Participants: Dwight K. Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP110511
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00:06 From the campus of Andrews University
00:08 this is New Perceptions with Dr. Dwight K. Nelson. 00:39 From the highest of heights 00:41 To the depths of the sea 00:46 Creation's revealing Your majesty 00:54 From the colors of Fall to the fragrance of Spring 01:01 Every creature unique in the song that it sings 01:07 All exclaiming 01:09 Indescribable, uncontainable 01:13 You placed the stars in the sky are amazing God 01:15 And You know them by name 01:18 You are amazing God 01:24 All powerful, untamable 01:28 Awestruck we fall to our knees 01:30 As we humbly proclaim 01:33 You are amazing God You are amazing God 01:43 Who has told ev'ry lightning bolt where it shoul go 01:51 Or seen heavenly store houses laden with snow 01:58 Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light 02:06 Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night? 02:11 None can fathom 02:13 Indescribable, uncontainable 02:17 You placed the starts in the sky 02:19 And You know them by name 02:23 You are amazing God 02:29 All powerful, untamable 02:32 Awestruck we fall to our knees 02:34 As we humbly proclaim 02:38 You are amazing God 02:44 Indescribable, uncontainable 02:47 You placed the starts in the sky 02:50 And You know them by name 02:53 You are amazing God 02:59 Incomparable, unchangeable 03:03 You see the depths of my heart 03:05 And You love me the same 03:09 You are amazing God 03:36 Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace 03:47 Where there is hatred, let me sow love 03:53 Where there is injury, Thy pardon 04:01 Lord, where there is distort 04:08 May there be You-- 04:12 Where there is doubt, Faith 04:19 Lord, make me an instrument 04:26 Lord, make me an instrument 04:33 Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace 04:40 Thy Peace 04:58 Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace 05:09 Where there is despair, let there be hope 05:16 Where there is darkness, light 05:24 Where there is sadness 05:32 Where there is sadness 05:43 May there be joy 05:49 May there be joy 05:52 May there be joy 06:00 Joy 06:07 Lord, make me an instrument 06:14 Lord, make me an instrument 06:21 Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace 06:31 Thy peace 06:38 May we all be in peace 06:44 Peace and only peace 06:49 And may that peace 06:53 Come onto each of hopes 07:22 Let's pray. 07:25 Oh Lord, Bradley's prayer is our prayer. 07:28 Please, Lord, 07:31 make me an instrument of thy peace 07:38 especially today with this subject. 07:43 We pray in Jesus name, amen. 07:51 Now early in the morning Jesus came again into the temple 07:56 and all the people came to Him 07:59 and He sat down and taught them. 08:03 Then the Scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him 08:06 a woman caught in adultery. 08:10 When they had set her in the midst 08:13 they said to Him, "Teacher, 08:15 this woman was caught in adultery in the very act." 08:23 In 1850 the New England author Nathaniel Hawthorne 08:28 composed what some considered 08:29 to be the greatest single piece of American literature, 08:36 "The Scarlet Letter." 08:38 You had to read it in high school. 08:41 And a tale set in Puritan Village 08:43 outside Boston in the 1640s. 08:48 A tale of a young woman named Hester Prynne, 08:50 her out-of-wedlock infant daughter Pearl, 08:55 the father of the baby a Puritan minister 08:58 named Arthur Dimmesdale and an aged physician 09:03 named Roger Chillingworth. 09:07 In that tale of "The Scarlet Letter," 09:09 Hawthorne masterfully composes the clashing 09:13 moralities of our fragile humanity. 09:17 Guilt and sin, confession offered, 09:20 forgiveness denied, sowing and reaping, 09:24 revenge and redemption. 09:27 And all of it is mysteriously 09:28 as you remember woven into a single piece of fabric. 09:33 As Hawthorne described it a rag of scarlet cloth 09:36 that assume the shape of a letter, 09:38 the capital letter 'A' for adultery. 09:44 Hester Prynne a young woman 09:46 condemned to wear that scarlet letter 09:48 as a sign of her private fall and her public shame. 09:51 And Arthur Dimmesdale the minister 09:54 will bare the scarlet letter too. 09:56 Though for him it is a secret, 09:58 somehow mysteriously shaped 10:00 onto the pale flesh of his chest. 10:04 By the time the story is over 10:06 all four protagonists are indicted. 10:11 The Scarlet Letter, 10:15 "Now early in the morning 10:19 Jesus came again into the temple, 10:20 and all the people came to Him 10:22 and He sat down and taught them. 10:24 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him 10:26 a woman caught in adultery. 10:28 And when they had set her in the midst, 10:29 they said to Him, Teacher, 10:31 this woman was caught in adultery in the very act." 10:36 Didn't Nathaniel Hawthorne draw his inspiration 10:38 from John Chapter 8? 10:40 Probably not. 10:42 And yet in the early morning shadows 10:44 of this sunlit temple scene 10:48 all of the characters where the Scarlet Letter save one 10:54 and it's that save one who is the saving one 10:58 for you and me and our private scarlet letters. 11:05 Open your Bible with me please to the fourth gospel. 11:09 We're back in John again today. 11:10 Open your Bible please to John Chapter 8 11:12 and while you're doing that we're gonna put 11:14 our title slide on the screen right now. 11:15 The study guide comes a bit into the narrative. 11:21 This is the last word of our series 11:24 this semester only two pieces left. 11:26 Unbelievable, how the time has flown by. 11:28 Title of today's teaching, The Scarlet Letter. 11:31 Those of you who are watching 11:32 on television you can see that website there 11:34 www.pmchurch.tv. 11:37 We'd love to have you get the study guide. 11:39 There is a sequence of seven in the study guide, 11:42 it's a critical piece. 11:43 I hope you'll download that study guide. 11:45 Those of you who are here if you don't have a study guide 11:47 put your hand up right now. 11:49 Ushers, thank you for making sure 11:50 that everybody gets a study guides, just move quickly. 11:52 Ushers, thank you. 11:55 This is a very sensitive subject... 12:01 but we can't escape it. 12:02 John 8 is the next passage for us in our journey 12:05 through the last word of fourth gospel 12:08 and so hold you hand up. 12:09 In the balcony hold your hand up, 12:11 if you're sitting overflow hold your hand up. 12:14 Make sure you get the study guide. 12:17 All right, let's go John Chapter 8, 12:18 I'll be in the New King James Version. 12:20 By the way if you didn't bring a Bible 12:21 this is one narrative you want to track. 12:23 Pull the pew Bible out in front of you. 12:25 It will be Page 720 in your pew Bible. 12:27 Let us go right now John 8:2 12:30 "Now early in the morning 12:33 Jesus came again into the temple, 12:36 and all the people came to Him, 12:37 and He sat down and He taught them." 12:39 I mean, he tried to picture this scene 12:40 the golden rays picking up the dust flakes in the air, 12:47 streaming through the colonnades 12:48 of that magnificent piece of architecture in Jerusalem, 12:52 a mighty temple. 12:54 It's like it's the day 12:55 after Thanksgiving Wal-Mart sale. 12:57 People have been lined up as it were all night 13:01 to be on this now crowded courtyard. 13:05 The plaza chocked with people. 13:07 You know, why the people come, 13:09 because the God that this young Teacher, 13:12 Healer, Messiah keeps teaching about. 13:15 He's such an attractive God. 13:17 He is not somebody to be afraid of, 13:18 He is somebody to be a friend of. 13:20 And the masses are drawn to that picture. 13:24 So there He is Jesus early morning 13:26 sun streaming on to that pastoral scene. 13:32 "Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, 13:34 and all the people came to Him, 13:35 and He sat down and He taught them." 13:36 Now here it comes verse 3 "Then the scribes 13:39 and the Pharisees brought to Him 13:41 a woman caught in adultery." 13:43 And I wish you hit the pause button right there 13:45 before we finish that text 13:46 because some of you have a newer translation. 13:49 And you're noticing that the story 13:50 is bracketed in your Bible 13:52 or it might be in italics and you're wondering. 13:54 Hey, wait a minute Dwight, is this really legit? 13:57 Is this a fair story to be sharing? 13:59 I've done the research. 14:00 Let me tell you that scholars 14:02 almost to a man agree that the story is authentic. 14:06 The big question is does the story 14:09 belong here in the fourth gospel. 14:11 Many scholars feel that they are to be tucked 14:14 into Luke 21 in that narrative. 14:17 There's a word here 14:18 that John never uses in his entire gospel. 14:21 We just read it, scribes. 14:23 He's had a hundred opportunities 14:25 to use the words scribes but he is never used it. 14:27 This is the only place 14:29 and how could it be an importation. 14:32 Maybe John didn't write it though the story is authentic. 14:35 Verse 3 "And then the scribes and the Pharisees 14:39 brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. 14:41 And when they had set her in the midst." 14:46 Verse 4 "They said to Him, 14:49 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, 14:53 in the very act,'" 14:56 Read, we caught her in bed 14:58 with the man who is not her husband. 15:01 Now we're glad we found You 15:04 so early in the morning here in the temple. 15:05 We have a question for You. 15:07 Now verse 5 "Moses, in the law, 15:11 commanded us that such should be stone. 15:14 But what do You have to say?" 15:18 Well, number one, ladies and gentlemen, 15:20 let's just get the record straight these experts 15:22 in the law are not correct about the Law of Moses. 15:26 It was a husband's role, not their role. 15:28 It's a husband's role. 15:30 You got an issue bring your spouse. 15:32 It was a husband's role to do what they're doing. 15:34 And by the way, never to a public shaming 15:37 like this temple scene, this is way off 15:40 the playbook of the mosaic court. 15:42 And also by the way, the Mosaic Law was clear, 15:45 "Both adulteress parties were to be brought." 15:48 Where is that guy? 15:50 So often we turn on the woman. 15:52 Where's the guy? 15:53 You can't have adultery with just her. 15:56 Where's the guy? 15:58 Oh, conveniently forgotten and left behind. 16:03 Now it's true, the Mosaic Law does declare 16:05 that if you have the scarlet letter "A" 16:08 upon your garb the sentence is death. 16:11 If you're a woman and you're betrothed 16:13 that means little higher level of engagement, 16:16 you're engaged and you're caught 16:17 with another man, death by stoning. 16:20 Mosaic Law however does not delineate the death 16:24 if she's married. 16:29 It's obvious that not only have they twisted the law 16:33 these religious leaders but the fact is this is no trial 16:38 for the scarlet letter adulterous. 16:40 They could careless about that woman, 16:42 this is a trial of Jesus, this is a test, this is a trap. 16:47 They got Him, this is the perfect storm of a perfect trap 16:51 because if Jesus said and they're banking 16:53 that He's gonna say this. 16:54 If Jesus says you know what, guys, 16:56 lay off, give this woman a break. 16:58 Boom, they turn to the masses 17:00 who're choking that-- that temple plaza. 17:03 We told you, no reference for the Law of Moses. 17:06 If however Jesus would surprise them 17:07 they says okay, good point, take her out, death. 17:11 They go to racing the Pilate. 17:12 Here is this young upstart 17:14 who is taking the prerogative of the Roman Empire, 17:16 capital punishment into His own hands. 17:18 They got Him yes or no. 17:19 Damned if you do, damned if you don't, 17:22 perfect storm of a perfect trap. 17:24 What say you, young teacher? 17:31 Verse 6 "This they said, testing Him, 17:35 that they might have something of which to accuse Him. 17:38 But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground 17:43 with His finger, as though He did not hear." 17:48 Sometimes it's okay to play deaf. 17:54 Let me read of bit a behind the scenes 17:58 depiction in this inspirational classic 18:00 on the life of Jesus, The Desire of Ages. 18:02 I'll put it on the screen for you. 18:04 "Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene-- 18:07 the trembling victim in her shame, 18:08 the hard-faced dignitaries, 18:10 devoid of even human pity. 18:12 Jesus spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle. 18:16 Well He knew for what purpose 18:18 this case had been brought to Him. 18:19 He read the heart, He knew the character 18:21 and life history of everyone in His presence. 18:23 These would be guardians of justice 18:26 had themselves led their victim into sin," 18:30 it's called entrapment. 18:34 "That they might lay a snare for Jesus. 18:36 Giving no sign that He had heard their question, 18:38 He stooped, and fixing His eyes on the ground, 18:41 began to write in the dust. 18:43 Impatient and His delay an apparent indifference, 18:45 the accusers drew nearer, urging the matter." 18:47 Come on, come on answer us. 18:48 Oh, come on, what you're talking this, talk, talk. 18:51 "Urging the matter upon his attention. 18:52 But as their eyes, following those in Jesus, 18:56 fell upon the pavement at His feet, 18:58 their countenances changed. 19:01 There, traced before them, 19:02 with the guilty secrets of their own lives. 19:05 The people, looking on, saw the sudden change 19:07 in expression, and pressed forward to discover 19:09 what it was that they were regarding 19:11 with such astonishment and shame." 19:13 Can you see it, what did He write? 19:19 What a stunning portray of God right here. 19:24 You think about it, there're only two times 19:26 in the Bible where the Bible specifically says 19:28 "God wrote with His finger." 19:30 There's a third time, but it doesn't say, He did it. 19:31 It could have been an angel. 19:33 Two times once for this finger atop 19:35 that shale summit of Mount Sinai 19:37 when He carves into the stone 19:39 and eternal law nobody can erase this for as long as time lasts 19:43 with His finger the Ten Commandments, 19:45 the perfect code for human happiness. 19:47 The other time you got it right here 19:51 and isn't that amazing, isn't that amazing 19:55 that God himself made flesh 19:57 will not embarrassed even His enemies. 20:03 He puts it in the dust, 20:04 so that one and the record is gone. 20:09 Amazing Grace as John Newton put it 20:12 Amazing Love and as Charles Wesley sang it. 20:16 What a God we have just seen. 20:23 Verse 7 "So when they continued" 20:27 they are not willing to take no for an answer 20:29 or silence for an answer. 20:30 "When they continued asking Him, 20:32 Jesus raised Himself up and He said to them." All right. 20:39 "He who is without sin among you, 20:42 let him throw a stone at her first." 20:48 Verse 8 "And again He stooped down 20:50 and wrote on the ground. 20:52 Then those who heard it, 20:54 being convicted by their conscience, 20:57 went out one by one, 20:58 beginning with the oldest even to the last. 21:01 And Jesus was left alone, 21:03 and the woman standing in the midst. 21:10 And when Jesus has raised Himself up 21:12 and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 21:15 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? 21:18 Has no one condemned you?'" 21:22 She stands in the posture of shame, 21:25 her eyes glued to the temple floor, 21:29 her hair disheveled. 21:31 Remember, they dragged her out of bed. 21:35 Her mascara leaving dark trails 21:38 because of the tears to her bruised cheeks. 21:43 I imagine Jesus steps forward to that woman 21:47 and He takes her little chin 21:52 and He raises her from the posture of shame 21:54 until she's looking at Him in His eyes. 21:58 Woman, where are they? 22:03 Where are your accusers, there's no one condemned you? 22:07 You see the woman was convinced. 22:09 Well, it was the death sentence 22:11 when she heard this Teacher say, all right, 22:14 the one without sin you throw the first stone, 22:16 she cringed instinctively. 22:17 This is it, this is death by stoning. 22:20 She had no idea what Jesus 22:22 has just written on that dusty floor. 22:24 She has no idea that there is only 22:27 one sinless one in that circle 22:29 and as it turns out He is on her side. 22:35 Where are your accusers? 22:38 Anybody condemned you? 22:40 And she responds, verse 11 "She said, 'No one, Lord.' 22:46 And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you, 22:51 go and sin no more.'" 22:55 I love this from Desire of Ages. 22:57 Can I put it on the screen for you, take a look at this. 22:59 Her heart--at that moment "Her heart was melted, 23:02 and she cast herself at the feet of Jesus 23:04 sobbing out her grateful love 23:06 and with bitter tears confessing her sins. 23:09 This was to her the beginning of a new life, 23:12 a life of purity and peace, 23:13 devoted to the service of God. 23:15 In the uplifting." 23:16 Listen, "In the up lifting of this fallen soul, 23:19 Jesus performed a greater miracle 23:21 that in healing the most grievous physical disease, 23:25 for He cured the spiritual malady 23:27 which is unto death everlasting. 23:31 This penitent woman became 23:32 one of His most steadfast followers. 23:35 With self-sacrificing love and devotion 23:37 she repaid His forgiving mercy." 23:42 And the scarlet letter was ripped 23:46 from off her heart. 23:50 Wow, 23:54 the scarlet letter of adultery. 23:58 Don't you wish all sexual sin where that easy to deal with? 24:05 But then many maybe, maybe it is. 24:12 What do we have here, we have the scarlet letter 24:14 with the scarlet sinner we have the scarlet Savior. 24:19 But then maybe you're saying hey, listen Dwight, please. 24:22 I'm not, I'm-- We're not sexual sinners here, 24:25 we're not sinners with sexual sins. 24:28 We hardly need a scarlet Savior. 24:32 Is that right? 24:34 I'm gonna share with you now a couple of emails 24:36 I've received over the last three to four weeks. 24:40 Email number one is from somebody 24:42 within our community here. 24:45 Listen to this. 24:47 Apparently there is an STD clinic 24:50 in South Bend where people 24:53 with Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 24:55 STD, where people with Sexually Transmitted Diseases 24:59 go for treatment. 25:01 And according to this individual research 25:03 has been done at that clinic in South Bend 25:07 only to discover that there are students 25:09 from campuses all over the region 25:13 who go to that clinic for their treatments. 25:19 One of those campuses is the campus 25:23 we're worshipping on right now. 25:28 Come on, Dwight, you know, 25:30 this faulty research it can't be, 25:32 it can't be our students. 25:38 Listen to this piece. 25:40 I've got this from CNN, 25:41 there's Belief Blog, just this week. 25:49 Why young Christians aren't waiting anymore? 25:54 John Blake. "True love doesn't wait after all." 25:58 That's the implication in the upcoming October issue. 26:02 So this came out about a month ago. 26:04 "The upcoming October issue of an evangelical magazine 26:07 that claims that young unmarried Christians 26:09 are having premarital sex almost as much as 26:13 their non-Christian peers. 26:16 The article in Relevant magazine" 26:18 that's the title of magazine 26:19 "entitled 'Almost everyone's doing it,' 26:22 cited several studies examining 26:23 in the sexual activity of single Christians, 26:25 one of the biggest surprises was a December 2009 study 26:28 conducted by National Campaign 26:30 to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 26:32 which included information on sexual activity. 26:36 While the study's primary report did not explore religion, 26:38 some additional analysis focusing 26:40 on sexual activity and religious identification 26:43 yielded this result, 26:45 80% of unmarried evangelical young adults 18 to 29 said 26:50 that they have had sex," 80%. 26:54 Evangelical means conservative-- 26:59 "Slightly less than the 88% of unmarried adults 27:04 according to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Organization." 27:09 So I put that down maybe, ladies and gentlemen, 27:12 the report of Seventh-day Adventist student seeking 27:14 treatment at a local Sexually Transmitted Diseases clinic 27:19 is not so far fetched after all. 27:25 After all the scarlet letter 27:30 is a one sized fits all 'A.' 27:37 Verse 10 again "When Jesus had raised Himself up 27:42 and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, 27:46 where are those accusers of yours? 27:48 Has no one condemned you?' 27:50 She said" verse 11 "'No one, Lord.' 27:52 And Jesus said to her, 27:54 'Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.'" 28:01 Now, ladies and gentlemen, would you please note 28:02 that there are two parts to Jesus response. 28:06 You and I are so excited about the first part 28:08 that we tend to forget there is a part two. 28:12 And so today we're going to begin with part two 28:14 and end with part one. 28:16 All right? Let's go to part two. 28:20 Let's read it again "Jesus said to her, 28:22 'Neither do I condemn you.'" 28:23 That would be part one. 28:24 Now here comes part two, "Go and sin in no more." 28:29 Yo, what's up with this go and sin no more admonition? 28:34 Turns out, the John is using the identical Greek phrase 28:38 he did for Jesus when Jesus spoke to the man healed 28:41 beside the Pool of Bethesda a few Sabbaths ago. 28:43 You remember that the man healed by the Pool of Bethesda? 28:45 Identical word, two words in the Greek. 28:48 Just turn back three pages to John 5 28:50 and you'll read it there for yourself. 28:52 John 5:14. 28:58 This is that Sabbath healing by the side at pool 29:00 "Afterward that Sabbath." 29:01 Verse 14 "Jesus found Him," 29:04 the healed man "in the temple." 29:06 He meets the man in the temple. 29:08 The woman meets Jesus in the temple. 29:10 They're at the same spot 29:11 and Jesus speaks this identical command. 29:14 "He meets a man in the temple, 29:15 and He said to him, 'See, you have been made well. 29:19 Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.'" 29:24 Jesus language to the healed man indicates 29:27 that his disease had been result of his personal sinning. 29:31 We don't know what that personal sin was, 29:33 but it isn't very hard to conclude 29:35 that perhaps he suffered 29:37 from some sort of sexually transmitted disease quit doing 29:42 what you did or something worse will come on you. 29:49 Two words in the Greek, 29:51 three words in the English, sin no more. 29:57 Identical command. 29:58 Why, because sexual sin not only kills the heart 30:03 it can also kill the body. 30:07 Into now the second email and I told you about 30:11 from a worshipper here way out of town, a few weeks ago. 30:22 "Hello, Pastor Nelson, thanks for listening to me 30:23 and praying with me for a few minutes yesterday." 30:27 The websites, because after I visit I said, 30:29 please send me this in an email. 30:31 "The websites below will give you more than 30:34 you want to know about HPV." 30:38 Do you know what HPV is? The human papillomavirus. 30:44 Women get it, men get it. So I go to the websites. 30:50 Oh my, more than I wanted to know. 30:54 Let me give you a quotation 30:56 from the Government Center for Disease Control. 31:00 It's in your study guide 31:01 but I'll put it on the screen for you 31:02 and I'm gonna read it and your hearing. 31:05 "HPV the human papillomavirus 31:08 is passed on through genital contact-- 31:11 most often during vaginal and anal sex. 31:14 HPV may also be passed on during oral sex. 31:19 Most often, since HPV usually causes 31:23 no symptoms" note this very carefully. 31:27 "Since HPV usually causes no symptoms, 31:29 most men and women can get HPV 31:32 and pass it on without realizing it." 31:34 Now hold on to your pew. 31:35 "People can have HPV 31:37 even if years have past since they had sex. 31:39 Even men with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV." 31:46 Says the Government of the United States. 31:50 Must be a big deal. 31:53 Let me read one more before I go back to this email. 31:56 This is from the "New York Times" 31:59 just this last week. 32:02 Put it on the screen for you. 32:04 "HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection 32:06 in the United States. 32:08 Scientists estimate that half of sexually active 32:10 men and women have been infected 32:11 and that 80% of women have had it by the age of 50." 32:16 Eighty percent. 32:17 "The virus has many strains, 32:19 only some of which cause cancer." 32:25 Let me go back to that email. 32:28 "Yes we all make mistakes that we regret 32:30 and the Lord will forgive, 32:32 but we end up still reaping 32:33 the consequences of what we sowed. 32:35 Some diseases lie dormant and come to surface 32:38 in our later years as seems to be happening with my husband. 32:43 I've been tested also since I was concerned 32:44 that I could have gotten something from him 32:46 thankfully I'm okay. 32:48 I wish we had known about HPV 32:50 when we were younger and had our pre-marriage physicals-- 32:53 maybe that wasn't something 32:54 that was required for testing I don't know. 32:57 Now he's suffering with bad side effects 32:59 of the disease along with the chemo and radiation 33:02 that have not cured him. 33:03 The doctors say they can do nothing more for him 33:06 and that he has less than a year to live, 33:09 due to too many lung tumors now. 33:16 They can't do surgery or laser to help him at all. 33:19 He is in the Lord's hands and we are so grateful 33:22 for all the prayers and support of so many caring, kind people." 33:27 You know why she came up and talked to me? 33:29 She says because this generation doesn't get it. 33:33 They don't know about HPV. 33:36 You can go years and take a bit of this partner 33:40 and take a bit of that partner and take a bit this partner 33:43 and that partner, you can go to years. 33:46 And a few penicillin pills won't rid you of it. 33:52 You can go years and then it returns 33:56 with a vengeance and apparently it's fatal at times. 34:04 Why do I read this, why do I read all this 34:06 embarrassing material to you? 34:09 Because you need to hear what Hollywood 34:12 and the entertainment industry 34:14 will never tell you as long as you live. 34:18 You need to know that if you become sexually active 34:22 before or outside of marriage 34:25 you are playing Russian roulette. 34:28 You're spinning the barrel and putting it to your head. 34:33 Oh, just listen all my friends 34:35 are sexually active I might as well be too. 34:37 Rubbish, rubbish. 34:43 You want a story like this? 34:46 You want to live with that caught gun at your head 34:49 for the rest of your life? 34:51 You're crazy. 34:55 I'm talking to some of you who are right here, 34:58 right here don't take sister, 35:00 brother don't take another step, not another step. 35:09 Ever read this Bible verse, 35:10 now you're going to start filling in your study guide. 35:12 Here we go. Ever read a Bible verse Galatians 6:7. 35:15 There's a law in this universe and it works like this. 35:17 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, 35:20 for whatever a man sows, that will He also reap." 35:25 I want to read it again. 35:27 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, 35:29 for whatever a woman sows... 35:34 that she will also reap." 35:39 It's the law that what you sow you will reap. 35:44 Ladies and gentlemen, that is true physically 35:47 and that is also true morally. 35:51 Some people seek refuge in the story of David and Bathsheba 35:55 to excuse their own adulterous. 35:56 I mean, come on, Dwight, 35:57 what's the problem here David and Bathsheba? 36:00 You know, I know she wasn't his wife, 36:02 but look he recovered, 36:04 he spiritually recovered he died saved. 36:07 Do you know what my friends, 36:08 it was a tragic, tragic loss. 36:11 I just finished reading First and Second Samuel, 36:13 First and Second Kings and First and Second Chronicles. 36:15 Don't you tell me that David did not pay 36:18 an astronomically high-price for that scarlet letter 36:22 that he earned the hard way, he did it himself. 36:27 Jot this down, will you please? 36:28 Never forget this. 36:30 "David lost his moral authority." 36:34 Write that down. 36:36 "David lost his moral authority 36:38 with his children some of whom went out 36:40 and repeated his sins in spades." 36:45 His life unraveled. 36:49 Don't ever go to David and Bathsheba 36:51 and say there's my biblical precedent 36:53 I'll get a quick forgiveness. 36:55 Yo, and I've got. 36:57 You don't, you don't realize how high the price 37:02 to take that scarlet letter upon your chest. 37:09 Of course God loved David, of course God forgave David, 37:12 but God let David reap the bale for harvest 37:15 of his free choice for the rest of his life 37:18 and God never stopped it. 37:20 His family melted down. He watched his children. 37:23 He could no longer speak with authority to them morally, 37:25 they melted down. 37:30 Don't tell me that there is refuge for you 37:34 in that celebrated scarlet "A" narrative. 37:42 What you sow you will reap, 37:45 no matter how close you personally become to Jesus. 37:52 "Jesus said, to her" back to 8:11 37:57 "And Jesus said to her, 37:58 'Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.' 38:05 "The scarlet command of the scarlet Savior 38:08 to the scarlet letter sinner, sin no more. 38:12 Why, because morally it will kill you 38:14 and now we've just found out 38:15 it may physically kill you as well. 38:18 Sin no more there's something 38:19 worse comes on you girl, stop it. 38:22 Boy, stop it, no more. 38:29 You say, Dwight, there's no way I can do it, 38:30 I'm sexually addicted. 38:32 You may be, but I have some good news for you today 38:37 because just a few sentences later 38:39 Jesus makes a promise and I want you to lock on 38:41 to this promise and never forget it. 38:42 Just drop down to verse 31 here in John 8. 38:45 This is Jesus to you. 38:47 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believe in Him." 38:49 You believe in Jesus. 38:50 "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." 38:54 And verse 32 "You shall know the truth, 38:57 and the truth shall make you free." 39:01 You know this e-mail, 39:03 this husband that the wife wrote about? 39:05 This was during his wild days sowing his wild oats. 39:09 The problem is when you sow your wild oats 39:10 you will reap those wild oats. 39:12 And he found Jesus and then he found his wife. 39:16 And 27 years later he found out 39:22 that what you sow you reap. 39:25 But he found, he found the freedom of Christ. 39:28 That lifestyle gone, he never went back to it. 39:32 He lived faithfully to his wife the whole way 39:37 but God didn't stop the reaping in the sowing. 39:40 He let it play out, because it's the law of nature 39:44 what you sow you reap. 39:47 And that's precisely Jesus point. 39:49 Look at jot down to verse 36. 39:51 He repeats it. You come to the Jesus. 39:53 You come to the scarlet Savior. 39:55 Look at this verse 36 "Therefore if the Son 39:57 makes you free, you shall be free indeed." 40:04 If you are suffering from sexual addiction right now 40:07 and you'll know whether you are or not, 40:10 you don't need a psychologist, 40:11 you don't need a clinician to tell you. 40:13 If you are suffering from sexual addiction right now, 40:16 be it pornography the most prevailing addiction 40:19 among young men, sexually speaking. 40:23 Be at pornography, illicit sex of any kind 40:27 you put your finger on this promise of Christ 40:30 and you say Lord Jesus, I believe in you, 40:32 I need you to set me free. 40:35 But you need to cooperate with your scarlet Savior. 40:38 So here comes that list of seven I promised you. 40:40 Jot them down, right now, let's go. 40:42 Seven, number one, 40:43 cooperate with your scarlet Savior. 40:44 Number one, Become accountable to someone else. 40:48 You have to quit hiding this secret in your life. 40:52 You must tell somebody. 40:54 Be it a trusted friend a mature trusted friend. 40:57 Be it a counselor, he could be a pastor, 41:00 but you must become accountable to somebody 41:02 who's gonna be saying to you "how you're doing, buddy. 41:05 Girl, how you're doing? I've praying for you." 41:09 Find that prayer partner 41:10 that you have confidence in, become accountable. 41:12 Number two, Join a 12-step group for sex addiction. 41:17 Our vice president for student services is here, 41:19 we can get you if you're on this campus 41:21 we can get you to such a group. 41:23 You're off campus, your watching now 41:26 somewhere in the world, 41:27 somewhere the nation go to yellow pages, 41:29 look up under 12-step group, you'll find a group. 41:34 Number two, Join a 12-step group for sex addiction. 41:36 Number three, Eliminate all triggers in your life. 41:41 This is critical whether you are young 41:43 or middle-aged or aged, this is critical, 41:46 eliminate the triggers. 41:48 You say, Dwight, what you're talking about. 41:49 I'm talking about websites. 41:51 There's some websites you can never go back to again 41:53 for the rest of your life until Jesus comes, 41:55 eliminate those websites. 41:57 I'm talking about DVDs that you have 41:58 in your collection, you don't need those DVDs. 42:01 Get rid of those triggers. 42:03 I'm talking about sexually suggestive movies and music 42:06 and that's about everything coming out in Hollywood today. 42:09 Everything is setup to trigger, to trigger, 42:12 to trigger, to trigger to hook 42:15 and pull you into that awful dark hole 42:20 that too many can never escape. 42:22 Get rid of the triggers. 42:24 That parked car alone on a Saturday night get rid of it. 42:28 That apartment where nobody else is there, 42:30 your roommates not there, 42:31 you have your friend over get rid of it. 42:33 All triggers, remove the triggers. 42:36 Those are the hooks you can't afford 42:39 sexually addicted soul you cannot afford 42:43 to live with those triggers any longer. 42:45 Number four, Begin daily physical exercise 42:48 for physical release, particularly men. 42:50 Come on guys, start get up, get up, 42:52 get up out of bed, get up out of bed early. 42:54 Start running, start walking, 42:56 start pressing metal do something. 42:58 Release the energy that's pent up in you. 43:00 Start physical exercise. 43:01 By the way, ladies, you do well to walk yourself. 43:06 No pumping iron for you, please. You look fine. 43:12 So begin daily physical exercise for physical release. 43:17 Daily, I run everyday. 43:21 Don't try any conclusions from that, I run for health. 43:28 Physical exercise, come on, 43:30 that's what it's about daily physical exercise. 43:33 All right, that's number four. 43:34 Now jotted down, number five, 43:35 Begin daily spiritual exercise 43:37 through the active prayer and Bible study of your life. 43:40 Begin to add this. 43:41 Now this one is absolutely critical 43:43 which is why it comes right here in the center. 43:44 Jesus we just read this in verse 31 43:46 "Jesus said if you abide in my word." 43:50 If you get into this book the truth 43:53 you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 43:56 You have to eat here spiritually. 43:59 You say, Dwight, I don't know what to do. 44:00 Go to our website it's at the top 44:01 of your study guide. 44:02 Go to that website, those of you watching 44:04 you've already heard the website. 44:05 Go to the website and when you go to the website 44:08 there'll be a banner that says "a new way to pray." 44:10 Click on to that banner and I will personally tell you, 44:14 share with you how to have that quiet time alone 44:18 with Christ and the Bible. 44:21 You cannot for the sake of your soul in your victory, 44:24 you cannot omit step five. 44:26 Step six, Shift the focus of your life 44:28 to service for others. 44:32 You got to get off of this me, me, me, me, 44:34 I got to have this, I got to have this, oh, 44:35 that's all sexual appetite is appetite 44:38 self gratification itself self, get off the self kick 44:41 you'll never get off it completely, 44:43 you will battle self till Jesus comes as Paul did, 44:46 but get off it as best you can by focusing on other people. 44:49 Focus on service, focus on others. 44:52 And finally number seven, Thank God moment by moment 44:54 for the freedom He is bringing to you. 44:57 Just believe that that freedom starts today, 44:59 that freedom starts today 45:01 go home and begin these seven today. 45:04 That freedom begins. 45:05 You have to put your foot in the Jordon. 45:07 It won't part while you stand there. 45:09 You have to believe that it's going to part 45:11 and then it will part. 45:12 And God will do for you 45:14 what you have long for him to do. 45:16 Set you free from that ball and chain at last. 45:19 You don't need to go another week 45:23 at last through the scarlet Savior. 45:27 Two part admonition. 45:28 Part two, Go and sin no more. 45:31 That I'll thank God that before He said 45:33 that He spoke part one. 45:37 Verse 10 "And when Jesus had raised Himself up and saw 45:39 no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, 45:41 where are those accusers have yours? 45:43 Has no one condemned you? 45:45 She said, 'No one, Lord.' 45:47 And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you." 45:52 There is part one. 45:54 But Jesus promised that scarlet lettered woman 45:56 on that sunlit morning in John 8 45:59 He promised the proud hearty Pharisee 46:01 on that moonlighted moment in John 3. 46:04 Watch just they go together 46:06 this was set up to go together. 46:08 Drop back to John 3. Everybody memorizes John 3:16. 46:11 What's the problem with verse 17, 46:13 why do we always stop with verse 16? 46:16 We always stop there. 46:17 Let's put verse 16 on the screen, 46:19 where you can repeat it 46:20 without even looking at the screen. 46:22 "For God so loved the world" Say that loud with me. 46:25 "For God so loved the world 46:27 that He gave His only begotten Son, 46:29 that whosoever believes in Him 46:32 shall not perish but have everlasting life." 46:36 And then we stop and say hallelujah, amen. 46:39 And there is verse 17, verse 17, look at this. 46:43 "For God did not send His Son into the world 46:46 to condemn the world, but that the world 46:49 through Him might be saved." 46:52 Neither do I condemn you. 46:54 I didn't come to this planet to make everybody feel guilty. 46:57 I came to this planet to make everybody 46:59 know that they can be saved through Me. 47:02 I do not condemn you, I don't condemn you. 47:04 I know they do, I know the board of elders does, 47:08 I know the crowd does but I did not condemn you. 47:19 He is teaching the gospel, 47:20 the mighty Apostle Paul comes along. 47:22 Look at Romans 8:1 47:24 "There is therefore now no condemnation." 47:27 Would you write that down please 47:29 "There is therefore now no condemnation 47:32 to those who are in Christ Jesus." 47:34 Come to me Jesus says. 47:35 Scarlet lettered woman, scarlet lettered man, 47:37 come to me, come, come, come, come, come, come, 47:39 come here boy, come to Me. 47:42 I'm not going to condemn you, just come to Me. 47:45 We'll do this together, 47:47 the rest to the way you and Me together. 47:51 Neither do I condemn you. 47:53 I scribbled these words from Desire of Ages 47:55 at the top of this page John 8. 47:57 And I want you to have those same words. 47:59 It's in your study guide. Put it on the screen. 48:01 I love this. It is beautiful. See it on the screen. 48:04 "Jesus knows the circumstances in every soul. 48:07 You may say, I'm sinful, very sinful. 48:11 And you may be, but the worse you are, 48:15 the more you need Jesus. 48:17 He turns no weeping, contrite one away. 48:20 He does not tell to any all that He might reveal, 48:23 but He bids every trembling soul take courage. 48:26 Freely will He pardon all who come to Him 48:29 for forgiveness and restoration." 48:30 Come, come, come to Me, I don't condemn you, come. 48:34 Let Me start over with you, I'll save you, 48:37 I came to save you, not lose you. 48:40 Come to Me, come to Me. 48:44 And guess what, John wanted to make sure 48:47 that we knew Calvary is embedded even in this 48:50 story of the scarlet "A" so John puts that strange 48:54 vocative on the lips a Jesus. 48:56 John has, Jesus say to her, "woman. Woman." 49:02 That's what Jesus said on the cross. 49:05 Looking down upon that woman, 49:07 His mother, He says "woman." 49:11 It is a strange title but John inserts it here 49:14 so that immediately we remember 49:16 Calvary is what the story is all about anyway. 49:18 The scarlet Savior who took our scarlet letter 49:24 put it on His own chest 49:27 and died our guilty sacrifice instead, 49:32 the scarlet lettered Savior. 49:36 "Woman, man, neither do I condemn you, 49:43 now go leave it behind." 49:47 Augustine the great church father, 49:50 who himself had a sexually fallen past. 49:54 Augustine describes this moment and I love this sentence. 49:56 Let me say it and you're hearing. 49:58 He describes this moment as the story ends 50:00 there were-- these are Augustine's words. 50:02 There were left but two, 50:06 the pitiable woman and Pity. 50:11 Capital 'P' Pity. 50:15 There were left-- let me put it on screen, 50:17 'cause you need to see it. 50:18 "There were left but two, 50:22 the pitiable woman and Pity himself." 50:27 Come to me Jesus says. 50:30 And when you come to Him there will be left but two, 50:35 the pitiable sinner and Pity himself. 50:42 Why would a man, why would a woman, 50:45 why would a young adult, why would a teenager 50:47 not come to Him right now, right now? 50:54 Why not? 51:00 I want to pray with you. 51:03 I want to kneel and pray with you. 51:06 I wish you kneel with me right now. 51:21 O Jesus, we hear Your words, 51:24 let him who is without sin cast the first stone. 51:30 And for that reason we're all on our knees now. 51:34 Nobody here has a stone to throw. 51:40 O Christ Jesus, 51:44 are you really this gracious, 51:47 this gentle, this strong that You can deliver her, 51:55 You can deliver him? 52:01 Dear Savior, right now I pray for him, 52:06 the man who is struggling with this sexual addiction. 52:13 I pray for him Lord, that he will not give up, 52:18 that he will not despair, that he will know 52:23 that there is power in the gospel of the scarlet Savior. 52:29 That he will know that You'll moved, 52:31 You have already moved heaven and hell 52:34 to free him from that ball and chain. 52:39 O God, I pray from that man. 52:42 He's young, there's so much of life left for him. 52:48 Please set him free, draw his heart to you. 52:53 And let him find in his Savior the freedom he hungers for. 52:58 I pray for that man, Father, he's middle aged. 53:02 All these years he has battled his demons. 53:07 Does he have to go on like this? 53:11 O Christ, put Your arm around him right now, 53:17 whisper to him, I don't condemn You, come to me. 53:24 You won't have to do it anymore. 53:27 O Christ, put Your arm round him. 53:32 I pray for her it was all to have been 53:35 such a beautiful moment she got drawn in 53:42 and now nothing but ashes and a broken heart. 53:47 O Christ, make she know 53:52 that you do not condemn her. 53:55 That you'll have the divine power 54:00 to recreate her heart and to make it pure again 54:07 to restore her soul and make her whole again. 54:11 Please, Jesus, don't let her give up. 54:16 Put Your arms around her. 54:20 And that older woman who lives with the memory 54:26 that in a moment like this becomes bright flashing red 54:30 with clanging bells deep within her. 54:34 O Christ, for her the same I don't condemn, 54:41 come woman, come, we go together. 54:46 Forgetting those things which are behind 54:50 we will reach for what is ahead. 54:53 Go and leave your past behind. 54:59 O Father, scarlet letters, 55:04 scarlet lettered Savior. 55:08 Dear God, we kneeled before You. 55:12 Do whatever it takes to raise us 55:17 back up on to our feet 55:21 and with Your voice in our ears 55:23 we will walk out of this sanctuary 55:28 with the assurance that Your grace is sufficient for us. 55:37 Holy Savior, that is our prayer, 55:42 our earnest longing prayer. 55:51 There is that beautiful gospel chorus 55:52 and while we're still on our knees 55:54 would you sing it with me "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." 56:00 Turn your eyes upon Jesus 56:10 Look full in His wonderful face 56:20 And the things of earth 56:24 Will grow strangely dim 56:32 In the light of His glory and grace 56:48 Amen. 56:52 Before you go I'd like to take a moment and talk to you 56:55 about your relationship with Jesus. 56:57 Its so often we go to church or listen to a sermon 56:59 about the things that Jesus said or that which Jesus did. 57:02 We learned all these facts about Him 57:04 yet when it comes down to it we sometimes realize 57:06 we haven't actually come to know Him personally ourselves. 57:10 Now perhaps you've only recently discovered 57:11 the love of Christ and you wondering 57:13 where you go from here. 57:14 That's why I'd like to invite you 57:15 to take advantage of this free book offer 57:17 the little classic, Steps to Christ. 57:19 Since this book was first penned a century ago, 57:22 it sold over 50 million copies, 57:24 it's been translated into a 135 different languages. 57:27 You know what? 57:28 The good news of the Gospel is so direct 57:30 and so sublimely simple that we often look right pass Him. 57:33 So what this does is it will help you 57:35 see the good news in all its glory, 57:37 in all its beauty. 57:38 What you're gonna discover here 57:40 a clear, simple steps to help you 57:42 enter into the most important friendship of your life. 57:45 So please give us a call. 57:47 Toll free number you see it on your screen 877 57:49 and then the two words His-Will, 877-His-Will. 57:53 Ask one of our friendly operators 57:54 for your free copy of Steps to Christ. 57:57 By the way, years ago this book led me to Christ 58:00 and I pray that it will lead you too Him as well. 58:02 So give us a call and in the meantime 58:05 God be with you every step of the way 58:06 until we're here again next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17