Holding Court

Without representation

Recently, someone very close to me was required to appear in court.  She knew it was coming; in fact, she had petitioned for the hearing herself.  She spent many hours preparing her statements, compiling her documents, ensuring that she had everything in order to present her side of the situation.  The goal - to walk out with the judge ruling on her behalf.  And it was clear that he would.  She had all the evidence she needed to support her case.  There was nothing missing, there were no loose ends, no surprises.  The biggest hassle was that she must fly 1300 miles to appear in person.

She arrived to court that morning feeling good.  Confident.  At peace.  She had prayed and was ready to do her part in the task at hand.

And then the judge walked in and everything changed.

He said she'd filed the wrong paperwork.  He said she couldn't argue particular points.  He didn't want to look at her evidence or documents.  He believed the other side when they said they had no idea why the hearing had been called.  He spent time telling her that due to her "innocent" mistakes and her actions that took her outside the law, she could be facing contempt charges and possible jail time.  He berated her for not coming into his court with an attorney.  In an act of mercy, he ordered a continuance for two weeks later.

She left - an emotional wreck, just thankful to have finally been allowed to leave his presence.

Fast forward.  It's three weeks later.  She has hired an attorney who was able to push the hearing back an extra week.  She has provided all of her previous statements and documentation to this attorney and he agrees with her that she has a sold case.  He assures her that this hearing will go smoothly and will end favorably for her.  She is nervous, but she trusts him.  In an unexpected turn of events, the judge granted her the ability to appear by telephone instead of flying to town again.  With caution, she was feeling optimistic again.

She sat on hold waiting for the hearing to begin for 40 minutes.  The hearing itself was over in five.  Her attorney presented everything she'd provided - everything the judge hadn't wanted to hear the last time - and the judge agreed with her side of things.  He agreed that she was, in fact, within the law.  There was no mention of contempt or jail.  An agreement was reached, a verdict rendered, the case closed.  Having representation changed everything.

It was finished.

Throughout this entire episode (weeks of preparation, weeks of praying, days of analyzing after the first hearing, tears and frustrations, more prayers, more planning, and the end results), I couldn't help but find the fascinating parallels my loved one went through compared to another day before a Judge that each of us will face.

One day in the near future, we will be required to take our turn and stand before God, the ultimate Authority over each of us.  Some of us will be surprised to be there, not having believed in Him.  Others will think they are ready, having prepared their statements and evidence.  They will feel confident and justified, not realizing their inadequacy and true lack of preparation.  Instead, they will not be able to stand before a Holy God and every attempt they make to defend themselves will fail. For these cases, The judge will not want to hear arguments or see evidence.  He will listen to the other side present their case of everything they have against the person - and He will believe them.  He will tell them how they have acted outside the law and are guilty.  He will tell them they should have come before Him with a Mediator who could speak on their behalf.  But there will be no continuance.  There will only be a final judgment.  Those found without representation will be eternally separated from God and His kingdom.

Then there will be those who will be able to stand before God, truly prepared because they take with them the only Mediator who can defend them against their guilt.  Because, the truth is, we are all guilty before this Holy God.  The Mediator will speak for that person and defend him or her against all the evidence the other side has.  He will explain how all the evidence is true and ugly and against the law of God.  And then He will explain how none of that matters because that person asked Him to be more than their Mediator - they asked Him to be their Savior.  Jesus will show God the Father the scars in His hands and feet, and God the Judge will see that the penalty for that person's guilt has already been paid.  The hearing will be ended.  For it is finished.

I have also found myself before a judge many times before.  There is a trepidation that comes with appearing before someone with such authority.  Despite having a good outcome each time, the nervousness and desire to be heard never changes.  Now apply this to the moment you will stand before a Holy God.  There are only two choices:  anxiety or peace.  There is no answer for those who go before His throne without the Mediator.  There is nothing they can say or do to save themselves, although they all will try.  The only peace that will come in that moment is having the Prince of Peace Himself serve as your voice and your Defender.  Taking Him as your Representation changes everything.

If you are in Christ, your judgement day will be a day of peace.  Although you cannot defend yourself against your sin, Christ has paid your penalty.  You sealed your day of judgment when you made Jesus Lord of your life.

If you are without Christ, or are unsure of the outcome of your judgment day, I implore you to accept Him.  There is no exchange of money or any bartering you can do to hire Him.  You can only accept Him through His free gift of His sacrifice on the cross.  The Bible says, "The wages (what one earns) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 6:23. That means that every time we choose to go against God's Word, we are earning our death, we are earning our punishment.  But "God made this sinless man [Jesus] be a sin offering on our behalf" so that we would have an opportunity to avoid paying the price of our sins ourselves. Remember that we earn death through our sins; but because Jesus became sin in our place, His death pays the penalty for our sins.

That's it, two choices:  1. guilty in your sins before God because you are without Jesus
                                    2. found not guilty by God because Jesus already paid for your 
                                        sins with His death

If you would like more information on how you can know that Jesus will not only be your Mediator before a Holy God, but also walk with you each day between now and then, here is one place to start:

*I acknowledge I am a sinner in need of a Savior - this is to repent or turn away from sin
*I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead - this is to trust that Jesus paid the full penalty for my sins
*I confess Jesus as my Lord and my God - this is to surrender control of my life to Jesus
*I receive Jesus as my Savior forever - this is to accept that God has done for me and in me what He promised                    Article found here.

Preparation...

...Or just enough?

There is a little known story in the Bible about a young son who tended his father's sheep.  He was the youngest of eight boys.  Although he had been anointed as the future king of Israel, he often found himself playing the harp for the current king.  In one notable moment, however, he found himself in the midst of a fight with some terrible men who wanted to destroy Israel and make her a slave to their nation.  I'm sure none of this is sounding familiar so I'll go ahead and tell you the child's name was David.  The enemy was Goliath of the Philistines.

Oh, you've heard this story?  You recognize the plot and can fill in the details I've left out?  Wonderful!

But did you know that Goliath had four brothers?  After David killed Goliath, 1 Samuel 17:51b says, "And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled."  Years later, there was more war between David and the Philistines - including these four brothers.  There are two accounts of these battles in which David's soldiers killed Goliath's brothers:  2 Samuel 21:18-22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4-8.

Oh, you knew Goliath had four brothers?  Hmmm.  Okay.

But did you know that David was prepared to kill all five of them that first day?

The account of David's confrontation begins in chapter 17 of 1 Samuel.  David, who at this time was probably a teenager, is frustrated at the Israeli army response to the Philistines' taunting of them.  He goes to the king and tells how he has saved his father's sheep from both a lion and a bear, killing them.  He says that the same God who protected him against wild beasts will protect him against the giant.  So David is given permission to take his chances with Goliath.  I know, I know, you've heard all this before.

David prepares himself to confront this behemoth of a man by doing what?  He gets a stone for his slingshot, right?

WRONG!

He gets five stones.

"Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine."

Now I used to read this and think, 'I guess he wanted to make sure he had extras in case he missed.'  I admit, that was in my early years.  That kind of thought process implies that, although David said The Lord would grant him a victory, by getting extra stones, he wasn't showing any faith that he actually believed The Lord would come through for him.

What David was actually doing was gathering enough stones for each brother!  He fully expected that when they saw that their brother had been killed, they would then step up to challenge David as well.  So David prepared for that outcome.  It was an outcome that never occurred because, as I pointed out earlier, they all fled the scene rather than avenger Goliath's death.

But what if they had challenged David?  And what if David had only prepared to kill Goliath?  What if he'd only gathered the one stone?  How unprepared would he have been?  Do you think the Philistines would have accepted a time out while David ran back to the riverbed to gather more stones?  Probably not.

I think there are times in our lives when we gather "just enough" of what we need.  Sometimes it's just enough of those few staples we need from the grocery store.  Sometimes it's just enough sleep before a workday.  Sometimes it's just enough time with the kids to pacify their needs.  But sometimes we need the preparations in case the storm that's forecasted actually hits our area.  Sometimes we need the preparations of enough rest in order to be refreshed and functional during a presentation.  Sometimes we need to spend those quality moments with our kids so they feel how special they are.

We have too many "just enoughs" in our lives.  Just enough excuses, just enough relationship, just enough Jesus.

Where is our preparation?  Where is our desire for more?  For completeness?  For the entire promise of The Lord instead of settling for the first step of the promise?

Stones were an important part of the Israelites in remembering the awesome works of God.  There are numerous passages of stone markers being laid, annointed, and named in honor of Him.

"And he was afraid, and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.' So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.  He called the name of that place Bethel [house of God]." Genesis 28:17-19

"And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.'” Joshua 24:26-27

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he  said, 'Till now the Lord has helped us.'” 1 Samuel 7:12

Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and Gideon are just a few others who also placed physical stone markers to commemorate the works of God as He delivered them from one circumstance or another.

I think we need to lay up some stones in our own lives.  Stones of remembrance.  Stones of grace.  Stones of deliverance.  Stones of reconciliation.  Stones of preparation. 

It's not enough to have "just enough."  God is not a God of "just enough."  He is a God of abundance!  (John 10:10)  If He is calling you to a purpose, go forward with full preparation, knowing that if more is required of you, you will be equipped.  If He is laying on your heart to step out in faith, step out in preparation, knowing that if He has paved the way, your journey will be successful.  If He is giving you the victory, take it with every preparation made, knowing that He never does anything half way.  Just because your preparations aren't put to use immediately doesn't mean they won't be needed later.

Stop being satisfied with "just enough" to get the job done today.  Your Father in heaven is wanting to prepare you for tomorrow and the future.  What you prepare for - or fail to prepare for - will have an affect on those who come after you.  What is "just enough" for you today may be "not nearly enough" later on.