Last week we looked at John 7 and we saw that:

Jesus’s mission was to give life to everyone and He was hated for it.

Have you ever played with stones?

Stones can either build up or destroy.

John 7:53-8:2 They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

Jesus always gathers a crowd that wants to hear.

John 8:3-6 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

The scribes and Pharisees hearts were to try to prove a point.

This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.

The Church has been so ready to call out sin:

Someone isn’t nice

Someone stole

Someone lied

Someone is an alcoholic

Someone is committed adultery

Someone is abusive

Someone is a homosexual

Someone is a drug addict

Someone isn’t a good parent

Someone isn’t a good friend

Someone isn’t a good leader

We are so ready to throw a stone pointing out everyone else’s sin

What if we were in front of everyone what stone should they throw at you?

If we had to list our sins as stones which ones would you deserve to be thrown at you?

John 8: 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them

John 8:7-8 “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

Church at times we are so ready to throw the stone before we look at ourselves.

Matthew 7:1-6 Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Jesus determines the line: You are judged by how you judge.

Judgement can be done in grace or it can be done in condemnation.

John 7:8-9 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones

Wisdom teaches you that your not perfect but it sometimes is forgotten

So often the church has been the one to pick up the stones to throw first.

Three things I have to say now:

1.If you have been hurt by someone who is a Christian that threw a stone I am sorry.

2. I have been hurt by people in the church as much as I have hurt people in the church.

3. If you are a person that has hurled stones Jesus forgave those men too and he can forgive you as he can forgive me.

Luke 24:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Sometimes we don’t even know the damage we are doing.

We need to be careful to not be stone throwers.

John 8:9-10 Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”

(Imagine with me that you just had religious leaders come and throw you down in front of someone you called Lord and with so many people observing)

You would feel vulnerable and alone.

Often we want to condemn ourselves.

When we feel alone when we feel like we deserve to be condemned we need to recognize Jesus

Jesus says to his disciple “I am with you always to the very end of the age”

John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

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

—Jesus does these things:

1. He does not condemn her

2. He tells her to go: get away from the shame

3. He tells her to stop sinning

4. Jesus who is without sin holds the stone that should destroy her

Jesus doesn’t want you to live in a dead life of sin.

Jesus came to offer you a life of meaning if you will follow Him.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus will let you stay in your tomb of sin.

Jesus wants to give you life that’s why he rolled the stone away.

Luke 24:1-8 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words