April 16-18, 2010
John 8
Pastor Farrell Lemings
Can you imagine the shame, guilt and fear the woman (see John 8:1-11) must have experienced as she was used as a pawn in the power play of the Pharisees? Obviously she was guilty, since she was caught in the very act of adultery. Yet rather than receiving judgment, she discovered forgiveness. Rather than experiencing death, she found life.
The Pharisees used this woman in an attempt to trap Jesus, but He turned a bad situation into a freeing one with these words: “Then neither do I condemn you.”
Jesus did not make light of the woman’s sin, because He challenged her to leave her life of sin. However, He extended forgiveness to her, along with the opportunity for a new beginning.
Jesus wants to do the same for you. In John 3:17, Jesus declared, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” No matter your past failures, Jesus wants to forgive them and set you free. He did not come to condemn you, but to bring freedom. It is the work of Satan to condemn, but it is the work of Jesus to set us free through forgiveness.
If you have failed, the good news is that your failure is not final. Our God is a God of second chances. This is not a license to live in your sin, but an opportunity to live free!
Did you know that Pastor Farrell can’t stand snakes? The way he sees it, the only good snake is one that isn’t alive.
