Sermon
John 8:1-12: Who's in Charge of this Church?
The Commons Church
Speaker: Austin Wadlow
February 8, 2026 · 39 min
Summary
Jesus claims ultimate authority in the church, demonstrated through His handling of the adulteress in John 8. The sermon teaches that Jesus—not institutional leaders—sets the pace, has the floor, sets the tone, gets the last word, and deserves all praise in believers' lives.
Highlights
Don't confuse urgency with hurriedness. Jesus was never in a hurry. He mastered the discipline of withdrawal—pulling away from the noise and distraction to slow down and sit quietly with the Father.
Your sin never surprises Jesus. This should not be a place that people run away from with their sin; this should be a place that people run to with their sin.
Grace absent of truth isn't grace. There is no gospel if there is no sin. You can't know why the gospel is good news if you don't know that the bad news exists.