Wayne's World...(23Jan08)

Why Jesus came…

Please will you turn to John 8..

Why did Jesus come?

What was his purpose. What on earth was the Father thinking when he sent Jesus to us?

Were going to look at a few scriptures and pull out a few common veins of truth from each passage.

John

Chapter 8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

There are a few things I would like to pull out here.

The context is a lady caught in adultery. Now the law required more than just compromising evidence to prove adultery, but actual eye witness. She had literally been caught in adultery. The pharacees were trying to trick Jesus here. They were saying that the law required her to be stoned. The Romans did not allow Jews to stone people to death. If Jesus allowed the stoning, he would be breaking the Roman law, and would incur wrath from the Romans. If he denied her stoning, he was showing that he had no regard for the Hebrew law.

Here are a few thoughts for you…This is a powerful truth. This shows exactly how the devil operates still today. He gets behind the law to accuse us. Here the teachers of the law quote the law in her accusation. The devil quotes the law in his accusation to us. Here are a few facts.

The requirement of the law was the execution of both parties? (lev 20), so where was the man?

Also the method of execution was not prescribed!

So here we have accusation seemingly based on the law. The devil loves to get behind laws. He operates on our ignorance, he brings accusations. Unfair accusations, distorted accusations. He wants to constantly separate us from God through feelings of un-worthiness and failure. He will lie to you and try any trick to humiliate you and bring shame on you. Don't fall for it friends, be aware of his schemes.

BUT watch how Jesus deals with this.

He simply says, if you have no fault then kill her. They all were sinners and walked away.

The fact is that we are all sinners.

Then the amazing words… "then neither do I condemn you"

Amazing, Jesus savior of the world, come down from perfect holiness with the Father, with a woman caught having sex with another man besides her husband. He passes no judgment on her, neither does he condemn her.

This is how Jesus treats us. Even when we mess up, and make mistakes, he still loves, accepts us and does not condemn us.

Then he says "go and leave your life of sin".

Jesus did not condone what she did, it was clearly wrong, he simply did not judge her for it.

Then I believe Titus would be real for her.

Titus 2v11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good

Is it not His love that has captured us?

Is it not His great kindness towards us that has softened our hearts and lead us to serve and obey Him more than ever?

In our wickedness, He loved us, while we were sinners, He called us. Is it not His Grace that transforms us?

Just incase you think this is some really crazy, unbiblical teaching turn to Romans 8:1

What does it say?

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

This is how Gods grace works. It's not based on what we've done or on what we deserve, but based on His love for us, and what He has done for us.

Here we have law teaches and pharacees, but His love is for the sinner.

John 3v16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Jesus came to save us. Not to condemn us.

What he requires of us is belief.

John 1v12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-- 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

What Jesus really wants from us is our belief in Him. It's from there that we become children of god, from believing.

Chapter 19v1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.'" 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Another account of Jesus unconditional acceptance of a sinner. This so impacts Zacheous that he decides to do all sorts of things for Jesus.

Why had Jesus told him to do these things? NO

Did Jesus get behind the law and condemn Zach? No.

Would Jesus treat him differently coz he did these things?NO

So what happened. Jesus love and acceptance broke through, and as a result, Zach was instantly changed. Jesus said today salvation has come. Salvation comes through a revalation of Gods love for us, and it changes us forever. His morals, his ethics, his practices, his dealing with the world were all changed. How? Through the presence and love of Jesus…that's what changes us. Jesus love and his presence.

What is going on here? Jesus with adulterers, Jesus with tax collectors, with sinners.

Why did Jesus come to earth? He came to seek and save what was lost…not so much the lost, but what was lost?

The glorious freedom of being loved and accepted by God. Intimacy with God. Boldness to walk and talk with God in the cool of the day, as Adam and Eve did.

There are countless accounts in the bible where God chooses to show his mercy instead of wrath. Love instead of Judgment. He loves us, and he loves you.

It's from this place that we can confidently approach the throne room of grace, that we can love and enjoy God. That we can swim in the river of his love and his presence. Let the love of God reign in you hearts, believe in his great promises, and experience the power and glory of his presence.