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[Music] well good morning to everyone on this uh glorious fall day that the Lord's given to us to gather together it's nice to see the sun again welcome to everybody that's uh maybe there's some here I haven't been here before but welcome to Free Grace Baptist Church and uh just before we get started just a couple of announcements uh just to tell people that we do have a Bible study or it's resumed for those that didn't realize this on Wednesdays at 7 30 upstairs here also uh there's a pro-life walk this coming Saturday it starts at 9 30 in the morning at the Alliance Church in town here so I'm sure Linda would be pleased to see us out to support things as many as we can so keep that in mind it looks like the weather is going to be good Lord willing and just the last thing is just so people realize on the back um cabinet there there's copies of the church newsletter for any that would like to pick it up and take it home and read it there so yeah that being said let's if you turn in your Bibles with me to Psalm 67 Psalm 67 will be our call to worship this morning psalm 67. to the chief musician on string instruments the psalm a song starting in verse 1 of Psalm 67. God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on Earth your salvation among all nations let the people praise you o God let all the peoples Praise You O let the Nations be glad and sing for joy for you shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations of Earth on Earth let the people praise you o God let all the people praise you then the Earth shall yield her increase God our own God shall bless us God shall bless us and all the ends of the Earth shall fear Him and may the Lord bless his word our first uh song this morning is number 93 in the hymnal if you'd like to turn there number nine three and Stan will sing together [Music] yes [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] let's just go to our God and ask His blessings upon our time together today Our Father who art in heaven we just come Lord thankful for this day that you have given thankful for this Lord's day that you have made that we might come together to be glad in it to rejoice in your presence you who are the great God and creator of the heavens and the Earth and all things therein we come before you Lord to just bless you and to thank you this day for the privilege that we have of gathering together and that we can do so Lord not because of any good in us but because of the Lord Jesus Christ because of his righteousness and because of the faith you have given us in him and we desire to come forth this day to be together to hear of your word Lord to be able to sing praises to you to offer the sacrifices of praise to you we thank you for that for the privilege that we have in Christ of doing that we thank you that we can come to read your word to hear it read to hear the preaching of your word Lord and we would just ask that you would bless us today as we do that Lord that your blessing would be upon all that are here just as we have heard in our call to worship this morning Lord that it is you who govern the nations of the earth and all things and we give you thanks that we might gather together today and Lord we do want to pray today again as our custom is as you have given us a charge to do so Lord to pray for our sister churches those that are in this country Lord and uh we think of the Surrey Reformed Church and Pastor Mike there and we think of Ryan in in in the Vernon area Lord and we think of Josh and back east and in Ontario and we want to pray for them each one Lord that as they gather together this day even it be the same for them as for us that we might be edified through gathering together through the hearing of your word through the preaching of your word we thank you for that we pray your blessing upon each one of them Lord as they do gather together this day we pray for those that are around the world whom we we do normally gather to pray for the persecuted Church in so many of the countries in China and Africa and Pakistan and India and all over the world Lord we know that we have brothers and sisters who suffer terrible persecution for the sake of Christ and his word and we do pray for them or that you would stay them in these times Lord that you would fix their eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ and we thank you for that that you would watch over the them and that your perfect will could be done there we think of those in Myanmar too and the ministry that goes on there and we just pray well we praise you first of all for your faithfulness and keeping those that gather together there in the Orange Grove we we thank you for them and we pray that your word will continue to go forth from those within them that are close to them Lord the refugees that they have helped and brought close we thank you for them and as well Lord we are told by you to continue to pray for the governments and we do so Lord that we may continue to live in peace we pray that though things not be as they ought to be Lord that by your grace you might bring change about within them that they might do the things that you have given them to look after Lord and not to be involved in the persecution and the oppression against your people we thank you for your grace we look to you we trust not in man but until unto your great strength and your goodness and we ask that you would help those Lord in those positions and in the authority you have given them and Lord we also want to pray here amongst the The church here there are those that that cannot come to to join with us each day Lord you know them each one by name and we pray for your blessing upon them your strengthening for those that are shot in due to infirmities or sickness Lord that you would bless them if they are able to tune in today we thank you for that we pray for all uh Lord the ladies amongst us that are are pregnant and with then we would just ask that you would bless them through their through their pregnancy Lord that you would help them and strengthen them in all things and to be able to attend to the things of family as well and to raise them in accordance with your word we thank you for that we praise you and Lord I I just want to pray for as well for the church in Honduras and for those there as they gather that you would just be there to bless them it is in many ways like a Missionary Church Lord and that the gospel would go forth there to all those in the surrounding areas that others might be gathered to you by your grace and Lord I specifically want to just pray for our sister there Anna Lee the wife of raulito is has to go to the United States for further Medical Treatments Lord that your hand of Grace would be upon them to help them and to help her in these treatments that she would be able to recover and we just want to give you thanks for that we thank you that we can lift all these prayers to you father we thank you that you are a faithful God who hears us and who always answers us according to your perfect will and in that we do rejoice as we commit these things to you thanking you in Jesus Christ's precious name amen if you would turn to number for our second song number 216 in the hymn book number 216. you would stand and we'll sing [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign thank you foreign well we're going to continue on in our reading through the scriptures we're in the New Testament in the morning service in the book of First Peter if you'd like to turn there in your Bibles First Peter chapter 2 is where a reading is going to be this morning First Peter chapter 2. we'll start in verse 1 and read the whole chapter therefore laying aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and all evil speaking as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious coming to him as to a living Stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ therefore it is also contained in the scripture behold I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone elect precious and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame therefore to you who believe he is precious but to those who are disobedient the stone which the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense they stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people that you might proclaim the Praises of him who called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light who once were not a people but are now the people of God who had not obtained Mercy but now have obtained Mercy beloved I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstained from fleshy lusts which war against the soul having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles that when they speak against you as evildoers they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether to the king as supreme or to Governors as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good for this is the will of God that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free yet not using Liberty as a cloak for vice but as Bond Servants of God honor all people love the Brotherhood fear God honor the king servants be submissive to your masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh for this is commendable if because of conscience toward God one endures grief suffering wrongfully for what credit is it if when you are beaten up for your faults you take it patiently but when you do good and suffer if you take it patiently this is commendable before God refer to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps who committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth who when he was reviled did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges righteously who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sins might live for righteousness by whose Stripes you were healed for you were the Sheep like sheep going astray but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls and may the Lord bless his word let's just go to him in prayer before our last song father we we just thank you for your word and Lord having been told even in the previous chapter by by Peter of how we are born again by The Incorruptible word of God we see the importance of your word and we pray as we are admonished here to desire the the pure milk of the word that we might grow thereby Lord may you be pleased to feed us as newborn babes and all of our lives with the word of God by which it is absolutely essential that we have to read and to grow thereby we give you praise and thank you for your word which is eternal and which will never pass away Lord we praise you and and thank you for that and um Lord we would also just pray that you would strengthen us as we see here and in ways to walk in the paths of righteousness for Christ's name's sake that that we might glorify you in all our ways and all our life and everything we do and say that it be to your glory honor and praise we thank you for that and Lord we thank you as well for admonitions here which we have looked at before here Lord in regards to the submission to civil governments because you've put them there for a purpose Lord and we pray that you would grant us to be in submission to those governments as far as it does not cause us to disobey you in your word and Lord we thank you for the wisdom that you had given here in the past two to three years in regards to these things that how we we looked not just through one thing but to your whole word for guidance and Direction and we praise you again for your word because it is your word that has given wisdom to the brothers here and to the course of actions that are taken and so we do give you thanks for that and we as well pray Lord in accordance with the scripture reading to that if we are given to suffer here whether it be at the hands of our employers or whoever that that it may be for righteousness sake even as our lord Jesus suffered Lord who was holy and harmless and undefiled and that it would not be suffering because of our own stupidity and we just thank you for that Lord we thank you for the instruction we receive we pray now as we prepare Lord for the preaching of your word that you would bless Pastor Jim as he will come forward soon to preach your word we pray for your anointing upon him from on high that your spirit would take your word Lord and carry it to the hearts of all those that are there for we know then it shall not return void unto you as it never does when sent it is sent according to your purposes and we just give you thanks for that as we now compete Commit This Time unto you giving you thanks once again in Jesus Christ's precious name amen okay our uh last song before the preaching of the word is number 286 number 286 if you would stand and we'll sing [Music] praise us [Applause] foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] we are supposed [Music] there is [Music] foreign with me in your Bibles to John's gospel where in John chapter 8. our Focus will be on the woman caught in adultery verses 1 to 11 but I want to read verses 1 to 20. just to set the narrative in its larger context so John chapter 8 beginning in verse 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives now early in the morning he came again into the temple and all the people came to him and he sat down and taught them then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught and adultery and when they had set her in the midst they said to him teach her this woman was caught in adultery in the very act now Moses in the law commanded us that sought should be stoned but what do you say this they said testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him but Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear so when they continued asking him he raised himself up and said to them he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first and again he stooped down and wrote on the ground then those who heard it being convicted by their own by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst when Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman he said to her woman where are those accusers of yours has no one condemned you she said no one Lord and Jesus said to her neither do I condemn you go and sin no more 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 the Pharisees therefore said to him you bear witness of yourself your witness is not true Jesus answered and said to them even if I bear witness of myself my witness is true for I know where I came from and where I am going but you do not know where I come from and where I am going you judge according to the flesh I judge no one yet if I do judge my judgment is true for I'm not alone but I am with the father who sent me it is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true I am one who Bears witness of myself and the father who sent me Bears witness of me then they said to him where is your father Jesus answered you know neither me nor my father if you had known me you would have known my father also these words Jesus spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple and no one laid hands on him for his hour had not yet come amen let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you again for a beautiful day truly the heavens declare your righteousness Your Glory Your Majesty we see your handiwork in the created order as well the psalmist tells us our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases we know that you are sovereign in Providence and God on these Lords days we reflect especially on your grace and your mercy and your loving kindness revealed to us in the gospel of our Salvation we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the Forgiveness of sins that we receive through faith in him we thank you for that righteousness of his that is given to us and received by faith alone and we pray that as we reflect upon our blessed Lord our hearts would be drawn out in worship and praise and adoration to our great God forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness we pray that you would cleanse Us in the blood of the Lord Jesus and we pray that the Holy Spirit would take the scriptures and apply them in our hearts and minds and we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well this is a very famous passage of scripture there is a textual variant here which we're not going to deal with simply to say that this is the holy word of the living and true God and it displays the wisdom of our blessed savior the Pharisees essentially put him on the horns of a dilemma they want him to either a choose Moses or B choose compassion whichever way he chooses they'll sort of expose him in the opposite direction if he upholds the law then he's not a friend for Sinners if he's a friend for Sinners then he doesn't uphold the law so Christ wisely navigates and takes the horns of a dilemma and answers in a most wonderful way he upholds the law of Moses and he exercises compassion to this woman that was caught in adultery before we look at the text notice back in chapter 7 at verse 37. chapter 7 is the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus goes to Jerusalem at that particular time time he goes to the temple during the feast and he preaches or he teaches and on the last day of the feast according to verse 7 there was this symbol uh symbolism that was going on they had fetch water out of the pool of Siloam on that last day of the feast they'd bring it over to the altar they'd pour it on the altar Make Way making way for the sacrifice so this was the the situation that obtained in that last day but notice what Jesus does he he stood and he cries out saying if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink he who believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of Living Water now when he says come to me and drink he's using a metaphor he's not talking about actual water he's talking about everlasting life he's talking about the Forgiveness of sins he's talking about a righteousness that avails with God he's talking about the reason for which he came to give life to dead Sinners and so so at that last day that great day of the feast he rises up and he makes that glorious statement now when we get to this woman caught in adultery she doesn't come in the conventional way does she the conventional way would be preach the gospel tell Sinners about their sin Point them to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one and whome there is forgiveness she didn't come that way she was brought she's a sinner she is guilty she's a criminal it's a capital offense uh actually and so they bring this woman to the Savior but however she got there she receives this water of everlasting life she forgive her she receives rather the forgiveness of sin by the one who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand so let's break the narrative into two parts first the woman brought to Christ in verses one to six and then secondly the woman forgiven by Christ in verses 7 into 11 and there are three observations in verses one to six first the setting verses one and two secondly the accusation verses three and four and then finally the issue in verses five and six but notice the setting it's connected to chapter seven so the Feast of Tabernacles has ended it's a week-long feast it's one of those National feasts that Israel is commanded to obey and so at the conclusion of the Feast at the end of chapter seven we notice in verse 53 and everyone went to his own house and then in chapter 8 verse one but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives most likely to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus they lived in Bethany which was not far from the Mount of Olives whether he went to stay with them or he stayed at the mount and there he prayed and communed with the Father the point is is that he's still close to Jerusalem he's still in proximity and we see that in verse 2. notice now early in the morning he came again end of the temple and all the people came to him and he sat down and taught that so that morning following the Feast of Tabernacles that morning following that great day of the feast when he offers Living Water he then returns early in the morning to the temple and there he preaches he continues through chapter 8 teaching and having a confrontation with the religious leaders that culminates in verse 59 with them once again wanting to kill him these men had a real problem with with the sixth commandment and as we look at this narrative we see they had a problem with the seventh commandment as well but look at what the tax says in verse 2. now early in the morning he came again into the temple and all the people came to him that probably outraged the scribes and the Pharisees remember back in chapter seven it wasn't a matter of theology it wasn't a dispute or a debate over a fine point in the theological and Theological examination they hated him they just despise him they wanted to get rid of him they wanted to take him they wanted to bring him somewhere and they wanted to execute him now they eventually will according to the unfolding narrative but this probably outraged them when all the people came to him you see a similar situation in his Earthly Ministry in Luke 15 when all the tax collectors and the Sinners draw near to him to hear him and then the scribes and the Pharisees they looked down their noses on this particular situation they say this man receives Sinners and and eats with them as far as they were concerned that was disgusting as far as we're concerned that was a confession of the glories of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ he does receive Sinners he does eat with Sinners he does forgive Sinners he does give a righteousness to Sinners and we rejoice in that so all these people are coming to him in the temple now to hear him no doubt this in enraged the religious leaders notice that he sits down as well he does the same thing in The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5 and verse 1. rabbinic teaching was not like Christian preaching the Christian preacher comes behind the pulpit and there proclaims the truth what the synagogue or what the rabbi did was he sat down this was an authoritative position Jesus upbrades the religious leaders of his time in Matthew 23 saying they sit in the seat of Moses and they give you these commands but they themselves don't do that and so he takes this authoritative position in the temple to teach and to preach and again humanly speaking you can see why the religious leaders despise it they loathe and abhor him because all the people are coming to him and they're no longer coming to them they were bankrupt they were unspiritual they were Godless and they were indicative of the religious situation in Israel in that first century setting now notice the accusation relative to the this woman I don't want to get all psychological and weird in Exposition this morning but imagine this woman I mean imagine being caught in the act of adultery obviously don't engage in an act of adultery and you won't be caught in an act of adultery but imagine being caught in the act of adultery and having these fiends grab you and take you over to Jesus to test him it's not ultimately the woman that's on trial in this particular narrative it's Jesus that's on trial and John will make that sufficiently clear but notice in verse 3 it says then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery now if you turn back for just a moment to the Book of Leviticus Leviticus chapter 20. so the woman is caught in adultery and adultery in Old Covenant Israel was a capital offense in Leviticus chapter 20 at verse 10 we read that it says the man who commits adultery with another man's wife he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death and then over in chapter uh Deuteronomy chapter 22. Deuteronomy chapter 22 same sort of an emphasis there's a whole host of sexual crimes that are indicated in chapter 22 but the ones specifically addressing adultery is in chapter 22 verse 22. it says if a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband then both of them shall die the man that lay with the woman and the woman so you shall put away the evil from Israel so they bring this woman to Jesus according to verse 3. this is the scribes and the Pharisees these are the men that are supposed to be leaders in Israel and again as we move through the narrative they don't care about the law of Moses they don't care about this woman they certainly don't care about capital punishment falling on the proper head if the woman was caught in the act of adultery there had to to have been a man there in fact the texts are very specific it's both the man and the woman that is executed for this particular crime of adultery we see that in verse 4. they make their formal charge or accusation against the woman again she's in the midst of that you kind of wonder if she said You know guys I'm standing right here do we have to do this and in front of everybody strangers and everybody assembled in the temple on this particular day notice in verse 4 they said to him teacher this is mockery they don't see him in esteem him as a rabbi as a teacher they're just mocking they said to him teacher this woman was caught in adultery in the very act so if she was caught in the very act again I suggest that there was a man involved there had to be another participant this was not a one-person crime this was a two-person crime as Leviticus 20 10 and Deuteronomy 22 22 make very clear it's not just the woman it's the woman and the man that are guilty and in fact in Deuteronomy 22 it says if a man is found lying with a woman that finding is necessary in order to corroborate the charge you don't just speculate you don't just engage in Gossip you don't engage in hearsay rather it had to be in the very act in order for this to be punishable by death and so this is the particular scenario now as we move into verses five and six we see what the real issue is in verse 5 they appeal to Moses now I think they're going Tit for Tat with Jesus when they make this appeal to Moses because remember back in chapter 7 the Lord Jesus didn't want to go to Jerusalem or go to Judea because he knew the religious leaders wanted to kill him but nevertheless he does go he goes in the uh to the Feast of the Tabernacles during the time or at the temple and he indicts that he upgrades them and chapter 7 at verse 19. look what he says did not Moses give you the law yet none of you keeps the law why do you seek to kill me this goes back to chapter five they wanted to kill him because of what they thought was blasphemy and what they thought was Sabbath breaking so why do you seek to kill me this causes a response from some in the crowd they say oh you're mad you you have a demon who is seeking to kill you and then Jesus explains in verse 21 Jesus answered and said to them I did one work and you all Marvel Moses therefore gave you circumcision not that it is from Moses but from the fathers and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath if a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses should not be broken are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath then again notice what he does he asks them or appeals to Moses in verse 19 and then in verse 24 he gives this General principle that is most consistent with Moses teaching in other words you're not supposed to engage in a kangaroo court do not judge according to appearance events but judge with righteous judgment and then we saw in chapter 7 verses 50 and 51 even Nicodemus called them out Nicodemus says you know guys doesn't our law say that we need to verify or validate that somebody's actually a criminal before we take him and kill him yeah yeah as a matter of fact it says that but instead of responding favorably to Nicodemus they simply mock him as well are you also From Galilee Are you just another one of these fools that have gotten on the Jesus bandwagon so you see what's happening here they're now trying to get Jesus on the horns of a dilemma they want to show him or expose him as being an antinomian of being an anti-law person somebody that has a problem with Moses and so this is the nature of their statement they appeal to Moses and then they question Jesus so notice in verse 5 now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned but what do you say now I mentioned that they have no regard for the law they have no concern whatsoever for a due process they have no concern whatsoever for this woman again she's just sitting there standing there in the midst of them probably feeling all kinds of Shame all kinds of embarrassment being outed I mean we all sin don't we but we don't all come to church and get to stand in the midst of everybody with some sort of indicator of what our particular sins are so this woman is standing there in the midst of all these people and again the religious leaders don't care about her they don't care about Moses they don't care about the crowd they care about getting rid of Jesus what do you say now Jesus was not a civil Authority he was not a judge he had no place now we know that Jesus second person of the Trinity the word became flesh he dwelt among us and we beheld his glory John 1 14. incarnate Son of God what but the Incarnate Son of God was not a civil magistrate the Incarnate Son of God in his Earthly sojourn was a carpenter until he embarked on his Earthly ministry as through your public Ministry so he's not a judge he has no authority to rule in these particular matters also he's not an ecclesiastical or a churchly Authority he doesn't have a rank he doesn't have a title he's not part of the sanhedrad there is essentially nothing that Jesus can do with reference to this woman who was caught in adultery caught in the very Act John tells us he tips the hand of the Pharisees and scribes in verse 6. he tells us what the issue is it says this they said testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him but Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear as I mentioned they put him on what's called in Logic the horns of a dilemma and a particular textbook on logic says it's a common form of argument in ordinary discourse in which it is claimed that a choice must be made between two Alternatives both of which are bad there's no good option here as far as the Pharisees and the scribes are concerned if he upholds the law again he shows that he's not really a friend of sinners if he disregards the law of Moses and shows himself as a friend for Sinners they got him they're going to ruin him they're going to show him up as a fake and a fraud in The Sermon on the Mount he says do not think that I came to abolish the law I didn't come to abolish it but rather to to confirm it to strengthen it to bring it home only in his uh in his obedience and then as well in his teaching so these men want to test him by putting him on this horns if he's Pro Moses he's anti-compassion if he's pro-compassion then he's anti-moses so again horns of a dilemma both alternatives are equally difficult right especially for this woman how do you think she wants him to go how do you think she wants him to respond do you think she wants him to say oh yeah take her out right now and stone her to death with stones that would be legitimate again if he was a civil Authority or an ecclesiastical Authority and had the jurisdiction to render a verdict on this particular issue but notice as well what he does the action that he undertakes in verse 6 B it says Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear now commentators speculate on what he wrote we have no idea what he wrote the text doesn't tell us it's quiet but there's significance in the fact that he wrote and if you've been in our studies in Exodus or when we've talked about the law of God and the uniqueness of the moral law of God you see in the pentateuch the Books of Moses these statements where Yahweh God most high speaks about writing the Ten Commandments with his finger now not suggesting Jesus is writing the Ten Commandments I think the emphasis is is that he Stoops down now and the text is specific with verse 6. he writes with his finger he doesn't get a stick he doesn't you know just kind of use the palm of his hand he uses his finger I think there's a link there between the Old Testament giving of the moral law and Jesus Christ's function as that lawgiver I think this action in and of itself suggests how the narrative is going to flow Jesus Is Not anti-moses Jesus Is Not anti-law Jesus is the author of the law that Moses carried out Moses did and develop the law Moses didn't originate the law Moses didn't go up on that mountain and say okay I've got some good ideas for How We Do Society now I want everybody to listen rally around daddy Moses and I'm going to tell you how it's going to be no he got the law from God most high written with the Finger of God and it was that that Moses brought down from the mountain Exodus 31 18 and when he had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony tablets of stone written with the Finger of God Deuteronomy 9 10 then the Lord delivered me to me two tablets of stone written with the Finger of God and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly I think by way of action by way of sort of an acted Parable he's upholding or demonstrating his commitment to the law he is the law Giver he is the law keeper and by way of implication they're not when Jesus asks them in John 7 19 when he appeals to Moses with reference to their murderous intention of him he's serious that these men don't keep the law these men are Rebels these men have rejected the truth and these men want this Kangaroo Court not so that they can sort of validly apply the law and expose this criminal in Israel but it was in order to test him and so that's the particular issue that's in view now notice secondly the woman forgiven by Christ in verses 7 to 11. two things here first the application of the law and secondly the Forgiveness of the woman how do you deal with the horns of a dilemma you take them both and you uphold them both and that is precisely what Jesus does in his transaction here notice in the first place in terms of the application of the law he appeals to Moses there is an appeal to Moses in verse 7. he doesn't say okay I'm going to appeal to Moses he's appealing to the law in order to carry out the law verse 7. so when they continued asking him he raised himself up and said to them he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first that's an appeal to Deuteronomy 17 and Deuteronomy 19 in a capital crime again it couldn't be here say it couldn't just be one witness it couldn't just be you know I think this guy committed murder I think this girl committed adultery well let's haul him off and let's kill them that's not the way the Bible mandates there were to be two or three Witnesses and it was the witnesses that would take up the stone first to throw at the guilty criminal what do you think that would do to you I mean we all have our challenges we all have our issues we all have our sins to be sure but fourth of most part people don't typically like to engage unless they're affiliated with certain political parties in raw brutal hypocrisy to do that and when Jesus is talking about without sin he's not suggesting that there's a sinless class of beings out there that can render verdicts in Criminal Court no he's probably indicating he who is without this particular sin of adultery they had a problem with the sixth commandment the commentators if the commentators are to be believed they had a problem with the seventh commandment take Muslim countries for instance they're pretty Pro or pretty anti-homosexuality they're very stringent in terms of sharia and the application of their law that you're not supposed to be homosexual do you think that means there's no homosexuals in the Middle East of course there are of course they do that and do you think just because these guys are part of the Sanhedrin the religious authorities the the political authorities in Israel at that time that they're holy harmless and undefiled they're wretches they're Sinners they're vile they've already shown disregard for the sixth commandment in that they want to murder an innocent man seventh commandment why do we think they're going to be fastidious with reference to that they had girlfriends they had you know Friends with Benefits all those sorts of things on the side and so Jesus in his appeal to the law understands that the the witnesses must be the first to cast the stone so he says he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first Deuteronomy 17 6-7 whoever is deserving of Death Shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three Witnesses keep this in your head because as we close out this after this morning not this afternoon you don't have to fear that much but uh when we close out you'll know that that this passage is invoked as an anti-death penalty passage well Jesus didn't execute the woman so therefore there's no death penalty again Jesus is in a civil authority Jesus isn't an ecclesiastical Authority and the ecclesiastical Authority in Old Covenant Israel never bore the sword against criminal offenders that was the Judiciary that was the political element of the apparatus which was known as The Commonwealth of Israel but with reference to this passage he upholds the law he upholds the death penalty in this particular instance for the crime of adultery and he understands the necessity for Witnesses whoever is deserving of Death Shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three Witnesses he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness the hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death and afterward the hands of all the people so you shall put away the evil from among you see this in Deuteronomy 13 19 and then the laws of Witnesses in Deuteronomy 19 15-21 so this is Jesus appealing to the law here's your sort of dilemma Jesus what do you think of Moses what do you think of the law well I uphold Moses and I uphold the law where are the witnesses if we're going to proceed according to Moses you need to Pony up two or three Witnesses now with reference to the witnesses they need to be responsible Witnesses and I think that's the emphasis in the first part of the verse he who is without sin among you he was without this particular sin among you let him throw a stone at her first Matthew Poole says in reason those who are zealous for the punishment of others should neither be guilty of the same nor of Greater crimes themselves that's a good reading of Deuteronomy 17 and 19. Meredith Klein says a minimum of two witnesses was required and their confidence in their own testimony was to be evidenced by their assuming the dread responsibility of delivering the first and quite possibly lethal blows in the execution of The Condemned we know that this is the way we should interpret this based on what happens in verse 9. they all get convicted their consciences are bothered they're not responsible Witnesses this is a kangaroo court they don't care about Moses they don't care about the woman they don't care about the man that was with the woman all they care about is escalating their threat their enmity and their animosity against Jesus Christ why wasn't theology wasn't Bible wasn't ethics it was Politics the Lord Jesus now had all kinds of people dry near him to hear him and as far as the leadership was concerned if that keeps happening then the entire world is going to go after him you see that in John John chapter 12 they make that complaint if things keep going unabated then the whole world is going to draw after him this was what incense uh outraged them it made them Furious and it made them want to get rid of him notice verse 8 after he makes that statement after he appeals to the book of book of Deuteronomy verse 8 tells us again he stooped down and wrote on the ground we still don't know what he's writing and then verse 9 then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in his midst or in the midst so again no regard for the sixth commandment we see that in chapter five we see that in chapter seven they have no regard for the seventh commandment either my brother this is a pretty wretched place to be as a professor of the True Religion right when when God speaks his truth when God speaks his law we're not supposed to take and choose what we want it's not like well you're like six of the The Ten Commandments are okay I I like six of the ten there's a few that you know they just kind of bug me and I'm not sure I'm all in for that uh we don't have the wherewithal to do that as the creature of God the Creator we are obliged to do precisely what he tells us without the the promise of reward even Luke 17 10 when we do all that we've done we're only unprofitable servants doing what we were commanded to do the creature owes obedience to the Creator and these creatures have no regard whatsoever for the Creator in fact they want to take him and they want to throw him up on a cross and they want to murder him because they are outraged at his conduct the whole thing is a sham they're not concerned with the law they're not concerned with Moses they're not concerned with adultery they're not concerned with any of it now when Jesus points the law back to them in verse 8 it does affect them it does convict them and it does cause them now to leave the scene and that brings us then to the Forgiveness of the woman this is wonderful right she's been standing there listening to this she didn't have John tell her oh by the way they're testing him now John tells us that it's kind of like genesis 22 verse 1. the Lord tests Abraham tells Abraham to take his son his only son the son whom he loves up to Mount Moriah and their sacrifice him to Yahweh well we the reader get Genesis 22 1. we get that God is testing Abraham Abraham didn't get that memo that morning as far as Abraham knew this was the last day that Isaac was going to be with him actually we know that he had the belief that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if indeed he carried out that sacrifice so the lady here standing listening to this dialogue does not know that these men are testing Jesus as far as she's concerned she was just caught in a capital offense she's standing there waiting to hear what the adjudication is she's standing waiting to hear what the disposition will be either she dies for her crime or she lives to fight another day and so notice what Jesus says to her he says in verse 9 or after verse 9 then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst when Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman he said to her woman where are those accusers of you has no one condemned you this is the response of the Savior to the woman so he upholds the law of Moses but he's also the friend of sinners see that's the way you navigate the horns of a dilemma you uphold both of them I mean there's other tactics that are that are employed in the dealing of dealing with the Dilemma but this is what Jesus does so woman where are those accusers of you of yours has no one condemned you notice the response of the woman they're testing him they despise him they abhor him they want to kill him they want to rid the world of him but for her she calls him Lord not maybe in its sense of Sir that would certainly be appropriate in a context like this but oftentimes we see persons in the gospel narratives speaking better than they knew and so these men despise the Lord Of Glory these men want to execute the Lord Of Glory these men want to rid the world of the Lord Of Glory And yet when she responds she said no one Lord none of these accusers are are standing here now perhaps at this point she's starting to have the pitter patter of her heart wondering hey this may end up pretty good this may work to my benefit no Witnesses she would have known the law as well she knew that she was breaking the law but she'd actually know what the stipulation was for a violation of that law but she would know as well what we often forget that the old Covenant code was not without checks and balances persons here that the Bible teaches the death penalty and they conclude well then every everybody will be executed because everybody's messed up no you could not execute a person without two or three Witnesses if there was only one witness to the crime you did not have the the corroboration to carry out capital punishment so this woman would know that now that her accusers are no longer present she's probably thinking I'm gonna get off I'm going to be free I'm not going to get executed she does face the Lord Jesus Christ and finds him to be in fact a friend of sinners because look at what he goes on to say verse 11 no one Lord and Jesus said to her neither do I condemn you neither do I condemn you he upholds the law and he's a friend for Sinners he upholds the law and he is the one that stood on that last day that great day of the feast and bids everyone who's thirsty to come to him and drink he upholds the law and he tells her then go and sin no more again the specific admonition is go and send this sin no more don't continue in adultery don't continue in this crime and notice Brethren she is guilty she was in fact caught the Lord Jesus knows she's guilty the Lord Jesus pronounces forgiveness by saying neither do I condemn you he gives the specific admonition go and sin no more don't commit adultery anymore but a general Doctrine as a forgiven sinner as one who by Grace believes on the Lord Jesus as one Justified now you are to fall follow those things which are blazing in the sight of God see the Christian religion is unlike every other religion every other well I don't know if I could say every other for at least the ones I know most religions say do good and get your reward do good and get your reward typically it's more of a more good than bad sort of thing if I've done more good than bad on that day of judgment then I hope to sort of weasel my way in but it's always that pattern do and get Christianity is the opposite it's get and do there's an indicative that means the mood of reality the fact is is that when we believe the gospel by the grace of God we pass from Death To Life As We heard in the reading in First Peter we're called out of Darkness into Marvelous Light The Sovereign God of heaven and earth makes us alive The Sovereign God Of Heaven and Earth gives us faith and repentance The Sovereign God Of Heaven and Earth gives us the ability to believe on the Lord Jesus and thus be forgiven of our sins and receive that righteousness that comes from Christ and then it's on the heels of that that we go live in a manner that is consistent with the gospel of our Salvation not in order that we may be saved but because by Grace we have been saved he upholds that theology he says neither do I condemn you go and sin this particular sin no more and as a general rule go and sin no more be faithful be holy pursue those things that are pleasing in in the sight of God never forgetting first John 2 1 and 2 where John says my little children I write these things so so that you may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous so the goal is go and sin no more but God knows us God has spoken to this in Romans 7 in Galatians 5 that there is in our hearts as believe verse a proneness to wander a proneness to leave the god that we love pursue sinlessness pursue Holiness pursue righteousness but when you falter when you stumble when you fall we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous it's about him we're not going to heaven because of us we're not going to heaven because we're good we're not going to heaven because we're wise we're not going to heaven because we've stumbled onto some truth we're going to heaven because Christ came from Heaven lived in perfect obedience to the law of his father died as a sacrifice at the cross and was raised again the third day the Apostle summarizes that beautiful transaction in Romans 4 he says that Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses why did christ go to that cross he was wholly harmless and undefiled he went because we're Unholy we're full of harm and we're thoroughly defiled he went to that cross for us he did everything that pleased the father he says that in John's gospel my meat is the to do the will of him who sent me I always do that which my father commands none of us can say that we can't say that from millisecond we can't wake up on a Sunday morning you know get the the gunk out of our eyes and and have any thought whatsoever that we're perfectly obedient to the law of God if the law of God is summarized in the two main heads love to God love to neighbor as yourself you have to see and appreciate you fail miserably I fail miserably that's why nobody enters into heaven based on their failing miserably they enter into heaven based on Christ's success Christ's righteousness Christ's Perfection Christ's blood remember Paul in Roman or Ephesians 1 7 in him we have Redemption the Forgiveness of sins uh I'm sorry uh have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins and then he says according to the riches of his grace we'll see more of that tonight in Ephesians chapter 2. Brethren it is the riches of God's grace that advances the kingdom of Christ on Earth it's not the The Riches of man's accomplishment The Riches of man's Wisdom The Riches of man's law keeping the riches of man's Merit it's the riches of grace and the good news for any and all here you may not have been caught in adultery this morning and sort of brought out here you know for some sort of public tribunal but you're a sinner every single one of us has sinned against a holy God every single one all we like sheep have gone astray the Apostle says there is an unrighteous no not one there's none who seeks after God there's no fear of God before the eyes of man or in the hearts of man and we should fear this God both Jeremiah and John the Apostle ask the question who would not fear thee O King of the Nations for indeed it is I do in other words he's a great and awesome God we should fear him we should Revere him we should honor and praise him but by Nature because we're dead in Adam we don't but by Grace by The Riches of his grace when we respond in light of John 7 37 when the Thirsty needy guilty sinner comes to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith he receives everlasting life he receives that Living Water he receives the Holy Spirit he receives every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus so Christ deals with this woman according to compassion Christ deals with the scenario according to the law Christ upholds both in terms of their particular dilemma and he shows himself to be the Friend of Sinners again Brethren she was not the conventional one she didn't come to church willingly that morning wanting her sins exposed wanting conviction for sin so that she could close with the Savior she was pulled out of whatever wretched situation she was in she was used as a pawn she was brought before the Savior and now she goes justified by his blood she goes justified by grace through faith in him she goes now as one who has received the Holy Spirit that blessed possession of God's people it is a wonderful display of the wisdom of our savior It's a Wonderful display of his commitment to the law of God and it is a wonderful demonstration of his role as Savior for sinners in conclusion we won't deal with objections to the death penalty he's not objecting to the death penalty the Bible tells us in Genesis 9 and in Romans 13 that the civil government is armed with the sword to execute God's Wrath in history that's Bible that's biblical that's the truth now when men say well we're not going to do that that seems harsh and barbaric no when God commands something for civil polity our responsibility is to obey and I dare say if our government spent more time wielding the sword against criminal elements instead of messing with every other jot and Tittle of Our Lives they would be actually doing what God ordained them to do but in terms of the narrative notice the wretchedness of the leaders again I submit they're going Tit for Tat Jesus exposed them in John 17 19. Nicodemus exposed them in John 7 51. what's the response from godliness thank you for showing me my sin now I can repent what's the response of ungodly men they lash out they attack they say well what about you what about your issue what about your shortcoming and that is precisely what they're trying to expose here they want to show Jesus as a fraud that the one who says or or exclaims his Fidelity to the law of Moses really isn't and the one who says that he's a friend for Sinners he'll give you up in a second and watch you bleed to death for your crimes that's their tactic as well the leaders do not have regard for the law at all whatever they're doing here it is hypocritical whatever they're doing here it is a sham whatever they're doing here is a fake John tells us in verse 6. this they said to test him as well the leaders are engaged in testing Jesus that they might accuse him so this is where we're at in the narrative now we all know where it's going unless you've never read the gospel accounts unless you've never been exposed to Matthew Mark Luke or John let me tell you what's going on there is this Rising opposition against Jesus I mean Rising welcome Rising reception Rising persons who come to him and want to hear him and in and in faith lay hold of him but there's this enmity growing this animosity growing this this wickedness on the part of the religious leadership was going to culminate in the end part of this gospel record When the Crowds say away with him away with him crucify him Pontius pilot is going to try to make a deal with the Jews because Pontius Pilate knows that Jesus isn't guilty he knows that he's not guilty in fact he confesses it three times in the trial that Jesus is Guiltless I find no guilt in this man I find no guilt in this man I find no guilt in this man it's kind of like the angels and Isaiah 6 when they threefold say holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole Earth is filled with his glory so pilate says well I've got a customer we've got a custom during the Passover I can release a prisoner to you I can release one to you that'll hopefully satisfy your bloodlust and we'll get this done because he knew that the leadership had ended up Jesus because of Envy so there's two men Jesus and then there's a man by the name of Barabbas Barabbas was a nasty man Barabbas was an insurrectionist Brabus was dare I say it a domestic terrorist he was a bad egg he was a bad guy he was destined to be crucified on that day by this civil state for being an insurrectionist so what do you think the crowd does well we don't want you know Barabbas the guy's Wicked he blows up buildings he walks in you know plans his charge does his thing he's a he's a beast of a man of it you know the narrative give us Barabbas what do you want me to do with this the the this king of Israel away with him away with him crucify him so this opposition to him this enmity to him is rising it's growing now see they probably would have to concede that what Nicodemus said is right doesn't our law stipulate that a man must actually be guilty before we get rid of him they knew of course that it did so what are they trying to do now they're trying to hide under the cover of law to get rid of Jesus but again they don't care one bit about the law notice their lack of love for Humanity we see this in our own political climate wherein persons are used as pawns for politics you see it with the immigration situation you see it as well with shootings mass shootings those people become pawns to take away guns from persons that don't engage in mass shooting it's a wretched way to do politics it is a wretched and beastly mistreatment of human beings that's how they treat this woman she was caught in a very Act and of course according to verse 9 these men too had been in the very act these men too were you know Superior to this woman they were looking down their noses at this woman they in their self-righteousness their smutness their absolute wickedness completely testify to their utter hatred not only for Jesus but for Moses as well they don't care about the law they don't care about Moses they have gotten rid of the very God Of Heaven and Earth in their conduct the leaders are guilty of violating uh the the seventh commandment they're guilty of violating the sixth commandment and it will culminate in the death of our savior and I want to end on the Savior the Lord Jesus navigates the horns of a dilemma not only does he uphold the law he shows mercy and compassion and he silences these fools now obviously there's discourse on the heels of what he says in verse 12 which we'll pick up but it's going to get pretty strong in chapter eight I mean they're going to go head to head in terms of Confrontation later they're going to say when when he disregards their notion of a true commitment or a true attachment to the living and true God or to even Abraham and they're like yeah we weren't born a fornication hint hint wink wink like like you were Jesus they had an idea of what had happened in terms of the the Virgin birth but of course they put the worst possible spin on it so the Lord Jesus is going to go head to head with these particular men at this point he silences them and the Lord Jesus as well demonstrates the truthfulness of John 7 37 and 38. the woman was guilty of the sin of adultery you ever heard somebody preach the gospel or tell you about the gospel and they say you know God's a holy God man is a sinful man and Christ is the only way for salvation we don't usually get into well what kind of sins is it just the respectable sins he forgives gossip he forgives you know a bit of self-righteousness he he forgives you know covetousness he forgives sin in whom we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins and if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous what's the psalmist saying Psalm 133 and 4 he says if thou Lord should Mark iniquities O Lord who could stand I'm going to have to check out a check out if God has his ink ink pen and his pad of paper and he's watching and he's checking boxes every moment of every day that I'm sinning if you oh Lord should do that then who could stand if that Psalm ended there that would be very depressing wouldn't it we'd probably say oh man that's terrible I just want to go crawl under a rock now but the psalmist doesn't end there he says but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared in first John 1 9 we hear if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so if we ask the question maybe we're thinking about in our heads well you know I don't know about my sin maybe some of these other people's sins that they seem to be a respectable lot they seem to have gotten their you know their act together in some way shape or form nobody in here ever got their act together in any way shape or form God in his grace picked us up out of the Mirey clay washed Us in the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus and cleansed us or clothed us rather with his righteousness none of us had to come to Jesus moment that originated with us it's God's grace it does not depend upon him who Wills or upon him who runs but on God who shows mercy and Jesus evidences that on the heels of the Declaration if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink he shows that that Fountain of Living Water of avails even for a woman caught in adultery in the very act a capital offense Moses said she should be stoned to death what say you neither do I condemn you go and sin no more Paul was right on when he said do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor sodomites nor thieves nor Covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God again if he stopped there wow let's find a rock to go crawl under but he says to the Corinthians and such were some of you but you were washed but you were Sanctified but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God so if you are a Believer here this morning rejoice in the Savior who has delivered you from your sin if you are not a Believer here this morning come you're thirsty you may not recognize it but you've got a thirst that only one can satisfy and that is the Lord Jesus Christ he makes it very clear very obvious and very evident what is in view if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink he who believes in me it's by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ may God bless and may God call out of Darkness into Marvelous Light and may we rejoice in his goodness and kindness to us well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity in John 8 verses 1 to 11. we thank you for the Savior and his wisdom and the way that he dealt with these these religious leaders wanting to kill him as well we thank you that he is in fact a friend for Sinners and one who does give that Living Water to all who come to him in faith may you bless the word as it goes forth today may you indeed cause it to go forth conquering and to conquer and we pray that you would be glorified and that Sinners would be done good by salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen we can take your hymn books and turn to five six eight five hundred and sixty eight will stand as we sing together foreign praise God [Music] oh Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is Mercy and with him is abundant Redemption and he shalt redeem Israel from all his iniquities amen father thank you for the Savior for Sinners thank you for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ thank you for the privilege that is ours gathering together to come to the father through the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit and we confess that God most high is all in all may you bless us may you keep us may you watch over us and may you help us to glorify you this day and every day and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation