Rabbi Schneider - Purposeful Disobedience
Jesus sat down began to teach. "The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.' Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do you say?' They were saying this to test Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with this finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'"
What a word! First of all, I just want to accentuate the point that I just made earlier, that here was this woman obviously committing vile sin, and yet Jesus still loved her. Jesus still loved her. Jesus came to save sinners like you and I. So Jesus was offering her a second chance. Jesus didn't condemn her. He didn't put her to death as the religious leaders wanted. He said, "Woman, neither do I condemn you". No one's throwing a stone. Why? Because Jesus said, "He that's without sin among you let him cast the first stone". They had enough conviction of the Holy Spirit at that time in their hearts to recognize that we're all guilty in some respect before God, so no one picked up a stone. Then Jesus said to the woman, "Woman, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more". And I love the balance there. The forgiveness that we have, but also the command to stop sinning.
You see, sometimes people take Yeshua's forgiveness as a license to continue to sin. Some people think all they have to do is go confess their sin, as long as they confess their sin, their sins are forgiven, now they can go commit the same sins over again, come back and confess and all problems taken care of again. So week after week it's sinning, confess, then you go back out sin again, and as long as you come back and confess you're okay. But Jesus was calling her to a radically different upward lifestyle. He said, "Woman, I don't condemn you either. Now, go, but sin no more".
Listen, Beloved, willful sin opens up a legal entryway for spirits of darkness to come and take habitation within the soul. See, when we're walking in the light, we're protected in the light. But when we're walking in the darkness, there's no protection. Now thank God in His mercy He's protected you and me so many times when we were in sin. Even before we came to saving knowledge of the truth, we know that our lives could have been stuffed out but God loved us. He had His hand on us even before we knew Him.
So God does at times protect people when they're in their darkness. But when people know the Lord and they know better, and yet they continue to choose to sin, oftentimes what happens, beloved, is God takes His hand of protection and mercy off those people's lives and literally demons come and gain entrance into those people's lives and literally possess them. I'm not saying that they necessarily foam at their mouth, but they literally become possessed by demonic entities. So Jesus speaks to this woman in such tenderness: Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. I want you to know, Beloved, that if you and I are not growing in obedience, if we're not continuing to close the door of our hearts and minds to sin, to anger, to bitterness, to gossip, to watching the wrong things on television, to listening to the wrong things. If you and I know the Lord, and we're not continuing to block sin, to check it, to keep it out, if we know the Lord, and yet willfully engage in letting sin have dominion in us.
I want you to know the Scripture says, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, but a fearful expectation of judgment. We cannot continue to sin and expect that we're going to continue to be blessed and protected. "So Yeshua says to this From now on sin no more.'" So I just want to encourage you, every day I'm trying my best to watch what thoughts I let to dominate my mind. Because the devil is always there. The Bible says that sin, in the Torah, is crouching at the door. And sins desire is for us, but we must master it. In other words, sin is a power. It's the power of the devil. And it's crouching at the door. In other words, sin is always ready to pounce on us. The devil is looking for somebody weak to devour.
The Scripture says, But we must master it. Every day, all day long the enemy is wanting to gain entrance into our thoughts. He's wanting us to agree with thoughts that are evil. He's wanting us to agree with thoughts of darkness, whether it's fear, accusation, hatred, greed, dishonesty, getting into agreement with immoral boundary, whatever it is, the devil is always there. And if you and I aren't resisting it more and more powerfully, every single day so that we're keeping our mind guarded and keeping our heart guarded. If we're not living like this, Jesus said, "Go and sin no more", then we're going to find ourselves in a position where hardship will come into our lives.
Remember the Scripture says, He that continues to sin after receiving a knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains protection for that person. But a fearful expectation of judgment. And judgment begins at the household of God. So you and I need to be fearful of sinning and we need a revival of the fear of God in our culture today. Because it's not just the love of God that keeps us walking in a straight and narrow way. It's the fear of God, knowing that if we sin judgment and destruction will come upon us. The love of God and the fear of God are not opposites, Beloved. They're complementary and they're both manifestations of God's goodness into the human soul. Until next time, Beloved, this is Rabbi Schneider saying to you I love you. And I pray that the words that have come across to you today are words that will strengthen you and equip you to live more and more of a righteous life. That the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart will always be pleasant to Him.