James 2:13 - For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Sadly, much of the church specializes in this type religion. We are strict adherers to the law. We are so dedicated to preserving our doctrines and truths while not caring one bit for the people involved in our processes. We dare not miss dotting an “I” or cross a “T” when it comes to our religious activity. This was the scene on this day when Jesus would be presented with a choice – pardon an adulterous woman or condemn her under the Law of Moses. Caught in the very act of adultery, she was brought before Jesus by the “church” or religious leaders of that day. They wanted justice. They demanded justice. The view of most in the church is same. They didn’t care about the woman’s soul or feelings. They only cared to see Jesus pass judgment on this woman. I wonder how many churches react the same way today as the Pharisees did when we deal with the fallen among us. I wonder how many of our preachers and teachers, our song directors, our Sunday school teachers are out of fellowship with the rest of the family of God with stone marks on their body? I wonder if Jesus were here today and wrote on the sands of our churches would we have the guts to be able to stand in the same room, or walk away like cowards like the Pharisees did. Could it be that 100% of the time we judge others; we are judging the sin in our own lives? Let’s take a look at this narrative and see what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us

Caught In Very Act

John 8:1-4 Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.  And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

The story opens saying Jesus came into the temple early on and was teaching those who were there. All of a sudden the scribes and Pharisees bring Him a woman caught in the act of adultery and they set her in the midst. There is no question about this woman’s guilt. The Bible doesn’t seek to defend her. The Holy Spirit records this woman as being taken in adultery, which is a sin against God’s law.

Adultery comes from the Greek word “moicheuo” which means the act of unfaithfulness in marriage that occurs when one of the marriage partners voluntarily engages in sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex other than the marriage partner. In the Old Testament Israel’s covenant law prohibited adultery (Exodus 20:14) and thereby made faithfulness to the marriage relationship central in the divine will for human relationships. Many Old Testament regulations deal with adultery as the adulterous man’s offense against the husband of the adulterous wife. Yet both the adulterous man and woman were viewed as guilty, and the punishment of death was prescribed for both (Leviticus 20:10). The severity of the punishment indicates the serious consequences adultery has for the divine-human relationship (Psalm 51:4) as well as for marriage, family, and community relationships. Several Old Testament prophets used adultery as a metaphor to describe unfaithfulness to God. Idolatry (Ezekiel 23:27) and other pagan religious practices (Jeremiah 3:6-10) were viewed as adulterous unfaithfulness to the exclusive covenant that God established with His people. To engage in such was to play the harlot (Hosea 4:11-14) Jesus’ teachings expanded the Old Testament law to address matters of the heart. Adultery has its origins within (Matthew 15:19), and lust is as much a violation of the law’s intent as is illicit sexual intercourse (Matthew 5:27-28).

"Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" <Matt. 5:28>

Adultery is one of the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19). It creates enmity with God (James 4:4), and adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9). The New Testament associates remarriage after divorce and adultery. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman. Divorce does not break the bond, so remarriage is viewed as adultery except in cases where unfaithfulness was the reason for the divorce (Matthew 5:32; Mark 10:11-12). The marriage bond is broken by death (Romans 7:3; 1 Cor. 7:39).  Adulterers can be forgiven (John 8:3-11); and once sanctified through repentance, faith, and God’s grace, they are included among God’s people (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

On this day, Jesus was confronted with a woman who caught in the very act. Nothing is said about with whom she was caught in the act with. I’ve always wandered where the man was on this day or if he may have been one of those in the crowd seeking to stone her to protect his innocence. That’s the selfish nature of sin. When we break God’s law, someone else always usually pays for our sin. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sin with His life, but our daily acts of disobedience bring consequences and many times those who suffer the worst for our sin are those around us. Whoever the man was the Bible doesn’t say but the Pharisees and Sadducees brought the WOMAN to Jesus.

They Set Her in the Midst

I can only imagine how humiliating this experience must have been for this woman. The disgrace of being caught in the act, facing a possible death penalty was enough. However, the Pharisees further humiliated her by bringing in front of all the others gathered to see this showdown between them and Jesus. Religion is good at this. When spirits of control, manipulation and self-righteousness seeking to preserve our “domain” are controlling us we always use people as our pawns to justify our stance before God. The Pharisees were right. This woman WAS guilty. She deserved the death penalty UNDER THE LAW. But what about her? What about the shame? What about the humiliation? What about the embarrassment? What about the fear? Did they care? Did they stop for one minute and give thought to what was going on INSIDE this woman? Did they not know that in God’s sight she was an eternal soul? To Him, she was more precious than the entire universe. To Him, she was more than a woman caught in adultery, she was one of Adam’s fallen creatures whom God loved and still loves supremely

In Rick Joyner’s book, The Final Quest one of the visions he has of the spiritual war that will be waged in this final hour showed many believers paralyzed with fear and not taking up their weapons. One reason was snakes were wrapped around the believer’s feet. When Rick looked down and saw the snakes on the believers, the word SHAME was written across their bodies. As soon as he saw this, many Eagles ate and took away the snakes after which time the believers were able to move again. The Lord Jesus looked at him and said, “Eagles eat snakes.”

Some of you reading this right now are paralyzed with the shame and humiliation of your past life. I don’t know or care what it is. What happened may even be your fault. You may have been just like this woman – guilty. You may have done things that most people, be it in church, or society in general, would frown upon and shake their heads and say “they will never amount to anything now.” Other cruel words you may have heard include “I told you they would do this.” “I knew it all along – I knew this is what they were really made of.” Some of you have heard statements like “You can attend our church but you are disqualified from ministering here because of your divorce.” “You can sit on the back row but don’t plan on being involved with the ministry here – we can’t put people in the front who will embarrass the church.”

This woman’s life probably meant very little to her at the moment she was brought before Jesus. The Bible doesn’t say at the beginning of this narrative whether she knew who Jesus was. But on this day, she would learn God’s plan of redemption for fallen humanity first hand. It would be the day that Jesus dropped the charges. It would be the day her life really began. It would be the day she found grace instead of law. It would be the day she found salvation instead of sin. It would be the day she found light instead of darkness. It would be the day she found Jesus instead of finding a denomination or movement. Glory to God!

 All Were Guilty Who Stood Before Jesus, Not Just the Woman

The simple truth to the story at this point was ALL WERE GUILTY who stood before Jesus that day. The lesson today is simple as well - ALL are guilty before God. No one can stand in front of God and say “I’m more righteous than my brother” or “I’m not guilty of adultery, so I have a right to judge my brother who has fallen into adultery.” None will enter into heaven based upon their own merit. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The ones seeking to stone this woman were just as guilty as she was. Many who stood by may not have been guilty of adultery, but they were guilty of something else. At the very least, their judgmental attitude brought them under the judgment of God. If we base our judgment of others upon the measurement of ourselves we are standing on demonic ground!

Someone reading this may say, "Well, I've NEVER been divorced." Because of this that person may feel really proud of their lack of problems in their marriage while looking down on others who have been divorced. The person doing the judging may boast in his lack of marriage problems while being cold as a brick to his wife, never showing her intimacy, lusting after everything that walks by and being selfish. Just because he's never been divorced doesn't make him better than someone who has. Someone who never killed anyone may look down on those on murderers road and say, "I've never killed anyone." But that same person probably has hate in his heart to someone so strong that the worst murderer in the world wouldn't hold a candle to the judger if that individual were given the right opportunity to kill.

You see, it's a matter of the HEART! It's a matter of the soul. Jesus sees what's INSIDE of us. If the heart is not right, it will eventually result in sinful actions. But you can hide a wicked, arrogant and prideful spirit from those around you while never committing a serious sin. Either way, THIS DOES NOT GIVE YOU A RIGHT TO JUDGE!!!!!!

When Adam fell, the whole human race fell with him. Man has never recovered from the fall. When Jesus came He gained back the place in God man lost but ONLY THROUGH JESUS do we identify with that place today. There are no big names or little names in the Kingdom of God. ALL ARE ALIKE in His sight. I don’t care if you’ve lived a squeaky clean life without any stain or problem. Praise God for that. I’m glad you’ve not been touched by the things some of us have who are not as perfect as you have been touched by. But just because those things have not happened to YOU does NOT merit you any greater standing with God than those who have had great difficulty in their life. The blood of Jesus is blind to that whom it cleanses. ALL ARE IN NEED OF CLEANSING EVERY DAY. All are in need of His mercy. All are in need of His grace. All are in need of His revelation. All are in need of His touch. All are in need of His name. All are in need of His word. All are in need of His anointing. All are in need of HIM!!!!!!!!!!! Glory!

Romans 5:12  - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Our Greatest Sin - Accusing Others and Boasting In Ourselves

Romans 2:17-22 - Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makes thy boast of God, And knows his will, and approves the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; [19] And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, [20] An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.  Thou therefore which teaches another, teaches thou not thyself? thou that preaches a man should not steal, dost thou steal? [22] Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

Romans 3:21-29 - But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: [23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. [27] Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. [28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. [29] Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

When We Judge Others We Expose Our Own Sin

The Bible is replete with warnings about judging others. When I taught a Wednesday night Bible study I ministered on the two types of ministries before the throne of God – accusation and intercession. It is inevitable that when I teach this someone always asks me the question, “Well, Brother McDonald, I don’t think it’s judging if I’m inspecting fruit. The Bible calls us to be fruit inspectors.” No, the Bible does not tell us to do that. The Bible tells us to work out our OWN salvation with fear and trembling. Usually our fruit inspection is only a weak attempt to hide a judgmental and critical spirit in our lives that gives our flesh relief from our own failures. Whenever you are pointing your finger at someone else just remember that there are four more pointing back at you. The Pharisees set themselves up as the judge of this woman even though to the people they were bringing her to Jesus. They had already condemned her for this act. People who always want to inspect other trees need to look at THEMSELVES!! I don’t have time to worry about my brother’s failures. If I see my brother sinning and needing help, I’m to INTERCEDE for him. I’m not to EXPOSE him. I’m to act as a prayer covering. LOVE covers sins, religion and demonic wisdom exposes it to others.

Matthew 7:1-2  - Judge not, that ye be not judged. [2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

The Bible tells us to judge not, lest we be judged. The meaning of this in the Greek is basically “Do not find fault with anyone except yourself or you will expose your own criminal tendencies and disposition.” In other words if one is always looking to expose someone else’s faults in a certain area, be it adultery, greed, an ethical failure or anything else, that person is probably merely expressing to the world their own guilt of the same sin or something very similar. There is something in man that takes great security in pointing fingers at other people’s faults while excusing his own. Look at the late 1980s. Two well-known evangelists both fell to sexual sin two years in a row. I love both these men and respect them highly. One year before one fell he had been on national television calling the first one “a cancer on the Body of Christ.” Twelve months later he was exposed to have committed the same sin. I’m not saying that to condemn either man. We ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I’m merely making a point. When we judge others, we are expressing the failures in our own lives. Usually, our sin is usually WORSE than our brother’s failures. And if do not cease to judge our brother, our own failures WILL BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT

Have you ever noticed people who judge others always want mercy for their own failures yet refuse to give mercy to others? Many of us want to judge others based upon their actions while we want people to judge us on our intentions. If we would have been in this crowd that day would we have been one of the many who were gathering stones to stone this guilty woman? You say, “Well, I’d never stone anyone like that.” Well, we do it everyday with our tongues and the words we use to judge others probably hurt 10 times more than any rock would against our natural flesh. This woman was guilty and she was hurting. It wouldn’t have matter how many stones would have hit her that day. The shame and rebuke of the church establishment was enough to have made her want to die a thousand deaths. I wander how many people we have stoned to death with our tongues that needed our intercession and love and not a rebuke. You say, “Well, we just can’t tolerate sin in the church.” Well, brethren, it would probably scare us to death if we could see the “SIN” in the church as God sees it. Who are we to sit ourselves up as any type of authority on sin? There is only ONE LAWGIVER and when we judge others we are taking the law into our own hands and that my friend is not a position you want to find yourself in!

James 4:11 - Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judges the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

James 5:9  - Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

James tells us that when we speak evil one of another we are judging our brother. And when we speak evil of him, we are speaking evil of the law and we are setting ourselves up as judges of the law. James goes on to say that when we do this we put ourselves at the mercy of the law as a judge and NO MAN can stand up to that standard. He expresses this in 5:9 when he says we are not to hold grudges against one another because THE JUDGE, (Jesus) stands before the door of our hearts. Peter carries on this theme in his epistle when he states that even the angels don’t bring accusation even against Satan, and certainly not against a saint:

2 Peter 2:11  - Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

He says that when people speak evil of us we are to maintain our faith because in the end our good conversation in Christ will make them ashamed.

1 Peter 3:16  - Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

1 Peter 4:5  - Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

The Lord is the one who will judge us. Not the world, not the church establishment, not the news media, but the Lord. He may use other people to carry out His work, but when that happens, that person who is doing the carrying out has been CHOSEN BY GOD and knows the awesomeness of his responsibility. That person is usually one of great humility and great wisdom because we are dealing with PEOPLE, God’s creation. We’re dealing with human beings with feelings that are hurt when they are isolated and alienated because of our judgment.

Hebrews 10:30  - For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

I’ll ask this question just one time in this article and leave it be. But, where was the man who was caught in the act with this lady? Where was he? Could it have been possible that he was one of the scribes or Pharisees? Could it have been he was one of the religious leaders actually in the same crowd stoning her for a sin he too was guilty of? Don’t know. Just a thought

Self-Righteousness – The Sin of the Church

Jesus knew her accusers were not without sin; and, therefore, they were being self-righteous when they condemned her. Jesus never condemned sinners. He only condemned cold-hearted religion. As I write this my mind pauses to think about the shame and humiliation this woman must have felt being hauled before not only Jesus, but also the crowd of people gathered that day. Those ready to stone her did not care about her feelings or emotions and that what religion does. It protects its laws and rules and cares NOTHING for people. It seeks control without mercy. It pronounces judgment without grace. It kills and hurts the already wounded while upholding its “system.” More than six million Jews were killed in Hitler’s Germany under the guise and name of Christianity. Many who flipped the switch on the gas chambers had just come from Sunday service or came from town meetings where they sang Christmas carols.

In Rick Joyner’s book, A Prophetic Vision for the 21rst Century, he points out that the reason the church of this hour lacks the anointing to change society around us is the sin of self-righteousness. Isaiah addressed this issue in the 58^th chapter of his book. He called this spirit a yoke, “the putting forth of the finger,” and speaking vanity. What we do in the church today is a mirror of what the Pharisees did to this woman nearly 2,000 years ago. Many in the church simply do not know how to love God with all their heart, soul and mind. They serve God out of ritual, tradition and ceremony. They stress “discipline” and “order” while lacking the very passion for God that is needed to have an intimate relationship with God. As a result of this lack of intimacy, they usually are very harsh on others who “don’t” measure up to their standards. They are quick to judge others who fall short. The fact of the matter is WE HAVE ALL FALLEN SHORT!!!!! There are only two types of people in this world – people who have failed and those who will never admit they have failed. The Pharisees were very quick and cold in accusing this woman. The Bible doesn’t go into much detail about her other than to let us know she was guilty as charged of what she was accused of. That is what religion does – it accuses and seeks out the law to justify its wrath. Isaiah addresses this type of attitude when talking about the reason God’s glory tarried in saving Israel from her enemies.

Isa 58:8-9 - Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

To be a leader in the American church takes some guts. The demands are very high both personally and spiritually. When anyone tries to lead us, we so attack him or her that it makes one wonder why anyone would want to be a pastor or the president of the United States. Most critics and faultfinders in our churches are people who have done NOTHING for God. The person who complains the most about the church service is the person who visits once every other month. The person who criticizes the preaching of the Word is someone who can’t tell you where the book of Judges is in their Bible.

Many mature Christians who should be more discerning listen to these “critics” who have set themselves up as “judges over the church.” Until we stop pointing the finger at one another we will not see our light break forth as the morning and healing come to the wounded of the Body. There are deep wounds that only a spiritual revival will mend. But before revival and healing comes, we must stop our judgmental and critical attitudes in the church. If we’d spend the same amount of time in prayer seeking God for our own lives as we do in “inspecting” other people’s lives there is no telling what would happen to this country.

What Sayest Thou?

John 8:5  - Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him.

The bottom line to this whole drama is revealed in verses 5 and 6. The issue was not the woman – it was Jesus. The Pharisees were seeking to catch Jesus in a trap. They would use a scared woman condemned under the law to prove He was not the Messiah. The Bible says they were “tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.”  Had He contradicted Moses (Leviticus 20:10; Deut. 22:22-24), He would have been condemned as a false prophet.  Had He condemned the woman to death He would have been accused to the Romans as usurping authority, so He merely wrote on the ground as if He did not hear them.  When they continued to ask, He told them that the sinless ones should first cast a stone. What He wrote on the ground is not recorded. Who knows? Isn’t that the cruse of religion? When we seek to disprove our unbelief we grab a wounded, hurting person and throw them in the face of God as proof He is not real. If we don’t see people healed in our churches we deny healing is for today. If we don’t see people filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues then we deny speaking in tongues are for today. In some cases, we even say speaking in tongues are of the devil. If we as preachers don’t know how to love our flocks the way God loves them, then we get up and expound the law

Deut 22:22 - If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

In the Ten Commandments God emphatically prohibited adultery when He said, "You shall not commit adultery" <Ex. 20:14>. Under Mosaic Law, when a couple was caught in the act of adultery, both parties were to be killed <Deut. 22:22>. Adultery plays havoc with personal, domestic, and national happiness. A case in point is David's affair with Bathsheba. Their adultery led to a cover-up, which was followed by the murder of Bathsheba's husband <2 Samuel 11>. Nathan the prophet later came to David, accusing him of his sin and declaring that because of it, violence would become commonplace in David's household <2 Sam. 12:10>. One disaster after another struck his family, including rape, murder, and revolt <2 Samuel 13--15>. Adultery reached epidemic proportions in Jeremiah's time. The prophet repeatedly spoke out against this and other sins <Jer. 7:9; 23:10>. The problem was so rampant that even the other prophets of Jerusalem were guilty of it <Jer. 23:14>, and Jeremiah predicted God's judgment on them <Jer. 23:15>. Occasionally, the marriage covenant was used as an analogy to describe God's relationship to His people. When the people of Israel and Judah refused to obey Him, or when they practiced idolatry, the prophets accused them of spiritual adultery <Jer. 3:6-10>. The apostle Paul catalogued a series of sins that exclude a person from the kingdom of God. The sin of adultery was included in these lists <1 Cor. 6:9>

And John records a woman caught in adultery. According to the Law of Moses, she should have been stoned to death. It points to the fact we ALL are guilty under the Law of Moses. Whether it is adultery or stealing or covetousness – all are alike when it comes to the sin nature. We were all born sinners. The heinousness of what these men did is revealed that the same law they wanted this woman judged by they were also condemned by. The penalty of sin under the Law of Moses was DEATH. The Pharisees knew this and wanted to accuse Jesus. They were only doing what their father the devil does – accuse. Jesus lives to intercede for His people. Satan, however, is called “the accuser of the brethren.” We are told his ministry of accusation goes on “day and night” before the throne of God.

True Holiness of the Law of God

Romans 7:5-12  - For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good

            Several things are mentioned in scripture about the law of God:

• No one will be justified by the deeds of the law - Rom 3:20a - Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:

• Our knowledge of sin comes from the law – Rom 3:20b - for by the law is the knowledge of sin

• Without law, we would not be guilty. As a result of the law, we are under its wrath - Rom 4:15 - Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

• The law causes the offense to be magnified. To the degree of offense, grace does much more abound - Rom 5:20 - Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

• Sin gets its strength from the law - 1 Cor 15:56 - The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

• We have been called able ministers of the NEW testament, which works by the SPIRIT, not the letter of the law - 2 Cor 3:6-9 - Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:   How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

• To be justified by law, we must keep the ENTIRE law; to disobey in any respect, we are under its curse - death - Gal 3:10 - For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

• If you offend in one point of the law, you are guilty -  James 2:9-10 - But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

• When we sin, we break the law of God - I John 3:4  - Whosoever committeth sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The Law was given to Israel at Mt. Sinai. The sight of the giving of the Law was so horrific that even Moses, a man who had talked to God face-to-face, could barely behold it. In Hebrews chapter 12, Paul illustrated the grace of the Lord Jesus in redeeming us from the Law in comparison to this horrible sight.

Heb 12:18-21 - For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

The Law revealed the holiness and character of God. It was the standard by which Israel CHOSE to align themselves with after leaving Egypt. Unfortunately, fallen humanity has never been able to keep the law of God in their hearts. Israel failed miserably. Sadly, in choosing law over grace, she chose the curses that went with that Law for disobedience – death, lack and sickness. God never intended man to have fellowship with Him through the law. It’s always been God’s plan to DWELL in man and have an intimate relationship with him. The law drove Israel into more than just a physical wilderness. It put a yoke around her neck that she could never shake. Neither we who seek to live by the law can shake it either. They that live under the law are under its curse.

Those who want to seek retribution under the law also put themselves under the law’s penalty because the law has no respecter of persons. Scripture declares 15 things that LAW cannot do for mankind. The law isn’t bad, it’s holy and just. Jesus didn’t come to destroy it, but fulfill it that THROUGH HIM we may also meet its demands. But the LAW CANNOT SAVE OR REDEEM! It couldn’t do it before Calvary and it still cannot do it today:

Rom 8:3-4 - For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The word “weak” comes from the  Greek: astheneo (GSN-770), which means weak, and impotent.  The law was powerless to control the flesh, for sin already had control of it before the law came (Romans 5:20; Galatians 3:19).  Sin would not permit the flesh to obey the law (^§Romans 7:7-23, notes). So God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh for man! Stoning the woman to death would have fulfilled the law but it would have damned her soul to hell. Jesus didn’t come to condemn mankind. He came that man might be saved. To do this He had to fulfill the law of God and become a substitute for its penalty. Praise the Lord He did! His blood is the payment for our sin. His blood is the bail to give us the freedom to serve God. God had to undertake man's deliverance from sin so that the flesh could be liberated to fulfill the righteousness that the law demanded (Romans 8:3-4). They who want to live under the law will die by the law’s curse. This woman’s cure was not in stoning her to death. Her cure was in the deliverance from her sin. Only the one who stood before her could do that and He embodied both the fulfillment of the law and the GRACE that we ALL need to keep the law. Only Jesus kept all the law. Only Jesus can keep the law today. It’s through Him we find our deliverance from the curse of the law.

The reason Christ could set us free from the law is that He came as a man and had sinless flesh. His incarnation as the “Second” Adam is vital to the fact that we are declared “not guilty” under the law by His life, death and resurrection. When we are declared “not guilty” it is called justification. Justification is declaring one “not guilty” as if the sin has never been committed. It is more than just a pardon where your sins are pardoned but your record still remains stained. Justification is when both the SIN and the RECORD are cleared in heaven’s courts! Are you hearing what I’m saying? The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins so that there is no record of any wrong any more. This is the hardest revelation for us as Christians to accept sometime. It is the hardest revelation for us to live by. The enemy loves to condemn us for our past and when he gets tired of accusing and condemning, he gets some backslidden saint to start doing it. Those who are justified are not under condemnation!

• Have access by faith into grace (Romans 5:2) – We have access into this faith by GRACE. The law came by Moses but grace came through Jesus Christ. He will never turn anyone away who asks for His grace

• Stand in grace (Romans 5:2)  - We are standing in this grace every day. When we have done we can it’s time to stand.

• Have Joy and hope (Romans 5:2) – When we are at peace with God and ourselves, we have a joy and hope than no amount of money can buy nor place of prestige satisfies. It’s a joy that is not given to us by the world – it’s given to us by Jesus. The world cannot take it away!

• Have Joy in tribulations (Romans 5:3-5) – When you’re “not guilty” before the Father, nothing in this world can shake you. You can laugh at any calamity, temptation or failure knowing that His Grace is sufficient to cover our insufficiencies.

• Have The Love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5-8)  - While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. His love is shed abroad in our hearts by a power that is not of this world. It’s the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s an agape love that man will never understand. The only thing we can do is accept it and return this love back to our Father and to those around us.

• The Holy Spirit Is Freely Given To Us (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9) – Part of the price Jesus paid on Calvary was not just that we are cleansed from sin but that we might be FILLED with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we have been declared “not guilty” by the Righteous Judge of the universe.

• We Are Saved From Wrath (Romans 5:9-10) – The penalty of sin is DEATH. The wages of sin is DEATH. BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have no other place to turn from the wrath that is coming but Him. We have no other place to hide from the wrath that is coming on this earth but HIM. We must see to it that the blood is applied to our hearts because as it was in the days of Moses, the death angel is coming through and the only thing that saves us from the Death Angel is the BLOOD of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus Writes on the Ground

John 8:7-9 - So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

After all the accusation and threats by the Pharisees, Jesus simply kneels down to the ground, writes in the sand and then says “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” It so stung those gathered that each one was convicted by their conscience. Then as if in a moment on a bad VCR tape, they went BACKWARDS out of the place they were gathered, one by one. From the eldest to the oldest, from the rich to the poor from the big to the small, they went out one by one and JESUS WAS LEFT ALONE with the WOMAN standing in the midst.

What Jesus wrote on the ground that day has been debated by Bible teachers the world over. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything on the contents of these “letters in the sand.” It very well could be true that Jesus wrote the name of the other party or parties who had practiced adultery with this woman before, yet now had come to Jesus in a self-righteous, smug attitude seeking justice. Friend, we don’t want justice! None of us deserves anything but death. That’s why the mercy of God reaches beyond the confines of the grave. That’s why the mercies of God reach beyond the church wall. That’s why the mercies of God reach beyond a denomination or church movement.  We all deserved hell when Jesus found us but through His mercy and grace we continue to breath. That’s why James says, “Mercy always triumphs over justice.” When Jesus lifted up this woman, He lifted up the entire fallen human race. To all those who believe, they will one day stand before Him “not guilty.”

The Mercy of God – The Mercy Seat - JESUS

The mercy of God is a celebration of love. Mercy, love and compassion come from the same Hebrew word, so when you say God is love, you are saying God is mercy and compassion. Jesus operated in all three on this day as He knelt down to write in the sand. He was writing, “love letters” not only to this woman, but to the entire human race. He was writing, “No matter how sinful you are, My grace, love, compassion and mercy is available to those who believe in Me.” Jesus manifested all three of these forces. Jesus fully expressed the inner character and nature of His Father each time He acted in mercy. Mercy, not power, not wrath, motivates God to act.

Ps 145:8-9 - The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Mercy covers every work He performs. It was portrayed in the Old Testament with the Ark of the Covenant on the mercy seat that sits between the cherubim. It was on the mercy seat where the priest of old would bring the blood of a slain animal and sprinkle it as payment for the sins of national Israel once a year. This blood satisfied God’s anger, wrath and justice against the sins of the people.

Exod 25:17-22 - And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims that are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things that I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Not only was the mercy the place where God pardoned sin, it was the place where He communed with Aaron. This was where the BLOOD of the bullock was sprinkled as atonement for the sin of the nation. The Priest could never enter the Holy Place without blood. The voice of God was never heard off the Mercy Seat without BLOOD atonement. God has nothing to say to us outside or apart of Jesus Christ and His redeeming blood. It was the blood that changed the throne of judgment and justice to a Throne of grace. Paul said in Romans that Jesus has become our Mercy seat today and has changed God’s throne of judgment to a throne of mercy.

Rom 3:25-26 - Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

The Greek word “propitiation” is the same word in the Hebrew as “Mercy-seat.” Jesus was set forth as God’s declaration of mercy to man. Jesus was set forth as God’s declaration to this woman caught in adultery. She couldn’t have stood before a better judge – Hallelujah. She couldn’t have stood before anyone better and able to set her free from sin and pronounce her “NOT GUILTY!” God is a holy God, full of righteousness and judgment. This is the picture of God we get when we see the LAW. When Israel broke the Law, they stirred up the wrath of God. Jesus wasn’t pleased with the fact the woman had committed sin but He looked at her and saw the virtue that she would have once she embraced the mercy that was before her. Mercy TRIUMPHED over Judgment. Mercy triumphed over dead, callous religion. Mercy triumphed over BONDAGE. Mercy triumphed over the powers of darkness. Mercy triumphed over sin!

 This woman’s sin had to be judged. The demands of the law declared SHE MUST DIE! God’s holiness and righteousness must be vindicated. The wages of sin are death. The blood on the mercy seat testified that a death had taken place. The judgment of God on sin had been executed on an innocent victim. Hence God’s wrath was appeased. His righteousness was vindicated and now, God’s mercy could flow. And the day this woman stood before Jesus, she stood before the one who would one day ultimately pay her debt. HE WAS THE VICTIM that would die not only for her sin, but for the sins of the whole world. It would be HIS blood that would be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in heaven. It was the blood of Jesus that would set all humanity free.

 In the Tabernacle, we see a blending of mercy and judgment. Mercy and truth, righteousness and peace have been reconciled here. It’s been reconciled in JESUS. The woman was guilty, but the only one who had the power in the universe to drop the charges in heaven – DROPPED THEM. He wasn’t condoning her sin when He did it, He was setting her free. The blood of the brazen altar, a type of the cross, was brought to the ark and mercy seat (the Throne of God) and God is propitiated, or satisfied. Jesus paid her debt for her and dropped the charges.

The Choice – Law or Grac

A great slaughter took place in 1 Samuel. Sadly, Israel under Moses had exchanged the mercy seat when they chose the ministration of death and took the 10 commandments from God. In order to look upon the Tables of Stone, which had no life in them, one had to remove or put aside the Blood. If we reject the Blood and cease to operate in the law of spirit and life we fall to the level of the LAW (the Law of Sin and death which can only bring death to fallen man. To remove the mercy seat as Israel did will bring death.

1 Sam 6:19-21 - And he smote the men of Beth-she'mesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-she'mesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-je'arim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

Rom 8:2 - For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

2 Cor 3:5-18 - Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The law was God’s declaration of His righteous character and standard which were perfect but it was powerless to give life or grace. In Christ alone through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can life be found. Therefore since Christ has died to vindicate the righteous claims of a holy God and to satisfy divine justice (His Blood being the evidence that sin has been judged) we can once again be restored to a place and position to fellowship with God.)

 Law cannot deliver from sin. Quarantining a person will not set that person free. Stoning that person with our mouth will not set that person free. The New Testament ministry is no longer a ministry of death. It’s a ministry of life. It’s a ministry of mercy. It’s a ministry of agape love that has the power to set every sinner free and break the bondages over every backslider! We will win our lost loved ones by love, not law. We will win our lost sons and daughters by love, not law. We will set the captives free around us by LOVE, not law!!! Man’s goodness will never deliver him from his sin. Man’s attempts at covering will never atone for his guilt. ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS!! Satan, the blood is against you. Satan, it’s not our own merit, but it’s the blood. We don’t plead our church, we plead the blood. We don’t plead the fact we’re in the ministry, we plead the blood. We don’t plead the fact we don’t drink, we plead the blood. We don’t plead the fact we’ve never been divorced, we plead the blood!!!! THE BLOOD IS AGAINST YOU SATAN.

The Only Seat in the Tabernacle

The mercy seat was called a seat, and yet no man every sat upon the seat. It signifies rest. It speaks of Christ’s finished work of redemption and the fact that after Jesus dropped the charges against man, He sat down in victory at the right hand of God the Father. His declaration “It is finished,” was a declaration of “NOT GUILTY,” “FORGIVEN,” “SET FREE.”

Heb 10:11-16 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

Ps 110:1-3 - The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

Heb 8:1-3 - Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

Isa 16:5 - And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

John 19:30 - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jesus dropped the charges and He sat down! GLORY!!! I want to shout it to the mountain tops. I’m forgiven. I’m set free. I’ve been set free by the Son of God. I’ve been set free from the penalty of sin and He’s not changing His mind. When He dropped the charges, He didn’t do anything else- HE SAT DOWN. The mercy seat was a place of holiness, justice, and righteousness, It was a place of atonement and propitiation, a place of mercy of reconciliation. It was a place of communion of God with redeemed man. It was a place of the GLORY OF GOD. It was a place where God recorded His name.

2 Sam 6:1-2 - Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

The Cherubims

One last fact on the mercy seat I feel is important to bring out is the two cherubim. The mercy seat and the cherubim were ONE piece of gold. It is probably the most dynamic type of the Godhead in the entire Tabernacle. Paul referred to these two cherubim not as angels, but CHERUBIM OF GLORY. (Hebrews 9:5) The lid of the Ark is one piece of gold made in three figures. We have TWO CHERUBIMS and a BLOOD STAINED MERCY SEAT. We know Jesus is the Mercy Seat. The other two are the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Cherubims looked down upon the broken law inside the ark. Also there in the ark were Aaron’s rod that budded and a golden pot of manna that God fed the Israelites with when they came out of Egypt. Aaron’s rod budded during a rebellion that shows that God sees ALL REBELLION in our hearts and life as does the HOLY SPIRIT who lives in us under the New Covenant. But as they are looking at the broken law, they are looking at the BLOOD ON TOP of the broken law!

            The Cherubims in the Old Testament are seen in relation to the judgment on sin. They are the guardians of the holiness of God, as well as that which pertains to the work of Redemption.

Gen 3:21-24 - Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

  Exod 26:31-33 - And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy

Ps 80:1  - Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Ps 99:1 - The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

The Ark of the Covenant was the first object to preach God’s message of redemption. Some 1500 years later, Jesus proclaimed the same message with writing in the sand. He proclaimed to this woman who was guilty as charged that the Lord’s mercy was greater than His judgment. His mercy was greater than her sin. She had broken the law but the price for breaking the law was soon to be paid on Calvary. It would be paid for by blood and it would set her, as well as all humanity free from the claims and curses of the law.

Gal 3:11-13 - But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

When Jesus Lifted this Woman, He Lifted Adam's Fallen Race

John 8:10-11 - When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

 He stands up and asks the woman, “where are those thine accusers; hath no man condemned thee?” She says, “No, Lord.” Jesus didn’t ask the question to her because He didn’t know the answer. He knew no one had the right to accuse this woman EXCEPT HIM. John records a little verse in the second chapter of his book when he said, “but Jesus knew what was in man.” Then Jesus uttered the words that shake hell – “Neither do I condemn thee, go, and sin no more.” Every time Satan brings an accusation before the throne of God and you feel condemned remember these words!  When everyone else around you condemns you and criticizes you, remember Jesus has not condemned you. The feelings of guilt are not from Him

The world does not need our condemnation. It is condemned already. The only people Jesus condemned were the group surrounding this woman – religious, self-righteous Pharisees who preferred judgment over mercy. He didn’t condone her actions. He clearly told her what she had done was sin. But with eyes of love and the heart of the Father, He charged her to take this new chance and go and sin no more. When He spoke these words to this woman, He was speaking to the entire human race. He was not just lifting a sinful woman out of her misery. He was lifting us all out of the misery and pit of sin. He was embodying God’s plan of redemption for fallen humanity.

John 3:16-19 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:35-36 - The Father loves the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

In closing, I feel in my heart this woman is in heaven today. I believe the revelation she received of God from this encounter with Jesus changed her life to the point that she never again returned to her old life. Did she fail again? Who knows, but even if she did, the same Jesus was there to forgive her of every failure. This same Jesus is waiting to forgive you for your sins and failures as well. To the church, I say, “Stop being a Pharisee and a stone-thrower.” The world has enough of those. People who are Jesus people don’t cast stones. They remove them. In judging others, you condemn yourself. In judging others, you render the grace of God powerless in your own life and in the lives of your family. Jesus dropped the charges against the woman and HE DROPPED THE CHARGES AGAINST YOU the day He died on Calvary. All you must do is accept HIM and make Him Lord of your life and ask Him into your heart.

He didn’t drop the charges for you to go and sin again and again. He has dropped the charges to set you free to serve Him in Spirit and in Truth. When He saves you, He breaks the power of sin in your life. When He saves you, you will hear Him say, “FORGIVEN!, GO and sin no more.” You’re redeemed. You’re free. You’re blood-washed. You’re a first-class citizen in God’s kingdom. You’re born-again. You’re a child of God. You are one who was guilty but has now been pardoned. Go and tell someone today under the penalty of sin that there was a day long ago Jesus dropped the charges against a woman caught in sin and He will drop the charges against all those who believe. And he will drop the charges against you today and wash you from your sins.

Neither do I condemn thee, Precious words of life, From the lips of mercy, For a sweetest rhyme, Neither do I condemn thee, Sing them o’er and o’er Neither do I condemn thee, Go, and sin no more