(John 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."In the above narrative we see that the Jews brought a woman before the Lord Jesus and laid a charge against her of violating the law of Moses. Such a violation carried with it the punishment of death by stoning.
(Leviticus 20:10) "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."The inspired Word of God makes it plain that the Jew's real motive was not to make sure that the Mosaic law was being upheld and that violators of it were punished according to it, but they were seeking an excuse to condemn the Lord.
"{6} This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him."It was the Jew's general practice at this time in His ministry to attempt to entrap or ensnare the Lord Jesus in his words and actions. In each of the Gospels is recorded an instance where the Jews did something so “that they might accuse Him”. They endeavored to twist and distort His words so that they would have, in their own minds, justification to accuse, condemn and therefore punish Him.
"Woman, where are those thine accusers?”"Where", our dear Lord asks, "are those who brought you unto me and laid those charges worthy of death against you?"
(Genesis 3:1-5) "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? {2} And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: {3} But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. {4} And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: {5} For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."That first accusation, that first 'charge with some offense', which we have record in the Word of God is that deceitful and false accusation of a sinful creature accusing, yea charging, its holy Creator with being a liar.
(1 John 5:10) "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."Every organization which calls itself a church but does not worship God in the fashion and manner which He has declared through His holy Word as acceptable unto Him is guilty of charging God with either ignorance or deceit. They will most likely not make such an accusation by their words but by their actions they are saying, either God did not know that it was okay to offer the worship concocted by His creatures or that He was deceitful in telling them that only the worship which He ordained and declared would be acceptable.
(1 John 1:8-10) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."When the Scriptures say in 1 John 1:8-10 and 1 John 5:10 that by peoples' disbelief and claims of sinlessness in the flesh they make God a liar it in no wise means that because of these actions God becomes a liar. God is infinitely holy and it is impossible for Him to lie!
(Deuteronomy 32:4) "He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."One of the things which is meant in the above cited Scriptures (1 John 1:8-10 and 1 John 5:10) is that by these individuals' disbelief in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and by their assertions of sinlessness in the flesh they are claiming God to be a liar, they are ‘accusing’ God of being a liar.(Psalms 31:5) "Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth."
(Hebrews 6:18) "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
(2 Timothy 1:7) "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."Beloved we do not want to put words in anyone's mouth and suggest that they have said something which they did not. But far more importantly we do not want to stand by indifferently as someone spews forth blasphemous statements and false accusations against our Sovereign God and not denounce and oppose those false accusations.
(Matthew 20:15) "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"Those who deny God's election and reprobation accuse those of us who hold to those precious truths of setting forth a God who takes pleasure in the damnation and punishment of His creatures. We certainly do not believe or teach that God takes pleasure in the damnation of the wicked, as some sadistic person would take pleasure in the punishment of an animal or person. We do not believe such a thing because the Bible does not teach such a thing!
(Ezekiel 33:11) "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"The next false accusation which those claiming to be God's people bring against Him that we desire to take note of is their claim that God is unfair and dishonest.
(Isaiah 53:11) "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."God saw the anguish of His Son's sinless soul as He made atonement for His people and was satisfied that it was indeed sufficient for the complete redemption of all for whom it was designed.
(John 1:11) "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."The Lord Jesus came unto His own, that is to His own nationality, the Jews and they received Him not. They claimed to be God's followers and to be looking for the Messiah, yet when He came in the their midst they refused to acknowledge that He was indeed the long awaited Messiah.
(Luke 13:14) "And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day."Many were the times which the Jews falsely accused the Lord of breaking God's law and in the end they used those false accusations as an excuse to put Him to death.
(Mark 14:56) "For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together."
These false accusers could not get their stories straight and the Jews
under pretense of doing what was right sought some semblance of correctness,
legality and integrity in their actions. However knowing that they had
no valid and truthful charges to lay against the Lord they sought and accepted
false witnesses.
(Matthew 26:59-62) "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; {60} But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, {61} And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. {62} And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?"Though the Jews accused Christ of violating God's law such an accusation was ungrounded and false. Christ had no thoughts nor intentions of violating or of destroying God's law, for as God Himself it was His law.
(Matthew 5:17) "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."The very law which the Jews accused our Lord of violating and attempting to destroy was, praise God, completely and perfectly fulfilled by Him. By His sinless life He fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law, therefore being an acceptable substitute for those who could not keep that law.
(Matthew 12:22-24) "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. {23} And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? {24} But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."These depraved Jews sought to discredit the miracles worked by our Lord by assigning them to the devil instead of unto God. They were therefore claiming Jesus to be the agent or servant of satan.
(John 3:1-2) "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: {2} The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."The final false accusation against our Lord which we wish to take notice of this morning is the false accusation that His precious blood is not sufficient to save by itself and that it is not sufficient to keep those once saved in a continual saved state. Sadly this false accusation is also put forth by those who claim to be washed in that very blood.
(Matthew 26:27-28) "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; {28} For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."We have looked briefly at false accusations laid against God, in the three persons of the Godhead and false accusations laid against the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Revelation 12:9-10) "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {10} And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."In Job chapters 1 & 2 satan falsely accuses Job of serving God because God had blessed him so abundantly and that if bad things would happen to Job that he would turn and curse God. God permitted satan to afflict Job for He knew that satan's' accusations were false.
(Romans 7:14-25) "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. {15} For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. {16} If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. {17} Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. {18} For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. {19} For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. {20} Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. {21} I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. {22} For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: {23} But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. {24} O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? {25} I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."I doubt if there any here this day that have not at one time or the other been subject to those self accusations.
(Romans 8:33-34) "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. {34} Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."None but the blessed Holy Trinity have the authority to bring any charge against any of God's people.