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The Message for March 4, 2018John 8:1-11Am I Accepted?Rob Miller, PastorToday we continue our seven-week series we’re calling (picture) “Got 4200525-3619500Questions?”We are looking at some of the questions that people have about life, and faith, and God, and spiritual stuff. Whether churched or unchurched – people are looking for answers to life’s questions. 386651569786500Last week our question was, What matters most? We considered this answer, What matters most is not what we want but what God wants. According to Jesus, what God wants is for us to (picture) love God & love others. That’s God’s will. That’s what matters most -- our relationships matter most. When you find yourself at odds with someone – be it a friend, a coworker, a church member, a spouse, a son, a daughter, or your next door neighbor – ask yourself this question, Is it more important for me to be right or to be in a relationship? My hope is that the relationship we have with someone is more important than us being right.This week our question is, Am I Accepted? The short answer is, Absolutely… no matter who you are or where you are on your journey of faith you are accepted by God. Now let’s take a look at why… We begin with a reading from John 8:2-11.Reading – John 8:2-11I read that story and I wonder what is the real motivation driving the teachers of the law (also called - the scribes) along with the Pharisees? Were they really concerned about the Law of Moses? I think not… They were more interested in being right than being in a relationship with Jesus. We are told in verse 6, that they did this to trap Jesus. They wanted to accuse him of breaking the law. I picture them hoping to be able to say – See we are right Jesus and you are wrong!!! The scribes and the Pharisees must have thought they had Jesus in the wrong no matter how he answered their question. If he upheld the Law and said the woman should be stoned, he could be arrested - since the death penalty was not permitted or to be promoted by any Jewish leader. If he did not uphold the Law, he would lose credibility with the people and be seen as a law breaker. They got Jesus with this one for sure… or so they thought. At the same time these accusers have misrepresented the Law of Moses. The Law stated that in the case of adultery, both the man and the woman were to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22). One person cannot commit adultery by herself or himself. It takes two to tango… Right? But the scribes and the Pharisees misquoted the Law saying, “Moses commanded us to stone such women.” Could it be that one of their own, either a scribe or Pharisee, had engaged this women in this activity so they could use her as an example to provoke Jesus? Absolutely, how else could they have caught her so conveniently? We don’t know if that is the case. Jesus knew. He knew what they were up to. He knew this was a set-up. His response took them by surprise, totally unexpected. I wonder what did Jesus write on the ground with his finger? We don’t know. Whatever Jesus wrote must not have been that important. Soooo, why mention that Jesus wrote at all? Perhaps because this act of writing was a symbolic act, in Exodus 31:18 when the first tablets were written, the tablets that listed the 10 Commandments, they were inscribed with the finger of God in stone. The first time Jesus wrote anything, he wrote with his finger. This suggests that Jesus has the same authority as God. He is the Son of God. We talked about that two weeks ago when we answered the question, Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God.This story appears to be about a woman caught red handed. She did something wrong. She sinned and there are consequences for her actions. The Law required that she (and the man she was with) be stoned to death. But Jesus does not appear to support that idea.Does Jesus judge sin? Yes, he does. Jesus does not dismiss the sin of the woman at all. This story is about Jesus’ attitude towards others, especially sinners. He has compassion and understanding of what’s going on here. The crowd wanted to stone her because it was “the law.” The law does not show compassion. If you get pulled over for speeding, the law requires a speeding ticket. I know. Been there. Done that. The police officer is the one with the ability to show compassion and understanding. Not the law.So, does Jesus judge you and me for our sins? Yes, for our own good. The law is designed to keep us safe and healthy and promote life not death. In this case, it seems that Jesus did not want the people to stone her because that was a sin in and of itself. The people were judging her with an unfair assessment, jumping to conclusions. They didn’t know all the details. We often judge people without knowing all the details. Something we ought not do, as this story points out. Judge not lest you be judged.Jesus accepted this woman. He did not accept what she was caught doing because adultery brings on a destructive lifestyle. It results in broken relationships with the married couple, with friends, with children, and with others. Relationships are destroyed because people have to take a side. Jesus does not dismiss our sins, and yet, he shows compassion towards sinners because he understands we aren’t perfect. We sin. No one is entitled to throw stones at anyone because no one is without sin. Consider this: When it comes to sin and sinners, Jesus is not fair – Jesus is forgiving. Thank God he is. Jesus does not hold our sins against us and neither does he want us to continue sinning. The woman probably never committed adultery again for the rest of her life. Jesus could have taken his finger and wrote the people’s sins in stone, so that everyone could see, so that it was permanent, but he didn’t. Jesus could have written a big letter “A,” a permanent mark on the woman’s forehead so everyone would know what kind of sinner she was, but he didn’t. Instead Jesus wrote on the ground and whatever he wrote it could be wiped away with his hand. It would be removed, just like their sins, just like our sins.Jesus wipes away our sins by dying on the cross. We deserve death but Jesus gives us life. Jesus died for us so that we might live for him. We are accepted just as we are but Jesus loves us too much to leave us that way. We are all a work in progress because we are accepted into a relationship with Jesus. A special kind of relationship. The kind of relationship that is open to everyone. The kind of relationship revealed in this story.Frank painted a sign advertising free puppies and was nailing it to a post on the edge of his property. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.“Can I have a puppy?” "’Sure,’ said Frank. And with that he let out a whistle. ’Here, Dolly!’ he called. Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain-link fence. His eyes danced with delight."As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another little fur-ball appeared -- this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat awkward manner the little puppy began hobbling towards the others, doing its best to catch up. This was clearly the runt of the litter."’I want that one,’ said the boy pointing to the runt."Frank knelt down at the boy’s side and said, ’Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.’"With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and rolled up his pant leg -- revealing a steel brace running down both sides of his leg and attached to a special shoe on his foot. Looking back up at Frank, he said, ’You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and that puppy will need someone who understands.’"There is someone who understands us! There is someone who cares about us!In this world there are people who are always ready to throw stones, ready to condemn us. Jesus is always ready to accept us, forgive us, and love us!Chuck Swindoll said, All of those who are not qualified to condemn – will condemn. Stay away from those people. The one who is qualified to condemn – will not condemn you. Stay close to him. His name is Jesus.Jesus declares to us here today the same thing he declared to the woman, “Go and leave your life of sin.”That brings us to the Door of Faith… On one side of that door you will find people waiting and ready to condemn -- ready to throw stones. On the other side of the door you will find people waiting and ready to forgive. People who are accepted and accepting. So… Where do you stand? I’m sure you have an answer. It’s revealed in the way you live your life. Amen. ................
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