>> PASTOR VICTORIA: YES.
YOU MAY BE SEATED.
WHEN JOEL AND I FIRST STARTED
DATING MANY YEARS AGO, WE HAD A
MUTUAL FRIEND, AND I DIDN'T KNOW
THIS AT THE TIME, BUT MY FRIEND
WAS TALKING BEHIND MY BACK WITH
JOEL.
SHE WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE, "SHE
LIKES YOU.
SHE TOLD ME SHE DID," AND JOEL
WOULD SAY, "WELL, TELL ME WHAT
SHE SAID.
WHAT DID SHE THINK ABOUT OUR
FIRST DATE?"
HE BEGAN TO QUESTION HER AND SHE
BEGAN TO TELL HIM, "JUST KEEP
DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
SHE REALLY LIKES YOU A LOT."
SEE, HE BEGAN TO HEAR HOW MUCH I
LIKED HIM AT THE VERY START OF
OUR RELATIONSHIP AND SO IT GAVE
HIM THE CONFIDENCE TO PURSUE
THIS RELATIONSHIP AND AS HE
BEGAN TO PURSUE A RELATIONSHIP
WITH ME, HE FOUND OUT SOMETHING
VERY IMPORTANT.
HE FOUND OUT THAT I LIKED HIM
TOO, A LOT.
SO AS WE CONTINUED WITH OUR
RELATIONSHIP, DISCOVERING THINGS
ABOUT ONE ANOTHER, LEARNING
THINGS ABOUT ONE ANOTHER, AND IT
BEGAN TO GROW, AND IT BEGAN TO
FLOURISH, AND 29 YEARS LATER,
IT'S STILL GROWING AND IT'S
STILL FLOURISHING.
YOU SEE, JOEL WENT FROM HEARING
THAT I LIKED HIM TO EXPERIENCING
THAT I LIKED HIM.
HE WENT FROM HEARING TO
LITERALLY KNOWING BY MY WORDS
AND BY MY ACTIONS.
AND TOO OFTEN, WE SIT ON THE
SIDELINES OF LIFE BECAUSE WE
HEAR SOMETHING IS GOOD, BUT WE
DON'T ALLOW IT TO DEVELOP A
CONFIDENCE IN US TO PURSUE WHAT
IS GOOD, TO PURSUE THOSE THINGS
THAT WE WANT.
IT'S LIKE THAT WITH THE LOVE OF
GOD.
YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS, MAYBE
YOU HEARD ABOUT JESUS WHEN YOU
WERE YOUNG.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
THERE'S JUST SOME AREAS OF YOUR
LIFE YOU CANNOT PURSUE HIM.
YOU'VE LET HIM MAYBE A LITTLE
BIT, BUT THERE'S AREAS THAT YOU
THINK, "I DON'T WANT HIM TO GET
TO KNOW ME IN THAT AREA.
HE MAY NOT LIKE ME ANYMORE."
YOU FEEL CONDEMNED.
SOMETIMES, PEOPLE THINK THEY
NEED TO CLEAN THEMSELF UP, THEY
NEED TO FIX THEMSELF UP NICE AND
SHINY BEFORE THEY CAN DEVELOP A
RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.
WELL, THEY KNOW THAT HE LOVES
THEM.
HE'S HEARD--THEY'VE HEARD IT,
BUT THEY'VE NEVER TAKEN THE NEXT
STEP.
OR MAYBE THEY HAVE SERVED GOD
BUT LIKE I SAID,
THERE ARE THOSE DOORS
THAT THEY JUST WON'T OPEN.
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT HAPPENS,
OUR RELATIONSHIP DOESN'T DEEPEN
AND STRENGTHEN.
WE DON'T DEVELOP ALL THAT WE CAN
IN THE RELATIONSHIP.
LISTEN, IF I SHUT SOME DOORS TO
JOEL AND WOULDN'T LET HIM IN,
THERE WOULD BE SOME PROBLEMS,
BUT I HAD CONFIDENCE
THAT HE WASN'T GOING
TO JUDGE ME.
HE KNEW I WASN'T JUDGING HIM.
WE WERE IN THIS TOGETHER AND WE
LOVE EACH OTHER AND WE DEVELOPED
IT AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO
BELIEVE ABOUT THE LOVE OF
CHRIST.
GOD DOES NOT CONDEMN YOU IN
JESUS CHRIST.
HE LOVES YOU IN JESUS CHRIST.
THERE IS NO DOOR THAT YOU CANNOT
OPEN TO HIM.
THERE IS NO SIN TOO GREAT.
THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU HAVE
DONE THAT HE WILL NOT FORGIVE
YOU FOR.
THE BIBLE SAYS, "WHEN YOU WERE
YET SINNERS, HE CAME AND GAVE
HIS LIFE FOR YOU."
SEE, BEFORE WE WERE--EVER EVEN
KNEW HIM, HE ALREADY FELL IN
LOVE WITH US.
LET'S GO FROM JUST HEARING ABOUT
THE LOVE OF GOD TO TRULY
DEVELOPING AND EXPERIENCING THE
LOVE OF GOD.
IF YOU'RE SITTING HERE TODAY AND
YOU'VE GOT SOME CONDEMNATION OR
SOME SHAME, CAN I TELL YOU THAT
IS NOT JUST JESUS?
THAT IS THE ACCUSER AND JESUS IS
NOT THE ACCUSER.
THERE'S A STORY IN JOHN 8 THAT
EXEMPLIFIES THIS SO VERY WELL.
JESUS WAS TEACHING ONE AFTERNOON
NEAR THE TEMPLE AND THE SCRIBES
AND THE PHARISEES--THAT'S THE
RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THAT
DAY--DRAG A WOMAN TO HIM IN
FRONT OF EVERYBODY AND SAID,
"JESUS, THIS WOMAN WAS CAUGHT IN
THE ACT OF ADULTERY."
NOW, IN THE LAW OF MOSES, IT
SAYS THAT SUCH AN ACT AND SUCH A
WOMAN SHOULD BE STONED TO DEATH.
I'M SURE THAT CAME--THEY
WERE--THEY CAME WITH STONES IN
THEIR HAND AND DRAGGING THAT
WOMAN ALONG.
THEY STOOD HER AT JESUS' FEET.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE HUSH THAT
CAME OVER THE CROWD BECAUSE THEY
SAID, "JESUS, WHAT DO YOU SAY
ABOUT THIS?"
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE KNEELED
DOWN.
NOW, WAIT A MINUTE.
THAT WOMAN IS STANDING THERE.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE AS SHE HAS
HER EYES GLUED TO JESUS TO SEE
WHAT THE VERDICT IS.
WHEN HE BEGAN TO KNEEL DOWN, I
CAN ONLY IMAGINE HER HEART
BEGINNING TO FLUTTER IN HER
CHEST THINKING, "OH, NO.
WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO?
IS HE GOING TO PICK UP A ROCK?
IS HE GOING TO START THIS
EXECUTION RIGHT NOW?"
BECAUSE, SEE, WE READ THAT STORY
QUICKLY.
BUT WHEN IT'S HAPPENING TO YOU,
IT'S HAPPENING IN SLOW MOTION.
YOU GOT TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT.
WHY ELSE WOULD HE BEND DOWN IF
HE WASN'T GOING TO PICK UP A
ROCK?
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT GOING ON IN
HER MIND?
BUT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT HE
KNELT DOWN AND HE BEGAN TO WRITE
IN THE DIRT, THEN HE STOOD UP
AGAIN, AND HE LOOKED AT THOSE
ACCUSERS, AND HE SAID, "THOSE OF
YOU WITHOUT SIN, YOU CAST THE
FIRST STONE."
HE LOOKED AT THEM AND THEN HE
KNELT DOWN AGAIN.
THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT ONE BY
ONE, ONE BY ONE, THEY BEGAN TO
WALK OFF FROM THE OLDEST TO THE
YOUNGEST.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST LIKE
JESUS.
HE GIVES YOU TIME TO THINK ABOUT
IT.
HE TELLS YOU SOMETHING AND THEN
HE GIVES YOU TIME TO THINK ABOUT
IT.
HE STOOD UP AGAIN, LOOKED
AROUND.
THERE WAS NO ONE, JUST HE
AND THE WOMAN.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT WOMAN
STANDING THERE STILL TREMBLING?
SHE'S STANDING THERE THINKING,
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"
YOU KNOW, THE LAW THAT THEY
TALKED ABOUT WAS THE LAW OF
MOSES THAT WAS GIVEN TO MOSES BY
GOD AND IT WAS WRITTEN ON
TABLETS OF STONE BY GOD'S OWN
FINGER.
IT WAS WRITTEN ON MOUNT
SINAI.
JESUS, WHEN HE KNELT DOWN, WE
DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WROTE.
HE DIDN'T COME TO ABOLISH THE
LAW.
THE SCRIPTURE TELLS US HE CAME
TO FULFILL THE LAW AND I FIND IT
QUITE INTERESTING THAT THE SAME
LAW THAT WAS WRITTEN BY GOD'S
FINGER, HE SENT HIS SON TO WRITE
SOMETHING ELSE WITH HIS FINGER
IN THE DIRT, AND THAT WAS MERCY.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WROTE, BUT
IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN MERCY
BECAUSE HE LOOKED AT THAT WOMAN
AND SAID, "WHERE ARE YOUR
ACCUSERS?
IS THERE ANYONE HERE CONDEMNING
YOU?"
SHE SAID, "NO, SIR," AND HE
SAID, "I DON'T CONDEMN YOU
EITHER."
HE SAID, "GO AND SIN NO MORE."
AS SHE STOOD FACE TO FACE WITH
MERCY, SHE WENT FROM HEARING
ABOUT JESUS--EVERYBODY IN THE
TOWN KNEW ABOUT JESUS.
THEY HAD HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT
HIM.
SHE PROBABLY HEARD, YES, HE
PERFORMED SOME MIRACLES.
YEAH, HE'S A NICE MAN.
BUT SHE WENT THAT DAY FROM
HEARING ABOUT JESUS TO
EXPERIENCING THE LOVE OF JESUS.
SHE WENT FROM HEARING TO KNOWING
THIS LOVE, STANDING FACE TO FACE
WITH MERCY.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT DAY?
HER HEART WAS OPENED WAS IN SUCH
A WAY THAT WHEN SHE WALKED OFF,
SHE DIDN'T WALK OFF CONDEMNED.
SHE WALKED OFF CONVINCED THIS A
MAN OF LOVE.
THIS IS A MAN THAT JUST TOUCHED
ME.
I MEAN MERCY OPENS THE DOOR OF
OUR HEART FOR REPENTANCE.
HE TOLD HER, "GO BACK AND SIN NO
MORE.
I'M EMPOWERING YOU AND I AM
STRENGTHENING YOU BY MY MERCY
AND MY GRACE
TO STAND AGAINST SIN."
YOU SEE, GRACE DOES NOT GIVE US
A LICENSE TO SIN.
GRACE GIVES US THE POWER TO
STAND AGAINST SIN, THE POWER TO
SAY NO TO SIN.
THAT DAY, JESUS WAS IN A VERY
INTIMATE PLACE WITH THAT WOMAN,
A PART OF HER LIFE SHE WOULD
WANT NO ONE TO SEE.
BUT EVERYONE SAW AND THEY SAW
JESUS NOT PICK UP A ROCK BUT
TAKE HIS OWN FINGER AND WRITE
MERCY IN THE DIRT.
IF YOU'RE HERE TODAY, I WANT TO
TELL YOU JESUS ISN'T CONDEMNING
YOU.
ROCKS, THEY HURT.
JESUS' LOVE, IT HEALS.
KNOW TODAY IF ANYBODY IS
THROWING ROCKS AT YOU, IF
THERE'S CONDEMNATION IN YOUR
MIND BECAUSE THERE'S AREAS OF
YOUR LIFE YOU REALLY DON'T WANT
TO EXPOSE TO JESUS, KNOW TODAY
THAT HE IS NOT GOING TO
CONDEMN YOU.
HE WANTS TO CONVINCE YOU THAT,
YES, THERE IS POWER TO TURN THAT
THING AROUND AND GO ANOTHER WAY.
HE WANTS TO STRENGTHEN YOU AND
GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU NEED TO
LIVE THE LIFE HE'S CALLED YOU TO
LIVE.
AMEN?
AMEN.
> JOEL: THANKS FOR
WATCHING THIS
MESSAGE. I HOPE
YOU ENJOYED IT.
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> VICTORIA: LET US
KNOW IN THE
COMMENTS BELOW HOW
THIS MESSAGE HAS
ENCOURAGED YOU.
WE WOULD LOVE TO
HEAR FROM YOU.
WE'RE PRAYING FOR
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
WE'LL SEE YOU
NEXT TIME!