The Truth About Your Sin

Introduction

The Problem

This morning’s passage is a little unusual.

We’ve been going through the Gospel According to John,

and today we come to one of the most beloved stories in the whole gospel:

The story of the woman caught in adultery.

The interesting thing about this passage is…

If you look in your Bible, you’ll notice John 7:53–8:11

is set apart or maybe even in a footnote.

That’s because most Bible scholars believe it wasn’t originally part of John’s Gospel,

but was added later on.

Here’s why they think that:

in the oldest copies of John, this story isn’t there.

This story does not appear in a manuscript of John till the 5th century,

about 500 years after Jesus’ ministry.

And when the story does show up, sometimes it’s in different places in the book of John—

and sometimes it’s even placed in the Gospel of Luke.

On top of that, the writing style just doesn’t sound like John’s usual way of writing.

Transition

Now, that can sound a little unsettling at first, so let me explain what’s going on.

Textual Criticism

The New Testament that we know was originally written in Greek.

And the first printed Greek New Testament that came off a printing press was published by Erasmus in 1516.

For about 1,500 years before that, everything was copied by hand, and passed down.

There are no original copies written by the author, only copies of their writings.

These copies were preserved and passed down so that we have the words of those original writers.

Overwhelming Evidence

Here’s the amazing part:

we have so many remaining copies/manuscripts of the Bible, that

compared to any other ancient writing,

the Bible blows them all out of the water.

Historians believe in the authenticity of:

Julius Caesar’s was a Roman general before the time of Christ who wrote Gallic Wars...

Which we have 10 manuscripts.

Livy was a Roman historian in the first century,

and we have 20 manuscripts.

Tacitus was a Roman historian after Christ’s death

and we have just 2 manuscripts.

Thucydides was a Greek general and historian before the life of Christ,

and we have 8 manuscripts

But the New Testament has almost 6,000 handwritten copies!

God has preserved His Word like nothing else.

The Good & Bad Thing About Many Copies

When you have that many copies,

you’ll find differences here and there.

But the good news is, that actually helps us.

The more copies you compare, the easier it is to tell what was in the original.

And here’s the most important thing:

not one single Christian teaching is changed by these differences.

If you leave out the story of the woman caught in adultery,

nothing about the gospel changes!

God has made sure His Word is solid and trustworthy.

For instance, if we only had two copies of John,

and 1 had the story of the woman caught in adultery, and the other didn’t,

you wouldn’t know which was right.

But if you have hundreds of manuscripts of John,

you will be able to tell more easily based on the age and diversity of the manuscripts if the story was originally in there or not.

Since we have so many manuscripts,

we really can trust the Bible!

And worship God for preserving it for us!

What do we do with this story?

So what do we do with this particular story?

Many scholars think it really did happen.

It may have been a true story that had been passed down,

and at some point someone thought it should be included.

The story does not contradict any doctrine or other part of Scripture…

The story does not contradict Jesus or His teaching…

The story sounds like something Jesus would do, and

sounds like His other interactions with Jewish leaders.

But since it likely wasn’t part of John’s Gospel,

it’s most safe for us to treat it as NOT Scripture.

So what I am going to do this morning,

is teach the story as found in our Bibles,

and use other Scripture to back up the truths found in this story.

My hope and prayer is that it will help us to see our glorious Saviour more clearly!

Prayer for Illumination

Let’s pray…

Transition

My sermon title this morning is...

Title

The Truth About Your Sin

Billboard

The principles we will learn from this story are:

Your Sin Will Find You Out

Your Sin Demands Payment

Your Sin Hinders Your Ability to Judge Rightly

Your Sin Was Paid For At The Cross

Your Forgiven Sin Sets You Free To Obey Christ

Read

John 7:53–8:11 ESV

53 They went each to his own house, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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.”

Transition

“The Truth About Your Sin” is that…

1. Your Sin Will Find You Out

The reason we sin,

is because sin feels good…

at least in the moment.

Whether it’s:

letting your eyes linger too long on someone… OR

eating or drinking a little more than you should… OR

letting your anger out at your coworker, spouse, or children…

we do all these things in the moment because it feels good.

And a part of the allure of sin,

is that you will be able to hide it…

That nobody will ever know about them!

This is a lie!

Your sin WILL find you out!

EXPLAIN

John 7:53–8:4 ESV

53 They went each to his own house, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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.

As the crowds gathered once again to hear Jesus teach,

the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman who had been caught in adultery,

and place her on display for everyone to see.

And then they say to Jesus,

“Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery…”

It would have been enough embarrassment if her sin was just something that came to light,

but she was caught,

IN THE VERY ACT!

She was tempted to believe that her sin could be kept a secret,

that nobody was going to find out,

but somebody did!

Even if nobody caught this couple in the act,

or nobody ever found out about their sin at all,

GOD KNEW! HE SAW IT!

There is nothing that is hidden from Him!

Jesus, speaking to His disciples in Luke 12:2-3 said…

Luke 12:2–3 ESV

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Summary

You may be tempted to believe the same lie,

that you can hide your sin,

but you can’t!

Your sin will find you out!

ILLUSTRATE — Infidelity at Coldplay

I’m sure that most of you have heard of the incident at a Coldplay concert,

that exposed an affair.

For those who may not know what I’m talking about…

Back on July 16, Coldplay was playing a concert…

They had a kiss-cam, and it fell on a couple hugging…

When they realized they were on screen, he ducked, and she covered her face.

The lead singer of the band said, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”

He had hit the nail on the head… they were in fact both married, and cheating on their spouses.

They thought they could keep their affair a secret,

but their sin found them out!

It was exposed for everyone in the audience to see,

and in 12 hours it had gone viral,

and the whole world was mocking them!

This is the kind of shame and embarrassment Jesus was talking about,

when He said the sin you thought nobody would find out about,

will be shouted from the rooftops!

I saw this post on facebook a few days after the event by William E Reed…

“The picture on the left captures the deceptive allure of walking in sin. You foolishly believe things are great. The picture on the right exposes the reality of your sin. The fear, shame, and guilt are captured for all to see. There is grace and forgiveness for sin in Christ, but the consequences of it will hurt a lot of people. The memes may be hilarious, the real world fallout is horrific.” William E Reed

APPLY

I don’t know what sin in particular you’re struggling with,

but you need to know that even though you may have been able to hide it from people for now,

it will come to light!

If not now, then later!

God Sees Your Sin

And even if you can hide your sin from people,

YOU CAN’T HIDE IT FROM GOD!

God is EVERYWHERE, and He sees EVERYTHING!

Every sinful thought…

Every sinful word…

Every sinful action…

is done before a holy, righteous God!

I’ve heard John MacArthur put it something like this…

When you sin, it’s as if you walk up to the throne of God and perform that act.

Summary

Don’t believe the lie that your sin is hidden and covered, never to be revealed...

God sees your sin, and will expose it.

If not in this life, then at the judgement.

Your sin will find you out!

Transition

“The Next Truth About Your Sin” is that…

2. Your Sin Demands Payment

We’ve already seen that you cannot hide your sin.

God sees everything, and all sin is going to be exposed.

This is bad news for all of us, because:

Your sin… my sin… demands payment!

EXPLAIN

After bringing this woman before Jesus,

and exposing her sin to everyone,

these leaders say in verse 5…

John 8:5 ESV

5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

The scribes and Pharisees are the ones who bring this woman to Jesus.

Scribes were scholars,

whose job was to teach, copy, and interpret Jewish law for the people.

Luke refers to scribes as lawyers…

very careful to obey the letter of the Law.

Pharisees were a religious sect of Jews

they too were devoted to exact observance of the Jewish law.

They were working together, as verse 6 says, to test Jesus and find something against him.

They knew the law well, and were trying to trap him.

The Law, through Moses, did in fact command them to kill adulterers…

Deuteronomy 22:22 ESV

22 “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

God did command the death of those who sin by committing adultery,

and the reason is because God is holy.

And if His presence is to be among His people,

they too are to be holy.

Therefore, sin must be paid for!

So this woman, according to the Law, does in fact deserve to die.

But who’s missing?

The man!

In order for her to commit adultery,

there needed to be a man!

We will address this more in the next point, but

we can see that these leaders are not concerned about justice,

otherwise the man would be there as well.

Summary

Even though it seems like she’s being singled out,

THE FACT IS: she is still guilty of her sin,

and therefore deserving of death according to God’s Law!

APPLY

The truth is that

we are all guilty before God because of our sin.

Maybe you think your sin isn’t that bad,

or think you’ll be better off because you haven’t sinned as bad as others.

“I haven’t murdered anyone…”

“I haven’t stolen anything really big…”

“I haven’t committed adultery…”

Even if it is true that your pile of sins aren’t as big, bad or ugly as someone else's,

you are still guilty of rejecting and rebelling against God!

James 2:10 ESV

10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

What James is saying, is that God’s Law is a unified whole.

When you sin in one area, it’s like breaking a link in a chain…

now the whole chain is disconnected.

When you sin, even in one area,

you are rejecting God’s authority in your life,

which is the essence of sin.

Adam and Eve only sinned one time,

and it was the break in the chain link that disconnected them from communion with God.

Since sin makes you guilty before God,

it demands payment!

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

God cannot simply overlook sin,

or He would not be just.

If someone murdered someone else,

and the judge just overlooked it and let them go,

we would be outraged!

We would not think of that judge as just.

In the same way, God cannot just overlook sin…

it must be paid for…

Maybe you’ve been mistreated or singled out like this woman…

You’ve faced injustice…

But the truth still remains

You have sinned and broken God’s Law…

You are guilty according to God’s Law…

And “Your sin demands payment!”

Transition

“The Next Truth About Your Sin” is that…

3. Your Sin Hinders Your Ability to Judge Rightly

We’ve already seen that these leaders are not after true justice.

That is what they want people to think,

but it’s not the truth.

This is seen in the fact that there were two people guilty of adultery…

the woman, AND a man.

They were both guilty according to the Law,

but the man is nowhere to be found.

Could it be that this man was someone of power, maybe one of them,

who they were trying to protect?

It is possible, but we don’t know,

because we aren’t told.

Since these scribes and Pharisees are sinful men,

their sin hinders their ability to judge rightly.

EXPLAIN

And Jesus exposes this truth…

John 8:6–8 ESV

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.

The leaders bring this woman before Jesus,

and demand that He give His judgement on the matter.

Jesus bends down and begins writing on the ground.

As He’s writing, they continue to demand a response from Him.

I can imagine them being frustrated that He’s writing on the ground,

each one calling on Him to stop playing in the dirt and give His verdict.

Rather than giving His judgement, Jesus says…

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus is not saying that the only way you accurately determine if someone else is sinning,

is if you are sinless yourself.

Then no-one could ever confront someone else in sin!

What Jesus is calling out, is their hypocrisy.

These leaders are highlighting and exposing this woman’s sin,

while turning a blind eye to their own sin!

Teaching on this in the sermon on the mount, Jesus said…

Matthew 7:1–5 ESV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

ILLUSTRATE

What incredible imagery Jesus is using to make His point!

A person with a log in their eye,

trying to remove a speck from someone else’s eye.

I remember a teacher coming to our church.

He used funny cartoon drawings to make the Bible more engaging,

and I still remember the one he made of a man with a log in his own eye.

I asked ChatGPT to make me a drawing just for effect,

and maybe it will help someone here remember it.

The imagery is so ridiculous isn’t it!

Maybe you’ve gotten something in your eye when working,

and couldn’t get it out on your own,

so you had to go to the eye doctor.

Can you imagine the doctor walking in

with a log sticking out of his/her eye?

I don’t want that doctor poking around my eye!

The log is obstructing their view!

They can’t see clearly!

Summary

That’s exactly how ridiculous it is for these leaders,

who are acting like they don’t have sin,

to be pointing out sin in this woman!

IT’S RIDICULOUS!

Their own sin hindered their ability to judge rightly in this situation.

They were blinded by their own sinful hearts.

APPLY

This is what you need to understand as well…

that your sin hinders your ability to judge rightly!

This is why Jesus tells us NOT to judge in Matt 7:1

Matthew 7:1 ESV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

And the reason is…

Matthew 7:2 ESV

2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Jesus says not to judge others,

for you will be judged by the same standard you use for others.

We tend to be far more critical of others than we are of ourselves!

We give ourselves grace, and want others to give us grace,

but we want others to get justice!

Your own sin gets in the way of your ability to rightly judge someone else!

But if Jesus says we aren’t supposed to judge one another,

this raises an interesting question,

because Scripture does command us as believers to judge one another.

Paul to the Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians 5,

Paul addresses the situation with a man who is sleeping with his father’s wife.

Paul commands them judge that man,

and remove him from the church.

Paul actually commands them not even to eat with someone who

calls themself a brother in Christ, but is guilty of sin.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13…

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 ESV

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Summary

As Christ’s church,

that bears His name,

and proclaims His Word,

we are to strive for purity and holiness,

and judge those who are guilty of sin!

So how do we reconcile these two things?

We are not to judge, and yet

we are to judge…

I believe the point Jesus is making is that we must be slow to confront others.

We should first be willing to look at our own lives,

and see if we are guilty of the same thing!

We should be willing to consider how I would want to be approached if I was wrong,

and show that same grace, patience, and gentleness to someone else.

We should recognize that we too are sinners, and guilty before God,

and not go to someone else with an attitude of self-righteousness.

We should prayerfully discern our own heart and motives,

and ask the Spirit for wisdom for how best to confront the sin,

not seeking JUDGEMENT…

but RECONCILIATION!

The goal is not condemning someone else for their sin,

but calling them back to repentance and obedience to Christ!

Summary

We are to judge one another as believers,

but we must recognize that we too are guilty of sin, and

that sin blinds our ability to judge rightly.

But when we do it with the right heart,

recognizing our own need for grace,

it is a beautiful way God makes His church holy!

Transition

“The Next Truth About Your Sin” is that…

4. Your Sin Was Paid For At The Cross

We’ve already seen that in points 1 and 2 that:

Your sin will find you out… and

Your sin demands payment…

you cannot hide your sin from God, and

you are guilty before Him!

But here we see Jesus’ gracious response to this woman,

that He doesn’t condemn her!

In fact, the very reason He came,

was to pay for sin once and for all!

EXPLAIN

John 8:9–11 ESV

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;

Every single person there realized they were not sinless,

and therefore nobody could condemn her.

Rather than picking up stones to stone her,

they walked away.

Jesus then says, “Neither do I condemn you;”

Jesus shows the true heart of God,

that he came not to condemn the world, but

to save the world.

This is what He said back in John 3:16-17 in His conversation with Nicodemus…

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The interesting thing about Jesus is,

that He CAN condemn people,

because He is God, and truly righteous and holy,

so He CAN judge rightly!

But that’s not why He came.

He didn’t come to point out everyone’s sin,

and condemn them as guilty sinners…

He came, to be the sacrifice that atones for people’s sins,

so that by believing in Him they can have their sins forgiven,

and have the hope of eternal life!

Summary

Jesus did not come in order to condemn this woman,

but to offer her forgiveness for her sin,

through faith in Him!

APPLY

If Jesus wanted to come and condemn you for your sin,

it wouldn’t be very hard for Him to do…

He knows every sinful action you’ve committed…

He knows every sinful word you’ve spoken…

HE EVEN KNOWS EVERY SINFUL THOUGHT YOU’VE HAD!

If you added all those sins up,

you wouldn’t be able to count them!

If you were to die and stand before God today,

guess what the verdict is?

GUILTY!

Your sin demands payment,

and if God is a holy and righteous Judge, which He is,

He must give justice.

But this is not why Jesus came!

To point out all your sins and condemn you…

He came to save the world…

TO SAVE YOU!

And when you put your faith in Jesus,

and believe that He is the Son of God…

No matter how badly or how much you have sinned,

Your sin is transferred to Jesus, and

His righteousness is transferred to you!

When God looks at you,

He sees the righteousness of Jesus,

and therefore, you will have eternal life!

Summary

Turn to Jesus today,

and have all your sins paid for,

through His sacrifice at the cross!

Transition

“The Next Truth About Your Sin” is that…

5. Your Forgiven Sin Sets You Free To Obey Christ

Christ did not come to give His life so that we could continue in our sin,

but to set us free from the power of sin!

EXPLAIN

Jesus then says to the woman…

John 8:11 ESV

11 “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Remember, this woman was guilty and deserving of death.

She is literally at the verge of death…

She is, as it were,

“hanging on the gallows”

“sitting in the death chair”

“standing before the firing squad”

Her life is hanging in the balance because she is guilty,

and deserves to be stoned according to the Law!

But Jesus tells her to go…

She is free!

Jesus does have the right to condemn her,

because He is God, and is:

Holy…

Righteous… and

Just!

But this is not why Jesus came.

He did not come to condemn guilty sinners,

but to give His life as a ransom,

in order that guilty sinners might be saved through him.

The result of this incredible, sacrificial love on Jesus’ part,

should lead those who understand it,

to repent… turn away from their sin,

and instead walk in obedience to God!

If this is a true story,

we are not told what this woman did.

At this point she is faced with a decision

of whether she will believe in Jesus or not.

We do not know if she believed in Jesus,

or went back to her life of sin.

Summary

But the reason Jesus showed her such grace,

is that He longed for her to pursue holiness before God.

Walking in God’s ways is the only way we are truly satisfied.

APPLY

This is what Paul wrote to the Romans 8:1-5…

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If you are in Christ,

meaning you have been born again by His Spirit,

having put your faith in Jesus as your Saviour,

you are not condemned!

Why?

Romans 8:2 ESV

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Though you are guilty under God’s Law,

through Christ, you have been set free,

and are under the law of the Spirit.

Romans 8:3 ESV

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.

The Law is good and right and true,

but because of the weakness of our flesh,

no-one could ever be righteous!

So God accomplished righteousness for us…

Romans 8:3–4 ESV

3 By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Jesus came, to put an end to sin in our flesh.

And when we believe in Him,

the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us,

because we are not living by our flesh,

but God’s own Spirit within us!

Romans 8:5 ESV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Before you were born again,

you walked according to your flesh,

and desired fleshly things.

But now, the result of having God’s Spirit within you,

is that you have new desires to obey Christ,

and walk in the power of the Spirit!

Christ died for you to:

forgive your sin… and

set you free from the power of sin… so that

you could walk in obedience to God by the power of the Spirit!

Paul then contrasts those who are in the flesh,

with those who are in the Spirit…

Romans 8:6–8 ESV

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You cannot please God in your flesh,

because in your heart you don’t desire to obey God!

Romans 8:9–10 ESV

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

You must be born again by the Holy Spirit.

If you don’t have Christ’s Spirit, you do not belong to Him,

but if you do, then you do belong to Him,

and you are righteous and blameless,

even though in your flesh you’re a sinner.

Then Paul gives this promise…

Romans 8:11 ESV

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

If you have Christ’s Spirit within you,

you have the hope that Christ will raise you from the dead,

and give you eternal life, through His Spirit!

Summary

This is such an incredible, wonderful hope,

that we are so undeserving of!

What should your response be?

“go, and from now on, sin no more.”

Through the power of Jesus’ Spirit within you,

who gives you the desire to obey Christ,

turn from your sin, and

walk in obedience to your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Closing

Closing Illustration

Back in John 4, we have the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

This woman had been carrying the guilt and shame of her sin, which Jesus exposed…

she had been married 5 times and was now living with a man who was not her husband.

Talk about being an outcast from society!

But as Jesus talks with her about:

living water; and

true worship…

He reveals He is the Messiah!

She is so excited she leaves her water jar and runs into town telling everyone…

John 4:29 ESV

29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

And verse 39 tells us…

John 4:39 ESV

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

This is incredible!

This woman has her sins exposed,

and immediately wants to go out and tell everyone about it?!?

Who would do that?

But this is exactly what Jesus said would happen in His conversation with Nicodemus…

John 3:18–21 ESV

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Summary

Those who refuse to come to the light love the darkness,

because their works are evil and they don’t want them to be exposed…

BUT…

Those who believe Jesus,

and walk in obedience to His Word,

have His Spirit and come to the light!

Not because of anything they have done,

but because their works have been carried out in God,

namely, the work of believing in His Son, Jesus!

Point to Christ (How does the Gospel speak to this?)

Nonbeliever

You need to know that you are a sinner.

Maybe you haven’t murdered, but Jesus says

if you are angry at your brother you’re liable to judgment,

if you insult your brother you’re liable to the council, and

if you call someone a fool you’re liable to the hell of fire.

Maybe you haven’t committed adultery, but Jesus said

if you look at a woman with lust you’ve committed adultery in your heart.

Jesus shows us that righteousness before God:

is not about outward obedience…

it’s not about head knowledge…

it’s not about cleaning the outside of the cup…

It’s about the transformation of our hearts!

Every one of us has sinned and broken God‘s law,

and are therefore worthy of his condemnation,

because He is God, and is holy and just and righteous.

The good news is that Jesus does not condemn you!

He came to save you!

If you are condemned, it will be because:

you refused to believe in him.

Nobody wants their sins exposed!

It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing!

But the promise you have when you come to Jesus with your sin,

is that He doesn’t condemn you...

He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you!

Don’t let the fact that you have sin stop you from coming to God.

It is your sin that qualifies you to come!

When you bring your burden to Him He will

forgive you,

cleanse you,

give you His Spirit

who will help you desire to walk in obedience to His word!

What is stopping you from doing this today?

Come to the light!

Bring your burdens to Jesus!

He has paid for your sin on the cross,

and wants you to experience forgiveness,

and walk in obedience through the power of His Spirit!

Believer

God has been so gracious so as to pardon and atone for your sin.

Even though you are deserving of death and judgement because you have sinned,

He cleanses you and makes you righteous

by transferring His perfect life to you,

and taking on Himself your sin,

which He bore on the cross.

Since He loved you this much,

and gave himself for you…

“Go and sin no more!”

Don’t do this out of duty or obligation,

but out of love and reverence for Jesus who gave Himself for you!

Coming to God’s Word on a daily basis is uncomfortable,

because it exposes our sin!

But we must be faithful to do it,

pursuing forgiveness, and the Spirit’s help to obey Christ!

As a Christian you will never outgrow your need for the good news of the gospel.

You will continue to sin,

but continue running to Christ who

has made you righteous,

will continue to cleanse you, and

will bring you into his glorious presence totally free from sin!

Land the Plane (Last call to action)

Extra Sermon Notes (Not Used)

Maybe your marriage has been struggling,

and you’ve been tempted to believe the lie that you would be happier with someone else…

you believe the grass will be greener on the other side…

You need to know that’s a lie!

The grass is greener where you water it!

A good marriage takes work, and effort.

The sacrifice and love you showed each other when you were dating came easy…

but that you have become used to one another, it requires intentionality.

But that’s exactly what will happen in a new relationship!

You think that person will be better, but they won’t!

It’s exciting now, but it will wear off.

You must pursue one another, and your love will grow!

Jeremy Pierre said it this way…

“You pursue what you desire. You desire what you pursue.”

If you begin to pursue your spouse…

loving them,

saying kind things to them,

serving and sacrificing for them…

you will begin to desire them.

Then, as you desire them,

you will begin to pursue them more,

which leads to more desire, and more pursuit…

This is the key to a deep, meaningful love in marriage.

It’s so much more than fleeting pleasure!