Guilt Or Not Guilty?

The jury is selected. The witnesses have been called. The Prosecution and the Defense pose compelling arguments to prove their points. Justice must be served. The deliberation is over. The Jury is called. The verdict is given. A cry of both joy and frustration comes from the crowd. Everyone who has seen the evidence gives their own verdict... GUILTY or NOT GUILTY. Another courtroom scene will be set. But there will be ONE, who is both Judge and Jury. You look carefully to see who is being defended and YOUR name is called. You have no lawyer. You have no time to gather evidence.

Once your name is called you stand before the Judge of all the earth, Almighty God, to present your case. GUILTY or NOT GUILTY. The Judge pulls out His LAW to see if you have broken it. You cover your face with shame because you know in your heart that you are guilty. There is no outcry from the crowd, "INJUSTICE." The evidence is clear and everyone who has seen it says with one accord, GUILTY! He goes on to ask you about your life and why the breaking of His law was not made right. You tell about your good works but He reminds you of a Scripture passage that says, "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" [Isaiah 64:6]. For He saw the pride behind the good deed. He saw the praise of men that you wanted. He saw the false humility that was displayed before others. He explains to you that the remedy for the breaking of His law is in a Person. It is Jesus Christ His Son, whom you rejected.

You have heard about Jesus coming into the world to save sinners. And you have heard that if sinners repent of their sins and plead to God for mercy, trusting in Christ alone to save them from God's eternal wrath, they would be saved, rescued, delivered. For Christ alone kept the law perfectly and His perfect righteousness would have been put to your account and then you would have stood NOT GUILTY! But before the Judge you are guilty and your sentence is death, more than death - eternal death.

When you think it's almost over... it has only just begun. Eternal death, where there is weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, with no rest... ever. Justice is served. But that day has not come for you yet - BUT IT WILL! You will die and you will stand before the judgment bar of God. It is just a matter of time. The Bible says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" But there is good news, my friend. The door of mercy is still open. "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Turn to Christ and live. Trust in Him to take away your bad record and give you a clean record in heaven. For He died for sinners. He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The answer is, God forsook Him, so that sinners like you and I could be brought to Him in peace. Read the obituary section of the paper. There you will see many names of people who will be standing before God on Judgment Day. Those who have trusted in Christ have a record that is clean and they are ushered into heaven at death. But those who did not trust in Christ, will have to stand on their own, without a plea and will be cast into the lake of fire - hell.

One day, my friend, you will stand before the Judge of all the earth. What will the verdict be...

GUILTY or NOT GUILTY?