{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":300,"width":600,"title":"The woman caught in adultery","description":" Cheri preaches from John 8:2\u201311, the story of the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus says, \u201cLet any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.\u201d She explains that this passage has been on her mind because of her recent teaching on Rahab and because of pastoral conversations with young people, especially around questions of sexuality, gender, fear, shame and Christian discipleship. Cheri says the church often finds this subject hard to talk about because it is surrounded by fear. Some fear being misunderstood, accused of hatred or facing consequences for holding to a biblical sexual ethic. Others, especially those wrestling personally with sexuality or gender, fear rejection, judgement and being pushed away by Christians. Families and friends can also feel afraid of saying the wrong thing. She makes clear that her aim is not to debate the whole subject, but to ask how the church can respond to real people in a way that is faithful to Scripture and like Jesus. In John 8, the Pharisees drag a woman before Jesus, not because they care about righteousness, but because they want to trap him. If Jesus shows mercy, they can accuse him of rejecting the law of Moses. If he calls for stoning, he appears harsh and risks conflict with Roman law. Cheri compares this to the pressure the church feels today: go soft and risk denying Scripture, or go hard and risk losing people. Jesus refuses to play the role the Pharisees assign him. He does not shout, panic or rush to answer. He stoops, writes on the ground, and calmly takes control of the situation. Cheri sees this as a model for the church: we do not need to react in fear, outrage or culture-war terms. We can hand difficult questions back to God, the true lawgiver. When Jesus says, \u201cLet any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone,\u201d he does not deny the woman\u2019s sin or reject Scripture. Instead, he exposes the unworthiness of the accusers. One by one, they leave. Jesus then speaks to the woman directly: \u201cNeither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.\u201d Cheri highlights both grace and truth. Jesus protects her before he commands her. He creates safety, then calls her to holiness. The sermon\u2019s main challenge is that the church must stop seeing people primarily as issues, debates or culture-war symbols. Instead, Christians are to see individuals made in God\u2019s image: sinners in need of grace, just like everyone else. Cheri calls the church to be a safe place of honesty, humility and transformation, where people can encounter Jesus, receive mercy, and hear his call to \u201cgo and sin no more.\u201d   0:00 Introduction: The Woman Caught in Adultery 2:07 Why This Passage Matters Today 5:00 Scripture, Sexuality and Wrestling Faithfully 8:52 From Culture War to Discipling Souls 12:38 Fear on Every Side 15:00 Reading John 8:2\u201311 18:00 The Pharisees\u2019 Trap 23:58 Jesus Refuses to Play Their Game 27:00 Let the One Without Sin Cast the First Stone 30:00 Neither Do I Condemn You 33:00 A Safe Place for Grace, Truth and Transformation                           ","author_name":"Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship","author_url":"http:\/\/www.aberdeencf.com","html":"