Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20010805.htm

2 CORINTHIANS: OVERCOMING WHEN GOD'S SERVANT FACES RESISTANCE
Part XI: The RIGHT From WRONG Responses To Being CONVICTED Of Sin
(2 Corinthians 7:6-16)
  1. Introduction
    1. Facing the conviction of sin in one's life is never easy: sin is a shameful thing, especially for the believer who is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit, and no one likes to experience shame.
    2. However, the only way to have peace with God and others is to deal with sin, and deal with it correctly.
    3. At this point comes a great temptation to react to the exposure of our sin errantly and hence destructively. Paul addresses this need in 2 Corinthians 7:6-16 for our spiritual victory as follows:
  2. The RIGHT From WRONG Responses To Being CONVICTED Of Sin, 2 Corinthians 7:6-16.
    1. When one is convicted of sin, he can respond correctly and productively as Paul reveals in 2 Cor. 7:6-16:
      1. Paul revealed how uncomfortable it was both for himself as well as the Corinthians for him to be used of God to expose their sin as a body, 2 Corinthians 7:6-7 in light of 1:23-2:6.
      2. However, the Corinthians had finally responded rightly, and Paul explains this in 1 Cor. 7:8-16:
        1. The Corinthians had earnestly desired to be cleansed when Paul had revealed their sin, 7:11a.
        2. They had expressed great anger at this sin, an intolerance in keeping with God's will, 7:11b.
        3. They had expressed alarm at the presence of this sin, a proper attitude for a believer, 7:11c.
        4. Accordingly, they had longed to be corrected from their sinful condition, 2 Corinthians 7:11d.
        5. Consequently, they had expressed appreciation to Paul for his causing them to face their sin, 7:12.
        6. Finally, there was a growth in rapport between Paul and these disciples due to this response, 7:13-16
    2. On the other hand, Paul claimed there was a wrong, destructive response to the conviction of sin that was to be avoided, 2 Corinthians 7:10b. We can detail this wrong, destructive response as follows:
      1. Paul noted that the repentant sinner in the Corinthian Church needed to be comforted after his expressed repentance lest his grief at his sin swallow him up into depression, 2 Corinthians 2:6-7.
      2. Such sorrow can turn inward so the party no longer looks to God's grace, but becomes overcome with guilt in a false "works" mentality. The suicide of Judas in Matt. 27:1-5 illustrates this in the extreme.
      3. Yet, such sorrow can turn outward with destructiveness to others: when Jesus' ministry convicted His hearers of their sin, the pain of the conviction, not being handled by a cleaving to God's grace, was met with hatred as a defense mechanism for their guilt, John 15:18, 22-24. Accordingly, convicted sinners spitefully put Christ on a cross and persecuted Him to cover their own sin, 1 Peter 2:21-23.
Lesson: Man is NOT CAPABLE of handling his sin, or of ceasing from practicing it, so he desperately needs GOD'S GRACE if convicted of sin to have God DEAL with it. Otherwise, to avoid feeling OVERWHELMING PAIN in feeling CORNERED by his sin upon being CONVICTED of it, and thinking he must handle it himself, he lashes out at himself or others!

Application: (1) If we find ourselves Biblically convicted of SIN, we must IMMEDIATELY focus on the GRACE OF GOD in CHRIST that can HANDLE that sin lest we use a FALSE "WORKS MENTALITY" that cannot handle this sin and its GUILT and thus be swallowed up in the GRIEF of the guilt, and so turn destructively SELF-WARD or OTHER-WARD! God's GRACE equips us to find FORGIVENESS so we can afford to be properly earnestly desirous of cleansing, properly indignant at our sin, properly alarmed at it, properly wanting to be corrected and hence end up being a blessing and blessing others! (2) If we know another party who tends either toward suicidal self-destructiveness when facing his sinfulness, or toward maligning those who happen to expose his sinfulness, we must minister to tell them of God's GRACIOUS PROVISION for sin. That is his only way out from his pain that is neither SELF-destructive nor OTHER-destructive! (3) This is another reason why focusing on the 33 Riches of Positional Salvation Grace for the believer is so very important: the riches GRANTED the believer APART FROM SELF-HELP WORKS OR MERIT equip him to be totally acceptable and to live and serve acceptably before God the Father, free from guilt! We must become CONSTANT partakers of the riches of God's GRACE to us in Jesus Christ!