Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 95:6-11
Come, let’s worship and bow down;
let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep under his care.
Today, if you hear his voice:
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the wilderness
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation;
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.”
Read the Entire Psalm
The Sheep Under His Care. This song reflects on the time when the Hebrew children in the wilderness tested God. The people quarrelled and complained with Moses and Moses and Aaron disobeyed God. It was a tragic turning point. Verse 6 and 7 give us some valuable instructions to keep us from hardening our hearts. The invitation to us is to worship, bow down, kneel and acknowledge that we are dependent sheep under His care. He is our maker. Change your physical posture for a moment. Maybe bow your head, or put out your hands to demonstrate dependence. If God is your God, say it out loud. Acknowledge out loud that He is made you and you are under His care.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 7:53-8:11 – Christian Standard Bible
[The earliest mss do not include 7:53–8:11.]
[53 Then each one went to his house. 8 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
An Adulteress Forgiven
2 At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him. He sat down and began to teach them.
3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. 4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.
Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only he was left, with the woman in the center. 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, Lord,” she answered.
“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”]
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for the Youth mission team. They are leaving for San Diego tomorrow. Ask God to prepare the hearts of those they will meet in San Diego.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
The third theological truth this passage illustrates is that in Christ, guilty sinners are declared righteous through faith. This is known as the doctrine of justification (Romans 5:1–2). Christ’s righteousness and perfect obedience is reckoned to our account, not on the basis of anything we’ve done but solely on the basis of Christ’s merits. What a glorious truth! If Jesus does not relax the standard of his justice, how is he able to say to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you”? Answer: He will go to the cross for her. As Tim Keller has said commenting on this passage, it is as if Jesus says, “I do not condemn you because I will be condemned for you.” For those in Christ, there is therefore now no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Hallelujah! Thank God for the forgiveness and grace that flow from the foundation of his justice. As I think about this truth, I’ve reflected on lines from the hymn “Man of Sorrows, What a name.” Perhaps you know it. If not, find a version to listen to. Let me close with a few lines from the hymn: Man of sorrows what a name/ for the Son of God, who came/ ruined sinners to reclaim/ Hallelujah, what a savior! / Bearing shame and scoffing rude/ In my place condemned he stood/ sealed my pardon with his blood/ Hallelujah, what a savior!