Legalism Is Worse Than Adultery

John chapter 8. A Pharisee is one who accuses other people. John chapter 8 and verses 1 to 11 is the story of the woman caught in adultery. And it is true that according to the law of Moses, she was supposed to be stoned to death.

And they wanted to catch Jesus and say, let's see what he does now. If Jesus says, yes, stone him to death, he will lose his reputation which he has built up as a very merciful, compassionate person. Everybody will see he's a hard person.

If he says, no, don't stone her to death, we can immediately prove this fellow is not keeping the law of Moses. It's what they call a catch-22 situation. You do this, you're wrong.

You do that, you're wrong. Heads, I win. Tails, you lose.

Both ways, I'm going to win. But Jesus was in touch with the Father. They asked him a question.

And he was writing on the ground and saying, Father, what should I say? The Father said, just tell them one sentence. The Holy Spirit said, he who is without sin cast a stone. He said that, solved the problem.

You know, when you listen to the Holy Spirit, you don't need to give a big sermon sometimes. One sentence can shut the mouths of people. God can give us wisdom.

If you're not a parisian, and if you don't want to accuse people, if you've got a spirit of compassion and mercy, even towards someone who is caught in adultery, leave alone accused of adultery. We can be so hard even against somebody who's accused of adultery without even verifying. Here was a woman caught in adultery.

Jesus was not a Pharisee. Is Jesus against adultery? Of course. But here we see a comparison of adultery on one side, the woman, and legalism on the other side, the Pharisees.

And here is the clearest scripture which proves that legalism is worse than adultery. Does Jesus condone adultery? No, that is a speck in a person's eye. But this legalism was a beam in the eyes of all these Pharisees.

Compared to adultery, even legalism, compared to legalism rather, even adultery is only a speck. If we can see that in this story, we'll be delivered from this judgmental spirit, this accusing spirit of other people. You ask your own self, my brothers and sisters, how many times you have accused the brothers and sisters of things which are not even one millionth of adultery.

Think of some of the things you have accused the brothers and sisters in your own church of, and spoken about them, and spoken about them, and gone to somebody else's house, and spoken about them, and written about them, and told about them, and about them, and about them. It's not even one millionth of a speck. And every time you accuse the beam in your eye is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and you know the problem with having a beam in your eye is, you become blind.

Imagine if I had a beam here, what could I see? I've got two big beams in my eyes, and I tell a brother, brother, I think there's a speck in your eye, can you help me to take it out? You say, priest, don't touch me, brother. With the beam in your eye, you may mess up my eye completely. You think a man with a beam in an eye can be an eye doctor? To remove specks? Even an eye doctor wears a magnifying glass to see that small speck.

And here you go with a beam in your eye. Jesus said, forget it, leave him alone. He's okay.

He's only got a beam. He's only committed adultery. She has only committed adultery.

That's okay. What about you fellas? You are a million times worse because a beam is a million times bigger than a speck. The spirit of accusation.

Why was Jesus so much against this? Because Jesus came from heaven and he knew who the accuser of the brethren was. He had heard Satan accusing, accusing, accusing, accusing, accusing. Throughout from man's history, from the beginning of man's history, Jesus heard this accuser, accuser, accuser, accuser, accuser, accuser coming to God saying this about that person, this about that person, this about the other person.

Heard, heard, heard, heard, heard, heard. And then he came to earth. And he saw some people having that spirit.

He said, this is the devil again. He hated it. And do you think when he sees that spirit in you, he doesn't hate it? It reminds him of Satan.

Do you know the number of believers who remind Jesus of Satan? But the believers themselves don't seem to have any light on it. They can't see it. Why can't they see it? Because this beam blinds them.

They don't judge themselves, they judge others. I'll tell you something I have preached in this church for 30 years, for 29 years. If you want to progress spiritually, stop judging other people and judge yourself.

And people who heard me 25 years ago will remember that I said it even 25 years ago. Just finish with judging yourself. And finish with judging others.

Start judging yourself, sorry. Finish with judging other people completely. And just concentrate, put your microscope on yourself.

And judge yourself full stop. And you say, what should I do after I judge myself? Judge yourself some more. After that, some more.

When shall I stop? I'll tell you. When you have become completely like Jesus Christ. Then you can stop.

I permit you to stop once you have become completely like Christ. He who has this hope of the second coming of Christ, purifies himself as he is pure. You say, well then how shall I correct other people? I'll tell you.

With mercy. With tremendous mercy. Just like Jesus.

What did Jesus go and tell the woman caught in adultery? Did he say, ah, adultery, that's a small thing, forget it. Just go right ahead and keep doing it. That's not what he said.

He said, I don't condemn you, sister. But don't ever do it again. That's mercy.

He doesn't condone sin. Don't ever do it again. Supposing one of the Pharisees, why did the Pharisees all go away? You know what they should have done? They should have come to Jesus and say, oh Lord, please forgive us.

I get light on myself. I wish one of those Pharisees had come to Jesus and said, Lord, I now got such light that I'm worse than this woman caught in adultery. I need your forgiveness more than that woman.

Please have mercy on me. Not one of them came. Will one of you come to the Lord today? Who've been accusing somebody? Finding fault with somebody? Finding fault with somebody else's children? Never find fault with your own children? Finding fault with somebody else's wife? Never your own wife? Finding fault with an elder brother? You don't judge yourself? Will one of you get light today that you'll come pleading with Jesus? Lord, I see what an evil person I am.

Instead, what do you do even if you get light? You may go casually to that person saying, brother, I'm sorry. He says, okay, forgive me. Okay, I'm all right.

You will repeat that sin a thousand times till you're broken. I've seen people who come to apologize to me. I don't see any brokenness in their life.

I forgive them. I forgive them even before they come and repent and apologize. But I'm sorry to say that very, very few people I have seen who are broken because of their judgmental attitude.

Therefore, I know those people who apologize will again go back into the same old thing. I know it's just a matter of time. Just a matter of time.

Because it's not hit them. They're technically realized. Ah, according to law number 347, I've disobeyed it.

Brother, I'm sorry. I disobeyed law number 347. All right, forgiven, forgiven.

Okay, fine. Let's move on with life. I tell you, it'll never go well.

If one of those Pharisees had been broken. You know what you need to pray? You need to pray that God will give you such light that you'll be blinded. That like John fell at Jesus feet like a dead man.

You'll fall like a dead man and say, oh God, I'm a sinner. I'm the worst sinner on earth. Have you ever felt like that when you accuse somebody? Have you felt like that when God showed you your own sin? Or are you like all those Pharisees who nominally say, ah, I did a little wrong thing and go on.

It'll never go well with you. I prophesy it will not go well with you. Till you allow God to break your stubborn hard heart.

And see your Phariseeism and repent of wanting to stone poor people. Who did something one millionth less than adultery. You want to excommunicate them.

You want to do all types of things to them. May God have mercy on you. Judgment will be merciless.

It says in James 2.13. Judgment will be merciless from God on those who have not shown mercy to other people. Please remember that. Especially elder brothers.

Because I believe elder brothers are the number one culprits. In not showing mercy to other people. Number one culprits.

Fathers and mothers are also number one culprits in the home. In not showing mercy to each other. And sometimes not showing mercy to their own poor children.

Repent. Let it break you. And then there is some hope.