Skipping Rocks and Throwing Stones

I remember watching Andy Griffith? Remember the opening song? The First part is Andy and his son Opie walking down a dirt road beside the old pond and Opie stopping and walking over to the lake and skipping stones. Depends on which year that show was made, they did not re-due that opening, they edited it down....however Opie actually stops twice and skips stones across that lake. Never did we see what kind of stones he was using...but you could tell it was a lot of fun. I have found out personally that it is a lot of fun throwing those rocks, smooth flat stones worked best.

I can remember a time when us kids and I were looking for stones in my driveway and around the house that we could skip across Buffalo creek in Greensboro North Carolina were I grew up, or we would see who could throw them the farthest up in the drain pipes, or hide in the early at night, and throw them at people walking or even cars. So if you are reading this and you were hit a rock back in that day, I am truly sorry. Note to kids too......this is not fun, do not attempt!!

Ever got caught throwing rocks at cars? Or a house? Or animals?

Have you ever been hit by someone throwing rocks, stones and/or stuff....? 

Yesterday morning, I came to Church and handed out rocks and/stones to everyone who walked in to service. And This what I said to them from the pulpit:

"This morning as you sit down and settled in your spot you should have been handed a stone." Hold onto to it and rule number #1 "you can not throw it at your Pastor"

Have you ever felt like you had a big "target" on you some where?

Have you as you are reading this; have you ever spent anytime just looking at rocks and stones and the many different things we can do with them? Stones can be valuable as well, you use stones to build something. You can use stones to cover something up or you can even decorate with stones. Not just for throwing.

When you take just a moment to feel the stone, what do we feel? There is a hardness. There is a heaviness. There is a coarseness. Those memories coming back to you now? They did for me; hanging out with your friends, well I shared some of those memories already. Or how about much time we spend looking for those perfect stones for "skipping rocks" or "throwing stones" or "building stones"?

I don't know about you, but sometimes I have caught myself throwing stones and rocks at other things instead of skipping or building...I have used stones to tear other things down.....like people? What about you? There are times I believe we all want to throw stones at each other.

 See Jesus talked about this in John 8:1-11. I remember that reading this, that Jesus went to Mount of Olives and in the morning HE went to the temple courts and a bunch of people gathered around HIM, so HE set down to teach them. Then in Verse 3, it said that the "teachers of the law" and the "Pharisees" brought this woman who was caught in adultery and they made her stand there in front of everyone. They tell Jesus, that she was caught in this sin and reminded HIM what the law of Moses said, that she should be stoned to death. Now what do you say?" See this was a trap, a trap that they had planned on using against HIM. 

Remember what Jesus did? HE started writing in the dirt! With HIS finger! HE quit looking at them and the woman and HE bent down, I often wondered what HE was writing? But they kept asking and HE finally straightened up and said "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again HE stooped down and wrote on the ground. They started to drop their stones and leave, it said the older ones first, until only Jesus and this woman was left. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She told HIM No one, sir, and Jesus said "Then neither do I condemn you, Go now and leave your life of sin."Other words, turn from your sin, repent, stop this and start a new!

Several things going on here. 

I always wondered what Jesus was writing in the dirt?

What was it? Was it names of all the folks that were holding stones?

And their sins?

Was He writing our names and the stones we are carrying….the sins? 

Was He writing down everything wrong with this being played out in front of Him?

Why do we throwing stones or point fingers?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling sin exactly what it is. Is there?

God hates sin and makes it clear that sin will never have a place in His presence.

As believers, we are called to hate sin and stand against sinful behavior. However, it is important to remember that God hates sin but He loves the sinner.  

Did Jesus come to save the "found" or the lost?

Was I born saved?

Jesus died to redeem lost people, to buy them back from the penalty and punishment of sin.

So I thought that I would look at the sin in someone else’s life for a moment, it's easy to see it. Then how does it make me feel, that I don’t have the power to change it?

Do you know any folks with addictions? What do you see that needs to be changed?

Hate the addiction…..love the Addict!

What about the sin in our lives…..which is easier to see…..theirs or ours?

More important than our call to hate sin, is to love sinners. Far too often we forget this fundamental fact. We look at people, size them up, pass judgment and begin throwing stones. In Church too?

The sad truth is that we are far more willing to point out the faults and failures of others without realizing and recognizing that we are not without faults ourselves.

See the Pharisees (Fair u see) brought this woman out before Jesus, she is nothing more than a pawn in a plan to attack Jesus.

Ever wonder where the man is? Let’s not forget the fact that there was indeed a man involved in this situation and it doesn’t make sense for the Pharisees to bring the woman and not the man. Both of them were guilty but one thing is clear about life, the behavior that comes from the flesh never has to make sense. The stone throwing began when they discarded being just.

See the Law that the Pharisees were so careful to quote and defend had already been disregarded because they had only brought the woman. Clearly there was no interest in justice. It was about trapping Jesus! What about our motives? The stone throwing began before anyone ever picked up a rock. It began with a malicious intent to discredit Jesus no matter who got harmed in the process. 

Have you ever seen something going on and maybe questioned the motives? The why’s? The motive of these leaders was suppose to be promoting things and ways of God. 

This country was founded on God, truth and freedom, right? 

What about the Church, have you ever heard rumors about a Church and the way they handle things?

What about this Church? What do people see when they drive by hear, or are walking down the street, what are they seeing? 

What are they hearing?

See they were not there to promote the things of God but instead they were promoting their own agenda and were looking out for their own interests. At first glance most of us would come down hard on these Pharisees because after all their behavior is despicable. However, are we really that much different from the Pharisees? 

Haven’t we all at one point or another pushed to get our way? Haven’t we all had times when we got upset over things that are really insignificant? Haven’t we all done things that we desired instead of what God desired? For ourselves in Jesus' Name?

The truth of the matter is this: we are all guilty of sin. We all point fingers at others. We are all guilty of throwing stones.

The Real part of throwing stones and words.

Why were these men so intent on destroying Jesus?

What about an unforgiving heart. A heart that will neither let go of past pains or endure current difficulties. See what HE did? Jesus has disturbed their way of life. He had challenged their preconceived ideas of religion. Jesus has disturbed their power by appealing to the masses that the religious leaders had forgotten.  Jesus disturbed their position because He was drawing large numbers of people to be His disciples. Jesus disturbed their personal ideals that were not in line with the direction of the Father.

If we remember the wrongs which men have done us, we destroy the power of the remembrance of God?

Why did these men want to throw stones?

Why do we want to throw them?

• We throw stones because we hold on to bitterness.

• We throw stones because we harbor hatred.

• We throw stones because we are entangled in anger.

• We throw stones because we want to have revenge.

• We feel disrespected.

• We throw stones because we will not let go of the things that upset us.

"If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her".

Can we really afford to throw stones? We all make mistakes. We all have messed up. We all have the same spiritual need for Jesus. 

I remember hearing a Pastor say to his Church that "If someone handed us a gun, we would not shoot the people, or the person sitting beside us in Church today. However We would tear them down by talking about them!" - Rev. Sam Gamble

We would never think of actually throwing stones at other people but we far too often throw emotional or spiritual stones at others.

Remember hearing...."sticks and stones will break my bones. but words will never harm me"? That is one of the biggest lies ever told, because words hurt!

• Hurtful comments

• Use generalizations ("those people")

• Gossip(did you hear about......)

• Judgmental statements(and they call themselves a "Christian")

• Harsh with the truth as we see it.(you need to quit playing Christian and get real)

What is it or why is it that makes people want to throw stones?

• Frustration: When we become frustrated it distorts our ability to see things clearly

• Fatigue: Everything always looks worse when we are tired

• Failure:  When others fail us we are quick to judge their actions. When we fail others we are quick to justify our actions

• False Assumptions: When we get only bits and pieces of the truth, we create assumptions based on faulty logic. Have you ever assumed something?

• Feelings: If we make the choice to follow our feelings we make the choice to be shallow

Have you ever heard this? H.A.L.T? You never want to be HUNGRY - ANGRY - LONELY - and - TIRED at the same times? I have come to believe that just 2 of these together is not a good place(should say a "GOD" place) for me.

The moment we seek retribution for wrongs done to us, the payback either real or imagined, we lose a piece of our relationship with God. Why isn't we don't see that? 

See the moment this happens, it becomes much, much easier to throw stones, to point those fingers, to wag that tongue....right?

We use the things that happen to us as a way of justifying our actions. We can't justify what a brother or sister can does, but we can try and justify our junk that we do?

Why should we not throw stone or point fingers or wag that tongue.

In verse 10 it says;

"Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus is the only one who has both the right and the reason to condemn and this is what Jesus does not do He does not condemns does HE, or does HE convict us?

Jesus always convicts the sin and loves the sinner. Sin destroys the lives of those that Jesus loves.

Sin in essence is the corruption of God’s creation. We are called to look at the lives of others the way that Jesus does: recognize the corruption and still love the creation. Remember Jesus had compassion for those, for us....are we having compassion for them?

Love the person and hate their sin. Does not say to wallow in it with them either, does it? 

Romans 8:34 says this “Who is he that condemns? NO ONE! Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”

Through Jesus we are set free from condemnation, the punishment of sin. 

Go and leave your life of sin. We will never be completely free from the power of sin because sin brought death into the world and we will all one day die. We can be set free from the bondage of sin. The actions that reveal sin within us. 

When we speak destructively.

When we seek to create discord.

When we stir up division.

When we settle in disagreement.

Forgiveness flows from the life of Jesus. It is empowered by His sacrifice on the cross and it is finalized by the triumph of the resurrection. We ask Jesus for forgiveness and HIS Grace.....but how are we really doing on passing that on to the peeps(I always wanted to use that) in our paths, in our circle, in our homes, in our communities........what about the person sitting beside us at Church....

So if you are doing an inventory, when we are spending time with God, lets ask HIM to examine our hearts as David asked in Psalm 139 and allow Jesus to show us what stones are we holding onto today? Maybe it is:

• Stone of bitterness

• Stone of anger

• Stone of hatred

• Stone of prejudice

Whatever stone you are carrying it is a needless weight that we bear. It is a pointless part of our life. Maybe it has someones name on it, do you not realize until you release it, they still have the power over you? 

Don’t you think it is time for you to lay down your stones? Why not take this opportunity to give your stones over to God?

Lets learn to 1- ADMIT what we did. 2- CONFESS, what we did. 3- REPENT. 4- TURN away from that thing(s) and not repeat them!

Well this is my Blog and my opinions and I welcome your comments. Have a "GOD" Day!