" A man by the name of 'Frank' was driving home one Friday after work when he noticed a blue light flashing behind him. He quickly did a mental check: “My seat belt is on, I'm not driving too fast, my tag has not expired, why would a cop be stopping me?”
He pulled over to the side of the road and fumbled for his drivers license, registration, and proof of insurance that he knew the officer was going to ask for.
"Are you Frank Logan?", the police officer asked when he walked up to the side of the car. "Yes, sir, that's me. What's wrong officer? I wasn't speeding! How do you know my name?" "No, you were not speeding. I stopped you to deliver this summons appear in court Monday morning at 8:00 A.M."
As the officer walked away, Frank's mind began to race back to try and remember why he would be getting a summons to appear in court. All the way home he tried to come up with a reason as to "why" he was in trouble, but could think of no reason.
When he got home, he confided in his wife, but neither of them had a clue about the summons. Frank began to worry, and continued to do so all weekend long.
After a sleepless night Sunday, Frank got up, got dressed and headed down town to the courthouse. He didn't want to be late. He glanced at the summons, to verify what floor the courtroom was on and stepped on the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor. His stomach was beginning to feel a little queasy, but he guessed a sleepless night and no breakfast was to blame.
He found the huge doors to the courtroom, pushed them open and walked inside. The bailiff grabbed him by the arm as the huge doors slammed shut behind him, and he was escorted to a long table down front with nothing on it but a yellow legal pad. He wondered why the courtroom was so full at 8:00 in the morning, and why they were all looking at him.
A serious looking man, sitting at the other table, was flipping through a large book and jotting down notes. Every once in a while, he would look at Frank, shake his head, and write some more information down.
>From a side door, ten men walked in and filed into the jury box. Each had the look of death on their faces. Frank was beginning to get a little worried that maybe they had summoned him by mistake. Maybe someone else was supposed to be sitting at this table with nothing on it but a yellow legal pad. Someone, maybe, that had done something terribly wrong. How could he convince them it wasn't him?
The noise of whispers and low talking was getting pretty loud when all of a sudden the bailiff cried, "All rise! The Honorable Word of God presiding.”
>From a door behind the large, oak, judge's bench, a man with a long flowing white beard, wearing a long black robe, and carrying what Frank thought was a Bible, entered the courtroom, sat down, slammed his gavel down on the desk and said, "This court will come to order! Let the trial begin!”
Frank began to stand to his feet, "Your Honor, I think there has been some mistake here..." But before he could finish his sentence, the man at the other table, who Frank has concluded was the 'Prosecutor,' jumped to his feet and said, "Your Honor, there has been no mistake. This man, Frank Logan, has been charged with breaking the "Ten Commandments" and we plan to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is guilty and call for the maximum penalty of death and separation for eternity in a burning lake of fire!"
Frank fell back into his chair. He couldn't believe what he had just heard! The blood had drained from his face, his heart was pounding, his mind was racing. "There's got to be some mistake," he kept telling himself. "Surely they will see that I'm not guilty of what they are accusing me of!"
"Your Honor," the prosecuting attorney began, "I have arranged for ten witnesses to testify this morning. I have asked them to sit in the jury box so all can see and hear their testimony concerning Frank Logan."
"With your permission, I'd like to call witness #1 to his feet and ask him to give his name and then tell us what he knows about Frank Logan.
The first witness rises to his feet and says, "Your Honor,
my name is 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' and all
of his life, Frank Logan has put other gods ahead of the
Heavenly Father" Frank jumps up and says, "Wait just a
minute! I can prove I'm not guilty of this! I'm not some
Hindu! I
don't worship cows!" Witness #1, still standing, points his
finger toward Frank and says, "Your Honor, this man's god is
his work. He puts it ahead of his wife, his kids, his church,
and God! All he thinks about is getting higher up on the
corporate ladder, no matter who he has to step on to do it!"
Before Frank could raise his voice in protest, the judge slams
his gavel down and cries, "GUILTY!"
The prosecutor jumps up and calls witness #2. "Your Honor, my
name is 'Thou shalt not make thee any graven images' and Frank
Logan is guilty as charged concerning this offense." Frank begins
to feel a little confident because he knows he has not been into
'idol' worship. He's heard about it, and read about it, but that's as
far as it ever got! "Your Honor," Frank says, trying to sound
legalistic in his terminology, "I object! On what grounds does this
witness base his accusations?" "Your Honor," witness #2 continues,
"when Frank Logan is not working, he is sitting at home in front of
an image" called the TV. It consumes all his time, and fills his mind
with wicked and evil thoughts. Every year, Frank Logan buys a bigger
and better TV so he can spend more and more time bowing down before it!
"It has decayed his family life. His wife sits in front of this 'image'
all day and watches her 'shows', and when his children come home from
school their minds are being trashed by the garbage this "image" puts
out!" Frank tries to come up with an objection but too soon he hears
the judge's gavel fall... "GUILTY!"
Witness #3 stands up and says, “Your Honor, My name is 'Thou shalt not
take the name of the Lord in vain' and Frank Logan is guilty!” A hush
settles over the crowd as all eyes are turned toward Frank to see if
he's
going to deny the accusation. With his head still down on the long table
with nothing on it but a yellow legal pad, Frank makes no move to object
because he suddenly remembers every curse word he had ever uttered in
connection with God's name. He wishes he could take them all back. He
wishes he could wipe the Bible verses, he had been taught in Sunday
school
as a boy, out of his memory but ... try as he may he still could hear:
(Ex. 20: 7) "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain:
for
the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Lev.
19:12)
“And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane
the
name of thy God: I am the Lord.” (Matthew 5: 34) "But I say unto you,
Swear not
at all..." (James 5:12) “But above all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither
by heaven, neither by earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea
be yea;
and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." Once again the
Judge's gavel
falls, and in a thundering voice cries, "GUILTY!" By this time, Frank
begins to
think that maybe it would have been a good idea to bring a lawyer
along.
Witness #4 stands up and says, "Your Honor, my name is 'Remember the
Sabbath
day, to keep it holy,' and to be quite honest, Frank Logan doesn't even
know
the meaning of the word 'Holy,' and the Lord's day to him is just
another day."
Frank sees a possible loop hole and says, "But Your Honor, Sunday is the
only
day I get to spend with my wife and kids!" "What kind of father would I
be if I
didn't spend time with them? That's our 'recreation' day as a family!
You know,
quality time together!” The prosecutor responds, "Let me say right
here, Your
Honor, there are many parents who are using their 'kids', their
'families' as an
excuse not to worship God on the Lord's day. "Somehow, they feel
justified in
missing Sunday school and church as long as they have the excuse of
'family.'
People using this excuse need to be very careful. God may just take
their
'excuse' out of the way so you can no longer use it!" "GUILTY!", the
thundering
voice of the judge is heard throughout the courtroom. Frank's palms are
beginning
to sweat, his mouth is dry and his head begins to throb. "I must be
dreaming," he
tells himself, trying to think clearly.
There seems to be something very familiar about witness #5 as he stands
to his feet.
Something from a long time ago... "Your Honor, my name is 'Honor your
father and mother
and Frank Logan does not!" "Your Honor, I object! What has my father
and mother got
to do with this? And I do so honor them! Why just last year I put out
big bucks to
get them into the most expensive nursing home money could buy!" "They
are well cared
for and I take offense to this ridiculous charge that I don't 'honor'
them!" The
prosecutor slams the big book he has been holding in his hands down on
the table and
says, "Is that right? Well, Mr. Frank Logan, let me ask you, When was
the last time
you laid eyes on your father and mother?" "It was last year when you
shipped them off
to that nursing home to get them out of your way wasn't it Mr. Logan?"
Frank just sat
there, shocked by the fact that it had been a whole year since he had
seen either one
of them. "Your Honor, it seems like it was only yesterday..." He
stopped because he
knew how feeble his excuse must sound. The prosecutor wasn't through
with him concerning
this witness from the past. “Your Honor, I submit to this court that
Frank Logan hates
his parents and wishes they were dead!” Frank jumps to his feet,
“That's a lie! I'm not
that kind of a person! Your Honor, I'm innocent of this charge! I love
my parents, and
nobody can tell me I don't!" The prosecutor opens his big book and
turns the pages to the
year 1965. It was the year the Beatles came from London to America and
Frank so desperately
wanted to go and listen to them in concert. "Your Honor," the
prosecutor says, looking over
his thin wired bifocals at Frank, "On August 14th, 1965, Frank and his
parents got into an
argument. Frank was 17 at the time, and he thought he was old enough to
travel out of state
with some buddies of his to attend a Beatles concert. "Frank's parents,
who were Godly people,
didn't think it was right for Frank to go to this concert, even if it
was right across the
street. "Your Honor, the argument ended when Frank's father said, 'your
not going and that's
that!' "Frank stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him,
and in a voice so low
he thought only he could hear, he said, 'I hate them! I wish they were
dead!'" The prosecutor
slammed his big book shut. Tears were streaming down Frank's face. He
had completely forgotten
that argument with his parents. His mind races back and even though he
doesn't want to admit it,
he remembers all too well, that was exactly how he felt. He sits down
and covers his face with
his hands and begins to weep. The courtroom is silent except for that
thundering voice and loud
gavel... "GUILTY!"
Witness #6 stands to his feet. "Your Honor, my name is 'Thou shalt not
kill' and Frank Logan is
a murderer"! Frank could not believe his ears. He knows he has never
taken the life of anyone!
He wipes the tears away and stands to face his accuser. "Frank Logan,"
the prosecutor begins,
"you had a brother once, and you killed him!" "You murdered him as sure
as your standing here
in this courtroom!" "Your Honor," Frank complains, "I do have a
brother. I haven't seen him for
over 10 years, but I know he's alive because we get Christmas cards from
them every year. I don't
like him, in fact I can't stand him, but your Honor, you've got to
believe me when I say that I
would never "kill" him!"
Witness #6 opens the Word of God, and in a voice that sent chills up Frank's spine he read, "(Matthew 5:21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. "(1 John 3:15) Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Before Frank could even begin to protest the judge cried, "GUILTY!"
Witness #7 stands to his feet and says, "Your Honor, my name is 'Thou
shalt not commit adultery'
and Frank Logan is guilty as charged." Frank thinks of his lovely wife
and their 30 year marriage
and remembers not one time when he ever cheated on her. "Your Honor,
this is completely out of line!
I've never been unfaithful to my wife and this witness knows it! "This
is a set up, and sir, I want
you to know that, sure, I've looked at other women, I've even thought
about other women, I've even
lusted after other women, but your Honor, I've never actually done
anything. "I mean, your Honor,
you know the old saying, 'I might be on a diet, but that doesn't stop me
from looking at the menu,
right?" The prosecutor opens his big book and says, "May I refer the
court back to the book of Matthew
chapter 5, verses 27 and 28? “Ye have heard that it was said by them of
old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart. "Let me say, Your Honor, the mentality
of the world not too long ago was,
'It's O.K. to look as long as you don't touch!' But even that is a
thing of the past! "Today's philosophy,
though, seems to be 'It's O.K. to look--it's O.K. to touch, just as long
as you protect yourself." "Listen,
the Bible says it's not O.K. to look! And you all the men out there
know exactly I'm talking about: Those
sweaters that are just a little bit too tight and those dresses that fit
so tight they leave very little
for the imagination. "It's not O.K. to look! "Now the ladies out there
may be thinking, 'Amen, Brother,
you tell them. Let those sorry perverts have it!' "Look at Matthew 5
verse 28 real closely. Do you see it?
The little word 'with' is talking about you! 'With her!' "Women who
dress in such a way as to attract the
stares, gawks, and lustful looks from men and boys, you are just as
guilty as they are! "Some women have
this idea that no preacher, no Sunday school teacher, or no one else is
going to tell them what they can and
cannot wear! 'This is MY body and if I want to show it off that's my
business!' "Listen, ladies, the Bible
says that if you claim to be a child of God, you are not your own
because you have been bought with a price."
(That price was the precious blood of Jesus!) Frank cannot remember all
the times he has looked and lusted
after other women. He hangs his head in shame as the Judge says,
"GUILTY!" There is something that is
starting to happen to Frank. A since of awareness that he is indeed
guilty. He remembers reading, or hearing
a preacher say something like: "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified in his sight: for
by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
Frank's mind is trying to remember other verses of Scripture when
Witness #8 stands to his feet. "Your Honor,
my name is 'Thou shalt not steal.' Frank doesn't even hear him. He
remembers a verse that said: "For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The
Judge says, "GUILTY!", and Witness #9 takes
the stand.
"Your Honor, my name is 'Thou shalt not bear false witness', and on many
occasions, Frank Logan has lied about
his neighbors." Frank doesn't object. He doesn't jump up and try to
justify himself. He is thinking about
another passage of Scripture; "Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of
the law." (Romans 3:28) Somewhere in the back of his mind he hears the
Judge say, "GUILTY!"
The prosecuting attorney says, "Your Honor, I have one more witness to
testify against Mr. Logan. With the
court's permission I'd like to call Witness #10." As Witness #10 is
standing, Frank is thinking real hard
about the verses of Scripture in (Romans 5:6): "For when we were yet
without strength, in due time Christ died
for the ungodly." "Your Honor, my name is 'Thou shalt not covet,' and
Frank Logan covets what other people
have so bad that he robs God every week in order to buy a Florida
Lottery Ticket! In fact, he has a wallet
full of themright now hoping to win tonight's 50 million dollar
drawing!" Frank knows he's guilty and the
shame is overwhelming. He sees himself as a wretched, lost sinner who
deserves to be given the maximum sentence
allowed by law. The prosecuting attorney jumps to his feet and says,
"Your Honor, I believe we have shown,
beyond a reasonable doubt that Frank Logan is guilty as charged." "It
is our recommendation that he be sentenced
immediately to an eternity of death and separation in the Lake of Fire,
where the 'worm dieth not and the fire is
never quenched!'" The Witnesses, all ten of them were on their feet
crying "GUILTY!"
The people in the courtroom were all standing to their feet crying, "Guilty!" Frank was slumped over in his chair, all life had drained out from him. He was about to give up hope when all of a sudden, he remembered one more Bible Scripture that his Sunday teacher had taught him years ago: (Romans 10:13) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." The Judge asked him if he had anything to say before the sentence was passed down. Frank stood to his feet, and with all the strength he could muster, he cried, "Your Honor, I call on Jesus!" And at the sound of that name, the Judge stood to his feet, the prosecutor stood to his feet, the ten witnesses stood up, everybody in the courtroom that day stood to their feet as from a side door, Jesus, the Son of God walked into the courtroom! A hush fell over the courtroom as the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, walked over to where Frank had slumped on the floor in utter desperation.
Jesus reached down, lovingly picked up Frank Logan and approached the Judge's bench and said, "Father, this is another sinner for whom I died!" And with that proclamation, The courtroom was instantly filled with cheers and shouts of joy for another lost sheep that now was found. (John 3:18) "He that believeth is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (Romans 3: 20-31)
~ Submitted by: Emory Ediger ~
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