Tuesday, August 12, 2008

RED LETTERS 2

John 8:11
.......go and sin no more.

Woman caught in adultery.
Dragged before Jesus to be used as an object lesson to trap Him.
Religious rulers standing firm on the law could not see that God's Grace was standing right in front of them.

I believe she was cast down at Jesus' feet.
Thrown down into the dust, representing her flesh.
Reminding us all of the frailty of humanity.
She was guilty.
There was no denying it.
Here she would have to answer for her sin.

Two sides in a showdown, facing each other.
Jesus speaks truth and the crowd slowly dwindles away until it is just He and the woman.
She has not spoken.
The very last thing Jesus said to her was, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more."

Jesus was not excusing her sin.
He addressed the issue.
Don't sin.
Don't sin.
GO and live your life, but don't sin.
Does this mean that He expected her to do this in her own strength? I don't think so.
Anyone who has tried not to sin finds it very obvious that we lack strength and will power to walk in such a manner.

Why "Don't sin?"
She had to see the truth.
The truth that was standing right in front of her.
We are not told of what happened to this lady after this meeting with Jesus.
We don't know what her life turned out to be.
But for one brief moment in time, God, in the form of man, stood before this woman and forgave her and told her to go and sin no more.

Sexual sin has become an accepted norm in our society.
Outside of the church as well as inside.
It is accepted.
No one dare talk about it.
No one dare expose sin.
We make ourselves feel really good by focusing on homosexuals.
I'm not excusing any sin. Sin is sin.
But do you ever think that the reason we are so angry at homosexuals is because of the rampant sexual sin that lies unexposed in our churches and pulpits?
What do you think would happen if Jesus showed up Sunday in our churches and simply said, "Go and sin no more!"
Would we gasp in surprise? "Sin?......here?........I know we have attitudes that need to change...but sin?"

Somehow I think we have become like the King's New Clothes.
No one dares to say that the King is naked. We pretend that his clothes are beautiful.
Jesus sees us naked and bare before him. We cannot hide our sin.
I put myself in that boat, lest you think I sit here as one who looks down.
God help us all.....

mb

4 comments:

Lane said...

It has been said that a signficant percentage of men IN THE CHURCH are addicted to pornograpy. Every time I have been around a move of God that involves men...confession of sexual sin is prominent. I remember one guy talking about how close to God he was and how he 'loved church'...but was living in adultery. I asked him how he 'reconciled' his lifestyle with his 'church life'...and he let me know that he was bothered but could not give up this affair. My thoughts and words...You can't have it both ways and live a surrendered life. Christ will always demand more than we think we are willing to give...the price is always high ... but worth it.

Greene Street Letters said...

Perceiving themselves to be wise they became foolish.
We deceive even ourselves when sin is mastered over us.
mb

Bobby said...

Wow! I think you guys are on to something! m.b. I believe we heterosexuals are very hypocritical when it comes to our sexual sins...they just don't seem as bad!

Greene Street Letters said...

we kind of accept the sexual sin as "well that just what guys do"
We create all these reasons why we engage in such sin. But all reason falls before God.

I like what Lane wrote in his post.
"Christ will always demand more than we think we are willing to give."

I see so many who claim to have relationship with God yet live, willingly, in sin and think nothing of it. When times get tough, they cry out to God and don't understand why their lives turn out as they do.

God will not bless sin.

mb

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