Our choir sang this beautiful song this morning before the sermon:
And He's Ever Interceding
And He's Ever Interceding
Someone to go the extra mile,
Just like a mother caring for her child; A friend who sticks through thick or thin, No matter what you've done or where you've been; Just like one great big family, A stronger, older brother He will be; So quick and ready to defend The younger, weaker to the end. Chorus: And He's ever interceding to the Father for His children; Yes, He's ever interceding to the Father for His own; Through Him you can reach the Father, So, bring Him all your heavy burdens; Yes, for you He's interceding, So, come boldly to the throne. Just like sheep, we've gone astray, Struggling 'neath the debt we could not pay; Not ever hoping to renew The love and fellowship that we once knew; But He began to intercede; Crying, 'Father, please, forgive, I plead.' And as the nails pierced in His hands, God, once again, reached out to man. Chorus: And He's ever interceding to the Father for His children; Yes, He's ever interceding to the Father for His own; Through Him you can reach the Father, So, bring Him all your heavy burdens; Yes, for you He's interceding, So, come boldly to the throne. Tag: Yes, He's ever interceding, so come boldly to the throne.
What a great message in song to set up for a sermon about how God gives us second chances. Our scripture lesson was from John 8:1-11....the story of the woman caught in adultery that they wanted to stone. I had just written about this passage recently in a blog post..."Come Out and Be Separate", but this sermon today took this to a different level.
In the book of John 8:1-11, Jesus is talking to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and was about to be stoned. After He said to the people holding the stones, (verse 7)
"He who is without sin among you,
let him throw a stone at her first"
the people all one by one dropped their stones and walked away, being convicted by their own consciences...(for ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23) But then in verse 10, Jesus stood up and looked at the woman and said to her:
"Woman, where are those accusers of yours?
Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No one, Lord.
And Jesus said to her,
"Neither do I condemn you;
GO AND SIN NO MORE."
In this passage, back in verses 5-6, the scribes and Pharisees were trying to test Jesus, to see how He would handle this situation. Verse six says they were 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."
But their "trap" did not work, and instead verse nine tells us that those who heard what Jesus said (in verse 7) were convicted by their conscience...and went out one by one. Have you ever had a good dose of conviction? If so, it will immobilize you...your ears will open right up...your eyes pop open...and your spirit within you says, "I need to do something about this!" And what do you do?
God is very willing to forgive us when we confess our sins and ask Him to forgive...and then we can humbly get down on our knees and give Him praise and thanksgiving...because God has given us a second chance when we come to Jesus with repentance.
Conviction is rough...we wonder...those men who were condemning this woman...we wonder what did that conviction of their own consciences mean to them? Did they also repent in their hearts?
Some examples of other men in the Bible who had a second chance...
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-11)
The Disciple Simon Peter after he denied Christ (John 18:15-27) and then Jesus asked him if he loved Him...(John 21:15-17) after the Resurrection from the dead.
Thomas the Disciple: He first doubted that Christ could possibly have come back to life after the crucifixion, and then Christ came and showed Thomas His hands and His side, so that Thomas then truly believed. (John 20:24-29)
Jesus is coming again soon. Are you looking forward to His return without worrying about if you will be accepted by Him? Have you been convicted in your heart of sins that need to be confessed, repented of, and forgiven?
One day we will be like a little child running to the lap of her father and being gladly received...we will run into the arms of Jesus and be able to crawl up into the lap of our Heavenly Father with nothing between us...no fear at all when we face Him...because God, through Christ, has given us that second chance. May we gladly accept that free gift.
Praise God for giving us those second chances in life!!!
Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Guest Speaker, Rev. John Steiner, 3/3/2019
Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our Pastor A.C., and for our church.
God is answering prayer, and we are hoping our Pastor will be able to come back and preach next Sunday. Also, thank you for your prayers for my husband, who spoke today. It was a wonderful day in the house of the Lord.
God is Good!
All the time!
God is Good!
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