INTRODUCTION:
My aim today is to guide us into this passage for our spiritual benefit. May God help us
and teach us by His Spirit. There are many things to see in this passage, I would like to
point out just three.
1. THE DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE HEART WHEN IT OPPOSES TRUTH
2. THE DEPTH OF FORGIVENESS FOUND IN JESUS
3. THE DEMAND FOR CHANGE IN THE LIFESTYLE OF THOSE FORGIVEN
THE DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE HEART WHEN IT OPPOSES TRUTH, VV.2-9
1. No amount of human reasoning will change it
a. Jesus left no room for argument against His teaching in the recent days gone by (7:
14-38)
b. Even some of their group had been affected by Jesus’ teaching (7:46, 50-51)
c. Only God can penetrate it and effect change in it, (6:43-45; 2 Timothy 2:24-26)
2. It has an agenda to discredit Jesus at every turn; this is at the center of this story.
v. 6
3. To accomplish its agenda, it crosses all boundaries (exploitation),
4. It allows no recognition of inconsistencies (where’s the man)
5. Its deplorable condition is obscure to them
C.S. Lewis
“….there are two things inside me...they are the animal self and the diabolical self; and
the diabolical self is the worst of the two. That is why a cold self-righteous prig (smugly
well behaved person who takes pride in feeling morally superior to others) who goes
regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But of course it is better
to be neither!”
Jesus confronts this band of cold, self-righteous prigs who take no thought at using a
woman who was guilty of open sexual sin for their own wicked scheme.
Believers who reject truth in certain areas are also prone to this wicked blindness, cf.
Hebrews 3:12-13
THE DEPTH OF FORGIVENESS FOUND IN JESUS, VV.10-11A
1. Forgiveness does not ignore or minimize sin
2. Jesus specifically enjoined that a stone be thrown
3. Jesus is the one of the main ones who denounces adultery, i.e. Matthew 5:27-28
4. His forgiveness spans the width and penetrates the depth of our sin
5. She stayed, she was no doubt brought unwillingly before Jesus, she was made a
spectacle before Jesus, she was shamefully used and abused before Jesus, but when
they left and it was apparent that she could have left, she stayed before Jesus.
6. While the Scribes and Pharisees were dragging her, the Father was drawing her to
Jesus, “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”
THE DEMAND FOR CHANGE IN THE LIFESTYLE OF THOSE FORGIVEN, V.11B
1. Jesus demanded the chief thing all cases like hers requires; the necessity of
immediate breaking off from sin
2. The very essence of genuine repentance is forsaking sin. “That repentance which
consists in nothing more than feeling, talking, professing, wishing, meaning, hoping,
and resolving is worthless in God sight…Till a man ceases to do evil and turns from his
sins, he does not really repent…Would we know whether we are truly converted to
God, and know anything of godly sorrow for sin…Let us search and see whether we
forsake sin."
When Jesus says to the woman: “Go, from now on sin no more”, it is clear that she has
the possibility of fulfilling it. He never tells anyone to do something that he does not
enable him or her to do. Thus, he does not forgive us in order that we might go back
and continue in our sins.
That is the essence of the whole of salvation being referred to as "Repentance”, i.e.
Acts 11:18, When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well
then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” This
verse under-girds what Paul says to Titus regarding the aim of salvation, "He gave
himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify for himself a people of his
own who are zealous for good deeds".
(Titus 2:14 RSV)
CARSON:
“The proper response to mercy received on account of past sins is purity in the future.”
3. The account brings us to the place whereby we are forced to understand that when
our sins are forgiven it is to free us that we might begin to live a different lifestyle; never
to go back to the things that we have left behind.
Perhaps no individual in history has illustrated this as well as John Newton. Newton was
once a wild and sinful man, a slave trader who ran slaves from Africa to England. But
God saved him. He was converted in the midst of a storm in the Atlantic when he
thought he was doomed. He became a great preacher, and a great hymn writer in
England. One hymn which he wrote is a description of his own experience:
In evil, long I took delight, Un-awed by shame or fear,
'Till a new object met my sight, and stopped my wild career
I saw One hanging on a tree, in agony and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me, As near His cross I stood.
Sure, never to my latest breath shall I forget that look.
It seemed to charge me with His death, though not a word He spoke.
A second look He gave, which said, "I freely all forgive,
My blood was for thy ransom paid, I died that thou mayest live."
And live he did! Never the same man totally changed from his wild and sinful past.
Perhaps the best-known of John Newton's hymns is probably the most popular hymn of
all:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
What amazing contrasts we see in this passage. A group of people who thought they
were the keepers of the law, who felt that they were the righteous ones, bring before
Jesus the sin of this unnamed woman.
She, the unnamed Woman was indeed guilty of the charges laid against her, no
question about it. She comes before Jesus bringing her sin.
At the end of the ordeal, the self-righteous religious leaders leave self-condemned and
carrying their sin. The unnamed woman leaves free from her sin being borne about by
the forgiveness of Jesus.
Yes, a lot of people stood before Jesus that morning, but only one left whole. This
entire scene illustrates well the passage that says,
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way id broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter it. For the gate is small and the way is
narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
I am not sure how you came in this morning, but I will leave you with those same
options. You may leave on the wide path carrying your sin or you may leave on the
narrow path having been set free from your sin being carried along by the forgiveness
of Jesus.
And IF YOU HAVE FOUND FORGIVENESS FROM THE LORD, REMEMBER! YOU
HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN THAT YOU, TOO, MIGHT "GO, AND SIN NO MORE!"
My aim today is to guide us into this passage for our spiritual benefit. May God help us
and teach us by His Spirit. There are many things to see in this passage, I would like to
point out just three.
1. THE DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE HEART WHEN IT OPPOSES TRUTH
2. THE DEPTH OF FORGIVENESS FOUND IN JESUS
3. THE DEMAND FOR CHANGE IN THE LIFESTYLE OF THOSE FORGIVEN
THE DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE HEART WHEN IT OPPOSES TRUTH, VV.2-9
1. No amount of human reasoning will change it
a. Jesus left no room for argument against His teaching in the recent days gone by (7:
14-38)
b. Even some of their group had been affected by Jesus’ teaching (7:46, 50-51)
c. Only God can penetrate it and effect change in it, (6:43-45; 2 Timothy 2:24-26)
2. It has an agenda to discredit Jesus at every turn; this is at the center of this story.
v. 6
3. To accomplish its agenda, it crosses all boundaries (exploitation),
4. It allows no recognition of inconsistencies (where’s the man)
5. Its deplorable condition is obscure to them
C.S. Lewis
“….there are two things inside me...they are the animal self and the diabolical self; and
the diabolical self is the worst of the two. That is why a cold self-righteous prig (smugly
well behaved person who takes pride in feeling morally superior to others) who goes
regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But of course it is better
to be neither!”
Jesus confronts this band of cold, self-righteous prigs who take no thought at using a
woman who was guilty of open sexual sin for their own wicked scheme.
Believers who reject truth in certain areas are also prone to this wicked blindness, cf.
Hebrews 3:12-13
THE DEPTH OF FORGIVENESS FOUND IN JESUS, VV.10-11A
1. Forgiveness does not ignore or minimize sin
2. Jesus specifically enjoined that a stone be thrown
3. Jesus is the one of the main ones who denounces adultery, i.e. Matthew 5:27-28
4. His forgiveness spans the width and penetrates the depth of our sin
5. She stayed, she was no doubt brought unwillingly before Jesus, she was made a
spectacle before Jesus, she was shamefully used and abused before Jesus, but when
they left and it was apparent that she could have left, she stayed before Jesus.
6. While the Scribes and Pharisees were dragging her, the Father was drawing her to
Jesus, “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”
THE DEMAND FOR CHANGE IN THE LIFESTYLE OF THOSE FORGIVEN, V.11B
1. Jesus demanded the chief thing all cases like hers requires; the necessity of
immediate breaking off from sin
2. The very essence of genuine repentance is forsaking sin. “That repentance which
consists in nothing more than feeling, talking, professing, wishing, meaning, hoping,
and resolving is worthless in God sight…Till a man ceases to do evil and turns from his
sins, he does not really repent…Would we know whether we are truly converted to
God, and know anything of godly sorrow for sin…Let us search and see whether we
forsake sin."
When Jesus says to the woman: “Go, from now on sin no more”, it is clear that she has
the possibility of fulfilling it. He never tells anyone to do something that he does not
enable him or her to do. Thus, he does not forgive us in order that we might go back
and continue in our sins.
That is the essence of the whole of salvation being referred to as "Repentance”, i.e.
Acts 11:18, When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well
then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” This
verse under-girds what Paul says to Titus regarding the aim of salvation, "He gave
himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify for himself a people of his
own who are zealous for good deeds".
(Titus 2:14 RSV)
CARSON:
“The proper response to mercy received on account of past sins is purity in the future.”
3. The account brings us to the place whereby we are forced to understand that when
our sins are forgiven it is to free us that we might begin to live a different lifestyle; never
to go back to the things that we have left behind.
Perhaps no individual in history has illustrated this as well as John Newton. Newton was
once a wild and sinful man, a slave trader who ran slaves from Africa to England. But
God saved him. He was converted in the midst of a storm in the Atlantic when he
thought he was doomed. He became a great preacher, and a great hymn writer in
England. One hymn which he wrote is a description of his own experience:
In evil, long I took delight, Un-awed by shame or fear,
'Till a new object met my sight, and stopped my wild career
I saw One hanging on a tree, in agony and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me, As near His cross I stood.
Sure, never to my latest breath shall I forget that look.
It seemed to charge me with His death, though not a word He spoke.
A second look He gave, which said, "I freely all forgive,
My blood was for thy ransom paid, I died that thou mayest live."
And live he did! Never the same man totally changed from his wild and sinful past.
Perhaps the best-known of John Newton's hymns is probably the most popular hymn of
all:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
What amazing contrasts we see in this passage. A group of people who thought they
were the keepers of the law, who felt that they were the righteous ones, bring before
Jesus the sin of this unnamed woman.
She, the unnamed Woman was indeed guilty of the charges laid against her, no
question about it. She comes before Jesus bringing her sin.
At the end of the ordeal, the self-righteous religious leaders leave self-condemned and
carrying their sin. The unnamed woman leaves free from her sin being borne about by
the forgiveness of Jesus.
Yes, a lot of people stood before Jesus that morning, but only one left whole. This
entire scene illustrates well the passage that says,
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way id broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter it. For the gate is small and the way is
narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
I am not sure how you came in this morning, but I will leave you with those same
options. You may leave on the wide path carrying your sin or you may leave on the
narrow path having been set free from your sin being carried along by the forgiveness
of Jesus.
And IF YOU HAVE FOUND FORGIVENESS FROM THE LORD, REMEMBER! YOU
HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN THAT YOU, TOO, MIGHT "GO, AND SIN NO MORE!"
| Sunday Morning, May 6, 2007 Sermon Outline ANOTHER CHANGED LIFE John 8:1-11 |
New Life Fellowship Church
John 8:1-11
John 8:1-11
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