The Stone Throwing Church

The Stone Throwing Church

John 8:1-11

Introduction

If you haven’t heard the news, Heath Ledger was recently found dead in his apartment this past week

He was only 28 years old and recently earned an Oscar for playing a gay cowboy in the movie Brokeback Mountain

The whole reason I am even preaching on this today is because of a recent article that I read from ABC news about a Baptist Church from Kansas

Read the article and talk about the signs they plan to use

Saints, with people like this in the main line news media…it’s no wonder that people consider Christians annoying and even targets for the hate crimes bill

I just want to give you a biblical perspective of how we, the true church, should represent the Kingdom of God and do it the way Jesus taught

Read John 8:1-11 (Pray)

I want you and I to see that Jesus has not called us to be the Stone Throwing Church

First, let’s examine the rational of why these scribes and Pharisees wanted to stone this woman caught in adultery

Notice in verse 5, they quoted…

1. The Law of Moses

In other words, they were trying to use the Law to justify what they wanted to do and to try and trap Jesus

What did the law say? Turn to Deut 22:22-24

Now understand that these religious leaders KNOW what the law says and their purpose was to trap Jesus

If he tells them to forgive her…to have compassion and mercy like He has been preaching…then He loses credibility because this woman is allowed to break God’s law

If He says stone her…then He will be seen as a hypocrite because He has been preaching to love and forgive

It seems like a no win situation…

Now, you must understand the Mosaic Covenant was given to Israel in three parts

1. The Ten Commandments, expressing the righteous will of God (Ex 20)

2. The Judgments, governing the social life of Israel (Ex 21-24)

3. The Ordinances, governing the religious life of Israel (Ex 24-31)

The Commandments and Ordinances were one complete inseparable whole

The Law was the divine method of dealing with sinful man…by offering the appropriate sacrifice, he was held “blameless”

The Law was in effect from the giving of the Law to Moses until the death of Jesus Christ

The main purpose of the Law is found in Galatians 3:19-24 (turn there)

Expound – The law was to the Jews what the child-discipliner was in a Greek household…a custodian of children and it remained as such until Christ came

Jesus said in Matt 5:17 “…I did not come to abolish the law of Moses…No I came to fulfill them.”

The main problem here is that these legalistic religious leaders were trying to mix Law with grace and that’s just not possible

The Law in itself, as it says in Romans 7:12-14 is holy, just, good, and spiritual

As we stand before the law, the whole world is guilty and is condemned to death and a divine curse

Look at Gal 3:10-12

But the good news is that Christ bore the curse of the law, and redeemed the believer from both the curse and the dominion of law

Look at Gal 3:13

The Law was necessary but now that Christ has come…

2. Grace Trumps Law

You and I are not under the dominion of Law but now under the dominion of Grace

We now have been set free from sin and death because of Grace…because of the compassion Jesus had and continues to have on everyone who calls upon His name

Grace defined is “not receiving the due penalty of what we deserve”

We deserve HELL…without GRACE that’s where we would be headed ALL OF US

How does God feel about homosexuality? A better question would be is How does God feel about sin period?

Isaiah 61:8 says that God hates iniquity…He hates and despises evil deeds and the sins of man

1 Kings 8:46 tells us “for there is no one who does not sin”

Rom 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory”

That means everyone, all, every person, whoever is born, has sinned against God

God hates sin…

God hates homosexuality, but His love…His gift of forgiveness…of eternal life…is extended to the homosexual

God did not call you and me to be the judge…He has called us to be conduits of His love

He really has called us to the ministry of restoration and reconciliation

2 Cor. 5:18-19 (NLT)

All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. [19] For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.