Sound The Trumpet

For the last eleven weeks, or so, in our Wednesday night Basic Training, we have been covering the book of John. A few weeks back, we didn't have our usual Wednesday night. That particular night, our Pastor had a special burden on his heart (maybe I'll post on that later) and wanted the entire church family together. On that night, we were supposed to cover John chapter 9. In particular, I was set to preach on this passage:

Joh 8:1-11 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. (2) And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. (3) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, (4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. (5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? (6) This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (7) So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (8) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. (9) And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (10) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

This is a very clear passage on the mercy Jesus extends to one who repents as well as an illustration of Jesus' disdain for the Pharisee. In this passage, we see the Pharisees bring in this woman. From the passage, we see the woman had been taken in the very act of adultery. How did this happen? Had the Pharisees been minding their own business, how would they have discovered her sin. Yes, adultery is a sin. Many believe the Pharisees actually arranged the adultery, thus making them as guilty as she was. When they brought her in and presented her to Jesus, they tempted Jesus by reminding him of the Law of Moses. Specifically how the Law of Moses commanded that someone who was guilty of adultery should be stoned. Jesus showed the woman grace and mercy. Jesus also stooped and wrote on the ground. We can only speculate as to what Jesus wrote. Some speculate that Jesus listed some of the sins of the Pharisees. Some speculate that Jesus actually listed the names of the ones who were guilty of committing adultery with this woman. Regardless, the Pharisees left and Jesus was there with the woman. In the conclusion of this passage, Jesus instructs this woman to "sin no more." What was Jesus instructing her to do? Jesus didn't really expect her to never sin again did He? That's not what sin no more means, or is it?
First, let's look at the reasons people believe we will all sin in the future. They look at verses such as the following:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Notice how, in each of these verses, the sin is a past-tense event. There is nothing in any of these verses which indicate a future of sin. These verses all point to the present or to the past. To claim that these verses prove that everyone will sin in the future is a laughable application of Scripture. Actually, it is a quite sad application of Scripture as it proves a lack of Biblical understanding. It also illustrates the compromiser's attempt to comfort their own flesh.
Some will also use John 8 and point out how Jesus asked the one without sin to cast the first stone. Then say none of them were without sin. They are correct: none of those men were without sin. They were all unsaved and under the curse of the law. They were also all unrepentant. They had never sought forgiveness for their sins. Finally, in all likelihood, they were guilty of the very sin they were accusing this woman of.
The simplest truth is that we are in a generation of compromise. Still, there are many people who, though living in sin of one kind or another, have the Holy Spirit inside them. The Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and they are looking for a way to justify it, even to defend their sin. This is a sign of the generation we are in. This peculiar, ungodly notion fits hand-in-glove with the flight away from the Word of God to other (per)versions, the flight from God-honoring churches to so-called non-denominational churches, and the absolute flight from Godly standards to the standards of the world. The claim that it is impossible to live a victorious Christian life, free from sin, is one from the depths of hell. It sounds like something a foolish woman preacher would feel "lead to preach".
So, what does God say about living a holy life? We see in John 8:11, above, that Jesus, God made in the form of a man, that He expected this woman to never sin again ("sin no more"). Was she special? No. You may recall form John 5:14 that Jesus told the leper He had healed to "sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee." Again, Jesus was giving a clear warning to this man. This leper was told that he should never sin again or something worse than leprosy would befall him. If there is anyone who knows the frame of man and the heart of man, it is Jesus. After all, it was Jesus who stooped down into the Garden of Eden and formed man out of the dust of the ground. It was also Jesus who lived, robed in flesh, just as we do every day. It was Jesus who was tempted in all points, just as we are. Knowing the frame of man, Jesus told these two to "sin no more."
Some may argue that the time when Jesus walked on earth was a special time and there were special directives for certain people. It was special time, but this was no special directive. You may recall this passage:

Leviticus 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

I know. If you are one who claims we are all doomed to sin, you will quickly point out that this is an Old-Testament passage, as if to claim that we can ignore anything in the Old Testament we do not like. However, if your claim is true, you cannot ignore Peter as he reaffirms the principle in this passage:

1Pe 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

In their vain attempts to thwart God's will for our lives, some even attempt to redefine words such as holy. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines holy as

Properly, whole, entire or PERFECT, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions. We call a man holy,when his heart is conformed in some degree to the image of God, and his life is regulated by the divine precepts. Hence, holy is used as nearly synonymous with good, pious, godly.

With that definition in mind, we can see that Peter's affirmation of Lev 20:7 agrees perfectly with Jesus' admonition to the leper and the woman taken in adultery. Peter's statement is also a directive for us. We are to live a HOLY life. We may fail. We may fail often. However, when we sin we must realize that we have failed.
Our goal should be a sin-free life. However, when we are wrapped in flesh, how can we ever hope to accomplish that goal? This is where many people give up and succumb to the will of their flesh. At the realization of this very point, many people simply give in and enjoy their sin. This is not God's will for our lives. The first thing we must do is realize God does want us to live a sin-free life. Can any Christian in their right mind really believe God wants us to sin? Think of what Christ went through to pay for our sins. Take time to study that absolute torture He endured for us. Not just the torture of the Cross, but the beatings, the mocking, the scourging, the guilt of all the sins of all of mankind and worst of all, being forsaken by God the Father. Consider what God the Father endured as His only begotten Son endured all of this for our sin. Could any real Bible-believer ever contend that God wants us to sin? No. But there are only two choices: either God does not want us to sin, or He does.--- No, God does not want us to sin. Instead, God sent the Holy Spirit to help the believer. Moreover, God gave us His Word. Yes, that Blessed Old Book is the key.

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

We must memorize Scripture. When we memorize Scripture and use the verses we learn, we can defeat sin. There is more to combating sin. You cannot combat sin when you feed it, but that is another discussion.
Where are you today? Do you feed your flesh with the sin of the world or do you feed your Spirit with the Word of God. Perhaps you do not even know what the Spirit of God is, but something inside of you is tugging at your heart telling you that you need to be saved. See, if you are not saved, you cannot defeat sin and you cannot live a victorious life. You can only do these things with the help of the Holy Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit of God will not come into you until you are saved.  If you are not sure if you are saved, or know you are not saved, please follow this link to learn more about how to be saved.

Philippians 2:5-13 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (12) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.