Madison Church

When confronted with a woman caught in adultery, Jesus faced a carefully crafted trap. The Pharisees, delighting in their judgment, expected him to either condemn her according to Mosaic law or reveal himself as a false teacher by showing mercy. Instead, Jesus turned their trap against them with eight powerful words: "Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone."This sermon examines how easily we slip into the role of the Pharisee, justifying our judgment of others while overlooking our own failings. Four warning signs reveal when we've crossed into unfair judgment: being more upset with others' sins than embarrassed by our own, cutting off those who disagree with us, bonding with others by critiquing common enemies, and manipulating moral frameworks to justify predetermined outcomes.The physical sensations of judgment work both ways - when judged, we feel tightness and isolation; when judging, we experience anger and negativity that oozes from within us. This reveals the heart