Laying Down Your Stones
Part 3
The Reason for Throwing Stones:
The Reality of the Throwing Stones:
The Rejection of Throwing Stones:
John 8:10 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?”
[Hath no man condemned thee?] Jesus had directed them, if innocent, to cast a stone, thus to condemn her, or to use the power which he gave them to condemn her. No one of them had done that. They had accused her, but they had not proceeded to the act expressive of judicial condemnation.
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Rom 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. KJV
[Neither do I condemn thee] This is evidently to be taken in the sense of judicial condemnation, or of passing sentence as a magistrate, for this was what they had arraigned her for. It was not to obtain his opinion about adultery, but to obtain the condemnation of the woman. As he claimed no civil authority, he said that he did not exercise it, and should not condemn her to die. In this sense the word is used in the previous verse, and this is the only sense which the passage demands. Besides, what follows shows that this was his meaning.
[Go, and sin no more] You have sinned. You have been detected and accused. The sin is great. But I do not claim power to condemn you to die, and, as your accusers have left you, my direction to you is that you sin no more.
Jesus is the only one who has both the right and the reason to condemn, and this is what Jesus does He condemns. Jesus always condemns the sin and loves the sinner. Sin destroys the lives of those that Jesus loves. Sin in essence is the corruption of God’s creation. We are called to look at the lives of others the way that Jesus does: recognize the corruption and still love the creation. Love the person and hate their sin.
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us
Romans 8:34 Through Jesus we are set free from condemnation, and the punishment of sin.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Go and leave your life of sin.
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE!!!
[I am the light of the world]
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
We will never be completely free from the power of sin because sin brought death into the world and we will all one day die. We can be set free from the bondage of sin. The actions that reveal sin within us. When we speak destructively. When we seek to create discord. When we stir up division. When we settle in disagreement.
Forgiveness flows from the life of Jesus. It is empowered by His sacrifice on the cross and it is finalized by the triumph of the resurrection.
Conclusion: What stones are you holding onto today?
- Stone of bitterness
• Stone of anger
• Stone of hatred
• Stone of prejudice
Are you like I was? I thought I threw away my stones, but I keep a string tide to it in case I need it in the near future. Dragging it everywhere I went and when you do that it drags you down.
Whatever stone you are carrying it is a needless weight that you bear. It is a pointless part of your life. The stone in your hand can be a means of letting go.
Don’t you think it is time for you to lay down your stones? Why not take this opportunity to give your stones over to God?
If God has been speaking to you, listen to His voice and submit those stones that you would use to destroy to let Jesus build something beautiful with them.
Come to the altar and lay down the stones that you carry?
