Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death.For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
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… it's actually very, very significant, because Paul, when he writes his second letter to Corinth, speaks about the distinction between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. And he says in 2 Corinthians 7.10, godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. But listen, worldly sorrow brings death. Worldly sorrow brings death. So here are these individuals who start off so well. Then their eyes are distracted from the course. Then they begin to look over here and fancy that perhaps their lives would be far better if they had all of this. And so they begin to pursue that, and they're tempted to do foolish and injurious things, and they become trapped, and they become impaled on their own desires. And their hearts are broken, not because of their condition before God, but because they lost all that they had hoped for, and their disappointment and their regret. is not the gateway to repentance and to life, but is actually the path to death. Fee, one of the commentators, Professor Fee, has a wonderful paragraph that I just want to close with. He says, "'Thus their final indictment is a tragic one, and for Paul a painful one. …
… laughing all the time. What good does it do to only seek pleasure? You know, some people, they suppress tears. They should be crying, and instead they're laughing. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 7.10, the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow, but worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. In other words, hey, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry enough to stop. Beatitude number three, a happy person will be a meek person. A happy person will be a meek person. Blessed are the meek. Now, meekness is not celebrated in our culture, maybe because we don't understand what it is. For starters, meekness is not weakness. The best definition of meekness is power under constraint. It describes the breaking of a powerful stallion. So when you climb on a beautiful horse, the horse is submitting its will. It's not that it's lost its will. It's not that it's not stronger than you, but it has surrendered its will to the rider. …
… It's better to be sad over your condition because the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 7.10, the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow, but worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. In other words, hey, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry enough to stop. See, the problem is we will minimize sin. We'll say things like, well, God loves me and accepts me as I am. Amen, don't judge my journey. Well, God does love you and he does accept you as you are. But he wants to change you. And he wants you to repent of your sin. And he wants you to come into a right relationship with him. When the prodigal son was away from his father, he was sad. When he returned to his father in repentance, he was glad. That brings us to point number four. A happy person will be a meek person. A happy person will be a meek person. …
… What about our hearts? 2 Corinthians 7, verse 10 talks about having a godly sorrow over our sin. That's the result of repentance, that we feel sorry for our sin. And then there's a change of will. Luke 3, verse 7 and 8, when you look back at when John the Baptist was preaching repentance. He talked about how producing fruit in the way you live and keeping with the repentance that has taken place in your life, in your heart. Mind, heart, and will. It's a total change of mind, a total change of heart, a total change of will that's going on in conversion. That's turning from sin and then turning to Christ. Two key words here. When Peter preached this sermon, verse 36, God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Second word there, Christ. It's the Messiah, the promised Messiah, the Savior, the one who would save us from our sins. So you confess Christ as your Savior. Same thing in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 and 10. …