Easter Through The Eyes Of The Thief Series

The account of Jesus being crucified with two theifs is recorded in all of the Gospels Matthew says in 27:44, “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.”

Mark looks at Jesus on the cross with a thief hanging on each side and he quotes an old Testament Scripture Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus hanging there on the cross with a thief on each side of him he was numbered with the transgressors as Isaiah had prophesied.

John tells us that because the Sabbath day was approaching they came and broke the legs of both the theifs in order to speed up their death but Jesus was already dead so they did not break his legs.

The psalmist wrote in Psalms 34:20, “he keepth all his bones not one of them is broken.”

These thieves on that were crucified on either side of Lord were bad men. They were vile criminals. The worse of the worse. Before a man was crucified he was scouraged, many men died even before they mad it to the cross the beating was so harsh that many men died during it.

Both of these thief’s start out by ridiculing Jesus

The soldiers were mocking him

People were walking by shaking their heads he saved others he cannot save himself.

On that cross 2000 years ago there was revival service held

-He Had a Change of Mind-

We need some people today to have a change of mind. It wouldn’t heart for some politicians to have a change of mind for some Theologians to have a change of mind it wouldn’t hurt some of us here today to have a change of mind. Nothing can happen in our lives until we have a change of mind

By looking at this thief of the cross I see a formula for revival in the church today

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Mat 22:37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

In order for us to have revival we must change we must be the one who moves because God is unchanging, the same today yesterday and forver.

He changed his mind about himself

Sometime while hanging on the cross this one thief changed his mind about himself. Jesus said Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The word repent means to change your mind.

In order for a person to be saved they must change their mind about who they are. We must first see ourselves as sinners.

This one thief says We receive the due reward of our deeds. He acknowledges that he is a bad person. Moments before Matthew recorded that this same man had mocked Jesus.

He probably thought that he was okay, and just go the bad end of the deal. Grew up in the wrong home, or on the wrong side of town. All the excuse that we make for our behavior today. He had to come to that point and realize I am a sinner and I deserve to be out here dying today.

This is the most difficult thing to get people to realize, because it requires us to be truthful and humble.

We also have some Christians today who need to change their mind about who they are.

Once a person is saved you have become a child of God. You are no longer a servant but a son.

He changed his mind about God

Notice in verse 40, he says “Dost thou not fear God”

He changed his mind about God

All through his life he lived for himself, When a person lives for themselves the Bible says that you are an enemy of the cross. Literally you shake your fist in the face of God and do it your way.

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

This fear of God is not that we are scared of God but that we have reverence for God. We need to change our mind about God and have a restoration of reverence in the House of God.

The Old Testament Scribes had such a reverence for Jehovah God that a special pen was used to write the name Jehovah on their scrolls