Restore week 4C

“Give Yourself Permission”

Opening . . .

One of my school day memories is the “permission slip.”

The permission slip was what was needed in order to leave the classroom and go to a different location.

If you needed to go to the restroom, you first had to ask for and receive the permission slip.

The hall monitor . . .

Stood in the hall looking for someone without their permission slip

If you were stopped in the hallway by someone, you could then show them your permission slip and continue to your destination.

If you left your homeroom without the permission slip and were caught in the hallway, you would either be sent back to your homeroom or to the principle’s office for discipline.

Repeat offenders . . .

Getting “wacks” in the hallway

Sitting in the classroom hearing the discipline

“Why do they keep doing what they know is wrong?”

Have you ever seen someone and asked yourself, “why do they continue to do what they know is wrong?”

Giving ourselves permission . . .

A reputation

No permission granted to change

Returning to the classroom . . .

Guilt and shame

Association on the playground

Identity

Introduction . . .

Caught in the hallway

Taken for discipline

Guilt and shame

Permission

[Jhn 8:2-11 ESV] 2 “Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

10 Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

The temple . . .

A place of permission-

Permission to come to Jesus (“came to Him”)

Permission to hear Jesus (“He sat down”)

Permission to receive God’s Truth (“He taught them”)

The scribes and Pharisees . . . “hall monitors”

Caught in the hallway

“She needs discipline”

Religion as false permission . . .

False permission places us over others (standing above Jesus)

False permission is based on spiritual pride (“This woman”)

False permission sees people as a means to an end (“To test Him”)

Jesus goes lower . . .

“Jesus bent down”

“Jesus stands up”

Jesus extends grace . . .

“Once more He bent down”

Unable to give themselves permission to receive grace (“they went away”)

When we are unable/unwilling to give ourselves permission to receive grace . . .

We become held in our place of bondage

The alternative becomes stricter rules and regulations

Look around . . .

“Jesus stood up”

“Where are they?”

Let them go

“I’m not about condemnation”

“Go and sin no more”

An unasked question . . . could the woman forgive herself?

To walk in self condemnation would be to commit the sin of self punishment

Self punishment is a form of spiritual pride

Diminishes the accomplished work of Christ

Grace extended must become grace received!

Many people are held back from receiving the restoration of God because they believe they don’t deserve it.

This belief often stems from a misunderstanding of God’s grace and forgiveness.

Some of us think we need to "earn" God's forgiveness through good deeds or self-inflicted suffering.

When we fail, we enact punishment on ourselves, thinking it’s the righteous thing to do. But this belief is rooted in our human thinking, not in God’s Word.

The more we beat ourselves up over past mistakes and failures, the harder it becomes to receive the Father’s restoration of lost years.

God’s grace and restoration are freely given, but when we refuse to forgive ourselves, we keep ourselves locked in a place of brokenness.

In order for the woman to move from shame to restoration, she had to give herself permission.

This command wasn’t just about changing her behavior; it was about changing her mindset.

She was no longer to be defined by her sin but was called to live in the newness of life that Christ offered.

True restoration requires us to leave the past behind.

Jesus’ instruction to the woman to "go and sin no more" was an invitation to start fresh.

Restoration is not just about being forgiven for the past; it’s about stepping into a new future.

Restoration is not a one-time event but a journey of continually embracing the grace of God.

The woman had to return to the classroom and face her fellow students

Holding onto shame would prevent her from healthy relationships.

Letting Go of Shame:

To see ourselves as undeserving of God’s grace empowers the shame.

Shame tries to tell us that we are beyond redemption, that we are unworthy of restoration.

‌But the cross tells a different story. It tells us that Jesus took our shame upon Himself so that we wouldn’t have to carry it anymore.

When we let go of shame and embrace the grace of Christ, we begin to walk in the restoration He offers.

So, the next time I play “hall monitor” and ask myself, “why do they keep doing that?” I need to stop and consider that they may be someone who has never given themselves permission to receive God’s restoration.

Grace extended must become grace received!