Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
August 11, 2002 a.m.
Fine Tuning Our Life Focus
Scripture Reading - John 8.1-11
From this pulpit... We frequently ask the question...
- Why are we here and not in heaven?
- Why didn't God just zap us from the baptistry into heaven?
- What is our purpose and focus here?
It is difficult to stay focused upon God's purpose for us. Of course the reason is because Satan is in our face constantly... Trying us... Tempting us with things that cause us to lose sight of our true purpose. He does this by using our own HUMAN NATURE... Our own tendency to feel ourselves better than those around us.
What I want to do this morning is to rehearse this Bible Narrative and see what we can learn about fine tuning our life purpose and focus... Are you ready?!!!...
Go with me now to the Temple Mound... There is a crowd... Jesus is there teaching. Suddenly... The Scribes and Pharisees gathered about Him. Interrupting His message... They place a woman in front of Him saying... We caught her committing adultery .... We caught her in the very act. The Law of Moses says she should die. What do YOU say?!
Reading between the lines... We can almost hear them saying under their breath... We've got Him now!... Let's see Him get out of this one! We can only imagine how smug they must have felt... How confident they were in their trap... As they challenged the Master of heaven and earth.
Of course... The whole thing smells of a setup. For example... How did these religious leaders catch this woman in the very act? Were they peeping Toms... Roaming the city at night... Looking into people's windows... Or had they arranged the whole thing! It seems highly unlikely that they just happened to stumble across a couple in adultery. The fact that they grabbed this woman and headed straight for Jesus... Knowing exactly where He would be at that moment... Hints at a premeditated conspiracy.
Whatever the situation... Jesus was faced with a real dilemma! Before Him sat a woman unquestionably guilty... caught in the act... There were witnesses on hand... Besides, the woman did not deny the charge. In fact... Jesus never challenged the charge against her... Her guilt seemed indisputable!
Our Lord's dilemma was this: According to Leviticus 20.10, the penalty for adultery was death. This law is restated plainly in Deuteronomy 22.22-24... Both parties shall be put to death. It is interesting that these religious leaders brought only the woman to Jesus that day?! Where was the man?... Under the Law, he too was guilty. Perhaps he was actually one of the religious leaders... And thus was part of the plot. This might explain how these leaders were so easily able to catch this woman in the act and why the man was not brought before Jesus for judgment.
Well... The Law of Moses demanded death for this woman... And Jesus knew that. But... Adding to His dilemma was the fact that Roman law did not require the death penalty for this offense. Furthermore, the Romans had taken away the Jews the right to impose capital punishment. If Jesus declared her guilty... put her to death... He would have been in violation of Roman law... And would be accused of inciting the Sanhedrin to rebel against Roman authority. This would be treason... And punishable by death. However, if Jesus refused to condemn her, He could be charged with contradicting the Law of God. Charging Him with this... The Jews would destroy His credibility with His followers.
So Jesus was in a very delicate situation... He was between a rock and a hard place... In a situation where it seems there is no way out. It quickly became evident that... It was not the woman who was on trial here... It was Jesus!
WHAT WILL HE DO???... HOW WILL HE RESPOND?...
Well... Instead of committing Himself to either of the obvious solutions... Either of which would be used against Him... Jesus said nothing... He refused to respond.
- Sometimes, silence is the best response to people like these religious leaders... RIGHT?
- Sometimes, questions and issues in our brotherhood don't even deserve an answer.
Our text says that Silently... Jesus stooped down... And began to write in the dust. What did Jesus write there?... I don't know... I don't have a clue... But I would like to know.
- Some say He was just doodling... Giving Himself time to think.
- Some think that He may have been making a list of all the sins of those religious leaders.
- Others suggest that He may have written the names of some among them who had slept with this lady.
We don't know what He wrote... But we do know that it was a source of irritation to the scribes and Pharisees... They wanted something to use against Him... And they weren't getting it. After several minutes of silence... Jesus straightens up... Faces her accusers and says... "He who is without sin among you... Let him cast the first stone."
Verse 9 says... And they began to go away... One at a time... Beginning with the older ones. After the last one had drifted away... Jesus turns to the woman saying... Where are they? Has no one condemned you?... No one, Lord. Then neither do I... Go now... and sin no more.
Instead of condemning her... Jesus showed mercy and compassion... And called her to repentance.
Well... In way of application this morning... What can we learn here about our purpose and focus in life?
First... We are not here to feel good about ourselves at the expense of others. Here, we catch a glimpse of the hideous nature of self-righteousness! These religious leaders considered themselves religious... righteous... And yet their attitude and behavior was demonic.
Church... Anytime... Every time... We use and abuse people for our selfish gain... We are acting like the Devil.
You see... The by-product of self-righteousness... The by-product of thinking that we are better than someone... Anyone else... Has always been affliction... mistreatment of others. The more self-righteous we become... The more judgmental we become.... And the more we are willing to hurt others.
We've seen it in our own brotherhood... Experienced it right here in our own church. In fact... Sometimes we become so judgmental that we withdraw from those we disagree with... To the point that we only fellowship with a small circle of believers. Sometimes that circle becomes so small that it excludes everybody... Even those we love most.
You see... Self-righteousness is never satisfied until it eliminates everybody except ME!!
May I say that again... Self-righteousness ultimately eliminates everybody except me!!
These religious leaders seem to think that because of her sin, this woman was not as good AS THEY WERE... And so... SHE...
- Deserved to be used...
- Abused...
- Humiliated...
- And crushed.
For their own religious purposes.
And Jesus... Because He differed with their views and practices...
- Deserved to be put down...
- Discredited...
- And destroyed.
We are seeing the ugly results of thinking..." I am the only one who is right."
Church... There are few things more despicable... Or more dangerous... Than those who believe that they have arrived spiritually... That they have come to some new and purposeful insights... While others have not. This kind of thinking leads to ugly disagreements... And church splits. It allows people to withdraw fellowship and start their own churches. Most of the time it eventually leads to them giving up on their religion conviction altogether.
Folk... Self-righteousness is a hideous tool of Satan. And he uses it so effectively to destroy good people... good families... Well-meaning individuals.
Secondly... Jesus was more interested in Forgiveness than Judgment
Although Jesus does not condone her sin... He is more interested in saving people from their sins... Than in destroying them in their sins! Jesus was not into stone throwing... Neither should we be. Jesus came into the world offering us...
- Guidance...
- Forgiveness...
- Cleansing...
- Healing...
- Salvation...
Not condemnation.
This reminds us of John 3.17 doesn't it... Do you know what John 3.17 says?... ANYBODY??... "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world... But to save the world through Him.
The mission of Christ was not to...
- Judge...
- Condemn...
- And destroy...
But to bring salvation.
Let me add church... Preachers... Elders... Teachers... This is our mission also... "Go into all the world with the gospel... Teaching... Preaching Jesus and Him crucified... Baptizing them in the name of the Father... Son... and Holy Spirit... Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you... And I will be with you always."
Do we hear any commission to judge and condemn in these series of verses known as the great commission?... I think not!!
Something else I want you to notice here... Jesus did not place this lady on probation... He didn't assign an Apostle to go watch her... It was just... "Go now... And sin no more!"
Paul writes... There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.... If God is for us...
- Who can be against us?...
- Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
- Who is he that condemns?
God is the One who has justified us.
Read it again... "God came into this world to save us... Not condemn us."
Isn't it time we focused our attention upon saving the lost... Instead of inspecting and judging one another?
Next... Jesus gives us the qualifications of a stone-thrower. Here Jesus gives us the only Biblical qualification for stone throwers... What is it???... Sinlessness... The one without sin... Cast the first stone. Jesus throws the spotlight of guilt back on these religious leaders. He makes them as uncomfortable as they've made this lady. Truth is... They are as guilty as she is... RIGHT?
Listen to these verses written to stone throwers...
- Do not judge, or you too will be judged... For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory... There is none righteous... No not one.
- You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge others... You are condemning yourself... Because you do the same things.
- Do not slander one another. Anyone ... ANYONE... Who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?
- My friends... If someone is caught in a sin... You who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted... If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.... Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
Well... After the last one had drifted away... Jesus turns to the woman saying... Where are they?... Has no one condemned you?... No one, Lord..... Then neither do I... Go now... And sin no more.
Instead of condemning her...
- Jesus showed mercy and compassion...
- And He called her... challenged her to repent.
In this setting... Jesus says... Only the sinless have the right to pass judgment and sentencing on the thoughts and behavior of others.
Now... Don't put words in my mouth... Yes... We can and should use THE WORD OF GOD as a standard by which to measure ourselves and others... But only for the purpose of warning and encouragement.
Nowhere!!... Nowhere in all of scripture... Are we permitted to sit in self-righteous judgment upon the lives of one another... That right belongs to God... Because only he is without sin!!
Of all the men who have ever lived... Only ONE ... Jesus... Had the right to hurl the first stone... And He refused to do so!... Aren't you glad?? You see... Because Jesus didn't stone her... But forgave her... There is hope for me.
We must know this morning that we are the adulterous woman in this narrative!! This narrative also tells us that the righteous... Unlike the SELF-righteous... Exercise mercy rather than severity.
Jesus is teaching us here that we are to extend.... Mercy... Grace... Loving kindness... Forgiveness... Not condemnation in our dealing with sinners.
God help us today... To get out of the judging business... Out of the stone throwing business... And into the encouraging and forgiving business... AMEN?... AMEN!!
Well...
- Throwing stones at one another...
- Judging...
- Condemning...
- Exposing the faults and failings of one another...
Is an easy thing to do... ISN'T IT??
It takes absolutely no discipline...
- Just give in to Satan's prompting...
- Just do what comes natural.
And sadly... And sadly... We fall victim to it far too often.
Jesus would have us rise above our HUMANITY... And display our spiritual nature... SOME CHRIST-LIKENESS... Which is characterized by...
- Love...
- Forgiveness...
- Mercy...
- Understanding...
- Acceptance.
It's easy to be worldly in our dealings with one another... But it's a real challenge to be Christ-like!
- Let us rise above ourselves...
- Above our sense of self-importance...
- Above our own self-righteousness.
Let us recognize that we are God's ambassadors to a world caught in spiritual adultery... And that we bring... Not a message of condemnation and death... But rather a message of reconciliation... hope... and life eternal.
- If you are here this morning... And you are not a child of God... You can become one by faith... repentance... and New Testament baptism... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
- Perhaps... As children of God... We have been self-righteous and judgmental toward others... And we need to acknowledge our sins... And ask those we have hurt to forgive us.
- Perhaps we just need to ask God to help us refocus and refine our purpose here... To be more loving... compassionate... kind... and forgiving toward others... Rather than throwing stones.
The invitation is ours... God is challenging us each one to answer as we stand and sing together.
Will you respond??
