Rev. David Holwick S
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 23, 1993
John 8:1-11
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I. Whatever happened to Sin?
A. Dr. Menninger, a noted mental health expert, wrote a book with
this title.
1) Not a theologian, but he was disturbed that so many people
have abandoned a moral outlook on life.
2) All sin produces is guilt and shame.
3) "Sin" artificially labels people and divides society.
a) Multicultural/homosexual debate in Roxbury...
B. Unfortunately, ignoring sin doesn't make it go away.
In March, Claude Lewis wrote an interesting editorial in the
Daily Record.
It was based on the true events on a "Sally Jessy Raphael" show.
"People make mistakes," said a step-daughter in defense of
her mother's husband, Mark Benson.
Mr. Benson is now serving 80 years in jail for the 1st-degree
murder conviction of his first family in Boise, Idaho.
His crime was discovered years after he married wife number two.
Benson confessed to murdering his first wife, Barbara, and
his two sons, ages 8 and 15, with a hatchet.
He then hid their bodies in a rented storage shed.
Investigators were unable to find a trace of the missing family.
Benson remarried.
For nine years, Benson's second wife dutifully paid the
storage fees on the shed.
She was unaware of its grisly contents.
"I just got tired of paying the fees, so I stopped paying
them," said the second Mrs. Benson.
The storage shed was opened, the remains were discovered,
and Benson confessed to the murders.
Despite learning of her husband's crime, Mrs. Benson said her
mate was "one of the finest husbands anybody every had."
And she still loves him.
A member of the television audience asked if she had any
regrets.
Mrs. Benson said her biggest regret was that she had stopped
paying the storage fees on the shed without telling her
husband.
To that, Sally's typically shockproof audience gasped.
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II. Sin is real.
A. Simply put, sin is a breaking of God's standards.
1) His standards are revealed in the Bible.
2) They are also revealed (in marred form) in our consciences.
B. Jesus believed sin is real.
1) He taught that it is not an external matter, but comes
from within people.
2) He also taught that God will punish all sin.
3) Sincere girl at Roxbury debate:
"My God doesn't hate anything. He accepts everyone."
Bible- God hates sin. Does he hate sinners?
III. How Jesus deals with sinners. John 8
A. Fascinating history to passage.
1) Not in earliest manuscripts of John. Sometimes in Luke.
2) Yet all agree it is a thoroughly authentic episode in
Jesus' life.
a) It goes against Jewish tradition.
b) It also goes against common Christian tradition!
B. Important points in John 8:
1) Moral dilemma.
a) What does Jesus the "forgiver" (something they reserved
for God) do with a Real Sinner?
2) Hypocrisy.
a) She is caught red-handed - where is guy? 8:4
3) Turning the tables. 8:7
a) Only the perfect can perfectly judge.
b) Older ones left first.
1> Ideal image of youth tarnishes fast.
4) Restoring the sinner. 8:11
a) All alone with her, Jesus accepts the woman.
1> Not what she does - he repeated condemns adultery -
but he accepts her as a person.
b) Jesus sends her forth with a challenge: sin no more.
IV. How Christians usually deal with sinners.
A. Churches are not very good at it.
1) Believers excel at bashing opponents and humiliating them.
2) Rude name calling at Board of Education meetings.
B. We are just as uncomfortable around sinners as the Pharisees.
1) They criticized Jesus for the people he hung around.
a) We wouldn't know what to do with them in our church.
2) Flaming homosexual, murderer, child molester, drug user?
The homosexual son of a California pastor once said,
"Christ first said to the adulterous woman: I love you.
Then he told her to change.
Churches do the opposite.
They say: Change, then we'll love you.
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3) Would we be accepting, or fearful?
C. Bible truth: all of us are sinners.
1) No one meets God's standards. Romans 3:23
2) Because of this, we are all condemned. Romans 6:23
a) Hell is not just for wicked people.
b) It is for us.
3) Jesus died to save sinners.
a) He came only for those who acknowledge sin. Matt 9:13
b) He saves them while they are sinners, before they
clean themselves up. Romans 5:8
D. Churches should be open to all sinners.
1) Genuine churches are filled with messy people.
a) Many are converted.
b) They are at various stages of growth and maturity.
c) Some are failing.
2) A church without messes is a church that is disobedient.
a) Ledgewood Baptist may be such a church.
b) We barely touch the surface of the sin and disease
outside our walls.
c) We don't go to it, and don't expect it to come to us.
V. Accepting sinners while rejecting sin.
A. Most sinners are desperately seeking love and inner peace.
B. Our most powerful witness is to offer it to them.
A West Coast woman and her lesbian friend were at an outdoor
flea market.
She bought a bumper sticker that said, "Have a Nice Forever."
The man who sold it to her asked if she knew Jesus Christ.
She said no, and the man told her about his own life, his
family, and his conversion to Christ.
She began to get very angry.
Finally the woman butted in and said,
"Sure God loves you. Why wouldn't he? You're dressed nice.
You drive a clean car; you have short hair and a new baby.
You're not a thief like me.
You don't drink or skip town running from the law like me."
She was a thief, an alcoholic, a child abuser, and a
homosexual.
He didn't know that, so she threw it in his face.
"I'm gay. A homosexual. Do you know what that means?"
She was so mad she felt like hitting him, and actually did.
She slugged him across the chest and he fell down.
He got up, put his hand on her shoulder, and said quietly,
"Praise the Lord.
What make you think you have a monopoly on sin?"
The woman could have handled any response but that one.
He started talking again and she listened a long time.
Finally she accepted Christ.
She left her homosexual friend and her lifestyle.
She said she has been tempted many times to return, and she
did fall once.
But after nine years, she believes she has conquered
homosexuality, through the power of Jesus.
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VI. Go and sin no more. John 8:11
A. Forgiveness is wonderful, but it doesn't operate in a vacuum.
1) God loves the whole world (John 3:16) but this doesn't
mean the world is safe and saved.
2) The adulterous woman was accepted by Jesus, but not saved
until she accepted him.
3) Accepting Jesus means leaving sin.
B. Forgiveness demands repentance, a change in life.
1) Receiving God's forgiveness is first step.
2) Living life that honors God is next, and also necessary.
a) Without repentance, there is no forgiveness.
C. Repent, before it is too late.
Warren Wierbe tells about a frontier town where a horse bolted
and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy.
Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to
catch the horse and stop the wagon.
The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and
one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a
serious crime.
The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before,
had saved his life.
He pled for mercy on the basis of that experience.
But the words from the bench silenced his plea:
"Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and
I must sentence you to be hanged."
One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners,
"During that long day of grace, I was your savior, and I
would have forgiven you.
But today I am your judge.
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!"
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