The Sound of Grace...Continued from page 3
Tiberius Rata
The Greek text of John says something puzzling. “Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” In the midst of what? In the midst of the stones that were earlier aimed at her. When I was in Israel this past January I got some rocks from the Temple mount. (Showing stones, one by one, continue.)
The stone of criticism. A small stone, but you can palm it, you can put it in your purse, you can put it in your shirt pocket even as you come to church. It can be lethal. “The song was too high . . . the sermon was too long . . .”
The stone of bitterness. This one has several layers. Someone who cannot forgive, someone who cannot forget, gathers these types of stones.
The unnamed stone. You name it: legalism, liberalism, self-righteousness, racism . . . you name it. Have you ever been hit with such a stone? Have you ever thrown such a stone?
If anyone had the right to throw stones at us it was God. But he didn’t. He forgave us through the death and physical resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. Aren’t you glad that God gave us grace? Do you want to hear the sound of grace? (Let the stones drop to the ground one by one.) That is the sound of grace.
It wasn’t the grace of the teachers of the law, and it wasn’t the grace of the Pharisees. It was the grace of Jesus. John Newton was right: “ ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
“Neither do I condemn you,” is only the first part; that is the rescue of grace. The second part is “Go and sin no more.” And that is our requirement of grace.
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts ? would be a better translation here), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for
the blessed hope ? the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is our “Go and sin no more” charge. Grace not only saves us, but it also teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Paul uses this word in
Romans 1:18. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” And then Paul goes on to define what ungodliness is: