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INTRODUCTION
Let us be honest: Sin happens – a lot. We live in a sinful world, we have a sin nature, and we have an enemy who does
everything possible to get us sin.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick...” Romans 3:23 “For all
have sinned...”
Aren’t you glad other people can’t see into your heart? I am! We would be appalled. Sin is so prevalent.
ILLUS: One great preacher after a message had a woman come to him and say he was the greatest preacher she ever heard. He
answered that if she could see into his heart, she would spit in his face.
I am glad we can’t see into each others hearts. Sin is in all of us. Yet, God sees our heart, and He loves us anyway.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” God sees our sinful
heart, and can heal our sinful heart.
With a clearer understanding of our own sin in contrast with God’s love, TEXT: John 8:1-11. Look at an initially
tragic story of adultery and con- demnation, but a story Jesus turns it into a triumph by His grace and mercy.
1. The Undesirable Situation 8:1-7a
A). Of the woman
- vs. 3,4 Immorality is a very serious sin, not only evil in itself, but carries with it a stigma. The
Scarlet letter, labeled, an outcast, ruins individuals and families and even careers.
- Adultery - one or both of the parties were married to someone else, and caught in the very act of gross
immorality - can’t imagine being caught.
- Law of Moses was very strict: One of 10 commandments Exodus 20:14, Deut. 22:22-24 - stoning; Lev. 20:10 -
from cast out to capital punish
- She IS guilty, her sin is wide open in public, punish is clear. Horrible sin and situation, it is her own
making to a great degree.
B). Of the Pharisees
- v. 4,5 To them this was an open and shut case against the woman. No need for trial, caught in very
act, her fate was not a matter of debate, law was clear. There was only one answer that Jesus could give.
GUILTY!
- v. 6 But they had ulterior motives - to test Jesus, to put Him on the spot, into what they hope a
“no win” situation so they can condemn Him.
- To the Pharisees the woman was really just bait. The Pharisees had no real interest in her, mostly wanted to
use her to trap Jesus. Their interest was not to rid Israel of immorality, but to rid Israel of Jesus; to
humiliate Jesus and exalt themselves, and use this sinful woman. “The utter heartlessness of her captors
was as immoral as was the promiscuity of the woman” (Tenny, 140). Abuse of their power. Hypocrisy here.
- By the way, where was the man? Law said stone them both. Did he escape? Was he let go? Was he even in the
crowd?
C). Of Jesus
- Undesirable situation for Jesus too. Jesus is in the midst of his teachings at the Temple. People were coming
and going, with questions. In Temple.
- He was put into a double bind: If He said “Yes” to the stoning, He would been seen as denying His
compassion for sinners and siding with the self-righteous legalists who the people despised. If He said
“No” He would have gone against the very Law of Moses He had defended, and be considered a law
breaker Himself, worthy of condemnation.
- Pharisees wanted an answer. Verb tense of v. 6, 7 showed the Pharisees were continually badgering Him
into an answer. Appears “no win”
- Have you ever been in a “no win” situation with sin? Devil is crafty, sin is like malignant cancer
- one small spot grows and takes your entire life.
- One private sin creates world shaking tragedies. One sin on your part can destroy you; even one sin on
another’s part can destroy you.
ILLUS: World is inconsistent with judging. Famous people ruined sometimes, other times crowds look away.
Governor of NY lost his job, famous pastors have fallen and lost ministry and reputation.
- You and I are not exempt from the possibilities. We can fall too. In no less than 12 places in the NT are lists
of sin - something for everyone. (Insert) Mark 7:21-22; Romans 1:28-31; Galatians 5:19-22
ILLUS: I remember my dad from Romans 1 telling me murder and gossip are in the same verse - sin is equally
evil before God. The evil power of gossip.
- All sin, any sin creates absolute undesirable situations. SIN - “I” middle.
2. The Unexpected Responses 8:6-11
Of Jesus. He wrote on the ground - not sure what. Speculate started to list sins. At least a way to take the people’s eyes
off the woman and the Pharisees. Change the focus and direction of this tragic situation.
A). To the Self-righteous People
- “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
- Jesus turned the situation back to the people, now they were in the center of the situation. If they were
sinless, how did they become qualified? If they were not sinless, what right did they have to condemn? If they
are going to judge the woman, they would have to likewise judge themselves.
- They left from the oldest to the youngest - the ones with the most sin to the lesser amount of sin - all
equally saw their own sinfulness, and were confessing their own guilt, didn’t want their sins public.
They too guilty!
QUOTE: “Ironically, those who came to put Jesus to shame, left ashamed; those who came to condemn the
woman went away condemned. Unfortunately, their indictment and sense of guilt did not lead them to repentance
and faith in Christ. Like many who hear and feel the convicting truth of the law, they hardened their hearts
and turned away from Him, not even open to forgiveness.” Commentary by John MacArthur, 329
B). To the Sinner
- No doubt she is in shock at the situation she now finds herself. She apparently made no attempt to escape when
her captors left.
- v. 10-11 Her response “No one, Lord” showed she had respect for His authority. She offered
no excuse for her sin, for there was none. She saw that Jesus was different from other religious leaders. He
still is.
- Jesus saw her as a human being, not someone to be stoned but someone to be saved. The Pharisees were only
interested in her past, Jesus was interested in her future “Neither do I...go, from now on sin no
more.”
- His pronouncement clearly indicated she was indeed a sinner.
- Legally - Jesus upheld the law, did not deny the woman’s guilt, but also exposed everyone else’s
sinfulness. Kept the Jews away from trouble with the Romans for seeking the death penalty, and kept the woman
from being stoned, and set her in a new righteous direction.
- While Jesus did not condemn her to death, He did command her to abandon her sinful lifestyle.
- God is gracious and merciful, we the forgiven of sin need to forge obedience to righteousness. Forgiveness does
not imply license to sin. Sin is never treated lightly by Jesus, He took our condemnation on the cross
“there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus”
- Thus sinners are offered the opportunity to start a new “go, from now on sin no more.”
- We start anew by “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt 3:8). “If anyone loves
Me, he will keep my word” (John 14:23); 1 Peter 1:2
- The Christian seeks not to sin, 1 John 3:9 speaks “No one who is born of God practices sin”
- lives a lifestyle of sin. The pattern of their life is righteousness, when they do sin they confess and are
forgiven 1 John 1:9.
CONCLUSION
Sinners - you are a sinner, can you admit God has caught you in the very acts?
- Sin brings sinners before God to face judgment. Look at Jesus and call Him “Lord”, let Jesus say
to you “Go, from now on sin no more.”
- Please do not walk away from Jesus, feeling shame is not enough.
- Do not take your sin lightly, don’t soft pedal it, don’t rename it. Sin is lawlessness, iniquity,
abominations. Sin never improves your life, always damages your life, if not repented of damns your life.
- Let your guilt lead you to repentance of sin and faith in Christ.
Saints - beware of self-righteousness.
- We see ourselves through rose colored glasses, we make excuses. We think we are not as bad as others, like the Pharisee
at the temple next to the tax collector Luke 18: “I am glad I am not like other people...” The tax
collector, couldn’t even look up, was beating himself up: “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.”
- Be careful of judging others, your sin may be likewise exposed. Be humble before the all seeing yet all loving God.
- Saints are sinners saved by grace, but we are also saints to sometimes sin. When you sin, humbly admit, return to
obedience. 1 John 5:2-3
- Look to Jesus and obey when He says: “Go, from now on sin nor more.”
QUOTE: Charles Colson, The Faith, pages 75-76
Is there any sin in you to repent of? To start new? Time of private confession.
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