 Just a picture of his condescension how low right how low the Lord of glory stooped to save sinners But in verse 2 we see early in the morning. He's wasting no time Wasting no time. He's about his father's business. He is diligent He's earnest this demonstrates a servant's heart, but early in the morning he rose He came again into the temple and all the people came to him and he sat down and he taught them Just the power of his teaching here draws a crowd Doesn't mention here that he performed any miracles He simply went into the temple and taught and the people again listening to the Lord Jesus Christ preach as No one else could and no one else ever has One speaking with authority not the words of a mere man, but direct revelation from Almighty God Jesus is preaching and the people just gather to him his teaching draws a crowd and the Lord again in his condescension Just graciously teaches them he sits in the temple and teaches them That morning though as he's teaching in the temple the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to him They brought a woman to him and interrupt his teaching and we see in verses 3 through 5 the accused the accused verse 3 says this 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 and the law commanded us that such should be stoned, but what do you say? So now the issue before him in the temple now Is an issue of the law They bring before him an issue of the law the woman stands accused in the midst of her accusers The emphasis here in verses 3 through 5 is that she was caught in the very act The word is katalambana for you greek guys. It means seized Lay to hold of she was literally seized In the very act That means in conjunction with their law their judicial process that they had the witnesses necessary to put her to death She was seized in the act the jews at this time very judicious And we read the scripture sometimes we miss this they were very judicious about their legal procedure very precise Contrary to what we see at the kangaroo court where christ was tried Ordinarily aside from that they were very judicious about their legal procedure And so to put someone to death the burden of proof was very high From extra biblical writings in the first century We know that the the two the witnesses the two or three witnesses must have been eyewitnesses to the very act They couldn't disagree at all on their testimony and they had to Explain things exactly the same and witness the act itself in order for them to put her to death There's an account in an apocryphal book susanna about a woman who was Falsely accused of adultery and she was acquitted of the adultery because the two witnesses in the case Couldn't agree on the kind of tree that the act was said to have taken place under it So that was the burden of proof that was necessary for those witnesses in order to put this woman to death, okay And there's no law there's no doubt what the law says about this act No doubt what the law says about this sin a leviticus chapter 20 verse 10 listen to this The man who commits adultery with another man's wife He who commits adultery with his neighbor wife neighbor's wife The adulterer and the adulterous shall surely be put to death That's in leviticus. That's the law of god listen to deuteronomy chapter 22 verse 22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband Then both of them shall die The man that lay with the woman and the woman so you shall put away the evil from israel So now in reference to verse five that moses and the law commanded that such should be stoned Neither passage actually mentions that the woman should be stoned to death, right But in deuteronomy chapter 22 the very next verse chapter 23 Or verse 23 It actually says that an adulteress who's betrothed or engaged to a man if she's caught in adultery should be stoned to death But ordinarily when death is prescribed for sin in the bible it usually involves stoning That's confirmed for us by the prophets often that meant take them out and stone them to death So it's not a stretch what's being said here by the Pharisees Now considering all of that we have an issue a problem of law We know what the woman has done the Pharisees have brought her in she stands accused in the midst of her accusers And we know what the law of god clearly says is the punishment or the penalty for this sin What might be from our reading what might be an obvious question you might ask at this point Where's the man? Where's the man? Where's he they brought the woman forward? She's standing there accused. Where's the guy? Adultery takes two here and if they were caught in the act, okay If they were caught in the act these witnesses Witnessed the act and they caught they seized they laid hold of her And where is the man asking that question of our setting here begins to pull on a thread so to speak That is going to uncover great Wickedness on the part of these Pharisees on the part of these scribes It is a great travesty what they're doing here They witnessed the act and yet they did not bring the man in her in there with her according to the law of god The law of god clearly says this now at the very least think about it for a moment At the very least they let the guy go And he abandons her to die At the very least that's what happened At the very worst it was a setup And they wanted to entrap this woman and the man was in on it Either way either way It shows contempt for the woman It shows contempt for the law of god and here they are in the temple showing contempt for the lord jesus christ, right? It's a hypocritical double standard and listen. That's not all They actually do this They use the law of god they use this woman to entrap christ They do this in order to entrap him She wasn't the only one accused here jesus christ in their eyes stands accused verse six says They were there to test him that they might have something in which to accuse him Now showing great contempt for the woman They actually tended to use the law of god as a weapon against the law giver Now in verse five moses and the law Commanded us that such should be stoned But what do you say jesus these Pharisees and scribes ask the you there in the emphatic position in other words It's you hey you what are you going to say about it, right? Remember the scribes and the Pharisees hated the lord jesus christ But they also hated these people called them a cursed called them uneducated people of the land So they were incensed They were angry hostile that the lord jesus christ actually saw these people not as contemptible But as objects of his compassion objects of his mercy objects of forgiveness. They were incensed That he would just forgive their sins Angry that the people would listen to him angry that the people would flock around him coming for Mercy coming for grace right he eats with tax collectors and sinners I want you to see an example of this There's a contrast here between the the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees And the attitude of the lord jesus christ that is being set up turn with me to luke chapter seven luke chapter seven Let me give you an added an example here of this contrast Luke chapter seven and drop down to verse 36 Here we have an example of the lord jesus christ being invited to a Pharisees house And I think this just depicts the the difference in attitude really really well Look at verse 36 one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him Now he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to eat now from this story We know that this Pharisee is not sympathetic to jesus here He's not sympathizing with him and asking he's not coming to him like nicodemus came to him It most likely this Pharisee is probably trying to trap him to trap him in his words He's going to show contempt to the lord jesus christ All right So he went to the Pharisees house and he sat down to eat verse 37 and behold A woman in the city who was a sinner Meaning there that she's a prostitute She's a prostitute When she knew that jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house She brought an alabaster alabaster flask of fragrant oil And she stood at his feet behind him weeping and she began to wash his feet with her tears And wiped them with the hair of her head and she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil Now notice this This is no hard-hearted prideful self-righteous Wicked Pharisee Now this woman is repentant and she's mourning. Why is she mourning? mourning over her sin She has come to realize her condition before god and she is there weeping before the lord Wanting to be cleansed wanting to be forgiven. She's seeking the lord of glory for mercy She wanted forgiveness. She wanted to be right with god this woman knew Using the Pharisee's words she knew what manner of woman she was and she wanted to be changed But in great contrast to christ who shows compassion to her Look at the attitude of the Pharisee simon verse 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying This man If he were a prophet He would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him For she is a sinner and look at the contempt Do you see that? Absolutely no mercy. She is an An object of derision an object of shame So don't let her even touch you don't touch her. She's unclean Just showing contempt for this woman And simon spoke to himself and jesus were a prophet He would know what manner of woman who is touching him So now jesus being more than simply a prophet Reads his mind Reads his thoughts and jesus answers him verse 40 and jesus answered and said to him simon I have something to say to you. So he said teacher say it There was a certain creditor who had two debtors One owed 500 denarii and the other 50 one denarius was about a day's wage A full day's wage. So we're talking about a lot of money here Verse 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay He freely forgave them both now. Tell me therefore Which of them will love him more To simon the Pharisee Answered and said I suppose the one whom he forgave more and he said to him you have rightly judged Verse 44 then he turned to the woman and he turned to the woman And he said to simon the Pharisee. Do you see this woman? I entered your house You gave me no water for my feet But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head now simon by not washing his feet or not having his feet washed. This was a great insult He showed contempt for the lord jesus christ by not having his feet washed when he came into his house. This was a great insult Look at verse 45. You gave me no kiss It was as if The lord jesus christ Stepped through the front door of simon the Pharisee's house and he's like yeah, just sit over there No greeting No, no customary kiss no washing of the feet Showed contempt for the lord jesus christ You did not anoint my head with oil But this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil Therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven Therefore the better translation of hot tea there so that she loved much Her sins are forgiven And she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little Then he said to her your sins are forgiven Those who sat at the table with him Began to say to themselves who is this? Who is this guy who even forgives sins? Then he said to the woman your faith has saved you go in peace So simon the Pharisee simon the Pharisee sternly rebuked publicly right at his own dinner Jesus once again once again shows grace and mercy and compassion to the notorious center And the jews just continue to hate him right they hate him for it And they want to entrap him and they order they want to they want to kill him So back to john chapter 8 It's an example of the contempt that they have for christ So in our account here we see the woman in john chapter 8 now accused She's standing in the midst of her accusers, but also we see in the story Jesus stands accused in their eyes accused by the Pharisees and lastly these wicked scribes and Pharisees stand accused and they stand guilty and we're going to see that This is another wicked plot by these ungodly hypocrites They treat the woman with contempt and they accuse her they treat the people with a contempt and they accuse them They treat the lord jesus christ with contempt and they accuse him They treat god's law with contempt and they use it as a tool for accusation They want to trap jesus and kill him so they bring forward a woman to kill her They spew lies and blasphemies Who do these Pharisees sound like? Satan It sounds like satan And in just a few more verses jesus christ Their lord an eventual judge will accuse them and judge them with the righteous judgment chapter 8 verse 44 says Listen, you are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Wow, it's a powerful statement. There's a few verses from now They're going to stand accused. I want to give you an example of this Notion or idea the Pharisees are they're accusing Like the accuser they're breathing threats and malice and murderers Like the accuser they spew lies and blasphemies like the accuser. Do you think that satan is present in all this? Absolutely he is turn back with me to zekariah Zekariah, we're spending a little bit of time there today zekariah chapter 3 Just before your new testament zekariah chapter 3 And look at verse 1 with me This is at a time when the people are coming back into the land after exile Right, so they're coming back into the land and you have in this account joshua The high priest who stands before the angel of the lord as a representative of the people and look what happens Then he showed me joshua the high priest Standing before the angel of the lord and satan the accuser satan the adversary standing at his right hand to oppose him That joshua is the high priest of the restoration people are coming back to the land and he represents the people here Who does he have standing next to him? Satan the advocate adversary and what is satan doing satan is accusing him He stands next to joshua the high priest in front of the angel of the lord and proclaims Or spews Accusations against the people before god that's what satan does He stands next to you so to speak before god and accuses you the accuser of the brethren look at verse 2 And the lord that's speaking of the angel of the lord Said to satan the lord rebuke you know that they're the angel of the lord The lord is a claim of deity The angel of the lord is often in the old testament to christophany The angel of the lord is often a pre new testament appearance of christ as it is here The lord said to satan the lord rebuke you satan the lord who has chosen jerusalem Rebuke you if you're in christ, you have been chosen by god But if you're in christ, you've been chosen as a vessel for honor cleansed and forgiven Sanctified and purified and one day glorified for his praise and worship You are a chosen brand to so to speak chosen jerusalem Is this not a brand plucked from the fire in other words plucked out of judgment plucked out of exile Now joshua verse 3 was clothed with filthy garments and he was standing before the angel this picture is our sinfulness doesn't it Apart from christ, we all stand in our filthiness in our filth the word here Is the same word used in isaeth chapter 64 verse 6 When god says that all of our righteousness is as a filthy rag to him It means a means a cloth used to clean up a menstrual discharge Just a filthy thing considered unclean Verse 4 he's standing there and he's filthy garments before the angel of the lord look at verse 4 Then he answered and he spoke to those who stood before him saying Take away the filthy garments from him and to him he said see I have removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe you with rich Robes this is justification amen We have our sin removed Cleanse from our sin forgiven his wrath propitiated our sin is taken away forever And we have his righteousness Clothed in his righteousness given to us imputed to us It's a glorious blessing. This is justification Look at verse 5 and I said Let them put a clean turban on his head and so they put a clean turban on his head and they put the clothes on him And the angel of the lord stood by Then the angel of the lord admonished joshua was saying thus says the lord of hosts If you will walk in my ways and if you will keep my command Then you shall also judge my house likewise have charge of my courts I will give you places to walk among these who stand here here Oh joshua the high priest you and your companions who sit before you for they are a wondrous sign The bride of christ is a wondrous sign of god's forgiveness of god's grace of god's mercy They are a wondrous sign for behold i am bringing forth My servant the branch using my servant very common in the prophets to refer to christ The branch another name for christ verse 9 for behold the stone Another name for christ that i've laid before joshua upon the stone are seven eyes speaking of his omniscience his infinite wisdom Behold i will engrave its inscription says the lord of hosts and i will remove the iniquity of the land in one day And that day says the lord of hosts everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree Man all satan can do is accuse All satan can do is flap his jaws in your ear right? And if salvation Were conditional upon our own works upon our own righteousness and he'd have something to accuse us of wouldn't he? But praise be to god that it's not Praise be to god that it's not your work not your righteousness all the things that you do it is all of christ god is the one who justifies So back in john chapter 8 now the scribes and Pharisees are playing the part of satan they are satanically charged satanically empowered and they're satanically here accusing Genuine christians listen genuine christians don't act like this. They don't act like these Pharisees. They don't act like the scribes You acted as they did With contempt in your heart And you stand accused and guilty just like them then you'd be like them Other so-called christians often accuse their brothers They so divisiveness division discord slander Their wickedness and they do that with contempt for for the lord's people contempt for his church It's an obvious contempt for the people of god We've ever seen someone share the gospel with contempt like that Out for nothing other than to win the fight right win the argument and expose them in their sin with no mercy No offer forgiveness no grace from god i've seen it The most notable example if you have watched the news in recent years is the the crew at westboro baptist That's just a notable example because they're in the news. You see that that's showing contempt for sinners You don't see the lord jesus christ doing that you see the wicked Pharisees doing that don't you? We can't stand for any of that You have to call it out where you see it divisiveness slander discord backbiting tailbearing wicked accusations When people do that they're acting like satan We must take a stand against wickedness, you know today. We consider our our times our culture today. We see abortion just running rampant it is mind boggling The devastation that abortion has caused in our country or homosexuality now with the decisions of the supreme court and everything that's going on We have to stand and preach christ In that context we have to stand and we have to preach the judgment of god that those who practice such things Will not inherit the kingdom of god But you have to do that with compassion with love with the the desire to see them saved With the desire the pleading of your heart to see god show them mercy and grace Adultery is a terrible sin here back in john chapter 7 john chapter 8 adultery is a terrible sin. It's a it's a Devastating sin and it's broken families. It's caused divorce. It's led to abortion adultery is a devastating sin It has led to terrible Evil but make no mistake about it the self-righteous hypocritical slander of the wicked Is an abominable evil before god. It's an abomination to god. It's going to lead these here to murder Their messiah in just six short months That's self-righteousness that pride that contempt that can flow out of the human heart, right? This is this this exposes our depravity doesn't it? it exposes what is Potential in the human heart the depravity of our hearts here. We see it oozing out of these wicked Pharisees so Essentially now so far we've uncovered the plot of these wicked Pharisees And what did that plot entail? they wanted to Bring forth this woman and thrust the lord jesus christ upon the horns of a dilemma And trap him in his words For the purpose of killing him for the purpose of murdering him So what exactly was the dilemma the dilemma we see in verse six Verse six says this they said these things they said. What do you say lord about the law and this woman? 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 Now the purpose for their questioning him wasn't because they were confused, right? They didn't come Perplexed and wanting his advice. We don't know what to do. Let's go to jesus for advice That wasn't why they came right? That's not what they were there for the purpose wasn't to entrap him and to ensnare him with the law They knew they knew that he was compassionate They knew that he showed mercy to sinners that he forgave sinners Multiple times they complained that he received them that he ate with them And so they were angry they were envious that the people listened to him that the people flocked around him They could have listened they could have just tried her in their own courts Right, they could have gone to the sanhedrin Could have conducted a trial put her to death and never have involved jesus at all. That's not what they do They had another agenda here being wise in their wickedness They seized upon the opportunity to present jesus with what they thought was a hopeless dilemma for him. Here's the dilemma If he actually takes side With the woman against the Pharisees and spared her Then he would violate the law of moses What does the law of moses clearly say death put her to death both her and the man But in doing that he would effectively abort his claim To be the messiah if he violates the law of god, he's not the messiah Okay, the scribes and Pharisees were just standing around waiting they were just Anticipate waiting for some kind of word to come out of his mouth that would violate the law of moses But the lord jesus christ cannot set aside the law of god or the justice of god Lord jesus christ being holy God is holy god is just the bible says that god will by no means acquit the wicked Proverbs 17 verse 15 says this he who justifies the wicked Is an abomination to god? So to justify her so to speak would violate the law of moses however If he upheld the law If he upheld the law and called for the woman to be stoned to death Then he would be siding with the Pharisees and condemning the woman In his reputation for compassion A friend of sinners would be destroyed in the eyes of the people Right how many sinners How many sinners would come pleading to christ If all they were to receive from him was justice and judgment Condemnation for their sin. How many women would weep at his feet? Wiping his feet washing his feet with the hair of their head if all she was going to get was condemnation and hell fire Would you? You remember don't you When you first became wrecked with conviction over your sin And went weeping and mourning before the lord jesus christ for salvation for forgiveness If you're a christian you remember A point a period of time where you you came to understand your depraved condition You mourned over him whom they pierced He's one mourns over a son You saw your state before the lord and you came pleading for mercy pleading for forgiveness pleading for grace because you knew you needed it This very dilemma raises a question That all sinners should long to have answered doesn't it? How can sinful man Be right with a holy god? How is it that god can be both just and the justifier of sinners? How is it that justice? God's justice perfect justice can be harmonized with mercy doesn't doesn't grace undermine Justice doesn't grace undermine mercy Doesn't grace sacrifice god's holiness God's law demands justice is he'll chapter 18 verse 20 says the soul who sins shall Die, that's justice according to god's law All under the law are cursed by the law to death Galatians chapter 3 verse 10 for as many as are of works of the law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them Romans chapter 4 verse 15 says that the law of god brings about his holy wrath How then does god Forgive sinners like me and you without setting aside or violating his holy law The lord the lord's response here is amazing verse 6 It says that jesus stooped down and he wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear Now there are a lot of speculations here about What he wrote a lot of people try to explain some people Quote Jeremiah chapter 17 that says that those who go astray their names are written in the earth So maybe he was writing their names writing the names of those Pharisees in the earth with his finger Some say that he may have been writing their sins in the dust in his verdict against them No matter what is said it is all speculation right We can't know for sure but one thing that appears to make most sense to me is he was just waiting for a few moments He's delaying for a few moments. They come rushing in belligerent and hostile with their plans already set interrupting his teaching And jesus is just going to give them a moment to cool their jets a bit because what he's about to say to them He wants it to sink in he wants the the appropriate response The answers them before cooler minds may prevail. This may not go well They need to be rational and they need to be thoughtful about what he's about to say and the lord We know for sure has perfect timing. He is the master of the moment And so he's just going to wait for a moment And so in verse seven then we see in the lord's response His indictment of them. We get verse seven When they continued asking him it says there they persisted. It's in the imperfect. They kept asking kept asking So finally he raised himself up and he said to them He who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first And he again stooped down And wrote on the ground Then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience They 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 I can imagine Right the scene That's all it is. It's just an imagining Of jesus very calmly Simply standing up in the midst of their hostility In the midst of their belligerent and obsessive anger with him Seeking to entrap him dragging this woman in to the midst that jesus Waited for a moment I'm sure with a righteous indignation in his heart over What they were doing what they were plotting And he very calmly in contrast to their haste in contrast to their hostility jesus simply stood up Basically said all right You hypocrites with the law He was without sin among you let him throw the stone at her first and then he said nothing else And he stooped back down. It's simple right profound A great economy of words here infinitely wise They put him in this dilemma. I just I These are precious stories right Precious accounts of the wisdom of the lord jesus christ and in confronting wickedness like this just the brilliance of it In the economy of words infinitely wise jesus upheld the law Because he did not deny the woman's guilt And he brought the law of god to bear on the consciences of those wicked Pharisees And jesus didn't oppose the law of god. He didn't oppose the law of god He opposed those wicked and abusive scribes and Pharisees who perverted it The law in deuteronomy chapter 17 7 Also demanded that the witnesses of the crime Were to be the first to throw stones at the guilty You would raise the witnesses would raise their hand in the stone first and then the people however in order to do that They themselves had to be innocent of having anything to do with the crime now Just like those temple guards who came into the temple complex to see them and they couldn't These men confronted by christ Indicted by their own sin simply could not do What they had come in intending to do they were hostile They were unrepentant and maybe for a moment Maybe for a moment they saw their hypocrisy. They saw in the lord's response what they were about to do What they were plotting maybe they knew they were guilty Of adultery themselves whether a physical act or even in the heart right matthew chapter 5 If you look at someone with lust on your heart, you've committed adultery already with them in your heart Bottom line bottom line. They were wicked judges and they were unfit To judge her or to judge christ or to judge the people So to be clear here the lord in his response not setting up a standard By which jurors must be sinlessly perfect In order to Dole out justice or to judge righteously otherwise no one could sit on a jury We'd have no justice right because everyone sins The lord here again is rebuking hypocritical judgment. Listen to this from calvin Christ is not prohibiting sinners from doing their duty in correcting the sins of others But by this word he only Reproves hypocrites who mildly flatter themselves and their vices But are excessively Severe and even act the part of felons in censuring others You get it? He's condemning those here. He's condemning those who ignore their own sin And yet they want to judge and condemn others without mercy so now The question that they came in with no longer for jesus. It's been turned On their heads. The question is now for them They're one by one from the oldest right the oldest would be more experienced have a little more wisdom youngest most likely to be immature and hostile hot-headed, you know It was in their youth So one by one from the oldest to the youngest they left Under indictment for their hypocrisy Under indictment for their their lack of mercy under indictment for what they were doing Their conscience bearing witness against them So jesus upheld the law he indicted those wicked Pharisees But there was something else that his response accomplished here He showed great mercy to the woman in saving her life from being stoned to death For her sin look at verses 10 and 11 the mercy We see here the mercy of god verse 10 says 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 as she said no one lord And jesus said to her neither do I condemn you Go and sin no more Now jesus for the first time in this account He stands up now and he looks at and he addresses the woman. There's no sarcasm here. There's no gloat gloating Jesus just assures the woman that those who sought her life No longer there No longer accusing her where are your accusers? He said as no one condemned you The only word spoken by the woman in the entire account is no one lord She doesn't say anything until this point No one lord The reality of this is affirmed by the lord himself. He hands down his his own sentence here not merely as a good teacher Not merely as a man who lived a good life But he hands down a sentence for this woman as the only one perfect Who has ever walked this earth who has power on earth to forgive sins and set at liberty the captives And he says neither do I condemn you doesn't mean here that he approves of her adultery Doesn't mean here that he simply ignores her sin quite the opposite In fact if you think about our context because in just six months from now In a short amount of time Having lived a perfect Sinless life Having fulfilled all The just demands of god's law his righteous law In immeasurable love and in immeasurable grace He would be Her Substitute in death He would be her representative in death He would bear the penalty for her sin of adultery in fact all of her sin On himself on the cross and give his life for her He would take in himself the punishment and wrath that she deserved So that that day she could be saved And so that God may be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in jesus christ. Amen The law demands death for sin And the grace and mercy of god jesus delivers for those Who would turn from their sin and put their faith in him Herman ritterboss states this he says jesus Silences with a word or a gesture The curse of a law torn from its base And by re-establishing justice on the foundation of his grace A justice on the foundation of his grace grace does not do away with the law Grace does not oppose the law of god those things are not they're not enemies grace and law They're close friends close companions Law and justice kiss Justice and mercy kiss so to speak Christ does not do away with justice here exactly the opposite turn with me quickly to romans chapter 8 romans chapter 8 romans chapter 8 Think about this in light of this glorious truth look at verse 31 Here the lord says paul says to the romans What shall we say to these things if god is for us? Who can be against us who can accuse you? Who is it that condemns you the satan in your ear who can be against us? verse 32 he who did not spare his own son But delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Lord jesus christ died To satisfy the demands of the law Died to propitiator to satisfy the wrath of god against sin Who can bring a charge against god's elect verse 33 it is god who justifies Who is he who condemns where are? Your accusers Who is it that condemns you it is christ who died and furthermore is also risen Who is even at the right hand of god who also makes intercession for us? Look at these glorious promises from god, right? If you will but turn from your sin put your faith in christ and trust yourself to him These promises apply to you who can separate us verse 35 from the love of christ shall tribulation or distress Or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword As it is written for your sake we are killed all day long We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter yet in all these things We are more than conquerors through him who loved us For i am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come Nor height nor depth nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of god Which is in christ jesus our lord amen jesus saved this woman and what an astounding Example right what an astounding encouragement For sinners to cast themselves upon christ To to throw themselves at his feet for mercy right to claim to the cross Where he paid that penalty for those that would repent and believe the gospel What an encouragement to abandon your life of sin and be saved What an encouragement to go to christ for forgiveness for cleansing for grace He says to this woman in john chapter 7 john chapter 8 and to every sinner Who is accused and condemned by the law where are your accusers? Neither do i condemn you However The grace of god in christ does not then give us a license To continue in sin the lord doesn't approve of her sin He doesn't approve of of her adultery Of the lifestyle christ saves us to be holy He saves us to be holy I can say We right as a church together can say If you're here today And you're lost You're still living in your sin I can say that For the name of christ And for the sake of christ That we desire to see you saved to christ But if you are saved to christ You'll be saved to a christ that Will break the chains That bind you to your sin And will set you free To submit to the law of god for his glory to be holy That's the christ that we serve That's the salvation that is offered And we see that in the universe 11 with the call the call to discipleship the call to the christian life Jesus said to her verse 11 neither do i condemn you Go and sin No more you know today we see Such a pervasive Lawlessness among those that profess the name of christ Such a pervasive indifference Neglect of the christian life Such a pervasive antinomianism is what it's called an easy Believism no interest for the things of god not laboring and striving to be diligent in serving the lord Jesus says go and sin No more that's when the law that's when the war begins to rage right Go and sin no more and that war for holiness that is the christian life that battle To be pleasing in his sight that battle of forsake sin in the power of the spirit to Mortify the deeds of the flesh and the power of the spirit. That's where that war begins God's holy law his standard comes but listen to the believer that's standard That law is the christian's delight We delight don't we to do our duty We delight to be well pleasing to him romans chapter six verse two says How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? The lord says go and sin no more look with me at romans chapter eight verse one Romance chapter eight verse one We see the glorious promises of god The indicatives of scripture so to speak if you're understanding your greek But we also see the imperatives Of christ in the word of god We're to live according to them roman chapter eight verse one There is therefore now No condemnation to those who are in christ jesus amen That is justification that's praise god The woman this woman has been justified freely by his grace. There is no one left there to condemn her No one to accuse her However, who are those who are justified those verse one who do not walk They don't live according to the flesh But according to the spirit in just a short amount of time this woman who the lord saved here Will receive the outpouring of the holy spirit by which she will live for the lord And the power of the spirit will live in a way that pleases god in a way that fulfills the law look at verse two For the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus what? Has made me free From the law of sin and death for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God did it by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh On account of sin and he condemned sin in the flesh listen So that verse four The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled In us who do not walk according to the flesh But according to the spirit in what way there is the law fulfilled and what sense is the law fulfilled One sense is justification Law was fulfilled by christ and that righteousness of christ imputed to us We are covered clothed in the white robes of christ righteousness Who fulfilled the law for us, but in what other sense is the law there fulfilled in us We have the power By the spirit of god to obey it and we're commanded to obey it listen. It's those who walk According to the spirit look at verse five For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh those are unbelievers right But those who live according to the spirit they have their minds set on the things of the spirit Those are believers verse six look at the contrast for to be carnally minded is death Those carnally minded are unbelievers But to be spiritually minded those are believers is life And peace what life is he talking about there? We have life at our justification But this that he's speaking of here in verse six is sanctification life It's spirit given life in the life of a believer to live for him to walk according to the spirit look at verse seven Because the carnal mind is enmity against god. These are unbelievers For it is not subject to the law of god Nor indeed can be so then those who are in the flesh cannot please god now He's setting up a contrast here between unbelievers and believers unbelievers don't and they can't Subject themselves here to the law of god What's the contrast what's the implication? The believers can The believers can an unbeliever can't please god Or what's the contrast the contrast is that believers can By the power of the spirit we can please god we can walk in a way that is pleasing to him This doesn't mean we're going to obey it perfectly We won't But that's part of the joy And reassurance of justification that there is no more any longer any condemnation We have an advocate with the father christ the righteous if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness No longer any condemnation That doesn't mean though that we have no obligation to keep god's holy standard drop down to verse 12 there in romans chapter 8 Therefore brethren We are what? debtors Therefore brethren, we're under obligation to go and sin no more We are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh for if you live according to the flesh you will die But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live Go and sin no more right in a power of the spirit of god for as many verse 14 as are led by the spirit of god These are sons of god. We can't do it in our own power. This is holy spirit power This is an only justification power This is sanctification power. Amen A woman in our text is soon going to receive the holy spirit whereby God Ensures that she will walk According to his statutes that she'll go and sin no more Right what a glorious picture of our salvation The completeness of it. It is the it's the complete diamond in all of its facets nothing lacking god Will not fail to see to it that his people are saved to the uttermost And this is how justice and mercy kiss It's how god can be both just and the justifier Of you if you'll put your faith in him if you'll trust him if you'll entrust yourself To him. It's a glorious great salvation. Let's not neglect it. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. I want you to take a moment In silent prayer and just ask that the lord would bless the truths of his word to your heart Ask the lord to help you in applying these truths to your heart and to live for him. Let's pray