The Story Chapter 8 - When Your Mistakes Land You Before A Judge

I will never forget my first time in a courtroom.  It was early on in my pastoral ministry and a member in my church had crossed a legal line.  He found himself in a jail cell, awaiting trial.  He had certainly committed the crime and he was about to face the consequences of his actions.  No matter his guilt or innocence, I wanted to be there to support him.  After all, we have all made mistakes.  Maybe we have even broken a few laws that we didn't get caught breaking.  He, however, did get caught.

As I sat in that courtroom, I hear those words... "All rise!"  Keep in mind, I wasn't the one on trial.  I wasn't guilty of any offense.  I was there to be supportive of a member of our church who was broken.  Even though I was not on trial, I still felt that sense of uneasiness and fear when the black clad judge emerged from her chambers.

Judges elicit a sense of fear, don’t they?  They never call you in for something you have done right.  We think of them as someone who harshly tells us what we did wrong.  And they seem to be everywhere these days on television.  There’s Judge Judy and Hatchett.  Mathis and Christina.  And my favorite—Judge Brown.  

Then there are some judges you may not know.  They even have a book in the Bible with their name on it.  Judges.  These judges appeared on the scene to help sort out right and wrong.  They also helped people get out of trouble.

God’s people kept putting themselves into a never ending cycle of disobedience, discipline, declaration of wrong, and deliverance.  Judges like Deborah and Gideon and Samson helped them find their way back to God.  

What did the people do that was so bad they needed judges?  Two things.  First, they failed to put God first in their lives (Judges 1:28).  And secondly, they did not teach their children to know God (Judges 2:10).  These two “sins” led to their downfall and ruin.

Are you making the same mistakes they made?  If so, you have a judge that can help you––Jesus.

The good news is that when he “calls” you into his office after you’ve messed up, you will look up to see your judge’s face and see your savior there.  His purpose is not to incarcerate you, but to free you and redeem you.