Last week we started a series on the seven statements of Christ from the cross. Words that give us tremendous insight for our own lives. Last week in the words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”, we saw the forgiveness of Christ as he forgave the very people who were torturing Him and mocking Him. That forgiveness led him to pray to His Father in behalf of them. It was a forgiveness that was possible only because the Father dwelt in him, just as that kind of forgiveness is only possible in our lives if Christ dwells within us. Today we move on to the second statement from the cross. We will go back and read a few verses leading up to the second statement.
Luke 23:39-43
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” What a wonderful and comforting scripture that is. When you look at the scope of these scriptures that we have read and what brought this statement out of the mouth of the Savior it speaks of some wonderful truths of salvation. And when we examine this thief that Christ made that statement to, he teaches us the key to hearing those very words for ourselves. We can always learn lessons from a thief, usually it’s what not to do. But in this case this thief took some actions that all of us should follow if we hope to hear those words some day ourselves. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Here this thief was on the cross with another criminal, and this other criminal is mocking Christ saying, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Common people and even rulers stood around the cross as well mocking Christ saying, “He saved others; if He is really the Son of God, if He is really the Christ let Him save Himself.” Even the soldiers as well mocked Christ and implored Him to save Himself if He was the King of the Jews. Everyone around this criminal was mocking Christ and making fun of Him. Yet this one criminal did not. Why? When everyone else was taking turns mocking Him why did he not only abstain from mocking Christ now, but He went to bat for Him as well. I believe the reason was this, and it should be a lesson to us: He had a healthy fear of God that stopped him from mocking Christ. When the other criminal began his mocking he stepped in and said, “Don’t you fear God?” This is the first step that will lead a person’s heart towards salvation. That’s why Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Because it’s only when you realize that God is a God of awesome power who deserves our respect and honor and the one that we will one day have to answer to, do we seek to know more about Him. And when we do seek that knowledge, we begin to learn of his awesome love that He has for us. Without having a healthy fear of the Lord, I don’t believe a person will ever progress to the point of asking Christ into his heart. The other criminal on the cross had no hope of finding salvation because he had nothing but cynicism he seemed to have no thought of a life after and having to answer to anybody. Even in his time of facing certain death he belittled Christ and mocked him because he lived a life respecting and fearing no one.
“One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, ’I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God.’ But the prince only laughed at him. This didn’t help the king’s disposition any. Though he was a believer, the king had gotten a glimpse of his guilt for the way he’d been living lately, and he seriously wanted help. In those days it was customary if the executioner sounded a trumpet before a man’s door at any hour, it was a signal that he was to be led to his execution. The king sent the executioner in the dead of the night to sound the fateful blast at his brother’s door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner, and dragged pale and trembling into the king’s presence. In an agony of terror he fell before his brother and begged to know how he had offended him. ‘My brother, answered the king, ‘if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I , having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ.’” (Walk Through Rewards) His brother feared the judgment of a human king who could take away his earthly life, but he seemed to be indifferent and unconcerned about a Heavenly King who had the power to condemn his soul for eternity. Jesus said in Luke 12:4,5 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” There are too many people who live their life in fear of the wrong things. They fear what other people think more than they fear going against what God wants for them. They fear what other people will say more than what God will say. That isn’t just the world. There are some Christians as well who struggle with trying to please the wrong ones out of fear of what they might think. Listen to what Isaiah said to Israel, the people of God in Isaiah 51:7,8 “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.” Whatever men will say or do to you will only be temporary. But the judgment of God and the salvation of God will last forever and ever. Do not fear man, but have a healthy fear of the Lord, it’s the beginning of knowledge.
In verse 41 of our text, we see the second lesson from the thief. “We are being punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” He saw his own guilt and the innocence of Christ. This is also something that a person must come to a realization of to bring Christ into their heart. They must see their own guilt and know that they are a sinner. This crook had no doubt that he had done some bad things for which he deserved punishment. He was dirty, impure and guilty. A person must know that Romans 3:23 is true. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” There are so many people who look like they have their act together and we seem to hold them on a pedestal, but even they are sinners that have fallen short of the glory of God. You name every great hero in scripture from Abraham to David to Solomon to Peter, James and John and Paul and the list goes on. Not one of them were without sin. Even they had fallen short of the glory of God. They were born with the same human nature that you and I were born with. We can even read of the war waging within Paul about doing the things he didn’t want to do and not doing the things he wanted to. Ever since the first sin, it’s been the condition of man that we were born with a sinful nature. Praise God that through Christ we can have victory over our sinful nature. As important as it is to see your own guilt, it’s equally important to see and know the innocence of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Max Lucado said it this way in Six Hours One Friday “We are guilty and he is innocent. We are filthy and he is pure. We are wrong and he is right. He is not on that cross for his sins. He is there for ours.” I believe that this thief on the cross may have watched Jesus and saw how he acted toward those who were accusing him and abusing him.
Once again Max Lucado imagined it like this, “He hears the jests and the insults and sees the man remain quiet. He see the fresh blood on Jesus’ cheeks, the crown of thorns scraping Jesus’ scalp and he hears the horse whisper, ’Father, forgive them.’
Why do you they want him dead?
Slowly the thief’s curiosity offsets the pain in his body. He momentarily forgets the nails rubbing against the raw bones of his wrists and the cramps in his calves.
He begins to feel a peculiar warmth in his heart: he begins to care; he begins to care about this peaceful martyr.
There is no anger in his eyes, only tears.”
I believe when this thief truly looked upon Jesus and his reactions it made him painfully aware of his own sin and inadequacy. Just like when Isaiah had the vision of God on his throne. When he saw the glory of God Isaiah saw himself for how impure he really was. Yes, the thief taught us that we must recognize our own guilt and the innocence of Christ.
The third lesson that this thief on the cross taught us comes in verse 42 of our text. “Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” From that one statement it tells us this: He had faith that death wasn’t the end and that Christ had a kingdom. Now what is so incredible is this: The disciples and the followers of Jesus thought that there hope was dying on the cross. In their despair and fear they abandoned Christ, except for John who remained at the cross. The kingdom that Jesus was going to set up and be the king of was no more as far as they were concerned. Besides the fact that Jesus had become such a dear friend to those who were closest to him the biggest reason for the disciples and the rest of his followers being so down and out was they thought that their freedom from Rome, their freedom that would come from the Messiah who would come and set up his godly kingdom where God’s people would never have to worry, was simply now not going to happen. Yet this man, a criminal, says to Christ, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This man knew that even though Christ was on the cross, he just knew that it wasn’t the end for him. He knew there was something beyond this life and he knew that Christ would have his own kingdom. He seemed to be so sure of it. Who would have ever thought that a common criminal would have more faith than the disciples who were taught at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus even tried to tell them about the death that he would face and what must happen. And they still thought it was all over. This man had never received the teaching and training these men had, yet he had a faith that was pure and unadulterated. You know there are people today who haven’t grown up in the life of the church and haven’t had the training and the Bible study that many of us have had the privilege of having but they often times come to Christ with a faith that is so pure and strong and sometimes even stronger than those who have grown up in the church. Especially when they first get saved they are ready to set the world on fire and they believe they can change the world around them. Instead of having that same faith we just say to ourselves, “He settle down, he’ll come down off of that cloud. He’ll be more realistic.” Sometimes as Christians we go through the process of taking the faith that our parents have taught us and we have grown up learning in Sunday School and making it our faith because we really believe it and not because we have been taught it all of our lives. But for some reason we let the excitement of our faith wane and sometimes with it our faith isn’t as strong as it should be. This man had a refreshing faith that was full of hope. He knew that death wasn’t the end and he knew that Christ would have a kingdom. In order for Christ to make that statement to us one day, “Today you will be with me in paradise”, we have to believe, we need to have that pure faith that life here is not the end, and that indeed Christ does have a kingdom. Christ has told us in John 14:1-3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Do you believe it? Do you have the faith of the criminal on the cross that day? Do you believe that this life is truly not the end? Do you believe in another kingdom beyond this world?
The last lesson and one of the most important lesson that this thief teaches us is this: He showed us that it’s never too late to turn to Christ. This was a man who most likely had not lived his life for God. He was a criminal, a thief, a person who violated other people by taking their property. Here he was at the last hours of his life and he turned to Christ. Christ didn’t say, “You know I’m sorry, I wish you would have turned to me earlier, I could have maybe done something for you if you had.” No, Christ saw the genuineness in his heart and he said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” We need to know as well that it doesn’t matter what we have done in our past, it doesn’t matter how long we have lived life for ourselves and did what we wanted to do. Even in the last moments we can still turn to Christ and if we are sincere He will give us the gift of salvation. There is not one thing that you could have done that puts salvation out of reach for you. But let me make something very clear. You are playing a dangerous game if you decide that you will just wait to the waning hours of your life. First of all if you make that conscious decision to put it off, one would have to wonder how sincere you would really be. You must understand that this thief did not plan it like this. He didn’t say I will live my life like I want and then at the end I will give it all to God. He never expected the encounter with Christ that he had. And when he did, he just hoped that all of his past wouldn’t matter and he sincerely turned to Christ. I encourage you this morning that if you have had an encounter with Christ that you not put it off, that you turn to him know while your heart is being convicted by His spirit. It’s doesn’t matter what you have done, even if you have given up on yourselves, God hasn’t given up on you.
In closing I want to say this about Jesus statement. Jesus told this thief that “today you will be with me in paradise.” I believe today means today. When life is finished on this earth our bodies go in the ground but I believe this says to us without a doubt that our souls go to be with Christ right away. Jesus didn’t say anything about the future he simply said, “Today you will be with me. Jesus used the word paradise. It is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. When a Persian King wished to do one of his subjects a very special honor he made him a companion of the garden which meant he was chosen to walk in the garden with the king. That very day, this thief was treated to a special walk in the garden with Christ.
Don’t you want to take that special walk in the garden yourself. This morning I pray that you realize your guilt and the innocence of Christ. I pray that you have faith that death isn’t the end and Christ indeed has a kingdom. I pray that you realize that it’s not too late for you. No matter what you’ve done no matter what consequences you are suffering. It’s not too late for you. Take it from a thief, it’s never too late!
