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John 8 and the Best way to Purge the Land of Evil

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This is my sermon on John 8 where I talk about the woman caught in the act of adultery and forgiveness. You can listen to the recording of the sermon below or read my notes, which are reasonably close to my sermon. You can also subscribe to the podcast to get these delivered to you automagically.

https://soundcloud.com/dan-sullivan-32/john-8-sermon-part-1

The Woman caught in Sin

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

Here is the part of the Mosaic Law they were thinking of. I’m sure there is more from the Mishnah and Talmud on this, and that would be on their minds too.

Deuteronomy 22:44

24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Their desire was the purge the evil from their land. They wanted to obey the Law, but they were obviously not doing it quite right. They made it look like they wanted to obey the law, which is the worst kind of religion. James says that you show your faith by your works, but they were just trying to do works to make it look like they had faith.

The very next verse exposes their motives.

6 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. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them,

Don’t you love it how Jesus argues with them? Does He retaliate and bring this point and that point? Does He shout them down and shut them up?

Nope. He lets them carry on and dig themselves deeper and deeper into the hole.

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

That was all He said! Then He goes back to ignoring them.

8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

He didn’t beat her up or rub her face in her sin! By asking her “where are they?” He drew her attention to the fact that they were all sinners too. You only have shame and condemnation from others if you receive it. Instead, receive your forgiveness from Jesus and stop sinning.

What do you think purged the evil from the land better on that day? Corrupt law-keepers bringing that lady in to kill without the man, or Jesus setting her free from a near-death experience?

Jesus’ Perfect Love, Observed by John

The same John that wrote down these events wrote a letter known as First John. In it he describes the love of God that is going on here.

1 John 4:13–18

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

That is the LOVE with which Jesus loved us. Perfected and free.

Then Jesus gives a commentary on what had just happened. It might not be right afterward, chronologically, but as John is recording the story, he is led by the Holy Spirit to put these in together.

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Nicene Creed Sermons Part 1 – God the Almighty

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We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

What is the Trinity?

Mormons: That God is a council. Father and Son have bodies and are humans just like us, Spirit is a spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Spirit is just a force, not equal, and that Jesus is the only created thing that Father made and Jesus made everything else.

Pop Culture: God is a being, and entity, some think he’s hateful, some think he’s apersonal, some think he’s an alien and some recognize there is a force of some sort that is greater but make up their own story about it. (That was me.)

Science, philosophy, study of theology and history aren’t evil, arrogance is evil.

God created everything

(Genesis 1:1-5 ESV)
[1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. [4] And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

God is the only God, and there is only one of Him

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God is not a man

(Numbers 23:19 ESV)
[19] God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

God wants us to know Him

(Romans 1:20 ESV)
[20] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

God sent Jesus, God has made Himself known through Jesus, God wants us to believe in Him

(John 14:1-11 ESV)
[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. [4] And you know the way to where I am going.” [5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
[8] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [10] Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

God is invisible, Jesus created everything, all of God was in Jesus

(Colossians 1:15-20 ESV)
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

God doesn’t share His glory

(Isaiah 42:8 ESV)
[8] I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.

(John 1:1-5 ESV)
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God eagerly wants to know you and He wants to make Himself known to you

(1 John 1:1-4 ESV)
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—[2] the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—[3] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Hope for a Kingdom – Sermon on 2 Thessalonians

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This is 1 of 3 sermons I preached on 2 Thessalonians.

Or you can download: HopeForAKingdom 2015-06-28

Here are my super-rough notes.

v.3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Look at what is being measured here and what they are being commended for: their faith flourishing and their love for one another is ever greater.
They must have had a really great life, right?

v.4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:4 ESV)

That is what Paul is boasting in when he goes to other churches. Not miracles, not doctrine, now their accomplishments in the city, but their flourishing faith and their growing love for each other. Wow.

And so Paul boasts about their faith in perseverance and the afflictions they are enduring.

Have you ever talked to somebody and known exactly what kind of parents they had? We knew this family that worked for Wicliffe Bible Translators, and their daughter was just a little girl and she had the vocabulary of a novelist.

I have a friend who’s 5th grader is the best soccer player on the middle school team. He’s a 5th grader. Well, his dad played soccer for at least 20 years, and many of those years were with Arabs and Brazilians.

If you already know these kids’ parents, you know something about the kids that comes as no surprise. And if you meet the kids first, and see how incredible they are, you are not surprised to find out about who their parents are.

2 Thes 1.4-5
therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.

What if we suffered, struggled, and lived our lives with the knowledge that God is going to come and make everything right?

v.6-7 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, [7] and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

Are we OK with that? The world wants us to do things directly against this: to find relief on our own, NOW, without waiting, and to afflict our enemies, NOW, without waiting.

Does it help you to wait if you know what God is going to do?

v.[7] and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels [8] in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 ESV)

What if the number one goal of submission and obedience to the Lord revolves around patience? Or what if it is expressed in patience? What if it is by patient endurance that people come to see who Our Father is?

I have a friend who’s son asked him “Why do we have to worship God now even though we will worship Him for all of eternity? Isn’t eternity enough?”

He asked his son this question “If I asked you to do something and a stranger asked you to do the same thing during the same time so that you had to pick and only help one of us, which one would you help?
I’d help you, Dad!
Why?
Because I love you and I don’t even know that other person.
Then that is exactly why we worship God now instead of anything else, because we are always worshipping and serving something.

One more thing I want to say then I’ll wrap it all together:

v.11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
(2 Thessalonians 1:11 ESV)

God is the one making you worthy, not you! You don’t have to do a bunch of stuff, you just have to be the news.

So what if it’s true?