The sermon focuses on understanding God's nature, the importance of forgiveness, and encouraging mercy in judgment, illustrated through the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. It highlights the hypocrisy of the accusers and Jesus's calm response, emphasizing the need for self-examination before judgment. Key lessons include the call for mercy, forgiveness, and the acknowledgment that all individuals will face tests of character.

1. Dropping the rocks
By: Brian Birdow
Sermon text: John 8

2. Objective of Lesson
1. To better understand the nature and
purpose of God.
2. Learning to forgive and even be
defrauded.
3. To encourage mercy in judgment.
4. To encourage self-examination

3. Background
• John 7:1-12 Jesus is at the Feast of Booths or
Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16), He goes
privately and not with His brothers because the Jews
are looking for Him, trying to kill Him. Some said He
is a good man others said He is leading people
astray.
• John 7:14-25 In the middle of the feast Jesus goes
to the temple and begins to teach! They marvel at
Him and His learning. He teaches His teaching is not
His, but the one who sent Him. They accused Him of
having a demon. He show their hypocrisy in regards
to the Sabbath.

4. Background
• John 7:25-52 records both the crowds and the Jewish
religious authorities disputing over whether Jesus is really
the Messiah or Christ. When the authorities do not arrest
Jesus, the crowds interpret it as a sign that perhaps they
believe He is the Messiah. Then, when the authorities try to
arrest Him, Jesus slips away unharmed while more people
begin to believe in Him.
• John 7:37-38 On the last day of the feast, the great day,
Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him
come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.’ ”

5. John 8:1-2
• Jesus returns into the temple the next day and teaches! All
the people came to Him and He taught them!
• Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Ref. Psalm 42:2)
• Isaiah 55:1-2 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the
waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen
diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight
yourselves in rich food.

6. John 8:3
• Imagine her humiliation! Imagine if someone drug up
all our old sins and made them known in front of
everybody!
• Righteous people do not behave like that (Ref.
Matt.1:19)!
• Their disdain, envy and animosity for Jesus causes them
to drag this woman into court without first looking at
themselves and the lives they live or have lived! (Ref:
James 1:23-24)
• Remember Jesus and the woman at the well (John 4)?

7. John 8:4-5
The Trap
• If Jesus disavowed the law of Moses, His credibility
would be instantly undermined: He would be
dismissed as a lawless person and perhaps be
charged in the courts with serious offences.
• They are trying to show that Jesus is a law breaker,
they have problems with Him working miracles on
the Sabbath (John 7:23) and forgiving sins (Mark
2:10)!

8. The woman and the Law
• Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the
wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the
adulteress shall surely be put to death
• Deuteronomy 22:22 If a man is found lying with the
wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man
who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you
shall purge the evil from Israel.
• The scribes and Pharisees only bring the
woman!

9. John 8:6
• Think how low we will go to try and destroy someone
because we are envious of them. Do they really have
righteous judgment (Ref. John 7:24)?
• Notice how Jesus stays calm, He did not lose His cool.
• Proverbs 18:13 If one gives an answer before he
hears, it is his folly and shame. (Ref. John 7:51)
• James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let
every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to
anger; for the anger of man does not produce the
righteousness of God.

10. John 8:7-8
• The witnesses of the crime must be the first to throw the
stones, and they must not be participants in the crime
itself. Jesus’ saying does not mean that the authorities or
rulers must be sinless or perfect before the death sentence
can properly be meted out. It means, that they must not be
guilty of this particular sin.
• Deuteronomy 17:6-7 On the evidence of two witnesses or
of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to
death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence
of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first
against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand
of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your
midst

11. John 8:9-11
• The words of God can prick the honest heart (Acts
2:37). They came trying to trap him, but leave being
condemned!
• Jesus doesn’t speak the words, He writes them down
and they “hear” them! Faith comes by hearing, we
hear God by reading His word!
• Notice, when everyone is gone Jesus address the
woman. “Where are they?” “Go and sin no more!”

12. Application
• All will be tested
• Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up,
and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a
sign from heaven.
• Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing
Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his
wife for any reason at all?”
• Matthew 22:18 Some Pharisees came to Jesus,
testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

13. Application
• We must be merciful
• Luke 6:36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
• Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive
mercy.
• James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has
shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
• John 1:16-17 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace
upon grace(Lit. Grace for grace). For the Law was given
through Moses; grace and truth were realized through (Lit.
Came to be) Jesus Christ.

14. Application
• We must be forgiving
• Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others for their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you.“But if you do not forgive others, then your
Father will not forgive your transgressions.
• Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for
in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
• Matthew 18:21-22 …turn with me please…