The Power of the Law and The Power of the Son - John 7:53-8:11

1:59In fact, Spurgeon said about this movement: he said, if you took Germany and turned it upside down, it'd say made in, or if you took hell and turned it upside down, it would say made in Germany because it was open season on the Bible. And so, I want to give you a little bit by way of education about this movement and really a word that I've put in your bulletins. There's a little excerpt, and I want to read this to you. And I want you to keep it because I want you to get your mind around some of the whole realm of textual criticism. And mind you, this was written in about 1882 when Hort of the famous Westcott and Hort Greek text of 1881 wrote this in his introduction to the New Testament. Testament. And he estimated that the differences between the various Greek texts, so you know, the Bible comes down to us by copying, by copying, by copying through the ages. And so what we get is what has been copied. We get copies of copies of copies that have gone in a whole bunch of different directions, different families, different languages, and all that. And how do we understand what was really part of what the original manuscripts are? How can we be sure? And so this is an interesting statement that Hort put in the textual or in his Greek New Testament. And he breaks the differences down into three parts. First, the proportion of words virtually accepted on all hands as raised above doubt is very great, no less than seven-eighths of the whole. So when you're talking about the New Testament and you're talking about skeptics who disbelieve the New Testament, say it isn't reliable, or we can't trust what words we really have, you've got to understand that even the most stout critics agree that seven-eighths of the text isn't even in debate. Okay? The remaining one-eighth, formed in great part by changes of order and other comparative trivialities, constitutes the whole. Whole area of criticism. So we're only talking about one-eighth of the New Testament.

4:36And then he goes on to say, we find that setting aside differences of orthography, that it would be like rules of spelling or maybe punctuation, like some have a capital, some don't. It's clear what the word would say, all that. The words still subject to doubt make up about 1/60th of the New Testament. So very clear, those because one capitalizes, anyway, you get down to where you're dealing with only 1/60th of the New Testament. And in this second estimate, the proportion of comparatively trivial variations is beyond measure the larger than in the former, so that the amount of what can in any sense be substantially a variation is but a small fraction of the whole residuary variation and can hardly form more than one one-thousandth of the entire text. So when you get down to it, you're dealing with the area of criticism really comes down to about one one-thousandth. And it does not even touch any matter of doctrine or theology. So what that says is, friends, we have the words of God. God has preserved them. And what began as a movement. To discredit was met with scholarship, and after a lot of investigation, says, you know what, this really proves that you can be certain that the words you have before you are indeed the words of God.

6:20And I say all that. Why do I say all that? It's because we come to the woman caught in adultery, which is, in my opinion, and many others, the most significant textual issue in the New Testament. Part of that 11,000, if you will, is this passage before us, the woman caught in adultery. Are the verses from 753 to 811 part of John's original gospel? And the evidence is the manuscript evidence is decisively that it was not in John's original gospel. In fact, it is absent from some of the earliest manuscripts and even some of the very diverse manuscripts, very different languages. It's quite substantial. In fact, got a bigger Bible here.

7:30Just to show you, I love this world, this modern age, that we can get facsimiles of great manuscripts such as Codex Sineachus, and we can look for ourselves. I mean, Titian Doris had to really go weasel this, steal it, whatever you want to say from a bunch of monks, but we can just look at it. But come to this passage right here in John, and it goes right from text 752 to 812. It doesn't even miss a beat. In fact, if you look at many of the early manuscripts, it just, the whole episode isn't there.

8:19So, but then how do we get it? I mean, you can, pretty much a lot of the in the East, the oldest forms, even in many of the languages, it just, it doesn't show up. In fact, the first church, the first Greek church father that even mentions it is in the 12th century. And now, in the West, Jerome included it in the Latin Vulgate, so it shows up in almost all of the Latin versions, with the exception of one.

9:03Certainly seems to have been a piece of oral tradition or of written text that circulated in the Western church because certainly that's where it shows up. Augustine comments on it and the like. But the issue isn't so much what are the words in this section or in this text, it's where they go. Some places, most of the Western put it right after 752, which is where you have it in our text. Others place it after 736. Others place it after 744. Others place it at the very end as if it was just an addendum, that they just put it right at the end of the book, kind of tack it on.

10:01And even one puts it in between Luke 21 and 22. So even in Luke's gospel, this shows up. All that to say that this should cause you pause, like, okay, where did this thing show up? How did it get here? Obviously, it seems to have been something that people attributed to John, that John is the eyewitness in here. Certainly, it took an eyewitness. Maybe even. Luke could have picked it up someplace because Luke was the one who investigated all this stuff, so some originally put it in with Luke or wherever. But the bottom line is that it seems to have bounced around in different places and it lands where it is, attributing it to John as probably who was the eyewitness.

10:54So I don't believe that it was originally part when John sat down and wrote all this. I don't believe it was originally part of his gospel. However, you look at it carefully, it has all the marks of historical veracity. It seems to be clearly a historical event. Seems like John probably was the eyewitness that somehow this tradition came into the text. But it is consistent with everything else John has said about Christ in the Gospels. It is certainly consistent with everything that we see in the scriptures revealed about Christ.

11:48And so it is something that we should consider this morning. And it's possible we could be wrong. And for that reason, it's important to understand it. But this episode really serves as a vivid illustration of the power of law and the power of grace and the good news of the gospel. And so that's where we're going to go with it this morning. We're going to look at this as a real historic event that beautifully illustrates scriptural truth. Of course, you have the same other big textual issue like this in the New Testament is the ending of Mark. And friends, that's it. And no major doctrine is touched unless you're a snake handling church. Then you may have the carpet's been pulled out from under you in Mark 16. But other than that, it does not, and so I think with these, and this is part of that 1-1,000 that we consider. And so we interpret it where it is in light of the rest of Scripture and see it, take it for what it is.

13:09But this is a very beautiful picture of the difference between law and grace, between the power of the law and the power of the Son. So we'll just start picking it up right here. There's a routine scenario. It takes place, a typical retreat. We look at 753. Remember, we're there, 753. Everyone went to his home. So there's Jesus ministering in the temple, and then at some point, you know, the day gets over. It's time to go home. Probably very routinely happened this way. Something very typical. Everyone went to his home. 8-1, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Probably a very typical ending of a day in the life of Christ. And then, beginning in 8-2, you see this typical teaching setting. Obviously, night is over. 8-2, early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. Again, a very typical routine pattern that you would expect in the life of our Lord as he ministered in Jerusalem. But what makes this event non-typical is the violent interruption that follows. Look at verse 3.

14:31The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and set her in the center of the court. So these violent men, they come, they interrupt the teaching. So you've got this nice, beautiful morning teaching going on, Bible study, Jesus is teaching. And then here comes some violent men, and they force their way into the temple courtyard, and they want to turn this Bible study, if you will, into a brutality. Execution chamber or square. They want to turn the courtyard into a bludgeoning square.

15:09I mean, talk about an interruption to a Bible study. I mean, this is worse than a cell phone going off, right? These men come in. Well, let's just read this, beginning in verse 3 again. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery in the very act. Now, in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say? They were saying this, testing him, so that they might have grounds for accusing him. But Jesus stooped down and with his fingers wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking him, he straightened up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and he was left alone and the woman where she was in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on, sin no more.

16:27And these words from Provide us a vivid illustration of the difference between the power of the law and the power of the Son. And I want to contrast the power of the law with the power of God's Son so that you will understand what He offers people every time the gospel is proclaimed. And what He is offering here today, through the proclamation of His Word, God Himself is drawing near to you, and He makes an incredible offer. And I want you to see what that is. So, first of all, I want to look at the power of the law. The power of the law. To put this in perspective of Galatians 3:10, Paul said these words: For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them. In other words, the law comes as a unit, and the one who is cursed is the one who does not continue to do all things in it. And what Paul expressed to the Galatians is illustrated here in our text this morning. And there are three aspects of the power of the law that I want you to see. First of all, verse 3: there is the power to expose, the power to expose. Look at verse 3. The scribes and the Pharisees, the language says, brought out a woman caught in adultery. That is, they're leading out this woman that they've caught in adultery.

18:13Literally, having been seized. She has been seized in adultery. And they bring her out, and having set her in the center of the court. So, not trying to be inconspicuous. They are trying to make a scene, public scene. So, they take this woman, caught in her sin, that they've seized in her sin, paraded her into the court, and set her up right before everybody to see. And this is a good picture of what the power of the law is.

18:44The law has power to expose sin. You see, the law reveals the righteousness that God expects in his people. The woman really shouldn't have been doing what she was doing. Right? It was wrong. And there's nothing in the text that should suggest that she was just a victim. She is not a victim. She is a sinner. She is caught, seized in adultery. It's exposed. It is wrong. She wronged her husband. And she probably wronged another man's wife. She was actively promoting sexual immorality and covenant unfaithfulness in Israel. That was wrong.

19:29That was wrong. Wrong to do. We are not meant to be torn apart by unfaithfulness. There's something within us, even as we bear the image of God. We know that there's something we esteem faithfulness, and it short-circuits humanity. When somebody they look to be faithful is caught cheating or caught going someplace else, it short-circuits something deep within humanity. It is wrong, it is painful. And the law has the power to expose such wrong actions, and it's right to do so.

20:07It's right. Exodus 20:14: you shall not commit adultery, you shall not be somebody that just looks to serve yourself and grab and take and steal. You are to be someone who loves people and gives fervently. Well, picture yourself there as an onlooker. This kind of breaks the Bible study up. But what are you thinking about her? Just picture yourself there for a moment as an onlooker. How would you be feeling? Picture yourself now as the woman, for only the most dishonest among us would confess that you have no sin.

20:57I think we can identify with both. The onlooker and the woman. Well, the law exposes our sin. There is a righteousness that God expects so much higher than ours, and it exposes our unrighteousness before such a holy standard. And that's good. I'm glad this world, I'm glad there is a righteousness that exceeds man. I look around and it's very depressing sometimes. I can look in my own heart and be depressed. And I'm glad there is a righteous standard above my own. That's good news. And the law is good to point that out.

21:44But not only does the law have the power to expose, it has the power to humble. Look at verse 4. They said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery in the very act. So they caught her. It's early in the morning, so they must have did a stakeout, been planning this, been thinking about this for a while. They knew where Jesus would teach. They knew they had staked this out. Caught her in the act. She's guilty, for sure.

22:18Well, she was guilty before the law, and she knew it. Her sin had found her out, even if by illegitimate means her sin had found her out, and it will find all about. us out. And the law publicly exposed her and her actions as sin. She was without excuse. So again, picture yourself as this woman. What would you feel like at this moment? Well, you'd probably want to curl up and die, right? If our sins were brought before us and paraded out here, I think all of us would want to just go off into a corner and die somewhere, right?

23:07So, but even now, you got to understand, if you are not in Christ, this will be you one day. Only the crowd of expectators are going to be much larger because God will reveal his righteousness and he will show as he condemns his righteousness and the unrighteousness of the condemned and why it is right to condemn it. And even now, we are all living in full sight of God's throne. The law of God reveals a righteousness so superior. And even now, if you are honest, you will daily see your shortcomings.

24:00Accusing us. The law accuses us of our own unrighteousness. And it's good for that to happen. We need to be accused of our own unrighteousness. We don't want to live there. Shouldn't anyway. Okay, so the law has the power to expose, it's the power to humble, also has the power to condemn. Look at verse 5. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So here it is. And then what do you say? So this is what Moses says, and we really want to just obey Moses top to bottom. We love Moses so much. What are you saying? What are you saying? What about you? So this is what Moses says. So what do you say? Well, the law obviously had condemned adultery in society. It does that.

25:01And in Leviticus 20, 10 is very specific. If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife or one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Okay, so the man, whether he's single or not, doesn't say, is to be brought out and put to death along with the adulteress. Again, in Deuteronomy 22, 22, if a man is found lying with a Married woman, then both of them shall die. The man who lay with the woman and the woman, thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. You see, God did not want adultery to characterize his people. He doesn't want that characterizing them. He is against physical adultery. He is against spiritual adultery. There is faithfulness by nature. God is covenant faithful. He is faithful. That is who he is.

26:02And that is what he desires in his people. That is what he set up in marriage. That is what he, in all aspects, you will always see that there is a measure of faithfulness in everything that God teaches. He wants faithfulness in his people because he is faithful. But all this, so there's the power of the law, the power to expose, the power to humble, and the power to condemn. And all of this testimony, all the law does is it has the power to humble, expose, and condemn. And all of this stuff points to man's greatest need.

26:45The law testifies that sin must be removed from earth. It doesn't need to go on. One way to do that is to destroy man along with his sin. Take the sinner out with his sin. Sin, that's one way to purge the earth. You can purge the earth of sin, send to water, flood, get them out. That's one way to do it. But man's greatest need is really his remedy for sin. And the righteousness that man is lacking is found only in Christ.

27:25And so the woman in our text this morning is in dire need. Think about her situation. Think about where she is. She is guilty of her sin. Her sin is exposed before a holy God, before her whole community. She is despised, and God's righteous demands are set against her to condemn her. That's her situation. That's your situation without God, without Christ in your life. She is a picture of humanity before God. So, again, picture yourself as this woman.

28:06Without perfect righteousness, this is you. And you have to ask yourself: do you have that perfect righteousness? Be honest with yourself. Do you have such righteousness? Also, look at verse 6. I want to look at this unlawful use of the law. They were saying, testing him so that they might have grounds for accusing him. Why were they saying all this? What were they all about? Well, they wanted to accuse her, accuse him. They were looking for a way to bring Jesus down, okay?

28:44What they were doing was truly despicable. They were using the law of God to destroy people. This is how they used God's righteous requirements. And their motives are very evident, right? They despised the woman, right? They had no compassion on the woman. They wanted her to kill her. They wanted to splatter her blood all over the court, right there, just to make a point, actually, just to get at Jesus. That's second. Not only did they despise the woman, they actually despised Jesus more because it's evident that they were looking for grounds to accuse him. This whole episode was to manipulate Jesus publicly. Now, these aren't good citizens. They say, you know, we just love Moses so much. We're really concerned about the morality of our country. We're really supportive. You know, we just want to bring about righteousness. No, if they had, they would have brought the man before them as well, right? They were partial. They had an agenda.

29:44They despised, they not only despised the woman, they despised Christ, but not only that, they despise the law, right? Because if they really wanted to obey. Moses, they would not have been partial, selective, but they would have been genuinely impartial. You see, and what they're trying to do is, you know, God hates unequal scales. And this is what's going on here. There's something very illegitimate, despicable going on here. And what they wanted to do is they wanted him to side with the accusers.

30:31If he sided with the accusers, then they would destroy his reputation for being compassionate. If he rejected the law, then they would seek to destroy his credibility as a rabbi. And so that's what they do. They bring this brutal situation. But all this says they didn't like Moses either. In fact, Jesus had already said that in John chapter 5 and verse 45. Jesus said this to the same leadership: Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. There is one who accuses you, is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. What Jesus is saying, you're not true followers of Moses at all. They were partial to their own agenda. They were not given to the law. They reduced scripture to a Weapon to destroy people. It's despicable. Using scripture in a way that it was never intended to be used to bludgeon people to death. That was how they were using it. And listen, friends, we need to be careful how we use scripture.

31:46Even when we're engaging in advancing our own doctrinal conventions, let us make sure we do so in a way that lovingly points people to Christ. I've witnessed people using good theology destroy people. Let us not be us. Let us use scripture as it was intended and not as a weapon, as these violent men did. Well, that's the power of the law. Now I want you to see the power of the Son. Just keep moving along. And you and I must come to grips that there is a large gap between our righteousness and God's. And that's what the law exposes. But like the law, Jesus also has the power to expose. Look at verse 6, second part. But Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking him, he straightened up and they said to him, He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. So you got this situation out. Beginning in six, where Jesus stoops down, writes on the ground. What he wrote, we don't know, so it's not, can't really speculate. And then he straightens up, says something, and then he'll stoop down again in verse 8, and then he'll straighten up again in verse 10 and speak. So that's how the rest of this unfolds. But Jesus has the power to expose sin. You can see it right here. His words are piercing and he knows how to expose. Let the one among you, in fact, the language is very strong. The one without among you first upon her, you must be throwing, or he must be throwing. That's the one. He must throw the stone. He must cast it.

33:52As if to say, the only one among you that can is without sin is the only one that has the right to condemn like this. Come to that in a moment, but second, not only does Jesus have the power to expose, he also has the power to humble. Look at verse 8. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one. So they heard it. They started going out. They started thinking about what he said, beginning with the older ones, the leading ones. They started going out first. The older ones went out one by one, beginning with the older ones. And he was left alone. And the woman, where she was in the center of the court. So there's the scene.

34:36Sinful man has left. Sinful man is not going to be the judge of these matters. The righteous and holy Christ is going to be the judge. Picture the scene. There she is in the middle, with only one left: Christ Himself. And the good news is that Christ is the judge. But that's not good news to some. It's good news for some, not so good news for others. It is good news for those who really truly love righteousness, those who grieve and mourn over sin, and those who see the injustice in the world, those who see injustice and wrongness in their own hearts, and those who, as Jesus would say, mourn over sin. Those, it is good that Jesus is the judge, righteous. That's good news. There's hope for righteousness to prevail upon the earth because Jesus is righteous. But that's bad news for others, because there are many who are outraged against God's definition of righteousness. And they would prefer sinful man's judgment. But listen, it's not going to be The ACLU sitting in judgment. It's not even going to be the United States of America. It's not even going to be the laws of our Supreme Court as interpreted by them or your sinful partner in crime. They're not the judge. They're not even going to be in the scene. They're gone because they stand condemned under the law. That's why Jesus alone is the judge. Because everybody else is guilty of sin and must be judged.

36:38You see, Jesus has the power to bring the full weight of the law down upon the conscience of a person. And you see it right here. He knows how to convict people of their sin, he knows how to expose it and humble them. And with the word of his mouth, he's able to slay. Such is the power of conviction. He has the power to expose. He has the power to humble. He alone is the judge. No one else. This is what John said, or what Jesus said in John 5, verse 21. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.

37:30He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. So Jesus Himself says, I am the only judge. So again, picture yourself as a spectator. What would you like to have happen? Picture yourself as this woman. What would you like? What would you hope for? Caught in sin, publicly exposed, and on the verge of being condemned. That's us without Christ. Imagine even now, the walls here are removed. You are bare before Christ. There is no hiding place.

38:12You're standing, condemned by the law, and your only hope is in your judge. The hope is not in the law because it's going to condemn. That's all it can do. It can bring you to that point. It can't bring you any further. Your only hope is in your judge. It's not in yourself because you don't meet up to the righteous requirements. So your only hope is in your judge. He has the power to condemn. Look at verse 10: straightening up. Jesus said to her, Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, No one, Lord. No one. So there he is. He has the power to expose the power. To humble, he alone is judged, he has the power to condemn. But now, this is where Christ's law or Christ's power exceeds the law because he has the power to pardon. The law does not have that power, the law can condemn, not pardon. Look at verse 11. She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go.

39:30And that's the word of release. Go, you be going from here. Pardon. Go. Not holding this against you. Go. I will not condemn you in this end. Go. He has the power to pardon people from the penalty of sin. He has the power to pardon people from the curse of the law. He didn't, and listen, he doesn't just dismiss God's righteous requirements. He doesn't just say, okay, let's get rid of those standards. We're going to lower the standards now for your benefit. No, he doesn't do that at all. He has the power to pardon because he has the power to honor the law and to meet the law's requirements. He can say that to this woman because he is going to go to the cross and he is going to give her the righteousness she needs.

40:29He will take her to the house. Take the penalty for her unrighteousness. And he will be a sacrifice that meets the law's demands. And he will do so on her behalf. And that's why he can say that. Galatians 3.10, as I read it earlier, for as many are the works of the law, or for as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law. And then he goes on in verse 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. And what I want you to see there, or hear there, is that Christ became cursed for us in order that the blessing of God could come to us. Romans 5:6 says it like this: For while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

41:46So here's a woman that's in about the most helpless situation that you can imagine. And those who have spiritual eyes, you need to see yourself here without Christ. And dependent upon him. You see, the law can condemn, but the law cannot pardon. The law points to one who can, and that's what it's about. It exposes, it humbles, it condemns for the purpose so that you would look to the remedy. The law of God testifies to the remedy. Even the brokenness of our world testifies that there is a remedy, and that remedy is in Christ. He has the power to pardon. And finally, he has the power to free. The power to free.

42:41He has the power to free a person from the power of sin. Look at verse 11. She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on, sin no more. Literally, from the now, no longer, you must be walking in sin. In other words, you must leave your life of sin. Be going from this moment, no longer in the life of sin that you are accustomed to. Jesus expects a life change away from the pattern of adultery.

43:19And such a change inevitably and unquestionably involves repentance, and not only a singular repentance, but a routine of repentance. The life of following Christ is one of ongoing repentance, leading your life, leaving the pattern of sin behind. And it's going to take a million decisions, ongoing decisions. But this whole episode beautifully illustrates what Paul said in Romans 8:33. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns?

44:06Listen, everybody else stands condemned. There's only one judge in the room. And if he sets you free, guess what? There isn't anyone else that can bring a charge against you. And that's why Paul will go into that wonderful statement: who can ever separate us from the love of Christ? No one. And this also illustrates what Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:10. Jesus said to the woman, If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. He would have satisfied your soul. He would have given you what you need. You see, the gift of God is a person who is a gift giver.

45:00The gift, God is the gift giver. He offers pardon from the curse of the law, and he offers a vitality of life with God through reconciliation. You see, he doesn't just offer you pardon, he offers you that spiritual vitality to leave your life of sin and to walk in union with God. That's life. The law has power and it is good. Now, there are people who misuse the law, as we see in this text, but the law has power and it is good. But understand this: it is limited. It can expose sin, humble sinners, and condemn sinners, but it cannot save them. And only the Son can pardon a guilty sinner and free a guilty sinner from a life of sin.

45:57See, this morning I wanted you to understand the difference between the power of the law and the power of God's Son so that you would know what he offers every time the gospel is being proclaimed, as it is this morning. He communicates this to you through his word, because through this word, God is drawing near to you. And he wants you to respond to what he offers. What does he offer? I'll say it, pardon from your unrighteousness. You need that.

46:38And he offers his righteousness to be credited in you. You need that. And he offers you a new life in him. Be done with lesser living. Follow him. That is why he has drawn near to you this morning through the proclamation of his word for a relationship. There's always a response of faith that he wants. What is that response of faith? Having heard, what does that response of faith look like this morning for you who are here? First of all, receive the truth. Receive it. Like a good soil receives seed. And what John said in chapter 1 and verse 12, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name. Receiving him, receiving the truth, receiving what has been proclaimed this morning. And what that looks like is agreeing with God, agreeing with God's definition of sin. You need a Savior.

47:49I mean, you have sin. Don't be outraged against His definition of sin. Just agree with it. Second, agree with God's solution for sin. So receiving the truth inevitably involves. Agreeing with God's definition of sin and his solution for sin. Fourth thing you need to do is to come to Christ in prayer right now, as you are. Turn your thoughts, turn your hearts to him. Confess your sin. Number five, confess specific sins, confess general sins, and ask for forgiveness.

48:25Six, believe that he grants forgiveness as promised. Don't believe anything else. Otherwise, you'd call him a liar. Seven, publicly confess your identity in Christ. Maybe this is the first time you've ever made that prayer, made that thought. Confess it to a friend, confess it to me, and then publicly do so through the waters of baptism. And number eight, follow him. Response the faith. Leave here. Leave the now and no longer be walking in a pattern of sin.

49:06Become what he wants you to become. Start that today by walking out of here with him. Let's pray. Father, it's beyond us to force the word of God in anybody's heart. It's a work of you. I pray that you will find good soil this morning in Jesus' name. Yeah.