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Good News!
1 ¶Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. John 8:1-11 Recently, the young lady who was crowned Miss USA was seen conducting herself in a really bad way and many believed that she should be stripped of her crown. Donald Trump, who is known for firing people who come up short in his eyes, decided that she deserved a second chance and allowed her to keep the crown, providing that she behaves herself from this point on. Many disagreed with his decision and I am not here to give my opinion about this situation, or of Donald Trump. However, this did remind me of an account in the Bible: John 8 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? 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. The Adulterous Woman Let's take just a moment to set the scene. Jesus, after going to the mount of Olives, where He often went to pray, came to the temple and, as usual, a crowd gathered. He sat down and began to teach them. Suddenly the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman and “set her in the midst”. Meaning that they were intending for Jesus to deal with this matter in a public way in front to those who had gathered to hear Him teach. The first word out of their mouth shows their intent. They addressed Jesus as “Master”. Jesus had already informed them that He was not their Master, but that they belonged to their father, the devil. They addressed Him as Master, not because of their belief, but for the crowd's sake. They were trying to show some sort of faked respect or faked humility in front of the people gathered there. Their true intent was to trap Jesus in some way. Then they began their accusation, “This woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.” We must be careful to keep our focus here. Many people ask, “Where was the man?” While this may be a good question, since she couldn't have been caught “in the very act” alone, we must not dwell on this and miss the lesson that the Lord is teaching us here. The religious leaders continue and begin stating “the law”. They reminded Jesus that Moses said in the law that she should be stoned and asked what He had to say about it. Jesus stooped down and began to write in the dirt like He didn't hear them. Don't you know they got excited. I'm sure they thought they had Him right where they wanted Him. Much has been said about what He wrote in the dirt. Again, I don't know that this is really important. They continued asking Him what they should do; and I am sure that they did so even more intently as their confidence grew. Jesus then stood and spoke. He didn't dispute what the law said. He didn't dispute the guilt of the woman. He didn't dispute their right to make the accusation. He simply said, Let him among you who has never sinned throw the first stone. He then stooped back down and continued writing on the ground. Now, here is why I don't believe that their departure had anything to do with what He was writing. Verse 9 says “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one,”. Jesus then stood and asked the woman, “Where are your accusers? Is there no one to condemn you?” She answered, “No man, Lord.” Jesus, then said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” Jesus Extends Mercy Wait a minute. What is going on here? Did Jesus fail to carry out the very law that He gave to Moses? No, as the one who judges all things for Himself, Jesus exercised His Divine right to extend His mercy to her and not to her only but to the accusers as well. To the woman, because she was indeed guilty and deserved the full punishment that the law provided. And to the accusers because they too were guilty and He could have exposed the sin in their lives as well. Also, they were guilty of abusing the law for their own personal benefit. However, He provided a way out of the uncomfortable situation for the very ones who orchestrated it. There are those who do the same thing today. They are eager to point out the shortcomings of those around them because they think it makes them appear to be more righteous themselves. They set themselves up as some sort of “sin police” and are quick to draw attention to the “mote” or speck in someones else's life while ignoring or failing to see the beam in their own. Jesus warns us not to act this way. Many a “fruit inspector” is carrying around a basket of rotten fruit. Jesus told the woman, “Go and sin no more” or “Go and don't do it again.” He gave her a second chance. We often quote John 3:16, but are you familiar with John 3:17? I believe that it is just as powerful as the sixteenth verse: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to give us all a second chance at eternal life. He was so serious about this that He offered Himself as the sinless sacrifice that we might be redeemed. We often use the word “atonement” without really considering the full impact of its meaning. Jesus not only forgave our sin, but He made “atonement” for our sin. That is, the penalty had to be paid. The punishment had to be satisfied. The penalty for sin is death, just as in the case of the adulterous woman. Jesus paid this penalty for us on the cross and satisfied the full extent of the punishment when God the Father poured out His full wrath upon Him. I imagine that many of you have seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” We need to understand that what He endured physically, as extreme as it was, paled in comparison to what He endured as God poured out the full vial of His wrath upon Him. He was forsaken by man and forsaken by His Father and He experienced all the fury of hell as He hung suspended between earth and heaven. All this He endured in order that we might be given a second chance. I am reminded of His forgiveness of Peter. Though Peter denied Him three times as He suffered for him. Jesus forgave Peter for each offense and admonished him to “Feed my sheep.” He blinded Saul on the road to Damascus and for the first time he could see clearly. He, who described himself as the “chief among sinners” was given a second chance and spent His life serving Christ and eventually gave his own life for this cause. The Bible is filled with accounts of people being given a second chance by the Lord. Does this mean that He in some way “winks” at sin? Not at all. Rather, having paid the full price for our sin, great mercy and grace are at His disposal. We are not always delivered from the consequences of our sin. King David was given a second chance, but his life was filled with trouble and tragedy as a result of his sin. You can be sure of two things; Sin will only bring misery and strife to your life, but, no matter what you have done, Jesus will forgive you, cleanse you, put your feet on the right path, and indeed give you a second chance. He is not as concerned with what you have done or who you have been as He is with what you are and who you are right now. You can leave here today as uncondemned as the adulterous woman. What a mighty God we serve! I stand before you today as a living testimony to the God of the second chance! What a difference Jesus made in my life and what a difference He will make in yours if you will let Him come in! We Are to Be Christ-like When given such a great gift as Salvation and a brand new start in life; What should our response be? We can never repay Jesus for this wonderful gift, but we can certainly allow it to be reflected in our relationship with those around us. Matthew 18 21 ¶Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. (A “talent” was a weight of either gold or silver equal to about 75 pounds / 750,000 lbs.) 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: (a “pence” is equal to about 16 cents / $16.00) and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. I don't think there is a person here who could possibly miss the connection here. Jesus expects us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. This is especially true for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not always as easy as it sounds. It is sometimes hard to turn loose of hurts and disappointments. I had to come to a place in my own life where I understood that I couldn't control what others did to me, but I had complete control of how I reacted to it. Let's think of it this way: Jesus, who lived among us, as one of us, and was despised and rejected for no fault of His own, has instructed, even commanded us to be forgiving of others. Jesus exemplified this on the cross as He cried, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He wouldn't command us to do something that we could not do. When I think of the things He has forgiven me for; I can't help but think that anything someone does to me is a small matter in comparison. I deserved condemnation and hell, yet, He offered Grace, Forgiveness, and Eternal Life. “Amazing Grace will always be my song of praise.” He looked beyond my fault and saw my need. To say that I cannot forgive says that Jesus didn't know what He was talking about. For me to refuse to forgive puts me on the same level as the one in the story we just read. With this in mind, how can anyone who harbors unforgiveness in their heart be fit to serve the Lord? Let's keep this in mind the next time we have the opportunity to hurl that stone of accusation or of an unkind word. So what if it's justified. Let him without sin cast the first stone. This might be a good Scripture to print out and put on our refrigerator. The God of the Second Chance Maybe you're here this morning and you have been carrying around a grudge of unforgiveness in your heart for someone. Maybe you still can't seem to turn loose of it and let it go. The place to start is by confessing this to God and asking Him to help you rid your life of it. Understand that no matter what someone may have done; this has now become your problem and you must be the one to deal with it. I'm not going to tell you to go to that person and tell them that you have forgiven them until you can do so in sincerity and are ready to properly respond if they come at you again. Take it to Jesus and allow Him to make your own heart pure before Him. Then He will help guide you through the rest of the process. The great news is that you don't have to carry it around any more. You can have that second chance and be freed from it even today! |