I saw a sign one time that read, “Do Not Judge Others Just Because They Sin Differently Than You.”

There are signs, billboards, and all sorts of advertisements where ever we go anymore.

Those signs that appear throughout our communities, whether they are in front of a church or a business or up high above on a billboard, are there to catch our attention and to make us think.

And I have been thinking about that one specific sign a lot lately: “Do Not Judge Others Just Because They Sin Differently Than You.”

Let’s face it, we are all a bunch of sinners; every last one of us; Romans 3:23 tells us that.

In John’s Gospel, chapter 8, John recounts the story of a woman who was dragged kicking and screaming into the Temple.

A group of self-righteous men threw her down in front of Jesus, and they proclaimed, “We caught this woman in the act of adultery. Moses in the Law commanded that she should be stoned. What do you say?”

Jesus looked around, and then He stooped down and started writing on the ground as if He hadn’t heard them.

They continued asking Him, “What do you say about this?”

Finally, Jesus stood up and said to them, “He that is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her.”

After He made this statement, He once again stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Now, we don’t know what he was writing, John doesn’t tell us. But his Gospel said that those men, from the oldest to the youngest, were convicted by their own conscience, and one by one they walked out of that place.

The woman was left alone there with Jesus.

When Jesus saw that all of those men had left, He asked the woman, “Where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?”

She looked at Jesus and said, “No man, Lord.”

And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

That is one of the Greatest Stories of Forgiveness in John’s Gospel.

Jesus said in John 3:17, “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”

It is easy for us to point our fingers at someone else that is doing wrong and we say negative things about that person; to condemn them for their sins.

But who among us is without sin?

Every one of us is a sinner in need of a Savior; and God sent His Son into the world to save us from our sin.

I have accepted His forgiveness, and I can say, “I Am Forgiven.”

But, I Am Not Perfect—Just Forgiven.

I wear a leather bracelet with the word “FORGIVEN” on my right wrist, just to remind me that I am a Child of God who has accepted the forgiveness of my sins through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Now, I am a preacher, and I am the pastor of a wonderful church in our community, but I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect.

I Am A Sinner Saved By God’s Grace.

It is my calling, my task here on Earth to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, to let others know about the Grace of God.

Again, in John’s Gospel, in 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Years ago, as a young man, I realized that my life was a mess. I was a substance abuser in need of deliverance.

I was in desperate need of a Savior, and I cried out to Jesus Christ asking Him to forgive me of my sins.

And He did; and I have never been the same since then.

I still mess up at times; I still think the wrong things, and I sometimes say the wrong things; and sometimes I do the wrong things.

I still sin. I’m not perfect.

But, I have a Savior, a Deliverer, a Sin-Forgiver, a Way Maker.

His Name is Jesus Christ.