Monday Teaching Recap

Yesterday, we wrapped up No Perfect People Allowed by focusing on the woman caught in adultery. Her story is told in John 8:1-11.

We talked about three kinds of people:
1. Those who struggle to forgive and accept the flaws of others.
2. Those who struggle to forgive and accept their own flaws.
3. Those who are struggling to change an area of their life and are stuck.

The Big Idea: Jesus strategy when it comes to the human heart is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.

The comfortable are those represented by the Pharisees and teachers of religious law who see themselves as righteous and others as sinful. Jesus confronted the Pharisees with their own sin - and left them defenseless. This is a necessary step for us as well. Generally, our prevailing sin is the thing we hate the most in others. And if you can't figure out what your prevailing sin is it is more than likely pride in your own religious achievement!

The disturbed are those represented by the woman - who was both sinner and sinned-against.

Jesus said two things to her: 1) You are not condemned, and 2) Go and sin no more. We have to get the order of those two right - our good actions are the result of our forgiveness, not its cause.

There is a three step process for dealing with being spiritually disturbed:
1) Never blame-shift or adopt a victim mentality. See your stuff for what it is.
2) See Jesus for who he was on the Cross and take your sins and failures there.
3) Do what he says.

The basis for Jesus being able to say "you are guilty but not condemned" is that he took our condemnation for us on the Cross. Knowing this means we have both the power and perspective to forgive others and to forgive ourselves! And it is what church will always be home for less than perfect people.

One thing to remember - as we are reveling in our forgiveness it is always the case that every extension of grace always comes with a challenge to growth and obedience. Where is that challenge for you, right now?