John 8 (NLT)

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ² but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

⁶ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. ⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” ⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

⁹ When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus, the Light of the World

¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

¹³ The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.”

¹⁴ Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. ¹⁵ You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. ¹⁶ And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father^[a] who sent me is with me. ¹⁷ Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact.¹⁸ I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

¹⁹ “Where is your father?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” ²⁰ Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.

The Unbelieving People Warned

²¹ Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”

²² The people asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”

²³ Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. ²⁴ That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they demanded.

Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be. ²⁶ I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.” ²⁷ But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.

²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. ²⁹ And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰ Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.

Jesus and Abraham

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. ³⁷ Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. ³⁸ I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”

³⁹ “Our father is Abraham!” they declared.

“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example.^[h] 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. ⁴¹ No, you are imitating your real father.”

They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

⁴² Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! ⁴⁴ For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! ⁴⁶ Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”

⁴⁸ The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”

⁴⁹ “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge. ⁵¹ I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”

⁵² The people said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, ‘Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’^[i] 55 but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?^[j]”

⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.

1. Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)

• “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:3 NIV

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2)

• “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” -Matthew 5:4 NIV

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3)

• “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” -Matthew 5:5 NIV

4. Openly examine and confess my hurts, hang-ups and habits to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5)

• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” -Matthew 5:8 NIV

5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7)

• “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” -Matthew 5:6 NIV

6. Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)

• “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” -Matthew 5:7 NIV
• “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -Matthew 5:9 NIV

7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)

8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)

• “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:10 NIV

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

• “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:18 NIV

2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

• “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 NIV

3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

• “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV

4. We made a searching and fearless honest inventory of ourselves.

• “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40 NIV

5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our hurts, hang-ups and habits.

• “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16 NIV

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

• “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 NIV

7. We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

• “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 NIV

8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

• “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 NIV

9. We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

• “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

• “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” 1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV

11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.

• “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” Colossians 3:16 NIV

12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.

• “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1 NIV

God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

1. Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings, using “I” and “Me” statements. Limit your sharing to three to five minutes.

Using “I” and “Me” statements keeps us focused on our own thoughts, feelings, and actions, allowing us to take responsibility for our own recovery. Please adhere to the three-to-five-minute rule, so that everyone has an opportunity to share; and to ensure that one person does not dominate the group sharing time.

2. There is NO cross talk. Cross talk is when two individuals engage in conversation excluding all others. Each person is free to express his or her feelings without interruptions.

Cross talk is also making comments or asking questions while someone is sharing, speaking to another member of the group while someone is sharing or responding to what someone has shared during his or her time of sharing. This guideline is about respect. When other participants are sharing, we don't want to interrupt their thoughts and feelings, which may be very deep, painful, scary, sad, etc. It’s their time about them, not us. Basically, anything that would give the speaker the impression that we don’t care about what they have to share, could be considered cross talk.

3. We are here to support one another, not “fix” another.

We do not give unsolicited advice or attempt to solve someone else’s problems. This includes sharing scriptures for the purpose of preaching or teaching during our time of sharing. We also do not offer book

recommendations or counselor referrals. This helps us stay focused on our own issues.

4. Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared in the group stays in the group. The only exception is when people threaten to injure themselves or others.

It can be very hurtful to discover that someone’s sharing is being discussed outside of the group time. Most of the people in recovery have never been able to “tell the secret.” They need to be assured that this is a safe place to share. When communicating with group members, be careful to protect anonymity and confidentiality. Please be advised, if anyone threatens to hurt themselves or others, the group Leader has the responsibility to report it to the Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader.

5. Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.

The main issue here is that the Lord’s name is not used inappropriately. We also avoid graphic descriptions. If anyone feels uncomfortable with how explicitly a speaker is sharing regarding his/her behaviors, then you may indicate so by simply raising your hand. The speaker will then respect your boundaries by being less specific in his/her descriptions.

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