ENCOUNTERS // Jesus Encounters Sin with Grace

As a share, so much of his goodness has risen up in me, and um I just want to do it justice.

So, Lord, thank you that you make a way for each of us.

I thank you that there's no journey that is too far from you.

And so, God, I submit this morning to you.

I thank you that you have an invitation this morning for each and every one of us.

So, God, we laser focus in this morning and we say, let's go.

Amen.

All right, so we've been in our encounter series, and it's been really fun.

We've been collaborating with a group of about six of us and processing um each passage, uh, which I've never been a part of something like that, but it's been really beautiful.

I've discovered things about people in our community that I had no idea.

And so um, like Jess, who knows Jesse Vaught in the room?

I think he's at a wedding rehearsal right now.

But Jesse Vaught, he knows the word.

Like, if you have any questions, if you wonder if a verse is being used in the right context and the history, man, that guy, he's like, he's like my new AI assistant in that, you know?

Okay, so I'm just gonna open up my notes.

I'm speaking this morning out of John 8, 1 through 12.

So if you have your Bibles, I'm gonna invite you to go there.

Um this passage is used um often about judgment.

And there is an element of that in here, and we'll address that.

But I hear a lot of people in the body of Christ use like, you without sin, you can't cast a first stone, like you can't say anything to me.

And so I just want to like there is some truth in there.

I want to lay that if you've had any kind of preconceived notion about this passage.

I want to invite you to just set that down.

We're gonna enter into the word right now, and it's one through twelve.

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the temple.

A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.

As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery.

They put her in front of the crowd.

Teacher, they said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

The law of Moses says to stone her.

What do you say?

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

But Jesus, he stooped low and he wrote in the dust with his finger.

They kept demanding answers.

So he stood up again and said, All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.

Then he stooped down again and he wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest to the youngest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, Where are your accusers?

Didn't even one of them condemn you?

No, Lord.

And Jesus said, Neither do I, go and sin no more.

Jesus then spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world.

If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.

This is the word of the Lord.

Father, let your word form us, let it renew our minds.

I thank you that in you all things are new.

I thank you that your word pierces us, Lord, because your plans are good for us, and they are plans of a full life.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So we have several things happening in this passage.

Shannon spoke last week, and in her passage, Jesus said the same thing to the lame man sitting by the pool.

He said, Go and sin no more.

But what we didn't get to right after that is he also went to the man after he was healed and found him in the crowd, and he said, Go and sin no more, because if you do not stop sinning, worse things may happen to you than being lame.

And in that Matthew 5 passage, right after Jesus said that, I think it's right after, maybe it's right before, but the Pharisees were so offended with Jesus.

He had just committed an injustice on a Sunday morning.

How dare he, a man, think that he had the authority to heal that lame man?

And it says they were deeply offended.

So here we are, fast forward to John 8, and they have drugged a woman that they caught in adultery.

And according to the law, she was sinning.

She had crossed boundaries.

Even today's standards, that is not acceptable.

There is way too much collateral damage with that.

If you have any morals at all, you can agree that if you step into a covenant with someone, that it is, and you commit to be faithful to them and build your life with them, and then you skirt around their back and be deceptive and hurt them, that that is wrong.

I hope we can agree on that.

I agree.

So here we have the Pharisees, and they have found a worthy one to drag in to the middle of the temple before Jesus, because he's also an issue in their minds.

And to them, guys, they are the religious leaders.

So to them, they are justified.

And how many times do we get wound up in the body of Christ and we have no grace in our correction?

We have no connection in our correction that we just go full force.

That person, they are off, they have missed it, they are not following the law, they are not following the word according to our interpretation of it, and we are we are ready to go.

And if we don't go right to them, we certainly don't speak kindly about them.

And so here we have the Pharisees dragging this woman.

You know, Jesse was talking about, like, Amy, you have to understand this was a very severe offense, and she was fearing for her life.

They were serious about stoning people.

So she is completely humiliated, and the Pharisees are thinking, we got him.

And I love Jesus' posture in that moment, in a crazy, chaotic, dark moment.

Jesus, he had all power, guys.

He got low.

And he just said, No.

I wonder if he's just sitting there like, Father, I only do as you tell me to do what's your heart?

And it's interesting how the Pharisees in that moment, he says, he's so wise how he stands up calmly and says, Okay, you who are without sin, cast the first stone.

I find it really interesting that it was the oldest to the youngest that slipped away.

I I I'm gonna pause here.

For those that are older in our community, you discount your influence often.

You often buy into the lie that you're not listened to and you're jaded.

And you don't understand that me who looks to those that have gone before me in the faith, I can look at your faithfulness, and I may not always ask you questions, but I certainly watch your actions.

You have deep influences.

We need the mothers and the fathers of the faith to rise up in their freedom.

So it's interesting.

So the Pharisees in this moment, they slip away, and I wonder what they had to wrestle with.

And it the story doesn't really tell us.

I hope at least a few of them got on their knees and said, I want whatever that guy was carrying.

I want my kids to have that kind of grace and love.

But they missed her correction.

So for all we know, they went away and didn't make that choice.

It's as if in the next moment the Pharisees are gone, the crowd is still around, and clearly, this is a crowd that is eager to learn from Jesus because they were there early listening under him.

And it's as if when Jesus looks at her and he said, Where are your accusers?

And she's they're not here, Lord.

And he's he gets real close and he says, Go and sin no more.

It's as if he knew her heart could not have handled that correction with her accuser standing right there.

He waited until they left.

Now she leaves here.

We don't know if she went and sinned no more.

And then he looks at the people and he says, I'm the light of the world.

If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.

So, church, I'm gonna get really vulnerable with you here, okay?

I want you to know what I'm gonna share.

I asked permission for, and as a family, we look to this as the Lord's um radical, extravagant love that showed up and made a way for even me being here today.

This passage is so important to me, and the nature of Jesus in this passage is so important to me because early on in my parents' marriage, way before my beautiful life was here, in another state, my father was in ministry, he was running really hard, um, and my mom was really focused on the few little kids that they had, and she fell into, I don't want to say she fell, she walked into an affair with another man in their church community while my dad was on the mission field.

Um, if you know my parents' history, my dad was madly in love with my mother the whole way through, and he pursued her.

But life happens, and the enemy found a foothold.

And when my dad found out he was actually on the mission field, he came back.

They had my mom tell told me the story years ago before she passed, that they had a meeting with the pastoral team.

I'm assuming some elders were there, and they called my parents in because all of this had gone to life.

My mother was in sheer panic.

She told me that she called her parents, wanting to run away and hide.

It was so much shame she felt with.

She wanted to move states and just act like it never happened because she could not believe that was her.

And they went in this boardroom, and each and every married couple went around and shared their testimony about how Jesus had met them and how God had a better word for their family.

And they, in one way or another, looked at my mom and my dad, and they said, go and sin no more.

And my father had a choice to make in that season.

He was totally justified.

He was totally justified to say that this is too deep.

But he was so surrendered to do it God's way.

That he said, Neither do I condemn you.

And my mom also had a choice.

She had things that she was processing justified wounds in her own life, but she had a choice to go and sin no more.

And guys, she made that choice to go and sin no more.

Me and all my younger siblings, I am that legacy.

My children are that legacy.

Like, this isn't a Bible story.

I'm telling you, the word of God is live and active and pierces.

And the word, like, we're not told we're not gonna have suffering, but he says that he's in it with us, that he makes a way.

And so we have we have a choice.

I think that there is so much in this passage, and worship team.

I want to invite you to come.

We have the Pharisees, and they are in a spirit of justice, but justice without connection and love breeds just as much heartache as injustice.

And if we as a people do not embody Christ's love and grace, we we are no better than anybody else.

And I believe it's that key of connection and love before correction.

That's like what Jesus does is he got real low, he dealt with their injustice, they clearly felt convicted and left.

And then he was able to connect with a woman.

It was as if he he knew that she needed held in her brokenness, just as my mom needed held in her brokenness.

I wonder if any of us in this room have been holding stones.

I wonder if we've been holding stones at the way others have treated us, and we are not gonna let this go.

I wonder if we've been holding stones against uh political parties, religious organizations.

And the Lord has an invitation to you to let them go.

He wants to give you fullness of life filled with his light.

Then there's those of us that maybe you've had an affair, maybe you're a liar, maybe you're a cheater, maybe pornography has just caught a hold of you and you don't know how to get it out of your life.

Maybe, maybe you you just feel like a failure because you set these goals and the follow-through is not there, and you don't know why.

You can't focus, and shame eats you up inside.

Maybe you're a mom and you're like, I I thought I was called to motherhood, and I feel like I am on my knees, and I need to apologize to my children.

I I you feel so inadequate as a father and a mother.

Amen.

But his grace is sufficient, and the Lord wants to say to you, neither do I condemn you.

Walk into the light.

It's so good.

Like he speaks a better word over us.

Guys, if you believe in Jesus, he's called you to embody the peace and the love of the Lord.

I and he has called you for divine appointments.

Where you in a moment of chaos where your world is crashing or somebody else is around you, he's called you to get low.

And he's called you to connect with the heart of God.

And man, when you access that, I'm not gonna make you raise hands, but just nod your head.

If you have ever accessed that love beyond capacity, you are never the same.

And you can go through deep, deep valleys, you can struggle, but man, you always know I gotta I gotta get back with the Lord.

There's something there in his presence.

Church, I want to invite you to stand with me.

And wherever you are, whether it's holding unforgiveness, wherever you are, I or shame, I want to invite you just to hold your hands up.

We're gonna worship for just a little bit.

And the worship or the ministry team is gonna come.

And if you need prayer, if there was something about this that struck you like, God, I feel like I'm just walking around in judgment against everybody.

I believe that this is a divine like this morning is a divine invitation for our church.

That If we can mark a straight path with our shaky hand and say, Father, I'm gonna love you first.

I'm gonna be connected to your spirit before I throw before I throw a stone, before I cast judgment, before I let my shame consume me.

And I'm gonna step in to the light and say yes, Lord.

I believe that it is not just for you, but it's for the world around you.

So, Father, we thank you.

I thank you that you are living and alive.

And you make a way.

I thank you that you have made a way for me.

You made a way for my grandmother.

You made a way for my mother.

You've made a way for me and my children.

And Lord, I pray that we would partner with you, Father, and make a way for the world with you, Lord.

That we would be so filled with your love and grace.

That we would not be like the Pharisees.

But we would be of a sound mind, walking in the light.

So, God, we lift up worship today, saying, Father, here are our stones, here is our shame, here's our agendas.

And Lord, I thank you that you don't condemn us.

Thank you that your love is healing.

Sweet.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

I just want to lift up prayer for our brother Mike Jeanette.

How many of you know Mike and Nancy?

Pillars of the church.

Well, Mike's having surgery tomorrow on his heart.

And sometimes it's a simple surgery, sometimes it's not.

But I hadn't heard anybody else mention his name this morning, but he's a good brother of mine and yours too.

And I just want to lift him up to you now, Lord, that you would bless this surgery.

You make everything go smoothly.

He's been in the hospital all weekend resting.

And hopefully he's all built up for this procedure tomorrow.

He's going in for a stent.

But I went for a stint a few years ago, and it ended up being a quintuple bypass.

So it's just because it's a stint, doesn't mean it's not serious.

So, Lord, by the blood of Jesus, we pronounce victory over Mike and strength and peace for Nancy, our sweet Nancy.

Lord, you give them hope and a miracle in that operating room tomorrow.

We expect to see Mike right back here next Sunday morning, worshiping you as he always does.

Thank you, Lord, that we pray for one another with intention.

This is a specific request, God.

We know that you love him and you respect us as a body of yours to intercede for him all day tomorrow.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Okay, guys.

Amen.

Let's stand again this morning.

I want to pray a blessing over us as we go in the goodness of God.

He's thankful for the word of God proclaimed today through Amy.

That was great.

And the gospel is it's a good news for all of us.

He finds us in our sin.

He sends away the accusers and he welcomes us into a life of freedom, of grace, of love.

So just put your hands out in front of you.

Let me just speak a prayer over you.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May He make His face to shine upon you.

May He lift his countenance upon you and give you rest.

Amen.

If you're a guest with us, we'd love to meet you in the back.

Make sure to find somebody around you.

Say hi to the people you haven't met you haven't.

Have an amazing day.

We love you guys.