Christ the one who knows all Sin

INTRO:

Story about locking Baby sitter out of the house

when I was 11 years old my parents left all 4 of us kids with a baby sitter for the day while they went out.

We were playing outside and Everything was going well until my older brother, by 18 months, James and I started fighting.

The Baby sitter didn’t just send us inside but she sent us to our room together.

After 15 minutes we yelled out We like each other now can we come out? NO stay in your room.

Again we yelled “ Can we come out now we will play nice!. NO stay in your room.

To us this just seemed unfair that we had to stay in our room and not have the entire house to run around in.

So we came up with a plan, I would jump out the window and run to the front door, and knock.

When the baby sitter came to the door to see who was there I would run away and have her chase me.

Everything worked just as we planned.

I knocked on the door

the babysitter ran outside after me and so I ran all the way around the house with her chasing me.

While I was running around the house , James put stage two of the plan into action. He ran to the front door and locked it, so no one could get into the house.

After the door was locked He came back to the window of our room opened it up and as I ran by, I jumped up and grabbed his arms and He quickly pulled me inside and locked the window!

We had taken over our house from the babysitter.

The baby sitter came to the front door to get back inside and found it locked, and let me tell you she was not a very happy camper at this point

“ Unlock this door or else!”

Everything seemed great until the next words came out of her mouth.

“just wit until I tell your dad what you boys have done.”

We should have know there was a flaw in our plan, In the heat of the moment We forgot about the words of our father before he left.

“ Boys remember if you get in trouble while I’m gone the consequences will be much worse when I get home.”

We were caught, and there was no way we were getting out of this one.

My dad and mom come home to the babysitter sitting on the front porch of our house in tears, and my dad asked what the problem was. She then explains to him what we had done.

and as we peaked out the window to see how dad would react we knew that we were in a whole heap of trouble!

You could see the color of his face changing

and then His words echoed throughout the entire neighborhood“ James & Jason get out here right now”

We were caught in our disobedience and were brought before the judge.

and when He asked us to explain what we had done,

do you know what my brother did?

He started putting all the focus on me and what I did, hoping my dad wouldn’t see him as guilty.

“ Dad I din’t go outside I stayed in my room, Jason is the one who went outside, Jason is the one who started the fight, Jason is the who ran away from the baby sitter, Jason is the one who locked the window so she couldn’t get back in.He is way worse than me.”

Turn with me in your Bible’s to John chapter 8 where we can see another story about a group of people who were quick to point out someone else’s sin but failed to see their own sinfulness before the judge.

Listen as I read our entire text this morning.

John 8:1-11 “And each one departed to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.

Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 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. 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.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 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. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”

John 8:10-11 “Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

THE STORY

In our story today, Jesus gets up early and goes to the temple to teach the people the truths of God.

Remember what He said his mission was in Luke 19:10 “I came to seek and to save the lost.””

Jesus didn’t want to waste any time He wanted to share salvation with he lost.

And while Jesus is in the temple teaching the crowds of people, A group of Pharisees and teachers of the law bring a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery through he crowd and forcing her to stand before all the people.

They then turn to Jesus, and ask him “ Teacher, this woman was caught in act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a women, Now what do you say we should do?”

On the surface this looks like a good thing, the religious leaders bring a sinner to Jesus, the one who has the authority to judge all sin, but in reality this is not their motivation.

They are trying to trap Jesus in his words so that they can once for all get rid of him from their lives.

If Jesus consented to stoning the woman, He would not have been as loving and forging as he claimed to be. And he would have been breaking the Roman law which forbids stoning of other people, and this would have caused the people to distrust him as perfect.

However, If he refused to stone her the Pharisees would accuse him of treating the Law of Moses too lightly.

They wanted to trap Jesus in a no win situation to try and discredit his authority.

Bur Jesus Knowing their hearts and what they were trying to do, Simply bends down and begins to write on the ground with his finger.

Jesus’s Silence and lack of response seems to really agitate these religious leaders, they need Jesus to say something in order for them to trap him in His words.

So They persist in questioning him until He stands up looks them in the eye and says: "whoever among you is without sin can be the first to throw a stone at her."

After He spoke these words He quietly kneels back down and continues to write again on the ground.

We don’t know what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was is was enough to convict everyone of her accusers and instead of continuing in their accusations against her, One by one, from oldest to youngest, each of them slipped away quietly until Only Jesus and the woman were left .

After the accusers were all gone, Jesus stands back up and asks the woman, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

She replied, "No one, sir."

And Jesus said to here"Then neither do I condemn you," "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Here we have a beautiful story of a compassionate Savior.

today I want us as a church to consider ....

13 truths about sin we can learn from Jesus’s Response to sinners.

Truth: Sin causes us to miss the teachings of Jesus (vs2-3)

John 8:2-3 “Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst”

Jesus was in the temple teaching the people the words of Eternal life, and yet the Pharisees were so sinful that they couldn’t even see what was going on.

In Matthew 23:25-28 ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

The reason the Pharisees missed the entire point of Jesus coming to earth as the Messiah is because they were blinded by unconfessed sin in their lives.

CHURCH: many times We are no different than these Pharasees in our lives today . If we are holding on to unconfessed sin, We will miss the teaching of Jesus in our lives.

When We Love our sin more than we love our God We miss the entire purpose of our lives.

Truth: Sin is easy to see in others and hard to accept in ourselves (We are quick to judge others because of their sin). vs3

John 8:3 “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst”

This is not just a problem the Pharisees had 2000 years ago. Everyone of us has this same struggle every day in our lives as well..

We like to compare ourselves to other people who are worse then we are.

I struggle with this.

I constantly find myself looking at the way other people dress or act and think to myself, “well at least Im not that bad.”

I have to guard my heart from comparing my sin to other peoples sins.

How often do you find your self looking at other people and thinking how could they ever do a sin like that?

Do they even love Jesus. How could someone who says they love Jesus ever commit that sin, I bet they aren’t even saved. !”

CHURCH FAMILY: This is exactly what these Pharisees were doing with this women, They were quick to point out her sin while quietly hiding their own. sinful hearts,

In Matthew 7: 3-4 Jesus is speaking about this kind of judgemental spirit. He said “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? 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?”

Its easy for us to see the sins of others while failing to admit to the sins in our own lives.

We want other peoples sins to be visible so that the focus is not on our own.

Truth: Sin always gets caught (vs 4)

John 8:4 “they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.”

Sin always gets found out.

Many timesour sins get caught by others around us, but they always get Caught by the one who is the judge over all sin.

Psalm 69:5 “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.”

God sees all of our sin, nothing stays hidden from his eyes.

Not only does God see our sin but Luke 12 tells us that he reveals our sin to others.

Luke 12:1-3 “Jesus said “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 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.”

Simply Put God does not let your hidden sins stay secrete He reveals them to other people around us.

Church: your unconfessed Sin can only stay in the darkness for so long.

If you are in Christ you are in the light and the light will expose your sin.

The only person who can remain in sin is someone who remains in darkness, and the only person who can remain in darkness is the one who is never come into the light of salvation.

listen carefully, the only way your sin can stay in darkness is if you are still a child of darkness without Christ.

There is no such thing as a private sin.

God the judge of all sees your sinful acts and will not let it go un-judged.

truth # 3 can be summed up simply by stating Numbers. 23“ Be sure your sins will find you out.”

Truth: Sin is breaking the law of God (v. 5)

John 8:5 “Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?””

Truth #4 the definition of Sin- Sin is breaking the law of God

1 John 3:4 gives us the Biblical definition of Sin “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”

Simply put Sin is going against the law of God.

Church family; anything that you do that goes against the word of God is sin.

Anything that you do that brings you the glory and not to God is sin

Anything commands of obedience from God that we fail to obey is sin.

Sin is anything that goes against Gods perfection.

Truth: We want others to pay for their sin but don’t want to pay for our own. (6 &9)

a John 8:6 “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.”

John 8:9 “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.”

Think about how many times we here on the news someone say “ they need to pay for the crimes they committed”

As human beings we are all quick to want justice for those who have hurt us, for those who have done something against us.

We want our abusers to pay for their crimes.

We want the people who stole our retirement to pay back double what they stole.

We want the guy who cut us off in traffic to get caught by the police.

We like the phrase well they just got what they deserved.

But even with all of this we rarely have the same opinion of our own sins.

We don’t want to pay the debt of our sin

we don’t want to have to make restitution to those we have hurt

We don’t want to get caught when we are the jerk driver. .

Church: this is a truth about sin- We want justice for other peoples sins, but we want to justify our own sins as ok.

Truth: Sin can only be condemned by a sinlessness judge (v7)

John 8:7 “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.””

Truth #7 Our sin can only be condemned by a sinless Judge

John 3:16-18 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. 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.”

THE ONLY Sinless Judge is God himself

and it is God’s perfection that is the standard for all mankind.

anything short of his standard of perfection results in our condemnation.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death,

Church: There is a day coming called the great white throne of Judgement where all of mankind’s actions will be held up against the perfection of Christ. and anyone who is not completely perfect without any spot of sin will be condemned by the perfect judge to an eternity in Hell.Truth: sin is never hidden form Jesus (8)

Truth #8: sin should convict our Own hearts (9)

John 8:9 “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.”

We don’t know what Jesus actually wrote in the dirt that day but as these angry men stood above him watching the words He wrote in the dirt, it caused them to see their own guilty hearts from their own sin, and one by one they knew that they were just as guilty of breaking the law as the woman.

Church family: Instead of looking at the sin of others and thinking about the punishment they deserve, we should search our own hearts for sin and be convicted because of the punishment we deserve.

Truth: [all] Sins are equally condemned by God vs3 / 9

John 8:3 “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst”

John 8:9 “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.”

When it comes to sin-many are very public like adultery, steeling, anger, dishonesty and get found out quickly

But there are many other sins that each of us commit daily that we try to hide and con. In Gods eyes every sin including the big public sins, and the small private sins carry the same condemnation- Eternal separation from God forever and ever in the Lake of Fire.

James 2:10-11 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”

Church: every sin big and small is equally condemned for all eternity.

Truth # 10 : Sin Corrupts all people - No one is without sin (v10, 3)

John 8:10 “Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?””

When Jesus stood up and spoke to the women none of her accussers where still there. Why?

Because NO ONE is WITHOUT SIN

Each of those men saw their own guilt before the perfect Judge.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Truth # 11 : Sin that is confessed always leads to grace and forgiveness (vs 11)

John 8:11 “She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””

Jesus offered this woman Grace

She deserved the punishment for her sin.

She deserved to be stoned because that was the law that God established.

But Jesus because of his great love for her offered her Grace- He gave her forgiveness instead of judgement

Church Family: God offers us this same grace for our sin.

Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Grace is God giving us what We don’t deserve- He gives us forgiveness when we deserve condemnation

He gives us freedom When we deserve indebtedness

He gives us life when we deserve Death

Sin that is confessed always receives the grace of God.

Trans: truth Number 12 is the opposite of truth 11

Truth # 12 : Sin left unconfessed always leads away from Grace and forgiveness( vs 48-53)

John 8:48-53 “The Jews answered Jesus, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?””

Church: unconfessed sin always leads us away from the truths of Jesus.

If you are holding on to sin in your life it is leading you away from the grave and forgiveness of Jesus. It wants to take you as far away from Christ love as you will let it.

Sin wants to make you its slave.

Truth# 12: Sin that has been forgiven should be forsaken-. (vs 11)

John 8:11 “And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””

Sin that has been forgive must be forsaken.

When God forgives our sin he remembers it no more. He takes its eternal condemnation and cast it away as far as the east is from the west. and in its place He gives us his grace and forgiveness.

and what Jesus is saying to this woman and to us is that when I forgave your sin I paid the price in full with my own blood. Stop running back to the sin that I have already forgiven, and start living in the righteousness I have given you.

Church family: Do you understand the cost Jesus paid to be able to forgive tour sins?

1 Cor. 15:1-5 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Christ paid the penalty for your sin

He Died in your place, He was burried in your grave, & He rose in victory over your condemnation.

He paid your price of sin in full, Why would we ever want to go back into sin after the price Jesus paid to free us?

BRING IT HOME

AS the redeemed church we need to stop playing around with sin in our lives,

I love the old saying, “Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, It will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will always cost you more than you intended to pay.

We need to stop looking like the world and start acting like our savior.

Sin is not something we should ever mess around with as believers.

It cannot fulfill forever

It cannot comfort us eternally

and it can not bring us real joy.

The only thing that sin can do for us eternally is to condemn us to hell.

Jesus Christ is the only freedom from Sin in our lives

If you are here and have never accepted Jesus as your substitute for your sin you are still guilty of the law and are condemned to an eternity apart from God in the lake of fire.

The only way your