The Salvation of “Grace”
Notes
Transcript
"Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43)
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Talking about the cross is IRRITATING.
Talking about the cross is IRRITATING.
Jews it is a stumbling block.
The cross demolishes the idea that man can work for his salvation.
Gentiles it is a laughing stock.
The cross imagines that man can reason his way to God.
Both deny the gift and grace of Jesus Christ and take the fruitfulness and glory away from Christ and attempt to fulfill the pride in our life.
Talking about the cross is INFLUENTIAL.
Talking about the cross is INFLUENTIAL.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
No-one can listen to the story of the cross and remain neutral. You have to pick a side.
You either reject the message and gift and perish or you accept the message and gift and live.
Talking about the cross is God INITIATED.
Talking about the cross is God INITIATED.
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
God initiated salvation. It is God’s gift to us. That gift is GRACE.
It began with the heart of God and fulfilled in the death of His Son.
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)
Talking about the cross is IMPACTFUL.
Talking about the cross is IMPACTFUL.
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Salvation is not just a reclamation but rather is a transformation.
We saw the initiation of Grace last week in the first phrase uttered on the Cross of Calvary.
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)
Jesus, understanding the ignorance of man, not being able to fully grasp the sinfulness and depravity of our heart that leads to sinful and depraved actions, such as even crucifying the Son of God.
This is not a blanket forgiveness releasing them from the wages of their sin, but rather an allowing of the sacrifice to be fulfilled and forgiveness to offered to be received after the gift of grace has been obtained.
Grace Emerges from the throne and heart of God and Echoed from the cross of Calvary by His Son.
The Conversation of Grace has to begin with the Forgiveness of God. However, the next step is the Acceptance of Forgiveness.
Grace is Received by Humility and Admission of Guilt.
We find this spoken and illustrated in our text this morning as we notice the 2nd phrase in the Conversation of Grace.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Notice first of all,
The Condition of the Sinners
The Condition of the Sinners
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Both had a Fate.
Both had a Fate.
The two men were “malefactors”.
This means, “evil doers.”
They were both wicked men who broke the law and is now paying for their crimes with their very life.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Both had Forgiveness.
Both had Forgiveness.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
When forgiveness was offered, they both were there. The them as we noticed last week refers to the ones doing the crucifying, the deriding, the mockery, and the dividing.
However, we will see today that forgiveness goes beyond them to these two sinners and even to us sinners today.
Notice the difference of the reception of forgiveness. The first step in the conversation of grace.
The Contrast of the Sinners
The Contrast of the Sinners
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
One CONVICTED sinner was on the left and one CONVINCED sinner was on the right.
Now, technically we do not know which one was convinced, but since we know this is the right thing to to do, I have placed the convinced sinner on the right. That’s right. Amen.
We will see this contrasted in just a moment.
Let’s look first of all at:
The Convicted Sinner: Railed on Him
The Convicted Sinner: Railed on Him
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
His Contempt:
His Contempt:
We are told that this man “railed” on Jesus.
This word means, “to speak evil of, or to blaspheme.”
It is also in the “imperfect tense.” This means that “he kept on blaspheming.”
Here is a man who is dying and all he can think of as he dies is to mock, insult and blaspheme the Son of God.
What triggered this intense hatred of Jesus?
Was it the prayer Jesus prayed in verse 34?
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Did he hear that and think, “What foolishness! If this man is really the Messiah; why doesn’t He do something?”
Or, did he simply join in with the rest of the crowd as they mocked and ridiculed the Son of God, v. 35–36?
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Or was it the placard written over the head of Jesus Christ.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
I don’t know. Maybe some of you more intelligent and Bible scholars can enlighten me later on.
However, I do know this revealed this man’s heart.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Whatever his motivation, this poor man spent the last pitiful hours of his life mocking the only One Who could have saved his soul and kept him out of Hell.
His Confusion:
His Confusion:
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
This man reveals the true nature of his attitude toward Jesus when he uses the word “if.”
He is saying, “I will believe You if You will save Yourself and us. If You are so great, then why don’t you say us all?”
His words reveal a heart that is unconvinced, unconcerned and unconverted.
His words reveal the heart of a lost man!
(Note: We look at this man and say, “What a tragedy!” But, wait a minute; this man is no different from the lost multitudes that live all around us today.
• He is called a “malefactor”, but he could have just as easily been called drunkard, harlot, drug addict, murderer, or lost church member.
He wasn’t a sinner because he was a thief. He was a thief because he was a sinner!
He did what he did because he was what he was!
In that lost, sinful, condemned condition, this man was no different than anyone else in this world who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, Rom. 3:10–23; Gal. 3:22; Eccl. 7:20.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
• He spent his last moments denying that Jesus was the Messiah. He spent his time blaspheming the name of Jesus.
Again, this man is no different than folks all around us today.
There are plenty of people who have no trouble taking the precious name of the Lord in vain.
There are many who think nothing of using the Lord’s name as a curse word or as a by-word.
There are many who ridicule the name of Jesus and mock Him, His church and His work.
There are many who do not believe that there is a God; or that man has a need for a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
By the same token,
there are people in this world, maybe some in this very room, which would never use God’s name in that fashion; which would never mock Him, ridicule Him, or make fun of Him or His church. Yet, those same people are nothing more than “practical atheists.”
They admit there is a God, but they live like He does not exist, or does not matter.
These things are just an indicator of a hard, lost heart!
• The trait that marks so many in our day and proves them to be like this poor, dying thief, is the fact that they refuse to believe in Jesus for their soul’s salvation.
Like this man, their lives center on “if.”
When you witness to them, there is always some objection, some argument, some excuse offered as to why they cannot and will not come to faith in Jesus. It may sound simple, but it is proof positive that they are lost and headed to Hell without God!
• If you have seen yourself in the person of this dying thief; let me tell you a few things.
⮚ First, nothing you are living for, outside Jesus, is worth dying for, Mark 8:35–36.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
⮚ Second, today is your wake-up call. God is letting you know that you need to turn to Him and be saved, 2 Cor. 6:2; Isa. 55:6.
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:
⮚ Third, there is only one way that will ever happen: you must believe in Jesus by faith, or you will be lost forever, John 8:24.
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
⮚ Fourth, you are living on borrowed time! The Lord will not call you forever, but has set a day when you will enter eternity lost, without Him, Gen. 6:3; Pro. 29:1.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
⮚ If Jesus is calling you, do not delay, but come to Him and be saved right now, while there is still time!)
Now, let’s notice this played out in
The Convinced Sinner: Repented unto Him
The Convinced Sinner: Repented unto Him
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
His Confirmation —
His Confirmation —
When this man begins to rebuke the other thief, he makes a stunning confession.
He says, “Now wait a minute! We are guilty, and we are getting exactly what we deserve!” this admission reveals that this man was under conviction because of his sinful deeds. He is an honest sinner. By the way, that is refreshing to this preacher!
There just aren’t many sinners left in our world. At least, that is what you would think if you listened to people tell it!
His Computation—
His Computation—
His assessment of the situation is vastly different from that of the other thief.
The first man was looking for a way out.
This man was looking for a way in!
When he was first nailed to the cross, he lifted up his voice and mocked Jesus too, Mark 15:32.
32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
But, something happened during those early hours on the cross. Something caught his attention and revealed to his heart that Jesus was no ordinary man.
• Perhaps it was His silence as they nailed Jesus to His cross—Isa. 53:7.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.
• Perhaps it was the grace with which Jesus responded to the mockery of His enemies—Luke 23:34.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
• Perhaps it was the mocking sign they hung over the cross of Jesus that proclaimed Him to be King of the Jews—Luke 23:38.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
• It could have been any number of things that spoke to his heart. But, whatever it was told him that Jesus was no ordinary man!
As this man computed in his mind the situation at Calvary that day, he came to see that Jesus was the Messiah and that Jesus was his only hope!
He called Jesus “God” in verse 40.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
He acknowledged Christ’s sinlessness in verse 41.
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
He even looks to Jesus for salvation in verse 42.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
His Call—
His Call—
As this man speaks to Jesus, he makes an incredible request.
He asks another dying man for hope for the future. That is incredible!
When this man looked at Jesus Christ, he did not see a dying victim of the Roman system.
Everyone else, for the most part, saw nothing more than just another poor man hanging, battered and bleeding on a cross. But, this man looked at Jesus and he saw God, verse 40.
He looked at Jesus and he saw perfect righteousness, verse 41.
He looked at Jesus and he saw One Who was going to somehow conquer death; rise again; rule in power and glory and extend grace to the undeserving, verse 42!
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
He looked at Jesus, Who was wearing that cruel crown of thorns and he saw Jesus wearing three crowns.
He placed Jesus on the throne of the universe by calling Him “Lord.”
He placed Jesus on the throne of his own heart by saying “remember me.”
He placed Jesus on the throne of David by saying, “When Thou comest into Thy kingdom.”
In my opinion, this man exhibited greater faith than anyone else in the entire Bible. He grasped the essence of Who Jesus was; of what Jesus was doing; and of what Jesus would do. He not only grasped it; but he believed it all!
He believed it in spite of how impossible it must have looked to him at the time.
This thief displayed the essence of true faith in his heart and his words as he died on that cross, Heb. 11:1.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Note: This thief shows us where a person must come to, if they ever expect to be saved.
Notice the three characteristics of saving faith he possessed.
First,
He was honest about his own sins.
He was honest about his own sins.
He freely admitted that he was guilty. Admitting that you are a sinner is the first step in coming to faith in Jesus!
I would just remind you that Jesus came to save sinners and not righteous people, Luke 19:10; Mark 2:17.
But, this seems to be the hardest thing of all! It is getting harder and harder to find sinners in our day and time. It’s easy to spot what we call sinners in the world, but we need to understand that every person in this world, who is outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ, is a sinner!
Ill. Rom. 3:22.
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
There is no difference between the mayor and the meter maid; the star and the street walker; the policeman and the pimp; the doctor and the patient; and the warden and the criminal. All are sinners and the first step in getting those sins taken care of is to admit that truth!
Second,
He became convinced that Jesus was Who He claimed to be.
He became convinced that Jesus was Who He claimed to be.
As long as Jesus is just another man, you will never be saved. But, when you come to the place where you see Him as God, Savior, Lord and the fulfillment of all the promises of God, you can be saved. When you understand that He died on that cross, like the Bible says; that He rose again, like the Bible says; and that He will save you when you call on Him by faith; you can be saved, Rom. 10:9; 10:13.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Faith in the claims of Jesus and the claims Gospel are essential to salvation, Eph. 2:8–9.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Third,
He was willing to call on Jesus for that which he needed in his life.
He was willing to call on Jesus for that which he needed in his life.
Far too many people know the truth and know what they need to do. All they lack is acting on what they know and calling out to the Lord for their soul’s salvation.
If you come to Him, He will not turn you away, John 6:37.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
If you will call to Him, He will save your soul, Acts 16:31; John 6:47; John 3:16; Isa. 45:22.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Have you come to the place where you can see your sins?
Do you understand that Jesus died for you and the cross and that He rose again from the dead?
Do you grasp the truth that He will save you if you will repent of your sins and cry out to Him?
If you haven’t done that. Let me encourage you to do that today. Jesus will save you if you will only come to Him and ask!)
But, let’s quickly get to the Grace of Salvation.
Notice,
The Compassion of the Son
The Compassion of the Son
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
His Grace:
His Grace:
Even as Jesus hung there in agony that day; His heart was on finding His Own lost sheep. That was why He came, Luke 19:10; Mark 10:45.
That was why He left the ninety and nine went after the lost sheep, Luke 15:3–7.
The grace of God was in evidence that day even as Jesus died on the cross.
Anyone else might have looked at that poor, dying thief and said, “You rejected the way of God in your life; now will go to Hell in your death!”
But not Jesus!
He loved that sinner in spite of his sins and He extended grace to him.
When Jesus spoke to this man; He spoke words seasoned with grace, love and mercy.
He received that poor man just like he was, with all the baggage of a wasted life, and Jesus saved his soul, on the spot!
(Note: He hasn’t changed one bit!
It doesn’t matter where the road of life has carried.
It does not matter what you might have done in your life.
If you will come to Jesus, you will find a Friend Who will receive you just like you are.
He will love you, save you, change you and make a new creature out of you.
He will cleanse you from your sins and give you a brand new start.
He will save your soul!
That is what He did for the thief.
That is what He did for me.
That is what He has done for countless others, and that is what He will do for you, if you will come to Him! Ill. Rev. 22:17; Matt. 11:28; Isa. 42:3.)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
His Guarantee:
His Guarantee:
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The thief was looking for something from Jesus way down the road.
What he received was a promise that everything he was looking for had just been proved to him by his simple cry of faith. Jesus gave him a guarantee that his eternity was forever altered; and that the changes would begin immediately!
You see, Jesus died first, John 19:32–33, and preceded the thief into Paradise.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
(Note:
Meeting Jesus will forever change your eternity!
When you meet Jesus,
you move from “no hope” to “hope.”
You move from “lost” to “saved.”
You move from “Hell” to “Heaven.”
You wind up with an ironclad, foolproof, eternal guarantee, John 10:28; John 6:37–40; 1 Pet. 5:7.
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
You wind up with a future that is far better than anything you could ever imagine, John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 2:9.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Do you have that guarantee?
Do you want that guarantee?
It is as simple to obtain as doing what that dying man in our test did: Just call on the Lord, and He will save your soul!)
Conc:
When you look at Calvary, what do you see?
I see a Savior Who loved me so much that He willingly took my place on that cross so that I could be saved from my sins and miss the fires of Hell!
I see that hill as the place where my past was erased and my future was forever secured.
Is that what you see? Or, do you see yourself dying in your sins?
Do you see yourself convinced of what you need and of Who Jesus Christ is?
Do you see that He loves you and will save you if you will come to Him?
If you see your need; and if you see that Jesus is Who and what you need in your life, than I invite you to stop looking and to come to Him right now.
Will you come to Jesus and do what that wise thief did?
Will you call on Jesus for your salvation today?
If you will, He will save you!
Maybe you have looked to Calvary and realize that you need to thank the Lord for all that He did for you there. You can do that today. If your relationship with Him is not all that it should be, you can get that fixed up as well. Whatever the needs, bring them to Him today!
