R253 The Real Meaning of Forgiveness

We all could use some encouragement and will find it together today in the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton in a message for the book of John together will open God's word to John chapter 8 beginning in verse one on this message called the real meaning of forgiveness as we remind ourselves what God's word tells us about forgiveness, understanding how much we have been forgiven, and how we can extend that to others will empower us to be the men and women of God.

We are called to be. As he started the word together know that we're here for you. Would love to connect with you on our website at T. W online.org that's TEW online.org why you're there, sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email from Dr. Don, wonderful, insightful snippet of God's word wonderful application and a grand challenge that's online@twonline.org now Dr. Don Wilton I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to John's gospel chapter 8 it's very important to follow along because the Bible says everything that we need to say about everything in every circumstance of life. Now wonder if we were to take a survey regarding our congregation this morning and we would ask the question, one of the two greatest needs of mankind.

I wonder what you would have to say about that. If I was to just walk around great congregation, and perhaps take a survey or pole trying to determine what the greatest needs among people. I wonder what we would say this morning my suggested probably topping the pole would be to issue number one. The need to be love. Number two. The need to be forgiven perhaps two of the greatest needs that all of us have the need to be love. Isn't it just wonderful to be love. That's what this church is all about. If you are visiting with us today. I'm going to give you a guarantee you going to be love to die until you can hardly stand my wife and I have come to understand in a great hurry. The amount of love that is in this congregation. I believe Larry Tallon spoke about in just a moment ago, when you find yourself at the bottom whether you find yourself at the top you going to be love. Just something about being love. You know, every time I leave close what ever reason, it is.

I just look forward to getting home because I know that I'm going to be love. My heart breaks when I think about children around the world who do not have the privilege of practical love of people who don't understand what it means to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ where there is neither Jew nor Greek, not available female.

Neither bond nor free, where no matter where all who, why, when we become born-again believers we all one in Christ and one on the whole box of this fellowship of encouragement and of God's church all over the world to be the issue of love, but there's a second lead that all people have and it's the need to be forgiven.

It is one of the most perplexing questions and issues that we ever have to deal with and I'm going to submit to you today. As we begin to look at John chapter 8 that in every pew this morning. There is a broken heart.

I'm going to submit to you today, my beloved friends that in every pew this morning. There is a need to be forgiven.

I'm going to submit to you today on the authority of God's word that in every pew this morning. There is a sinner. I'm going to submit to you today that there is a sinner saved by the grace of God. I'm going to submit to you this morning that the only difference between the best investing here and the rest of them out there is the grace of God and I'm going to submit to you today my friends that if we ever need something in our lives that nobody else can give to us.

It is the forgiveness of God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. One of those unbelievable passages, one that this plaster despite the degrees despite the theological disposition has very little understanding of one that many people have the right to which the scribes and the Pharisees haggled about and debated about became angry about had absolutely the greatest questions to ask about let's read and let's understand the real meaning this morning subject. The real meaning of forgiveness by Jesus in verse one of chapter 8 went to the Mount of olives and a door and he appeared again in the temple courts where all the people gathered around about him and he sat down to teach them. The scribes of the Lord and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. Some of you going to say to me will plaster what is adultery. I think we need to understand what the biblical definition adultery. My friend according to God's standard is any full of sexual activity outside the sanctity of marriage is adultery. Let me just run that by again according to God's standard of marriage and the sanctity of marriage, any full of sexual activity outside of the sanctity of marriage is classified as an adulterous relationship. According to the biblical standard. The Bible tells us that the Pharisees and the scribes boarding a woman court in adultery.

They made her stand before the group and Savior Jesus teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery down the law of Moses commanded us to stone such a woman now what do you say they were using this question not because of the guilty as charged. But they were using this question. The Bible says as a trap in order to have a basis for accusing the Lord Jesus Christ. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger when they kept on questioning him. He straightened up and he said to them, if any one of you is without sin. Letting be the first to throw a stone at her.

Again he stooped down and he wrote on the ground at this those who began those who heard began to go away. One of the time and in the Jewish tradition, the older ones left first until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there rather remarkable because frantically going to ever understand forgiveness. We going to have to understand that the one who needs to be forgiven has to come face-to-face with the only one who is capable of forgiving them.

Jesus put it like this in John chapter 14 in verse six.

I can't wait to get there in the next 30 years.

John chapter 14 in verse six, Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life no man can come unto the father but by me.

This those who heard began to go away. One of the time the old ones first until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there, Jesus straightened up and the Oscar woman where all the has no one condemned you one sir she said then neither do I condemn you. Jesus declared go now, and sin no more.

Go now and leave your life of sin. That's what repentance is all about repentance.

My friends means that you're willing to acknowledge your sin number two. It means that you're willing to confess your sins to Jesus Christ, the only one that you left standing facing and the only one who can forgive you for your sin and number three repentance. According to the word means that having been forgiven you are willing to turn away from your sin and go and sin no more. Then in verse 12, which begins the next section. Jesus put it into perspective. Jesus spoke again to the people and he said I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life by the Lord righties word upon our hearts this morning. Billy Graham, probably the greatest preacher and minister of all time.

In my opinion, wrote a book entitled peace with God.

How to have peace with God just scoured through the pages to remind myself of its true essence. I'm convinced that Mr. Graham was trying to capture the very essence of what Jesus meant when he said I am the light of the world, and I dwell in the midst of the darkness of men and women in their sinfulness and that because I am the light of the world that when you come into a relationship with me. The darkness that is in your heart is going to free for its life, and that I am the only one who is capable of, and who has the authority of God to harmonize your world. I love that word harmony don't require. That's what it's all about I Jesus was saying, I am the only one who has the authority and the capability of harmonizing your world. You see, if we were to talk about love we talking about harmony. A person whose love is a person who is living in harmony. A person who is forgiven is a person who is living in harmony and forgiven person is a person who is not of harmony. They are out of sync.

They are unbalanced. They are out of line with the express will and the Kaman about Lord Jesus Christ. So how do we understand what happened in the life of this adulterous woman in John chapter 8. I'm going to submit to you, my friends, that we cannot understand unless we understand for dynamics that took place. Roger, this story stands in harmony number one with true life. We cannot understand the real meaning of God's absolute forgiveness if we're not willing to understand that this encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ stands in absolute harmony number one with true life. This is you and me. Jesus is talking about. This is the Everyman the Everywoman of society.

The Bible puts it like this. The Bible says all of us of sin and come short of the glory of God and when we analyze and when we come to grips with the dynamic of the life that we live from Genesis to Revelation into the present day and age. What we find we find perplexities we find problems. We find puzzles we find places we find people, but there is one common denominator about the life that we live that stands in full harmony with the experience. Jesus had in John chapter 8 and it is simply this, that all of us are sinners saved by the grace of God please forgive the interruption will return to today's message the real meaning of forgiveness in just a moment, but Dr. Wilton wants me to remind you we are connecting both online and on the phone 24 hours a day. Phone numbers 866899 word 866-899-9673. Many are calling to start your preorder for the new book from Dr. Wilton coming out the end of March Saturdays with Bill about the time Dr. Wilton spent over 25 years being the pastor to one of the most remarkable man in all of our century, Dr. Billy Graham again.

You can find more details on our website as well a TEW online.org that's TE W online.org why you're there, sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email get some more insight on other resources available right now wonderful book from Laura story again, all of it is their partner website@tewonline.org about today's great teaching with Dr.how many of you have ever told a lot before raise your hands. Hands not up telling one right now, folks, that's in harmony with real life.

The Bible puts it like this. The Bible says that from the time of Adam will morning sin in Adam all die, we die because of our sinfulness, we die because we have been separated from God.

We die because of the perplexity about very being.

The Bible says that we all did in our trespasses and sins. There are coats there are philosophies that would seek to tell us the absolute proverbial spiritual life that all people are born inherently basically good and that from the time you were born you become entrapped by all the goings-on of society, and society begins to corrupt society does corrupt, but society corrupts an already corrupted heart because the Bible says as a result of the decision. Adam people God, you know that's sounds like terrible news, but I want you to know that such great news this morning. You know why because all of us in here today are sinners saved by the grace of God we every single person in this congregation, and every single person watching by way of television every person in every hospital room. Every person in every office, every nurse, every Dr. every fireman, every law enforcement officer. Every person today who hears the word of God are but wonderful news for you today that this woman caught in the act of adultery that we will never understand the real meaning of Christian forgiveness. If we don't understand that everything Jesus said stands in full harmony with real life, but there's a second point that we need to note this morning wherever going understand forgiveness. This story stands in complete harmony with the entirety of the gospel story. It doesn't just stand in harmony with real life it stands in harmony with the whole of the gospel. If we going understand John chapter 8, then we need to go back to Genesis chapter 1.

Because the Bible tells us that God created man in his own image and man was perfectly created and God was pleased with that which he had created, and he breathed upon him. Nephi Skylar in the Hebrew tongue, he breathed upon him the very breath of God himself. And right there in that perfectness. Satan came and said to Eve Eve take of that which God has expressly forbidden you to partake of I need said absolutely not. I cannot do it. He said what you mean you cannot do it. You don't really think that God would give you all of this and deny the things that you enjoy God give you taste buds, and then tell you not to eat the best Apple in the orchard. It's a contradiction of the love of the grace and of the heartbeat of God, so she said, but Satan you don't understand. He said if I do take it all die. He said.you don't even know what day it is. You've never seen you never participated in day you've never experienced that you cannot define day it is something which will bubble every figment of your imagination. So the word of God records that the women took of that Apple and a guide to husband and I ate and God. God came down from the heavens to find his creation, hiding behind the abomination of the sin. From that moment on, in time, the gospel story tells us that man died he died she died, he died and he died and the guard says the wages of sin is death. The wages of sin is the wages of sin is the this story stands in harmony with real life, but it stands in harmony with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know why because in Verse 12 of chapter 8 the culmination of the story is that God made a way possible for man. Once again, despite the separation to be reconciled to the father. The apostle Paul says God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto himself. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life no man can come under the father but by me.

It is God's word that tells us that God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not die but should have eternal life. Why, because God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might believe and might be saved. You see, the forgiveness of God is conditional. My friend, it is conditional upon the penalty and the price which was played upon Calvary's tree. This story cannot be understand understood outside the reality of life cannot be understood unless we see it standing in harmony with the gospel picture but there's 1/3 thing here that I want you to note, we cannot understand the forgiveness of God unless we understand this story stands in harmony with the behavior of the scribes and the Pharisees right there from verse three onwards. It's full of these were a bunch of people, such of which we cannot even begin to describe their unspeakable behavior. Their despicable behavior.

All they were interested in is not the condemnation of the woman because of her absolute unapologetic to before God. All these people wanted to do was to try and entrapped the Lord Jesus Christ and that entrapment my friend culminated in the cross of Christ. Is it any wonder that the scribes and the Pharisees got so angry with Jesus.

Is it any wonder that when it culminated at the cross, that the Roman authorities brought out the criminal Barabbas and said who do you want Barabbas who is guilty as charged, or do you want the spotless son of God, and they screamed in a frenzy.

Barabbas give us Barabbas you cannot understand the cross this, you understand that everything that Jesus said stands in harmony with the behavior of the scribes and the Pharisees. You see friend the sinner delights in his own way of judging and condemning sin. It is the sinner who is blind. Trees unfold. It is the sinner who is keen to detect the focus of others. It is the sinner who hides behind the cloak of his religious respectability. The scribes who were there to do notice. Have you noticed in God's word that every time the scribes are mentioned they are mentioned alongside the Pharisees. It's like Jesus says the Pharisees and the scribes or the scribes and the Pharisees. They would just kind of put on.

At the end it with a reset of an addition. Who were the scribes who were these people, Josephus and all the historians tell us a lot about the my friends. They were they were the experts in the Scriptures, the scribes were, they were the ones who copied the written law they were. They were the custodians of the traditions of the elders. They were the ones were most frequently charged with hypocritical character and with hypocrisy.

These were the ones who are consistently charged as being enemies of the cross. You cannot understand the forgiveness of God.

If you don't understand that what God is doing here stands in harmony with the behavior of those who stood in absolute opposition to everything that the cross represented, but we cannot understand the meaning of forgiveness. My friends in the fourth place if we don't understand that this story stands in harmony with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the part I love so much.

That's why read verse 12 of John chapter 8 greeted with me again when Jesus spoke again to the people. He said everything that I've said is because I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. This is the Jesus of mercy and hope this is the Jesus of forgiveness and life.

This is the Jesus standing alone with a sinner, standing alone, condemn you see friend. There was no doubt whatsoever that Jesus stood in condemnation of this woman soon she was guilty as charged in Galatians chapter 5 the apostle puts Paul puts it like this. He says those that are guilty of adultery or fornication of drunkenness of random ramblings of hate those who are guilty of the antithesis of the purity and the holiness of God shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus was in no way compromising the sin of adultery. Jesus was saying my friends that there is no sin that God will not and cannot forgive.

Accepting one which is the sin of saying no to the spirit of the living God, the unpardonable sin of rejecting the convicting power of the spirit of God. You know God's forgiveness today.

He wants to forgive you some good news. God wants to forgive God is ready to take you out from under that shame, that condemnation is love is greater than anything you have done anything you have run from or away from God. God is ready to use this moment today to bring you home to him.

If her doctor will to teach now as he steps into the studio here, these most important words from our pastor Dr. Don Wilton coming up next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that wanted to pray this prayer with me today. Dear God, I know you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came God on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin.

Today, I repent of my sin.

I can face my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart into my life. Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that prayer. Let me be the first one welcome to the family of God. This is one I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying how very porous so we can talk to you connect to the right place you can begin this wonderful journey.

Welcome to the family and convinced that some of you in your heart you said the words you know it's time to give your heart to Jesus Christ ready to turn your back on your sin begin afresh modular doctoral to know about it. We love to hear from you can call 866-899-WORD and he would love to put some resources. Dr. Wilton.

Once you have gave your life to Christ. Moments ago like to discover what it's like to give your life to Jesus. Call us let's answer those questions together from God's Encouraging Word the Bible phone number is 866-899-9673 or email us at online@tewonline.org discover wonderful resources like this wonderful set of teaching messages with Dr. Don Wilton: walking with God's giant business with all the details. God's intended purpose for us never changed not we are overcoming Steve Jesus Christ, the word of God is alive and is relevant times in which we, there are countless testimonies of people who walked with God in the cloud of witnesses to encourage us on the Christian journey learn from you can walk with God's giant with your get at $20 or more in support of The Encouraging Word new dynamic part series. Walking with God series to walking with God's giant blank CD or DVD includes four messages on the lives of Nehemiah selling Collis today at 86699 word theory still walking with God. If you missed the first series, you can request that you think you for your continued partnership to share the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. What a great day it's been studying God's word together and there's more where that came from tomorrow at the same time Dr. Wilton is going back to John chapter 8 moving forward with this message. Call the light of the world. I hope you'll join us and perhaps even let someone else know when rebroadcasting with podcasting invite them into the Bible study between now and then as well stay connected on our website. T. E.

W online.org that's TE W online.org looking forward to connecting with