Between You and the Stone
- Pastor Tim Rigdon
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Pastor Tim Rigdon
Sunday, August 16th, 2026
Today's Scriptures and Notes:
John 8:3–11 NKJV 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
The enemy loves shame because shame doesn’t just make you regret your past
…it tries to make you believe you have no future.
Shame tells you:
“God can’t use you anymore.”
“You’ve gone too far.”
“Everybody knows what you’ve done.”
“You don’t belong in church.”
“You aren’t worthy to worship.”
“You might as well give up.”
1. SHAME WILL DRAG YOUR PAST INTO YOUR PRESENT
John 8:3–4 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
They didn’t just accuse her
…They displayed her
They made her sin public
They wanted everybody to see her failure
Shame takes something that happened behind you
…and constantly puts it in front of you
You may have been forgiven five years ago,
…but shame keeps reminding you
You may have moved forward,
…but shame keeps dragging you backward
The enemy says:
“Remember what you did”
But God says:
“Remember what I did”
The devil reminds you of your sin
…Jesus reminds you of His grace
The devil says, “You failed”
Jesus says, “Get back up”
The devil says, “You’re finished”
Jesus says, “I still have a purpose for you”
2. SHAME WANTS TO PUT YOU IN THE MIDDLE, BUT JESUS STEPS INTO THE MIDDLE
John 8:5 “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned…But what do You say?”
He steps into places
…we wish nobody would see
He walks into the places of our failure
Jesus steps between you and the stone
3. JESUS DOESN’T IGNORE SIN
…HE DEALS WITH IT DIFFERENTLY
John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
Because before you throw a stone at somebody else’s failure
…you need to remember your own need for grace
John 8:9 “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one…”
The Holy Ghost convicts us
…because God wants to restore us
The enemy condemns us
…because he wants to destroy us
4. JESUS CAN LOOK AT YOU AFTER EVERYBODY ELSE WALKS AWAY
John 8:9 “...And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”
People will define you
…by your worst moment
Jesus defines you
…by His redemptive purpose
5. JESUS ASKED, “WHERE ARE THOSE ACCUSERS?”
“Go and sin no more”
Grace doesn’t give us permission
…to stay where we are
Grace gives us power to leave where we were
6. JESUS DOESN’T JUST REMOVE THE SHAME
…HE RESTORES THE PERSON
Jesus changed the ending
Your worst chapter
…doesn’t have to be your final chapter
Your failure is not your identity
Your mistake is not your destiny
Your shame
…is not your name
You are who Jesus says you are
7. TAKE OFF THE SHAME
Some people have been forgiven by God
… but haven’t forgiven themselves
God has already said:
“I forgive you.”
But you’re still carrying what God already removed
You’re carrying yesterday into today
You’re carrying something
…Jesus already nailed to the cross
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Shame is a weight
You can’t walk into your future while living in yesterday
“If Jesus has forgiven me,
…I’m going to forgive myself”
She came into that moment as:
“The woman caught in adultery”
But she walked away as:
“The woman Jesus refused to condemn”
She came in carrying shame
She walked away carrying grace
She came in thinking her story was over
She walked away with a future
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
“Neither do I condemn you”
Romans 8:1 NKJV There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Go be what
…God called you to be
Jesus is standing between you and the stone
Let grace restore your identity
“Neither do I condemn you
… Go and sin no more.”
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