Jesus forgives an adulterous woman
John 7:53-8:11
Some sinners the religious people wanted to write them off. Jesus wanted to write sinners into his story.
You see, religion places lost people on the outside and we build walls. Relationships place lost people on the inside. We are called to build bridges.
Self-righteous people are seldom aware of their judgmental spirit. I saw this some time ago. I think it says it maybe better than I can say it.
A man fell into a pit and he couldn't get himself out:
I would hope God is talking to your heart and two things are happening. First, I would hope that we who are Christ followers begin to see the big picture. That we value everyone as part of God's creation. He values everyone. Second, if you're not a person of faith and you don't have a relationship with God -- I hope that today as you're reading this, that you would feel valued. Because I want you to know, that God loves you so much that He gave his only son Jesus for you and me.
Perseverance John 7 https://virtualbiblestudy.com/lessons/john/7/
Reflections on John - Drawing Circles (Part 1)
Jesus is the light of the world
John 8:12-20
“But Jesus bent down and started to
write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning Him, He
straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be
the first to throw a stone at her.’” (referring to the woman caught in adultery) (John 8:6b-7)
Have you ever wondered what Jesus was writing on the ground? Was Jesus
preaching to them, teaching them, challenging them, condemning them? Was he
writing down a list of sins to which most of us fall prey, or was he just
trying to distract attention away from the accused woman?
The majority of Christians understand that all sin is equal. Romans
6:23a tells how the consequences of all sin are the same: “For
the wages of sin is death.” Though you may believe this, do you inadvertently
equate sins differently? Such as: Homosexuality is worse than heterosexual
promiscuity; Lying is worse than gossip; Stealing is worse than coveting,
Murder is worse than anger. Remember the consequences for all sins are death. Thinking of sin
in degrees of “bad” can quickly take you into dangerous territory.
Grading sins can take your eyes off Jesus. In Matthew 7:4-5, Jesus
challenges those listening to Him, “How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck
out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Judging others can cause you to take the place of God in your life (a
very risky proposition). Even more, judging others reflects a misunderstanding
of the atonement of Christ. You are a sinner not because of your degrees or
amounts of sin, but simply because you are a sinner. Christ died for your sins,
paying the price for your sins with the sacrifice of His life.
The crowd was ready to impute judgement on the adulteress when Jesus
possibly began writing everyday sins of which we are all guilty: anger, hate,
selfishness, disrespect, unforgiveness, pride, lust, etc. Who can say none of
these sins are not your own? Once you focus on the sin instead of your Savior,
it becomes about you. When you think someone else’s sin is worse than yours,
you become prideful, if not delusional. As soon as you condemn another for his
sin, you are ignoring your own sin.
How do you respond to another’s sin? With
love! There is a story behind every sin:
• A lost person who
needs the love of Christ for salvation
• One who cannot
hold back sinful character traits because they hurt so badly on the inside
• A babe in Christ
who does not fully understand sin and desperately needs discipleship
• A Christian who is
calloused to his sin for lack of Christian fellowship where loving Christians
can help him learn the Word as they model the Christian life.
• A struggler caught
in addiction.
None of these need judgment, but more of Jesus. The next time you are
ready to judge, ask God to let you see with spiritual eyes. Inquire of God what
He wants you to do in this situation. Ask Him to empower and equip you to love
the one you are wanting to judge. You can never fully love God if you do not
love people. Not loving God short changes your relationship with Him. On the
other hand, you cannot love people if you do not love God. Loving God and
loving people are mutually dependent actions that both illuminate who you are
in Christ.
Colossians 1:13-14 “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and
brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.”
The Cure for Anxiety
25“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the sky: they don’t sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
27“Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 30If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? 31So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Series: King Jesus “Submitting to
the Reign of Christ”
The circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus do not seem
consistent with that of royalty, and the kingdom he described does not sound
like an empire of politics and power. Perhaps Jesus is a different kind of king
and his kingdom is not of this world. What does it mean to let King Jesus reign
in your life?
Title: “Seek First” (Matthew 6:25-34)
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed
the upside-down nature of God's kingdom. Life in His kingdom means having our
lives ordered by a different set of priorities and principles.
v Recipes for this time of year.
o Jesus gives the recipe for Kingdom Living.
o
Pineapple upside-down cake or
the DQ Blizzard
·
This helps us understand the
upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God.
v Matthew 5:38-45 NIV - "You have
heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do
not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them
the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand
over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two
miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who
wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.
v Matthew 6:19-20 NIV - "Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break
in and steal.
v “Yeah, but…”
o Matthew 5:21 NIV -
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall
not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
o Matthew 5:27 NIV -
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
o Matthew 5:31 NIV -
"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.'
o Matthew 5:33 NIV -
"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do
not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.'
o Matthew 5:38 NIV -
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.'
o Matthew 5:43 NIV -
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.'"
===============================================================
Text: Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look
at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a
single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I
tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of
these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of
the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he
not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So
do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.
===============================================================
Summarize
the main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
v Review and
retell the story.
Reflections
for applications:
v God’s Recipe:
o
The first thing
is …Matthew 6:33
v World’s Recipe:
o
Material Success
& Physical Comfort
§ Matthew 6:25-26, 31-32
§ Matthew 6:27, 34 is God’s challenge.
v God’s Recipe:
o
Be attitudes
§ Matthew 5:3, 10 NIV - "Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ... Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
§ Matthew 6:10, 33 NIV - your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ... But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
v Philippians
4:11b, 12b-13 I have learned
to be content whatever the circumstances. … I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living
in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
==============================
Digging
Questions:
·
How will you
respond to God “As King Jesus”? What transformative move needs to be made?
·
What do
these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·
What is
God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take
Away Challenges
·
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage?
How will you apply it to your life this week?
·
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·
What is
God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or
actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hashtags #KingJesus #Priorities #Seek #First
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/W9-TfuUhOD0
Kevin’s Blog Link to more
resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments
and resources with some more resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34&version=NIV
