375. Paul's Joy at the Church's Repentance - 2Corinthians 7

375.


Paul Reveals His Heart

1.

Today's Passage: 2 Corinthians 7

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Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

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2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

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1. Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

2. Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, nor led anyone astray, nor taken advantage of anyone.
3. I'm not saying this to condemn you. I said before that you are in our hearts, and we live or die together with you.
4. I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.

5. When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.
6. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.
7. His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received form you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!

8. I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while.
9. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.
10. For 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.

11. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.
12. My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us.
13. We have been greatly encouraged by this.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.
14. I had told him how proud I was of you ⏤ and you didn't disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true.
15. Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect.
16. I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.
2 Corinthians 7 NLT

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3.

4th strategy.
Is this a who, what, when, where, or how passage? 

• Begin by inviting God into your reading. Ask Him to join you and show you the plot of this passage.
• Read the passage
• Ask yourself as you read the passage which is most important in the passage.
  • Is who the passage about the most important thing?
  • Is what the passage is about the most important thing?
  • Is when or where the passage takes place the most important thing?
  • Or is how the passage presented, worked out in time, or motivates the reader the most important thing...?
• After you decide which is the most important vehicle of the passage, re-read it.
• Contemplate if this passage could bring you to a fuller understanding of God and His purposes.
• Thank God for being with you in this endeavor.
  

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4.

Thank you for coming today.
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And remember,
I pray for you every day.
And I will be back here tomorrow,
I hope I will see you here too.
~Robyn

Robyn & Biff Cox
RR&BC, LLC ©2016

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