Here's how I picture it in Heaven. God, the Judge, is sitting at His bench. You know the one, the big chair, the big desk and the big hammer....yeah, that's the one. Jesus is at the defense table, ready to go and the Holy Spirit is co-counsel. And there you sit, at the defense table. You look over at the prosecution and who do you see??? Yes, it's him, you know the one, the Liar, the Thief, the Accuser, the Prosecuter, the one and only....Satan himself. He is sitting so smug, just ready to pounce. He can't wait to make his opening statement. Can't wait to tell the court all the dirty little things you have done, thought, contemplated doing, said, looked at, lusted for, coveted....and so on. He is chomping at the bit.
Finally, he speaks...."If it please the court...(which, of course, is God's court and no, it does not please Him)...I am here today to prove the guilt of one said defendent. I will present evidence to prove their guilt. You will know beyond a shadow of a doubt."
And there you sit, cringing in your seat because YOU KNOW, yes, you know he is speaking truth about you. You know all the things you have hidden in your heart and those things that you have not.....you have just outright done. You begin to sink into your chair. What can you possibly do to defend yourself.....And then you realize....NOTHING. You've done it, you're guilty as charged and you should never go free. Prison for life. Perhaps even death. That's what you deserve. That's the only RIGHT thing.
But you glance over at your Lawyer. He is slowly rising to His feet. It's His turn to speak. You almost want to grab Him and make Him sit down because there is nothing to be done. Nothing to be said.
Do a plea bargain! Yeah, that would work. Maybe you wouldn't get the death penalty.
But you can't stop Him. He's too quick and already talking. You hear compassion in His voice. You hear anger in His voice against the accuser. You hear His Authority. You so want to ask WHY? Why has He taken my case? What is so special about me?
And then He turns to the Judge. He reminds Him that your debt, your crime, your sin, your nature was already paid for by someone else. He reminds Him that you are not perfect...that you were not made to be perfect. You were only made to love and praise and worship and obey God. And that with the help of the Holy Spirit..that's what you did. Oh you failed, just as Satan has accused, but your Lawyer saw more than failure...He saw a willing heart that was made of clay, ready to be shaped and formed into the likeness of your Son, Judge. You begin to understand. That's why He took the case. Because He saw. He knew. He always did.....and there was not ONE THING you could do about it. Your guilt became His guilt so you could go free....
