Whoever has not sinned…

They each went to their own homes, And Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he returned to the temple. All the people gathered around him, and he sat down and taught them. The legal experts and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. Placing her in the center of the group, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone women like this. What do you say?” They said this to test him, because they wanted a reason to bring an accusation against him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. They continued to question him, so he stood up and replied, “Whoever hasn’t sinned should throw the first stone.” Bending down again, he wrote on the ground. Those who heard him went away, one by one, beginning with the elders. Finally, only Jesus and the woman were left in the middle of the crowd. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Is there no one to condemn you?” She said, “No one, sir.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, don’t sin anymore.” (John 7:53—8:11, CEB)

The legal experts and Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. Where was the man? Does it not take two to commit adultery? Well, the law does not pertain to men, only women, in the case of adultery. So here is a woman, according to the law, the group is supposed to stone to death.

So Jesus does not argue the law; he merely says, “Whoever hasn’t sinned should throw the first stone.” And one by one, they all convict themselves and walk away.

The only one left is actually the one who could have thrown the first stone, then allowing all the rest to join in, but he did not. Instead of upholding human rules, Jesus showed the love God has for all of Their Children. Jesus did not hold her accountable to the law, but forgave her for her discretion and loved her and lifted her.

And Jesus got those who thought they were in the right; they still had work to do.

Focus on getting your own life right with God and lifting others up.

counted

In the same way, David also pronounces a blessing on the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from actions: Happy are those whose actions outside the Law are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Happy are those whose sin isn’t counted against them by the Lord. Is this state of happiness only for the circumcised or is it also for those who aren’t circumcised? We say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” So how was it credited? When he was circumcised, or when he wasn’t circumcised? In fact, it was credited while he still wasn’t circumcised, not after he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that comes from the faith he had while he still wasn’t circumcised. It happened this way so that Abraham could be the ancestor of all those people who aren’t circumcised, who have faith in God, and so are counted as righteous. He could also be the ancestor of those circumcised people, who aren’t only circumcised but who also walk in the path of faith, like our ancestor Abraham did while he wasn’t circumcised. The promise to Abraham and to his descendants, that he would inherit the world, didn’t come through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith. (Romans 4:6-13, CEB)

You are counted as righteous.

You are not here because of circumcision, but faith. Through the leading of the Spirit, you are counted as righteous.

Abraham is your ancestor and shepherded you and the people to God.

God did all of this to help show you love.

Live that love in the world and sow others they can be counted too.

faithful

Therefore, brothers and sisters who are partners in the heavenly calling, think about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. Jesus was faithful to the one who appointed him just like Moses was faithful in God’s house. But he deserves greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of the house deserves more honor than the house itself. Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant in order to affirm the things that would be spoken later. But Jesus was faithful over God’s house as a Son. We are his house if we hold on to the confidence and the pride that our hope gives us. (Hebrews 3:1-6, CEB)

Think on Jesus and be faithful like him.

Moses was faithful even when he argued with God.

Jesus was faithful even when he asked for the cup to be removed.

Are you faithful?

To do what needs to be done in the face of people hating you?

Nic at Night…

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.” Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?” Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?” “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:1-17, CEB)

Nicodemus gets a bad rap. We see him as a religious leader coming to trick Jesus here, but is that what is happening?

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he did not want to be seen by others. Darkness is where we go when we want to hide things from those around us. And Nicodemus asks Jesus how it is possible for a person to be born again after being an adult, after Jesus tells him that everyone must be born from above.

Jesus then says unless a person is born of water and of the Spirit, they can not enter the kingdom of heaven. And this has been taken to mean one must be baptized to enter the kingdom. If that is the case, what about the disciples? We have no written record of them being baptized. Or the thief on the cross who was told by Jesus he would be with him in paradise. So not baptism. Here is the thing. Every person is born of water. Lots of water is present at birth. So you are born of water, and then you must be born of Spirit. Which happens when the Spirit says it happens. So our ceremonies are ways of showing what God has done.

And here is the thing about Nic. Nic comes under darkness here, but later in John, Nic is speaking publicly in favor of Jesus, and at the end, he is seen taking Jesus’ body off the cross and helping prepare him for burial. Nic progresses from wondering to following.

Does your wondering lead to following?

found faith like this

After Jesus finished presenting all his words among the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion had a servant who was very important to him, but the servant was ill and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they earnestly pleaded with Jesus. “He deserves to have you do this for him,” they said. “He loves our people and he built our synagogue for us.” Jesus went with them. He had almost reached the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Jesus, “Lord, don’t be bothered. I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. In fact, I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. I’m also a man appointed under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” When Jesus heard these words, he was impressed with the centurion. He turned to the crowd following him and said, “I tell you, even in Israel I haven’t found faith like this.” When the centurion’s friends returned to his house, they found the servant restored to health. (Luke 7:1-10, CEB)

Do you have this faith?

Faith that says, when God says it, it will be.

This commander said he believed Jesus word, because he gives an order and it is done, and Jesus can heal the person, so if Jesus says he is healed than he will be healed.

Are we people of integrity, and does our word mean what we say?

Do we have faith and trustworthiness to be a person of integrity?

all

But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous. What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t God the God of Gentiles also? Yes, God is also the God of Gentiles. Since God is one, then the one who makes the circumcised righteous by faith will also make the one who isn’t circumcised righteous through faith. Do we then cancel the Law through this faith? Absolutely not! Instead, we confirm the Law. (Romans 3:21-31, CEB)

Faith being given through a different method than the first covenant does not negate the first covenant. It is still a valid covenant.

Faith does not negate the law.

All are included and God is the God of all.

We can not brag about being in because all are in.

authentic faith

I’m grateful to God, whom I serve with a good conscience as my ancestors did. I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. When I remember your tears, I long to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. I’m reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that this faith is also inside you. Because of this, I’m reminding you to revive God’s gift that is in you through the laying on of my hands. God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, CEB)

I am reminded of your authentic faith. A faith that lived in your grandmother and mother. A faith you received from many who loved you.

Live out that faith every day.

Authentic faith is what will change the world.

don’t look down

“Be careful that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? If he finds it, I assure you that he is happier about having that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who didn’t wander off. In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones. (Matthew 18:10-14, CEB)

It is our job to love all so they know they are loved by God.

God wants us to show love to all so all may know the love. Many often wander off because they are told they are not enough or do not dress in the right way, or do the right things, or say the right things.

We can not do this and send people off. We need to love and lift others up.

Show love in all things, and do not look down on others.

receive

Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help. Every high priest is taken from the people and put in charge of things that relate to God for their sake, in order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest is able to deal gently with the ignorant and those who are misled since he himself is prone to weakness. Because of his weakness, he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for the people. No one takes this honor for themselves but takes it only when they are called by God, just like Aaron. In the same way Christ also didn’t promote himself to become high priest. Instead, it was the one who said to him, You are my Son. Today I have become your Father, as he also says in another place, You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. During his days on earth, Christ offered prayers and requests with loud cries and tears as his sacrifices to the one who was able to save him from death. He was heard because of his godly devotion. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. After he had been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. He was appointed by God to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 4:14–5:10, CEB)

We can draw near to the throne because of Jesus and from this receive mercy and grace.

We get love in the form of getting what we do not deserve, grace, and not getting what we do deserve, mercy.

Through Jesus, we are lifted up and taken away from our deserved actions.

Draw near to Jesus and follow where He leads.

Share His love in everything you do.

made holy

It was appropriate for God, for whom and through whom everything exists, to use experiences of suffering to make perfect the pioneer of salvation. This salvation belongs to many sons and daughters whom he’s leading to glory. This is because the one who makes people holy and the people who are being made holy all come from one source. That is why Jesus isn’t ashamed to call them brothers and sisters when he says, I will publicly announce your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you in the middle of the assembly. He also says, I will rely on him. And also, Here I am with the children whom God has given to me. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he also shared the same things in the same way. He did this to destroy the one who holds the power over death—the devil—by dying. He set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death. Of course, he isn’t trying to help angels, but rather he’s helping Abraham’s descendants. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way. This was so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to wipe away the sins of the people. He’s able to help those who are being tempted, since he himself experienced suffering when he was tempted. (Hebrews 2:10-18, CEB)

We are made holy through his suffering. We are made brothers and sisters, siblings with Him in the body.

All of us came from the same place and go to the same place. We are made holy by Him.

Share the love He gives you with all of the world.