After I lived a “decent” life, my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what seemed to be a courthouse. The doors opened, and I was instructed to come in and have a seat at the defense table. As I looked around, I saw the prosecutor. He was a villainous-looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle-looking man whose appearance seemed strangely familiar to me. The corner door flew open, and the Judge appeared. He was an awesome figure, in full, flowing robes, as He moved across the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, “Let us begin.” The prosecutor rose and said, “My name is Satan and I am here to show You why this man belongs in hell.” He proceeded to tell of lies I had told, things I had stolen, and times I had cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life. The more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at anyone, even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my representative, who sat there silently, not offering any form of defense at all. I knew I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life. Couldn’t that at least compensate for part of the harm I’d done? Satan finished with a fury and said, “This man belongs in hell. He is guilty of all that I have charged, and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.” When it was His turn, my lawyer first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this, over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As my lawyer got up and started walking, I was able for the first time to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar. This was Jesus representing me—my Lord and Savior! He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, “Hi, Father.” Then He turned to address the court: “Satan was correct in saying that this man has sinned. I won’t deny any of these allegations. And yes, the payment for sin is hell, and this man deserves to be punished.” Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, “However, I died on the cross as payment for this man’s sins, and so that this person might have eternal life. He has accepted Me as his Savior. He is Mine.” My Lord continued by saying, “His name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me. Satan still does not understand. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.” As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, “There is nothing else that needs to be done. I’ve done it all.” The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words echoed in the chamber: “This man is free. The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed.” As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, “I won’t give up, I’ll win the next one.” As Jesus gave me my instructions about where to go next, I asked, “Have You ever lost a case?” Christ lovingly smiled and said, “Everyone who has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you—‘Punishment paid in full.’” Imagine for a moment that this guy who is being taken before the Judge is you. The Devil takes out a long list of all of your faults and sins. It’s easy sometimes to forget just how many faults and sins we have, isn’t it? In reality the CCTV is running all the time, 24/7. You’re in the defense stand and everyone is watching that footage. You—stealing that chewing gum. You—saying that thing behind your friend’s back. You—hiding that thing from your parents. You—going to that very iffy website. You—thinking that awfully mean thought. Nothing is hidden! Even those secret sins that nobody else knows about are out in the open and are being told in detail before the Judge. It’s obvious to everyone: You are guilty as charged—there’s no covering that up. Now some people think, “Well, yes, Jesus forgave me for all my sins when I accepted Him into my heart, but what about the sins that I commit after that? Am I not guilty for those?” Well, think about it. If that were the case, you would be saved when you received the Lord, unsaved when you got mad at that guy who tripped you accidentally, then saved again when you told the Lord you were sorry and repented, then unsaved again next time you told a lie—in and out of possibly going to hell when you die—like a yo-yo. But Jesus said in John 6:37, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” That’s it. Once we come to Jesus, He will never cast us out, even if we do still make mistakes and sin. He also said in John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.” He didn’t say, “He will have everlasting life as long as he never sins again.” Jesus knew we were sinners, and when He died 2,000 years ago, He knew about all the sins we would commit in our entire lives. And He forgave them all. Every. Single. One. Remember, “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7), past, present, and future. So how do you avoid having to “pay for your sins?” Your only hope is the fact that your punishment has already been paid in full and that you will be receiving mercy and not justice. This should make you think, “Sure makes me glad I’m not getting what I deserve!”
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 14:18:51 +0000
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