Sermon nuggets Fri May 23
Theme: Confronting Sin
Verses- John 8:10-11 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (NIV)
Consider the Change
Jesus demonstrated grace by offering the woman caught in adultery a free pardon. To find out if she received the grace of God depended on her response. It is the same choice many prisioners make after they are set free. Do I change or go back into crime?
She needed to consider if she was willing to accept forgiveness. Many who have fallen into sin have been forgiven but they have not accepted that forgiveness and wallow around in false guilt.
But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. The new challenge is given that can produce change. “Go and sin no more.” It was a call to change. It was a call to leave sin since grace had been applied and start anew and fresh. Leave the past behind and don’t put yourself in this situation again. The best way to confront sin is to change it.
Friends, Jesus demonstrated compassion, and does so today. Jesus took her sin, their sin, your sin and my sin. The one who dares to clear and forgive us and send us on our way without condemnation is the one who bore the condemnation for us. No fingers are pointed at us because they were all pointed at him. Christ expected that forgiveness would cause the woman to abandon her sin.
This was the gospel of the second chance. The Woman knew that she should have been killed, Now Jesus was giving her another chance. There are lot of people who have had sexual sins. Satan will likely attack you as the accuser. Resurrecting past failures is one of Satan's most effective tools for discouraging and immobilizing believers. David prayed, "Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord, Ps. 25:7.
Forgiveness and restoration are the core of the gospel. All through the Bible the Lord invites his people to return to Him in repentance. Do not forget the sin of adultery by King David himself, who was forgiven and reclaimed for meaningful service by the Lord. As a forgiven and renewed person he was used to teach others about God and exalt the Lord with music and words.
Jesus heard the charges of the sin. The law called for death. The wages of sin is death. But Jesus also challenges the righteous to look at their own sin. We stand guilty each one. But the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. He took sin's punishment on the cross and offers to us his grace and forgiveness. As we accept his compassion we respond also in seeking to serve Him with mind heart soul and action. We are given the power and command to change. PTL
Pastor Dale
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Compassion John 8:19-11
Sermon nuggets Thurs May 22
Theme Confronting Sin
Verses- John 8:9-11 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
Consider Compassion
One of the Christian teen magazines was given this question: "About the middle of last year a girl I'll call Robin started coming to our youth group At first lots of people thought she was a little weird because of the way she dressed. More and more we began to see what Robin was like: loud, bossy, disrespectful, etc. This turned people off before they had really talked to her. She could, at times, be friendly and nice, and she could tell a story or joke that would send everyone into fits of laughter.
Robin came to youth group look for a friend, someone to talk to, to express how and why she was hurting; but it didn't work out that way. We didn't accept her. When we would go to youth groups outings people would say, "Why doesn't Robin just stay at home? And once we got to our destination, the only people who would stick around her were my two friends and me. One time on our camping trip not one but us was willing to share a tent with Robin. I know that I reached out only because I felt sorry for her, and I feel bad that she was treated that way. Then Robin was gone. She had run away again and wasn't found for a long time.
One night at a youth group meeting, Robin's name camp up, and I found out that she had been working the streets and was now in a half-way home in Vancouver, B.C. Our youth group leaders always stressed the importance of showing Christian love, especially accepting those who are different from us. What I would really like to know is where was that Christian love when people were talking behind her back or not accepting her or yelling at her?
Now I understand why she never became a Christian, we didn't show that love which all Christians are suppose to have.
The challenge of Jesus is also to us. You who are without sin cast the first stone. Any time of self-righteous indignation needs to a time for self analysis. The prayer of King David is appropriate "Lord, search me, and know my heart, try me and see if there be any wicked way in me."
Jesus is not saying the woman did not sin. He is not acknowledging that it is o.k. to continue this activity. Instead Jesus demonstrates both the law and grace. He demonstrated the Law in that although she was under the condemnation of death, there was now no one who could witness against her. Since the law says there must be at least two witnesses to make it a valid death penalty, she was free to go. He also adds that he does not condemn her either. Jesus is the giver of grace. She doesn't deserve forgiveness, but He grants it.
Do not forget, even if someone is not disciplined, even if a sin is secret, even if there is not substantial evidence to concern anyone with evil practices, one is still guilty in the eyes of the Lord and must face Him. But it is understanding our guilty that leads us to understand His grace.
Compassion is the means given by Jesus that can bring about change. It is God’s first response since the Fall to have people see their sin, see the love of God and seek repentance.
Pastor Dale
Theme Confronting Sin
Verses- John 8:9-11 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
Consider Compassion
One of the Christian teen magazines was given this question: "About the middle of last year a girl I'll call Robin started coming to our youth group At first lots of people thought she was a little weird because of the way she dressed. More and more we began to see what Robin was like: loud, bossy, disrespectful, etc. This turned people off before they had really talked to her. She could, at times, be friendly and nice, and she could tell a story or joke that would send everyone into fits of laughter.
Robin came to youth group look for a friend, someone to talk to, to express how and why she was hurting; but it didn't work out that way. We didn't accept her. When we would go to youth groups outings people would say, "Why doesn't Robin just stay at home? And once we got to our destination, the only people who would stick around her were my two friends and me. One time on our camping trip not one but us was willing to share a tent with Robin. I know that I reached out only because I felt sorry for her, and I feel bad that she was treated that way. Then Robin was gone. She had run away again and wasn't found for a long time.
One night at a youth group meeting, Robin's name camp up, and I found out that she had been working the streets and was now in a half-way home in Vancouver, B.C. Our youth group leaders always stressed the importance of showing Christian love, especially accepting those who are different from us. What I would really like to know is where was that Christian love when people were talking behind her back or not accepting her or yelling at her?
Now I understand why she never became a Christian, we didn't show that love which all Christians are suppose to have.
The challenge of Jesus is also to us. You who are without sin cast the first stone. Any time of self-righteous indignation needs to a time for self analysis. The prayer of King David is appropriate "Lord, search me, and know my heart, try me and see if there be any wicked way in me."
Jesus is not saying the woman did not sin. He is not acknowledging that it is o.k. to continue this activity. Instead Jesus demonstrates both the law and grace. He demonstrated the Law in that although she was under the condemnation of death, there was now no one who could witness against her. Since the law says there must be at least two witnesses to make it a valid death penalty, she was free to go. He also adds that he does not condemn her either. Jesus is the giver of grace. She doesn't deserve forgiveness, but He grants it.
Do not forget, even if someone is not disciplined, even if a sin is secret, even if there is not substantial evidence to concern anyone with evil practices, one is still guilty in the eyes of the Lord and must face Him. But it is understanding our guilty that leads us to understand His grace.
Compassion is the means given by Jesus that can bring about change. It is God’s first response since the Fall to have people see their sin, see the love of God and seek repentance.
Pastor Dale
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Challenge John 8:7-9
Sermon nugget Weds May 21
Theme- Confronting Sin
Verses- John 8:7-9 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (NIV)
Consider the Challenge
Notice what the law says, Leviticus 20:10 "..and the man that commiteth adultery with another man's wife, even he and the adultress shall be put to death. Deut. 22:22 "If any man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die."
Adultery is not a solitary sin. It takes two to tango. Where was the man? Why did they just pick on the woman? It's the age-old problem of a double standard. It is sexism, pure and simple. There are many women who are raped and it is automatically assumed that she must have asked for it. Why is it that many blame women and not the men?
Jesus knew the hearts of the accusers. Perhaps they had set up this woman with the intention of trapping Jesus. They were not following the letter of the law if that was what they were interested in doing.
Jesus appears to ignore their questions. Notice by Jesus initial silence the point of attention is diverted from the woman to Jesus, why won't he answer. "Come on Jesus, give us an answer."
He got up from the ground and looked at the accusers and said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The challenge was to examine your own lives and see if theirs are any better than hers. I think there was also the non-verbal communication going on. Jesus gave time to let them think.
But after he makes His statement, then the focus of attention is not on Jesus any longer but on the people and their self evaluation concerning their own sins. Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the judges.
What was it he was writing on the ground? We do not know. It is believed by some that Jesus was writing on the ground the list of secret sins of the men who were accusing the woman. They saw them written down and became convicted. Maybe they were afraid that Jesus would reveal them publicly. One by one they left from Jesus presence.
Romans 2:1 says ,"You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Jesus responded to their charge by challenging them to look at themselves. The danger with accusing people of sin is that we too are sinners in need of God's forgiveness. I remember the condemnation that Jimmy Swaggert publically had against Jimmy Bakker and his sexual exploit. It wasn’t long that Swaggert was caught in the crime of visiting prostitutes the same time he was condemning Bakker for sexual impropriety. It is hypocritical. Ted Haggard led the Association of Evangelicals that stood against the sin of homosexuality while visiting homosexual prostitutes. There is a public role and a private actions that make their piety a farce. That is why Scripture is plain, Galatians 6:1 " Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
As the Holy Spirit evaluates your life, where is the challenge that points to the needed change and repentance?
Pastor Dale
Theme- Confronting Sin
Verses- John 8:7-9 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (NIV)
Consider the Challenge
Notice what the law says, Leviticus 20:10 "..and the man that commiteth adultery with another man's wife, even he and the adultress shall be put to death. Deut. 22:22 "If any man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die."
Adultery is not a solitary sin. It takes two to tango. Where was the man? Why did they just pick on the woman? It's the age-old problem of a double standard. It is sexism, pure and simple. There are many women who are raped and it is automatically assumed that she must have asked for it. Why is it that many blame women and not the men?
Jesus knew the hearts of the accusers. Perhaps they had set up this woman with the intention of trapping Jesus. They were not following the letter of the law if that was what they were interested in doing.
Jesus appears to ignore their questions. Notice by Jesus initial silence the point of attention is diverted from the woman to Jesus, why won't he answer. "Come on Jesus, give us an answer."
He got up from the ground and looked at the accusers and said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The challenge was to examine your own lives and see if theirs are any better than hers. I think there was also the non-verbal communication going on. Jesus gave time to let them think.
But after he makes His statement, then the focus of attention is not on Jesus any longer but on the people and their self evaluation concerning their own sins. Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the judges.
What was it he was writing on the ground? We do not know. It is believed by some that Jesus was writing on the ground the list of secret sins of the men who were accusing the woman. They saw them written down and became convicted. Maybe they were afraid that Jesus would reveal them publicly. One by one they left from Jesus presence.
Romans 2:1 says ,"You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Jesus responded to their charge by challenging them to look at themselves. The danger with accusing people of sin is that we too are sinners in need of God's forgiveness. I remember the condemnation that Jimmy Swaggert publically had against Jimmy Bakker and his sexual exploit. It wasn’t long that Swaggert was caught in the crime of visiting prostitutes the same time he was condemning Bakker for sexual impropriety. It is hypocritical. Ted Haggard led the Association of Evangelicals that stood against the sin of homosexuality while visiting homosexual prostitutes. There is a public role and a private actions that make their piety a farce. That is why Scripture is plain, Galatians 6:1 " Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
As the Holy Spirit evaluates your life, where is the challenge that points to the needed change and repentance?
Pastor Dale
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The charges agsint sin John 8:1-6
Sermon nugget Tues May 20, 2008
Theme- Confronting Sin
Verse- John 8:1-6 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
Consider the Charge
Jesus was teaching near the temple early the next day following the Feast of the Tabernacles. You might remember they were contemplating making a decision about who Jesus was and what they should do with Him. When our political candidates are presenting their views the media does a wonderful job of presenting tough cases to them to respond to in order to expose their real views and however they answer there are people for whom they alienate. That is clearly the motive behind this charge of sin.
The Pharisees interrupted his teaching with a the disturbance of a crowd coming with a woman. They made their charge against her. "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery, In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
She broke the moral law and there are consequences for such sins. She was to pay the price for her sin. Now since they knew what the law said, why bother Jesus? It seems they wanted to cause trouble for Jesus more than wanting to punish the adulteress. The woman’s sin was an excuse to really charge Jesus. Was He going to follow the law or not?
They knew that he was spending time with sinners; perhaps this woman was known to Jesus. But they were really trying to trap Jesus in publicly condemning her and personally getting involved in killing this woman. If he refused, they would have brought charges against him for teaching against the Law of Moses.
There was another political as well as religious factor in play. Rome had reserved for itself the right to capital punishment. If Jesus would be considered the one who authorized the stoning of this woman, then he could be breaking Roman law. If he stated that she should go free then he was breaking the Law of Moses. The leaders felt they had him either way. It is clear that justice was not the motive behind the accusers, rather it was entrapment.
When it comes to the matter of the church we need to realize we have no authority over those who are non Christians or non members. But does the church have any right to address sin other than speaking and teaching against it? The Bible is clear that we cannot let ongoing sin affect the body of Christ, or our own relationships with one another. Paul gave instructions to the church at Corinth when a man is having an affair with his step-mother that he needed to be disciplined and to ignore it was something even non Christians would not do. ( I Cor. 5) Jesus taught how important it was to reconcile with a brother or sister in the Lord in Matthew 18. If there is ongoing sin of pride, anger and lack of repentance or no desire to reconcile then others should be involved. And if there is still no change with the recommendations of church leaders it is a matter of church discipline resulting in disassociation. There are moral laws, civil laws, and church laws. All interplay when it comes to sin.
There are situations that occur that are not just one's private matter. What we do as Christians is not just our own business. The world may view it so, but the Lord of the Church does not. Christianity is personal, but never private. When you or I become part of a fellow we agree to the support and cooperation with one another. We need each other for encouragement and accountability to help us in our Christian growth. Whatever happens in the body that is harmful and destructive to life and health of the body is the concern of the body. O how we wish sexual sins of priests and pastors could have been stopped in our day instead of ignored. Much more damage was done with unresolved sin.
The charges are ways to discover the facts, the implications, and the decisions of how best to handle sin. It seems the teaching follows the pattern of dealing with private sin privately, and public sin needs to have some public response. Sin is damaging personally and publically and so is the manner and attitude in which it is handled. I cannot be taken lightly.
Pastor Dale
Theme- Confronting Sin
Verse- John 8:1-6 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
Consider the Charge
Jesus was teaching near the temple early the next day following the Feast of the Tabernacles. You might remember they were contemplating making a decision about who Jesus was and what they should do with Him. When our political candidates are presenting their views the media does a wonderful job of presenting tough cases to them to respond to in order to expose their real views and however they answer there are people for whom they alienate. That is clearly the motive behind this charge of sin.
The Pharisees interrupted his teaching with a the disturbance of a crowd coming with a woman. They made their charge against her. "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery, In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
She broke the moral law and there are consequences for such sins. She was to pay the price for her sin. Now since they knew what the law said, why bother Jesus? It seems they wanted to cause trouble for Jesus more than wanting to punish the adulteress. The woman’s sin was an excuse to really charge Jesus. Was He going to follow the law or not?
They knew that he was spending time with sinners; perhaps this woman was known to Jesus. But they were really trying to trap Jesus in publicly condemning her and personally getting involved in killing this woman. If he refused, they would have brought charges against him for teaching against the Law of Moses.
There was another political as well as religious factor in play. Rome had reserved for itself the right to capital punishment. If Jesus would be considered the one who authorized the stoning of this woman, then he could be breaking Roman law. If he stated that she should go free then he was breaking the Law of Moses. The leaders felt they had him either way. It is clear that justice was not the motive behind the accusers, rather it was entrapment.
When it comes to the matter of the church we need to realize we have no authority over those who are non Christians or non members. But does the church have any right to address sin other than speaking and teaching against it? The Bible is clear that we cannot let ongoing sin affect the body of Christ, or our own relationships with one another. Paul gave instructions to the church at Corinth when a man is having an affair with his step-mother that he needed to be disciplined and to ignore it was something even non Christians would not do. ( I Cor. 5) Jesus taught how important it was to reconcile with a brother or sister in the Lord in Matthew 18. If there is ongoing sin of pride, anger and lack of repentance or no desire to reconcile then others should be involved. And if there is still no change with the recommendations of church leaders it is a matter of church discipline resulting in disassociation. There are moral laws, civil laws, and church laws. All interplay when it comes to sin.
There are situations that occur that are not just one's private matter. What we do as Christians is not just our own business. The world may view it so, but the Lord of the Church does not. Christianity is personal, but never private. When you or I become part of a fellow we agree to the support and cooperation with one another. We need each other for encouragement and accountability to help us in our Christian growth. Whatever happens in the body that is harmful and destructive to life and health of the body is the concern of the body. O how we wish sexual sins of priests and pastors could have been stopped in our day instead of ignored. Much more damage was done with unresolved sin.
The charges are ways to discover the facts, the implications, and the decisions of how best to handle sin. It seems the teaching follows the pattern of dealing with private sin privately, and public sin needs to have some public response. Sin is damaging personally and publically and so is the manner and attitude in which it is handled. I cannot be taken lightly.
Pastor Dale
Monday, May 19, 2008
Confronting Sin- John 8:1-5
Sermon Nugget Mon. May 19
Theme: Confronting Sin
Verses John 8:1-5 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"(NIV)
Private Sin, Public Sin
This week we are going to look at the story of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law wanted to catch Jesus in the dilemma of choosing death or mercy, law or grace, holiness or sin.
There is much debate over how churches ought to handle sin among the members. Ought it to be private matter, or a public matter, and what ought to be our attitude toward it?
The story of Marian Guinn made national news some years ago. She was a 36 year old divorced mother of four. She had gotten mixed up in an affair with the town mayor in Oklahoma. The elders of her church visited her and she admitted the affair and promised to break it off. She understood that her confession was to remain confidential. The elders insisted that she repent publicly before the church congregation. She refused. The elders insisted that if she did not do so in two weeks they would issue a formal statement to the congregation branding her as a fornicator and admonish the congregation to withdraw fellowship from her. She withdrew from the congregation, but they went ahead anyway.
She became angry and filed a million dollar lawsuit. The Tulsa jury agreed with her and awarded her a judgment of $390,000- more than the entire income of the church for 6 years.
Was the woman right? Was the church right? Is there a place in our society for church discipline described as mentioned in Oklahoma? Is there a place for church discipline at our church?
We live in a culture were there is place a great deal of attention on sex. Sex sells. Much of the advertising has sex appeal. We can watch our television sets, and media in the US and quickly conclude that the values of society have changed drastically. People are continually having sexual encounters, before marriage, after marriage, and with homosexual couples. It is considered almost abnormal to be a virgin anymore by classmates in college, not to mention the sexual pressure within high school dating also. If you think that church in Oklahoma was tough, consider the scene when a group of religious leaders brought this woman before Jesus who was caught in the very act of adultery. What ought they to do? The law said stone her.
As we look at this story we will consider sin and the different responses to it. Sin that we think is private ends up being public whether we realize it or not. It affects a lot of people in families, among friends, and in the church. Ignoring it seems to only make the matters worse.
Pastor Dale
Theme: Confronting Sin
Verses John 8:1-5 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"(NIV)
Private Sin, Public Sin
This week we are going to look at the story of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law wanted to catch Jesus in the dilemma of choosing death or mercy, law or grace, holiness or sin.
There is much debate over how churches ought to handle sin among the members. Ought it to be private matter, or a public matter, and what ought to be our attitude toward it?
The story of Marian Guinn made national news some years ago. She was a 36 year old divorced mother of four. She had gotten mixed up in an affair with the town mayor in Oklahoma. The elders of her church visited her and she admitted the affair and promised to break it off. She understood that her confession was to remain confidential. The elders insisted that she repent publicly before the church congregation. She refused. The elders insisted that if she did not do so in two weeks they would issue a formal statement to the congregation branding her as a fornicator and admonish the congregation to withdraw fellowship from her. She withdrew from the congregation, but they went ahead anyway.
She became angry and filed a million dollar lawsuit. The Tulsa jury agreed with her and awarded her a judgment of $390,000- more than the entire income of the church for 6 years.
Was the woman right? Was the church right? Is there a place in our society for church discipline described as mentioned in Oklahoma? Is there a place for church discipline at our church?
We live in a culture were there is place a great deal of attention on sex. Sex sells. Much of the advertising has sex appeal. We can watch our television sets, and media in the US and quickly conclude that the values of society have changed drastically. People are continually having sexual encounters, before marriage, after marriage, and with homosexual couples. It is considered almost abnormal to be a virgin anymore by classmates in college, not to mention the sexual pressure within high school dating also. If you think that church in Oklahoma was tough, consider the scene when a group of religious leaders brought this woman before Jesus who was caught in the very act of adultery. What ought they to do? The law said stone her.
As we look at this story we will consider sin and the different responses to it. Sin that we think is private ends up being public whether we realize it or not. It affects a lot of people in families, among friends, and in the church. Ignoring it seems to only make the matters worse.
Pastor Dale
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)