Aim High!
Scripture Reading: John 8:2-12
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.”
Most of us have heard or read this account before. Today I want to look at
something specific that Yeshua says. First, before we get to that, I want you to see
that He did not judge the woman for whatever she may have done. Now, many
believe this means that believers can do whatever they want as far as sin is
concerned but here’s the point I want to discuss today. He tells her go and sin no
more. On the surface one may wonder why He would say that. He said the same
thing to a man He healed just outside the Temple.
John 5:14 - Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been
made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
Did He really think they would be able to do that? To go and sin no more?
Romans 3:23 tells us this, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And in 1 John 1:10 says, If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us. So, does this mean that we have to sin or we make God
a liar? Or is it talking about our sin before we were born again?
Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not!
How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Well, according to what Paul writes to the Romans here, we are certainly not
supposed to continue in sin. In fact it says if we die to sin how can we live in it any
longer.
Hebrews 10:26-29
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse
punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God
underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,
and insulted the Spirit of grace?
The writer of Hebrews speaks even more strongly against sin saying that if we sin
willfully after knowing the truth then that’s it. He makes a comparison between
those who rejected the law given to Moses dying without mercy and basically says
how much worse will the punishment be for those who basically insult the Spirit of
grace. So, you may be getting a bit nervous. Wondering if you’ve done anything
or may do anything to ‘lose’ your salvation. Well, gratefully, it doesn’t work like that.
1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, is this a contradiction? Or is it
saying that if we stumble into sin we will become unsaved until we confess? I
believe the answer is no to both questions. As we move on I’m going to be very
scripture intensive because I believe God’s word speaks for itself. Let’s see what
John writes about it.
1 John 3:4-9
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know
that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides
in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just
as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he
cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
He says that whoever abides in Him, does not sin. That’s a pretty strong
statement, especially since we can look around and see believers still sinning.
However, I submit that stumbling into a sin is very different than living a lifestyle of
sin. You see he writes that if someone practices righteousness, they are
righteous. Practicing is a good word. A baseball player practices. They go out
and do the same things over and over to make sure they’re ready when the time
comes. The same is true of us as believers. We must condition ourselves to walk
righteously; practice righteousness on even they little things so when it comes to
the big things we will be ready. Now if a shortstop that always practices well and
has a habit of making the plays in the game well, just happens to make an error, do
the coach get mad, yank them out of the game, and kick them off the team? That
would be a bit extreme, wouldn’t it? Since the coach knows that the player has a
habit of doing it right and was trying their best. If we would expect that coach to be
fair and just, how much more should we expect our Father in heaven?
Romans 6:10-14
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to
God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13
And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present
yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law
but under grace.
And then Paul also writes the Romans this.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It’s about what we purpose in our hearts. We are not supposed to allow sin to
reign over us, to just sit back and expect to sin because we’re human. That’s a
cop out, and God will not be mocked. It is our reasonable service to be holy and
righteous.
I heard an interesting analogy online the other day regarding us, God, and sin.
There was a mother with two little boys who wanted to go out and play. It had
recently rained so there were mud puddles so the mother said to be careful not to
get muddy. One boy went out and ran and played and as any mother knows, got
bits of mud all over the bottoms of his clothing. While the other decided that he
liked playing in the mud puddles. So, he just jumped directly into them and got
extremely muddy. Which one do you think will get punished? It’s the attitude that
matters. God knows our hearts and He knows our motivations. He will not be
mocked.
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death.
We are all going to be tempted but we do not have to sin. There is a process and
if we practice recognizing that process so we can see when it’s coming, we can
avoid sin.
Matthew 5:48 - Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Perfect! He has told us to be perfect. But how can we do that? Is that too hard?
Is that impossible?
Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
God’s word gives us everything we need to understand how to be holy, and His
Holy Spirit living within us gives us the strength to do it. We must abide in Him and
have His word abiding within us.
Ephesians 4:20-32
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been
taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct,
the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we
are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on
your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let
him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who
has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
1 Peter 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called
you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am
holy.”
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date February 17, 2008
Scripture Reading: John 8:2-12
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.”
Most of us have heard or read this account before. Today I want to look at
something specific that Yeshua says. First, before we get to that, I want you to see
that He did not judge the woman for whatever she may have done. Now, many
believe this means that believers can do whatever they want as far as sin is
concerned but here’s the point I want to discuss today. He tells her go and sin no
more. On the surface one may wonder why He would say that. He said the same
thing to a man He healed just outside the Temple.
John 5:14 - Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been
made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
Did He really think they would be able to do that? To go and sin no more?
Romans 3:23 tells us this, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And in 1 John 1:10 says, If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us. So, does this mean that we have to sin or we make God
a liar? Or is it talking about our sin before we were born again?
Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not!
How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Well, according to what Paul writes to the Romans here, we are certainly not
supposed to continue in sin. In fact it says if we die to sin how can we live in it any
longer.
Hebrews 10:26-29
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse
punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God
underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,
and insulted the Spirit of grace?
The writer of Hebrews speaks even more strongly against sin saying that if we sin
willfully after knowing the truth then that’s it. He makes a comparison between
those who rejected the law given to Moses dying without mercy and basically says
how much worse will the punishment be for those who basically insult the Spirit of
grace. So, you may be getting a bit nervous. Wondering if you’ve done anything
or may do anything to ‘lose’ your salvation. Well, gratefully, it doesn’t work like that.
1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, is this a contradiction? Or is it
saying that if we stumble into sin we will become unsaved until we confess? I
believe the answer is no to both questions. As we move on I’m going to be very
scripture intensive because I believe God’s word speaks for itself. Let’s see what
John writes about it.
1 John 3:4-9
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know
that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides
in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just
as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he
cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
He says that whoever abides in Him, does not sin. That’s a pretty strong
statement, especially since we can look around and see believers still sinning.
However, I submit that stumbling into a sin is very different than living a lifestyle of
sin. You see he writes that if someone practices righteousness, they are
righteous. Practicing is a good word. A baseball player practices. They go out
and do the same things over and over to make sure they’re ready when the time
comes. The same is true of us as believers. We must condition ourselves to walk
righteously; practice righteousness on even they little things so when it comes to
the big things we will be ready. Now if a shortstop that always practices well and
has a habit of making the plays in the game well, just happens to make an error, do
the coach get mad, yank them out of the game, and kick them off the team? That
would be a bit extreme, wouldn’t it? Since the coach knows that the player has a
habit of doing it right and was trying their best. If we would expect that coach to be
fair and just, how much more should we expect our Father in heaven?
Romans 6:10-14
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to
God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13
And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present
yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law
but under grace.
And then Paul also writes the Romans this.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It’s about what we purpose in our hearts. We are not supposed to allow sin to
reign over us, to just sit back and expect to sin because we’re human. That’s a
cop out, and God will not be mocked. It is our reasonable service to be holy and
righteous.
I heard an interesting analogy online the other day regarding us, God, and sin.
There was a mother with two little boys who wanted to go out and play. It had
recently rained so there were mud puddles so the mother said to be careful not to
get muddy. One boy went out and ran and played and as any mother knows, got
bits of mud all over the bottoms of his clothing. While the other decided that he
liked playing in the mud puddles. So, he just jumped directly into them and got
extremely muddy. Which one do you think will get punished? It’s the attitude that
matters. God knows our hearts and He knows our motivations. He will not be
mocked.
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death.
We are all going to be tempted but we do not have to sin. There is a process and
if we practice recognizing that process so we can see when it’s coming, we can
avoid sin.
Matthew 5:48 - Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Perfect! He has told us to be perfect. But how can we do that? Is that too hard?
Is that impossible?
Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
God’s word gives us everything we need to understand how to be holy, and His
Holy Spirit living within us gives us the strength to do it. We must abide in Him and
have His word abiding within us.
Ephesians 4:20-32
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been
taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct,
the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we
are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on
your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let
him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who
has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
1 Peter 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called
you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am
holy.”
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date February 17, 2008
