Receive Jesus' Invitation

KiDZ Message — Speaking Notes

Text: John 8:1–11 Big Idea: Jesus helps us before He tells us what to do next.

Feeling Criticized

Ask: “Have you ever had lots of people telling you what you did wrong?

Follow-up: “Did that make it easier to do better… or harder?”

Name the feeling: embarrassed, stuck, shut down

When people criticize us, it’s hard to listen.

The Story

Woman did something wrong

People singled her out and asked Jesus if he thought she was bad

He told them that if they didn’t do anything wrong they could criticize her

They couldn’t

He told her that he won’t either

He told her to not sin anymore

What Jesus Does First

He doesn’t yell or scold

He protects her

Jesus helps her before telling her what to do.

What Jesus Says Next

Jesus does say: “Go and don’t do this again”

He’s honest — it was wrong

But now she’s not alone

Jesus believes she can live differently — because He’ll help her.

Connect It to Them

When you mess up:

Jesus isn’t standing there pointing

He’s standing with you

He helps first

Then He shows the next step

And we keep needing His help to keep going.

Big Idea

“Jesus helps us before He tells us what to do next.”

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for helping us when we mess up and staying with us as we learn to live your way. Amen.

Main Sermon

On-Ramp

SLIDE - Sproul

“At the moment I sin, I desire the sin more than I desire to please God.” — R.C. Sproul

Tell my story in my apartment in Wilkes Barre, PA.

I was honest. I didn’t want Jesus. I wanted to want him, but the genuine desire was not there. I could not change my heart.

I asked God to make me want him

He did. He was waiting at the door of my life.

The Apostle Paul once said,

SCRIPTURE - Romans 7:15

Romans 7:15 “15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”

Paul goes on to describe this inner war—wanting the good but feeling unable to do it. And if you stop there, you might think the Christian life is about trying harder until the good part finally wins.

It’s what I did for years. and the bad part always felt like it won in the end.

I felt like I had chosen Christ, but was doomed to be a failure.

And Sproul's quote rang in my ears...

SLIDE - Sproul

“At the moment I sin, I desire the sin more than I desire to please God.”

I guess I must just love the bad part more...

But, Paul didn’t stop there. Next he said,

SCRIPTURE - Romans 8:1-2

Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

In other words, the bad part feels like it has you chained down, but the chains are broken.

For the follower of Jesus, the person who has been baptised and recieved the Holy Spirit, the claim that you simply love sin more than God is a lie designed to trick you into believing that you have no choice.

But you do have a choice, Sin may distort your desire, but Jesus seems to believe that in the depths of your heart, you want to choose well, but you feel incapable of it.

by repenting we can take to choose not to accept the lie and instead turn toward Jesus to help us choose the good we deeply desire.

yet, we often avoid repenting, not because we love sin

but because we don't want others to judge us,

or because we think nothing will change.

SLIDE - Title

If this is your first Sunday here during this series, welcome.

IN preparation for Easter we are spending the season of lent learning the art of repentance

Repentance is simply the act of recognizing a gap between our present lives, and the lives Jesus is calling us to, and then turning back toward Jesus after seeing the gap.

The word literally means to do a 180 deg turn.

Today you will be given a chance to encounter Jesus via a story from the gospels.

When you encounter him, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, you will notice a gap.

Then, together, we will all respond to that God prayerfully by practicing the art of repentance.

It may feel mechanical today, but if you keep at it, this rhythm will steadily move you closer to Jesus and the life he has for you.

Let’s dive in.

SCRIPTURE - John 8:1-11

The Woman Caught in Adultery

For my bible nerds, I want to acknowledge something about this story. There is a lot of debate about whether it was originally included in John’s gospel. It is not there is some of the earliest manuscripts that we have.

That being said, there is sound evidence that this was a real historical event. something Jesus really did. So let’s proceed with accepting it as the church has for a long time.

The Scene (vv. 3–6)

A woman is dragged into public view

She is surrounded, exposed, and silenced

Religious leaders are not seeking justice — they are setting a trap

If Jesus condemns her, he is advocating for capitol punishment, which is illegal for Jews to do under Roman law. This would be grounds for his arrest by Romans

If he does not, then they will claim he is disobeying the law of Moses. This would be grounds for arrest by Jewish Temple leaders.

(Leviticus 20:10 “10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.” )

Take note: Where is the man?

She is not treated like a person She is being used as an ideological/theological prop. A case-study rather than a real person.

Watch Jesus closely...

What Jesus Does First (vv. 6–9)

Before Jesus says a word to her, He changes the environment.

Jesus does not begin by correcting her behavior. He begins by confronting those who would use her life as a prop.

He begins by removing the voices that would make repentance impossible.

He actually cites the law itself (Deuteronomy 17:7 “7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first raised against the person to execute the death penalty, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” )

Repentance cannot transform us when we are under attack.

We don’t know what Jesus wrote in the sand. What we do know is that he was refusing to play their game and his next actions would prove that the woman was his priority, not the religious leaders.

Take note: Jesus’ first actions are to defang the threat against someone who sinned.

Do we start there?

Jesus fights those who would weaponize scripture to dehumanize someone by using scripture to reveal the hearts of the accusers.

What Jesus Refuses to Do (v. 10-11a)

Jesus does not deny sin, but his instruction to the sinner was the 3rd step he took, NOT the first.

What has this woman experienced so far.

She made a mistake

She was singled out and used for it

She has not been shown to repent or express remorse.

Jesus confronts her accusers instead of her, not by appealing to emotion, but by appealing to their own law.

Jesus does not condemn her (this is HUGE). He didn’t reject the law here. he obeyed it better than the scribes and Pharisees did.

Who are you in the story?

SLIDE - Title

Repentance cannot transform us when we are under attack.

Remember, to repent is not to grovel in shame and remorse.

It is to encounter Jesus, see a gap, and move toward him

Jesus is fighting battles just like this one for you and me every day.

Who are you in this story?

Are you the Scribes and Pharisees, looking to catch Jesus in error? Using people’s real lives as theological/ideological props for your agenda?

Check your hands for stones brothers and sisters, and then check your heart.

Is Jesus telling you the same thing today? Do you have a stone to put down?

Are you the woman, caught, accused, ashamed, used.

He didn’t test her resolve or require her to express proper remorse

Jesus said “Go, and from now on sin no more.”

Have accusers pointed out your sin? Just because they pointed it out and Jesus defends you, doesn’t mean that it is not sin.

Is Jesus telling you today that he doesn’t condemn you AND is he telling you to go and sin no more?

This invitation to ACT is Step 4 in the rhythm of repentance.

Jesus’ Grace does not end with forgiveness. It keeps moving.

True repentance looks for direction that is only possible through continued dependence on him.

An Encounter with Jesus does not erase your past, it reclaims your future and points you in a renewed direction

This is the deep work of Lent:

Not self-improvement

But re-trained dependence on Christ

Cue band

I told you we would practice a rhythm of repentance today, and this is where it happens.

The Rhythm

SLIDE – THE RHYTHM

Step 1 – Encounter Christ

I want you to look at the Jesus you have just encountered by hearing the scriptures read and explained.

Think about what was faithful in that encounter, and what was not...

The Pharisees saw sin and demanded Jesus make a judgement about whether they should hold this woman accountable. Jesus did not give in to their demands.

Do you make similar demands? Do you hold up the sin of others and demand a judgement?

The woman was caught in the act. She had done wrong and knew it.

We don’t know her whole story, but do you relate? Are you aware of your own sin already and you don’t need some religious people to point it out? How did Jesus responder to her/your sin?

Jesus said, go and sin no more. Something that likely felt impossible to the woman.

Is he giving you the same direction? Is he commanding you to give someone else the same direction?

What does the Jesus of this story offer you?

What might the Jesus of this story offer someone else through you?

[Pause for a moment]

Step 2 – Confess the gap

“If you’re seeing clearly, there is a gap”

Between how you’ve been and who Christ would have you be

Between what you believe and who Christ really is or what he really says.

“Write it down on your connect card or a slip of paper in one sentence. You will not be required to turn this in unless you choose to”

a gap looks like saying “I have been/believed this way and Christ would have me be/believe this different way”

A gap doesn’t require a solution, and that may feel uncomfortable. Don’t jump ahead.

“God already knows—but you must be willing to look.”

[Pause to give time for this]

Step 3 – Move toward Christ

“Physically.”

Anywhere else, Communion, Altar, now Community

Christ is present in his body. So today we will practice moving toward others.

Move toward others in the sanctuary. Get into groups of 5 or 6

I will not be asking you to share your gap with them unless you choose to.

“Don’t just think about moving”

“Actually Move your body toward Christ now.”

LONG PAUSE, give them time to move.

Now, being with others after what may be a moment of deep reflection can feel really intense.

You do not need to share your gap with them unless you sense the Spirit directing you to.

Speaking about it makes it real though. I encourage you to share at least a part of the gap, even if you are still unclear or uncertain.

You are the body of Christ, so being close to them is being close to Jesus

The opposite is also true, their being close to you is their being close to Jesus.

This time together is to listen for Christ’s instruction to you, which may come from something someone else says today.

Take a minute to share your gap sentence.

LONG PAUSE, give them time to think & write

Step 4 – Receive his invitation

Now, it is not completed repentance if we don't take time to listen.

In prayer, listen through your encounter with Jesus today

What do you believe the real Jesus would have you do with that gap?

The action may be a small next step (like set down the stone), it may be something you’ve already tried, it may feel like a giant impossible command (go and sin no more)

Don’t limit what you believe he is telling you. There is a good chance his command will feel impossible without his help.

When you hear something, write that down as well.

Give plenty of time for this

Now, to the extent you feel led by the Spirit, share with your group.

Step 5 – Obey

“This happens after worship.”

“Faith without works is dead.”

“Come back next week ready again.”

CLOSING

NORMALIZE

“This may feel mechanical today.”

“That’s how learning an art works.”

VISION

“Over time, this becomes natural.”

“If it’s working, you’ll start longing for it.”

PRAYER

Thank you for meeting us here Jesus

We can’t follow these instructions without you

Help us stay close as we try to live by your Spirit

Holy Spirit, who else are you placing on our hearts as we sit with our own gaps and directions?

As we look toward Easter, help us to seek after those who you are inviting in.

Band lead final song

Benediction and Card reminders AFTER music.

Benediction

Go, free to trust, obey, and share the good new with others, knowing that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Amen