Damaged Goods
Notes
Transcript
Damaged Goods
Damaged Goods
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
What a diligent preacher Christ was: Early in the morning he came again, and taught. Though he had been teaching the day before, he taught again to-day. Christ was a constant preacher, in season and out of season. Three things were taken notice of here concerning Christ’s preaching. (1.) The time: Early in the morning. Though he lodged out of town, and perhaps had spent much of the night in secret prayer, yet he came early. When a day’s work is to be done for God and souls it is good to begin betimes, and take the day before us. (2.) The place: In the temple; not so much because it was a consecrated place
What a great example the Lord is!!!
He was teaching in the Temple the previous day -
He retired to the Mount of Olives - prayer, sleep? - 3/4 mile to the east - A ridge / hillside that faced the Temple
He returned - early in the morning to the temple -
Nothing had changed since he was 12 -
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
O that God’s people will be faithful to the call of God on their lives...
We have been saved to serve -
For some full-time
For all FAITHFULLY -
While Jesus was teaching (early in the morning)
People - hungry for the things of God had already worked into their schedule - daily activity time to come to the Temple -
This was (according to Jn.737) the last day… the great day of the feast of tabernacles...
the religious rulers passed on the services of the day - they were more concerned with the business, the processes of how they were going to go about the temple work...
DON’T GET TO THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE TOO BUSY FOR CHURCH - WORSHIP - SERVICES… we are busy doing “other” things...
Nothing is more important than what’s going on right now...
We have nursery, we have ushers, we have security… but it is easy for people to get comfortable doing something else…
We don’t come to church to hang out in the parking lot / in the foyer… in the offices...
The ministry of the church is the proclamation of the message!!!
Jesus is teaching...
Noise, rustling, commotion - in bursts a crowd...
scribes, pharisee’s...
Why weren’t they inside church already?
If they were so concerned about the Law of Moses, they would have been faithful to the Feast of Tabernacles - especially the Last day - the Great Day of the Feast - Holy time
They brought in a woman - threw her into the middle - between them and Jesus - in front of all the bystanders - the faithful who were gathered to hear Jesus teach...
1. A Woman…
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN SECRET SINS DECEIVE THEMSELVES - Sin will be revealed...
Numb32.23 “…and be sure your sin will find you out” - biblical principle
A woman -
Deut 22:13-24 gives guidance on dealing with the immoral, lustful behavior that this woman had been caught participating in… and the scripture is clear, that the man was to be punished - stoned as well...
Those who aren’t spiritual enough to be in church - are definitely not spiritual enough to make spiritual judgement - they only pull out the part of scriptures they want, and leave the other out…
if they caught the woman in the act, then they caught the man as well -
In this account, there are several groups of people - who would be classified as:
Damaged Goods...
Woman - adulteress
was it a life’s work?
was it a q time events?
Was it a girl who was trying to get out of one bad situation...
looking for love
looking for acceptance
looking for a way out
But here - we find - as we always do, that sin never makes things better - it only makes things worse...
She is now being publicly humiliated
publically tried
the looks of disgust that are hurled at her by the men and the women
the looks of the pious, who would “never do such a thing”
the glares of the women
The judging -
stones in their hands
rage in their hearts - so called “righteous indignation”
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Moral Failure...
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
A Man
unknown, but referred to often in scripture...
Not brought for judgement like the woman - but just as guilty...
Pride - i deserve whatever I want
The self-centeredness - I don’t care about the injury that I will cause on:
The girl, the woman,
Someone’s daughter, mother, wife… mom
Blot, stain, the injury - I am above it, and it will never touch me...
lust
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
Judgemental
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
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Saints
These are the people who just came to the temple to hear Jesus teach...
Confronted by the nausea of sin
accosted by the real drama that ungodliness brings into a life
These didn’t go looking for sin
These didn’t go looking to be judgmental
But now - they are faced with making judgement...
Will they too become judges of this poor girl…?
guilty? yes
but guilty before who???
God?
Man?
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: But he that refuseth reproof erreth.
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life Abideth among the wise.
Tonight, we looked into just one account of brokenness...
Just one account of where we see a person - who to man - would be damaged goods...
But to the Lord… we find:
Love
Mercy
Grace
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Neither do I condemn thee… go and sin no more...
This is not a pass on bad behavior, but over the years, I have seen the Lord, take the:
Broken
Damaged
Repentent
He takes them and makes a new vessel
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
The Lord was speaking to Israel as a nation - yet the principle is lived out in our lives as well...
Damaged goods...
Rahab
Peter
John Mark
Matthew
Mary Magdalene
David
Bathsheba
Jacob - Israel
Saul of Tarsus - the Apostle Paul
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Damaged goods -
Building Up You...
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
God new he was working with “Damaged Goods”
He knew the sin nature
He knows our sinful tendencies
Our backgrounds
The sins and skeletons that are hidden away in a closet somewhere...
We don’t need to pull them out… the devil pulls them out and reminds us of them...
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Damaged Goods...
Sins of the past
Sins kept silent...
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Damaged Goods...
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Don’t let the accuser of the brethren lie to you and tell you that you can’t be used by God...
We are all - “damaged goods”
There may be some scratches and dents, and though we may bare some scars… God can use us… and we can still be Built UP!!!