Sin and Judgment
Christian influence in an amoral society • Sermon • Submitted
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· 30 viewsMost have misinterpreted what Jesus was doing and assume that we should never judge others because, no one is perfect.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
2 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. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 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.
Now most of us are familiar with Gay pride parades!
The reason?
One church condemns sin to the extent that they resort to name calling and condemning language.
Another church resorts to embracing what God clearly defines as sin and labels themselves as inclusive, embracing all lifestyle choices.
I wonder why it is that there are no adultery parades?
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.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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. 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?”
Still others, and I believe the majority today, don’t know where they stand.
Christians today do not know the scriptures!
or stealing, lying, cheating, or murder parades?
They are all over the map when it comes to the heart of our Lord.
And yet, there is a common denominator between these aforementioned churches, they don’t know the scriptures!
Does that bother you?
For in the scriptures we find the character, actions, and commands, of Jesus Christ.
Maybe it’s just me.
And we can know Him, whom we are to be molded after!
They may quote a verse here and there and take them out of context.
But, one thing is clear, all of us have opinions as to those sins I mentioned, and place them at differing levels and categories in our minds and hearts.
A simple gaze at the various positions of those that call themselves Christians will prove what I am saying.
We also, regardless of how we categorize them, are confused as to what our role is regarding those who practice them.
There are those that have decided that any lifestyle is acceptable in the church, and that they will not judge it.
We hear things like, “don’t judge others” and believe the Bible supports that statement.
Inclusive and affirming is now defining such churches.
But does the Bible say never judge and does judgment change within the context it is presented?
These are questions we need to answer!
Promiscuity is no longer considered a problem!
Fornication and adultery are issues that plague the church but no-one speaks much about it. And when it does rear its head in the church, it’s usually swept under the carpet.
They also don’t know the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and misrepresent Him!
Our text today is a well know passage of scripture, but probably one of the most misunderstood.
It has been used as an example to show how we as the body of Christ should overlook the sin that is so prevalent in our society.
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
2 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. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 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. 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.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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. 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?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
The church of Christ is in crises!
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
We have so many human opinions of what constitutes proper behavior toward a sinful society that unbelievers think we are mad!
One church condemns sin to the extent that they resort to name calling and condemning language.
Another church resorts to embracing what God clearly defines as sin and labels themselves as inclusive, embracing all lifestyle choices.
Still others, and I believe the majority today, don’t know where they stand.
And yet, there is a common denominator between these aforementioned churches, they don’t know the scriptures!
They may quote a verse here and there and take them out of context.
They also don’t know the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and misrepresent Him!
"We believe in inclusive Church - a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ."
"We believe in inclusive Church - a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ."
The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus caught in the very act of Adultery.
The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus caught in the very act of Adultery.
Most of us would ask, where’s the man? And so conclude that the scribes and Pharisees were being hypocritical.
But, not so!
They were actually devising a plan to catch Jesus in a no win situation using the law.
They said that the law prescribes stoning for the woman, but Jesus makes like He's not listening, then starts writing in the sand.
Jesus makes like He's not listening.
Jesus starts writing in the sand.
Writing what?
Some have speculated, their sins!
I don’t think so! And there are various reasons that I don’t have time to get into now.
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
And it’s speculation for us to say just what He was writing, but I believe that Jesus was writing out what the law they stated really said.
I believe the law
Just my opinion.
But you see, they left something out!
10 ‘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.
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22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. 23 “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
This is what the law says!
There are two problems here:
Would they have stoned this woman and were they prepared to do so?
Would they have used Jesus’ sentence they were pushing for against Him at a Roman council?
we just don’t know!
But what we do know, is that they were putting Him into an impossible situation.
Jesus says, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
Jesus says, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
Jesus says, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
Jesus says, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
The conclusion people make today, is that because we are not without sin, we should never judge another.
The Bible never says that! People have simply misinterpreted the scriptures.
But what did Jesus mean by this statement?
He was reminding them of the law.
7 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.
The word witness holds the weight of honesty and truth without perjury.
And they would prove it before God as the judge, by taking up the first stones striking the first blows, and leaving their fate in the hands of God.
If they were dishonest or not fulfilling the law exactly as God prescribed, they were stating before God, that they were guilty of these peoples blood!
Here’s the problem, the Pharisees and scribes were probably not the eye witnesses.
Had Jesus quoted the literal words of the law, they would have accused Him because He would at that point have given the sentence.
He was in a no win situation!
But Jesus takes the heart of the law, and turns it to the accusers, leaving them with a moral dilemma.
How would they carry this out before the people in the Temple?
Jesus wasn’t saying they must be sinless in essence, but guiltless as far as not having the same sin hidden in their heart.
Because they knew that they were not sinless in this matter, had misrepresented the law, and could not in good conscience stand justly before God, they began to leave.
The standoff, now diffused.
Jesus does not condemn the woman nor does He forgive her.
Jesus does not condemn the woman nor does He forgive her.
But, I can hear the retort from those who think love means excusing everything. Oh, but He did not condemn her, so He must have forgiven her!
Wrong!
First of all, He did not witness the crime, so according to the law He could not condemn her.
Remember, the religious rulers were trying to trip Him up with a technicality of the law. Had Jesus condemned her, He would have done so contrary to it and given them the ammunition they needed to accuse Him.
Secondly, He does not forgive her.
Why would He? She was not there under her own volition, she had been caught in the crime of adultery, and was not seeking absolution.
Thirdly, He tells her to go and points out that she has sinned, telling her to sin no more.
Worcester story at Institute park with the LGBT rally and my conversation with Mayor Ray Mariano.
Conclusion:
The conclusion is simple!
Well, there is a problem with our understanding of the word judge.
For the most part it means to judge someone guilty and deserving of punishment.
And so, to understand where and when we are to use it depends on the context of the situation.
We judge those in the body according to the law of God.
We don’t judge those in the body because of situations not expressly forbidden in the law.
We don’t judge those outside the body, because God has already judged them.
The scriptures point out clearly what sin is, and I believe that most people know in their hearts what sin is, that’s why they try so hard to get society to accept their lifestyle choice, because they want their conscience assuaged.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Mt.
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
I like you are commanded to bring the gospel to them, but the gospel means nothing unless people know why He gave His life up on the cross.
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
To atone for the sin they currently practice.
They can only be free when they acknowledge their sin, turn from it to God in Christ, and commit to a life of holiness and doing battle with their sin everyday for the rest of their lives!
15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Whether that sin is lying, anger, adultery, fornication, drunkeness, homosexuality, lesbianism, transgender-ism, bestiality, pedophilia-ism, lust, greed, gluttony, or any other thing contrary to the Spirit and word of God.
But, sugar coating peoples sins so they don’t feel bad, will never truly love them.
3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
1 cor 6
We must tell them the truth in love!
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
Because the reality of it all is that There is a day of judgment that is coming upon all of them.