Our text this evening is John chapter 7, verses 53 through the 30th verse of chapter 8. The very last verse of John chapter 7. Before we read this, let's go once again to our Lord in prayer. Our God and Father in heaven, we praise you and thank you that you are not a God who is far off, but you are with us, even in us. We thank you and praise you for your word, which we have heard already this morning, and the praise which we could offer you through your word and through singing songs. We thank you for this text which is before us this evening, and we ask that you would add your blessing onto the reading of it. We ask that you would give me the words to say and how to say it by your Holy Spirit. And as John has already prayed, we ask that you would open our ears to receive your word humbly with joy. In Jesus' name, amen. This is John 7, verses 53, and we'll begin by reading the first 20 verses. They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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 a 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. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. So the Pharisee said to him, you are bearing witness about yourself. Your testimony is not true. Jesus answered, even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father. and the father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the father who sent me bears witness about me. I said to him, therefore, where is your father? Jesus answered, you know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also. These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, but no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come. Well, before we get into the meaning of this text, many of you will have noticed the note in italics either on the page just before this chapter or in the notes on the side or the bottom, which says, something along the lines of this text is not found in the earliest manuscripts. Just a brief word regarding that, I personally think this text belongs here in this chapter in John. The overwhelming consensus is that this text is authentic and it is apostolic. They're just not sure where exactly it is supposed to be, whether it is in this chapter of John, in a later chapter, or in a portion of Luke. But personally, I do think it fits very well here, as we'll see later on. And just a brief word on this is this quote from R.C. Sproul. He says, as an aside, let me say that I hope you are not disturbed to learn that there are copy errors in the early manuscripts of the books in our Bible. Some people hear that and say, we don't have the originals, so how can we say that the Bible is the Word of God? That's like saying that if somebody put a bomb in the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Washington and blew up our official yardstick, there wouldn't be enough accurate yardsticks and copies to allow us to reconstruct what a yard is. Of course, we would be able to reconstruct it, and we could do so with infinitesimal variation. The same holds true for the text of Scripture. And I would also add to that that there is no major doctrine which is affected by any textual variant in Scripture. More than 99% of Scripture is in accord. It is less than 1% in which there is any major variation. But again, I think this text fits here. But with those things aside, what happens in this passage? The scribes and the Pharisees come before Jesus, and they bring a woman, and they claim has been caught in the act of adultery. I say in verse 4 through 6, 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. Well, Deuteronomy 22, verses 22 says, If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die. The man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So ye shall purge the evil from Israel. If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones. The young woman because she did not cry for help, though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And so according to what the scribes and the Pharisees said, we can conclude that this woman, according to their testimony, was a woman who was betrothed or engaged because they said she must be stoned. But notice what's missing here. It's the man. The text doesn't tell us why he is missing, why they don't bring the man with this woman as well. Most likely, I think it's because they didn't actually care what happened, either to the man or to the woman. Because what the text does say is that the reason they brought her was to bring a charge against Jesus, to test Jesus. And so what was Jesus' response to this charge, to this test? Well, he drew on the dirt. He bent down and he drew on the dirt. And there's been a lot of ink spilled over what Jesus drew on the dirt. What could he have possibly drawn on the ground? Was it some secret knowledge? The Gnostics say that. This was an ancient heresy. They say, we have the secret knowledge, specifically for this text. We know what Jesus wrote on the ground. We know the words. which will give you life. Similar to Joseph Smith and his golden tablets in Mormonism, we have the secret knowledge. The question is, do we have those itching ears? It's intriguing to think about what could Jesus possibly have drawn on the ground. But the fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter what Jesus wrote. When God does not open his mouth, neither should we. We should not speculate into these things. Even R.C. Sproul, as much as I appreciate his book on this gospel, he gives a theory which he says, I really like this theory. He doesn't say that it's biblical. And I'm not even going to offer that because I don't think we should give any warrant to thinking about what Jesus wrote on the ground. The text doesn't say, and so we should not speculate. Well, notice what they also don't bring with them, the scribes and the Pharisees. They don't bring any eyewitnesses with them. Jesus was just supposed to take them at their word, but that's not according to God's law. In the text just after this, when Jesus defends his own testimony, He says, yes, I do bear witness about myself, but my witness is true and my witness is not alone. His witness is in full accord with the principles of Scripture. I do not bear witness alone. My Father bears witness of me. And the Jews accuse him of bearing false witness. The Jews accused Jesus Himself of being a liar. This is nothing other than unbelief in the Son of God. Bring this woman to Him. They don't even bother with witnesses. They just say, take us at our word. And yet it was Jesus' witness later on which was proved true. And it was the hypocrisy of the Jews which was revealed. There was no one to corroborate this woman being caught in adultery. But the Father corroborates the witness of the Son. So what then was Jesus' response? He said, let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. Now, Jesus was not trying to get rid of justice when he said this, to get rid of God's justice. As though he were saying, we're all guilty. You know, who can actually judge this woman? That was not what he was doing. He says this to confront the Jews with their hypocrisy. Because they came to Jesus not for justice, but to bring a charge against Jesus Christ Himself. Because the Word of God, the light which shone before them, they could not stand Him. They wanted to snuff that light out. They hated Jesus. And when Jesus confronted them with their hypocrisy, the very ones who had been trying to murder Him, their consciences bore witness against themselves. They brought no condemnation against the woman, and they left each one, from the oldest even to the youngest, until Jesus was left alone with this woman. So Jesus had said, let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone. Everyone have left except Jesus. And here he is alone. We all know what happens in the text, but the question would be at that moment in the woman's mind, is this man without sin? Is he the one who is going to stone me? You see, Jesus is the righteous one. Jesus is the righteous standard, perfect in every respect. He is the only one who is fit to give true justice, not only for this woman's sin of adultery, but for every sin which she has ever committed. But He doesn't do that, does He? He doesn't stone her. He says to her these most gracious words. He says, neither do I condemn you. Neither do I condemn you. Do we not all go to Jesus in the very same way as this woman? Standing before Him in our guilt, in our shame, full of the weakness of our own flesh, We stand there waiting on His Word, wholly dependent on His righteousness and on His mercy. And this is why this passage fits so neatly here in this text. Because Jesus came as the light of the world, to give light and life. Of course, He will judge one day, But when He came these 2,000 years ago, it was not for condemnation. It was for mercy. To give grace upon grace. That's not to say that He didn't make judgments in His life. Clearly, even in this passage, He judges the Jews. He says, you know neither Me nor My Father. But to this woman, He gave mercy. the forgiveness of sins. He gave compassion. And He gifts the very same to all who believe in Him. So that all who follow Him would not walk in the darkness, but in the light of life. Which is why He adds when He is speaking to this woman, and from now on, sin no more. How often do we desire the no condemnation and yet still want to live any way that we want? Paul poses the question before us in the book of Romans, are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. This shouldn't even need to be said. But how frequently do we see the visible church living in gross sin? How can we who died to sin still live in it? That's precisely what the world wants us to think. That's precisely what the world wants Christians to think today. You can love Jesus Christ, You can love Jesus Christ and you come to Him just as you are. Because after all, God is love. Jesus loves you just as you are. But Jesus didn't look at this woman and say, you are guiltless. He looked at this woman and said, you are forgiven. I do not condemn you. Now do not sin any longer. The grace of God is not given to us so that we can continue in sin. The grace of God is given that we would live in holiness for our God. To turn away from that sinful lifestyle and live for Him in holiness. To live in the power of a new life. Turn to 1 Corinthians 6, if you would. 1 Corinthians 6. Beginning at verse 9. Verse 9-10. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." The question is, do you profess to love Jesus Christ and yet live with one foot? the darkness. You profess to love the light of the world and yet still try to take that darkness in. When I was in Uganda many years ago, there was a group of us who was walking out to a church meeting which met under the tree about a mile away from the main complex. And the path that was out there, you could fit about three people on it. And there were three people next to me, and I was right at the edge with one foot in the tall grass and one foot on the path, because there wasn't room. And me being who I am, as many of you all know, I'm well familiar with the world of reptiles. I know that in Uganda, one of the most dangerous snakes there is the puff adder. And it's called a puff adder because when it's threatened, it lets out a puff of air to scare away any predators. Well, as I'm walking with one foot in this thick grass, I suddenly hear a puff. And I leapt like a gazelle. Full of grace and poise, it was not But quick and high it was. And I was on the other side of the path in front of everyone, and everyone else was very confused. I don't know if there was actually a puff adder in the grass. I didn't go back to look. But the thing is, when there's a threat to our bodies, we all act that way, don't we? We move away from it immediately. We protect our body from harm. Why do we not do the same thing for our souls so frequently? Do we walk with one foot stuck in the weeds, in the darkness? And when we hear that puff, when we have that temptation, Do we run away from it or do we turn to it and embrace it? Because that sin is far more deadly than that little adder. That could kill me in a few hours if I had been bitten. But the sin only leads to death. and the judgment and wrath of God. Do we live with one foot in the darkness? The world says, if a man wants to be with another man, it's good. It's right. It's love. If a woman wants to be with another woman's husband, It's love. It's an open marriage. Be free to do it. Maybe it's not adultery or homosexuality or some other sexual sin. Maybe you're a reviler. That's a strong word, isn't it? Surely I'm not a reviler. How about that conversation you just had online that got heated? It's amazing how sweet and gentle people are when they're face to face. But you see them online and you say, is this the same person? They somehow become ogres as soon as they start typing on their computers. Maybe somebody cut you off in traffic And you became furious at that person. Are we revilers? Do we do that? I know many brothers and sisters, myself included, when I have had moments where I have reviled others. Do we live in these things? Or do we live in the light of the world? of Jesus Christ. Can we who died to sin still live in it? The world, the flesh, and the devil all proclaim loudly, yes. You can be a son of disobedience while you profess your love for the King, for Christ. And when they do so, They deny the power of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. They deny the transformative power of God in our lives. They deny that Jesus Christ himself has overcome the world and is the light of the world, so that you would walk not in darkness, but in the light of life. 1 Corinthians 6, this last verse, verse 11, adds these wonderful words. And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. This is the power of God at work within you, to take you out of your sin, to cleanse you, sanctifying you by His Spirit. Such were some of you, but you are not any longer. He takes you out of that darkness to live in His glorious light. God transforms us so that we no longer practice these evil things. He changes our orientations and our desires so that our wills are to do His will. This is the gift which God gives us in Christ Jesus. It's part of the reason this text is so tragic. Sproul makes notice of this. Where is this said, this last part where Jesus says he is the light of the world? It's in the treasury, where people come to give their offerings and their tithes. And it's this very place where God gave the richest gift. gave the light of the world." There is the light of the world standing before the Jews, and they despised Him. They despised Him. Let's read these last few verses here, beginning in verse 21. So I said to them again, I'm going away and you will seek me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews said, will he kill himself since he says where I am going, you cannot come? He said to them, you are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.' So they said to Him, ''Who are you?' Jesus said to them, ''Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him. They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, when you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him. As he was saying these things, many believed in him." Well, there are two types of death that we see throughout Scripture. There is a type of death which is precious in the sight of the Lord. And there is death of those who die in their sin. None can come to where Jesus was going because Jesus was of the heavenly place. And naturally, we are all in that second category. We are all those who would die in our sins. We are of this world, but Jesus is from above. We are from below. But there's an unless. There's an unless that we all have heard and come to give God praise for. Unless you believe that I am He. And so the question that this text begs us today is do you believe that Jesus Christ is the light of the world? Do you believe that His witness is true and that the witness of the Father is true? Will you believe in Him as the light which shines in the darkness? Or will you profess love for Him while you try to take that old man which was carried on the cross with Christ, try to take him off that cross and live in the darkness? Will you live with one foot in the darkness? Or will you outright deny, as the Jews did, the witness of Jesus Christ. Not only do they say he is false, but do you understand what that is? They're saying you are breaking the law of God. You are bearing false witness. Let us look unto Jesus Christ as the one who is perfectly righteous, perfectly holy, who is the light of the world, who shines in the darkness so that we would not walk in the darkness, but live in the light of life. Amen. Let us go in prayer to our God. Our Father in heaven, We praise You and thank You for the amazing work of Jesus Christ, that He took on human flesh and was obedient unto You, even unto the point of death. Death on a cross. When Jesus was tempted, He refused to give in to that temptation. but live for you in perfect obedience even if it cost Him His life as it did. We thank you for His righteousness in which we stand here before you now. That you have given us, your Son, that we would become the righteousness of God as it is written in your Word. We stand here humbled by your grace, knowing that we deserve only your just wrath, we deserve only your condemnation, and yet you have given us light and life. And we thank you for the ministry of your Holy Spirit, which has made us alive in Christ, transforming our minds and our hearts out of darkness, taking us out of darkness so that we would live in your glorious light. And so we ask that You would strengthen us for this evening, for this week, that every day we would live for You in holiness and righteousness, that You would keep us from temptation, that You would keep us from evil, and that we would serve You well, and that our wills would be transformed daily, that it would be our delight and our joy to do Your holy will. And this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.