February 16, 2009
Service began at 7:00 PM. Scotty gave the introductions and thanked them for allowing us to come. I have the opening prayer. Kenley lead the singing first with "Pierce My Ear" and "Just A Little Talk With Jesus!". David Robinson then lead singing with "Hear O Israel" and "Hide Me Away, O LORD". David Peirce lead singing next with "He's The LORD Of The Sky", "Unto Thee, O LORD", and "Kumbayah". Scotty talks about how David Robinson just got back recently from Iraq and he is back taking classes at Stephen F. Austin State University. Matt Perkins brought the message and said it was from John 8:1-11. He said that this lady was caught in adultry. Matt gives us an idea of how it might have played out. He said the lady might have been crying out, they were shouting out vile names at her, their voices cold with frozen hearths. She might have been trembling at her shame. Jesus saw the accusers hearts, that they had no pity. They were apointing theirselves judges. They brought this lady to Jesus as a vindictive after thought. They thought that they were puting Jesus into a stituation where he could not win. If he condemned the lady then he would be going against Roman authority. If he let the girl go then he went against Moses law.
They tried to draw Jesus into a trap. Jesus knew their thoughts and he saw their "yesterdays" of their hearts. When he is writing in the sand, he is perhaps writing murderer, adulterer, or other sins the accussers may have committed. The lady makes no excuses for herself. Jesus looked beyond the physical and he saw her heart. He did not absolve her from her blame but from her guilt. He forgives her. We don't know what Jesus wrote on the ground and it is really not important in the grand scheme of things. Matt said that John 8:9 implies that they may have goten the answer whether to stone or not from their own conciouses. Jesus taught the concept of mercy and to remove the plank from our own eye before trying to remove something from someone else's. He reads Matthew 5:7 which says that blessed are the merciful. Matt said that we can see the hope that Jesus gave this lady. Jesus had freed her from the penalty of sin and let her know that he believed in her. Matt said that Jesus offers the same hope to us today. We suffer from sins of the heart, mind, disposition, and flesh. We too can be forgiven just like this lady because the blood of christ cleanses us from our sins. Matt prayed and we were dismissed. Afterwards I talked with a young man named Gerald who waid that he was seeking a job at Kroger's and was recovering from drug problems. I told him that I would keep him in my prayers.
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