Q) have you ever been caught ‘red handed’?

Everyone of us takes snapshots to document our life – or pictures are taken of us. Though we love posting to the ‘ol FB and we strive to live the best ‘gram life – I bet there are moments/snapshots we would never want posted. Snapshots that indicate the evil that lurks within each of our hearts and has a tendency to lash out & act up at times. We all can make some really bad and damaging decisions…can’t we?! In today’s look into the gospel of John, we’re going to see such a moment and how does Jesus respond when this moment is thrown in front of him.

Can you imagine this scene?...the tension...the people around that moment.

We have a saying in our culture – “put yourself in someone else’s shoes"

You might find yourself identifying with the turmoil and heartache of this woman and finding yourself in her shoes. Maybe you haven’t done what she was caught doing – but you’ve found yourself in circumstances that were not very becoming, choices you’ve made that undermined yourself, hurt others, or damaged relationships – maybe you’ve done something that you told yourself you’d never do.

For some of you – you don’t identify with this woman per say. In fact, you may not admit it to yourself at first, but the shoes that are actually the most comfortable to you, are the shoes of the religious leaders in this mob. You safeguard yourself to pursue holiness, and with that pursuit, and maybe without you even recognizing it -- you’ve allowed to grow in the corners of your heart an attitude of self-righteousness.

Q) Whose shoes seem to fit best? Truth is: we’ve all logged time in both.

Quote:
“We have eagle eyes with the faults of others; we are blind as bats to our own. They are never without fault and we are never without excuse.”
-Fredrick Bruner (biblical scholar and theologian)

"We can be theologically correct and still be an unloving person.
Some people mark their Bibles, but their Bibles don't mark them."
-- Greg Laurie

So many in our culture – and so often we are quick to throw shade or cast stones of shame; but thankfully Jesus provides a better example as He responds with grace.

Jesus’ first reaction is compassion, not condemnation.

Is that yours?
Jesus challenged them in their day and he challenges us in our day:
Put your rock down!

Jesus forgives sin. While we tend to deny our sin, diminish our sin, or blame others for our sin = Jesus simply forgives it.

Friends = we need to declare tirelessly the reality of God’s forgiving grace found in Jesus. we need to extend the amazing grace we are given, so others may experience it as well through faith in Christ.

It is surely a remarkable fact that he who is the embodiment of divine holiness, the GREAT ‘I am’ who met the people of God at Sinai in fire and thunder (Ex. 19:16ff.), should say to a self-confessed sinner with the guilt of the broken commandment heavy on her conscience, "neither do I condemn you"

Here is the miracle of the grace of God.

Q) Whose shoes should we walk in more? =The answer is clear...

Jesus words to this woman are his words to us – it’s the words he would whisper from the cross in the climactic moment of history: “Father, forgive them”…for they know not what they do”…

(Q)
How does this encounter challenge your attitude about people caught in certain sins?

Communion activity:

As you come to take communion tonight we lean into the reality that it is the sacrifice of Jesus on that cross that allows us to walk free in forgiveness, to walk free to choose to align our lives with Jesus and His will, that we don’t need to stay stuck walking in sin, as we walk more and more in proximity with him.

We are also freed to ‘DROP OUR ROCKS’ of pronouncing judgment on others and allowing the Holy Spirit to be the one who brings conviction, it’s not our job and it’s above our ‘pay grade’.

Friends: What if our world got to see us as followers of Jesus – being know that we are FOR -- we're FOR people, FOR their best, FOR them to find the same forgiveness and hope that we’ve found in Jesus. We don't want them to just to see us by what we’re against.

So as you come to take communion in a moment – first drop your rocks in the buckets; you’re choosing to come under his grace again in a fresh way.

You’re receiving again, afresh - forgiveness of your sins, but also the freedom to release your right to pronounce condemnation upon others. You’re asking God to help you live with a first reaction of compassion -vs- condemnation.

PRAYER:
Father, you are compassionate and forgiving. You cover our shame, remove our stains, and resolve our guilt through the sacrifice and relentless love of Jesus. We thank you for your unconditional love for us. We are not what we yet should be, but we accept and are incredibly grateful for your ongoing forgiveness. Jesus we rest in your salvation and the redemption you give us.

Help us to be people that drop our rocks of condemnation for others and point folks to our amazing Savior! Help us to model the compassion of Jesus in a generation that is so quick to judge, condemn and write off.

IF YOU'RE NEW:
We throw a 10-minute party immediately following the service in the back corner of the room. If you're new, we'd love to meet you and we have a small gift for you!

See you back NEXT SUNDAY as we continue in our series: BELIEVE
...(a study in the gospel of John)