"Neither Do I"

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Observations:
This week in FpStudents we are going to be starting a new series called "We Can't Stay Here" and this week's topic is forgiveness.  So this morning I looking at one of my favorite pictures of forgiveness in preparation for Wednesday.

There are three things that stand out to me in this passage:

• Caught in the act- There was no question as to whether or not she was guilty.  Apparently, there were witnesses to her embarrassing, humiliating, public mistake.  The consequences are clear-- a public execution is the penalty.  
• For the wages of sin is death.  Romans 6:23
• Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone- Jesus acknowledges that sin is inherent to the human condition and that all of us are found guilty by God.
• For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23
• Neither do I condemn you- Jesus gives us grace-- forgiving our sins, not giving us what we deserve just like he did for this woman.
• And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3: 24

Application:

We need to look at two different POVs in this story.  Firstly, there are the people standing around holding stones.  These people are bitter.  They are angry.  They know they are right.  They know she is wrong.  They have good reason for their grudge against her.  But then Jesus asks them to forgive.  What?  But she was guilty.  The law was clear.  

Are you standing around holding a stone?  Is there someone who you are holding a grudge against?  Is there someone who is clearly guilty-- they deserve whatever you give them?  Well, guess what Jesus says about that…  He says, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32).  

Yep, I was clearly guilty too.  I was caught in the act of sin.  I deserved exactly whatever stones were to be hurled at me.  I deserved death.  But Jesus Christ didn't give me what I deserved.  He gave me grace.  And he expects me to extend that grace to others.

That's what we're going to spend most of our time talking about this week in FpStudents.  But there is another perspective on forgiveness also found in this story that we need to look at.  This woman had to accept Jesus' forgiveness and forgive herself.  I have a feeling that wasn't easy for her.  Just like Pastor Chris talked about this weekend, there is always a face attached to your past and that face tends to come back to mind to remind you of your unworthiness.  I have a few faces like that in my past.  But the more I focus on the face of Jesus, the more those other faces start to fade.

Forgiving ourselves is so hard.  We still see the ugly, messed up version of ourselves when we look in the mirror.  But Jesus says, "Neither do I condemn you!"  Why do we keep seeing the old version of ourselves when Jesus calls us new?  (If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5: 17.)

I am who God says I am…

• "You are chosen."  Colossians 3:12
• "You are beloved."  Deuteronomy 33:12
• "You are my child." 1 John 3:1
• "You are my friend." John 15:15
• "You are my masterpiece." Ephesians 2:10
• "You are my treasure." Deuteronomy 7:6
• "You are my heir."  Romans 8:17
• "You are holy and blameless."  Ephesians 1:4
• "You are redeemed."  Ephesians 1:7

No, "guilty" didn't make the cut… neither did "broken"… neither did "too screwed up from what happened to me/ what I did that I could never be used by God."

It's HARD to forgive other people… But some of us are so much easier on others than we are on ourselves.  Do you believe God is who he says he is?  Then, believe you are who he says you are!

Prayer: 

God, you are amazing!  You are full of forgiveness and grace that is beyond my understanding.  But please teach me to be like you.  I want to extend grace to others.  But I need your help forgiving myself.  I need to understand that I am fully forgiven.  I need to see me like you see me and see others like you see them.  Make me graceful, Lord.  I want to be more like Jesus.  In his name I pray!  Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda