Patrick: 00:13

Thank you for listening to FirstDay. I am Patrick Cooley, and we are gonna jump right in to first Corinthians chapter 7. As mentioned last time, first Corinthians chapter 6, the actual kind of ending the summation is first Corinthians chapter 71. So we're actually gonna pick up here with, second Corinthians chapter 7 verse 2. That's a lot of Corinthians here.

Patrick: 00:41

Sorry, folks. Paul writes, make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one. We have corrupted no one. We have taken advantage of no one.

Patrick: 00:53

I do not say this to condemn you for I said before that you are in our hearts to got to die together and to live together. Often boast about you. I have great pride in you. I'm filled with consolation. I am overjoyed in all our affliction.

Patrick: 01:13

Paul's relationship to the Corinthians has been a strained one. In fact, all of his letters that have preceded this one, the ones that we have and the ones that we don't have been critical of the quality of their walk with the Lord. If you recall from the introduction, this letter or at least part of it, so second Corinthians or at least part of second Corinthians is Paul's response to the good news that he received from Titus that, there had been a turnaround of sorts there in the Corinthian church. Here, Paul asked the congregation to open its heart to him. He tells them that nothing he has said to them has been false, nor was it to condemn them, nor has he taken advantage of or led astray any of them.

Patrick: 02:13

He reminds the Corinthians that he wrote these words out of his love and his empathy for the sake of togetherness. Quote, for I said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. End quote. He feels deeply for them as any person can feel for another. He feels for the church.

Patrick: 02:39

He loves them so much that he is even overjoyed in all of his affliction. He doesn't bemoan his suffering for their sakes, yet they had become to extract a heavy toll. Verse number 5. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way, disputes without and fears within. But God who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, As he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoiced still more.

Patrick: 03:32

Paul was in Macedonia because Titus had failed to show up whilst he was in Troas. The apostle became worried and decided to go on to Macedonia after preaching in Troas. And when he arrived in the province, Paul tells the Corinthians that he was both spiritually and physically afflicted by disputes without and fears within. Since he makes a point of telling the Corinthians that God consoles the downcast. One word comes to mind, discouragement.

Patrick: 04:10

Remember this is remember this the next time you're beating yourself up because you feel discouraged. If Paul can be affected by discouragement, heaven knows Patrick can. But because Paul is fulfilling the call of righteousness that God has placed upon him and because he clings to the fact that God has become like a father to him, See the last episode and, that's discussion of first Samuel chapter 7. God sends Titus to him with incredible news, and the Corinthians long for his return that they're eager for it, and they are saddened by his absence. So just as discouragement was about to overwhelm, and I'm using a little flesh bunnies here, even though discouragement had taken hold with Paul because of these disputes without, and within the fact that Titus wasn't where he was expecting or hoping he would be when he was in Trois, nevertheless, at the exact right time, God who had claimed Paul as his son, like first Samuel 7, God sends Titus Paul says.

Patrick: 05:31

And in verse number 8, Paul goes on for even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it though. I did regret it for. I see that I grieved you with that letter though, only briefly. Now I rejoice not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance For you felt a godly grief so that you were not harmed in any way by us. Paul refers here to the harsh letter that he had written to them.

Patrick: 06:03

He realized that it caused them pain, but he had come to the conclusion that their discomfort was a necessary discomfort. Note in his parenthetical comment that initially, he did regret sending the letter because it had caused them pain. It seems that somewhere along the way, the spirit must have provided him with some reassurance. Because I don't know about you, but oftentimes I say things that I initially regret more often than not. I say things that I regret, but upon retrospection, maybe upon the presence of the spirit, like here with Paul, the spirit calms and reassures.

Patrick: 06:46

He, he regretted initially sending the harsh letter because it would cause him pain, but then the spirit came and helped him think better out of it. Perhaps the letter is because the letter was sent in love. It was sent out of his duty to reconcile that it would bring about a result in the repentance of the church. And that's precisely what it had did, what it what it did. Grief and godly grief.

Patrick: 07:21

What what's the difference here? Paul uses the Greek word, referring to a sense, of hurt people feel when others act in a harsh or wrong manner towards them. It can be experienced by groups of people or by individuals. As we learn here, not all lipay, not all hurt that is caused is bad. The apostle says in verse number 10, for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.

Patrick: 08:04

So he writes this letter. We don't have it. Well, we may not have it. We'll we'll get to that when we when we get down to this part in 2nd Corinthians. This harsh letter, and it caused grief.

Patrick: 08:19

It caused. But Paul, he says initially felt bad because of it, but then decided that he couldn't feel bad about it because that glipae, that that sense of hurt, that that the Corinthians felt when Paul was harsh with them, produced in them repentance. Our consciences may cause us some trouble, maybe maybe even some sleepless nights for a time, but we will find transformation and freedom from our sinful pride in the end, repentance that leads to salvation, Paul said here in verse number 10. He goes on in verse 11 to explain how he can recognize this godly grief. In verse number 11, he says, foresee what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you.

Patrick: 09:19

What earnestness to clear yourselves. What indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment. At every point, you have provided yourself guiltless. You have proved yourself guiltless in that manner. Godly grief has these qualities, earnestness, eagerness, indignation, alarm, longing, zeal.

Patrick: 09:46

Notice the Corinthians do not blame anyone or attempt to justify their previous behavior. And they seem to be unable to rest until they make amends with Paul within themselves. Their hurt changed them, and they accepted responsibility for its cause. Ultimately, we'll see this idea fleshed out more in Romans, because a whole bunch of Romans, as a as a parishioner of mine said when we did a Romans Bible study, the whole book of Romans seems to be saying, don't justify your sin, and don't even try to justify your sin. The problem arises when we try to justify our sin.

Patrick: 10:34

So here, they don't the Corinthians don't try to justify it. The Corinthians don't try to blame something on somebody else. They accept responsibility for the actions that prompted Paul to write that harsh letter. Verse 12. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before god.

Patrick: 11:13

In this, we find comfort. This is why Paul wrote his letter to spark the overwhelming desire to amend their relationship with Paul and be transformed in a way that testifies to others. Let me say that one more time. Paul wrote his harsh letter to spark within the Corinthians an overwhelming desire to amend their relationship with him and to be transformed in a way that says and testifies to other about the goodness and the repentance and the grace and the transformation of God. Paul continues here.

Patrick: 11:59

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoice still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you as he remembers the obedience of all of you and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.

Patrick: 12:43

Paul now has peace in his heart concerning the Corinthians. He says here that he is not only happy that his relationship with the church has been mended, but that even more so, Titus has found peace in his heart about them, the Corinthians, and has found that his love for them has become greater and stronger when he remembers how they listened to him and repented. Paul has been boasting about the congregation and glad that they didn't prove to be an embarrassment to him. I guess his earlier fretting was in vain. On that note, I am Patrick Cooley, pastor of Northport Methodist Church.

Patrick: 13:26

Visit the website of the podcast at www.first day.us. And there, you can listen to past podcasts. You can reach out to me from there. Connect at first day dot us if you have any questions or comments or shoot me a text or a phone call if you've got my phone number. So until next time, blessings, and goodbye for now.