A Sinner Jesus Forgives
Notes
Transcript
INTRO:
INTRO:
(John 8:1–11)
John 8:1–11 (NKJV)
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
AG: Today we're diving into a passage in John 8, verses 1-11, casting light on the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and freedom. Each of these themes is interconnected, each one a gift from God that we're offered, but also a choice we must make.
As Charles Spurgeon once said, "It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you." Isn't that a comforting thought? It's not about how strong we are, but about who we lean on.
TS: Jesus defends a woman caught in adultery by reminding her accusers that they, too, are sinners. He says that he is the eternal light of the world and existed before Abraham was even born.
RS: We often find ourselves like the woman. Guilty of sin and accused by Satan and others, with Jesus defending and cleansing us.
The connivers (8:1–4)
The connivers (8:1–4)
1. The accusers (8:3a):
1. The accusers (8:3a):
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
A group of Jewish leaders approaches Jesus.
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees
2. The accused (8:3b–4):
2. The accused (8:3b–4):
They put before him a woman caught in the act of adultery!
AP: We will always have accusers
Satan Rev 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Satan works against us and accuses us
In Job, we find him question Job’s motives in serving God
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
He does the same to us
He tries blames, accuses, questions
He stirs up trouble
Those following Satan
We are surrounded by people who act just like Him!
They point out our failures
They question our motives
Some outright try to bring us down
The conniving (8:5–6a)
The conniving (8:5–6a)
1. What they say (8:5):
1. What they say (8:5):
“The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.
They were 100% about the requirements of the Law.
Their follow through and motives were corrupt
Notice the who the verse condemns to death
the adulterer and the adulteress
They should have brought 2 people to Jesus
Not just the woman, but the man was worthy of death for their sexual immorality
Both were guilty of sin and both were to be stoned according to the Law
John A. Truth and Forgiveness (8:1–11)
Stoning is the biblically prescribed punishment for a betrothed virgin who was sexually unfaithful to her fiancé, a punishment to be meted out to both sexual partners (Dt. 22:23–24). Elsewhere (Lv. 20:10; Dt. 22:22) death is prescribed for all unfaithful wives and their lovers, but no mode (such as stoning) is laid down. In the Mishnah (Sanhedrin, 7:4), however, the two cases are sharply differentiated: the offense in the first instance is punishable by stoning (it is viewed as the more serious of the two), and the second by strangling. That would mean the woman in this passage was betrothed, not married. It is rather doubtful, however, that the distinction existed in Jesus’ day (Carson, p. 335).
2. Why they said it (8:6a):
2. Why they said it (8:6a):
They want him to say something they can use against him.
This was a test.
They didn’t really care about the sin and the sinners
They used this woman as a pawn in their game of “trap Jesus”
They laid a trap for Jesus
If he rejected the law of Moses, they would have removed His credibility and had a powerful tool to use against Him
If He held to the Mosaic Law, His reputation for compassion and forgiveness would have been questioned.
Some even suggest it was entrapment
The Law required 2 or 3 witnesses
To get that, it is suggested the connivers must have arranged the liaison somewhat as a trap with witnesses already stationed in the room to “see” the adultery.
perhaps that is why they didn’t bring the man
He knew it wasn’t “real” and the woman didn’t?!
The challenge (8:6b–8)
The challenge (8:6b–8)
1. What Jesus does (8:6b, 8):
1. What Jesus does (8:6b, 8):
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Twice he bends down and writes in the dust. and sin.
We have no idea what He wrote
Maybe He named adulterers from the crowd
Perhaps it was the verses of Scripture in question from the Mosaic Law
Perhaps He doodled!
We know it gave them time to think and revealed their own hearts
He didn’t jump into the snap judgment and reaction they wanted
2. What Jesus says (8:7):
2. What Jesus says (8:7):
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
The Law required innocent witnesses by whom the accused would be condemned begin the stoning.
The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
Only those not guilty of the same sin could participate.
AP: We all face the same challenge
NO, not to literally stone a sinner!
The challenge I’m referring to is to search our hearts
Put yourself in that crowd that day.
Could you saw you have no sin and thus wind up and toss the first stone?
NOOOO!!!!
We all sin!
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
All of us sin
We all disobey God
Through our action and thoughts
The convicted (8:9):
The convicted (8:9):
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
They all walk away in shame.
It began with the oldest
He dropped his stone and left
Did it start with the oldest because they had more time to accumulate sins of their own?
Perhaps it was their maturity and sense of impending judgment.
It continued all the way to the youngest.
One by one they leave
John A. Truth and Forgiveness (8:1–11)
Imagine a stage play as you watch in silence—no dialogue, no music. The confident and critical Pharisees, moments ago pointing their fingers at the woman and at Jesus, now silently exit stage right or stage left without another word. Christians are not perfect—just forgiven. And because of the extent of God’s forgiveness to us, we ought to be the least judgmental people in the world.
The cleansed (8:10–11):
The cleansed (8:10–11):
The woman now experiences:
1. No earthly condemnation (8:10):
1. No earthly condemnation (8:10):
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
Her accusers have disappeared.
None of the accusers reach the conclusion that they are innocent!
Nobody could say they were free of sin and thus able to cast teh first stone
2. No heavenly condemnation (8:11):
2. No heavenly condemnation (8:11):
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Jesus tells her to go and sin no more.
He could have stoned her.
He was without sin.
Instead, He forgives her and calls her to leave her life of sin
Literately- Leave your life of sin
He challenged her (and many others) with this same phrase
Jesus left people changed
Repent
Man is born with his back toward God. When he truly repents, he turns right around and faces God. Repentance is a change of mind…. Repentance is the tear in the eye of faith.
Dwight L. Moody
The man who only repents of this and that glaring offense, has not repented of sin at all.
Two Essential Things, Volume 35, Sermon #2073 - Acts 20:21
Charles Spurgeon
Don’t think that this means she got away with adultery!
That sin and every one of our sins were punished as Jesus atoned for them on the cross
He died so we no longer have to!
AP: We are forgiven and challenged as well
Jesus removes our sin
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
Jesus calls us to leave our lives of sin
When we are saved, we are to walk in righteousness.
Salvation is by grace through faith
no works save us
We don’t clean up our lives in order to become acceptable to God
We are made clean BY GOD
We sometimes want to put the cart before the horse and make the cleanup of life take place first, whereas God promises that by his grace he will establish the relationship that cleans up a person’s life.
Darrell L. Bock
Daily we must follow God.
We must choose to turn our back to our own sin and lusts and choose to follow His will.
Conclusion:[1]
Conclusion:[1]
[1]H. L. Willmington, The Outline Bible(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), Jn 8.