Every Easter it seems we really focus on Jesus Rising from the Tomb. After all that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about right? That He beat death and won the victory for us. As powerful as this is, I want our attention to back up a bit and look at an often overlooked portion of the Easter Story.
Let¡¯s take a closer look at the Thief:
When Jesus was being crucified, two men were being crucified with Him at the same time. These are two thieves.
A conversation takes place between one of the thieves and Jesus; in Luke 23:42, 43: 42 Then he said, ¡°Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.¡±
43 Jesus answered him, ¡°Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.¡±
Youth Drama: ¡°Thief¡±
At first it seems like a very simple and quick repeat of so many Jesus related biblical events, ¡°human meets Jesus ¨C human is humbled by Jesus ¨C Jesus loves human ¨C Jesus saves human¡± except this event only takes up two sentences. It¡¯s not surprising the majority of preachers and teachers skim the surface of this conversation, there seems to be very little revelation here.
But when you dig deep, there is a message in it that needs to be shared. First, let¡¯s realize that the crucifixion of Jesus is THE single most important event in the relationship between God and humanity. The crucifixion of Jesus is the ultimate ¡°it¡± of all time, it is the moment of blood, sacrifice and salvation, and it¡¯s the moment the Son of God is put to death so we may live. The crucifixion is why wars are fought and it is the event etched into millions of stained glass windows and ornaments all around the world. Why share ¡°it¡± with a thief? Or two?
God is sharing the ¡°it¡± moment with a thief and once we realize who the thief is, it actually makes perfect sense.
So¡who is the thief on the cross next to Jesus?
The thief on the cross is everyone YOU don¡¯t like, for whatever reason. He is the person who cut you off in traffic and you cursed them out, he is the family member who ruins family get-togethers by drinking too much and becoming belligerent, and he is the parent who beat you up deserted you.
The thief on the cross is the grossly overweight person you stared at when they made their third round trip to the buffet tables¡ and he is the super skinny girl who wears a size ¡°0¡å and who obviously has an eating disorder.
The thief on the cross is the politician you don¡¯t agree with, the talk show host you despise, the real estate agent who ripped you off, the preacher you say is wrong, the pop star who dresses too this or that, the woman who is having an affair with your husband, the bully at school, the homosexuals down the street, and all the people who go to the wrong church.
The thief on the cross is all of your least favorite people in the world, everyone you argue with, everyone you judge, everyone you judge worthy of death. The thief on the cross is everyone you hate.
And you know what else? The thief on the cross is also everyone you DO like as well.
Not only do we humans judge people down, we also judge people up. You prefer to hang out with this person instead of that one, you prefer this parent over the other one, you like this child better than that one, and this cousin is your favorite cousin. You choose this person to be your spouse instead of someone else, you gave that homeless person money but not the other, you like this preacher better than any other, and you prefer this president over that one.
The thief on the cross is your son, your daughter, you mother and father, your best friend, your favorite teacher, and your favorite pop star or actor.
The thief on the cross is all of your favorite people in world, everyone you laugh with, everyone you are grateful for. The thief on the cross is everyone you love.
The reality is that the thief on the cross is you and you are the thief on the cross. The thief on the cross is all of humanity.
Jesus is sharing the crucifixion ¡°it¡± moment with the thief on the cross because the thief on the cross is you. Jesus and you are on the cross together.
This single act teaches us all about Sacrifice and Salvation, all about Love and Forgiveness. And When Jesus rose from the tomb; this proved it all to us.
Jesus paid the price, He did all the work for us but what is it that we must do? I think the story of the thief on the cross is a powerful story that really depicts our lives and what we must do in order to receive the eternal gift.
What it all really boils down to is ¡°Forgiveness¡± and this is what I want to focus our Easter message on this morning.
I. FORGIVENESS!
Eph. 2:8 ¡°For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.¡±
A. Some people think or even say, ¡°God could never forgive me of my sins. Look at what I¡¯ve done. Look at how many times I¡¯ve blown it in life.¡± I believe it is none other than Satan who tries to convince us that our sins are so great that God could never forgive us. I¡¯ve actually heard people say, ¡°I have sinned too much for God to forgive me.¡±
1. Whenever I hear this from people I always am reminded of the thief on the cross. Here was a man that was being executed for something that was obviously serious enough to be put to death for.
2. But we read that Jesus tells him that he will be in paradise with Him, in other words, Heaven. He tells the thief that he accepts him!
3. But in our society today we seem to forget or maybe not understand the process in order to receive Jesus.
4. Have we forgotten about Moses the murderer? And David the adulterer and murderer? And Zaccaheus, the greedy cheat? And Saul of Tarsus, the people-abuser and murderer? And what about the story of the prodigal son who wasted his money and life in wild living? DID NOT GOD FORGIVE HIM?
5. We must never think that our sins are greater than God¡¯s love! THERE IS NOTHING GREATER THAN GOD¡¯S LOVE!
Rom. 5:8 ¡°But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.¡±
6. How could we ever doubt God¡¯s love for us? No one loves more than He does. No one. And no one has done as much for us.
7. The Scriptures tells us that Jesus died for us not after we stopped our sins but while we were still sinners. Just like when we are physically sick, we go to a doctor to get healed. As sick sinners, Jesus is our physician and He came to care for us.
8. Forgiveness in Jesus Christ is a gracious gift from an all-loving God. Each of us needs to accept that forgiveness. Believe in Jesus and Trust what Christ did on the cross. Surrender to Him, Follow Him and Accept Him.
B. But have you ever noticed that in order to receive Forgiveness you must ask for it first.
1. How can we ever accept to receive anything if we don¡¯t ask for it? Contrary to popular belief, Jesus will not take you into Heaven with Him just because you are a good person that is compassionate, goes to church, reads your Bible, and even prays. Going to Heaven isn¡¯t an automatic deal just because of what we do.
2. Jesus desires us to come to him, to accept Him. You see, Jesus has already accepted you. He accepted each and every one of us when He died on the cross. He has already opened his door to us and has laid out the welcome mat. He ready to receive you the way you are right now. Allow Him to take you in and change your life.
- The question isn¡¯t if He will accept us or not. The question is, ¡°Will you accept Him?¡±
3. But maybe some of us have no idea how to ask for forgiveness. With another person it is easy you can just go to them and ask for their forgiveness and say I'm sorry to them. It's just the same with God he wants to forgive us but he will not force it upon you He waits for you to ask.
4. When you ask for forgiveness it shows your heart is open and that it is genuine and ready to move forward.
Illustration: I can remember over the years how when the kids would bicker, argue, or wrong one another, we would make them say sorry. And most the time we would hear, SORRY!! Boy that¡¯s not too convincing is it?
- God wants a genuine heart. He wants us to really be sorry and want to change our sinful lives.
5. God wants true repentance on our part if we are not really sorry then we will not try to do right in the future. So on to how to ask God for forgiveness most people say the sinner¡¯s prayer when they come to know that they are truly sinful and need God's forgiveness. The sinner¡¯s prayer takes many forms but always includes the words I'm sorry Father.
6. Praying a prayer to ask Jesus into your life involves a conscious decision to follow him and truly repent of all that is not pleasing to God. None of us are perfect and yes we do fall from time to time but asking God for His forgiveness and into your life with a true heart and simple love for him is a good start.
7. If you have never received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, or you know you need to talk to Him again today and re-commit your life you can, and you can do it today. As a matter of fact, you can do it right now.
- If you need directed prayer then would you please allow me to help lead you today? If you feel ready to pray the sinners prayer and take the first step towards growing into a child of God then say these words either out loud or to yourself.
Lord Jesus Christ I acknowledge that I have gone my own way. I have sinned in thought and word and deed. I am sorry for my sins. Will you PLEASE FORGIVE me of my sins? I believe that you died for me, bearing my sins in your own body. I thank you for your great love. Now I open the door. Come in Lord Jesus. Come in as my Savior and cleanse me. Come in as my Lord, and take control of me. And I will serve as you give me strength, all my life. AMEN.
8. If you prayed this prayer and believe that Jesus has come into your life, then I want to be the first to say welcome into the family of God. You have just begun a magical journey, not promised to be easy by any means but I guarantee you that the blessings are out of this world!
9. For those of you that have accepted Jesus today and for those of you that have re-committed to Him this morning. I want to share with you the importance of the commitment you made today.
Phil. 3:7-8 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ
Illustration: Who knows who Dan Gable is? Dan Gable is noted as one of the world¡¯s best known wrestlers of all time. He is famous for having only lost one match in his entire Iowa State University collegiate career. He won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany while not giving up a single point. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 15 NCAA team titles from 1976¨C1997. He was unbeatable. What made him unbeatable? His training, His training consisted of: running, weight lifting, calisthenics, and wrestling. AND HE DID THESE THINGS 7 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK!
10. That a lot of hard work isn¡¯t it? And think of all the hard work and long hours that people have put in for various pursuits in life: to make money, to become famous, etc.
11. If all these people could expend all their time and energy, sweat and strain to pursue and fulfill their earthly goals, WHAT SHOULD WE DO IN ORDER TO PURSUE JESUS?
Phil. 3:13-14 ¡°But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.¡±
12. There is nothing wrong with having some earthly goals, whether they are in regard to our work, business, play, sports or whatever. But your major goal now as a believer in Jesus needs to be His will for your life!
If Jesus is who He claimed to be. If He is indeed the Son of the living God and offers forgiveness for all our sins and offers us a home in heaven, THEN WE MUST PURSUE HIM WITH ALL OUR MIGHT!
Conclusion:
Today is Easter Sunday and this is a day that I pray God will burn into your memories forever. It is the day that Jesus beat the grave. And for some, it¡¯s now the day you have committed your life to him.
I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts about Easter before we leave His house today. First of all, you should never have any doubts as to who Jesus is because when we rose from the grave He has proved to the world that He is the one and Only Son of God. And your faith is and always will be justified; you serve a Risen Savior that has promised us eternity in Heaven if we accept the Love and Sacrifice that ONLY He offers.
Secondly, when you look at the empty tomb, always let it be a reminder that all things are possible through Jesus, that the impossible is always possible with Him.
Praise God for those that have given their lives to Him today. Praise God for those of us that have re-kindled our relationship with Him today. And praise God for the Jesus Christ.
This should be our motivator to stay strong, focused and diligent in serving Jesus today, tomorrow and always.
