I'M A CHRISTIAN – NOW WHAT???

I'M A CHRISTIAN – NOW WHAT???

Now that you have made a decision to follow Christ, you are a new creation, rebirth into a new family. Being a Christian is not about throwing up your “Halleluiah sign” but about an intimate, personal relationship with God (Romans 5:6-11). Below are some answers to questions that you’re probably wrestling with in your new walk with Christ. We trust that they will be  useful to your growth.

AM I REALLY SAVED?

Was it that easy? All I did was go up for prayer? Is there more to it than that?

Being saved is as easy as the ABCs:

• A-Admit you have sinned (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 1 John 1:10)
• B-Believe in Jesus (John 1:12)
• C-Confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8,9)

That’s all there is to it. If you did that then you are now a child of God and God’s Holy Spirit is working inside of you. You will not automatically become perfect but with His Spirit working in you, you will begin to see progress and have a deep desire to change your ways.

IS FOLLOWING JESUS THE ONLY TO BE SAVED?

Let’s hear what Jesus had to say on the matter:

·         “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

·         Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

·         “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and find pasture … I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9)

·         Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

·         Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

·         “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

·         “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

·         For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:15-16)

The bottom line is we are not saved by being religious and following all the laws and tradition of church. Being a faithful member of The First Church of Anything, paying our tithes, involved in ministries and being faithful to all religious rituals doesn’t save us. Our faith in Christ saves us. All we have to do is admit that we are sinners, be willing to confess our sins before God, and be willing to repent and turn from those sins. Then, accept that Jesus Christ came to die for all of our sins, that He rose from the dead on the third day, and then accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior.

I’VE BEEN BAD, WILL GOD REALLY FORGIVE ME?

Yes! There’s no sin too big that God cannot forgive. Remember the adulterous woman; remember King David – the adulterous/murder; how about Abraham’s lying; or Peter’s denials of Jesus; and lastly Paul, the persecutor. They were all sinners that God used for His purpose. If we are honest with ourselves and with God and confess ours sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all bad things (1 John 1:9).

WHAT IF I GO BACK TO MY

BAD WAYS

?

“We fall down and we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who falls down and got up…”

We all sin, whether it’s a tempter, materialism, envy, gossip, lust, etc… But that’s not where it ends. You have to come clean to God about your sins and He will forgive you. Surround yourself with friends who will support you and hold you accountable and cut out anyone else who is not helping you with your growth in Christ.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY WHEN I PRAY?

Imagine just entering a new relationship with a girl/guy that you think highly of. What do you say to him/her? Do you wait until you see her at church on Sunday to talk to him/her?

When you’re entering in a relationship with someone you want to talk to them all the time, you give them quality time. You often can’t wait until the next time you talk. Every day you learn something new about the person that you didn’t know before and it’s just exciting.

Well, prayer is no different than communicating with a person you’re in a relationship with. All you have to do is find a special spot where no one will be all up in your business and start talking to the “lover of your soul”. It’s that easy. Here are some simple guidelines:

In Matthew 6:6-13 and Luke 11:1-4, Jesus gives us a good template for prayer.  In the example of the Lord ’s Prayer, it gives us an example of what components every prayer should have. Our prayers should be done in secrecy, be simple and Thus the discipline of prayer should include the elements of secrecy, simplicity, and sincerity.  The A-C-T-S of prayer is an acronym which gives us guidelines of a disciplined prayer life. They are as follows:

A – adoration: means to worship and acknowledge the majesty of God. This is where we acknowledge that God is the ruler of every facet of our lives and without him our lives would be nothing.

“Hallowed be thy name…”

C – Confession: Here we acknowledge that we are sinners and have sinned and ask for God’s forgiveness.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”

T – Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for all that he has done and the graces and mercies He has afforded us in spite of our sins and shortcomings.

S – Supplication – This is a big word that means “request”. When we lift up our supplications to God, we’re telling him directly what we need from Him.

                “…Give us this day our daily bread…”

                “…lead us not into temptation…”

The ACTS are not meant to be the only way to pray but it gives us a guideline to begin our prayers. As we’re in constant communication with God, we’ll have times of prayer that only focuses on one aspect of this ACTS. For example, we may at some point during the day; say a quick prayer of thanksgiving for something that God has just done for us.

How Do I Read The Bible?

Like NIKE used to say in their commercial; JUST DO IT!!! As it relates to the reading the Bible, just OPEN IT! In order to follow Jesus you need to know what He said and did. Reading the Bible is the best way to learn about who Jesus was and still is. Further, the stories of the life of Jesus can be found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives. We are nourished by the Word because it is our source of spiritual strength.

1. Define Study: The word “Study” is not widely used in the Bible, we find words like:
1. Meditate:

                                                              i.      Dictionary: To engage in contemplation or reflection; to focus on thought, reflect on or ponder over, to plan a project

                                                            ii.      Psalm 1:2 (1897): To ponder, imagine, study, talk, utter, to murmur in pleasure or anger

                                                          iii.      Psalm 119:5 (7878): to ponder; converse with oneself, and hence aloud; complain, declare, pray, speak, and talk with.

2. Basic Principal of Bible Study
1. Ask the right questions

                                                              i.      Ask different questions

                                                            ii.      The more questions you ask the more you will get out of your study

2. Write it down
3. Application is the ultimate goal.

                                                              i.      It is valueless if in the final analysis we do not change.

DO I NEED TO GO TO CHURCH, I CAN DO ALL THIS AT HOME?

Which option would you choose to watch the NBA Finals? Sitting at home watching it on TV or being in the actual stadium with a bunch of your friends cheering for the same team?

Most of us are going to choose watching the game at the stadium with a bunch of friends as the ideal way. As we continue on the journey to become like Christ, the people at church who care about you, support you, and teach you and encourage you help make that journey more enjoyable.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

HOW CAN I GET MY FRIENDS IN ON CHRIST?

To your friends and most in the world, actions speak louder than words. Let them see the change in you as opposed to you talking about it like the next fad. When your friends see your change in action, they’ll be curious and ask you about it so be prepared to talk about your encounter with Jesus. Share what God has done in your life.

Once you’ve shared your experience, don’t try to force feed them Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit work in their hearts. You can’t save anyone with your words or actions. Only Jesus saves!

WHEN DOES BEING A CHRISTIAN EXPIRES?

Being a Christ follower is something you’ll take with you to your grave. It’s a journey that never ends until we reach eternity. You are not alone on this journey. It’s a four man team – you, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They’ll never leave you behind and never fail you. In addition to the Holy Trinity, you have other believers walking the same walk with you to encourage you, and help you carry part of your load.

http://www.communityworshipcenter.org/now_what.html

http://zoohite.blogspot.com/

Guidelines for New Believers

Guidelines for New Believers:

Written by Esther Arthur

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.     (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

You've just made a decision that will change the rest of your life. You made a choice to follow God and leave the things of this world behind. However, though we are happy, we know that this walk of holiness before God is no easy road. Still, we would like to encourage you on your new journey as well as provide basic guidelines for you to continue on this walk of faith in Christ Jesus.

The 4 fundamental needs and practice for every Christian is prayer, worship, fellowship and the reading/application of the word of God.

Prayer

· This is the privilege that God has given to every believer to communicate with him.

· We need prayer on a daily basis (1Thessalonians 5:17-18)

· Prayer keeps us from temptation and gives us strength in our walk with God (Our Father Prayer is an example of how to pray, Matthew 5-15)

· Check out this link for more information on prayer - www.bswett.com/1990-03TwoWayPrayer.html

Worship

· More than singing songs, worship is a lifestyle, it involves how we think (Romans 12:1-2), act, solve problems, how we face problem.

· More importantly, it helps us to see God as he should be seen, a Holy God.

· Is a way we express to God that he is worthy to be praised.

Fellowship

· We are one Body (the church aka “bride of Christ”) made up of many members. One of the members is you. We need you to function properly and you also need us (1Corinthians 12: 12-31).

· We are never to forsake the fellowship of the saints, those who are in the faith with us. Also we need to be growing together (Hebrews 10:24-25).

· We are to love one another as Christ loved us.

Reading/Application

· Faith without works is dead. It is not enough to just read the bible but applying it and demonstrating the truth of God’s word goes hand in hand (John 14: 21, James 1: 22-25).

· The word is our manual and standard as to how to live and to know more about Christ Jesus.

· It is the authoritative word of God - meaning there is no error in it.

· This is how we measure our growth…

You may be wondering if you will be able to stay faithful in following these principles. Do not worry, God is not expecting you to walk alone in this journey. That is why he has given to us the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever... and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you (John 15:16, 26). Be blessed our prayers are with you.

For more information or questions concerning the bible, please email questions to earthur0407@live.com

Paul:God's Chosen Vessel (March 23, 2011)



ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: PAUL – GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL

March 23,  2011

ACTS 9:15-16 - “15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8kB6WvXX0c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

SAUL’s STORY

Saul was born in Tarsus, the Capital city of Cilicia and one of the great centers where trade from the East and West came together. Tarsus was famous for manufacturing of goats’ hair felt, which was used to make tent-cloth, blankets, clothing, belts, and saddles. Tarsus enjoyed the status of being a city free of Roman occupation and had the privilege of being governed by its own mayor but that alone did not make a Jew a Roman citizen. It is believed that Saul’s father’s Roman citizenship was purchased for a large sum of money or even more likely as a reward for services he gave to an influential Roman during the civil war. Therefore, Saul was a Roman citizen by birthright because of his father. Saul was his Jewish name and as a Roman citizen, his latin name was Paul. Growing up in a strict Pharisee home, the name Saul was the more fitting name to go by. But after being called on the road to Damascus to preach to the Roman Gentiles, He used his Roman name and became Paul, a name Gentiles were used to.

Every Jewish boy had to be taught a manual trade in addition to having a religious upbringing. Young Saul was taught the tent-making trade (Act 18:3). Saul was brought up in a strict Jewish home and was well educated and spoke many languages. At an early age, he was taught by Gamaliel, the high priest of the Jewish council and a very influential, honored and intellectual man of his day.

He was a Pharisee, one of the strictest and law-abiding sects of Judaism who stood firm by the traditions of the fathers and was held in high esteem by the people.  He was more zealous of the traditions of his fathers than most of his peers (Gal 1:14). He was a Pharisee of all Pharisees.

Before his encounter with Christ, Saul did all he could to oppose the name of Jesus. He had a part in putting Christians to death. He was there when Stephen was being stoned and had a vote in the execution (Acts 7:57-60). He was so obsessed with persecuting Christians that in his own words, would hunt them down in foreign cities (Acts 26:9-11). Sadly, Saul believed that what he was doing was in the name of God but later confessed he regrets in Acts 26:9.

On one of his authorized journeys to persecute continue to persecute Christians, he had an encounter with the light of the world and was forever changed.

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

·         In order for our eyes to be opened to God’s truth, we must lose our earthly vision and gain a new vision from God (Acts 9:9; 17).

·         Not everything done in the name of religious law is of God.

·         God can call even those who strongly oppose Him to do His work (Acts 9:13).

·         Everything we’ve learned in our professions and in life is preparing and equipping us to do God’s work (Acts 9:15).

·         There’s no one better prepared to be a defender of the cross than Paul.

·         Sometimes, we have to sacrifice our own freedoms in order to win souls for Christ (1 Cor 9:19-23)

o        “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” V 22

·         No matter how lost you think a person is, don’t under estimate God’s ability to use them in a special way.

FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

This is not Jesus’ first encounter with a Pharisee. Two who stand out above the others were Nicodemus and the rich young ruler. They were both hard core Pharisees who were devoted to following all the laws of Moses, yet they did not have a personal relationship with Christ. Paul puts both of these devoted Pharisees to shame in his crusade to make sure the laws of the fathers is not trumped by the preaching of Jesus. This makes his encounter and conversion even more amazing. He went from being the ultimate persecutor of all who professed the name of Jesus to being the ultimate defender of the name of Jesus. There are no limits to God’s saving power. In Paul’s own words: 

·         “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

·         “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

The same grace that worked a miracle in Paul’s life can work miracles in our lives today and do a complete 360 with us. Just as God used Paul, the sinner of all sinners, he can use all of us as well for His Glory. Let’s pray that our hearts are open and receptive to His calling.

Next Week: Encounters With Christ

Reference:

http://www.harvardhouse.com/paul.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/who-was-saul-of-tarsus-a112299

http://www.padfield.com/acrobat/sermons/saul-of-tarsus.pdf

http://www.truthseekers.co.za/content/view/38/32/

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9301qq.asp

The Rich Dummy (March 16, 2011)

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: RICH DUMMY

March 16 , 2011

LUKE 18:22-23 - “22. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy!”

THE STORY (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-3)

Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way; a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Here’s a story of a man thirsty for eternal life. As a young rich ruler, he was no doubt an upstanding member of society. He was a good citizen by his own testimony in verse 20. He was probably loved by everyone he knew because of his social status. With all he had going for him, he realized he was missing something in his life. As Jesus was on his way, he also realized that this may be his last opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus. “What must I do to be saved?” he ask Jesus. He has been a law abiding, religious man all his life but in him Jesus saw a void. Jesus had love for him and didn’t waste time commending him for being religious. Jesus knew that there was one more commandment that he hasn’t mastered – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” Luke 10:27. Knowing this, Jesus ask him to sell and give his riches to the poor and come follow him. The young man who had such a sense of urgency just a few minutes ago and threw himself in front of Jesus was not somber and sad because he couldn’t imagine giving all his hard earned riches away just for his soul. He went away sad but more importantly left more lost than he was when he came.

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

·         His story resembled that of Nicodemus who also was seeking eternal life.

·         There’s no amount of good a man can do to gain eternal life.

·         Keeping the commandments does not guarantee us eternal life if Christ is not in the center of it.

·         In addition to being a good law abiding religious ruler, he knew Jesus had the answer to his question.

·         He missed his chance on possibly being the 13^th disciple.

·         People make allot of spiritual sacrifices for money and power.

·         Sometimes our mouths say we want eternal life but our hearts say only if we don’t have to give up certain things.

·         God doesn’t always give us the answer we like but He always gives us the answers we need.

·         The more religious we are, the more we think our religiousness can save us.

·         If we’re serious about wanting eternal life than we must be willing to make the necessary changes.

FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

In America, the land of the free and the plenty, allot of importance is giving to material wealth. We give it so much importance that many go to drastic extremes for the potential to acquire it. 1 Timothy 6:10 sums up the consequences nicely – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. “

“…One thing you lack…”

Do you have anything, anyone in your life that is coming between you and eternal life? Is there anything you are not willing to part with in order to follow Christ? For some of us, it’s a person; for some of us, it’s a sin or a set of sins; for others it’s the pursuit of wealth and worldly things.

If you’re like the rich ruler and are asking Jesus what you must do to be saved, it’s gut check time.  What do you have that’s keeping you from Christ?

Will you do as Jesus asks us to do - “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34-36) or will you go away lost and sad and lacking that “one thing”.

While we ourselves lack a thing or two to inherit God’s Kingdom, Jesus reminds us that all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27). If you feel like it’s impossible for you to leave that one thing on your own, come follow Jesus. He will make what’s impossible for you to accomplish on your own possible if you believe.

Next Week: On the Road to Damascus with Paul ()

Reference:

http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/would-you-pass-the-rich-young-ruler-test/

http://thegourd.blogspot.com/2009/07/story-of-rich-young-ruler.html

http://www.the-churchofchrist.com/wealth/lessons_from_the_rich_young_ruler.htm

http://www.letusreason.org/Apolo24.htm

Blind Vision (March 9, 2011)

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: BLIND VISION

March 9 , 2011

JOHN 9:25 - “He replied,“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DmMnU0di0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

THE STORY

A blind man minding his business has a life changing encounter with Jesus. As esus and his disciples are walking along, they notice a blind man and ask if the sin of the man or the sins of his parents is the cause of his blindness.  Jesus answers the disciples by saying that “…this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him…”

Jesus makes mud and rubs it into the man’s eyes, sends him to the Siloam River to wash up and he’s able to see.

The man’s vision is restored. As he goes around town, people begin to talk about his ability to see and begin to question how he was healed. He is taken to the Pharisees to be questioned since this all happened on the Sabbath. The Pharisees did not want to believe that Jesus did this and did everything to call him a sinner because he dared to heal a blind man on the sacred Sabbath. As the man is continuously being questioned, he gains a boldness and certainty about the source of Jesus’ authority and boldly shares it with the Pharisees. In their anger and disbelief, they throw the man out because since he was born as a sinner he has no right to teach them.

A blind is physically able to see while a group of physically good vision is spiritually blind and is unable to see the truth when it’s right in front of their faces.

HOW WAS HIS LIFE TRANSFORMED AFTER ENCOUNTERING JESUS?

The life of the man was changed physically and spiritually. First for the first time since birth he was able see all of God’s creation for himself. I can’t imagine how different of a life this man was beginning to enjoy. If that was all that happened to him, this would be an encounter he could not forget.

His spiritually life was also transformed. The boldness with which he spoke in the presence of the Pharisees was evidence that he had a strong belief in the man who was responsible to open his eyes. As a result of the healing of his physical vision, his spiritual eyes were also opened.

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

·         Sometimes just being in the path of Christ gives us a chance to have a life changing encounter.

·         It’s not easy to comprehend the mysterious ways in which God operates. (v2)

·         God uses our personal trials and tribulations so His work might be made known.

·         When we’re so deep in our own beliefs of the truth, we become arrogant of others who present a true version of the truth different from ours. (v30 -33)

·         There’s no limit to how low someone will go to discredit you when they don’t agree or believe in what you’re doing. (v24)

·         No false prophet can discredit your experience with Jesus. It’s not an encounter that can be taken away.

·         You can’t preach the truth to someone who is “holier than thou”; they’re more holy than you are to receive it.

·         Our eyes can be opened to see all the world has to offer yet still blind to whom God is and is doing in our lives.

·         When church and society makes an outcast out of you, Jesus is out looking for you and wants you to know he’s there for you.

·         Easier for a blind man to see Jesus for who He is than for a legalistic, religious know-it-all to brush his knowledge aside to believe God.

FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

“He replied,“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”- John9:25

The Pharisees had their own agenda. They go to extreme measures to discredit Jesus and have people believe that he is not who he has proven himself to be. In spite of many miracles done in their presence and around them, they continue to be blind to the truth.

Many will come to try to discredit who Jesus is in our lives but what stands any encounter with a person of Pharisian descent is our encounter with Christ. It doesn’t matter what denomination a person says, or what color one may say Jesus is, or by what actions we must do to be saved. To paraphrase the blind man, I don’t care what you think He is or not but one thing I know He is the Jehovah Jireh that provides when least expected; the Jehovah Nissi that stands ready to protect us against all enemies;  and the Jehovah Shamma that is ever present in our lives.

Next Week: The Man Blind From Birth (John 9)

Reference:

http://www.momsbiblejournal.com/Media2/John/John%209.htm

http://www.xenos.org/teachings/topical/signs/gary/signs-6.htm

Amazing Grace (March 2, 2011)

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: AMAZING GRACE

March 2 , 2011

JOHN 8:7b - “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIIdGDicvng&feature=youtube_gdata_player

THE STORY

The story begins in the early hours of the morning with Jesus teaching in the temple courts.  The teachers of the law and Pharisees who had previously sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus (John 7:32), brought to him a woman “caught” in the act of adultery.  Interestingly enough, they didn’t bother to bring the other half of the act of adultery. Their earlier attempt to arrest Jesus was in vain so they go back to the drawing board and conjure up a fool proof plan that’ll give them a legitimate reason to arrest Jesus. The came under the guise of wanting justice, however the heart of their actions was to trap Jesus.  Jesus being the God-man who was there on Mount Sinai when the law was given to Moses, immediately recognized that their intent was not to uphold the law as teachers of the law. The law they refer to can be found Leviticus 20:10 - “‘if a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death”; and Deuteronomy 22:22 – “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.” As teachers of the law, they could not claim ignorance as their reason for only bringing the poor woman in front of Jesus and leaving the man also caught in the act.

Knowing their true intentions (v6), Jesus uses this situation to continue his teaching to all who had gathered to hear him, the teachers of the law and Pharisees who brought the woman and the humiliated, sinful woman. The Bible doesn’t mention what Jesus wrote with his fingers when he bent down but perhaps it was the law that was written with the fingers of God back in the desert (Exodus 31:18). We don’t know for certain but if what He wrote along didn’t stop them, His words in verse 7 certainly hit home – “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” These words probably reminded these teachers of the law and Pharisees that in order to carry out a death sentence it needed to be on the testimony of at least two witnesses and those two witnesses would be first in line to begin to carry out the death sentence followed by everyone else (Deu.17:6-7). In addition, as the connoisseurs of the law that they were, the law regarding being a false witness may have just come back to their memory (Exo.23:1-2 & 7; Deu.19:15-19.)

For supposed teachers of the law, they certainly didn’t think their plot through very well in their haste to trap Jesus. The same laws they used to bring the woman forward were likely the same laws that ate up their conscious. What was meant as a trap for Jesus was used as an opportunity to change lives.

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

·         Just like it was never about the woman caught in the act, people bring up the sins of others not because they want to have a sin-less society but to support their agendas.

·         Being graceful to sinners does not mean that we accept and approve of the sin.

·         What we forget is that it wasn’t “the laws of Moses…” but the laws of God given to Moses.

·         Before we throw the first “stone” of condemnation, let us first remember that we have our own sins that need God’s grace.

·         When caught in the act of sins, be humble, recognize Jesus as Lord, and let Him represent you in the court of public condemnation.

·         When Jesus grants you grace and redeems you of your sin, it comes with a responsibility to “…Go and sin no more…”

FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

• "Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" - James 2:13 (NIV)

·         “Blessed are the merciful,  for they will be shown mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

It’s easy to condemn someone we know for certain to be living a sinful lifestyle.  But it takes a different heart to see a sin and extend God’s grace to the sinner.  Thank God for Jesus who doesn’t judge like we humans judge.  As He extends his graceful arms to us and shows us mercy in our sins, let us too extend a graceful hand to our fallen brothers and sisters to help them get back on their sanctified feet. As we bathe in grace, let us not forget that while God is graceful, we have a responsibility to “…sin no more…” as we receive this grace.

Next Week: The Man Blind From Birth (John 9)

Reference:

http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/jn8v1.html

http://www.biblebelievers.com/Pink/John/john_28.htm