Where Are Your Accusers - Daily Devotional March 18th, 2010

Daily Bible Reading - Exodus 29, John 8, Proverbs 5, Galatians 4

Where Are Your Accusers

At Urban we have been in a series entitled "Chruch" in which we are looking at how the world views church and what the church of Jesus Christ should look like. This past weekend Katie preached an amazing message about how the world often sees the church as a place where you get judged or feel condemned. It is a place where people find out all your garbage and tell you how bad you are. She preached from John 8 and used her personal experience to bring home the point that the true church, the church that Jesus Christ intended is not a place of accusation at all but is a place where true freedom takes place. When this freedom takes place we can then begin to live out the wonderful amazing life that He has for us.

There are so many fascinating thoughts we can look at in John 8 but the passage that Katie keyed in on John 8:10-11 has to be one of my favorites and it reads, "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?” She said, “No one, Lord". These two verses are so powerful because it displays the power of the corner stone of the church, Jesus Christ. The reality is that we all know when we have screwed up and blown it. Even if you are not a Christ follower unless you are a sociopath you know when you have screwed up. So we immediately go on the search for those that will validate what we did so that the feelings of guilt will quickly leave. Or we try to tell ourselves that what we did was not that bad. The problems is that in the world you find people that are dealing with the same issues you are so they validate it and in the "church" you find people that are dealing with the same issues but they accuse you.

Here in this story the "church", religious people have brought a woman who has some issues into the temple and throw her at the feet of Jesus (the chief cornerstone of the church) with the thoughts and expectations that He to is going to accuse her and condemn her for her actions. What the false church (religious people) encounter is the real church and it is completely different then anyone expected including the woman that was drug into the temple. This woman was caught in the very act of adultery so her sin was very apparent but all of those who were standing by had issues too but only one knew them and that one was standing in front of them and His name is Jesus. Now we do not know what Jesus wrote in the dirt (many believe it was the sins of all those standing around) when He knelt down but whatever it was it kept all of them from casting the first stone and when it was all said and done Jesus the only one who could actually cast a stone as He was without sin. Jesus however displayed what the true church looks like and asked the question, "where are your accusers?". Jesus goes on to say I do not accuse you either so go on your way and do not sin any longer.

When you get Jesus in your life there are no accusers. The accusations stop the pain stops and the forgiveness and healing begins. All of us have burdens we carry around and sins that we try to hide and all it seems to do is bring accusation from the accusers. When we encounter Jesus Christ it all comes to a stop.

What things are you guilty of? What sins have you been caught in? What things are you trying to hide? It is time to come to the feet of Jesus because he is asking you the same question He asked the woman in this story, "where are your accusers?" It is time to look up and realize that they are no where and Jesus is the only one that can release us from our sin.

Tomorrows Bible Reading - Exodus 30, John 9, Proverbs 6, Galatians 5

Dream Big
Ben