Well, it is good to be amongst you this morning. I know it is early. We never do such things in England to get people out at 8.30. But it's good to see you here. And also, I'm very thankful to the Lord for his grace towards me that I no longer am a Zoroastrian but I'm a Christian.

And it is a wonderful thing that God has been merciful. And if he has worked in your heart, how thankful we all have to be for his grace. Now, I'm going to read from the word of God from 2 Corinthians and chapter 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 7. If you don't have the authorized version or you would say the King James version, I trust that you would still be able to follow it.

2 Corinthians 7, and we'll read from verse one and then we'll pray. The apostle says in 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1, Having Therefore these promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Receive us. We have wronged no man. We have corrupted no man.

We have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you. For I have said before that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. Great is my boldness of a speech toward you. Great is my glorying of you.

I am filled with comfort. I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest. But we were troubled on every side. Without were fighting's, within were fears.

Nevertheless, God that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you. When he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me, so that I rejoiced the more. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent. For I perceive 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 sorrowed to repentance, for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this self same thing that he sorrowed after a godly sword. What carefulness it wrought in you. Yea, what clearing of yourselves. Yea, what indignation.

Yea, what fear. Yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge. In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for this cause that I had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. Therefore we were comforted in your comfort.

Yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. For if I have boasted anything to him of you, I am not ashamed. But as we speak all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus is found a truth and his inward affection is more abundant toward you whilst he rememberth the obedience of you all how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things. Amen.

Let us bow once again in prayer. Our heavenly Father and gracious Father, we turn unto thee this morning and we come as poor and needy sinners. We are poor because we have nothing of ourselves. We have no merit in ourselves and we are needy because we are so empty. We need thee to fill us by thy Holy Spirit.

We need thee to fill our minds with thy word and for it to sink deep within our hearts. O Lord, we do not desire a mental exercise, but we desire a heart exercise. That we might hear thy voice and run after thee. May thine arrows fall upon us and pierce us where we need it. We might try to cover ourselves and make a shield out of our pride.

Yet, Lord, thou knowest where the cracks are. And so we pray that thou wouldst hit us. And for we know that when thou dost pierce through, then it is that thou dost give healing and life. So Lord we pray for a life changing thing that these things that we hear will not only stir us up now, not merely for the next couple of days, but three weeks from now, six months from now, a year from now, and then for the rest of our lives these thy truth from the scriptures might be our foundation our hope in Jesus Christ. So Lord bless thy word to each one of us and write it upon our hearts so that we may not sin against thee and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. Well this morning I am privileged to bring to you the words of 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and we'll begin from verse 8 onwards. And the subject that I've been given is the godly man's life of repentance. The godly man's life of repentance. Now we have been much challenged these past days and I believe that this will be a challenging message too, but I trust you will feed upon that marrow of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that it would not cast you down.

It is not my intention to cast you down, but to open up the scriptures to you, But for you to then run after Christ, kiss the Son, the scripture says. And then for you to experience his kisses, that Song of Solomon says is better than wine. Now pastors, ministers, elders, They don't take pleasure in distressing or grieving the minds of their hearers. It's not something that causes as much rejoicing when we feel we find people who are grieved and depressed. That's not the intention of the ministers of Jesus Christ.

We want to build up the saints. They don't want to be simply harsh in their preaching of God's word. Yet they must desire the mind of Christ and mind of the word of God to be brought home. And that's why we must declare the mind of God respecting sin and sinners to bring us to repentance, to bring themselves to repentance. Ministers must speak the truth to their own hearts.

And how often it is that we have been moved in the preaching of God's word, in the midst of it. And the Lord speaks to us as we desire to speak to the hearts of people. The Lord speaks to us. And so when we find any persons truly humbled because of their sin and they are going after Jesus Christ, that is the richest reward. Now in this passage that we have read together, the apostle had in his first letter, reproved the Corinthian church.

If you were to read the first letter and I'm sure all of us are familiar with that letter we find in the midst of encouragements, in the midst of so many wonderful truths, positive truths, he's correcting them. They needed correction. And what they did was that after receiving this letter, the first letter of the apostle, They are instructed to the fact that they themselves had accepted and they had kept silent on a sinful man in their midst. For the sake of unity maybe, for whatever it is, they did not deal with the matter. And so the apostle writes to them.

Instead of casting him out, instead of the elders going to see that man, instead of the church then disciplining that individual, removing him if he is unrepentant from membership, from fellowship. They had done nothing. Are we guilty of such things? And that is something that is recorded for us. This specific issue is recorded for us in the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians.

And that letter that he wrote, he wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and it was the means of God producing in them a godly sorrow he says. A godly sorrow. That's what we are after. We are not after sorrow. We are after godly sorrow.

So pray to God, Lord give me that godly sorrow. I need it. As I preach it, I need it. Godly sorrow. And not only that.

It produced in them a right response. It produced in them the things that God desires. Fruit, That's what we want to see. I've been very exercised this past day or so just hearing the word of God being expounded but I fear by the time I leave and go back to my home, much of it has been forgotten. I don't want people to come and say to me that this was a wonderful message.

But I want them to say it has changed me. And then if I was to call you in three weeks time, in six months time, in a year's time or next year meeting you, what had that message done in your life? Friends, we are accountable for all of these things. We have to give an answer for every idle word the Lord said on that final day. But what about the words that we've heard?

Words that we read? It is very convicting. I find it convicting. And when the Apostle Paul found that they had responded to his letter, to the words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit, he writes to them again. He doesn't just leave them, he writes to them again.

What a lesson for us to learn. Have you seen a change in someone? Someone that you've rebuked? Someone that you have spoken to? And you've seen change, positive change, maybe in your children, in some loved one.

Take time to speak to them again. So that's a pastoral counsel. To emphasize that you're pleased to see the change in them. Don't forget it. And that's what the apostle does.

He's rejoicing. He's rejoicing about the fruit that he has heard and seen in their lives. And so in his letter, in this second letter, he writes and he says to them that it had pained him exceedingly to grieve them. But he also said that he rejoiced in seeing their grief that resulted in such a good and beneficial way. He is thankful.

He wrote that letter. And it speaks about the godly sorrow that had resulted in what he wanted in that admonition that he gave. Now, now it is that he's ready to comfort them and to heal the wounds that he had caused. And so he says in Verse eight, for though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent. Meaning, there were times that I thought, I wish I didn't write that letter.

But it says, I don't, I look back now and I thank God, I won't repent of it. I don't change my mind about this matter. At the time I felt this, and this is the heart of every pastor. We speak to someone and we think of ourselves, have I been too harsh? Have I said this?

Could I have said it differently? Oh, we need wisdom, don't we? Well, he had the wisdom of the spirit. And yet he felt for those people. And then he says, for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

It was only temporary, but it did make you sorry. It saddened you, it convicted you. And then verse nine, it says, Now I rejoice. Then I nearly repented of it, but now I rejoice. Not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance.

For ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. That's what is the thing that he rejoices over. He didn't merely make them sorry. That's not what he wanted. Not that you were made sorry, he says.

Mere feeling of sadness and guilt. And I trust if there are ministers of the gospel here, That's not our aim, to make people feel guilty. But, he says, but ye sorrowed to repentance, for ye were made sorry after a godly manner. That's the thing that counts. After a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

If we sorrow after a godly manner, in a godly way, then there is no damage in it. But friends, be fearful of the kind of sadness and sorrow and guilt that is not godly because it will cause damage. That's the difference. So in this passage that we read, there is a classic teaching of the word of God on what Repentance is. Also it teaches us how we as Christians must respond to God's word when it humbles us, when it convicts you.

How must we respond to it? And I want to say two things to you, two points I have. One is the nature of repentance in the godly man and then secondly the effect of repentance in the godly man. None of these things are new things. None of these things are new things.

We have heard them again and again and again. But we need to be reminded of them again. Peter wrote that letter and he speaks about bringing to their remembrance the same things. Our problem is not often hearing, not often understanding, but a heartfelt response, a true conviction. Now, we have had quoted to us the shorter catechism.

That's a wonderful catechism. I had to memorize all of it when I was at seminary with the proof text. And it is wonderful. Take it and read it. Study it at home.

But let me quote you from the larger catechism. That's the expanded version of the catechism. Again, if you find a copy of it, it's a wonderful tool. What's wonderful treasure. If you can go on, take every clause of it, look at it, look at the verses.

Let me read it to you from the larger catechism. It's the question 76. What is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life, it says, is a saving grace brought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God. So It is brought by God, by the Spirit of God and by the Word of God.

Whereby, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and audiosness of his sins. And upon the apprehension, that is the understanding taken to heart, of God's mercy in Christ, to such as are penitent. He so grieves for and hates his sins as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and endeavoring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new life, new obedience. That's what this passage is about. Every time you hear some message on repentance, true repentance is described in that wonderful way, in that larger catechism.

Let me read it to you again, just for us to maybe take some of these things. Some of these things would stick into our minds, at least for this weekend. Repentance unto life, and it is unto life, is a saving grace wrought in the heart of a sinner by the spirit and word of God, whereby out of the sight and sense not only of the danger but also of the filthiness and audiosness of his sins and upon the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ, to such as our penitent, he so grieves for and hates his sins, as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and endeavoring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience. It's walking with him. It's not just sorrowing, but walking with him, with Christ.

So let us think now of those points and in this passage before us. First then, the nature of repentance in the godly man. Now repentance, we've already read, we've already seen something of this that repentance is a grace. It proceeds from God. We don't deserve it.

None of us deserve repentance. What we deserve is hell, damnation, that eternal punishment forever. So it is grace that reaches us and God gives us repentance. Repentance unto life. The apostle says in 2 Timothy 2 verse 25 I want to prove this to you that it is from God we can't work this thing up You can hear sermon after sermon after sermon.

You can listen to all kinds of preachers who convict you. We have too much internet Christians today. YouTube Christians. They like five minute snippets. And that's it.

And what a challenge it is to ministers to deal with such people who are after this man and that man and so on. And they get so cast down because they've fed themselves upon these very challenging messages because they want to stir themselves up, you see. Thankfully, we have people who want to serve the Lord, but they need a balanced diet of the word of God. Don't feed yourself upon these snippets on the internet. Make sure you are joined to a church that preaches the word of God and you're receiving balanced diet.

And then be involved. Live for the Lord within the local assembly. But in 2 Timothy 2 and verse 25 we read, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure or perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. So he says, if God, peradventure, will give them repentance, it's God who gives repentance, seek the Lord then in repentance, and for repentance. James tells us that God is the giver of every good gift.

Isn't repentance a good gift? To sorrow over sin? To seek Christ? Isn't it a good gift? It is the best of gifts to have him.

The Bible also tells us that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives repentance. It's an amazing thing. It's a Trinitarian thing. Where do we get that from? Well, in Acts, it speaks about the exalted Christ who gives gifts unto men.

And we read in Acts 5 and verse 31. Acts 5 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior. For to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So Christ also in his office, in his offices, he gives repentance to Israel, to God's people.

It is Christ alone who can produce in the heart by the Spirit of God which proceeds from Christ and the Father. That Godly sorrow which worketh repentance that we read in verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 7. What is godly sorrow? I want to spend a little time on that. What is godly sorrow?

To understand what it is, we should compare it with the opposite of it. The sorrow of the world. That is described in the latter part of verse 10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death. That's the opposite of it.

So you want godly sorrow, let's look at the opposite, the contrast. We're all to some degree familiar with worldly sorrow. We've all done it. It may come from some worldly trouble. Grief over a loss of something.

Something that breaks. Maybe something that you have, you've spent a lot of money on, much time on and it breaks, it shatters and you sorrow, it's on your mind. When a pet dies it can even be something sinful. Some sinful thing happens. Maybe someone else by the things that they do, the things that you see and it grieves your heart, your sorrow.

There's something that you have done yourself. But if it is merely sorrow, it's works death, it says. It doesn't result in life. Cain felt like that. He had worldly sorrow.

It caused depression for him. Pharaoh felt that he had sorrow. Of the things that were happening to the nation and the curses that were falling upon the nation of Egypt. But did it lead him to God? No.

It was worldly sorrow. It worked death, literally for him. We heard of Judas last night. We think about Saul. How convicting all of these things are.

It's usually a worry and a grief over a loss of a worldly thing or some pleasure. The troubles of this life often depresses people, often depresses us. It stops people from their normal business. How much has it been? How much time have we spent on things?

We've not been able to work. We've not been able to do the things that we ought to be doing daily. And we say, well this thing has happened. I can't cope with life. I can't do this anymore.

And so It robs us of all comforts. It happens to ministers. How many days we sorrow over some maybe small thing, maybe a large thing. And often times such things wear the soul. It depresses the mind And even it affects the body.

It ages people. Haven't you seen people like that who have had gone through some trials? You see them in six months time. They've aged. It even can bring such hopelessness and sleeplessness at nights that it makes them ill.

They become susceptible to all kinds of diseases. And sometimes we hear of people dying because of it. We talk about somebody dying of a broken heart. Many also are greatly distressed about their sins and or what it produces in their lives, the consequences of the sin. And so they're convicted about that.

That's the sorrow of the world. It doesn't produce life, it produces death. Or even they believe certain things about God. Or they have taken up some form of religion which is full of fear. They're worried about even God's anger.

I've met people like that just last week. They're so worried that they are yet trying to merit God's favor by being more religious. And so they say, I must do these things before God accepts me. They are worried. They are in a trap.

Some worry about having committed a sin against the Holy Spirit. They're so worried. But they don't seek God in the way that he has prepared. That's the point. That's against worldly sorrow.

That is again worldly sorrow. You see, worldly sorrow, whatever it is, the bottom line is it doesn't lead us to the Lord Jesus. Anything that you sorrow, that doesn't lead to Jesus Christ. It's worldly sorrow. So that's simply put.

Why doesn't the apostle just say that at the beginning? Well, he was expanding these things. So just take that with you. My sorrow must lead me to Jesus or else it will be worldly and selfish sorrow. It keeps me from God instead of bringing me to him.

That kind of worldly sorrow leads people to hide themselves, to excuse their sins. The right way would be to confess and seek the Lord. The worldly sorrow stares the person only to self-righteous things and endeavors. They would work hard, But it is self-righteous. And it always fails, my friends.

And it discourages that person. In case of Judas and others, it produced self-murder, suicide. Ultimately, what it does, it makes us to have hard thoughts about God. God is someone whose hands are like a fist. They're not open to me.

He will not answer me. But he's made his hands like a fist. He's against me. And everything he does is against me. Have you felt like that?

I've felt like that at times. And it always discourages. This kind of worldly sorrow always hardens rather than humbles. The heart of that person is filled with bitter thoughts. Have you bitter thoughts right now about some situation, about the Lord, about somebody, someone in church?

You go past them, you might not acknowledge them. You hear sermons and you think in your mind, I hope he or she is listening. That's for them. That shows that you've become bitter. You've become hardened.

You don't see them as someone for whom Jesus Christ shed his heart's blood for. Someone that Christ loves. And so friends these are some of the marks. And in the direct opposite to this is that godly sorrow which produces genuine repentance. The sorrow of the world leads to destruction, to death it says, other leads to salvation it says, to salvation.

The one leads to heaven, the other to hell. The world is sorrow is full of unbelief, despondency and fears. But then what is godly sorrow? You've been humbled at times over some matter, some secret, some open fault or sin. How can you seek godly sorrow?

I said it is from the Lord, But we are engaged in it. To repent in a way that is real and honors the Lord. How is that? The most essential ingredient of Godly sorrow, Those ingredients in it, it's faith. Faith in the gospel, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in the promises of God, faith in the word of God, but also hope.

Hope and then love. Faith, hope and love should be mixed in every level of our lives. Some of us like to put certain things on our food. We do it all the time. For me, oftentimes, English food is quite bland.

And so I have to put pepper on everything. Or I have to have chilies with everything. Or salt on everything. And I get into trouble for it. But, in our daily life, this is what should pepper everything in our lives every experience of our lives faith hope and love if you're sorrowing then you must go to the Lord You must go to God through Jesus Christ.

My friend, believe him that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him and take him by faith. Trust Him by faith. The apostle says in Hebrews 11 and verse 6, He that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Go to God through the Savior. Have full hope that for his sake God will forgive your sins.

You must go to God with love in your heart for him who loved you before the world began. Before you were created. He knew you and he loved you. He knew everything, all the sins that you would commit. And yet, in spite of it all, he came and died for his people like you.

Think of that. You must determine then in that situation to condemn yourself in those things that God judges to be sin. So This is why the catechism says about the word of God, by his spirit and the word of God. So the word of God becomes a mirror to us. And so we see ourselves.

This morning I presume every one of us, generally speaking, we have looked into the mirror or someone told us what was wrong with us, what battles we faced last night. But this is the Word of God. It shows us what we need and how we are. Oh to have this real and humiliating sorrow. Now this sorrow, this grief works repentance to salvation it says in verse 10.

And what does that mean? It puts us in a frame of mind, it puts us in a frame of attitude to search out all our sins. We don't want to offend God in anything. We would then put everything on the table as it were. Everything.

We yield ourselves to the Lord in every situation. We say, Lord, deal with everything. I don't want just to deal with this matter only, but everything, oh Lord, I've had to do that this week. I had to do that last night on my knees. After hearing that, how can you Hear a message like that on Judas and not go and repent.

I wish that was the case last night. I wish we were just dismissed and said, go home, go to your place, seek the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank him for what he has done, but seek him in repentance. Oh, what a thing that would be. We don't want to then offend God in anything.

We need to be then sincere, honest about this repentance. You need to take hold of God's promises in the midst of it as you are repenting, as you're seeking him to forgive you, then you're returning to the Lord, returning as a sinner to the Lord on your knees. We humbly believe him. We read in Joel. Joel 2 and verse 12.

Therefore also now says the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And then how? How it describes it with giving illustrations. How will you do that? How will you be repenting with fasting and weeping and with mourning over your sin?

He says and rend your heart and not your garments. It's easy to rent your garments, outward things, you can do that. You can try to put some things away. I will log off and switch off this thing. I won't be on Facebook anymore.

I won't be doing this other thing anymore. I'll throw out our television, I'll throw out the computer, I will do various things in my office, in my workplace. And we do that. How long did it last? How long do these things last?

No, it's there are garments that are taken off but easily put on again. So it says, don't rend your garments, but your heart, your heart. And then it says, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. So, and in the state that, in that state you would want to be conformed to God's will and image. Everything that God wants.

This is what I want. In that attitude of mine, I want to have what the Lord has for me. However difficult it may be, however unpopular it may be, even in my family, even in the church. So that then you would want to glorify the Savior, the Lord Jesus, with all the power that you have. Not resting on that, not relying on that, but you have that confidence.

He forgives me As a poor sinner. I have an advocate with the Father. What a thing it is. Does that sink in your heart? To repent like this is something that you would not repent of.

That means you wouldn't be sorry for it. Why? Because it takes you to be blessed. To that blessed Jesus for healing and for restoration. And he won't cast you out.

You go to it like that, he won't cast you out. But if you go without this godly sorrow, the door is closed. Every sorrow or grief short of this would only lead to disappointments and often sorrow forever. The sorrow that lasts forever in that place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. But godly sorrow always works repentance to life.

Now, the sand of time is sinking faster here. So we must move on. Second point. I'll try to be quick. Expanding some of those words, explaining some of the words in verse 11.

Let us read it. For behold, this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sword, what carefulness it wrought in you. Yea, what clearing of yourselves. Yea, what indignation. Yea, what fear.

Yea, what vehement desire. Yet, yea, what zeal. Yea, what revenge. In all things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. So here we are given the effects of godly sorrow.

The apostle lists a great variety of effects produced in the mind and in the life of the Christian and those Christians at current who repented in a godly manner that is what happened to them when they repented of their sins that led them to the Lord Jesus Christ But these are also emotions and results that happens in every Christian. You can't say, this is what happened to them. It can't happen to me or to our church. But when we truly repent, this is what happens to us as well. So these are some of the fruits of true repentance.

This is what will bless you and encourage you to see in your life or life of others. There are things that you ought to be looking for when we say we have repented or when someone else says that they have repented. I find it more helpful I must say to deal with the first point mentioned, what carefulness at the end. So let's see the effects of genuine repentance on our past, present and future behavior. It says in verse 11, for behold the self same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sword, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, it says.

The Corinthians humbled by Paul's reproofs and rebukes were serious to clear themselves to the world, to the church and to God himself. That's what it means. What clearing of yourselves. They wanted to show that They sincerely repented. It was sincere.

What they were doing was sincere. It wasn't half-hearted. What they had done was actually wrong. And they were putting these things away. There may be private things.

They were kept private. But public things. They have made sure that people realize that they are not what they used to be. And then it speaks about what indignation. What does that mean?

They felt an indignation. They felt this, the wording is for irritation, vexation. About what? About sin. About their sin.

The things that they had committed. They were indignant against them. They were irritated against these things. It irritated them. What they had done.

They were irritated against themselves. They were kicking themselves. Don't you feel like that at times? What do you do? Why have I done this?

And you kick yourself. What indignation, he says. It is visible? They really hated what they had done. They couldn't forgive themselves as it were, till they knew that God had forgiven them.

This is a good fruit. To be seeking, to be cleared, and to be forgiven by God. And to make it clear that we are new creatures in Jesus Christ. And this indignation means that we are grieved when we think of our sins. We don't try to in every testimony mention all the details of it.

It grieves us. It's the thing for which Jesus Christ shed his blood and was crucified. I'm not going to explain these things and say, oh what was I doing? What did I do in the past? Hear my testimony.

No, It makes us blush. We fear even to talk about these things. Our rebellion against God, who has so loved us. It doesn't come easy to talk about it. We feel ashamed of it.

The Corinthians, their heart was penetrated with a sense of their sin. And this made them to feel also, it says, what fear. It says, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear. They felt their sin so much, It made them feel this holy fear, godly fear. In case they ever lapsed into the very sin that they repented.

Isn't that something that you fear of? You've repented of it. Oh Lord, I fear I will go back into it again. I will say the same thing again. And so they had that kind of a fear.

That's a good thing. That's a good sign. And then speaks about the vehement desire it says. Viamently desired. What does that mean?

It means that they vehemently desired pardon of God for their past transgression. They wanted so much of God's grace Because they wanted to be able to be more consistent in future. It speaks about zeal. What zeal? They had this zeal which nothing could dampen.

They wanted now to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. That's a sign, a good sign, zeal in the life. It speaks about revenge. What does that mean? You have to move quickly through these things.

What revenge? You see, they wanted now to act with discipline toward the sinful man in their membership. But also the more important thing is the evil attitude of their own heart. They were not pastorally caring for that man. They didn't love that man enough to deal with this sin.

And so it speaks about this revenge. Can you see then they were very penitent in all who truly repent. They will be that humble fear of falling again under the power of those lusts which led them captive. There is a vehement desire to serve, to enjoy, to glorify their God. There is a real zeal which enables them to set their faces as a flint against the whole world.

And there is a revenge that makes them sacrifice their cherished lusts. However dear it is to them. And the apostle says this and I finish with this. He speaks about what carefulness at the beginning. With what carefulness these Corinthians exerted themselves to avoid everything in future which might turn them aside from the path of duty.

What word can more fitly characterize the attitude of a penitent sinner about his future conduct? I have to be careful. I have to watch my heart. I have to watch my life, my tongue, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my feet, my heart. There was a time he could openly live without taking any thought of his ways.

But now he asks if his action is pleasing to God or not. Now that penitent sinner, he is watching over his motives and principles that moves him to do things. He is not thinking about the consequences of his actions both to himself and others. Before he didn't, now he does. How will this influence others?

He's not being selfish anymore. He's careful to avoid not only what is evil in itself, but whatever it may be, the occasion of evil, What may lead to it. He's not going as close as he can to the line. So he will not readily expose himself to temptation. He's staying at a distance from those amusements and those friends that have entrapped him in the past.

And even more importantly, we see him begging God to guide his every step. Oh Lord preserve me blameless unto thy heavenly kingdom. Can this be applied to us now? Yes. Have we in all things approved ourselves to be clear in this matter, we could say?

Is this true of us, my friends? Have we repented in a worldly way or a godly way? What is that then, friends? Now, this morning you might feel I am so cast down. What have I done?

What have I done? Has my repentance been genuine, true? Let me tell you this. The Father calls us to look upon His Son. I say, go to Him.

Go to Him this morning. He receiveth sinful men, the scripture says. He receives them. I remember reading a true story of a father in Spain. Him and his son, he tried to instruct his son.

His son would not listen. His son did all kinds of evil things against his father. And he turned away from his father. He said, I will not have anything to do with you anymore. And so he leaves.

He forsakes his home and leaves and doesn't want to return. But the father yearns for his son. Wants to speak to his son, wants to know his son, wants to have his son. So what does he do? He goes after him.

After some weeks of him not returning, he goes, I must find my son. What is he doing? I care for my son. So he goes here and there, he could not find him for months. So he says, the best thing I can do, I will advertise that I'm looking for my son.

So he writes in one of the papers, and he says, Marcus, your father wants to see you. I will be in front of this office, this newspaper office, on Saturday at 8 o'clock in the evening. All is forgiven, he says. All is forgiven. What a thing that was.

Would his son come? Would his son not come? Would he see it? That advertisement? So Saturday comes, 8 o'clock comes, and he goes with all kinds of fears.

Do you know what he sees? He sees 800 marqueses standing there. You see, they had seen that my father wants to forgive me. How many of those children had done evil things against their father and had left? And they find this sign, I will forgive you son, come and see me.

That's what the Lord is saying to us this morning. May God then write his word upon our hearts that we may not sin against him. Amen. Let us pray. Gracious Lord, we thank Thee that Thou dost not leave us in our sin, Thou dost not set us simply dwell in the valley of the shadow of death.

But that does lead us out. Lead us to Jesus Christ. Give us all these signposts to seek the Lamb of God who is willing to receive even sinners like us, whose repentance is so weak, full of sin, marred with all kinds of confusions. But Lord, receive us not because of ourselves, but we love Him. We love Him with love that is so weak.

Yet we have to say in our heart of hearts, we love Him who has loved us and shed his blood for us and Lord we come to thee then asking for pardon and asking that such things that we have heard today might stay in us and bring forth much fruit for thy glory. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.