Godly Grief

Immanuel Baptist Richmond

Sermons App

Godly Grief

2 Corinthians 7:10-16

November 3, 2019 • Michael Wilburn, Senior Pastor

Application Questions:

What is the difference between godly grief and worldly grief? What does each type of grief produce?

Have you every written a letter like the Apostle Paul’s severe letter (2 Corinthians 7:8-9, 12)? How can rebuke be communicated clearly?

What role did Titus play between Paul and the Corinthians? What principles of sharing or withholding information can be learned from this story?

How do you personally react to pain and sorrow? What spiritual disciplines help process the emotional upheaval provoked by grief?

Testing the Saints

December 29, 2019 • Michael Wilburn, Senior Pastor

Application Questions: Scripture calls for self-examination “so see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). How do you test your faith? How should you pray for someone you love who persists in sin while professing their salvation? Of the final five commands given by Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11, pick the most needed and most difficult for you now. What does your obedience to these reveal? Why would anyone gladly become weak in order that others may grow strong?

Showing Weakness

December 22, 2019 • Michael Wilburn, Senior Pastor

Application Questions: What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? What applications can be made to your own weakness and troubles? Considering your own limitations, how has God taught you to be content in weakness? In what sense is God's grace sufficient for you? How does grace change the way you view your limitations? What is God’s purpose when he answers “no” to your prayer?

Bearing Shame

December 15, 2019 • Michael Wilburn, Senior Pastor

Application Questions: What does it mean to “put on airs”? How do Christians unwittingly do this before unbelievers? After reading through the Apostle Paul’s list of troubles (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), list your own series of afflictions. What has God taught you that could only be learned through difficulty? Do you suffer from insomnia or anxiety? What can be learned from Paul’s experience about how a Christian should deal with the mind and emotions? Why does Paul refer to churches as a burden? Who is responsible to bear the burdens of the church today?