Appearing Before the Great Judge

Introduction

Imagine coming before a judge that hands out the most harsh sentences against those that are found guilty of committing a crime.

Everyone knows that you did it.

There are many witnesses that have testified and know that you are guilty.

…and guess what? You know that you are guilty.

You do not try defend yourself.

You did it…there is no way to deny it.

You know that are deserve a harsh sentence…the trial is over…and now you come before the great judge to be sentenced to prision or maybe even to death.

What hope could there be for someone in this situation who is 100% guilty and now comes before a perfectly righteous judge who will sentence them to a punishment according to their crime?

The image that we have playing in our head regarding the accused and the great judge is a good picture of the human experience.

We are the accused, accused of having broken God’s law in more than one way.

We have lied, cheated, hated, stolen, taken advantage of people, not been faithful to our spouse, disrespected our parents, we’ve had a short temper against our sibling; we’ve acted like no one else matters, their time does not matter, their desires, what they want to do, all that matters is me. We’ve worshipped that which is not God. We’ve squandered our time, our money, our health.

We are clearly guilty before God for we have sinned against the Great Judge.

What excuse could we possibly have before the presence of him who sees everything, knows everything, and even knows our innermost thoughts and feelings?

There is nothing that we can do or say at our sentencing.

We will be judged accordingly and be cast away from his presence for all eternity into a place of eternal punishment.

…and yet, in this dreadful picture of the coming judgement we find hope through David’s confession in Psalm 51.

David has sinned in such an awful way against his wife, against one of his faithful soldiers, and even against his own nation - David has become an adulterer, an murderer, and a liar.

David deserves death, he deserves to be punished.

…but then again, I should not be so harsh with David because although I am not an adulterer or a murderer, I also deserve God’s just punishment.

I deserve to be cast away from his presence.

But notice David’s confession in which he expresses his only hope as he comes before the Great Judge:

Salmo 51:1 NIV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

David trusts in two things:

God’s unfailing love.

God’s compassion.

David knows that God is holy, his law if perfect, God is absolutely just, but David also knows that God is a loving God who has compassion upon those that put their trust in him.

David looks at the Great Judge who is also a loving father and knows that if he confesses his many sins before God, God will surely grant him forgiveness, cleanse him from his son, and grant him eternal life.

David knows that if he only looks to God and trusts in his compassion - he knows that he will find forgiveness…for:

Juan 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.