2022 H2O Series: Living Water
Sermon 5: Drowning
John 8:1-11 - Victory Fellowship
February 13, 2022 – Rev. Roderick Grabski
H2O SERIES: Living Water. Invitation. Polluted. Source. Pure. Drowning.
Nelson Ledges State Park. Unique setting, fun to hike.
They have a Quarry there that I used to go to swim.
Almost Drowned – 2 girls laughing – Chuckie Richmond pulled me up
Like those 2 girls - the world will watch you drown in sin. Jesus saves.
Show video clip
5. Drowning
The story of the woman caught in adultery teaches a lot about Jesus, judgment, self-righteousness, and forgiveness. It also teaches us a lot about sin—our enemy in this life. Any soldier in battle had better know about the enemy—their tactics, strategy, and weapons. A close look at this story can teach us a lot about our enemy, and when we learn about the enemy, we can learn how to beat it.
Sin Wants to Stay Secret
-We tend to take sides with the woman in this story, and for good reason. But we have to be honest and remember that she was caught in sin. The way it was dealt with wasn’t great, but it was still sin.
-The woman was caught sinning in private. Sin does not thrive in publicity or openness, it thrives in secrecy and privacy. If sin stays hidden, it can never be beaten.
Sin Wants to Shame You
-When the woman is caught in sin, the Pharisees bring her to Jesus to publicly shame her. Her sin should have been dealt with, but God does not want public shame to be the consequence for sin. This often leads to more sinful behavior.
-When sin produces inward shame, Satan has won. Sin does produce guilt and shame naturally because it is a wrong behavior. But if shame is the end and complete result of sin, it is never healthy. Jesus values you, even if you’ve sinned.
Sin Wants to Point a Finger
-One of the easiest ways to identify sin in yourself is to watch how often you try to pass the blame or the spotlight to someone else and their sin.
-Sin never wants to be caught, never wants to be seen, so it points its finger at others to get the attention off itself. The Pharisees have sin in their lives, but they point to another’s sin to keep the attention off their own.
Sin Doesn’t Want to Let Go
-Jesus tells the woman to leave her life of sin. This might be the hardest part of this story. It’s easy enough to know you’re sinning and to want to change it, but the difficult part is actually living differently.
-Sin doesn’t want to let go, so you have to find others who will help you, without causing you more shame. It’s not shameful to get help in the struggle against sin. It’s shameful to let sin win.
Sin is Expensive
-Sin cost the woman her reputation and the Pharisees their respect as leaders. Sin always costs us more than we ever intended to pay, and it will keep racking up a bill.
-The bad news is that sin is expensive, but the good news is that grace is free. You don’t have to drown in your sin. Jesus will save you.
PRAYER
SONG: Loving My Jesus
John 8:1-11 NLT
8:1 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
