5-25-2016

 Good Morning All!! 

        John 8:11; “She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

     A man with a severe pain in his arm goes in and visits his doctor.  He goes into the exam room and waits.  As soon as the doctor walks in the man takes his arm twists it behind his back and says to the doctor, “ Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this.”  The doctor said, “Then don’t do that.”  Yeah, that is a very old joke but there is a ring of truth to it.  Often times, we do things that hurt us and then we wonder why it hurts.  Sin is this way a lot of times.

    Our verse is from the story of the woman who was caught in adultery.  There is an incredible amount of stuff going on in this story but we are going to look just at the end of the story.  Jesus tells her, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”  Many people focus on the first part of what Jesus tells the woman.  This is one of the purest acts of forgiveness that we read about.  She was caught in adultery.  She was drug out into the street to be stoned to death.  She may have only had a bed sheet for cover; perhaps, not even that much.  She also does not ask for forgiveness; she doesn’t even acknowledge that what she did was wrong or sinful.  Yet a merciful Jesus forgives her sins but we can’t stop there.  He then tells her to go and from now on sin no more.

     Jesus is telling her to stop doing what hurts her.  Stop inflicting pain on yourself.  We as humans do this often.  We let our foolish pride and arrogance get in the way and we refuse to stop what is hurting us.  We continue to speak cruel words to those we love because we won’t back down even when we see the pain we are causing.  That is what Jesus means.  This is how we as Christians can apply the Law of God (10 Commandments) to our lives.  The Law shows us how to live.  It is a manual for how God designed us to live.  It shows us what is God-pleasing but it also shows us the way to live according to God’s design.

    It is also important to understand that when a loving body of Christ points out that some activity is a sin; it is not so much of a judgment or condemnation but rather it is a plea to stop hurting yourself; “Then don’t do that.”  This is what calling sin to be sin is about.  It is not about casting stones, looking down our nose at someone, thinking we are better than someone else.  Calling sin to be sin is about trying to stop the pain and start the healing and this is what Jesus wants.  He wants you to be healed, to be whole again.  Jesus desires that you may once again walk healthy again.  Jesus came to pay for our debts and then to empower us to go and sin no more so that we no longer carry the pain that sin causes.

Father, give me the wisdom to go and sin no more.  Lead me to stop the pain that I inflict upon myself.  Help me to control my pride, anger and jealousy.  Guide me by your Spirit that I may be healed by you.  Guard me with your loving arms.  Send your healing to those who are broken by sin and in need of your healing.  Restore them Lord, to your loving kingdom.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret