Judgment Or Mercy; The Choice Is Yours Series

8 Judgment or Mercy; the Choice is Yours

Book of James Series

By Pastor Jim May

The Law of our Land says that a man is innocent until proven guilty. But it is not so with the Judge of the Universe; for God says that all men are guilty until they are made innocent through the blood of the Jesus Christ.

Do you think that’s fair? Is it fair that God holds every man accountable for the sin of Adam? The fact is that it isn’t Adam’s personal sin that we are guilty of, for every one of us must answer for our own life and our own sin. What we are guilty of is the same sin that caused the fall of man in the beginning, and in this respect it is the sin of Adam, but we have committed that sin ourselves. No human being has ever lived, nor shall any one ever live in this world, who has not committed the same sin as Adam. What is that sin? It is the sin of rebellion against God and disobedience of His Law.

Not one person, except the Lord Jesus Christ, has been able keep the whole law without failing. When we realize this, then it is impossible to call anyone good. There is none good but One, the Lord Jesus Christ. The heart of man is inherently evil, ever seeking for ways to disobey God and never ceasing to break His perfect Law.

I have seen people who got in trouble with the police who enforce the laws of our nation and our state. They can begin with one crime, be it theft, breaking the peace, assault, drugs, robbery or whatever. It’s not long before they are standing before a judge and made into a marked individual. From that day on, anything they do comes under closer scrutiny of the law. And it doesn’t take long for their lawlessness to escalate. Have you noticed how easy it is to break the law and how hard it is to be perfect?

If you don’t come to a complete stop at a Stop Sign, you’ve broken the law. If you drive under 45 on the interstate highways, you’ve broken the law. If you fail to pay your bills on time, you’ve broken the law. If you forget to renew your license plate or driver’s license, you’re a criminal. If you fail to turn on your turn signal, or a single bulb on your car isn’t working, you’re a criminal. So many laws, that it’s hard to obey them all. Thank the Lord that we aren’t hounded by the police every time we step out of the house or we would owe everything to the state.

Of course the laws of man can get very outdated. One law that I truly hate is the speed limit law inside the city limits of Gonzales. It really gets to me when you have to go 25 MPH all the way through town, even when there is no traffic. But that’s the law. You either obey it or you break it and suffer the consequences.

Just about every state in the Union has its own set of dumb laws, yet they are laws and still on the books. If you violate them, you are guilty and become a criminal. Here are a few examples:

In Alabama it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

In California it is illegal for anyone to try and stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.

In Connecticut you can be stopped by the police for biking over 65 miles per hour. Also, it is illegal to walk across the street on your hands.

In Florida there are a number of strange laws such as: Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, along with the beauty shop owner; a law that prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday; a law that says you have to pay the parking meter fee if you park your elephant at the curbside; a law that says you can’t sing in public while wearing a swimsuit; and thank goodness they have a law that says that men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

In Illinois it is illegal for anyone to teach their pets to smoke cigars.

Indiana isn’t a good place to live in the winter because it’s against their law to take a bath in the winter. Also, if you eat garlic, you can’t go to a movie or ride on public transportation for at least 4 hours.

In Iowa, a single kiss is not allowed to last over 5 minutes.

In Kentucky you are not considered drunk until you can’t hold on to the ground anymore. Also, you can’t keep ice cream in your pocket.