Most all of us have heard a few stories down through the years that have stuck with us. Billy Graham once shared just such a story that has managed to stay with me for quite some time now. He writes…
When Warren Candler was a young man practicing law, he defended a man accused of murder. The young lawyer went all out in his effort to clear his client of the charge. There were some extenuating circumstances, and Candler made the most of them in his plea before the jury.
Also, the aged father and mother of the defendant were in the court, and the young lawyer moved on the sympathies and emotions of the jury by frequent references to the God-fearing parents.
In due course, the jury reached a verdict: not guilty. The young lawyer, himself a Christian, had a serious talk with his cleared client. He warned him to steer clear of evil ways and to trust God’s power to keep him straight.
Years passed. Again the man was brought into court. Again the charge was murder. Candler, the lawyer who had defended him at his first trial, was now the judge on the bench. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury rendered its verdict: guilty.
Ordering the condemned man to stand for sentencing, Judge Candler said, “At your first trial I was your lawyer. Today I am your judge. The verdict of the jury makes it mandatory for me to sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
Today Christ is our lawyer, pleading on our behalf. He is our Savior, willing to forgive and cleanse and forget. However, there is coming a fearful day when He will be the Judge.
Are you prepared to meet God?
In our worship at church, we regularly sing a praise chorus titled “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” made popular by the group, “Phillips, Craig and Dean”. It contains these lyrics:
One day every tongue will confess you are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those…
Who gladly choose you now!
I concur with these words. I hope you do as well. And I hope that everyone chooses to embrace Jesus Christ now. I say this because of what the Bible tells us (in the New Testament Book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 9-11)…
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Thus, we each have a very clear choice. We can embrace Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior now by choice, and be blessed forever as a result; or we can acknowledge His Lordship later when we are forced to. Sadly, if we wait to do so then, rather than now, we will forgo any such blessing and suffer eternal consequences.
As Jesus Himself told Nicodemus the Pharisee (in the New Testament Gospel of john, chapter 3, verses 16-18):
16For 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
I leave you with the same simple, yet profound question that Billy Graham concluded the story above with: “Are you prepared to meet God?”
STORY SOURCE: https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2010/the-justice-of-god/.
LYRICS SOURCE: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/phillipscraigdean/comenow
isthetimetoworship.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/.
When Warren Candler was a young man practicing law, he defended a man accused of murder. The young lawyer went all out in his effort to clear his client of the charge. There were some extenuating circumstances, and Candler made the most of them in his plea before the jury.
Also, the aged father and mother of the defendant were in the court, and the young lawyer moved on the sympathies and emotions of the jury by frequent references to the God-fearing parents.
In due course, the jury reached a verdict: not guilty. The young lawyer, himself a Christian, had a serious talk with his cleared client. He warned him to steer clear of evil ways and to trust God’s power to keep him straight.
Years passed. Again the man was brought into court. Again the charge was murder. Candler, the lawyer who had defended him at his first trial, was now the judge on the bench. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury rendered its verdict: guilty.
Ordering the condemned man to stand for sentencing, Judge Candler said, “At your first trial I was your lawyer. Today I am your judge. The verdict of the jury makes it mandatory for me to sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
Today Christ is our lawyer, pleading on our behalf. He is our Savior, willing to forgive and cleanse and forget. However, there is coming a fearful day when He will be the Judge.
Are you prepared to meet God?
In our worship at church, we regularly sing a praise chorus titled “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” made popular by the group, “Phillips, Craig and Dean”. It contains these lyrics:
One day every tongue will confess you are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those…
Who gladly choose you now!
I concur with these words. I hope you do as well. And I hope that everyone chooses to embrace Jesus Christ now. I say this because of what the Bible tells us (in the New Testament Book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 9-11)…
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Thus, we each have a very clear choice. We can embrace Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior now by choice, and be blessed forever as a result; or we can acknowledge His Lordship later when we are forced to. Sadly, if we wait to do so then, rather than now, we will forgo any such blessing and suffer eternal consequences.
As Jesus Himself told Nicodemus the Pharisee (in the New Testament Gospel of john, chapter 3, verses 16-18):
16For 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
I leave you with the same simple, yet profound question that Billy Graham concluded the story above with: “Are you prepared to meet God?”
STORY SOURCE: https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2010/the-justice-of-god/.
LYRICS SOURCE: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/phillipscraigdean/comenow
isthetimetoworship.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/.