1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 His hands and feet. 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,240 Kind of wish we would have done that song 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:07,240 in the beginning of this series. 4 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,400 It's such, it's right there. 5 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,380 I mean, that is where we're going, 6 00:00:11,380 --> 00:00:12,640 that's where we've been, 7 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,660 and that's where we're gonna go today, 8 00:00:14,660 --> 00:00:16,400 is the understanding that 9 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,520 if we call ourselves Christians, 10 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,400 little Christ, and people experience us, 11 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,280 the hope and prayer is that they experience Christ himself. 12 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:29,560 And that's a big ask. 13 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,840 That's an awkward ask that may make us real tense and tight, 14 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:34,100 that may freak us out, 15 00:00:34,100 --> 00:00:36,600 that may make us feel like we don't wanna do it, 16 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,600 and all our, I think, realistic 17 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,260 understandings of what it means to be a Christian. 18 00:00:44,260 --> 00:00:45,100 You know, you have a world that says, 19 00:00:45,100 --> 00:00:45,940 oh, you're a Christian, 20 00:00:45,940 --> 00:00:47,120 you think you're better than everybody. 21 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,140 Well, we've earned that a little bit in the church, 22 00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:51,360 or a lot of it in the church over history, 23 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:52,680 that if you're not like us, 24 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,880 if you take things like the Crusades, 25 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,840 we thought that the way that we would 26 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,200 extend Christ's reign into the world 27 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,840 is to eliminate people that had other religions. 28 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:05,360 I think we look back and go, 29 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,840 that was a little bit of a black eye for the church, 30 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,080 and I think we could go throughout history, 31 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,280 where instead of inviting, 32 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,580 instead of sitting and seeing 33 00:01:14,580 --> 00:01:16,820 those people that are different than us, 34 00:01:16,820 --> 00:01:18,600 we go to say, let's just take them out 35 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,160 because we have God on our side. 36 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,340 Yikes, that is gross. 37 00:01:23,340 --> 00:01:25,100 And that is a bad understanding, I think, 38 00:01:25,100 --> 00:01:26,460 of what Jesus is wanting. 39 00:01:26,460 --> 00:01:28,180 Now, some of you may hear that and go, 40 00:01:28,180 --> 00:01:30,840 wow, so you're saying we should just be accepting 41 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,580 of all things, that's not what I said. 42 00:01:33,580 --> 00:01:35,080 That you can see someone, 43 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,700 you can sit down across with someone, 44 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,440 and learn their lives and love on them, 45 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,400 and bring them to Jesus. 46 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,740 And I've always found it's better to do that 47 00:01:45,740 --> 00:01:49,160 with a cup of coffee or a beer than a sword. 48 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,680 And as we've gone through that history, 49 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,840 we listen to that song as we're in this sermon series, 50 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,360 Whose Neighbor Am I? 51 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:57,360 I think that that begs the question, 52 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:59,720 and again, it's not about, ooh, my neighbors, 53 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,640 it's about who am I as a neighbor? 54 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,520 And so last week, you probably all saw it, 55 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,360 I wanted to go somewhere in the book of John, 56 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:10,880 but we just didn't have the time, 57 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,880 and because of that, we're gonna jump in 58 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,640 and do that today, knowing that there's probably 59 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:18,680 going to be a part two of this sermon series 60 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:20,480 at some point in the coming year, 61 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,360 or two or three, I don't think I'll wait. 62 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,920 I'm out five, I can't wait till year six to do it. 63 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:29,680 So we'll probably bump one before that. 64 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,560 And I'm not gonna tell you all when it's gonna be, 65 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,000 because one of the things I've heard from a number of you 66 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,360 is how much you love and hate this series. 67 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:37,920 I get it, I'm right there with you. 68 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,840 I love and I hate this series because of, 69 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,960 what Jesus is bringing seems so easy, 70 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,120 but I make a mess of it all the time. 71 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,280 And I make a mess of it because of my own thoughts, 72 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,560 my thoughts about other people, my desires, 73 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,840 those hidden grudges I hold, right, 74 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:55,600 that, ooh, I really want my pound of flesh 75 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,520 of that person or that situation, 76 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,640 and how what this sermon series, at least for me, 77 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:02,120 has brought, and I know a number of you, 78 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,320 is I think for some of us, it's time to let some 79 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,000 of that anger go, some of that hatefulness, 80 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,760 that hatred go, because it's actually keeping you 81 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,560 from loving your neighbor. 82 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,080 It's keeping you in some ways from loving God 83 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,800 in a way that God is meant to be loved. 84 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,840 For some of us, we love God with an agenda, 85 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:23,960 whether we know it or not. 86 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,120 God, I'm gonna follow you, I'm gonna trust in you, 87 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:31,080 as long as my business sees a bump in its balance sheet, 88 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,280 as long as my relationships love me back, 89 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,600 as long as I succeed in school, 90 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,360 as long as I have no problems in my life, 91 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,800 which is absolutely crazy, because Jesus actually 92 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,920 tells us the opposite, that if you're gonna be my followers, 93 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,520 you're gonna be hated on, you're going to be lied about, 94 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,320 you're gonna be persecuted, you're going to go through 95 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,400 the troubles of the world, in this world you will have 96 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,760 trouble, but take heart, what does Jesus say? 97 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,200 I have overcome the world. 98 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,560 But for some of us, like me, we want it in the here and now. 99 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,560 It's not meant for that. 100 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:11,600 And in the then, Jesus was all about opening people's eyes 101 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,520 in situations where they thought they were going to try 102 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,760 to catch Jesus, give Jesus an aha moment, or a gotcha moment, 103 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,360 and one that comes to mind. 104 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,680 A framework that I think we need to dissect this morning 105 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,120 is what Jesus did in the story of the woman caught 106 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:30,800 in the act of adultery, John 8. 107 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:32,720 So I'm gonna read it in its entirety, 108 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,280 and then we're gonna break it down, reading from John 8, 109 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:38,360 starting with verse one. 110 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,880 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives early in the morning, 111 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:42,960 he came again to the temple. 112 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,000 All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 113 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,680 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman 114 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,880 who had been caught in the act of adultery, 115 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,040 and placing her in the midst, they said to him, 116 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,360 Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 117 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,280 Now in the law of Moses, or in the law, 118 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:03,320 Moses commands us to stone such women. 119 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:05,320 What do you say? 120 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,920 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge 121 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,920 to bring against him. 122 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,560 Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground, 123 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,760 and they continued to ask him. 124 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,600 He stood up and said to them, 125 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,800 let him who is without sin among you 126 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,200 be the first to throw a stone at her. 127 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,840 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground, 128 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:31,640 but when they heard it, they went away one by one, 129 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,440 beginning with the older ones, 130 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,160 and Jesus was left alone with the woman. 131 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,320 Standing before him, Jesus stood up and said to her, 132 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:42,800 woman, where are they? 133 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,280 Has no one condemned you? 134 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:46,780 She said, no one, Lord. 135 00:05:46,780 --> 00:05:48,940 And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. 136 00:05:48,940 --> 00:05:53,820 Go from now on, sin no more. 137 00:05:53,820 --> 00:05:57,380 Go and from now on, sin no more. 138 00:05:57,380 --> 00:06:01,220 It's an amazing testament to just who Jesus is 139 00:06:01,220 --> 00:06:03,860 and how Jesus sees people in certain situations. 140 00:06:03,860 --> 00:06:06,500 Because I guarantee all of us have been in situations 141 00:06:06,500 --> 00:06:08,980 where we have not been seen. 142 00:06:08,980 --> 00:06:10,980 Or if we've been seen, we've just been seen 143 00:06:10,980 --> 00:06:12,660 for what we bring to the table in the negative, 144 00:06:12,660 --> 00:06:14,380 or the sin, or the accusation, 145 00:06:14,380 --> 00:06:17,500 or the issue that we bring to situations, 146 00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:21,180 or just the issue that we find ourselves day in and day out. 147 00:06:21,180 --> 00:06:23,460 And here, Jesus is doing a teaching 148 00:06:23,460 --> 00:06:26,960 that goes radically beyond just the woman. 149 00:06:27,940 --> 00:06:30,340 Because one of the things we have Jesus doing 150 00:06:30,340 --> 00:06:35,340 is he is teaching those religious leaders something fierce. 151 00:06:35,580 --> 00:06:38,820 Now notice, as John kind of recounts this story, 152 00:06:38,820 --> 00:06:42,460 it's all people came to him. 153 00:06:42,460 --> 00:06:46,460 So all people, he went to the Mount of Olives. 154 00:06:46,460 --> 00:06:49,380 Early in the morning, he came again to the temple. 155 00:06:49,380 --> 00:06:52,140 So he's in the temple, he's in the church. 156 00:06:52,140 --> 00:06:54,580 Temple is usually in the square of the town, 157 00:06:54,580 --> 00:06:56,780 center town, people are coming, 158 00:06:56,780 --> 00:06:58,740 and Jesus is doing Jesus things. 159 00:06:58,740 --> 00:07:01,340 Jesus is teaching, he is teaching. 160 00:07:01,340 --> 00:07:06,340 And in the midst of this, the scribes and the Pharisees. 161 00:07:09,900 --> 00:07:12,380 What Jesus is gonna do is he's going to put the law 162 00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:16,140 on itself and say, Jesus' example of the law 163 00:07:16,140 --> 00:07:19,820 is actually compassion, not death. 164 00:07:20,980 --> 00:07:23,860 So that's what we're gonna look at, the law verse compassion. 165 00:07:23,860 --> 00:07:26,820 Jesus' example here, okay? 166 00:07:27,700 --> 00:07:30,300 We find Jesus teaching in the temple, 167 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:33,620 and I'm not gonna reread it just for the sake of time. 168 00:07:33,620 --> 00:07:36,220 We find that Jesus teaching in the temple, 169 00:07:36,220 --> 00:07:40,860 and the scribes and the Pharisees bring the woman. 170 00:07:40,860 --> 00:07:44,340 So let's really Nancy Drew this thing. 171 00:07:44,340 --> 00:07:45,940 So the scribes and the Pharisees, 172 00:07:45,940 --> 00:07:49,460 you would think that they would be right there 173 00:07:49,460 --> 00:07:51,020 to hear Jesus' teachings, 174 00:07:51,020 --> 00:07:52,900 not because they wanted to hear from him, 175 00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:55,660 but what did the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, 176 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:57,300 the Sadducees, all of them, 177 00:07:57,300 --> 00:08:00,420 what did they want to do now when it came to Jesus? 178 00:08:00,420 --> 00:08:01,860 What were they looking to do? 179 00:08:02,860 --> 00:08:04,020 Trap him, right? 180 00:08:04,020 --> 00:08:06,740 They were looking to trap him in his teaching. 181 00:08:06,740 --> 00:08:09,700 They were wanting to call out the heresy, 182 00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:11,860 because that would be the easiest thing, 183 00:08:11,860 --> 00:08:13,660 because they uplifted their version 184 00:08:13,660 --> 00:08:16,020 of the law of Moses of the Torah, 185 00:08:16,020 --> 00:08:19,620 their version of it Jesus was raging against, 186 00:08:19,620 --> 00:08:21,580 and they were just looking for a clear way 187 00:08:21,580 --> 00:08:24,340 to say, gotcha, you're dead. 188 00:08:24,340 --> 00:08:25,540 That's what they wanted. 189 00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:29,660 Yet isn't it funny that they're not necessarily 190 00:08:29,660 --> 00:08:30,980 there listening to him, 191 00:08:30,980 --> 00:08:33,100 because they've got this whole plot, 192 00:08:33,100 --> 00:08:35,580 they've got this whole sting set up, 193 00:08:35,580 --> 00:08:39,460 and they're the ones that bring the Pharisees 194 00:08:39,460 --> 00:08:41,700 and the Sadducees, or the teachers of the law. 195 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:43,580 Don't you think they could have just kind of 196 00:08:43,580 --> 00:08:47,780 shed some money and say, hey, slave boy, or whatever, 197 00:08:47,780 --> 00:08:49,740 go find this woman and bring them? 198 00:08:49,740 --> 00:08:54,740 But they, in fact, kind of indict themselves in this 199 00:08:54,860 --> 00:08:58,540 by bringing the woman caught in the act of adultery. 200 00:08:58,540 --> 00:09:02,740 Here's the problem, right off the bat, right? 201 00:09:02,740 --> 00:09:05,020 And I needed a felt board to teach me this, 202 00:09:05,020 --> 00:09:10,020 but let's just say it takes two to tango. 203 00:09:13,020 --> 00:09:15,140 Everyone understand what I'm saying there? 204 00:09:15,140 --> 00:09:19,540 Yet only one is being brought out. 205 00:09:19,540 --> 00:09:22,900 What in the junk is this? 206 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:27,700 That they are singling this woman out for whatever reason, 207 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,580 because we know that there's a verb here, 208 00:09:30,580 --> 00:09:32,660 that there's an action going on, 209 00:09:32,660 --> 00:09:34,420 that all of a sudden they're the ones 210 00:09:34,420 --> 00:09:36,700 that are grabbing her, bringing her about, 211 00:09:37,780 --> 00:09:42,060 probably not dressed to the nines, quite the opposite, 212 00:09:43,700 --> 00:09:45,900 and they throw her in the midst 213 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:47,940 of all the people in front of Jesus. 214 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:54,220 That their law, that they held to so tightly, 215 00:09:55,900 --> 00:09:59,220 they're now manipulating in front of the Son of God. 216 00:09:59,220 --> 00:10:01,700 In some ways, and I had a Johannian scholar 217 00:10:01,700 --> 00:10:04,620 I learned under Professor Borchardt, 218 00:10:04,620 --> 00:10:07,740 that he told us at this point they're reeling. 219 00:10:07,740 --> 00:10:10,380 They are compromising all of their integrity, 220 00:10:10,380 --> 00:10:11,380 which they've already done, 221 00:10:11,380 --> 00:10:13,380 but they are wanting to get this guy. 222 00:10:13,380 --> 00:10:15,220 They are wanting to snuff him out, 223 00:10:15,220 --> 00:10:17,340 because he is not only being a pain, 224 00:10:17,340 --> 00:10:19,780 but he is also starting a revolution. 225 00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:24,900 And what the Pharisees wanted was control over the peoples. 226 00:10:24,900 --> 00:10:26,900 They knew they were never gonna have control over Rome, 227 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:29,020 but they wanted the control over the Israelites. 228 00:10:29,020 --> 00:10:31,820 They wanted to bind the Israelites so tightly with the law 229 00:10:31,820 --> 00:10:33,940 that one pinky out of bounds, boom, 230 00:10:33,940 --> 00:10:35,100 they were gonna be done. 231 00:10:35,100 --> 00:10:37,260 And whatever boom, whatever that meant 232 00:10:37,260 --> 00:10:38,980 in the law that was broken. 233 00:10:38,980 --> 00:10:42,700 Here was death by being stoned. 234 00:10:43,780 --> 00:10:45,180 Stoning of one or two ways, right? 235 00:10:45,180 --> 00:10:47,660 You either get rocks thrown at you, 236 00:10:47,660 --> 00:10:49,460 or you get thrown to the rocks. 237 00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:51,540 This one was the former. 238 00:10:52,620 --> 00:10:57,420 But the absolute hypocrisy that the teachers of the law 239 00:10:57,420 --> 00:11:01,460 are bringing is they want to center on just this individual, 240 00:11:01,460 --> 00:11:05,620 just this woman, which to me is just such junk, 241 00:11:05,620 --> 00:11:08,420 because if we actually see what is going on 242 00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:10,740 and Jesus sees all of this, 243 00:11:13,340 --> 00:11:15,460 they are compromising, 244 00:11:15,460 --> 00:11:17,820 because the act of adultery is two people, 245 00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:18,860 yet only one person. 246 00:11:18,860 --> 00:11:22,620 They're manipulating the system to try to trap Jesus. 247 00:11:22,620 --> 00:11:26,060 Sin doesn't play fair. 248 00:11:26,060 --> 00:11:27,780 Sin never does. 249 00:11:27,780 --> 00:11:29,740 If you're gonna say, okay, Satan, 250 00:11:29,740 --> 00:11:31,580 I'm gonna sin this way, 251 00:11:31,580 --> 00:11:33,060 but I only want it to hurt this much, 252 00:11:33,060 --> 00:11:35,820 and I'm only gonna, no, that's crazy talk. 253 00:11:36,740 --> 00:11:38,460 The whole idea of you give Satan an inch, 254 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:41,020 he takes a lot. 255 00:11:42,220 --> 00:11:43,820 Or a foot, a lot works. 256 00:11:43,820 --> 00:11:46,660 You know, but so you have this situation 257 00:11:46,660 --> 00:11:50,340 where they're trying to manipulate sin in such a way 258 00:11:50,340 --> 00:11:52,500 that they're going to try to trap Jesus. 259 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:55,260 So we're not even talking about anything neighborly here, 260 00:11:55,260 --> 00:11:57,460 because the Pharisees and the Sadducees, 261 00:11:57,460 --> 00:11:58,540 they didn't want neighbors. 262 00:11:58,540 --> 00:11:59,620 They didn't want to love on people. 263 00:11:59,620 --> 00:12:01,620 They did not want to show the love of Christ. 264 00:12:01,620 --> 00:12:03,980 All they wanted to do is keep people condemned, 265 00:12:03,980 --> 00:12:08,260 keep people judged, keep people under the shackles 266 00:12:08,260 --> 00:12:10,940 that was the law of God. 267 00:12:10,940 --> 00:12:13,420 So if my ins and outs of life, 268 00:12:13,420 --> 00:12:15,380 if all you ever get from Munster Church 269 00:12:15,380 --> 00:12:17,180 is the shackles of the Bible, 270 00:12:17,180 --> 00:12:18,820 and that's what you should live under, 271 00:12:18,820 --> 00:12:20,820 you're gonna be a pretty tense society, 272 00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:23,260 because what you're going to try to live life 273 00:12:23,260 --> 00:12:27,100 in such a way that you are bound by every jot and tittle 274 00:12:27,100 --> 00:12:30,620 that the law in their interpretation kept you in. 275 00:12:32,860 --> 00:12:35,180 But some natural questions come about. 276 00:12:36,340 --> 00:12:37,980 Who's the guy? 277 00:12:37,980 --> 00:12:39,940 How do they know this is going on? 278 00:12:40,820 --> 00:12:42,580 Then they're the ones that go and bring them, 279 00:12:42,580 --> 00:12:44,860 which if you actually look at some of the law, 280 00:12:44,860 --> 00:12:48,740 they're breaking their own rules by touching her, 281 00:12:48,740 --> 00:12:52,860 by bringing her about, by putting eyes on her. 282 00:12:52,860 --> 00:12:57,860 There's so much hypocrisy here, it is not even funny. 283 00:12:57,860 --> 00:13:02,060 And what Jesus is teaching, and what his response 284 00:13:02,060 --> 00:13:04,860 is gonna be is so profound, 285 00:13:04,860 --> 00:13:06,620 because the scribes and the Pharisees 286 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:08,740 were less concerned with justice 287 00:13:08,740 --> 00:13:11,980 and more about trapping Jesus. 288 00:13:11,980 --> 00:13:14,460 If he advocated for the stoning, 289 00:13:14,460 --> 00:13:18,740 he would appear cruel and harsh. 290 00:13:18,740 --> 00:13:23,060 They're wanting him to give an okay to kill her, 291 00:13:23,060 --> 00:13:26,380 because what was Jesus teaching even right before this? 292 00:13:26,380 --> 00:13:27,940 Love and compassion. 293 00:13:27,940 --> 00:13:31,780 What have you been looking at for the last four weeks? 294 00:13:31,780 --> 00:13:35,660 Compassion, love, walking alongside people. 295 00:13:35,660 --> 00:13:37,980 This, they wanted Jesus to completely 296 00:13:37,980 --> 00:13:41,300 undercut his own words, call him out as a hypocrite, 297 00:13:41,300 --> 00:13:44,620 and just charge him, charge him, charge him. 298 00:13:44,620 --> 00:13:47,540 And that's what I love, what Jesus does here. 299 00:13:48,740 --> 00:13:50,860 I mean, they even question him. 300 00:13:50,860 --> 00:13:53,460 This woman was caught in the law. 301 00:13:53,460 --> 00:13:58,460 Moses commands us to stone such a woman. 302 00:13:59,820 --> 00:14:01,780 So what Jesus is about to do, 303 00:14:01,780 --> 00:14:06,780 Jesus is about to elevate himself above the law of Moses. 304 00:14:06,780 --> 00:14:11,780 And friends, that's big, that's profound. 305 00:14:11,780 --> 00:14:14,300 That is not nothing. 306 00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:20,900 But if I'm Jesus, I'm going to verbally do this, right? 307 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:23,700 I'm gonna wanna verbally just wreck him. 308 00:14:25,300 --> 00:14:27,940 But I think Jesus knows that there are more people 309 00:14:27,940 --> 00:14:31,940 in this scene that need his grace and his mercies. 310 00:14:31,940 --> 00:14:33,780 He knows the Pharisees do. 311 00:14:33,780 --> 00:14:36,780 He knows that the woman does. 312 00:14:36,780 --> 00:14:38,340 He knows that the guy probably does, 313 00:14:38,340 --> 00:14:40,020 but we don't know about him. 314 00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:41,420 But he also knows the people 315 00:14:41,420 --> 00:14:45,700 that are gonna grab these stones, they need Jesus too. 316 00:14:45,700 --> 00:14:47,780 And this is the all-encompassing teach 317 00:14:47,780 --> 00:14:51,780 that Jesus is giving, the testimony of his love, 318 00:14:51,780 --> 00:14:54,940 the profound measure of his mercy and his grace 319 00:14:54,940 --> 00:14:56,620 is on display. 320 00:14:59,060 --> 00:15:01,100 And his answer is profound. 321 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:02,820 His answer is profound. 322 00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:06,420 He doesn't answer their question, 323 00:15:06,420 --> 00:15:09,740 but instead he stoops down 324 00:15:10,740 --> 00:15:14,060 and writes on the ground with his finger. 325 00:15:14,060 --> 00:15:16,780 Now, this act of writing, there's a lot of debate. 326 00:15:16,780 --> 00:15:19,100 You can Google this and you'll get a lot of sides. 327 00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:22,140 Some suggest, and again, we don't know, 328 00:15:22,140 --> 00:15:27,140 some suggest he's writing the sins of the Pharisees. 329 00:15:27,140 --> 00:15:30,940 Some suggest that he is writing the amount of people 330 00:15:30,940 --> 00:15:35,300 that tangoed with this individual, but we don't know. 331 00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:38,780 But what he's doing is, so if this scene is happening, 332 00:15:38,780 --> 00:15:40,500 and let's say it's all over here, 333 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:42,820 the woman's there, all the guys are around there, 334 00:15:42,820 --> 00:15:45,380 and Jesus is right here, and he bends down 335 00:15:45,380 --> 00:15:48,380 and starts writing with his finger. 336 00:15:48,380 --> 00:15:50,220 Where are all the eyes? 337 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:54,580 All the eyes, again, everybody's there, he's teaching. 338 00:15:54,580 --> 00:15:57,300 Let's just say there's 60 people in this situation, 339 00:15:57,300 --> 00:15:59,700 and Jesus starts writing with his finger. 340 00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:01,620 All 60 eyes are where? 341 00:16:03,380 --> 00:16:04,860 On Jesus. 342 00:16:05,860 --> 00:16:07,460 On Jesus. 343 00:16:07,460 --> 00:16:10,220 Jesus is actually, in just that mere moment, 344 00:16:10,220 --> 00:16:13,980 taking the shame off of the individual. 345 00:16:13,980 --> 00:16:16,460 She, again, she's gonna be corrected, right? 346 00:16:16,460 --> 00:16:18,620 There's still an issue here with her, 347 00:16:18,620 --> 00:16:21,020 but there are issues abound in this situation, 348 00:16:21,020 --> 00:16:24,060 and what he's doing, he's taking the view 349 00:16:24,060 --> 00:16:26,300 off of her onto himself. 350 00:16:26,300 --> 00:16:29,620 He is this great teacher, he has caused a lot of issues 351 00:16:29,620 --> 00:16:32,940 for the Pharisees, and for the law, and for the temple, 352 00:16:32,940 --> 00:16:37,580 and he stoops down, Katekipspion in the Greek, 353 00:16:37,580 --> 00:16:40,380 and wrote, Egraphion in the Greek, 354 00:16:40,380 --> 00:16:44,380 indicates a deliberate and thoughtful action. 355 00:16:45,340 --> 00:16:47,380 I want us to stay there for a minute. 356 00:16:47,380 --> 00:16:49,960 Jesus is not reacting in haste. 357 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,960 He is considering his response, and the hearts, 358 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,880 he, of those around him. 359 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,560 This shows us that Jesus is more interested 360 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,840 in addressing the heart condition of people 361 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,480 rather than adhering to the letter of the law 362 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,800 that the Pharisees are putting on him. 363 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,720 This does not mean that the law means nothing, 364 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,720 we've already covered that. 365 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:17,920 But if love God by love, 366 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,960 but if love God by loving people, 367 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:22,760 love God and love people, 368 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:25,800 is everything in here is hinged on that, 369 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:27,280 we got that a couple weeks ago, 370 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,940 then what he's putting this on is in action. 371 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,840 Because for some of us, we focus on the letter of the law 372 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,080 rather than the spirit behind it. 373 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,640 There are times we emphasize the rules and the regulations 374 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,520 over our relationships and the restoration 375 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:50,040 we're seeking in our lives. 376 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:51,560 As Colossians three says, 377 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,120 we are to put on compassionate hearts, 378 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,640 kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 379 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,560 And here's the rub, and this is going to sting. 380 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:03,640 There are some of us here, myself included, 381 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,980 that had a stone in our hand. 382 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,720 She did wrong, she deserves to burn. 383 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,960 She deserves this death. 384 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:19,240 And we are so blinded by the interpretation of that law 385 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,760 that we are under by the Pharisees, by the Sadducees, 386 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,000 by the temple, that we will miss an opportunity 387 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,840 to actually show what Jesus is telling us to show, 388 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,880 putting in fact who he is on, 389 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,000 and we'll get there in a second. 390 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:39,460 So Jesus, right, the Pharisees continue to press him 391 00:18:39,460 --> 00:18:46,460 for an answer, and he finally responds. 392 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:48,720 Let's kind of invert this a minute. 393 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:50,240 For a lot of us, we know how the story ends, 394 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:52,640 and he has a conversation with her, 395 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,640 because I read it, so all of us should know. 396 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,080 What if he did that first? 397 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,460 What if he said, where are your condemners? 398 00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:05,000 She looks around and goes, they're all right there, 399 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,720 because they haven't left yet, go and sin no more. 400 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:11,800 At that point, I think they're just gonna start 401 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,280 throwing rocks at both of them. 402 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,000 But what does he do? 403 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,720 He takes again the focus off the woman, 404 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,000 the focus will go back on her in a minute, 405 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:26,200 but the shame and the vulnerability of this woman, 406 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,960 he wants to in some ways honor, 407 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,240 he's not honoring the sin, but what he's doing 408 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,600 is he's in his teaching, in his correction, 409 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,840 because Jesus corrects in a very certain way, 410 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,760 he's putting it on the accusers first. 411 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,640 Let him who is without sin among you 412 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,480 be the first to throw a stone at her. 413 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:52,160 Again, this statement turns the situation on his head. 414 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,480 Jesus does not, hear this, he does not deny 415 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,560 the women's guilt, but he does challenge the crowd 416 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,240 to examine their own hearts and their own lives first. 417 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,160 He calls them to self-reflection and self-awareness, 418 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,960 reminding them that all have sinned 419 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,600 and all have fallen short of the glory of God. 420 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:16,920 But here's the rub, Munster Church, 421 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,120 here's the rub, Class of Celiana, 422 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,120 here's the rub, Ridge Road, northwest Indiana. 423 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,880 For a lot of us, we don't think our sin 424 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,400 is as bad as those other people's. 425 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,840 I have little sin in my life. 426 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,600 I don't stop at stop signs, haven't paid my taxes 427 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:39,520 in two years, and sometimes I use the Lord's name in vain. 428 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,600 This is a person caught in the act of adultery. 429 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:46,760 Adultery, I'll take non-taxes paid over that any day. 430 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,960 Who in the world do you think you are? 431 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,680 Who in the world do I think I am 432 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,840 that if someone's sin is bare, wide open on the table, 433 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:01,040 and I take this position and go, 434 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,800 yeah, I know I have sinned, but it's not as bad as hers. 435 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,400 No, because you're just doing a good job of hiding it. 436 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:09,820 Hers was exposed. 437 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,240 Here's the rub. 438 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,760 When we come to Christ, when Christ works in our hearts, 439 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,520 He's exposing our sin all day. 440 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,400 It's called conviction. 441 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,560 It's called sanctification. 442 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:32,720 It's called the process, the Holy Spirit training your eyes 443 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,120 and your mind and your heart not to sin 444 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:38,840 and how to deal with sin when it comes. 445 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,200 How many of us here today are sinners? 446 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,360 Every hand better get up, because it's on the interwebs. 447 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,520 And you're all still here. 448 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,240 Yeah, maybe someone threw a rock at you once, 449 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,120 but you're still here. 450 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:59,280 They wanted to put her to death, and Jesus said, time out. 451 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,560 If you're perfect, go right ahead. 452 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,440 You have every right to throw a stone at her, 453 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,520 because the law tells you that you do. 454 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:16,320 But what is Jesus saying? 455 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,960 I do not give you that permission, 456 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,000 because you all have sinned. 457 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,000 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 458 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,920 So He's blowing this completely on His head, 459 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,680 and the result here is striking. 460 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,000 And I love how John puts this in there. 461 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,920 One by one, beginning with the oldest, the accusers leave, 462 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,200 convicted by their own conscience. 463 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:48,160 They realize that they are not without sin, 464 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:53,160 and they are no position to judge or condemn the woman. 465 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,080 This phrase, anima retetos in the Greek, 466 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,960 emphasizes a state of being free from sin, 467 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,400 not just in action, but in heart and mind also, 468 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,920 because I bet you had some people that were ready, 469 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:09,760 stone in hand, and they're like, 470 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,440 I've never committed adultery, fire away. 471 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,240 Jesus doesn't allow for that either. 472 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,840 You have unpaid parking tickets. 473 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,640 You're not allowed to throw the stones. 474 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:22,960 You covet the friend that you, 475 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,800 or you covet in your heart that your friend got to raise, 476 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,760 and you didn't, you can't throw a stone. 477 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,280 You have these secret relationships 478 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,800 that are only found in your apps. 479 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,240 You can't throw a stone. 480 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:41,720 You can't throw a stone. 481 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:45,520 You hold hatred in your heart 482 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,320 because of something that happened to you 20 years ago. 483 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,960 Friend, you can't throw a stone. 484 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:59,160 But here's, oh, and I may get emails about this one, 485 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:00,400 and I'll probably email myself 486 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,400 because I don't like what I'm about to say. 487 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,000 I have that reaction to what I'm about to say. 488 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,240 I want to throw a stone. 489 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:18,080 There are times in my life I want to annihilate that person. 490 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,520 That I want to expose that sin. 491 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,520 I want to write the anonymous letter. 492 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,080 I want to put it on blast on Instagram 493 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:27,440 or whatever you're gonna do. 494 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:29,480 I want to do all of those things. 495 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:34,480 That it is part of my joy in life to hate on that person. 496 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:37,840 To throw stones, whether they know it or not, 497 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:38,960 at them. 498 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,800 And some of us do it in such a cowardly way 499 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,360 that we just run by, throw a stone, and keep running. 500 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,800 And we love that about ourselves. 501 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:53,360 So friends, what are we saying? 502 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,160 We love that we get to judge sin that's not ours. 503 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,320 So what does that mean about being a neighbor? 504 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:08,320 If your neighbors know you as a judgmental stone thrower, 505 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,440 I don't think you're being a very good neighbor. 506 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:17,400 But they play music until 9.45. 507 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,760 And in your mind, I want to burn their house down. 508 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:26,400 That's not okay. 509 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,400 Like, oh, and they don't pick up after their dog. 510 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,480 Where can I get arsenic? 511 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,760 That's not okay. 512 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,440 And insert whatever you want here. 513 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:44,440 We go into insta-judgment just like the Pharisees. 514 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:49,120 Again, I'm not saying, Jesus isn't saying, 515 00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:50,640 what she did is okay. 516 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,120 And we're gonna walk right there, right now. 517 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:57,600 But we have to, and I love what Haji Ami, the oldest. 518 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,880 I love what Haji Ami, the oldest. 519 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,480 Notice how it says, the oldest let's go first. 520 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,520 The youngest hold onto their stones 521 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:07,960 to the very last second. 522 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,600 Now whether, and here's, this is just the gospel 523 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,720 according to Jim, that I'm maybe one of the, 524 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,200 I'm almost 40, I'll put myself in the middle. 525 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,400 All right, I'm looking at the 60 and seven year olds 526 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,360 and go, they're dropping their stones. 527 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:24,160 Fools, they had their shot. 528 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:26,040 They're never gonna get this again. 529 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:27,680 And then it comes to me, it's like, 530 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,360 oh, but I'm not gonna be the first one to do it. 531 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:32,920 I'd rather the wise sages do it. 532 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,120 They're not doing it, okay. 533 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:36,360 Or you're the young guy. 534 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:42,200 Very new to the faith, maybe very new to leadership, 535 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,160 and you immediately wanna throw at the problem 536 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,480 instead of trying to solve it in a Christ-like way. 537 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,280 And you're the last, what if it said, 538 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:54,320 and the young ones dropped their stones first? 539 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,080 I think that reads very differently. 540 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,400 That the age, the banks of sin 541 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,000 that the older ones have, right? 542 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,400 If you're 80 years old to a 40 year old, 543 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,240 you just have older sins. 544 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,440 You probably have more. 545 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,200 Because you've lived longer in life. 546 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:12,640 You've sinned more. 547 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,440 We all know we are, you all rose your hand. 548 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,280 And if you didn't, you lied, you're a sinner, 549 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,280 you should raise your hand the next time. 550 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,200 But from the oldest to youngest, 551 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,560 they all let go of the stones. 552 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,680 They all let go of the stones, and they all leave. 553 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:30,840 Have you ever centered on that? 554 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,800 They don't stick around, they leave. 555 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:38,440 Because in my opinion, what they're doing is, 556 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,760 I don't have any right to stand here. 557 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,280 I am not perfect. 558 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,760 I need this Jesus just like she does. 559 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,400 And guess what happens? 560 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,520 Judgment and hatred turns into empathy. 561 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:58,520 Turns into genuine love of maybe I wanna clothe her. 562 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,280 Like how could we have done this? 563 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,080 Because some of them probably listened and said, 564 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:05,880 okay, at the right time, you're gonna pick up a stone 565 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:06,920 and you're gonna throw it. 566 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:08,760 The Pharisees may have orchestrated all of that. 567 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:10,240 We don't know. 568 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,400 It sounds like they did some kind of sting. 569 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,680 But notice how when we have differences of opinion, 570 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,320 even differences of faith, 571 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,440 and we wanna throw the hatred stone card, 572 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,400 what Jesus is bringing us is to a compassion 573 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,080 and to an empathy card. 574 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:29,640 And isn't it a lot easier to sit down for someone 575 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:33,240 with a cup of coffee who doesn't have a stone in their hand? 576 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,040 How awkward is that lunch? 577 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:37,720 That is, I get to know this person, 578 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,040 I have something cocked ready to go, 579 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,000 and if they don't say something that's good, 580 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,200 or they offer some kind of sin, 581 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:45,960 then I just get to chuck it at them. 582 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,960 Friends, that's not Christianity. 583 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,040 Because Christianity follows the way of Jesus, 584 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:52,520 and that's not Jesus. 585 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,640 But then what does Jesus do? 586 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,720 Jesus still calls for holiness. 587 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,720 After everyone leaves, Jesus addresses the woman directly. 588 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:04,080 Woman, where are they? 589 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:07,560 Has no one condemned you? 590 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,000 And I was in seminary in my John class, 591 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,360 when I really learned this for the first time. 592 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:19,560 Jesus invites her to speak. 593 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,040 She was standing trial. 594 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,880 That could have been the last day of her life. 595 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,640 And Jesus not only sees her, and not only engages, 596 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,840 but he asks her a question. 597 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:37,960 Has no one condemned you? 598 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,560 She responds, no one, Lord. 599 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,560 And Jesus says, neither do I condemn you. 600 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,400 And for some groups and some people, 601 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:50,200 they love to stop there. 602 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:51,640 You can't. 603 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,360 That's a bad read if you stop there. 604 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,720 Because Jesus is still about holiness. 605 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,800 But he's also not about people getting rocks thrown at him. 606 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,040 And people that throw rocks. 607 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,080 But he still calls for holiness. 608 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:08,880 Neither do I condemn you. 609 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:13,640 Go, and from now on, sin no more. 610 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:17,840 Jesus' response is filled with grace and truth. 611 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,360 He does not condemn her, but he also does not condone 612 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,960 what she does and what she did. 613 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,200 He offers her a new beginning, 614 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,600 a chance to change her life, 615 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,640 and to walk in a different direction. 616 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,560 The Greek word for condemn, kata koreno, 617 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,520 in the Greek means to pronounce judgment against. 618 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,240 Jesus is saying he does not pass judgment 619 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:43,920 on her in this moment. 620 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,320 However, his command to sin no more, 621 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,880 hominatara-tine, is in the present imperative, 622 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:52,880 indicating continuous action. 623 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,400 Jesus is not telling her to stop sinning in the instance, 624 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,360 but to live a life free of sin. 625 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:00,880 So what is he saying? 626 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,200 Daughter, this is not your life. 627 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,520 This is not how you find love. 628 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:09,920 This is not how you engage in life. 629 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:14,840 This is not the proper way to live as a believer. 630 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,960 And we like to have our own versions of that. 631 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:22,400 We struggle with that. 632 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,760 His command to sin no more is telling her to stop, 633 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,040 is telling her to stop sinning in this instant, 634 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:34,200 but also to live a life free from sin. 635 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:43,320 I guarantee you if I asked how many neighbors 636 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,400 do you have that you wanna have this interaction with, 637 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,200 all of you probably have two or three, if not a thousand. 638 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,320 And then I ask what part do you wanna play in the story? 639 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,080 And still some of us wanna have a stone in our hand, 640 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,160 or an egg, or a piece of toilet paper, or whatever. 641 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,720 Or if you're a monster, you can complain about people 642 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:03,560 on an app. 643 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:10,360 We wanna do that without looking at what we have going on 644 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:13,560 in our life first. 645 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,920 It's people that live lives like that, 646 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,040 that these tension-filled, judgment-filled, 647 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,560 everything you do is wrong because everything I do is right. 648 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:26,120 That is not the way of Jesus. 649 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,080 And we've done a good job of allowing that piety 650 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,120 in the church. 651 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:34,200 I have been in church all my life, so when I sin, 652 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:36,520 it's like gold-covered dog poop. 653 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:38,200 No one ever sees it. 654 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:41,880 No, it's still sin, and we can't use the excuse 655 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,560 that we've been brought up at church, yet still sin, 656 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,600 as a good thing because we know the right answer, 657 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,940 and we do the opposite anyway. 658 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,280 Friends, all of us would have been dead 659 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,800 if the law of Moses, the way the Pharisees kind of 660 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:01,800 lived that out, because that's manipulation and control. 661 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:04,720 That is us looking at people as objects, 662 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,040 not people with hearts, not people with lungs 663 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,480 that are full of air, not with opportunities 664 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,240 to share the gospel. 665 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:15,040 I guarantee you, a coffee and sharing the gospel 666 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:17,760 goes a lot better than a stone to the head 667 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:19,320 to then share the gospel. 668 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,320 So pastor, we've done this now for five weeks. 669 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,520 How do we do this? 670 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:28,080 Well, I had one to 17 of Colossians 3 put up, 671 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,160 but I wanna start with verse, nope, 672 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,000 I'm gonna do the whole thing quick. 673 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,360 If then you have been raised with Christ, 674 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,520 verse one of chapter three, seek the things 675 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,400 that are above where Christ is seated 676 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:39,720 at the right hand of God. 677 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,600 Set your mind on things above, not on the things of earth, 678 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,040 for you died and your life is hidden 679 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,800 with Christ in your heart. 680 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:50,360 You died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 681 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,520 When Christ, who is your life, appears, 682 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,040 then you will appear with him in glory. 683 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:56,240 So what do we do? 684 00:33:56,240 --> 00:34:00,120 Take off, put to death, what is earthly in you. 685 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:04,480 Sexual morality, impurity, passion, evil desires, 686 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,880 and covetness, which is idolatry. 687 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:09,800 On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. 688 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:14,240 In these too, you once walked when you were living in them, 689 00:34:14,240 --> 00:34:18,240 now you must put them away, anger, wrath, malice, 690 00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:21,280 slander, obscene talk from your mouth. 691 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:23,400 Do not lie to one another since you have put off 692 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,520 the old self with its practices and put on the new self, 693 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:28,960 which is being renewed in the knowledge 694 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:30,640 after the image of the creator. 695 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,280 Here, there is no Greek or Jew, 696 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:35,880 circumcised, uncircumcised, barbarian, 697 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:40,240 Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. 698 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:43,520 And right here, friends, I close with this. 699 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:44,360 Induyo. 700 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:47,000 What? 701 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,320 That's the Greek word for put on. 702 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,040 It's one of my favorite words in the Bible. 703 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:53,600 Induyo. 704 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,320 Marshall, do you pick out your own clothes? 705 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:58,160 Do you? 706 00:34:59,000 --> 00:34:59,840 Okay, you do. 707 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,840 Julie, do you have to approve them? 708 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,360 You're not answering very quickly. 709 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:07,480 Okay, you do, okay. 710 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:11,080 But, so you put on your own, that beautiful shirt, right? 711 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,880 What Marshall did this morning, he Induyo'd that shirt. 712 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:15,480 He put on that shirt. 713 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,360 What Jesus, or what Paul is saying, 714 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:19,880 is what Jesus wants from Munster Church, 715 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,840 from Marshall, from Pastor Jim, to all of us, 716 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:25,680 is to put on every day, 717 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,280 to put on, like a shirt, like a jacket, 718 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:36,280 as God's chosen people, holy, beloved, compassionate hearts. 719 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,280 Kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ouch, 720 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,200 bearing with one another. 721 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,560 And if one has a complaint against one another, 722 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,880 forgiving each other, ouch again. 723 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:52,400 As the Lord has forgiven you, you must also forgive. 724 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:54,880 All right, Jesus, I'm done with this. 725 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:55,800 Nope, he doubles down. 726 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,120 But above all, Induyo love, 727 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:02,880 which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 728 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,800 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 729 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:10,800 in which you were called into one body, and be thankful. 730 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:13,840 And then he goes even more practical. 731 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,040 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 732 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:20,680 teaching and admonishing one another with wisdom. 733 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,800 Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs 734 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,280 with thanksgiving to your hearts to God. 735 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:31,280 And whatever you do, in thought, word, or speech, 736 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,360 in thought, word, or deed, 737 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,240 do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 738 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:40,840 giving thanks to God, the Father, through him. 739 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:45,400 I've seen businesses where that, just verse 17, is on there. 740 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,200 Yet they have bad business practices, they're unethical, 741 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,480 they lie to customers, and all of those things. 742 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:57,480 If you just wanna do 17 without doing 12 through 16, 743 00:36:58,240 --> 00:36:59,840 you are doing it wrong. 744 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:03,160 That we, as a church, how, what kind of neighbors 745 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:04,680 do we wanna be? 746 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,360 We wanna be neighbors with compassionate hearts, 747 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,080 being sensitive to the needs and sufferings of others, 748 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,000 just as Jesus was sensitive to the woman caught 749 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,640 in the act of adultery. 750 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,080 Are we quick to feel compassion, or are we hardened 751 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,760 by self-righteousness and judgment? 752 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:25,360 If we wanna be good neighbors, we need to be kind. 753 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,160 Acts of kindness reflect the goodness of God. 754 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,440 They show a heart that is tender and caring, 755 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:33,280 not cold and indifferent. 756 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:37,280 When we show kindness, we embody the character of Christ. 757 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:38,680 If we wanna be a good neighbor, 758 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,520 we wanna be people with humility. 759 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,200 This is the lowliest of mind that esteems others 760 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:45,880 better than ourselves. 761 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,160 The Pharisees lacked humility, seeking to exalt themselves 762 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:50,960 by condemning the woman. 763 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,480 Are we willing to lower ourselves to lift others up? 764 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:57,320 Meekness is not a weakness, but a strength 765 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,160 under control. 766 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:02,400 It is the ability to be gentle and patient, 767 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,840 even when we are provoked and challenged. 768 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,560 Jesus demonstrated meekness when he responded 769 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:11,160 to the Pharisees' challenge without anger or malice. 770 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:13,280 Patience. 771 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,480 I said it, patience. 772 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,960 This involves a long-suffering attitude, 773 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:22,440 being willing to endure hardships or annoyances 774 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:23,920 without complaint. 775 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:25,320 Without complaint. 776 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:32,000 Being willing to endure hardship or annoyances 777 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:33,400 without complaint. 778 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,840 I felt compelled to just be annoying. 779 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:37,440 Are we patient with one another, 780 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,440 bearing with each other's faults and failures? 781 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:42,440 Forgiveness, as Paul states. 782 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,480 We are to forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. 783 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:47,680 This is not optional. 784 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,400 This is a command. 785 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,440 Are there people in our lives that we need to forgive, 786 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,280 releasing the debt they owe us, 787 00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:58,360 just as God released our debt to him? 788 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,600 And friends, above all, put on love. 789 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:04,760 Love is a perfect bond of unity. 790 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:07,520 It is what holds all of the other virtues together. 791 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,520 Without love, our actions are meaningless. 792 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,840 So as we finish this journey, how can we, 793 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,680 as Munster Church, live out these virtues 794 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:21,480 in our daily lives? 795 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:25,880 It starts with a commitment to let the peace of Christ 796 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:26,760 rule in our hearts. 797 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:30,320 Being thankful for the grace that we have received 798 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:33,120 to extend that same grace to others. 799 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,920 It means choosing to forgive rather than hold grudges, 800 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,760 to show kindness rather than indifference, 801 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:43,200 and to pursue unity rather than division. 802 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,960 This is what it means to be a neighbor 803 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:48,240 in the kingdom of God. 804 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:53,240 Let's pray.