Holy Habits: Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7 and Selected Scriptures
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
This series is focused on changing our lives by forming habits that will nurture our life in Christ and daily walk with Jesus. This week we look at the role of godly sorrow, a heart posture that grows from loving God and others from within our state as broken, imperfect people…
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflection:
Personal Experience:
Share about a time when you were a child and really thought you could get away with something… but you got caught! What happened and how did you feel?
When you said “Sorry”, what did that mean to you at the time?
Group Discussion:
Read 2 Corinthians 7:6-12
Why does it hurt when we are challenged about our sinful behavior?
Our sinful nature has a sense of it’s own dignity. If we spend our lives safe-guarding the dignity of our sinful nature, where is that likely to lead?
Paul says in v8 that it hurt him to challenge them. Talk about that— why is it painful for a person like Paul to challenge behavior like this?
Paul said that their grief led to repentance which leads to salvation, so there are ‘no regrets’. Talk about that:
The people in Corinth seemed to be content to let things brew until Paul challenged them (in his first letter), so why did contentment with sin suddenly become sorrow? Was that sincere, or was it just shame at being ‘caught’?
Can you have a sense of godly sorrow at sin without the corresponding fruit of repentance? Why or why not?
Is there a difference between being sorry and being repentant? If so what is the difference in terms of how we feel, think, act?
Read Romans 3:20-24. This section captures the difference between seeking to be right in God’s sight through our own willful efforts vs. accepting salvation by the grace of God in Christ. Talk about this:
We tend to think that our good deeds can “out weigh” our bad. Why do we think that, and why does it not work that way?
Scott said that if we don’t see ourselves as lost sinners, we won’t see ourselves in need of a Savior like Jesus. How is that different from a Gospel message that is “grace only”?
If we cling to our sin, our shame will drive us away from God. If we are willing to repent under the conviction of the Spirit, we are drawn to God. How do we make that choice? (Philippians 2:13-14)
What is the difference between repentance as the Bible speaks about it, and being sad that we fell into sin again? (e.g., Psalm 51, Jeremiah 15:19, Mark 1:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 3:19, Romans 2:4, James 5:16…)
Read Romans 7:21-8:14. This is one of the most specific descriptions of the difference between trying to please God in our own power vs. living in the power of the Spirit. Talk about that:
What is Paul being rescued from?
How does Jesus Christ rescue him from this “body of death” in Romans 8:1-4?
Application:
Discuss how supports like confession, accountability, challenging each other lovingly when needed… all contribute to the habit of godly sorrow over sin that leads to repentance which leads to salvation.
Prayer:
Scott challenged us to make confession and repentance a practical expression of godly sorrow over sin that grows like weeds in our lives. Take some time to pray together that God would give us the eyes to see our sin for what it is, to turn from it whole-heartedly in the power of His Spirit, and to accept the forgiveness offered to us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Take time to thank Him for removing our sin from His sight ‘as far as the east is from the west’!
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