for an example to that that's recorded in chapter
9 of Exodus and verses 27 and 28, Pharaoh sends and calls to
Moses and Aaron and says unto them, I have sinned. I have sinned
this time. The Lord is righteous. I and
my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord for it is enough. that there be no more mighty
thunderings and hail, and I will let you go and shall stay no
longer." But then, what do we read at the end of the chapter?
The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children
of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. He appears to
have had a change of mind, he appears to be repenting of his
wicked ways, confessing his wicked ways, but he doesn't last. It's simply the sorrow of the
world. We see it also, don't we, when
we think of the one who betrays the Lord Jesus Christ. The account
that we have of Judas Iscariot. There, at the end of Matthew's
Gospel, in Matthew 27, 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed
him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought
again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent
blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to it. And he cast down the pieces of
silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. He commits self-murder. There's
no real repentance. There's just the sorrow of the
world. He's feeling sorry for himself
for realizing what he has done, but there's no genuineness in
his conduct. He commits self-murder. I suppose
the prime example in many ways that we have in scripture with
regards to a repentance that's false is that of Esau, the case
of Esau. And remember how Paul takes it
up, he speaks of it there in the 12th chapter of the Hebrew
epistle. Verse 16, lest there be any fornicator
or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright. For ye know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited, the blessing he was rejected.
For he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears. What a sad case is that of Esau,
the brother, the twin brother. of Jacob. He was grieved at what
he has done but the grief centered only in himself and what he had
lost. Failing to recognize he has despised
the birthright. We read of it there in the 27th
chapter of the book of Genesis. There are these accounts then
where we see some having a sorrow that seems to indicate there
is genuine repentance but is nothing more than remorse. The sorrow of the world. And
the sorrow of the world worketh death. But what is the content? What is that that constitutes
true repentance? Well, we're told here that godly
sorrow work as repentance to salvation, not to be repented
of. And it's interesting to examine
the particular word that is used throughout the New Testament
with regards to this repentance. I think I said before, it's a
combination really of two words, two words welded together. It's the word mind or thought
with the prefix after. Afterthought we might say. That
would be one way of translating it. It's an afterthought. Repentance. It's a change of mind and that
in many ways is really the principal element of it. It's such a profound change that's
being spoken of where there's a genuine repentance. It's such a change. The life
is completely turned about. The life is turned around. The
life in a sense is being turned upside down and inside out. It's such a profound change that
is taking place. in those who are blessed with
that true evangelical repentance. If any man be in Christ Jesus,
he's a new creature. That's what it is. It's a new
creation. It's such a fundamental change.
Old things have passed away. All things are become new. That is the word that is used. But I want us to think more particularly
of the cause, the cause of this true repentance. And we have it, don't we, at
the beginning of the verse. Godly sorrow. Work of repentance
to salvation, it says. It's interesting, he says in
verse 9, ye sorrowed to repentance. You were made sorry. Now I rejoice,
not that you were made sorry, but you sorrowed to repentance. The sorrow is leading on to something
much more profound. This sorrow, this feeling of
regret, this being sorry for sin, it's only a part really
of repentance. The basic meaning, as I said,
is that fundamental change in the mind, that turning of the
life round about. There are these various ingredients
in that make up the repentance, sorrow, repentance, faith. These are the distinctly part,
really. We know that whatsoever is not
of faith is sin, so there must be some faith where there's this
real repentance. There must be this sorrowing,
this grieving, this compunction in the conscience. And all ultimately
leading to a real change in that individual. Well, from whence
does this repentance come? Who is the author of repentance?
who is the author of repentance well the text says godly sorrow
worketh repentance Gill comments here, he says this
sorrow it's the sorrow which God which had God for its author
that's godly sorrow it's a sorrow of which God himself is the originator
and the author. And so there, when we read in
verse 9, made sorry after a godly thought, the expression of godly
thought, the Margin might say according to God. Sorry according
to God, something that comes from God himself. And we know,
don't we, that the one who gives repentance, of course, is the
Lord Jesus Christ himself. And he has been exalted to the
Father's right hand for that very purpose. The language of
the Apostle in Acts 5.13, when he speaks of the Lord Jesus,
he hath got exalted with his right hand to be a prince and
a saviour to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness
of sins. Oh, he is exalted as a prince.
He is that one who is mighty, majestic, a sovereign, we were
saying this morning. The Lord Jesus is that one who
fills the very throne of God. All power is given unto him in
heaven and in earth. He's exalted the Prince and the
Saviour. He has that princely power in
order that he might bestow upon sinners all the blessings of
salvation. And what are the blessings of
salvation being spoken of there in Acts 5? He gives repentance. And that repentance goes hand
in hand with the forgiveness of sins. And so, we see Paul, don't we,
as that one who is called to minister to the Gentiles. Acts
11, verse 18, God also to the Gentiles granted repentance. Oh, in the Old Testament, you
see, God's purpose is centered so much in Israel. You only have known of all the
families. He leaves all the Gentile nations
to their own devices, leaves them to wallow, as it were, in
all their sins and all their idolatries. He showeth his word
unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He
hath not dealt so with any nation, and as for his judgments, they
have not known them. But how different the times of
ignorance God winked at but now the gospel and the call of the
gospel goes out not just to the Jew but to the Gentile because
God to the Gentiles has granted repentance God is the author of it the originator
of it and the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who bestows the forgiveness
of sins in hand with that true evangelical repentance. But then, God is not only the
author, but God is also the object. God is the object. For godly
sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented
of. It's not something that self-centered
this repentance doesn't center in the individual but it's that
sense of sin as something that has been committed against God doesn't center in self and sorrow
for oneself the sorrow of the world work at death it's sorrowing
after that godly sort sins have been committed against God and
we see it. We see it so remarkably in the
repentance of King David. He had been guilty of sin and
the most gross and awful of sins. Why? He had not only committed
adultery, he had also committed murder. And we are aware, I'm sure, of
the account that we have there in the Old Testament his sin
with Bathsheba his wanton ways with Bathsheba and then his scheming
to seek to have her husband Uriah the Hittite put away as it were
and all David's scheming comes to nothing and then the faithful
prophet Nathan comes and how faithful is that man when he
speaks to the king and touches his conscience, as it were. David,
thou art the man. Oh, thou art the man, David.
And David is brought to realize the awfulness of his sins. And
then we have, of course, the great Penitential Psalm, Psalm
51. And that second hymn that we
were singing just now, of course, it's Isaac Watts' paraphrase
of the opening part of Psalm 51. against thy law, against thy
grace. We're saying those words. It's
all against God. It's against that law of God. That law which is a holy law.
The commandment it says is holy and just and good. And we're
sinning against that law that is really a revelation of the
very character of God. In the law we see God in all
His holiness, in all His righteousness, in all His justice. And we're
sinning against that law. There's nothing wrong at all
with the law of God. We're not against the law. We
thank God we're delivered from its condemning powers. But we're
not against it. We know it's God's law. The fault
is with us. We're the sinners. We're the
transgressors. But it's not just that sinning
against the law. Paul says, doesn't he, concerning
that, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding great.
Oh, we do see how great our transgressions are when the Lord God opens our
eyes and begins to deal with us. But it's not just against
law that we sin, it's against grace. We sin against that God
who is good. The Psalmist tells us, they are
good and they do us good. How awful to sin against a God
who is a good God. A God who is a gracious God. In many ways, that's where we
really see the great horror of what our sins are. When we behold
the Lord Jesus Christ and all his sufferings, Heart, says in
the hymn, law and terrors do but harden all the while they
work alone, but a sense of blood-bought pardon soon dissolves the heart
of stone. The goodness of God leadeth thee
to repentance, says the Apostle Paul there in that second chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans. The goodness of God or when we
sin against that grace, we're living in the day of grace. And
how we waste the days. We waste the days upon our sins.
What fools we are. And we need to know that that
will lead us, that goodness of the Lord that will lead us to
the life that's full of sorrowing and grieving and repenting over
our sins you see this evangelical repentance is really born of
faith it is born of faith that faith that is looking to the
Lord Jesus Christ and looking to his sufferings we've referred
to those words in Acts 5 concerning Christ the prince and saviour
who gives repentance but it is the same Lord Jesus Christ who
is the author of faith as we learn in Hebrews chapter 12 we
are to be looking on to Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross
despising the shame and is now set down at the right hand of
the throne of God And we know that faith and repentance,
they come together, they go hand in hand, don't they? They go
hand in hand. However, whilst we can say that
they do stand together, that was the ministry of the Lord
Jesus, very much so. He preaches faith and repentance
after John was put into prison. He comes into Galilee preaching
the gospel and saying, Repent ye and believe the gospel. Repent and believe. Repentance
and faith. And what was true with regards
to the Lord's own ministry was true of his apostles. Paul can
say to the Ephesian elders of his ministry there in Acts 20
that he was testifying both to the Jews and to the Greeks repentance
toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. all these
two they come together they stand together however whilst it's difficult
to say which is the first we know that it must be faith that
has the priority and the preeminence because whatsoever is not of
faith is seen whatsoever is not of faith If
our repentance is not rooted in faith, it's not that godly,
that evangelical repentance. Without faith it's impossible
to please God. Faith has a priority. And so
we have to look to the Lord Jesus, We have to look to Him, we have
to take our eye off every other object and look away to Him and
look only to Him, who is the author and finisher of our faith. And as we're looking to Him for
that faith, so at the same time we look to Him, the Prince and
Savior, who gives us repentance and the forgiveness of sins. And what is the consequence?
What is it that comes from this evangelical repentance, so rooted
in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? It is not to be repented of. Godly sorrows work as repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of. there's no regretting such repentance
as this or such sorrows as this it's that blessed looking to
the Lord Jesus for his gift of the gracious ministry of the
Holy Spirit that tremendous statement that we have back in the Old
Testament in Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 10 I will pour upon
the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace
and of supplication. And they will look upon me whom
they have pierced, and will mourn for him as one mourner for an
only son, and will be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness
for his firstborn." That spirit of grace and of supplications. Oh, we have to be those who would
come and supplicate God and plead with God. that he would grant
us such a repentance that we'll never regret. A repentance that
will issue in a great salvation. Repentance to salvation. Repentance
leading into salvation. Maybe sometimes we think of repentance
as a dismal thing. Because, of course, in repentance
there's always that reminder of our sins. But it's not really a dismal
thing, because it brings with it the great blessing of salvation. Again, the language of the hymn
writer, nor is it such a dismal thing as it is by some men named. A sinner may repent and sing,
rejoice and be ashamed. We feel the shame of our sin
when we repent. There is that sorrowing over
our sins. And yet, at the same time, there
is, mixed with it, that rejoicing. We rejoice in all that the Lord
Jesus Christ has done. How by his coming into this world,
he's not only paid a great ransom price to the law of God, and
redeemed his people from that curse of the broken law but he
has procured all the blessings that are necessary to that salvation
he has obtained for his people repentance and faith all this
godly sorrow the Lord grant that we might know know it more and
more and be those who rejoice that the Lord in his goodness
and his mercy in this day of grace has granted to us such
an evangelical repentance as the Apostle is speaking of. Godly
sorrow. Godly sorrow work as repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world,
it worketh death." The Lord help us in and teach us the difference
between that that is but a false repentance, nothing more than
selfish or self-centered remorse and that true evangelical repentance
that centers in the Lord Jesus Christ and all the blessings
of the gospel of His grace. Well, the Lord Be pleased to
bless His Word. Amen.