​John 8:3-11 - The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might
 
have grounds for accusing Him…But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the  first to throw a stone at her."… Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."  NASU 

• Jesus Did Not Condemn Them 

What? Wait a minute Serago, you used the wrong pronoun. You should have said, "Jesus Did Not Condemn Her."
 
No, I used the correct pronoun. Do you have your ears on and your eyes open? He didn't condemn "her" that is correct, BUT He didn't condemn them. The Scribes and the Pharisees weren't condemned by Jesus either.
 
They should have been condemned by Jesus just as much as she should have been condemned, but that wasn't the scribes and Pharisee's plan.

They didn't care about this lady one iota.

What they wanted was Jesus. They want His head on the proverbial platter like John the Baptist's head.
 
This was nothing but a fake case, a trap if you will that they brought to Jesus. They knew the law. If they were really interested in justice, they would have brought both parties involved, but they weren't interested in justice.
 
They were interested in destroying Jesus. The One who made them look bad because He was Righteous.
 
What they wanted was to catch Him in one of their traps.

The only problem was they didn't realize who they were trying to trap. This was not some ordinarily person. This was Jesus Christ, The Word, Emmanuel, God in the flesh.
 
These guys were in way over their heads and didn't even know it. 

• What Is Interesting Is 

Jesus never condemned the Scribes and the Pharisees.
 
They were just as guilty as she was and maybe more so. They were trying to destroy an innocent man's life through fraudulent means. They thought they were so smart. They thought they had Jesus trapped in a corner with their "…what then do You say?"
 
Can you see the look on their faces?

They are so proud of themselves. They have brought this woman to Jesus and then slammed the Word of God in His face ("Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women;).
 
They believe they have Jesus between a rock and a hard place.

The text says they persisted in asking Him what He would do.

They didn't ask once they "persisted" in asking Him what should be done to this woman? All the while they knew it was a trap so they could have some evidence to really accuse Him.
 
So when He answers them. They are shocked, dumbfounded and stuck in their tracks. I can hear them now saying over and over again "What did He say?".
 
They don't know how to answer Him. They slowly start walking away one by one from the oldest one on down until no one was remaining except Jesus and the woman. 

• Wow! 

How many times have we wanted someone condemned?
 
When in reality if we were like Jesus we wouldn't want anyone condemned. We would want people to be saved from an eternity in Hell.
 
This past year I witnessed a lot of people wanting former President Donald Trump condemned.

I understand the worldly people wanting him condemned but what really bewildered me was listening to the rhetoric from Christians wanting him to be condemned.
 
The people that brought him to trial weren't interested in justice any more than the Scribes and Pharisees were. They had an agenda but it didn't work. 75 million Americans saw through the hypocrisy and voted for Donald Trump.
 
As a Christian I hope you will not get caught up in condemning people. We are to be like Jesus. We are to tell people "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
 
When you think about it shouldn't we be condemned because we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God?
 
I know this for sure. Gary A. Serago should be condemned because he has sinned and has fallen short of God's glory on more than one occasion.
 
So if you have never sinned then go ahead and condemn everyone, throw all the stones you want, BUT if you want to be like Jesus who truly never did sin you won't be condemning anyone.
 
Think About These:
 
No one should judge another person by what that person's enemies say about him.
 
We usually judge things, not as they are, but as we are.
 
Be sure to judge yourself before you judge others.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

​John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.  "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.  "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.  NASU 

• He Has Set You Free 

If you have become a believer in Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16), repented of your sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Jesus to be the Christ or Messiah (Romans 10:9), and have been baptized (Acts 22:16). You have been set free.
 
The sins that we have committed enslave us and this is why Jesus came to earth. So that sinners could be set free from their sins.
 
There is a band called Hillsong Worship from Australia and they have recorded a song "Who You Say I Am" I have included some of the words below and if you click on the link below the lyrics it will take you to a video of the song being sung.
 
Who the Son sets free
Oh, is free indeed
I'm a child of God, yes, I am
 
Free at last, He has ransomed me
His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me
Yes, He died for me
 
Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, yes, I am

In my Father's house
There's a place for me
I'm a child of God, yes, I am
 
I am chosen, not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me, not against me
I am who You say I am
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo
 
I couldn't agree more with the words of this powerful song. I am and you are who God says we are and not anyone else. 

• Never Forget This 

We have been set free from our sins because of Jesus leaving heaven, clothing Himself with flesh (He was Immanuel or God with us Matt.1:23) and living a perfectly sinless life and then sacrificing Himself on the cross at Calvary.
 
The good news is once we have been baptized into Christ His blood continually cleanses us (1 John 1:7 - if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin).
 
My desire is that you will sing the lyrics of the song "Who You Say I Am" over and over to yourself today and always remember You Are A Child of God.
 
Think About These:
 
Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next.
 
Our faith deals with what God says - not what men say.
 
No one lives in doubt when he has prayed in faith. 

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Gen. 6:6-8 -The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, " I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  NASU

• God Was Sorry For His Actions

In the text above we can see that God was sorry about creating mankind. He was sorry about His actions to the point that He was grieved in His heart.

• God's Plan Was To Start Over

He was going to blot out man whom He created (vs.7). When I was reading this text I thought that is exactly what we need to do once we realize we have done something and we are sorry for our actions. We need to start over again. Once we have done what we are sorry for put it behind you and move forward. Start a Fresh!

Are you able to mentally accomplish this type of forgetting?

• 1st Make A Confession

We need to make a confession that we are sorry for what we have done. This is a confession that comes from the heart. God was grieved in His heart because of His actions.

When your heart is grieving because of what you have done, own it. Openly confess to those who are your friends. Confess it to anyone who will listen. If no one will listen confess to God because He is always listening.

Let Him know you feel like He did after creation of mankind, sorry for that which you have done.

• 2nd Start A Fresh

God was going to blot out the people that He had made and start a fresh. You and I need to blot out the memories of what we did that we are sorry for. This is going to be harder to do than you realize but you must stop thinking about the action that is causing you the sorrow.

This is known as "stinking thinking" when all you do is think about that which you can't change.

They say that when a quarterback throws an interception that he must forget about it. He must put it behind him and get himself mentally ready to come back out on that field again and play like it never happened.

• 3rd Look For The Person Who Is Different

Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was different than all the other people around him. He was a believer. He trusted in God. He listened to God and joined in the plan that God was going to initiate.

God was going to start over and His plan included Noah.

Sometimes we need to start over and start over with new people. These new people will be people willing to listen to God's Word.

Noah listened to God and found himself building an ark which I am sure looked like a fairly crazy thing to be doing.

When you partner with God you may find yourself doing some outlandish things, but partner with Him anyways. It will be the best thing you have ever done.

Think About These: 

There are two kinds of fools: those who can't change their opinions and those who won't.

We should forgive and then forget what we have forgiven.
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

​Minister of God's Word

Gen. 42:21-22 - Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood."                                       NASU

•  The Cause of their Guilt 

Jacob's sons are in a dilemma. They sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery years ago. They had taken his coat of many colors and stained it with animal blood and then lie to their dad, Jacob, about what had happened to Joseph. 
 
Now years later, there had been a famine and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. This is when Joseph sees his brothers. He recognizes them but they don't recognize him. Joseph has them placed in prison and accuses them of being spies. He leaves them in prison for three days and tells them they must leave one of the brothers in prison, travel home and bring their younger brother to Egypt to prove they are telling the truth that they are not spies.

•  The Guilt of the Past Returns 

Now is when their guilty consciences remember what they had done to Joseph, their brother, and they believe this is why this disaster is coming upon them. We probably have all done some thing in our past that periodically comes back from time to time to haunt us.
 
The two best ways I know to overcome a guilty conscience if you have hurt someone:

1. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from the hurt person.
2. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from God if the hurt person cannot be contacted.

After their father, Jacob, dies the brothers send a message to Joseph asking him to forgive them. Gen. 50:16-17 -"Your father charged before he died, saying, 17'Thus you shall say to Joseph, "Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." 
 
The brothers asked Joseph for forgiveness and it was granted to them.

• The Hope We Have In Christ 

When your conscience brings up your past, remind yourself that you're not that person any longer. That person died and was buried in the watery grave of baptism. Jesus was and is the perfect sacrifice that atones for the sins of mankind. The best way to defeat your guilty conscience is to be born again.
 
I am not perfect now, but thank God I am not what I used to be nor am I what I want to be.  I want to do what 2 Pet. 3:18 says, "…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
Like the sign says, "Under Construction: God isn't finished with me yet." We really need to memorize this statement. We are under construction. God is working on us and will continue to work on us as long as we are on this earth and will let Him.

• Guilty Conscience About Something Done After Your Baptism?

Incase you didn't know, Christians aren't perfect and sometimes our guilty consciences come from things we have done even after we have become a Christian. You may have done something that hasn't hurt anyone but yourself so you don't have to ask for anyone's forgiveness.

People have told you, "To let it go." You wish you could but everything you have tried isn't working. 

So what should be done in those situations? I would say, "You need to remember what God has done for you. He has forgiven you, so forgive yourself." 

• I Am Plagued By Feeling Guilty Constantly

Some people have a personality that dwells on the past, and if you are a Christian who is constantly fighting your past mistakes, then by all means you need to dwell on God's ability to forgive you of your sins.

• Christians Have The Same Enemy As Jesus

Christians must remember that we have the same enemy as Jesus had when He was on earth. The enemy constantly wants to bring up your past mistakes.
 
I like this saying, "When the devil wants to remind you of your past, remind him of his future." 

God is going to CRUSH him one day as it says in Romans 16:20 - "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."  
 
If you want to dwell on something, dwell on what God has done for you and what He will do to the devil. 

Think About This:
 
Your conscience is not the voice of God; it is a gift from God.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago      
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