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Not Guilty
You stand in the dock
The court of heaven sits
And the verdict is read out…
But wait, you might
be thinking, I’m not a criminal. Why am I on trial?
The Bible tells us
that everyone faces judgement. We are accountable to Someone who stands
over and above us. Our lives are not a meaningless waste of time. Neither
are we self-made masters of our own fate.
Instead, we live in a
world that was made by Jesus (John 1:1-4), that is loved by Jesus (John
3:16) and that will be judged by Jesus (John 5:22-23).
The question is – how
have we lived under the eyes of this loving and just Judge?
If we’re honest we
know that we have not loved and served Jesus our heavenly Master, nor the
Heavenly Father who He reveals. We prefer darkness to His light (John
3:19-21). We prefer sin to His service. We desire to live apart from Him
and to be our own lord, our own saviour and our own judge.
Such things deserve
judgement. The Bible says:
"Whoever
rejects [Jesus] the Son will not see true life, for God’s great anger
remains upon them." (John 3:36)
How then can we receive the ‘Not Guilty’ verdict we so desperately need?
Jesus Himself
provides the answer. When He came to this world 2000 years ago, His
mission was not to condemn us but to save us. (John 3:17)
If you take the time
to read of Jesus' life (click
here) you will be struck that here is the way life is meant to be
lived. The heavenly Judge has lived a heavenly life before us. but it
lead to a hellish death.
The Bible though is
insistent that Jesus' death was no accident. It was His very mission to
die a godforsaken death on that cross. (John 10:17; 12:23-24,27).
But how could this
be?
Well Jesus the Judge
lived before His Father the Good Life that all of us should live. Then,
on the cross, He died before his Father the Terrible Death that all of us
deserve to die.
It is as if the Judge
of the world climbed off His Judge’s bench, put Himself in the dock and
received the full penalty for all our wrongdoing. When Jesus died as the
payment for sin He cried ‘It is finished.’ (John 19:30). Our salvation
was done – paid for in full – on that Friday 2000 years ago.
Jesus received the Guilty verdict, so that we can all receive the Not
Guilty verdict. All we need do is ask Him.
If you are ready to
receive true life from Jesus, you can pray to Him now using words like
these:
Lord Jesus,
You stand over me as Lord, Saviour and Judge. Yet I have lived for myself
and rejected You at every turn. I am sorry and I turn from my old
self-serving ways. Thank You that You died on the cross to pay for all my
wrong-doing. Thank You that with You I will stand forever as Not Guilty.
Please show me the loving heart of Your Father, fill me with Your Holy
Spirit and take complete control of me as Lord, Saviour and Judge. Amen
If you have prayed
this prayer, know that Jesus has heard you.
“Everyone who
calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
As you've begun a new
relationship with Jesus, you'll need to do what any good relationship
requires. Spend time with Him listening (reading the Bible) and talking
(praying). You will also need the support of other Christians.
I’d love to help you
take your first steps with Jesus as your Lord. Please contact me and I'll help
you find a church and give you some resources to keep going with Jesus.
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