Accusers & Advocates

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Accusers & Advocates

Good morning and Welcome to Jesus Church – Here and Online

Very excited to start our new series in August

• Series on freedom from things in our lives that cause destruction
  • How the enemy will try and influence us
  • How demons will try and trick you into giving them authority
  • How wounds from your past can hold you back from your future
    • And how to be free from things you know hold you back
• Also doing a midweek class that goes more in depth
  • It will be on Thursday nights and taught by Denise Michaels
  • She has been trained and teaching on this stuff for years
  • So this… I am praying… will be a time of victory for some of you

If you have your Bibles this morning… lets turn to John 8

Jn 8:1-5 (NKJV)

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

• This is going to be an important word for us this morning

  • There is no doubt are accusing this woman

  • But ultimately want they want to do is accuse Jesus

Jn 8:6-9

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. (Jesus is officially ignoring them) 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.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with he oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Jn. 8:10-12

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, (listen to this amazing question) “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, (Listen to the response) “No one, Lord”…

• What’d she call Jesus… LORD (Kyrios – Title given to God – Messiah)

  • So check this out… She is actuallyexercising faith

  • Because this woman just called Jesus the Messiah

  • She went from… YOU KNOW… to calling on the Name of God

… And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Then Jesus spoke to them again (Those around watching this unfold), saying “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

• In light of this story: Woman going from sinning to calling on Savior

1 Jn 2:1-2

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.

Lets point out here the purpose John gives us for these words

• Reason for this letter – To help those reading it stop sinning

  • How many here think sin is bad???

  • Biblical definition for sin in this word – To miss the mark

    • This mark is not set by your mom, dad, pastor, teacher

    • No… that mark is set by God

    • God differentiates b/w what is right and what is wrong

• Bible tells us (Rom. 3:23) that we all have fallen short of God’s glory

  • Meaning… we have all missed the mark… all failed

  • We have every single one of us: SINNED

Sin is the source of all evil/disease/pain & suffering

• • How many would agree we need less sin in our lives

    • You don’t even have to be a Jesus follower to realize

    • If people would stop doing bad things – Life would be better

    • Anyone agree with that this morning

  • John writes this letter to help you stop doing bad things

    • That sounds like something worth reading… right?!

    • What he’s about to say: Give ability & power to stop sinning

And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (HUH…)

• Don’t know about you – Not really what I was expecting

  • I thought it would say by doing these 3 steps…

  • Or stop by telling consequences of actions – Send u to Hell

• Notice John says that what will keep you from doing wrong…

  • IS recognizing even if u do sin

  • We have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the righteous

Verse 2 (wanna hear what verse 2 says)

And He Himself is the propitiation for ours sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (WoW)

So this isn’t just for Jesus Church – But for the whole Phoenix Valley

• What will give u desire to stop sinning > Knowing Jesus is ur advocate

  • This word “Propitiation” – Means He took your place

  • Means – You did wrong, as we all did

• And the Bible says: The wages of sin is death…

  • In other words – To pay price for your sin… you must die

  • And not just physically, but spiritually

    • How do I know: God told Adam & Even – Eat and u will die

    • Did they drop dead? NO

    • But the died spiritually in that moment

      • That spiritual death eventually cause physical death too

Only other way to solve problem – Locate person who had no sin

• So they could pay the price for my sin

  • And that is in fact – Exactly who Jesus is – Its what Jesus does

  • So now when God looks at everyone who believes

    • He no longer sees you

    • He sees the one who took your place – Jesus

    • Jesus pleads ur case that He paid your price

• Bible says THAT is what will empower u to stop sinning

  • Not pointing the finger that someone: Turn or Burn/Flip or Fry

  • That’s not what keeps people from sinning

  • No – that’s just what keeps people from church

• It’s the good new of Jesus that sets people free from sin

  • There were accusers – But Jesus is the advocate

  • It led her to call on the name of her Savior

Title: Accusers & Advocates – [PRAY]

Story

Growing up – Ever have a friend whose parents had odd rules

• Oddest rule was a neighborhood friend of mine

  • Not allowed to have a drink anything with your dinner

  • Which for some of you – Not a big deal

  • For me… it was a deal breaker – Never there for dinner again

• Another friend – Parents made us enter house only by back door

  • We were not allowed to ever use the front door

  • Said it was bad luck

And then I had this friend who had a very important rule in family

• • Over at their house everyday – Led me to church I grew up in

  • They had a rule that they lived by

  • If you were at their house – You lived by it to

    • It came out of Eph. 4:32 (Was above the door to their house)

Eph. 4:32 (NIV)

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

•  Whenever you left the house you had to say

  • I will be kind

  • I will be compassionate

  • I will be forgiving

• My buddies mom had like a radar – About to dart out of the house

  • Hear this voice from no where… what do we do???

    • I will be kind, compassionate, and forgiving

    • I remember deciding: Do I want to enter this house today

    • Because I’ll have to continually recite the mantra

But if I’m honest with myself… It worked didn’t it

• It’s 30 years later and I still remember it

  • Ask am I: Kind, compassionate, forgiving

  • THAT QUESTION is now ingrained into my thought process

• I would like to use that same question on the church today

  • We are Jesus Church – What does that mean…

  • It means: I will be Kind – Compassionate – Forgiving

• In fact lets ask better questions: We’re Xians… what does that mean

  • We’re Kind – Compassionate – Forgiving

  • AND WHAT IF WE REALLY LIVED THAT WAY?!?!

  • What if we were all three of those things

    • Did u know people in our church that need those from us

I believe this is the attitude/spirit we see in Jesus

Jesus asks a very provocative question to this adulterous woman

• He says: Where are your accusers… and we’ve all read many times

  • But here’s how I think it applies to us as a community

  • Where are ur accusers – Not at Jesus Church

  • You won’t find them here… we will not be a church of accusers

    • We are a church of advocates

    • How do we do that: Kind/Compassionate/Forgiving

    • You can’t be those things and stay an accuser

• But we all know its very easy to let attitude of accuser in our lives

  • It’s pretty normal to be an accuser

  • Am I only person whose heard a sermon

    • Immediately applied it to someone else?

• It’s like as soon as I hear it… My friend has to hear this WORD

  • I’m gonna send them the YouTube link right now

  • Tagged with a note that reads: God put this on my heart for u

  • Translation – U got issues & I’m hoping this will open ur eyes

    • B/C if this doesn’t help you – Nothing will

    • So listen to everything that is bad… that’s all you

    • Good luck and your welcome: Aaron

Have you ever felt oddly encouraged by other peoples faults

• I mean here is this person snowballing out of control

  • And somehow we feel better about ourselves b/c of them

  • Thank you God I’m at least not like that guy

• Its just way too easy – Before you know it you find a stone in ur hand

  • And a rock for a heart

  • Attitude of an accuser just finds its way in

And it comes in such a spiritual way sometimes

• “Oh we need to pray for so and so – their marriage is a mess”

  • Did you hear how she was talking to him

  • Well if my husband was that lazy – I’d probably do the same thing

• I’m just gonna pray their marriage can be like my marriage

  • Because our marriage is a picture of what God intended

  • That couple… their kids – Dear Jesus help them… be more like me

• And we got rocks in our hands – And a stone for a heart

  • Not talking about when people actually are praying

  • Its when we “talk” about praying so we can give spiritual license

    • To gossiping about other people

    • Nobody is praying – Nobody is interceding

    • Just lots of talk with no purpose to intercede for change

Its not hard to be an accuser – Most don’t even know it

Because nobody accuses others in some dramatically obvious way

• “I charge you with an offense against God almighty”

  • You have come against everything righteous, Godly and Biblical

  • You are wrong sayith the Lord

• No one does that – Except a few crazies on their street corners

  • So its easy to think: That’s not me – I don’t do that

  • But it’s in our attitude… that look… that passive/aggressive post

And what’s so interesting about Jn 8… These Pharisees are actually right

• Quotations of law are perfect (By the law: woman should be stoned)

  • They are absolutely right

  • They are SO RIGHT… and SO WRONG

• Ever met a Xian like that – Ever been a Xian like that

  • You are so right: I just think that is wrong – B/C Bible says so

    • I’ve got 10 scriptures to back me up

    • And you are so right… but you’re so wrong

That’s the scary thing – Religion can be 100% right – And still be wrong

• And you are Righteous/Sanctified/Holy – And they are heathens

  • But before we stamp this as a message for that friend/relative

  • Glad that I don’t have to worry about being an accuser

  • If all honest – We’ve all had rock or two in hand at some point

Lets look at Jesus in this story – Attitude/Heart/Spirit

It shows us how to not live as an ACCUSER – but an ADVOCATE

• • Accuser: Means to charge someone with an offense

  • Advocate: Intercedes/consoles/comforts/encourages/defends

Lets be on same page here: Woman Jesus defends in story is a bad person

• We get these stories from Bible and we romanticize them

  • Paint pharisees as the real bad guys

  • Paint this lady as a victim… but she’s not

    • She’s a home wrecker

    • She could care less about who her actions effect

• This lady is sleeping w/ someone else’s husband – Doesn’t even care

  • She is wrecking someone else’s life and maybe family

  • Devastating someone else’s children – and enjoying it

    • That’s the type of woman Jesus is defending

    • And these are type of people living in our city

• Wonder how Jesus would relate to lost/broken/hurting in Phoenix

  • We don’t have to wonder – Answer is clear in scripture

Notice they bring this woman before Jesus – Religion is so weird

• They said: Jesus, this woman was caught in adultery

  • Like they are proud of it – We caught her in the very act

  • Somebody in this story needs to raise their hand

    • Be called on by Jesus and say what everyone is thinking

    • “That is weird to specify”

• Here’s what I want to know… First where’s the guy???

  • And then how did you find her

    • Do u have a GPS on all desperate housewives in Israel

      • I mean this was a calculated plan to trap Jesus

      • So my guess is they followed her… waited for the “act”

      • I mean who’s got more issues here

• But that’s what I mean – Religion so blinds us to our own issues

  • We become are so obsessed with accusing others

  • When in our own accusation we condemn ourselves

Notice 3 things in this story

Look at Jesus given this moral dilemma

• First: They quote the law at Him – Demand an answer from Him

  • Notice He says nothing (Gives silent treatment)

    • Tells me: Spirit of an advocate is slow to speak

    • Not just talking off top of head – Opinions on everything we hear

• In a multitude of words you will not represent Jesus well

  • • Advocates are not in love w/ opinions – in love w/ Jesus

    • So shut your mouth and listen to God

Col. 4:6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

• Have you noticed many Christians speak with Salt… seasoned w/ grace

  • Most of our speech is a pile of salt – Dab of grace

    • That is wrong – contrary to scripture – You’re gonna go to hell

    • Unless u put faith in Jesus… and He’ll love you

• Speech FULL of salt – With a dab of grace
  • Yet scriptures say – Be FULL of grace – With a salt

  • We will call sin what is in: Sin is Sin and wrong is wrong

    • But we have to be full of compassion and mercy and grace

    • In other words: Kind, Compassionate, Forgiving

• Jesus did not have loose lips – He is silent and slow to speak

  • Jesus: Help us be slow to speak

  • When confronted with moral dilemmas and theological questions

    • We live in such a fallen culture – Careful in our response

• I long that we as advocates would be: Slow to speak – Quick to pray

  • That’s the beauty of who we are

  • We might not have all the answers

• But we will pray to the one who does

  • You can come and seek an answer for your situation

  • We will pray for you – Ask God for wisdom/discernment

  • Because I can’t fix you… but Jesus can

    • Heart of an advocate – Pray always before you say

Spirit of an advocate has the ability to make everything level

• Even physical posture of Jesus preaches grace to us

  • Jesus posture in this story is mostly down in the dirt

  • While sinful, religious men stand tall w/ rocks in their hands

• These postures even demonstrate attitude of accuser & advocate

  • Don’t need churches standing tall with arrogance – rocks in hand

  • We need churches down in the dirt – caring for the fallen/broken

  • Because they need the love of God

• This is the good news because Jesus puts us all in the same place

  • For all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God

  • And Jesus turns between the standing men – fallen woman

  • Says if any of you are without sin then you can kill this woman

    • And with conviction… they all leave

• And there is good news even if you ARE an accuser

  • Good news if you came with pockets full of rocks

  • There is hope for you – Because these men heard from God

    • Dropped their rocks and walked off

    • So I’m not giving up on those who throw rocks

    • And I’m not here to throw rocks at people that throw rocks

• But Jesus will always level the playing field

  • Tells these self righteous men – UR no different than this woman

  • Yet like these men we live based on levels of “Lostness”

• Look at what they do – Movies they like – Language they use

  • They are SUPER lost

  • There are never levels of lostness in the Bible

  • There are TWO categories: LOST & FOUND

TAG: Church in dirt is kind of church I want to pastor – Level playing field

Spirit of advocate not worry of guilt by association

• Jesus is not worried about what people might say

  • What is Jesus doing defending this prostitute/home wrecker

  • And immediately they think guilt by association

• And Jesus prays in Jn 17 about this very attitude and mentality

  • Attitude that says I can’t associate with them… might get dirty

  • Yet we were all filthy before Jesus washed us clean

Jesus: Father as u sent me into the world, I also send them into world

Jn 17:15

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You

should keep them from the evil one.

When chaos happens and we see danger – Most run from it

• We need to be the people who run towards it

  • The church cant run from the messes

  • We have to run towards the broken/messed up/hurting

• We don’t turn our backs

  • We get down where they are at

  • That’s the spirit of our Advocate the SAVIOR

• What if the church just ran towards the broken… those who hurt us

  • If we all just had the heart of an advocate

  • Attitudes towards hurting/lost/broken people

    • Of love, encouragement, grace and patience

At the end of the story – Jesus says to sinful woman

• NOW GO and sin no more

  • Why could he say that – She just encountered grace

  • So now she could live the life she could only dream of

    • Because it is GRACE of God that sets people free

• Go and sin no more – Lets live like Jesus

  • Where are your accusers

    • Not in my family

    • Not in our church

    • Not in these people

      • That is not who we are or what we do

We are gonna live like advocates – Not accusers in Phoenix

• You will see lives transformed by the Grace of God

[PRAY]