Jesus The Sympathetic Savior
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
53 Then they all went home,
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Intro
Intro
Intro: "He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.
"'Mister,' he said. 'I want to buy one of your puppies.'
"'Well,' said the farmer, as he wiped the sweat off the back of his neck, 'these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.'
"The boy dropped his head for a moment.
Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. 'I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?'
"'Sure,' said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. 'Here, Dolly!' he called. Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain-link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
"As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat awkward manner the little puppy began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. This was clearly the runt of the litter.
"'I want that one,' said the boy pointing to the runt.
"The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, 'Son, you don't want that puppy.
He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.'
"With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up the leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg and attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, 'You see, sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'"
Tonight I want to ask you a very important question.
Do you feel valued?
do you feel that you are valuable?
Many times like in this story we can feel devalued.
We can feel we have no worth.
Many times we can descriminate against other people who are different from us and not like us.
The world today is very divided I am sure you know this
Our country of Trinidad is divided by UNC and PNM
There is a lot of racism in this country
We may value people who belongs to the same race as us but people of different races we may devalue them
Sad to say that even in churches we can value some and devalue other people
Sometimes as Christian people we may see people who are differnt than us and we judge them and we look down on them
We see somone with a tattoo and we look at them with scorn. WE see someone doing drugs and we treat them differently.
We see someone doing all the wrong things and we quick to judge them and not love them
To learn to value people. Give them a 10. Many times we judge people by their looks.
Seeing church people smoking and drinking
Many times we can forget what we used to do
Sister hannipha mentioned we all know where we were and what we did before coming to Christ
We forget every sunday we used to go excursion - but we quick to condemn others who going there
We forget every weekend as Bro Boyie used to say we used to go Screamers to Scream
We forget how much rum we used to drink
How much girl we used to be chasing down
How much marriages we actually broke because of our thustiness as we trinis like to say....
We ought to be understanding of people because we knew what it was like.......
Sanjay’s message Sunday
Diandra was saying last week is only when you know someone's story can you begin to relate to them.
Sinners need that same sort of understanding! I praise the Lord that tonight that there is a Savior who loves sinners and understands us like we are. Now, please do not misunderstand me, God never condones your sins or mine. He is holy and He hates our sin with His entire being. However, He knows what we are made of and He knows what we face in our lives day by day, Psa. 103:14.
Tonight I want to speak to you about Jesus the Sympathetic Savior
a MAN tell me he will never step foot in a church
How we view people is how we will treat them
Let’s see what the Bible says about this
Jesus Loves The Sinner
Jesus Loves The Sinner
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
Jesus is calm
While everyone goes to their own way to their busy life - Jesus goes off by himself
Jesus went up to a mountain where there is no one but himself and his father....
Greg Laurie Sermon Archive Forgiven, Forgotten, and Free (2nd Service)
There are times when we need to get away with the crowd and spend time in fellowship with God. There are times when we need to turn the cell phone off. Did you know you can turn cell phones off? By the way have you turned your cell phone off
Greg Laurie Sermon Archive Forgiven, Forgotten, and Free (2nd Service)
But you can turn the cell phone off. You can turn the ipod off. You can the radio, the television off. But sometimes I think we are just afraid of silence
People does remark how quiet it does be
Jesus regularly spent time with his father which was one of his greatest secrets to such peace and such calm
We need to enjoy being alone because we are never alone
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
Imagine that Jesus is teaching as I am teaching here and then Alvin brings you forward to me and say this person is involved in adultery. What should we do
That would be so embarassing wont it........
Look at those bandits they are showing in facebook - they cover up their faces - they shame to be seen
This woman would have been really embarassed Jesus is there which makes it even worse
People are quick to judge other people and bring them down and embarass them
People find fault as though there is a reward for it
We dont win a sinner by embarassing them
CALL NAMES I AM SEEING ON THE ZOOM RIGHT NOW
I would never want to join a church that exposes my sins for all to see......
PEOPLE MAY JUDGE YOU BUT JESUS HE LOVES YOU!!!
4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
These people were using this woman to get at Jesus
These folks were very sly
They limited the application of the law by saying that it applied to such women, when in fact the law applied to both the adulterers and the adulteresses (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22).
10 “ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
If the law demanded the death of both the adulterer and the adulteress, and if the woman was caught in the act of adultery, one wonders about the discriminatory action of those who seized only the woman.
the truth is - Jesus was the one they were after and this woman was like the bait to catch Jesus....
They wanted to see how he would respond
If Jesus said the woman was not guilty, He would be breaking Jewish law and be leaving Himself open to the charge of being too lenient with sin.
⇒ If Jesus said the woman was guilty and should be killed, He would be breaking Roman law which did not consider adultery a sin worthy of death. He would also be criticized as lacking mercy and love, compassion and forgiveness.
They wanted to catch Jesus ........
There is no way you can catch Jesus...he will always catch you instead....
The Gospel of John, Volume 2 Wretchedness and Pity (John 7:53–8:11 Contd)
The basic difference between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees was that they wished to condemn; he wished to forgive
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
No one knows what he wrote maybe the sins of each individual
WHAT WAS IT
Maybe the 10 Commandments
perhaps he wrote their names in fulfillmenet of Jeremiah 17:13 (NIV)
13LORD, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.
Maybe he wrote out Lev 20:10 “ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
Maybe he wrote their girl friends name....
Whatever it was it surely got their attention
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Christian ppl need to know this
We are not to cast stones but to show love
The Gospel of John, Volume 2 Wretchedness and Pity (John 7:53–8:11 Contd)
When we are confronted with someone who has made a mistake, our first feeling ought to be, not, ‘I’ll have nothing more to do with someone who could act like that’, but, ‘What can I do to help? What can I do to undo the consequences of this mistake?’ Quite simply, we must always extend to others the same compassionate pity we would wish to be extended to ourselves if we were involved in a similar situation
Casting stones is not based on how much Scripture a person knows, nor on how great a person's calling and gifts are, nor on the position a person has. It is based upon moral goodness and perfection, and no man has achieved that.
In defense of the woman, the Rock of Ages stood up to the men who held rocks in their hands.
And because she had heard, ‘He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone at her’, she most likely expected to be punished by one in whom no sin could be found. But he who had repelled her adversaries with the voice of justice lifted on her the eyes of mercy - Augustine
People may judge you but Jesus he loves you
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
Only 2 people were left cause there is only 1 person that is capable of judging all mankind
Let's at least give them credit for the fact that when they saw themselves as they really were, (Perhaps the most painful realization of all), they stopped calling for the death of this woman. I want you to know that one of the hardest things you can face is yourself as you really are! However, when you see yourself as being sinful, then you can do something about it
She had reached a place in her life where it was just her and Jesus. It always comes down to that! Eventually, somewhere, someday you are going to have to face Jesus. Oh, I am sure that He has given you opportunities in this life to come to Him. What have you done with them? My friend, you will either receive Jesus at one of life's encounters, or you will face Him on judgment day. Which would you rather it be? In the end, it always comes down to just you and Jesus. And, what you do with Him will determine where and how you spend eternity!)
One person who judges with righteous judgement
Only one who is perfect there is only 1 that is sinless and his name is Jesus Christ
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Where are your accusers where did they go
If they don't condemn you then neither would I
you see how we view people will determine how we will treat them
If I see you as hurting I will help you if I see you as broken I will fix you but if i see you as valuable I will serve you - John Maxwell
We will serve their best interests
It should be noted that, while Jesus refused to condemn the woman, he did not condone her sin. He told her, Go now and leave your life of sin
Greg Laurie Sermon Archive Forgiven, Forgotten, and Free (2nd Service)
One philosopher said, and I quote, “God may forgive your sins, but your nervous system won’t.
People may judge you but Jesus he loves you
When people experience the Love of God it will drive them from sin
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Experience the Grace of God
The picture of the woman is the picture of every person. When it comes to sin and judgment, every person stands alone before Christ—stands naked and stripped of all righteousness, for no person possesses righteousness. There are no accusers, not among men. No man can condemn the woman nor anyone else. The only righteousness and the only perfection, the only One who
is not guilty of sin, is Christ and Christ alone. He alone is worthy to stand in judgment.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
We need to stop being quick to right off people
One day Paul was killing Christians, the next day he was a Christian. One day Peter was a fisherman, the next day he was a fisher of men. Don't judge someone based on that one day. If God can create the whole world in six days, He can surely create a new heart in one.
If God values someone I ought to value them as well
The people in Beetham and Port of Spain and Enterprise has value in God’s eyes
God can touch them.
God can touch you tonight.
I don’t care whoever you are or whatever you have done - GOD LOVES YOU!!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Imagine what it would look like if the church loved the sinner instead of judged the sinner
Sinners dont need to be judged but loved.
But think of it this way: If you would think about your own obedience,
can you make sense of one of the oldest illustrations of Christendom
told by Anselm, Anselm's flowers. Anselm talked about a child out in
the fields collecting flowers for her father. She collected this bouquet
and brought it first to her mother to show what she was going to give
for her father. The mother looked at the flowers that the child had
collected and recognized that among the daisies were thorns and
vines and weeds. It wouldn't have been appropriate for the father. And
so the mother took the bouquet from the child and took out the thorns
and the vines and the weeds and put in flowers from her own garden
and said, "Now present it to the father." So, Anselm said, Christ works
on our behalf, taking our best works and removing from them the
thorns and the weeds and the vines, and substituting his own
righteousness that we might be presentable to the father.
Maybe. Like this woman, your life has been wrecked and ruined by sin. Maybe you have been hurt by religious people. Maybe you are looking for a compassionate Savior, One who will make everything right. I want to invite you to come to Jesus. He cares about you just like you are. He loves you and wants to save you. He wants to deliver you from your bondage. He wants to set you free. Therefore, He invites you to come to Him today. If there are issues in your life that need to be settled, this altar is the place where they be taken care of forever. Will you bring your life to Jesus and let Him make it over?
Tonight I want to ask you a very pertintent question
Do you need to be forgiven like this woman ?
Call sins and guilt
The Devil and the duck
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.
In a panic, he hid its dead body in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.!
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's... he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
- Original author unknown
The Lesson:
Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.), ..whatever it is....You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing..... He has seen your whole life; He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.
He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He forgives..... It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.