Scriptures: Luke 23:43
Introduction
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons who were ages five and three. The boys began to argue over who was going to get the first pancake. Mom recognized the teachable moment and said, "If Jesus was sitting here right now, He would say let my brother have the first pancake." The five year-old turned to his little brother and said, "Hey little buddy, you get to be Jesus today!"
Our lives are filled with similar struggles of selfishness and sin. Many have found comfort in the honesty of the apostle Paul, who openly confessed his struggle in Romans 7 to do the right thing when his flesh dragged him toward activities that were sinful. I mention the ongoing struggle with sin to illustrate how incredibly wonderful the forgiveness of God is for those who accept it. This forgiveness is made possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. While we must honor God in our daily lives, our greatest need is responding to God's amazing grace to save us from our sin. Jesus did more than provide help to deal with our stresses related to our daily lives. He delivers from sin. He offers more than making life easy or giving us every desire of our heart. He redeems us for eternity. Jesus did more than teach positive thinking, goal setting, and achieving success in our chosen field of work. He offers a one way ticket for a trip to paradise.
This promise of eternal life to a condemned criminal illustrates the unique holiness and majesty of the Lord Jesus as clearly as anything He ever said. He promised to provide what every person hopes for, but what no one could ever produce with human effort. Author and professor, Calvin Miller, described Jesus' words as, "A cross cry that illustrates the transcendent power of Jesus as He unites the present with the eternal by promising to provide rest for our souls in eternal paradise." The promise also transcends the plight of a thief on a cross.
While we do not face the horror a crucifixion because of our crimes, we need to respond as the thief hanging beside Christ did to enter paradise with Jesus.
I. Condition of a sinner
The thief described in the text graphically reveals the condition of every soul before a holy God.
A. Physical helplessness
The thief was physically helpless. He was unable to attend synagogue. He could not give an offering. He could not perform good deeds. He was nailed to a cross! His condition reflects the insufficiency of our good deeds to accomplish salvation. There is nothing we could ever do physically to obtain forgiveness of our sins. No amount of discipline, no amount of service, no amount of financial resources, and no amount of anything we do can qualify us to enter paradise with Jesus. We are physically helpless.
B. Moral corruption
The thief was also morally corrupt, which is why he was being crucified. He openly admitted his corruption, he recognized his guilt when he rebuked the other thief for mocking Jesus. "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve" (Lk. 23:41).
Scripture clearly declares that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Bible says that no one is righteous, and the wages of our sin and unrighteousness is death - separation from God. Like the morally corrupt thief, we have disqualified ourselves for paradise through sinful acts of disobedience and corruption.
C. Spiritual death
The thief was also spiritually dead. The consequence of his earthly crimes was execution on a Roman cross, and his soul was headed to everlasting darkness until he cried out to Jesus.
In describing our sinful condition before coming to Christ, the apostle Paul used the terminology of being spiritually dead.
Ephesians 2:1-2 says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
Just as Adam and Eve died spiritually when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we share in spiritual death that disqualifies us from paradise. We need someone, we need something greater than our sin to make us alive so that we can respond to Jesus' offer of eternal paradise.
II. Conversion of a sinner
That process of being transformed from a dead sinner into a living child of God is beautifully portrayed in the thief's conversion experience. An anonymous criminal leaves a lasting legacy of how any person might receive forgiveness of sin and inherit eternal life.
A. Admit your sin
First, he admits his sin, "We are punished justly." The sad reality is that many people are unwilling to admit their sin before a holy God. They want to boast of how good they are, believing that they are self made men and women, as if God needs their pitiful attempt at righteousness to make heaven a better place. If their unwillingness to admit sin were not so tragic, it would be amusing.
Some think God is going to allow them to enter His holy heaven by bringing a small house-warming gift, perhaps something to decorate the entry way with, as if God was too busy ruling the universe to think about the flowers, perhaps chosen of the best of your personal righteous to beautify the hallways of heaven. Only by admitting your sin, or as the Bible says "confessing" your sin can you receive forgiveness.
B. Acknowledge Jesus
Second, the thief acknowledges the supremacy of Jesus. He rebukes the other thief, he recognizes and declares that Jesus innocent of any wrong doing. This repentant thief understands that Jesus is the King of kings. He understands what so many of the religious leaders failed to grasp, that Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom. Even with Christ's hands nailed to a cross and a crown of thorns upon His head, a thief acknowledged His lordship.
One of the greatest stories ever written was when Paul and Silas were in Philippi, with swollen ankles, bleeding backs, beaten with rods, in a rat infested inner prison. Apparently that is a choice setting for revival. Apparently this is the perfect time and place in which to share one’s faith!
Do you hear them grumbling?
Do you hear them criticizing everybody else?
Do you hear them running everybody else down?
Do you hear them talking or complaining?
-Paul said, “We will not look at our situation, we will not notice our difficulties. We will not measure the height of these walls, we will not measure the weight of these chains, or the filth of the cell.” The inner prison was indescribable. But Paul said, “I will remember the Lord God who split the Red Sea and He is the God of the cloud and the fire.”
-“I know that I cannot curse the darkness, there is only one thing that can take care of the darkness. I will light a little candle, which I have. Let’s sing. I know that it is midnight, but I am going to use everything I have. My hands are in stocks. My feet are in bonds. I’m beaten but I can wiggle my fingers and toes. I have a mouth. I am not going to wait for big things. I am not going to wait for the moment.”
-They turned a place of torture into a cathedral of triumph-and we find the apostles proclaiming this truth:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved," Acts 16:31,
This is what Paul and Silas told a Roman jailer. The same truth applies to us today. Unless we acknowledge the lordship of Christ, we cannot enter into eternal paradise.
C. Ask for salvation
The third step the thief takes on his conversion experience is to ask for salvation. He humbly asks for Jesus to, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom."
I am convinced that most people have sufficient knowledge about the claims of Christ. They understand that Jesus is the holy Son of God who gave His life for the sins of the world. Some few would openly admit their sinful condition, but they have never asked Jesus to be their Savior. They are unwilling to turn from their sin in repentance. Instead, they choose to willingly reject Christ until they are "ready," or as one unfortunate man said, at a more convenient time, which never comes. On too many occasions, people’s attitude is, I believe what you say is true, but I'm just not ready to do that today."
The thief was saved from his sin and entered eternal paradise because he admitted his sin, acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and asked for salvation. What Jesus did for him, He can do for you, and He will do for you.
III. Compassion of the Savior
The conversion of the sinner was made possible by the compassion of the Savior. Jesus didn’t owe anything to this man, he was not under any obligation to save the thief. Jesus could have said, "Look man, you had your chance. You heard me preach and saw the miracles, but you never responded to my gracious offer. It is too late for you." But thank God for all of the meaning in the special word spoken by Christ when he said, "Today!" No matter what you have done in the past, you can be saved today! You are not promised tomorrow but you can be saved today! The Scripture says, "Now is the acceptable time and today is the day of salvation."
Notice what Jesus said, He said "with me." Jesus did not offer the thief a cardboard box under an overpass in some backwater sleazy little slum in heaven, or some small apartment on a side street on the back side of glory. He told the thief that you will be with Me. Where I am, there will you also be.
Jackie Robinson was the first African-American man to break the race barrier in Major League Baseball. One day while playing at his home stadium in Brooklyn, he made some mistake. The Dodger fans began to ridicule Jackie with racial slurs. Shortstop "Pee Wee" Reese, a white man, walked over and put his arm around Jackie and stared back at the crowd. His message was clear. Reese wanted everybody to know that Jackie was with him. Robinson was Reese's teammate and friend. Jackie Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. (Craig Larson, Illustrations for Preaching, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993, p.144)
I have often wondered what other believers, the ones who had served, made sacrifices of all kinds, who knew the thief said when they got to heaven. Perhaps they thought, "What is that thief doing with Jesus?" Then I imagine Jesus, who knows all things, saying to them, "Welcome home. Let me introduce you to a special guest. He is with me!"
Conclusion
Do you want to have your sins forgiven? Do you want to go to heaven when you die? Do you want to live in the light instead of being enslaved by darkness? Look to the cross, and know the way of the cross leads home.
You will be saved from his sin and enter eternal paradise because you admit your sin, acknowledge the supremacy of Christ, and ask for salvation. What Jesus did for him, He will do for you.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved," Acts 16:31
