Title: Where Thine Accusers?
Text: John 8: 1-11
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Date: April 3, 2011
John 8: 1: Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8: And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9: And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The scribes and Pharisees were desperate to find something for which they could accuse the Lord Jesus Christ. In the minds of these men they had presented a dilemma that was impossible for the Lord. The very best religious minds could not figure out how mercy could be shown to the guilty and yet justice be upheld.
Do you know the answer? How can God be both a just God and a Savior? How can God be merciful to you the sinner and yet honor his holy law? Christ Jesus the Lord has satisfied the law of God for each and every sinner for whom he died. God is just to show mercy to the vilest sinner in Christ.
I. SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
John 9: 3: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4: They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5: Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6: This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.
A. In these men we see the outward working of the inward heart of malice, guile and hypocrisy—self-righteousness.
They appear to be concerned about the honor of God’s holy law. In reality they hate Christ and they hate this woman. In their hearts they have broken the entire law of God. Our Lord said, “Beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees!”
Illustration: We see the utter ignorance and hypocrisy of these men as they stand before God pretending to be righteous. For you and I to attempt to present ourselves to holy God in pretense of honor for him, without wholly coming in faith to Christ, is just as absurd.
1 Peter 2: 1: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Galatians 6: 1: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ
II. THE DEMANDS OF THE LAW OF GOD
What these men say of the law demanding her death is so: v5: Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned:
Leviticus 20:10: And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Deuteronomy 22:22…so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
A. Holy God declares that the only way to put away evil from his people is by death—no exceptions.
Ezekiel 18:20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Deuteronomy 22:22…so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
Illustration: Earthly judges give leniency—not the Judge of heaven and earth.
B. Yet, these men did not bring the man as the law also required. In this we see that not only does the law demand our death, but that no sinner has the ability to interpret the spirituality of the law much less keep it.
Romans 3: 19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
III. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW
These men are religious imposters—but they are saying of her what the law of God said of those Christ came to save--guilty.
John 8: 6: This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7: So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8: And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9: And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
The scripture does not say what the Lord wrote on the ground—many have speculated—I won’t. But the law states that the one who executed the sentence had to be free from the same crime or else they would die the same death. Christ is the only sinless one standing in their midst. He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. Verse 9 says they were all convicted in their conscious and went out one by one. These men fell under a legal conviction but they went away from the Lord—a legal conviction of sin is not enough--it is the Lord’s mercy and grace that will cause us to believe on him.
We have a beautiful picture here of how the sin of God’s people is put away in what the Lord did.
A. First, He stooped down and wrote with his finger on the ground, that is in the earth.
Illustrate: If someone says of you that “you wrote with your finger”, we generally think of “words.”
Christ Jesus is the Word. The written word of God declares Christ. The Son of God stooped down when the Word--was made flesh and dwelt among us. In all that he did in sinless perfection on this earth in his flesh, he wrote, as were with his finger in the earth—fulfilling all that was written of him and all that he, as God, required of his people.
Hebrews 10:7: Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Matthew 5: 17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Christ Jesus is God--the Word. The law and the prophets are his. Christ Jesus fulfilled all righteousness when he stooped—was made flesh and dwelt among us.
B. Secondly, it says, John 8: 7: So when they continued asking him, “he lifted up himself,…”
Christ willingly lifted up himself on the cross—to satisify the penalty of the law for his people declaring God just and the Justifer of all who believe on Christ.
John 3: 14: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.” (John 10: 18)
Christ Jesus was willingly made sin for his people. And dying in the place of his people he fulfilled the justice of God. He bruised the serpents head so that the accuser has nothing with which to accuse the brethren though Satan may stand at the believer’s side like he did Joshua, the LORD our Righteousness says:
Zechariah 3: 2:…The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
C. Thirdly, it says,John 8: 8: And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9: And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
IV. HERE WE SEE DIVINE FORGIVENESS
A. For all those our Lord has redeemed with his precious blood, he promises
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34:…for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
When the Spirit of God purges our conscious with the blood of Christ, he bruises the serpents head within us as well and he does in our hearts what he did before this woman—HE LIFTS HIMSELF UP IN OUR HEARTS DECLARING OUR FORGIVENESS.
John 8: 10: When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Christ stooped when he came to where his people are and fulfilled all righteousness. Christ lifted up himself on Calvary’s tree where he satisfied divine justice bearing the condemnation in place of his people. Christ through the Spirit condescends to his redeemed through the Spirit while as yet we are dead in sins and the Spirit quickens us to life and he writes his law on our inward parts, lifting up himself in our hearts so there is no more accusers only you and the Lord. He he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11: She said, No man, Lord. Note: Forgiveness will not make us depart from him under legal conviction, it will make us own him as our Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit….31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Application
Will go away this morning as these scribes and Pharisee’s self-righteous and walking away from the Lord Jesus Christ? Or will you stand before the Lord entirely guilty in yourself and entirely trusting the Lord to drive away thine accusers and present you without spot to God?
1 John 1: 8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If he has graciously forgiven you of all your sins, Go, and sin no more!
Amen!