The Forgiver

Few stories of Jesus are more tender than that of the woman caught in adultery. It's a story that's brutally honest, a story of undeniable humanity. and a story that reveals the forgiveness and love of Jesus in an unforgettable way. Today we see the Jesus who brings redemptive hope. From Chicago, this is The Moody Church Hour, a weekly broadcast of worship and teaching with Pastor Philip Miller.

Today, join us for another in a long series of messages from the Gospel of John we're calling Loved by Jesus. Our focus, the forgiver. Here now is Pastor Philip, along with worship leader Tim Stafford and Executive Pastor Bill Birchie.

Well good morning everybody and welcome to The Moody Church. One of my favorite stories in the Gospels, one of the most gripping stories, is when Jesus is with the woman who's caught in adultery. It's such a tender, beautiful expression of his grace and love. It's surprising. radically transforming if we'll let it all the way in.

And so we want that to happen in our lives today. Let's pray that the Lord would come and minister to us. In our need of grace, would you pray with me? Father, we are We are messed up. sinners in need of your mercy and grace.

to meet us at our point of deepest failure. Father, we thank you that you don't run the other way when we sin. when we mess up, but you come near. And would you Show us that kind of mercy and grace for our souls today. That's what we need.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. What love could remember no wrongs we have done Omnition alone, He comes not their son thrown into a sea without bottom or shore Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more praise the Lord His mercy is more stronger than darkness new every born Our sins they are many, His mercy is more. What patience would wait as we constantly roam. But Father, so tender, is calling us home.

He welcomes the weakness, the violence of the poor. Our sins they are ready, his mercy is more. Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness will every more. Our sins they are ready, His mercy is more.

Riches of kindness He lavished on us. His blood was the payment, His life was the cost. We signed even death we could never afford. Our sins are many, His mercy is more. His mercy is more.

Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness will every Lord. Our sins they are many, His mercy is more. Praise the Lord. Sing it out.

His mercy is more stronger than darkness, sing to everyone. I since they are learning, His mercy is more. I since they are learning, His mercy is more. I since they are learning, His mercy is more praise the Lord for His mercy today. Praise Him, thank Him for His mercy, Amen.

How sweet the sound has since. Are like me I once once lost but now I see Oh twas grace that taught my heart to fear grace my fears release how bracious in praise To be all of my first beliefs my promise could to be honest He will my shield and gloria As long as life endure through many days We longest day to sing God's praise to hell when we first begun our Heavenly Father. You are the God who heals. You are the God who brings comfort. And so I pray that we would Fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

You are our only hope. You give us everything that we need, and so, Father, may we experience. your blessing and your presence. And may your promises, Father, Be what we cling to, and find you to be sufficient for all these things. Lord, use us.

Glorify your name through this service, through Pastor Philip's sermon, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Early in the morning, he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.

and placing her in the midst, they said to him, Teacher, This woman has been caught in the act of adultery.

Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say? This they said to test him. that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you.

be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground, But when they heard it, they went away one by one. beginning with the older ones. and Jesus was left alone with a woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, Woman.

Where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go.

And from now on, Sin no more. It's time to come, folks. Just sad as I say. Are you hurting and broken within overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling Have you come to the end of yourself?

Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling ye altogether the Father's arms are all in my forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling.

Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling. Oh, come to the altar, the Father's ours are open wide. Forgiveness overspoint with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

He's the God of the second chance. Leave behind your regrets and mistakes. Come today, there's the reason to faith. Jesus is calling. Bring a sorrow to fame and rejoice from the ashes of your life, boy.

Jesus is calling. Come to the altar, the Father comes up in life. Forgive them, what's my live the precious love of me? Jesus Christ hold on to the altar, the Father's our own and mine. Forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Oh, come to the altar, oh come to the altar, the Father's our daughter of God forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You know, friends, a few stories of Jesus. More iconic or gripping or tender than the one we're about to look at today. It's a story that is utterly honest. It is incredibly human.

and it is brimming with redemptive hope. In this story, we see a picture of the forgiveness and love of Jesus that is. Unforgettable. This is the story we know as the woman caught in adultery. It's found in John chapter 7, verses 53 over to chapter 8, verse 11.

And I invite you to open your Bibles with me there this morning. We're going to see three things this morning as we navigate this text together. We're going to see a clever trap. We're going to see a brilliant escape and we're going to see a transforming. Love.

A clever trap, a brilliant escape, and transforming love. Would you bow your heads? Let's pray together. Father, as we turn to this text this morning, we pray that you would open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly. Help us to realize how much we are like this woman.

And how much we desperately need to hear the very words that he said to her so many years ago. uh in our lives today. Father, help us. See Jesus, we pray, in his beautiful name. Amen.

Amen. Now, before we jump into the text this morning, some of you probably have noticed in your Bibles that the passage we're looking at is bracketed off or there are asterisks or markings or footnotes of some kind that basically amount to saying the earliest manuscripts do not have these verses. And so we ask the question, what's up with that?

Well, prior to the printing press, for 1,400 years or so, the New Testament was hand-copied down through the years by scribes, first on papyrus, then later on vellum. First they copied scrolls, and then later they copied in codex, like a book form. And uh we have nearly 6,000 remaining manuscripts from the New Testament throughout the years. And then we have all kinds of versions that have been translated into, say, the Old Latin or other things like that. And in general, what happens is scholars use the very earliest and the highest quality manuscripts to determine the original readings of the text.

So the closest to when they were written and the ones that were copied with a reliability. In other words, they tend to be very faithful, very exacting in their copying practices.

Now, in the case of this passage we're looking at today, every single one. of the earliest and best manuscripts that we know of. do not contain these verses.

So in other words, they skip from 752 and they just go straight to 812. They skip these 12 verses in the middle. In fact, these 12 verses don't show up in the manuscript tradition until the 4th century. or much later, the very earliest is in the fourth century. And even then, the manuscripts often have asterisks or what they call oboli, little markings in the margins signifying that these readings are either not original or dubious.

Furthermore, the style and vocabulary of the words as they're actually narrated here for us do not fit John's pattern of writing in the rest of the Gospel. And this story actually shows up in the manuscript tradition in a number of different places.

Some manuscripts have it inserted after John 7.36. Others, like here, have it after 752. That's the majority of them. But others have it after 744.

Some of them see it inserted all the way at the end of the book of John in John 21, 25 after that. And some of the time this story shows up in Luke. after Luke 21 verse 38. And New Testament scholars are virtually unanimous in, for the last hundred years, holding the opinion that this story was not actually original to John's gospel.

So then the question is, well, how did it end up in my Bible, right? Why is it here?

Well, here's the thing. This story has all the earmarks of historical veracity. In other words, it's probably an authentic, true story account of something that really happened in history to Jesus, but John didn't write it. But it's a little fragment, a little story floating around, and probably someone stored it in their Bible, in their codex, you know. And as it was stored in there, eventually somebody took that and said, let me copy this.

They saw it sitting in there and they thought, oh, this page fell out. I'm going to copy it into the text. But I'll make a little marginal notation saying I'm always sure about this because it was sort of sitting off here to the side, detached. And then later a scribe copies that manuscript and he forgets to include the little notation and then eventually it just gets copied into the text. And when you have two different manuscripts as a scribe that you're looking at, and one of them has the story and one of them doesn't, you know, the general rule was when in doubt, don't leave it out, right?

I mean, you can't blame them. It's an amazing story. And then it Basically, it gets passed down to us because of tradition, because it's been part of the manuscript tradition.

So today what we're going to do is we're going to study this text that is almost certainly not written by John, but is most likely an authentic historical account of Jesus. And so we're going to see here this story and how it reveals the forgiveness and love of Jesus in such an unforgettable way.

So let's jump in now to the actual text. The first thing we see here is a clever trap, a clever trap. John chapter 7, verse 53. Then they went each to his own house. Chapter 8, verse 1.

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning, he came again to the temple, and all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

Now, the context, of course, is incredibly difficult to determine for this passage because, again, the scribes just sort of stuck it into various places in the textual tradition. But what is clear is that Jesus has been teaching in the temple, which was a common practice of his. The evening comes, people go to their own homes. Jesus makes his way across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, which was kind of a favorite haunt of his. He spends the night there, and in the morning he comes back to the temple.

He sits down as a rabbi would, and he is teaching his disciples and the crowd that has gathered. Verse 3. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst, they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.

Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say? They said this to test him. that they might have some charge to bring against him. So, as Jesus is teaching here, they bring this woman, and she has, we're told, been caught in the act. of adultery.

Which means, by the way, that she must really have been caught in the act. Jewish law required for these kinds of charges to be levied, at least two eyewitnesses were required to have actually seen the event, the act.

So it wouldn't be enough to see her coming out of a room or in a compromised position or in a state of undress or anything like that. They would have had to have discovered her in the act.

So the question here is not whether she's guilty. That's been established. The question is whether Jesus will authorize the use of capital punishment. punishment in this case.

Now, in verse 6, we are told that this is a trap. The Pharisees and scribes have actually set this trap for Jesus in order to have something against him. And of course, it's a clever trap here. They think they've got Jesus between a rock and a hard place. They've got him on the horns of a dilemma, if you will.

And here's the question. Will Jesus choose to cruelly uphold the law? or compassionately Break the law. Yeah. This is the question.

Will he choose to uphold the law and be cruel, or will he? Break the law because of his compassion. If Jesus says the law must be upheld here, She must die for her sins. The Pharisees know that the people will turn on Jesus because this is heartless and ruthless and cruel. Cruel, this Jesus who says, Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

And here he is, sure, bring your sins to Jesus and he'll execute you. You know, some Messiah this is. They know he'll be unpopular here. Plus, it could get him in trouble with the Romans. The Romans retained for themselves exclusive rights to capital punishment in the Roman world.

And so this could get him sideways with Rome. Either way, the Pharisees win. But on the other hand, if Jesus chooses to be compassionate, Toward this woman, they'll have confirmation that he's a law breaker, right? Hey, hey, hey, hey, we got you. You broke the Sabbath.

Remember, you told that guy to carry his mat. You healed on the Sabbath. And now, We got you again. You're denying the law of Moses. That's two strikes, buddy.

It's two strikes.

Now it's pretty clever. Uh they think they've got him, but of course they're outmatched. Jesus smells something fishy going on here. I don't know if you see it. There's something that's not quite right here.

Do you see what it is?

Something's off. Where's the man? Hmm? If this woman's guilt has been so clearly established by the eyewitness testimony of two people. Who caught her in the act?

Where's the guy? You know? The law of Moses is abundantly clear that both the man and the woman are required to be punished if they are caught. But he's nowhere to be seen here. There's something shady going on.

And Jesus sees it. If they're only pressing charges against her, then apparently there's some. corruption or bribery or politics at play here. Whoever she was with apparently had the power, the connections, the money to kind of wriggle off the hook here. Either he bribed the witnesses or threatened their families or abused his power somehow, or is circumventing the law, but.

Something's amiss and she doesn't have those options, see? And not only that, due process has not yet been followed. She's supposed to have, under the law of Moses, a fair trial. Not a public shaming like this, but a fair trial. There are supposed to be eyewitnesses.

That are cross-examined. Again, you have to have at least two of them. And their stories had to line up in every detail. We have an ancient record of a woman named Susanna who was accused of doing a certain something under a certain tree, okay? And she was let off because the witnesses couldn't agree on the size of the leaves.

On the tree, okay?

So the standards of proof that the witnesses had to meet were stringent. In fact, the Mishnah said that any court that executed more than one person every seven years was considered a slaughterhouse.

So conviction on these kinds of cases was very rare and actually very, very difficult. And yet here they are. eager to start throwing stones.

Something's off here.

Something's off. Jesus sees it. He sees the clever. Trap.

Now, secondly, let's look at the brilliant escape. Brilliant escape. Chapter 8, verse 6b. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. As they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.

So Jesus begins writing in the dirt. of the ground with his finger here.

Now, there's all kinds of theories as to what kind of thing he wrote. You know, some people think. Think he wrote verses or wrote out their sins. Everybody has an interesting idea. The reality is, ready?

We don't know. We don't know what he wrote. And if it was important, we would know. I suspect though what he's doing is he's stalling for time. They come in all hot and bothered here, and he's giving them a chance to cool their heads, to calm themselves down.

But they keep pestering him and asking him what he is going to say. And so he stands up and he says, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone. Ask her.

Now it's very interesting. Jesus is not. Saying here that the only person who can render a guilty verdict is a sinless person. That wouldn't make any sense at all. God intended all along for the Mosaic law to be enforced by human beings, all of whom are imperfect.

What Jesus is saying here is he is calling them, he's calling out their corruption, their violations of the law of Moses in this very case. He's saying, Look, I see there's no man here. There's no due process that's been followed. He calls them out on it. He says, Okay, if you're sinless here, If you have done everything according to the law here, if you followed all the legal requirements, the processes and procedures, if everything is above board here, if you're without sin, Go ahead and throw the stone.

In other words, if you think you've done everything that the law requires here, go ahead. In verse 8. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it They went away. one by one, beginning with the older ones.

And Jesus was left alone with the woman standing. before him. Do you notice Jesus doesn't take the bait here? Jesus doesn't take the bait. But instead turns the spotlight of conviction upon their own sinfulness.

He doesn't take the bait. He turns the spotlight on their own sinfulness. Notice how Jesus deftly avoids their trap here. He never says don't throw a stone. He never says she's innocent.

He doesn't deny the law of Moses, and yet, He compassionately stands up. For her. against their corrupt and unjust motives. He says, listen, I don't deny the law of Moses, but by the law of Moses, I deny your right to be an executioner. I don't deny the law of Moses, but by the law of Moses, I deny your right to be an executioner right now.

The next thing we see is transforming. love, a transforming Love. This is so beautiful to me. Verse 10, Jesus stood up and said to her, Well then Where are they? Has no one condemned you?

She said no one, Lauren. And Jesus said, Neither do I. condemn you. Go. And from now on.

Send no more. Can you imagine her relief? when she looked up and realized that her accusers were gone. Has no one condemned you? No one.

No one, Lauren. Neither do I. Condemn you. Friends, he's the only one who could have condemned her. He's the only one who knew the very depths of her sin.

Who could bear witness as to her integrity and her intentions, her motives, to know everything about her? Remember Nathaniel, he saw him under the fig tree. Remember the woman at the well, he knew everything she had ever done. He knows this woman through and through. He's the only one who could condemn her, and yet, when she looks in his eyes, Instead of condemnation, she finds Mercy.

I'm reminded of John chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. For God so loved the world. that he gave his only son. that whoever believes in him should not perish. but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world. But in order that the world might be saved through. Him. Neither do I condemn you, Jesus says. Go.

And from now on, sin. No. More.

Now in these 13 words in English, 11 in Greek, Jesus makes six liberating moves. I want to show them to you. First. Jesus separates the sin. From the sinner.

Do you see that here? Jesus separates the sin from the sinner. Like a doctor who isolates a tumor from the surrounding tissue. Jesus isolates the sin from the sinner. He will radiate the tumor and save the patient.

Which is of course the opposite of what the Pharisees were doing here. As far as they were concerned, she was herself. Per sin. As far as they were concerned, she was her sin. She was beyond redemption.

She was beyond hope. She deserved to die. But Jesus will find a way to destroy the tumor of her sin and save her. Her in the end. This is beautiful.

Secondly, Jesus calls out her sin. without condemnation. Jesus calls out her sin, but without condemnation. He tells her, look at this. He tells her, go from now on, sin no more.

He calls out her sin. He labels it for what it is, doesn't he? And yet he prefaces this with, neither do I condemn you. No condemnation. And friends, if you think about it, this is exactly what we most desperately need.

Deep down, we know we're sinners. We live with shame and regret in our lives. We hide and pretend and we filter ourselves to the world. Even we don't like who we have become a lot of the time. And we live with this fear that if people really knew who we were, They would never love us.

In fact, they would condemn us. And so we hide and we pretend and we mask ourselves. But do you see, friends, how beautiful and liberating it is to have someone look you in the eye and say, neither do I condemn you.

Now, go and sin no more. He sees us for who we are. and loves us anyway. That's the third thing here. Jesus sees her at her worst.

and loves her anyway. Jesus sees her at her worst and loves her anyway. Friends, do you realize this was the worst day of her life? Her sin is exposed. It's out in the open.

public scorn and shame and spectacle. All of her life, her hopes, her dreams ruined and dashed. And in this her worst moment, Jesus does not recoil from her. He draws closer. to her.

When she was at her worst. In her darkest day, in her most miserable Mass. Jesus Loves. Her. And friends, I just want to talk to you for a second.

Some of you. Listening to this. And for whatever happened in your life, Maybe some pastor or church somewhere. has made you feel like Jesus could never really love you. That maybe you're too dirty, too far gone, there's something wrong with you, that Jesus is.

Not interested in a relationship with you, don't you see how wrong that is? This passage shows you the heart of Jesus who loves you as you are. No one No one. is beyond the love. Love Jesus.

But fourthly, what we see here is that Jesus loves her exactly as she is. and too much to leave her. As she is. He loves her exactly as she is. but too much to leave her.

As she is. This is amazing to me. Jesus loves her. as she is sinful, broken, shamed, ruined. And yet, with compassion, he forgives her.

And then, calls her into holiness.

Now go and sin. No more. He calls her into who she was always meant to be. That Jesus loves her enough to call her into holiness. He sees her value, her worth, her potential.

He loves her as she is, broken and sinful, and yet he will not rest until she becomes radiant and splendid and blameless before him in holiness and becomes her own true self as she was always meant to be. And don't you see, this is transformational. Love here. Because number five. Jesus loves her with both truth.

Truth And grace. Jesus loves her with both truth and grace. Do you see them both here? Truth, go and sin no more. Grace.

Neither do I condemn you. And you need both of those. for transformation. Because if listen If you have grace without truth, It will affirm you. but it will keep you in denial about your flaws.

It's a superficial love that just says, hey, you're great. I love you just the way you are. There's nothing wrong about you. You're perfect in every way. Oh, it's rose-colored glasses.

It can never change us, you see? Because there's no impetus to move. It just leaves us as we are, and we know we're not perfect. Grace without truth. But then, if you have truth without grace, it'll give you feedback, honest feedback, but in a way that's too harsh to receive.

It may be accurate. But it will never change us because we can't receive truth that does not have grace with it as well. And so we are left unchanged. But when truth and grace come together. Like they do in Jesus Christ here.

There is a radical truthfulness about who we are and who we are meant to be combined with a radical grace extending forgiveness and acceptance to us. And that combination, friends, is utterly transforming. Because grace allows us to receive the truth, don't you see? And truth Presses us deeper into grace in our area of greatest need, and thus the cycle of transformation. engages Maybe an illustration here.

would help. One of my favorite movies is Pride and Prejudice. This is the 1995, actually, TV series from BBC. I love the book. I love this production of it.

Mr. Darcy, of course, is the rich and prosperous man. He falls in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennett, whose family is decidedly beneath his own in terms of wealth and consequence. And yet he's fallen in love and he cannot help himself. And his first proposal is comical.

I love this. Let me just read it for you. This is about in the middle of the book. In vain I have struggled, he says. It will not do.

My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

Okay, so far so good.

Okay, that part's good. Wait for the rest. In declaring myself, I am fully aware that I will be going against the wishes of my family, my friends, and I hardly need add my own better judgment. The relative situation of our families is such that any alliance between us must be regarded as a highly reprehensible connection. Indeed, as a rational man, I cannot but regard it as such myself.

But it cannot be helped. almost from the earliest moments of our acquaintance, I have come to feel for you a passionate admiration and regard, which, despite my struggles, has overcome every rational objection, and I beg you most fervently to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife. I love it. But don't you don't you see? This is like full of truth.

Okay, everything he says here is accurate. But there's no grace. There's no grace here. And so she's rightly affronted. She cannot hear what he's saying in the book.

Because Lizzie at this point wants total affirmation. Of who she is in her family, everything about her. I love you, all about you, everything about you. You're just perfect the way you are. That's what she wants to hear.

But of course that wouldn't be true, would it? Because there's all kinds of things that are messed up about her family and the things that are going on. But neither can she accept the truth, the accurate diagnosis of the situation, because he packages it so poorly, right? Because there's no grace here. And it takes the rest of the book.

For Darcy to begin to start extending grace to the Bennett family who do not deserve it, he bails them out of a tough situation at great personal cost to himself. And that grace begins to work on Lizzie, melts her out, and she begins to see and realize that he has been saying the truth the whole time. But it wasn't until it was paired with grace that it started changing her heart and life. It transformed her. forms Her and their story.

So the second time, when he finally asks, of course, she says. Yes. Truth. and grace. Together.

It's a beautiful picture. Of the love of Jesus, just like we see. Here.

Now the sixth thing that Jesus is doing. Don't you see? is Jesus loves her into Loveliness. Jesus loves her into loveliness. Jesus loves her.

when she's unlovely. And in his love He is making her to be Lovely. He's loving her into Loveliness. And notice he doesn't use shame or guilt. To try to produce change in her life.

He doesn't rub her nose in what she's done. He doesn't use fear. He doesn't say, you know, you're going to get in trouble here. There's punishment, there's threats. He doesn't do that.

He doesn't appeal to her pride. He doesn't say, you know, you're really a better person than this. Don't you you want to be better than this, don't you? You know, take down CB. Have some dignity, you know?

Well He simply loves her into Loveliness. He believes in the power of love to transform. her from the inside out.

Now how is this possible though? How is this possible? If the wages of sin is death, How can Jesus just give her life? If the law condemns, how can Jesus just accept her? If judgment is due, how can he just give her mercy?

In other words, How can Jesus be both just and the justifier of those who believe? See, this is the question. That's the question Paul asks. And don't you see, stones should be thrown. But it will be his body that is broken.

Judgment should fall. It will fall across his shoulders. Condemnation should come. But he will carry out the sentence. The wages of sin is death.

But it is he Who will suffer? And die. That Jesus, the only one who could rightfully condemn her. Instead says, now go. Sin no more.

Neither do I condemn you. And then he climbs up on the cross. and dies in her place and for her sake. And takes her condemnation upon himself what she deserves. He took for her.

The condemnation, listen, the condemnation he alone could bring. is the condemnation he alone chose to bear. The condemnation he alone could bring. Is the condemnation he alone chose to bear. Because 2 Corinthians 5.21 says, God made him, Jesus.

who knew no sin. to be sin free. for us.

So that in him We might become the righteousness. Of God. It's amazing. This is the gospel.

So three quick takeaways as we close. Three questions. Have you received Jesus' love? Have you received Jesus? Love.

Friends, do you realize he knows you completely? He loves you. Utterly. And he forgives you. Entirely.

That if we will just admit we are sinners. And believe that Jesus has done everything to make us right with God when He died for us. and rose again. And if we will commit our lives to Him. and accept him as our Savior and Lord.

We can be born. Again. Forgiven. set free. Loved.

The second question is, are you abiding? In Jesus' love. Are you abiding? in his love. Are you resting in it?

Are you abiding in it? Are you rooted down deep in it? Friends, there's no other way to change. Shame can't do it, guilt won't do it, fear won't do it, pride won't do it. The only thing that can change us, melt us, transform us, is this kind of truth and grace, the love that is found in Jesus.

This is the only way we can be forgiven. It's the only way we can be set free. It's the only way we can know we are beloved in Him. And Jesus loves us and forgives us and then sets us free. It says, now go and live like the beloved son and daughter that you really are, because in me you are loved to the skies.

Are you abiding in his love today, friends? And then thirdly and finally, How can you extend Jesus' love? How can you extend Jesus' love? 1 John 4, 19 says, We love. Because he first loved us.

We love because he first loved us. Abundant love from God, such transforming grace and truth together at once. This love of Jesus, we are now called to extend the same love to those around. Uh That's the great commandment that Jesus gave us, John 13:34, the new commandment, as I have loved you. You also are to love one.

Another.

So, friends, don't you realize this? Jesus has loved us at our worst.

Now we are called to love others in the same way.

So, who is Jesus calling you to love today? Who is Jesus calling you? to love. Today, would you pray with me, Father? This love that you.

Lavish upon us. In Jesus. is beyond our deserving. beyond our expectation. beyond our ability honestly to trust.

Lots of people in life have promised to love us and then they let us down. And so we get wary. to trust in the love that you offer us. But would you help us to be Gatsi. to be brave.

To be bold, to believe that it is true. that in Jesus we are actually forgiven. We are actually loved. We are actually beloved. because of all that Christ has done for us.

Uh. Help us believe it. Help us receive it. Help us abide in it. Help us extend it.

We pray this. in the beautiful name of our Jesus. Amen. Amen. Our benediction today is from Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 down to 21.

Hear the heart of the Apostle Paul as he calls us into the love of Christ to experience it. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named. That according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with power. through His Spirit in your inner being.

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love May be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ. that surpasses knowledge. that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. And now unto him.

Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us to Him. Be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Amen. On today's Moody Church hour, we heard Pastor Philip Miller with another message in a series he's calling Loved by Jesus, the book of John.

We heard about the Forgiver, Jesus, reaching out to the unlovely and making them lovely.

Next time, we'll see Jesus as the light. The Moody Church Hour is a listener-supported ministry. We count on the ongoing financial support of listeners like you. Together, we share solid biblical teaching that transforms lives across America and around the world. You can call us at 1-800-200-0.

2155001. That's 1-800-1. 2155001. Online, you'll find us at MoodyChurchHour.com. That's moodychurchhour.com.

Fork. Write to us at Moody Church Media. 1635 North La Salle Boulevard. Chicago, Illinois. Mm-hmm.

This broadcast is a ministry of The Moody Church.