JOHN 8:2-11 -Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
THEME OF THE DAY: LISTEN TO THE RIGHT VOICE. Let’s build a contrast with the voice of Jesus from today’s scripture and the voice of Satan from the words of the Minor Prophet Zechariah. It is necessary for our joy, peace, and confidence in the Christian life that we learn to daily distinguish between the two. Listen to Satan, and gone is our joy, peace, and confidence in the Christian life. Listen to Jesus, and silenced is the voice of Satan with our joy, peace, and confidence in the Christian life maintained.
First, the voice of Jesus is one of approachability, forgiveness, restoration, and encouragement. Enter the scene of the woman caught in adultery. She is publicly shamed, harshly judged by the religious crowd, and feeling abandoned in her sin. The crowd didn’t have to condemn her. She was doing this quite well on her own. And after everyone leaves her alone with Jesus, she had to be thinking, “Surely, He will condemn me.” Yet, what did she hear? These wonderful words, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Remember this when we sin. There is no condemnation from Jesus (Romans 8:1). His Spirit will whisper conviction of sin to turn us to God, but never words of condemnation pulling us from God.
Now the voice of Satan – Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him (Zechariah 3:1). Notice this voice. It is one of accusation or condemnation. The Apostle John would tell us in the Revelation this activity of him is ceaseless in the lives of believers – And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. (Revelation 12:10). The voice of Satan always comes with condemnation when we sin. He wants us to question God’s forgiveness, His grace of restoration, and His eagerness to tell us “Come to Me, there is no condemnation, no rejection.”
Yes, the key to joy-filled and confident Christianity is determined by whose voice we listen to when we sin – the voice of Jesus or Satan. The former never comes with condemnation. Only condemnation comes from the latter. Dismiss him and continue to dismiss the voice of the evil one.
PRAYER: “Father, teach me to distinguish the spiritual voices speaking to my heart.”
QUOTE: “Condemnation is from the devil taking us from God. Such is not from God.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim