Participants: Pr. Furman Fordham II
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000044A
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00:17 We welcome you once again to Foundation of Faith.
00:20 My name is CA Murray. 00:22 And we welcome you to this sermon, 00:26 this part of our sitting together 00:28 that always brings us to the confluence 00:30 of mixed emotions. 00:33 We're happy to hear another message from the Lord, 00:36 and yet we're saddened because this is the final message 00:39 in the series of four very powerful messages 00:42 that our speaker has been blessed 00:45 and used of God to bring to us over these 00:48 last several sittings together. 00:50 Our pastor is Pastor Furman F. Fordham II, 00:53 a young vibrant dynamic pastor, 00:56 pastor of the Riverside Church in Nashville, Tennessee. 00:59 He's pastored in a number of places 01:01 and I look on his bio including Melbourne, Australia. 01:05 So he has international experience, 01:07 also God has called him, and used him, and blessed him 01:10 over so many years to preach the Word of God 01:13 with power and with impact. 01:15 And we assure that he is going to do the same today. 01:18 Let me make a commercial just really quick 01:20 if you have not heard him before, 01:22 if you have not heard him in this series, 01:24 then you can get the CDs, the DVDs of these messages. 01:29 I am quite sure that they will be a blessing to you. 01:32 The title of this particular presentation 01:34 is called "Better than I Believe". 01:37 And we know that God is going to use pastor in a marked 01:40 and mighty way as He has done so many, many times before. 01:44 And so we ask you to prepare yourself, 01:46 prepare your heart, prepare your mind, 01:47 grab your Bible, grab your pencil, 01:49 grab your computer, grab your iPad, your iPhone, 01:51 anything to take notes or to follow along with him 01:54 because you will be led in a study of the Word of God. 01:57 And I'm quite sure you'll be blessed. 01:59 Our music ministry has come to us 02:01 over these last several sittings together 02:03 from Chavvah Lister, 02:05 beautiful person with a beautiful voice, 02:07 who has lifted us up to heaven with the gift 02:11 that God has given to her, 02:12 and the talent that she now returns to Him. 02:15 We're going to pray, and then we will hear 02:18 the music ministry of Chavvah Lister, 02:20 she will be singing "Clean" 02:21 and then the next voice that you'll hear 02:23 will be that of our pastor, our friend, our preacher, 02:26 the one called to lift up the name of Jesus, 02:28 Pastor Furman F. Fordham II. 02:31 I need to mention, he is the husband 02:33 of one wife Jennifer 02:35 and the father of three strapping boys. 02:38 So he is a busy man along with his pastoral duties. 02:41 His duties on the home front keep him quite occupied 02:44 and yet he has been asked of God to do all 02:47 and to do all well. 02:48 And we thank God for the blessing on his life. 02:50 Shall we pray? 02:51 Father God, it is with pleasure that we come to You just now, 02:56 asking for an anointing, a blessing, 03:00 the presence and power of Your Holy Spirit 03:02 on the man of God who has been selected 03:05 to lift up the name of Jesus just now. 03:07 We ask You to use him in a marked and mighty way, 03:12 may he be a conduit for Your blessings to us 03:17 and as we sit, as we listen, as we contemplate 03:20 may we see Jesus a new, 03:22 may we be led to take one more step along that road 03:25 that leads to glory, but more than that 03:27 may we again grasp the hand of the Master 03:32 and dedicate never to let go. 03:35 Bless the music ministry. 03:37 Bless the preached word. 03:39 And may we sit even for a little while 03:42 in heavenly places. 03:44 And we thank You dear Father, for Your promise to hear 03:47 and answer the prayer of faith in Jesus name, amen and amen. 04:03 I see shattered 04:08 You see whole 04:13 I see broken 04:16 But You see beautiful 04:22 And You're helping me to believe 04:32 That You're restoring me 04:36 Piece by piece 04:41 There's nothing too dirty 04:46 That You can't make worthy 04:51 You wash me in mercy 04:56 I am clean 05:00 There's nothing too dirty 05:05 That You can't make worthy 05:10 You wash me in mercy 05:16 I am clean 05:25 What was dead now 05:30 Lives again 05:35 My heart's beating 05:39 Beating inside my chest 05:45 Oh, I'm coming alive with joy and destiny 05:55 'Cause You're restoring me 05:59 Piece by piece 06:04 There's nothing too dirty 06:08 That You can't make worthy 06:13 You wash me in mercy 06:19 Now I am clean Oh, yeah 06:23 There's nothing too dirty 06:28 That You can't make worthy 06:33 You wash me in mercy 06:38 I am clean 06:49 Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice 06:54 Your blood flowed red and it made me white 06:59 My dirty rags are purified 07:03 I am clean 07:08 Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice 07:13 Your blood flowed red and it made me white 07:18 My dirty rags are purified 07:22 Now I am clean I am clean 07:28 Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice 07:33 Your blood flowed red and it made me white 07:38 My dirty rags are purified 07:42 Now I am clean Yeah 07:46 Oh, I am clean 07:51 Oh, I am clean 07:55 Oh, You make me 07:59 Oh, You wash me clean 08:07 Now I am clean 08:09 Oh, yeah 08:12 You make me clean 08:28 Isn't that good news? 08:30 I'm clean. 08:32 Praise the Lord for the good news 08:34 of the gospel, there's nothing too dirty 08:39 that you can't make worthy. 08:43 You wash me in mercy, I'm clean. 08:47 We appreciate Chavvah Lister for sharing the good news 08:51 of the gospel in song. 08:53 And thank you Pastor Murray once again 08:56 for your introduction. 08:57 It has been a joy to share these last three presentations 09:04 with the Dare to Dream family 09:07 for the Foundation of our Faith program. 09:11 And I am looking forward to this last presentation, 09:16 hopeful that we are seeing that the love of God 09:21 as communicated in Christ Jesus on the cross 09:25 is indeed the foundation of our faith. 09:29 During our first sermon that we entitled this gospel, 09:35 we emphasized that Jesus paid our penalty 09:41 that He provided our righteousness. 09:44 And that He promises us everlasting life now. 09:50 Then in our second presentation we studied the story 09:54 of Nicodemus and learned the A, B, Cs 09:58 that we are to respond to God's gift of everlasting life 10:02 by admitting our need believing His power. 10:07 And then the change that is produced 10:10 by the Holy Spirit takes place and we are born again. 10:15 Then our third message was entitled The Prequel. 10:19 We looked at what happened in the heaven 10:22 before the beginning of planet earth. 10:26 And how Satan and angel wanted to be worshiped as God 10:31 and in an effort to receive that worship 10:34 he discredited God's character, he deceived God's creatures 10:40 into thinking that God was not love. 10:44 But Jesus who Himself is God revealed God's character 10:51 and destroyed the works of the devil 10:53 by showing that God is a God of love. 10:57 And it was shown preeminently 10:59 when Jesus died on the cross for humanity. 11:04 And now we will round out this series 11:08 of gospel presentations with a subject 11:12 that I am entitling "Better than I Believed". 11:18 Better than I Believed, would you pray with me? 11:24 Hover over me Holy Spirit, 11:27 bathe my trembling heart and brow. 11:31 Fill me with Your hallowed presence. 11:34 Come O come and fill me now. 11:38 Fill me now, fill me now only You can fill me now. 11:45 So fill me thy hallowed presence, 11:47 come please come 11:50 and fill us now. 11:54 In the name of Jesus we pray, amen. 11:59 Better than I believed. 12:03 Have you ever expected something to be good 12:10 and imagined that's something being good? 12:16 Have you ever anticipated that thing being good 12:22 and believe that that thing would be good? 12:26 But when you finally experienced it, 12:29 it was worse than you believed. 12:34 I remember my family and I, we went down to Orlando 12:40 for a vacation, 12:42 and we were taking our children to Disney World, 12:46 and wanted them to enjoy Mickey Mouse, and the rides, 12:50 and all that Disney World had to afford. 12:54 And during the Sabbath hours on Saturday, 12:58 our time when we set aside particular time to worship God, 13:03 we thought that we would go to the Holy Land Experience. 13:09 We had heard about this new theme park, 13:12 this Bible theme park. 13:14 This Holy Land Experience and we felt like 13:17 it would be the perfect merge, 13:20 a blend between our Disney World vacation 13:24 and wanting to spend time worshipping God 13:27 on His holy day. 13:28 So we looked forward to taking our children 13:31 and I thought that maybe they might have 13:33 some kind of ride where Jonah would be thrust into an ocean 13:39 and end up swallowed up by a fish 13:41 or maybe they'll have a ride 13:43 where you would be inside of Noah's Ark 13:46 being shakened from one side to the other. 13:49 But when we got to the Holy Land Experience, 13:52 they just had a couple of the little skits 13:56 and a few little kiddy rides. 13:59 And I honestly left quite disappointed, 14:02 it was worse than I believed. 14:06 Now I understand that 14:08 they've added to the Holy Land Experience 14:11 and it's much better than it was before. 14:13 So I encourage you to go and visit. 14:15 I want to put in a plug for 3ABN, Holy Land Experience. 14:20 But I want to also ask you, 14:23 have you ever expected something to be good, 14:28 and imagined that something being good, 14:31 and anticipated that something being good, 14:35 and even believe that that something would be good, 14:39 and then when you experienced it, 14:42 it was better than you believed. 14:48 Now I happen to be one of these brothers 14:51 who took the command to reserve yourself 14:57 for marriage quite seriously. 14:59 So on August 25, 1996, 15:04 when the love of my life said I do. 15:08 And we walked out of that church 15:11 and down the aisle, and into our reception, 15:15 and enjoyed that first meal as Mr. and Mrs. 15:19 And it started dawning on me 15:21 that once this reception is over, 15:24 I get to enjoy the dessert. 15:28 And I have to admit to you 15:32 that when I received that 15:35 which God has ordained it was better than I believed. 15:41 I have been studying the gospel, 15:46 and spending time pondering the gospel, 15:50 and diving into the gospel, and swimming around 15:54 with the gospel. 15:56 And I want to share with you 15:57 that the more that I imagine it, 16:00 and deal with it, and encounter it, 16:03 and experience it, it is even better 16:08 than I believed. 16:11 I want to introduce you to a woman 16:13 whose experience in the gospel was even better 16:18 than she first believed. 16:20 Her story is found in John 8, it begins with verse 2. 16:26 I'm reading in the New King James version 16:29 of the Bible. 16:30 John 8 beginning with 2, it says, 16:34 "Now early in the morning 16:37 He came again into the temple, 16:41 and all the people came to Him, 16:44 and He sat down and taught them. 16:47 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him 16:50 a woman caught in adultery. 16:55 And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 16:59 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, 17:03 in the very act. 17:08 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us 17:11 that such should be stoned. 17:13 But what do you say?' 17:17 This they said, testing Him, 17:19 that they might have something of which 17:21 to accuse Him. 17:23 But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground 17:27 with His finger, as though He did not hear. 17:33 So when they continued asking Him, 17:35 He raised Himself up and said to them, 17:39 "He who is without sin among you, 17:43 let him throw a stone at her first." 17:49 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground." 17:54 Verse 9, "Then those who heard it, 17:57 being convicted by their conscience, 17:59 went out one by one, beginning with the oldest 18:04 even to the last. 18:06 And Jesus was left alone, 18:09 and the woman standing in the midst. 18:14 When Jesus had raised Himself up, 18:17 and saw no one but the woman he said to her, 18:21 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? 18:26 Has no one condemned you?' 18:30 She said, "No one, Lord." 18:34 And Jesus said to her, 18:37 "Neither do I condemn you, 18:42 go and sin no more." 18:47 Her story begins during the time 18:51 of the last of the three great feast 18:57 that would elicit travelers 19:00 from all around the environs of Jerusalem coming back 19:06 so that they might worship in the temple. 19:09 It's the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. 19:13 But this year there's an extra excitement in the air, 19:18 there's a different kind of buzz, 19:22 the excitement is because the word is that Jesus, 19:27 that Galilean preacher who has been healing diseases, 19:33 and casting out demons, and has actually raised one 19:38 from the day that this Jesus has proclaimed Himself 19:43 the Messiah. 19:45 Jesus is actually God and everyone is talking 19:50 about Jesus and discussing Jesus. 19:53 They're either debating Jesus, or denouncing Jesus, 19:58 or defending Jesus, or discussing Jesus. 20:02 But everybody journeying is desperately hoping 20:06 to get a glimpse of Jesus. 20:09 He's the trending topic on every tongue. 20:12 Jesus is a first century rock star. 20:18 But even though Jesus' popularity is at all time high, 20:24 the jealousy and the envy of the scribes and the Pharisees 20:29 is also at an all time high. 20:32 This rise in Jesus' popularity is too much 20:37 for the old regime to stomach. 20:40 And the religious power brokers have decided that 20:44 they must burst Jesus' popularity bubble. 20:48 They have gotten together looking for an opportunity 20:52 to embarrass Him and bust Him. 20:56 And as John 8:6 says 20:59 in the home and Christian study Bible, 21:01 "To trap him in order that 21:04 they might have evidence to accuse Him, 21:07 they interrupt His teaching presentation, 21:10 and bring a lady on stage front and center 21:15 and announce that she was caught in adultery 21:20 in the very act." 21:26 Now I don't desire to be too indelicate 21:31 but they say it 21:33 she was caught in the very act. 21:38 That means that this lady is being presented to Jesus 21:44 in front of the crowd probably uncovered, and unclothed, 21:49 and here she is in middle of the worship service 21:53 being carried by the religious leaders. 21:57 What an unfilling, insensitive, disrespect for practice. 22:02 How dare they parade this woman 22:05 along with her sins and her shame, 22:09 and set her in the midst of the service for everyone 22:13 to stare at her, and gawk at her, 22:16 and glare at her, and scowl at her. 22:20 Where did we get this kind of Christian hazing? 22:24 The practice of publicly meeting out church discipline 22:29 by the hands of uncaring, uncompassionate, 22:33 legalistic religious leaders. 22:36 Well, I'm so glad to say 22:38 we definitely didn't get it from Jesus. 22:42 Thank God that Jesus is the kind of high priest 22:46 who can be touched with the feelings 22:49 of our infirmities. 22:51 He was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. 22:56 So He understands us, and gets us, and feels us, 23:01 and relates to us. 23:03 But yet He would never do anything 23:06 to unnecessarily wound us, or embarrass us, 23:11 or shame us, or humiliate us. 23:16 Even Jesus' rebuked are communicated 23:21 with sensitivity and love. 23:25 As the hymn writer says, "Does Jesus care?" 23:30 When I have tried and failed 23:33 to resist some temptations thrown. 23:38 When for my deep grief there is not relief 23:42 though my tears flow all the night long. 23:46 Oh, yes, He cares. 23:49 I know He cares. 23:51 His heart is touched with my grief. 23:55 When the days are weary and the long night dreary, 24:00 I know my Savior cares. 24:04 Jesus cared. 24:08 And Jesus cares. 24:11 And the scribes and Pharisees knew it. 24:16 So that's exactly what they plan to exploit. 24:21 They were aware of the softer side of Jesus. 24:28 They had heard His version of the gospel 24:32 and knew that Jesus considered nobody too dirty, 24:37 or nobody too filthy, or nobody as being too far away. 24:42 His gift of salvation was freely presented to all. 24:47 And the scribes and Pharisees were sick of it. 24:50 As far as they were concerned, Jesus' gospel lacked substance. 24:55 It was watered down and dumped down, 24:58 it was milky with no meat. 25:00 And it would make the nation flimsy and weak. 25:04 And it was time for everyone to see it for what it was 25:08 a setting aside of the justice and righteousness 25:14 required by the law. 25:18 So what the scribes and Pharisees would do 25:22 is take advantage of Jesus' penchant for grace 25:28 and show how He is brand of the gospel 25:33 failed in upholding God's law. 25:38 So pretending to seek Jesus' wisdom 25:43 and pretending to be interested in His counsel, 25:47 they bring this woman and say, 25:50 "Teacher, we found this woman caught in adultery, 25:55 in the very act." 25:57 Now Moses said in the law that she must be stoned. 26:02 But what do you say? 26:06 They know that Jesus wants to be kind and gracious. 26:13 They know that Jesus wants to extend forgiveness. 26:18 But they also know that He knows 26:21 that the righteousness of God's law 26:24 must be maintained. 26:26 Emphasizing forgiveness 26:29 and mercy alone is insufficient. 26:33 God may be gracious and loving 26:36 but God is also holy and righteous. 26:40 God has to be just. 26:44 Even we as sinners expect God to be just. 26:50 We expect Him to correct some things, 26:54 and fix some things, and legislate some things, 26:58 and respond to some things. 27:00 He says, "Vengeance is mine" saith the Lord, 27:04 and we expect Him to repay, 27:07 to repay all the social injustice, 27:10 and all the economic inequality, 27:13 and all the racial discrimination, 27:16 and all the religious intolerance. 27:19 We expect God to deal with sin and sinners, 27:23 and to establish a kingdom of genuine righteousness. 27:28 We expect God to be just. 27:31 So if Jesus is preaching a gospel of grace, 27:36 it must still maintain the justice, 27:42 and righteousness, and holiness of God's law. 27:48 And this is the precise corner 27:53 into which the scribes and Pharisees 27:57 are attempting to paint Jesus. 28:01 But don't get it twisted, Jesus is immediately aware 28:07 of their pretended religiosity and pharisaical hypocrisy. 28:13 He understands the whole charade 28:16 Moses in the law commanded us that 28:19 such should be stoned. 28:20 If they were that concerned 28:23 with maintaining the Law of Moses, 28:27 then why didn't they do according to how 28:31 the Law of Moses, it commanded them to do. 28:34 In Deuteronomy 22, it says, "If a man happens to meet 28:39 in a town a virgin pledged to be married 28:41 and he sleeps with her, you should take both of them 28:46 to the gate of the town and stone them to death." 28:51 If they are so concerned about the Law of Moses, 28:56 then where's the dude? 29:00 Wouldn't it make sense to bring him too? 29:04 Or who knows, maybe he's already here. 29:09 Maybe he is among the group of the scribes and Pharisees 29:15 that are trying to condemn the woman. 29:18 He could be one of the very ones 29:20 bringing that accusation for all we know. 29:24 Jesus reads this like an old newspaper. 29:27 He knows that the issue is between Him 29:31 and the scribes and the Pharisees. 29:33 And that this particular woman just happened to get caught 29:37 in the line of fire. 29:40 Jesus sees her fear. 29:44 Jesus takes note of her every tear. 29:47 He feels the guilt and the embarrassment, 29:51 and a humiliation, and the shame 29:54 with every fiber of His being Jesus feels her pain, 30:00 but the scribes and Pharisees are correct. 30:06 Jesus can be gracious, 30:10 but He also has to be just. 30:15 So look at what Jesus does. 30:18 The Bible says in John 8:6, "This they say it to trap Him, 30:25 in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him." 30:29 They want to trap Jesus trying to be forgiving, 30:35 and then bust Him and say, "You are not just, 30:39 you are not upholding God's law." 30:42 But Jesus stooped down 30:46 and started writing in the ground 30:50 as if He did not hear them. 30:56 Now scripture does not give us 31:01 a bunch of examples of Jesus' writing. 31:05 Matter of fact, the only time we could say other than this 31:09 might be the writing of the Ten Commandments 31:12 if you understand in 1 Corinthians 10:4 31:17 that Jesus is that angel of the covenant 31:20 who was in the cloud that followed 31:23 the children of Israel along their way 31:25 and Jesus very well may have been the one 31:28 who wrote the Ten Commandment law 31:31 and gave it to Moses. 31:32 But other than this, this with that, 31:35 this would be the only time we find Jesus writing. 31:41 So I have my fair share of nosiness and curiosity, 31:46 I want to know what He wrote. 31:50 The Bible does not tell us, it just says that 31:54 "Jesus stooped down, 31:57 wrote on the ground with His finger 32:01 as though He did not hear." 32:02 And then it says that the scribes and the Pharisees 32:07 kept approaching Him and talking to Him 32:10 and Jesus kept writing, 32:13 then it says that He stood back up. 32:19 And said, "He who is without sin among you, 32:25 let him cast a stone at her first." 32:31 Then He stooped back down and continued His writing. 32:37 And then the Bible says, "Those who heard it, 32:41 being convicted by their conscience, 32:44 went out one by one, 32:47 beginning with the oldest even to the least." 32:52 Now remember, these are the scribes and the Pharisees. 32:58 These are the kinds of individuals 33:01 who prided themselves on their righteousness. 33:05 If somebody said, "He who is without sin among you, 33:10 let him cast a stone at her first." 33:12 These are the kind of individuals 33:14 who would step forward and say, "I am without sin." 33:18 They prided themselves on their righteousness. 33:22 And yet the Bible is saying, 33:25 "That they left from the oldest to the youngest." 33:30 I am believing that they did not leave 33:33 because they heard Jesus say, "He who is without sin 33:37 let him cast the stone at her first." 33:40 I believe they left because they imagined the onlookers 33:45 hearing Jesus read what He wrote. 33:49 It is possible even probable that Jesus is writing the sins 33:55 of these very accusers of the woman, 33:58 and they are willing to have the woman sins 34:02 publicly presented for all the world to see, 34:06 but the horror if Jesus publicly presents theirs, 34:11 so they dropped their stones 34:14 and from the oldest to the youngest 34:18 they say we got to go. 34:22 And now Jesus 34:27 and the woman 34:30 are the only ones remaining. 34:35 And when Jesus raised Himself up 34:40 and saw no one but the woman. 34:44 He said to her, "Woman, 34:48 where are those accusers of yours? 34:53 Has no one condemned you?" 34:58 When the four men first heard Jesus say, 35:02 "He who is without sin, 35:05 let him cast a stone at her first." 35:12 She was expecting to receive stones. 35:17 She knew that she was guilty, 35:19 and she knew the demands of the law, 35:23 and she expected her accusers 35:26 to start pummeling her with stones, 35:29 but when she hears the voice of Jesus, 35:33 she raises up and amazingly, miraculously 35:38 all of her accusers are gone. 35:43 She releases a huge sigh of relief, 35:49 but then it dawns on her everybody is not gone, 35:56 Jesus is still there. 36:00 And didn't He say, 36:02 "He who is without sin among you, 36:08 let him cast a stone at her first." 36:13 The Bible says that, "All have sinned 36:16 and fallen short of the glory of God." 36:19 And there is none righteous, no not one, 36:23 but that is excepting one, the Holy one, 36:28 Jesus is the one who said, 36:31 "Who among you can convict you of sin?" 36:34 In John 14:30, He would say, 36:37 "The prince of this world cometh, 36:40 and he has nothing in me." 36:43 There is only one being in all of human history 36:49 who could legitimately fulfill, 36:52 Jesus is criteria who is without sin 36:56 and could cast a stone first. 36:59 Jesus is the only one who could cast a stone 37:04 and Jesus is the only one standing with the woman. 37:09 What if Jesus picks up a stone? 37:18 The truth is, 37:22 Jesus not only could pick up a stone, 37:26 Jesus should pick up a stone. 37:30 Don't forget the woman did sin 37:36 regardless of how it happened 37:38 and how it was handled, she is still guilty as charged. 37:44 God gave her life and her body temple 37:48 and she has used it as a harlot, 37:51 she deserves to die. 37:54 The wage of sin is death. 37:57 She has broken God's holy law, 38:00 she is part and parcel of the sin problem. 38:04 She is one of the reasons there is so much wickedness, 38:08 and decadence, and selfishness, and crime. 38:11 She is contributing to heartache, and headache, 38:15 and broken homes, and children living with divorce, 38:19 and sexually transmitted disease, and marital distrust, 38:24 and theft, and violence, and murder, 38:27 she is immoral, impure, and totally unrighteous. 38:32 She deserves death, eternal death. 38:36 The truth is Jesus could pick up a stone 38:41 and Jesus should pick up a stone. 38:47 He's supposed to do this. 38:51 I mean, if Jesus doesn't pick up a stone 38:55 and execute justice, who will? 39:00 If Jesus lets this woman go scot free, 39:04 then will have adultery and fornication 39:07 running rampant all over the place. 39:11 Jesus is supposed to pick up a stone 39:16 because God is just. 39:21 But if Jesus picks up a stone, 39:25 He wouldn't be gracious, 39:28 and God is also gracious. 39:33 We don't just need God to be just, 39:38 we also need God to be gracious. 39:43 So the question is, 39:46 can He simultaneously be both? 39:52 Jesus asked the woman, 39:55 "Woman, where are your accusers? 40:00 Has anyone condemned you?" 40:02 And she says, "No one, Lord." 40:07 As if to say, "No one, but will you, Lord?" 40:13 Even she knows that Jesus could, 40:17 even she knows that Jesus should. 40:20 But then Jesus says, 40:24 "Neither do I condemn you. 40:28 Go and sin no more." 40:34 Now even though this is a lovely 40:41 wonderful kind of ending, 40:45 I've got to ask a question about Jesus. 40:50 I mean, I appreciate the fact that He's merciful, 40:53 and forgiving, and gracious, 40:55 but what happened to Jesus being just. 40:59 I don't wanna give you the impression 41:01 that I'm voting for the woman's execution, 41:04 but I thought that Jesus 41:06 was supposed to execute justice. 41:10 Did Jesus just make an ex cathedra ruling 41:14 and decide to do away with His law. 41:17 Did Jesus get scared and feel like 41:20 He could not implement justice? 41:23 Did Jesus make a decision 41:25 that it was too much for Him to handle? 41:28 Why did Jesus say, "Neither do I condemn you. 41:34 Go and sin no more." 41:37 Did He do away 41:40 with the demands of the law? 41:45 The answer to what happened 41:49 is the gospel happened. 41:53 Jesus said, 41:56 "Neither do I condemn you," 42:00 because instead of condemning her, 42:05 He chose to condemn Himself. 42:10 I need you to understand 42:12 what is happening in this story. 42:16 Jesus says, "Neither do I condemn you," 42:20 because instead of condemning her, 42:23 Jesus chose to condemn Himself 42:27 rather than justly condemning us for our sins, 42:32 Jesus Christ chose to willingly take on our sins 42:39 and condemn Himself instead. 42:42 And this is so that He could be just 42:47 and the justifier of those that believe. 42:52 This is the gospel. 42:56 That's why 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, 43:01 "God was in Christ 43:03 reconciling the world unto himself, 43:07 and not counting people's trespasses against them." 43:12 Because God counted 43:15 a trespasses against him. 43:19 The good news of the gospel is that even though 43:24 Jesus should condemn us, could condemn us. 43:28 And all legalism would say that He would condemn us. 43:34 The good news of the gospel 43:36 is not that He discards His law, 43:39 not that He waters down His law, 43:42 not that He does away with His law, 43:45 but He upholds His law by condemning Himself 43:50 for the breaking of His law. 43:53 The good news of the gospel is that 43:57 instead of justly condemning us, 44:03 Jesus willingly chose 44:07 to condemn Himself. 44:11 When the Bible says in Romans 8:3 that, 44:15 "Jesus condemned sin in the flesh." 44:18 He didn't just proclaim the sin in humanity to be condemned, 44:24 He didn't just decree it and declare it. 44:28 He became human flesh 44:30 and then condemned and killed Himself. 44:36 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 44:39 He, God made Him Jesus 44:44 to be sin for us, 44:47 to be sin instead of us 44:52 that we might become 44:54 the righteousness of God in Him. 44:57 That's why Moses in the wilderness 45:01 did not put a star or a crown 45:04 on top of that brass pole, 45:07 he put a serpent to symbolize 45:10 that Jesus became sin for us. 45:16 The good news of the gospel is that 45:21 God in Christ 45:25 became sin for us. 45:30 And rather than condemning us, 45:33 He willingly chose 45:36 to condemn Himself. 45:40 But remember, 45:43 the title of our message is 45:48 "Better than I Believed". 45:53 I want to share with you that 45:56 the gospel gets even better. 46:01 It's not just that Jesus condemned Himself 46:08 instead of condemning this woman, 46:12 Jesus condemned Himself 46:16 instead of condemning this woman 46:19 and she didn't even confess. 46:26 You look all throughout the story, 46:30 you will not find this woman confessing. 46:37 There are theologians and commentators 46:40 who have written their thoughts on this subject 46:44 and one that I appreciate the most, 46:47 the writer of Desire of Ages suggests that 46:50 the woman went on after Jesus forgave her 46:56 to confess her sins and to live a life of godliness, 47:01 but she definitely according to John 8 47:05 did not confess first, and isn't that consistent 47:11 with what the Bible says in Romans 2:7, 47:16 "It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. 47:23 It is not that we come to God with our confession 47:30 in an effort to get Him to forgive us, 47:34 and to agree to be with us." 47:36 But in Romans 2 not verse 7, but verse 4, 47:41 "It says the goodness of God, that's the grace of God, 47:46 that's the love of God." 47:49 The love of God presented to us in Christ Jesus 47:54 that is what prompts us to confess. 47:58 The gospel is that Jesus forgave us 48:03 not condemning us but condemning Himself 48:08 even before we confess. 48:14 See, one of the most powerful but little known aspects 48:18 of the good news of the gospel is that 48:21 it begins with God and not us. 48:28 Too frequently our interpretation of the gospel 48:31 is that we must present some righteousness, 48:35 we must present some holiness, 48:38 we must prove to God that we should be loved, 48:42 that we should be accepted, that we should be forgiven, 48:46 but the gospel is better than we believe. 48:51 Even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 48:58 Our confession does not create or elicit 49:04 or light a loving response in God. 49:08 No, God's love 49:11 lights a loving response in us. 49:16 The good news of the gospel is far better 49:22 than most of us have ever believed. 49:28 There is a first step forgiveness, 49:34 a first phase forgiveness that Christ gave to this woman 49:41 and that Christ gives to us when He condemned Himself 49:46 instead of condemning her that had nothing to do 49:52 with her confession. 49:55 The Old Testament sanctuary taught that very thought, 50:01 that first phase forgiveness, that first step forgiveness 50:07 that has nothing to do with our confession. 50:12 Oh, yes, the sanctuary system was replete with people 50:16 bringing offerings and placing their hands over the head 50:21 of the offering and confessing their sin 50:24 and then taking a knife and slaying that offering 50:29 as a prophetic understanding that the Lamb of God would come 50:35 and take away their sins. 50:37 Yes, over and over again people confess their sins 50:42 and then they received the sacrificial forgiveness 50:47 given through the Lamb of God. 50:51 But that was the second thing that happened in the temple. 50:57 Earlier that morning and later, the evening before, 51:03 there was a morning and evening sacrifice 51:10 that the priest brought that no one confessed over. 51:16 And it was provided for the entire nation 51:21 and it had nothing to do with their confession 51:26 because Jesus our High Priest willingly chose 51:32 to condemn Himself rather than condemning us 51:37 even before we confess. 51:40 Our confession does not produce 51:45 a forgiving heart in God. 51:48 God's loving, forgiving, 51:52 gracious, merciful heart 51:57 produces a confessing repenting action in us, 52:04 that is the gospel. 52:09 Some would point to 1 John 1:9 and say, 52:15 "But preacher, the Bible says, 'If we confess our sins, 52:20 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 52:23 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'" 52:25 It seems to suggest that if we confess our sins first, 52:30 then He will forgive us of our sins, 52:34 but that is describing the second phase, 52:38 the second step in forgiveness. 52:41 The Greek word behind the word confess 52:45 in 1 John 1:9 is apo hiemi. 52:51 It is derived from two root words 52:54 apo meaning from, and hiemi meaning send away, 52:59 making its literal meaning to send away from. 53:04 It's used when Jesus sends away the multitude. 53:08 It's used in 1 Corinthians 7:11, 53:11 when a husband divorces or sends away his wife. 53:15 This type of forgiveness, this second phase forgiveness 53:20 is communicated to understand 53:24 what we would call sanctification, 53:27 whereas we continue to admit and acknowledge our sins, 53:31 continue to confess our desire to be separated from our sins, 53:38 continue to confess our sins 53:41 and request that our sins be removed 53:44 and separated from us. 53:46 Christ cleanses us through the mediatorial work 53:50 of our high priest, and He forgives us, 53:54 and cleanses us and separates that sin from us 53:59 and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 54:02 But the original first phase forgiveness 54:06 or the first word forgiveness is what Jesus gave this woman 54:11 caught in adultery when He condemned Himself 54:15 instead of condemning us. 54:17 The first phase forgiveness or the first word forgiveness 54:22 is best understood by the Greek word charizomai. 54:27 It comes from the Greek word karis which means grace. 54:31 The verb means to bestow unconditionally, 54:36 to give graciously, to grant forgiveness 54:39 or pardon freely. 54:41 It shows up in Jesus' parable to Simon the leper in Luke 7. 54:47 You remember that there were these debtors 54:50 who owed their master money. 54:52 You had one who owed 500 denarii 54:56 and the other owed 50. 54:58 And the banker just freely forgave them both. 55:04 It wasn't dependent upon their confession. 55:07 It was simply given 55:10 from the gracious heart of the master. 55:12 He charizomaied them. 55:16 It's also found in Colossians 2:13 and 14, 55:21 and I'm reading, it says, 55:22 "You were dead because of your sins 55:25 and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. 55:29 Then God made you alive with Christ, 55:32 for He forgave all your sins, charizomaied all your sins." 55:38 Remember, this is when you were dead, 55:41 had no spiritual inclination, 55:44 this is not after you were convicted and confessed, 55:48 this was while you were still dead. 55:51 And God made you alive in Christ 55:54 and forgave all your sins. 55:56 He cancelled the record of the charges against us 56:00 and took it away from us nailing it to the cross, 56:04 while we were yet sinners. 56:07 Romans 5:6-8, 56:11 God demonstrated His love for us 56:15 by choosing to condemn Himself rather than condemning us. 56:21 The good news of the gospel 56:24 is better than we believe. 56:28 God's loving action predates our action. 56:35 God's original first calls forgiveness 56:39 predates our confession, 56:42 and God did it simply 56:45 because He loves us. 56:49 The good news of the gospel is not that 56:52 you must convince God to love you, 56:57 God already loves you. 57:01 The good news of the gospel is that 57:04 a God who already loves you 57:07 is trying to convince you to love Him too. 57:13 It's better than we believed. 57:18 And my question to you is, 57:21 will you respond and love this God 57:26 who loved you first? |
Revised 2017-10-19