I Love My Church – 4
Subject – Living Out that I Love My Church
by Rick Welborne
John 8:1-11 (NKJV)
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 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.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
6 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.
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."
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
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.
10 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?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 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.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
6 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.
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."
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
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.
10 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?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
--I want to thank everyone who came to “I love My Church” Sunday! I have dreamed of that day for a long time and I am thankful to all of you who made the effort to be here. Next year we will not choose spring break.
--I have prayed much about this service today and I have really wanted to say exactly what God wants me to say. I hope all of you have pulled in your barbs and learned how to dance the Porcupine Dance!
--We talked the first Sunday of this series how we are all broken people in need of a Savior and we spoke of the illusion of finding a local church that will be everything we expect it to be.
Bonhoeffer - Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.
Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
--As broken as we are God has chosen this Christian Community to be a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. What a miracle that this idea of a Christian community can even work.
Key - Jesus is the cornerstone of this community of broken, strange, weird bunch of misfits and to criticize the community is to insult the Christ Who built it.
--The second week we talked about the idea that there is no pain like the pain of loneliness. It is so strange that with so many ways of connecting, people are lonelier now than ever. Depression and anxiety are rampant.
Ortberg - I believe that if you had to sum up in a single word what God is up to, what His goal is in creating the universe and the persons who inhabit it, that word would be community.
--We looked at how God has been experiencing this idea of community within the Trinity and He is welcoming us into that inclusive circle with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Listen to Jesus:
John 17:21-23 (NLT)
21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.
23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
--Last week Pastor Juan led us in prayer and he kept emphasizing that this community of God, this local church is God’s House…there is healing, deliverance, and miracles in His House.
Hebrews 10:21-25 (NCV)
21 And since we have a great priest over God’s house,
22 let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.
24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.
21 And since we have a great priest over God’s house,
22 let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.
24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.
--Today, let’s continue this series of I Love My Church dealing with this idea of community.
1. The Christian Community and the Humane Society.
--On Nantucket Island there is a museum dedicated to an organization formed centuries ago. Sea travel was so dangerous then and because of the storms in the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts, many lives were lost.
--Because so many lives were being lost along a mile stretch or so, a group of volunteers decide to get into the lifesaving business. They banded together to form what was called the Humane Society.
--People built little huts along the shore where people were perishing and people watched the sea at all times.
They didn’t do it for money or recognition but because they prized human life. Listen to their motto:
Humane Society Motto – You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.
--That doesn’t sound very catchy but it was. The stories and accounts of people who would risk everything, even their lives, to save people they didn’t know. Sounds a lot like missions.
--Over time, things began to change. The US Coast Guard began to take over the task of rescue. For a while the USCG and the Humane Society worked side by side.
--Eventually the idea that carried the day was, “Let the professionals do it. They’re better trained and they get paid to do it.” Volunteers stopped manning the huts and going out searching for those lost in the sea.
--A strange thing happened, they could not bring themselves to disband. The life-saving society still exists today. The members get together, have a dinner, and reminisce of the good old days. They enjoy each other.
--They’re just not in life-saving business. Listen, you and I were made to be in the Life Saving business. We are not to abandon our huts when people are shipwrecked around us every day. People are hurting everywhere.
--We have the ability to offer acceptance, love, and hope to those who may be going through the trials of their lives. So many need acceptances from those of us who seem to be more mature or seem to be blessed now.
Romans 15:5-7 (NIV)
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
2. Jesus, a woman caught in adultery, and the community of God.
--When God began to speak to me about sharing this story with you guys, I told Him I would rather not. He didn’t seem to care what I felt. Question: Why do so many churches produce stone throwers?
--Do yourself a study about Jesus and see which sins upset Him the most…sins of the flesh or sins of the spirit. The NT has many stories of these situations. Sins of the spirit, sins of the flesh, and Jesus combined together.
--There is the story with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus feet, the Pharisee and the tax collector, the prodigal son and his older self-righteous brother. Jesus seemed to side with the sinners of the flesh.
C.S. Lewis – The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing; the pleasures of power and hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes to church regularly may be far nearer to hell than the prostitute.
--People who are guilty of pride and arrogance are so blind. The Pharisees in the above stories were blind to the fact of how much they loved picking up stones to crush those who were hurting. Had no love or mercy.
--Those of us who can say I Love My Church should never be guilty of having people brought to us, or who just show up in their sin, and we either ignore them or we pick up stones. Story of the SS teacher and the smoker.
--If I had my rather, I would rather have people who have been caught in their sins and are broken than to have those who are judgmental, super spiritual, impatient with people, or bitter, leading our church.
--Questions: Who would you be in this story? The guilty caught in your sin, the judgmental picking up stones, or would you be more like Jesus? The truth is we all identify more with the adulteress. Not me, Pastor! Guilty!
--Jesus said that if we look at a woman with lust in our hearts we are guilty of adultery. We identify with her!
Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
3. Go and sin no more.
John 8:10-11 (NKJV)
10 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?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you;
10 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?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you;
--You see; this community should never be a place of stone throwers. Someone came up to me two weeks ago and told me how glad he was he found our church…I really feel accepted here and that people care. Wonderful!
--Jesus says something more to this lady which cuts her to her core but also gives her hope. Go and sin no more! That told her that He knew all about her sin but it also told her that someone believed in her.
--Jesus accepting her into the community of the Trinity is not the same thing as simply tolerating any behavior that is unacceptable to God and His Word. She could not continue in her sin. We often miss this truth.
Ortberg – Accepting another human being does not mean we refuse to confront or challenge that in them which could harm others and damage their souls.
--I love My Church means that everyone is welcome and that everyone will be accepted but it also means that once we enter this beautiful community of God that we should, go and sin no more.
--This woman caught in adultery found forgiveness and acceptance in Christ but she also found something so unbelievably great…a new beginning…a new life…a new future surrounded by family.
Key – Failure to confront, to speak truth in love, can ultimately be as fatal to the growth of the community as being judgmental.
Ortberg – “Go and sin no more.” Jesus’ acceptance is free, undeserved, unmerited—but it is also demanding. For the woman to fully examine her acceptance will require entering into a new way of life. The same grace that liberates her from past sins calls her to walk free of them in the future.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
--If you have found acceptance and love here at Life Church and have found that the community of God is what you have been looking for, do yourself and the community good by doing what Jesus said, Go and sin no more.
--If the woman caught in adultery would have found Jesus’ love and forgiveness, experienced His acceptance, and then, returned to her adultery, she would have mocked the sacrifice Jesus made for her. Bad witness!
--The rock throwers hated Him for defending this woman and they would be back with more hate. Eventually they crucified Jesus for this woman and for all of us.
--We should honor Jesus and the community He died for. Go and sin no more!
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