The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 1 September 2021 – TOPIC: JESUS CAME TO FORGIVE, NOT TO CONDEMN
Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES
*TOPIC: JESUS CAME TO FORGIVE, NOT TO CONDEMN
*READ: JOHN 8:1 – 12 (NKJV)1. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.3. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,4. they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.5. “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”6. This they said, testing Him, that they might have [something] of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with [His] finger, as though He did not hear.7. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”8. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.9. Then those who heard [it,] being convicted by [their] conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest [even] to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.10. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”11. She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”12. Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
*THE MESSAGE:*The text in question today is about an adulterous woman who was supposed to face the wrath of the law by being stoned to death. Strictly speaking, the accusers were right to have called for her execution. Jesus didn’t condemn them for that, but rather asked the one who was without sin to cast the first stone. In a little while, the accusers all disappeared having lost the moral strength to continue with their mission. Jesus discharged the woman without condemnation, but asked her to go and sin no more.John 3:17 makes it clear to us that “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” It is God’s pleasure to have sinners come to Him in penitence. He is able and desires to have mercy on them. We are not in the position to judge others; the position belongs to God. We should also not remain in our sins for whatsoever reason. In Jesus,God has provided an avenue for forgiveness. So many people are haunted by the guilt of the sins committed in the past and so haven’t made any progress. Hear Jesus say today, “neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.*PRAYER:* Dear Lord, please grant me the grace to live above sin and its condemnation in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
