Sermon – “Hate the Sin & Love the Sinner”

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours?[j] Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

You know this morning as we were talking there during the time of Joy’s concerns innocent. And like Gary said we think we truly are living in the last days you look at the world around you you look at the news makes you want to just go find a secluded place in the little cabin or stay there and hide and be out of it. But you know what we don’t need to do that because God is with us. You know you can look at so many examples in the Bible where the children of Israel were carried into captivity but look how God bless those that was faithful to him even while in captivity. And then so no matter what this world brings it’s all going to be OK Everything’s going to be all right amen because we are faithful to him remain faithful to him. That’s a word to remain faithful to Him He will remain faithful to us. And I truly believe though that they the days are getting shorter says the word says in the last days that they will be shortened and I think we’re getting shorter. I really do. They’re going faster anyway. My message this morning I titled hate the sin and love the sinner. That’s a hard thing to do sometimes is extremely hard to do. But as we’re called to do hate the sin and love the sinner it’s hard to separate the two but we can do it with the Lord so my passage this morning comes from John Chapter eight verses one through twelve. But I want to share with you a little bit of the last verse of Chapter seven and Chapter seven. It was during the time of the great feast and there were many people gathered and it was the last day of the great feast and Chapter seven ends with this. And everyone went to his own house. You know I have it up there but ever at the end of the the end the last day of the last day the feast they’ve been there for many days and hearing teaching and many were here in Jesus’ teaching but the last verse. He says and everyone went to his own house so they were able to go home and relax and get some sleep and refresh themselves. Chapter eight begins with this. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Everyone else gets to go home and relax. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Why did he go there. He often went there was to pray to seek the father to hear from the Lord hear from the father. So he went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning he came again into the temple and all the people came to him and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes in the Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery and when they had set her in the midst they said to him Teacher This woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that sets should be stoned but what do you say. This they said Tessin him that they might have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear. So when they continued asking him he raised himself up and said to them he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first and again he stooped down and rode on the ground. Then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman he said to her Woman Where are those accusers of yours. Has no one condemned you. She said no one Lord. And Jesus said to her neither do I condemn you go and sin no more that Jesus spoke to them again saying I am the light of the world. He who. I was me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. Most of us have probably heard the version in the Bible called The Message Bible in the Message Bible verse two says that swarms of people came to him and he sat down and he taught them. So there was a great number of people there listening to Jesus that morning. So to try to get a mental picture of what took place that morning. Think about it this way. It’s early in the morning because you know that he went the Mount of Olives and came back early in the morning. So it’s very early the sun probably had been up too long so it’s probably not extremely hot. There’s many people there. Many people were hanging around because they’ve heard Jesus teaching in are eager to hear what he has a say again. So there’s many people still there in the temple one to hear what Jesus had to say. And Jesus always was willing to teach them what he was always willing to teach them about the Kingdom of God and about how to live godly lives in the Live for him you know it doesn’t say what he taught them but you can be sure that whatever he was teaching them he was teaching them with authority and he was teaching them the truth. You can be sure of that. So picture this in your mind. There’s all these swarms of people was a message Bible says sitting around Jesus there just in all and his teaching and then suddenly there’s all this commotion. There’s the scribes and Pharisees come dragging this woman in her like get out alive get out the way we need to get a teacher move out of the way get out move out we’ve got to get through here. So there’s all this commotion. They push their way through dragging this woman until they stand right in front of Jesus. Think about the woman she had to be over whelmed with embarrassment. Been drugs through this crowd this way made a spectacle. She was most likely or possibly all. Only wrapped in a sheet or maybe even had nothing else nothing at all wrong. She had to be embarrassed. The scribes and Pharisees didn’t come into Jesus and say we have heard this is this woman was caught in the whole tree. They actually said she was caught in the very act. Can anybody sense that there was a trap going on here. There was a trap. How did they know it may have been one of them. There was a trap. It’s very clear that they were not concerned with this woman or since their only concern was trying to trap Jesus into some way that they could accuse him that they could condemn him for six said this they said testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him. They didn’t. They could care less about this woman. But they were trying to trap Jesus. They told Jesus that Moses in the law commanded us that sets should be stoned to death. What do you say what do you think Jesus. Should we start her to death. Well the truth of the matter is they weren’t even looking at the law once and quote in a truthfully there are on me twenty two twenty two says if a man be found in line with a woman married to an husband then they shall both of them die. Both the man that lie with the woman and the woman. So shout baby put social they put evil away from Israel they shall both die. Now the Deuteronomy doesn’t specifically say that they are to stone them to death but many times it does make it clear that they are to be stoned when they have sinned. Though that doesn’t say My issue is not with a stoning it’s with Where’s the man. Where is the man they weren’t following the law the same law that they are. Trying to trap them with they weren’t following because they only bring the woman. So it’s clear that it’s nothing but a trap trying to find something with which to accuse Jesus to see how he would respond to this accusation. If Jesus would have agreed with them and said yes she is guilty stoned her to death then they would have in turn reported him to the Romans who would not allow the Jews to carry out their own executions. If he would’ve said no let her live then they would have accused him of violating Moses’ law. And we’ve all as we’ve already stated we’re living in perilous times today and we all know that we’re living in a day where sexual permissiveness has just invaded our culture in so many areas and we are often faced with a challenge. How do we deal with it. How do we deal with those that are living in such circumstances. How do we deal with them whether it be fornication adultery homosexual lifestyles whatever. How do we deal with them. We’ve been talking about a lot lately. How are Christians are the church supposed to deal with said issues set since not only this specific sin but sin in general. How are we to deal with it. Bible scholar F B F B Myers said it is a terrible thing for a center to fall into the hands of his fellow sinners. How do we respond with the blatant simpleness of people today. What do we do. How do we respond. Do we want to grow fingers at them. Do we Wagner figures at them and say you know you shouldn’t be living that way you’re going to go to hell because you’re a sinful your heathen that we want to go. All normally favors at them and condemn them and tell them that you’re going to hell. Do we want our fingers because we fear if we don’t say anything that they think that we’re condoning what they do. Well let me ask you this think back to when you were a practicing sinner and went to put it that way. Think back to when you were practicing sin. Did you know that it was wrong. I assure you I did when I was cussed like a sailor. I knew that it was wrong when I would take something from work or confession or I knew that it was wrong. I didn’t need somebody wagging their finger at me tell me I’m no good. How did I know it because we’re created an image of God We know that it’s wrong. We don’t need someone wagonette Penger explaining to us that what we’re doing is not right. We knew it we knew that it was wrong. Whenever you take something from your employer if it’s something you haven’t paid for it’s stealing I don’t care about as much as a pencil if he didn’t give you permission to say Here take this. If you take it you’re still. But you know in your heart that is wrong in today’s passage. There is absolutely no question that the woman was guilty. And you think she knew it. Yes she know it. She know it. But the problem the same is today what should be done about it. What should be the response. There were three things at stake that day. The life of the woman the reputation of Jesus for compassion and the position of God’s law. So how should we respond to sin. One going to suggest that we respond as Jesus did because are we not called to imitate him. He responded with grace but yet he upheld the law. Second Corinthians ten one says now I Paul myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. So let me suggest that we respond to people with the makers and gentleness of Christ not wag our Oly fingers at them but respond in meekness and gentleness. Jesus could have taken the path of rigid holiness. He was absolutely worthy to do that right. He was without sin so he could have wagged his finger because it was holy but it would have ended tragically with the woman’s death. He could have taken the path of indulgent love but that would have brought disaster upon his ministry. Instead he chose the path of grace. The way I responded to the accusers was very interesting I think. I’m sure that most of you read this passage and it is very interesting. Instead of answering them immediately he just stooped down started writing on the ground like he didn’t hear him ignoring them. Some of the jest suggested that Jesus did this as a means of gaining some time. But I will suggest that he did so to force the accusers to think long and hard about what they were demanding. But the fact that Jesus was writing on the ground seemed at first had no effect on these men because they kept persisting they kept persisting. Jesus what do you say. What do you say answer as jesus found he responded. And the second part of Verse seven. He raised himself up and he said to them. He was among you without since. Let him throw a stone out of first. There’s a Stones. I’m a sinner. Whoever is without sin come grab a standing start casting it. And when you do a little self-examination only when we’re faced with that we’re faced with evil. How do we respond. Do a little self-examination first. The result that Jesus got that day was almost humorous when these men are so stunned they were actually speechless after Jesus said He is without sin cast the first and he’s still there wagging fingers he quieted there are accusing tongues didn’t all of sudden everything got quiet. He did not deny that the woman was guilty he’ll pay all the law absolutely adultery is sin. But that’s not all he does. He sees into the heart of these men. So before you pick up the stone make sure that you are morally qualified to put this woman to death. That’s what he said to them that day. Make sure that you are morally qualified. Then he stooped down began to write on the ground a second time. What he wrote has fueled the imagination of many over the years hasn’t it. Some say the Mighty just simply wrote the Ten Commandments. Some say he may have wrote these men’s name with their sins beside it. Some say he may even wrote the names of their girlfriends but I’ll tell you what he wrote I don’t know. I don’t know there’s no way we can know. Maybe someday he’ll tell us. But we do not know what he wrote. But we do know for sure that they cleared the air quickly didn’t it. They cleared out quickly the users left. They left quietly slipped away through the crowd. Verse nine said then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. One thing that we can give him credit for is the fact that they saw themselves as they really were at that moment then they saw themselves as they really were and he stopped calling for the death of the woman and they left because I said as I said Jesus was the only one qualified to pick up that stone. It eventually comes down to the fact that everyone someday will meet Jesus face to face. That woman met Jesus that day face to face. Eventually everyone will meet him face to face either in this life as your savior earlier in the life to come as your judge how do you want to meet him. Many wonder what happen to this woman afterwards does she become a believer. We don’t know but after her accusers let go of her. She didn’t take the opportunity to flee away because after they all left she’s still there she stayed. We’re not actually told that she repented but her actions say she very well could have. But because she stayed and listen to Jesus what he had to say Jesus by no means can condone her sin. He confronted it. Jesus now turns and addressed the woman in verse ten he said when Jesus. Had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman he said to her Woman. Where are those accusers of yours. Has no one condemned you. Jesus addressed her as woman. Not today that might sound a little bit harsh or a little rude to call our woman but actually in Jesus’ day that was the equivalent of call on a woman Lady because in John Chapter two verse four in one nine hundred twenty six Jesus called his mother woman. So it’s actually speaking of a woman with great honor and we know that this woman certainly was not worthy of great honor. But Jesus saw her as she was becoming a man. He saw her as she could be he did not condone it but he saw her as she was he says Go and sin no more. This he just saved her life. You better believe she stuck around to hear what he had to say. He said Go and sin no more. That brings this whole story to an end. Jesus warning them plot a choice he says to or you can either go back to the life that you once knew the way you were living or you can reach out to this new life that I have just offered you that I just gave you. Go and sin no more and oppose the law. Jesus does not pardon sinners to leave them as he found them he pardons them that they might live a new life for him and in him renewed a man no longer practicing sin living in sin. Leave that old light behind is what he was telling her go and sin no more. Some may challenge that Jesus was easy on sin but it was not he was compassion by the scribes and Pharisees. If he was called a friend a center friend of the center. Well you know what I say. Praise be to God that he was a friend to centers because you know what that made him a friend of me and you write that made him our friend. Because if he wasn’t a friend to center guess what we have no hope. My friends we are to hate the sin but we must love the sinner. I know it’s hard to separate and I know it’s hard for me that it’s hard to separate when you hear the news and you hear of a government that goes in and short shoots former rains. It’s hard to think how could I love that man when a man goes into a church and shoots a pastor and what nine people and all. Well that church demonstrated hate the sin love the sinner didn’t it. They reached out to that man and said We forgive you we forgive you. You need Jesus in your life. They didn’t condone what he did and say it’s OK What you did was wrong but my friend you need Jesus in your. It’s clear that you need Jesus in your heart. So if we have that loved one or friend or somebody that we know this living in sin how should we respond we respond with love we respond with a friend or brother I love you I care about you. Let me tell you about Jesus. Let me tell you what Jesus has done for me. He has set me free from my sins and he can do the same for you is that you can live for Him You don’t need to live this way. There’s a better way and that better ways Jesus so must respond with love as Jesus did. Amen amen.