This month’s series is Hope Arrives. A lot of people associate that with the Christmas season. But hope arriving isn’t just confined to a season…it’s an everyday thing! It’s an anchor to my soul. It’s that anchor that causes me to have a positive imagination, based on the Bible, God’s Word.
Evangelist Billy Graham once said: “Christ not only died for all, He died for each.” I think we lose that perspective because the most popular Bible verse is John 3:16 (which begins, “For God so loved the world…”). While that’s true, what comprises the world? Individuals. You.
You could say, “For God so loved me that He gave His Son so that if I believe in Him, I will not die but I’ll have everlasting life.” Later (John 17:3), Jesus said to have everlasting life means to know Father God. It’s not about us getting to heaven; it’s about heaven getting back into us.
Going to heaven is a byproduct, but it’s not why Jesus died. He died on the Cross to allow you to have heaven come back into you so you could have relationship with Father God all the time.
“And His name will be the hope of all the world.” – MATTHEW 12:21 (NLT)
The name of Jesus is the hope of all the world. When you come in contact with Jesus and see Who He is, hope arrives! Hope comes alive in you so you start seeing situations through the eyes of Jesus. That’s a good thing…Jesus did not ever have a prayer go unanswered.
If there’s a situation you’re facing, there’s hope for you. When you meet up with Jesus, that hope will arrive in your life.
In Luke 15, there are parables about a lost coin, lost sheep and lost son. In all three parables, the lost thing never lost value in the mind of the owner. God loves the world, but He cares about the one. He values you.
There are times when we see ourselves in hopeless situations. “Religion” takes you and throws you at the feet of Jesus – in your guilt and shame – and expects you to grovel and beg for forgiveness. But John 8 gives a great accounting of how Jesus truly deals with us. All guilt, all shame, all condemnation that demanded payment, Jesus said, “No problem…I’ll pay it.”
John 8 records an incident where a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus; He was teaching a crowd at the time. The Pharisees and law professors made her stand in the middle of the throng – where everyone could stare at her – and they said (verse 5) “Now Moses commanded us in the law that adulterers should be stoned! What would You say?”
Think about the shame and guilt that woman must have felt, forced in front of a group of people to reveal how wrong she was. All the focus was on sin and failure. This was a set-up to try to trap Jesus. But Jesus came to make wrong things right; He didn’t come to point out how wrong people were.
So, Jesus didn’t say, “Yep, she did it! Grab a rock; let’s go!” Instead, look at what He did: The Mirror Bible says (verse 6), “Jesus bent down and began to write with His finger on the ground, distracting attention from the girl.”
Drawing Attention From Sin to Him
Jesus purposely acted in such a way that it took the attention off the woman and put it on Him. He purposefully set in place the motion of drawing attention from sin to Him. He turned all their anger, all their rage, all their condemnation, all the guilt they were putting on her and He turned it to Him.
What did Jesus do on the Cross? He took all our sin, guilt and condemnation and put it on Himself. Why? It’s so everyone would stop looking at themselves and their sin, and look at Him up on the Cross. John 8 is a type and shadow of what Jesus would later do for humanity.
Think about it! At the beginning of John 8, the people were wanting to stone the woman; by the end, they were wanting to stone Jesus.
“They continued to interrogate Him. Then, He stood up and looked them in the eyes and said, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her!’ And He again bent down and continued writing on the ground. They began to walk away, one after another beginning with the oldest, until Jesus was left alone with the girl (still standing where her accusers dumped her).” – JOHN 8:7-9 (MIRROR)
Jesus was the only person would could have truly condemn the woman (for He was the only One without sin). The woman was at a good place – at the feet of Jesus – because all He had for her was love and mercy and grace.
In verse 10 – when Jesus asked the woman, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” – He already knew the answer, but He wanted her to say it because faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and He wanted her to acknowledge that no one condemned her.
Notice: There’s nowhere in the chapter that says the woman even repented (see Romans 5:8)! She replied, “No one, Lord!” Then, the only One Who had the right to condemn her said, “Neither am I condemning you. Go and sin no more; never again believe a lie about yourself!” Jesus recognized the woman had been in sin, but did that stop anything He did there? No.
The woman didn’t receive judgment; unconditionally, she received mercy, grace and love! That’s hope for the world…it’s hope for you!
To watch the Dec. 13, 2020 message on which this post was based, click here.
