Who Is Really On Trial?

Who Is Really On Trial?

Who is really on trial? I want you to picture a courtroom. There’s a judge, jury, bailiff, prosecutor, defendant and the gallery. Everyone is in their spot, except for the defendant. Instead of sitting at the defense table with his attorney, the defendant is sitting where the judge should be! Don’t you imagine that it wouldn’t take very long for the bailiff to snatch that defendant out there and slap handcuffs on him? Can you see how absurd this would be? 

Maybe many of you tonight will say that you understand this, yet you are doing the exact same thing. You are the defendant. You are the guilty party, yet you have set yourself up as the judge. How can I say that? Because many of you will say tonight that you don’t believe in God. Not only do you not believe in God, but you demand proof that God exists.

God’s Rightful Place

When you do this, you foolishly place yourself in God’s rightful place. God is sovereign. God is the great Creator. God is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. He is the Creator, yet many creatures – the things that were made, demand proof that the Creator exists. We created beings are in no position to demand anything from the one True God. We have no right to demand that He do anything. Yet, that’s what people foolishly do all the time.

So what does the Bible say? I’m glad you asked. Romans 1:18-25 says: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

God Is Not On Trial

Who is really on trial? It’s not God! You are on trial. Why? Because you demand proof that God exists and all you have to do is look around at creation and know that God is real. And God says that your foolish heart is darkened. You do not glorify God. You do not thank Him for giving you every breath that you have taken. Unbelievers change the truth of God into a lie. You foolishly believe that we came from apes. You foolishly believe in evolution. If you take it all the way back to the beginning, then you foolishly believe that nothing created everything. It’s utter nonsense.

You have traded God’s truth – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1) for the lie of evolution. You have traded God’s truth for Darwin’s theory which is nothing but a lie. But you foolishly claim that it has been proven. Darwin’s theory of evolution has not been proven true and it never will because God made each animal after their own kind. Many kinds of animals, but God made them. None evolved into another animal and us humans sure didn’t evolve from any animals.

Many of you run around putting the Creator God on trial and He’s not on trial. In addition to this, instead of worshipping the great God of Heaven and earth, you worship the earth. You foolishly worship the created rather than the Creator. You worship this globe we live on that hangs on nothing.

Earth Worship

You are more concerned about the earth – think global warming than you care about unborn babies being murdered in the womb. Babies are made in the very image of God and you don’t care about them. They are expendable to you. They are merely a choice. But at the same time, you go absolutely berserk over fossil fuels or air quality. You worship the earth instead of the one true God who created the earth.

Many of you foolishly put God on trial demanding that He reveal Himself to you, even though He says that He has already revealed Himself to you. So God calls you a fool. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 53:1-3).

God calls you a fool if you say there is no God. Why do you deny God even though you know He exists? Because you love your sins. It always come down to a sin problem. God says you don’t believe in Him because you are corrupt. Because you have done abominable things. You have sinned against Almighty God. You deny Him because you don’t want to give up your sins. What sin is dragging you to Hell tonight?

You Are The Guilty Party

If you are out here tonight and you say there is no God, then you don’t understand who is really on trial. It’s not God, it’s you! You are the guilty party. You are the condemned criminal. You are not the judge and you are not the jury. You are the guilty criminal who has crept up and slipped onto the judge’s bench. But the great Judge will not put up with your nonsense. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap. God will not allow you to continue making a mockery of His courtroom. You are guilty and you will be condemned to everlasting torments; if you die in your sins. If you continue speeding down the broad road to destruction.

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Psalm 53:3 says that none of us are righteous. We are all guilty. Not a single one of us are innocent. The wages for our rebellion against God is death. Not just physical death, but the second death; which is eternal punishment. Don’t continue mocking God. Don’t continue lying to yourself that God is not real. You know He’s real! You can look around at creation and know it. God has written His law on your heart, so you know He’s real. You know right from wrong because of your God-given conscience.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). Oh, stop playing games with God. Admit that you are a sinner. Plead for mercy from the Judge of the universe. Flee from the judge’s bench where you are foolishly sitting and fall down before the bench crying out for mercy. Beg God to save your soul. Cry out for God to grant you repentance and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.

The Great Exchange

This is the amazing thing about salvation. Even though you have foolishly put yourself on the judge’s bench claiming that you are judge and you demand proof; God will still show you mercy if you humble yourself and cry out for Jesus to save you. Even though you have wrongly placed yourself as judge, Jesus the rightful Judge, out of His mercy, places Himself in your place as the guilty defendant. If you repent and put your trust in Him.

How does this work? It’s the great exchange. Jesus, the sinless One, took the punishment that you and I deserve as He was beaten unmercifully, nailed to the cruel cross, endured God’s wrath over our sins, died, was buried and rose from the grave the third day. Jesus suffered as though He were the guilty party, even though He never sinned one time.

He took the punishment that you and I deserve. He endured God’s anger over your sins and over my sins. When you repent and put your trust in Him, then He gives you His righteousness. The court now sees you as not guilty, not for any good that you have done, no, purely through the goodness of Jesus.

For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God [Gen. 3:1-7], while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man [2 Cor. 5:21]. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. This quote from John Stott perfectly describes the court example I’ve given you tonight. Sinful man – you and me – put ourselves in God’s place as the judge. God puts Himself in our place – as the guilty defendant – when we receive the free gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ alone.

You Are Not God’s Judge

Don’t continue fooling yourself into thinking that you are God’s judge. You are the creature rather than the Creator. You have no right to judge God. Even with all the horrible thing’s that Job went through: losing his kids, his animals, his wealth and health, he questioned the Lord. God asked Job where were you when I set the earth upon nothing. Where were you when I created the stars? Where were you Job when I created everything?

When Job realized his foolishness, that he was not the judge of the great Creator God, what did he say? Job stated: I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). Before he repented, Job said I can’t wait to ask God why He is treating me so unfairly. I’ve done nothing wrong. How can God bring me this low?

But after God questioned Job, he said I abhor myself. I repent in dust and ashes. You see, Job quickly jumped out of the judges seat and he bowed before the bench pleading for mercy. Job no longer saw himself as a self-righteous judge. He saw himself as the guilty defendant condemned and he did the only thing he could do, plead for mercy on the court.

Will You Admit Who Is Really On Trial?

Are you going to continue pretending that you are the judge? Will you admit who is really on trial? Will you admit that you are the guilty criminal? Will you cry out for mercy from the great Judge? Will you abhor yourself and repent? Will you turn from your sins and turn to Jesus?

Will you repent and surrender your life to Him? Will you receive the costly gift, the most wonderful gift in the world that’s offered freely to you, salvation found in Christ alone? Will you bow before the great Judge – Jesus Christ? Will you submit to His Lordship? Will you call upon the name of the Lord and be saved? Will you do this tonight? Come to Jesus and be saved. Repent and believe the Gospel and receive everlasting life.

(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on November 18, 2016)