I want to share with you a story of two different people in Jesus’ life, and how they made two very different choices. I want to tell you the story of two people who are very much like you and me. It’s a tale of two sinners. Do you remember seeing in the movie two criminals being crucified with Jesus? Do you remember the difference in the way that these two men responded to what Jesus was doing for them on the cross? It’s an incredible picture of the rest of us. I never really even thought about it this way until I saw this movie. Check these verses out with me:
39“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-41 (NIV)
As I said, I never really saw it this way until I watched the movie, but these two men who are being crucified with Jesus are really a representation of the rest of mankind. You see, there are really only two kinds of people in this world: People who are followers of Christ, and people who are not. When it comes to the last day, when it all comes down, that is all that will matter. How much money you made? It won’t matter! What kind of house you lived in? It won’t matter! What kind of car you drove? It won’t matter! What will matter is this: Did you choose to follow Jesus with your whole being? Did you choose to live out the purposes for which you were created? Did you love God, and did you give your life to Him and Him only. That’s what will matter. None of this material stuff, what’s on the outside. The only thing that will matter is the spiritual, your devotion to Christ and living the way that He has told us to live.
That’s what these two men represent on the cross. They give us a picture of us and of the rest of the world, and I think it’s one worth looking at, especially at this time right now when the whole world is talking about it. We have the greatest opportunity in a long time right now to share Jesus. Amen? I think that we need to understand the tale of these two sinners so that we can know how to talk to others about the gospel of Christ.
SO, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE HERE?
What’s the big difference between these two men? I mean, they were both getting what they deserved, right? They both had done things that made this sentence of being crucified just, so what’s the big difference between them? There are some HUGE differences between these men, and I want to show you the first one right now:
First of all,
ONE HAD A CHANGE OF HEART, while THE OTHER ONE HAD A CALLOUSED HEART.
Now you say “Brian, what are you talking about, the guy who is asking to be in Heaven with Jesus seems like a guy who really loves Jesus. Well yes, you’re right, but he wasn’t always that way. As a matter of fact, earlier during the crucifixion, he was hurling insults at Jesus too. Look with me in Mark 15:32.
32“Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.”
You see, this verse shows us that they both were insulting him in the beginning there. They both were denying Jesus. They both wanted nothing to do with him. You see, we all have been at that point at some moment in our lives. You know, when you wanted to do your own thing. You wanted to live for yourself, instead of living for something bigger than yourself. You got caught up in materialism, or drugs or alcohol, or adultery and fornication. Maybe you were a thief. But, you know where that ultimately leaves you, right? It leaves you empty. It leaves you with nothing but a hole in your heart that can only be filled by God. That’s where both of these criminals were. For some reason, even though their judgment was staring them in the face, they were still defiant. They still wouldn’t seek the mercy that God wanted to grant them. They both were still full of the emptiness that Satan wants each of us to fill.
But you see, at some point, one of these guys had a change of heart. Something happened during the crucifixion that changed his heart. The Bible doesn’t tell us what it is, but later in our teaching text this morning, we see it. Look with me again:
39“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
One of them continued in his hard heart towards Jesus, but the other had a change of heart. At some point while he was up on that cross, he came to the reality, he came face to face with the kind of person he had been. He even accepted that he was getting exactly what he deserved. You know, we all must get to that point before we can ever accept the life that Jesus wants to offer us. We have to realize that without His forgiveness, we’ll be getting exactly what we deserve. But you see, when we accept that forgiveness, we get grace, which is what we need. Grace is when we get what we need. Justice is when we get what we deserve.
So, one man had a change of heart. He realized that rejecting Jesus was not the way to go. He knew he needed Jesus. The other man still rejected Jesus. He wouldn’t come face to face with who he was, and what he needed to do to get his life right. It’s a choice, and we all must make that choice. This man either couldn’t get past his pride, his past, or something else, and he rejected Jesus. He had a calloused heart. Who knows what might have calloused it? It could have been an abusive parent, an unfaithful spouse, a lifetime of crime, a friend stabbed him in the back, he got fired from work, he had a negative religious experience… It could have been all kinds of things that led him to where he was. It’s the same way with people that you know. We all have things that we can allow to callous us. I’ve had things in my life that could turn me away from God, haven’t you? Here’s the difference: One man had a change of heart, and the other one had a callous one.
The second difference between these two people is that
ONE REPENTED while THE OTHER REFUSED.
That’s a big difference. Look with me again in the following verse:
42”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
This man realized that he was in the presence of the Son of God. He knew that he didn’t deserve to be with Jesus in His kingdom, but he wanted to ask for forgiveness and show his heart of love for the Savior. You see, God was working on him on that cross. He started out ridiculing Jesus, just like the other guy. He was hurling insults at Him. I believe God was working on both of them. It paints the picture for us though, doesn’t it? We all have a choice. The account shows us that the other guy never would repent. He just kept on refusing the life that Jesus had in store for him. The idea of having a choice reminds me of another story in the Bible. We’ve looked at this verse a lot in the last few months, but it helps illustrate our point this morning. Look with me in Acts 2. Peter was preaching that first gospel sermon, and as he gets to the end, notice this with me:
36“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
These people were presented with the truth about who Jesus is. We all are presented with that truth at some point. These people made the choice to follow Jesus. As a matter of fact, 3,000 of them made the choice to follow Jesus that day, and they were all baptized. Not only did they do that, they continued to worship him in the temple courts, AND meet from house to house in small groups. I think it’s a pretty powerful testimony and example for the kind of community we’re trying to build here at New Life through our Lifegroups ministry, amen?
These people made the choice to follow Jesus with their lives, but this idea of having a choice also reminds me of another story in the book of Acts. Paul had been imprisoned for preaching the good news about Jesus Christ, and then in a trial before King Agrippa, he is given the chance to speak and give a defense not only for himself, but for the gospel of Christ. Let’s pick up the story in
Acts 26:27
27“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” 28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
We all have a choice. The people on the day of Pentecost made the decision to follow Jesus. King Agrippa made the decision not to. One criminal on the cross decided to repent, the other refused. We all have a choice. You made a choice this morning about what dress or what shirt and pants you were going to wear. Looking out over the audience, I can see some of us made better choices than others.
An angel appeared at a faculty meeting and told the dean that in return for his unselfish service, we would be rewarded with his choice of wealth, wisdom, or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean chose wisdom. “It is done!” the angel said, and then disappeared into a cloud of smoke. All of the other faculty members stared at the dean with amazement. Finally one of them asked him, “Now that you have infinite wisdom, say something wise.” The dean looked at them and said, “I should have taken the money!”
We all make a choice. Either to give our lives to Jesus, or to live for ourselves. It really is as simple as that.
There is one more major difference between these two guys that I want you to notice. This is the biggest one of all, and it’s the one that makes all the difference in the world. It shows us the importance of giving our lives to Jesus and living for the purposes that God created us for. Notice that
ONE WAS RESCUED, while THE OTHER WAS RUINED
Read the verse with me again:
43“Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
That’s the beauty of turning it all over to God. This man had nothing left, but what he had, he gave to Jesus. What he had left was the testimony of a dying man that he wanted his life to count for God. And guess what? It did! He left a legacy for people throughout the ages to see and follow. He gave his life to Christ. He did it in the witness of the very people that were putting him to death. He gave it all. The other guy didn’t. He didn’t want to give his life to Jesus, and he was ruined. Because you see, Jesus is the only way for our rescue. What did He say about Himself? He said, “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.” He also said in John 10 that He came so that we may have life, and have it to the full. That’s the kind of God we serve. It’s awesome, isn’t it?
But you see, we can choose to not accept that life. We as free moral agents have been given the freedom by God to choose whether we want to accept His love or not. He did that because He loves us. He didn’t want a bunch of robots that just do whatever He says to do because they’re programmed to do that. He wants us to live for Him because we love Him and want to follow Him. We have a choice to either be rescued, or to be ruined. The choice is up to you.
You might say that you have been living apart from Jesus for too long. That’s not true. This man turned it over to Jesus at the 11th hour, in his final moments. That just shows that it’s never too late to live for God. It could be that you think you’re too bad to really give your life to Jesus. That’s not true either. This criminal did something so bad that he was being crucified, the most brutal form of execution ever devised by man. Most of us in here haven’t done anything that bad, have we? You see, the point is that no matter what you’ve done, God wants to forgive you. He wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to love Him. He loves you. He wants you to be rescued – not ruined.
This morning’s message may sound like one that is designed specifically for people outside of the church – people who don’t yet have a relationship with God. While it is true that the story of the two criminals on the cross does apply to non-Christians, we would be wrong to assume that it only applies to them. You see, whether you are in the church or not, there are basically
2 KINDS OF PEOPLE
in the world, and really there are only two. When Jesus returns and judgment falls, there will only be 2 kinds of people. There won’t be blacks, whites, Asians, or Indians. There won’t be rich and poor or man or woman. There will only be 2 kinds of people. There are:
THOSE WHO DENIED HIM with their lives, and
THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM with their lives.
That’s it. There will be no one else.
This applies not only to those outside the body of Christ, but also to those within. On the Day of Judgment, God is only going to have three questions for you. The first one is, “What did you do with my Son, Jesus?” In other words did you love Him and accept His free gift of salvation? The second question is, “What did you do with the gifts I gave you?” In other words, did you give yourself to the ministry I prepared for you to do. Did you use your gifts for My glory, or for your own? The third question is, “Were you faithful unto death?” Did you continue growing in the grace of God? Did you give your whole life to Him, and did you never walk away from the gift I have given you.
When you look at it that way, this tale of two sinners really does apply to all of us, doesn’t it? You see, you might have become a Christian, but if you are denying Him with the way you live, then what is that worth. You can say you believe in God, but you see, even Satan believes in God. That doesn’t make him saved, does it? It’s how you live. Does your life reflect God and the free gift of salvation He’s given to you? You see, we’re not supposed to deny Jesus, we’re supposed to deny ourselves – die to ourselves. Look with me in this next verse:
24“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
And then in this next passage:
27“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple… 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Friends, with Jesus it’s all or nothing. So many people want to ride the fence and just squeak by and sneak their way into Heaven’s back door or something. It doesn’t work that way. There’s no such thing as being good enough to get into Heaven but bad enough to have fun. Of course, I’ve been on both sides. I’ve got to tell you that being high on Jesus is way better than being drunk on alcohol or high on drugs. You don’t have a headache the next morning with Jesus! The point is that people who are really saved have lives that reflect God’s glory more and more as they grow in Christ. And it’s fun too! We’re not teaching this morning that your works save you, but we are teaching that your works, the way you live, reflects whether you have really been changed by the blood of Jesus. Salvation is only by grace, but how you live determines if you really accept that grace or not.
The picture we have painted for us on Calvary is one where Jesus stands between two kinds of people. He stands between those who follow Him, and those who deny Him.
The question is this morning:
WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO BE?
Are you going to choose today to live your life for Jesus, or are you not? Are you going to begin this morning to give every part of your life to Jesus? Your job, your money, your possessions, your family, your marriage, your car, your time… everything you are to Jesus, or are you going to keep denying Him with the way that you live? Eleanor Roosevelt said “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” You see, the beautiful thing is that when we give those things over to Jesus, He shows us how to live in ways we never have before. Remember the promise. He came so that we may have life, and have it to the full. I know you want to be boss of your own life. We all do by nature. But God is calling you home. I promise you that He is better equipped to run your life than you are. He created you, and He knows you better than you know yourself. There is actually a great peace in knowing that you’re not in control, but knowing the One who IS in control. The choice is up to you, and you have to make it. Even if you don’t want to make a choice, you do with the way you live. William James once said “When you have a choice to make and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice”. So you see, we all have a choice to make. Do you want to live for Jesus and His purposes for your life, or do you want to keep living without Him?
Sermon Outline:
Luke 23:39-43
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
SO, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
1. One had a CHANGE OF HEART, the other had a CALLOUSED HEART
Mark 15:32; Luke 23:39-41
2. One REPENTED, the other REFUSED
Luke 23:42; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 26:27-28
3. One was RESCUED, the other was RUINED
Luke 23:43
John 10:10
2 Kinds of People:
Those who DENIED HIM WITH THEIR LIVES
THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM
Matthew 16:24
WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO BE?
