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Introduction

Well, good morning!…Happy Resurrection Day!

It’s Easter! Amen? It’s a day that changed everything almost 2,000 years ago. As Jesus’s disciples went to the tomb that Sunday morning, they found it empty…Jesus’s body, it wasn’t there. Death had been defeated and hope had been cemented!

And that’s exactly why things like baptism are so incredible to watch. It’s just a reminder to us, that as believers, we’ve been buried to death with Jesus…and through His resurrection, we rise to life again! Death has no claim on us. Instead of it being a fear, Jesus, He turned it into our greatest hope. Death, it’s just a gateway into eternal life with Him.

It’s why Paul can say things like he does in Philippians chapter 1, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”…Death for us, its gain! It’s our hope! And its all because of Jesus’s resurrection…Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity…there is no faith. Which is why, this day, every year…is the greatest Christian holiday we have. It’s a reminder to us that we belong to Christ…and that no matter what we face, we’ll join Him in our own resurrection.

But listen, before the stone was rolled away…before the women came to the tomb and found it empty…before they ran to the others and told them that Jesus’s body was gone…something incredible happened on the cross between Jesus and two criminals.

Over the past month, we’ve been walking through a sermon series looking at specific things Jesus said at the very moment of His death. And listen, we’ve been tying those things into the Best News evangelism strategy…a strategy that helps us communicate the gospel clearly to people around us.

The first week, we looked at Jesus’s statement, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me,” and listen, we tied that to the bad news of the gospel…that everyone of us, we’re all sinners…we all fall short of God’s glory…and the wages of sin, its death.

And then, Justin, he walked us through Jesus’s statement, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” tying that to the worse news of the gospel…that there’s nothing we can do about our sin problem on our own. We’ll never be good enough…we’ll never be righteous enough to pay the penalty of sin we deserve.

Which lead us to the good news last week, that Jesus being God, came to us in the form of man…As a man, He paid for man’s sins on the cross…and as God, He satisfied His wrath against sin. And at the very moment of His death in John 19:30, He says, “IT IS FINISHED.” The good news of the gospel, its that Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Which brings us to the best news of the gospel this morning! In the final moments of Jesus’s earthly life, He didn’t perform a miracle or preach some sermon…He spoke a quiet, oftentimes overlooked promise to a dying man that deserved to actually die on a cross. Jesus said to this man, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Not because this man deserved it, but because Jesus offered a free gift…The man, all he had to do, to receive this gift, it was to believe…to have faith that what Jesus said was true. It was to turn to another man, also dying on a cross, and believe that eternal life was possible through Jesus.

This statement, it’s a statement full of grace…full of power…It’s a statement just bursting with the hope we now have in the resurrection.

Because the grave couldn’t hold back Jesus…because of His resurrection, we know those words, they weren’t just wishful thinking…it’s a promise from a Savior that had conquered the grave.

Easter proves, that even in our darkest hour, even when we’re at the end of our rope…Jesus can still offer life and hope and paradise.

That’s what I think this statement shows us the most.

And so, if you’re there with me this morning, we’re gonna focus on this one statement…but let’s stand and read the context of this passage together. Starting in verse 26:

Luke 23:26–43 ESV

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Listen, as we dig into this one statement…I have three things I want us to see this morning…number 1, the promise of salvation…number 2, the nature of faith…and then finally, number 3, the hope of paradise.

And so, with that, let’s dig into this first point together.

I. The Promise of Salvation

The promise of salvation.

And so, we’ve been talking about these events for the past several weeks now…we’ve kind of set the scene. And with every passage, we get some different details that I think are very important.

As we come to Luke chapter 23, the scene, its very somber…its brutal.

We started off reading about Jesus being led away through the city of Jerusalem…And we see through these accounts, Jesus wasn’t alone in His crucifixion…According to the text, we see that there’s two other people also being crucified on that day. And these people, they’re identified as criminals.

In fact, by one of the criminal’s own admission…verse 41, as they’re hanging there on the cross, he admits (in the text) that him and the other criminal, they’re receiving a just punishment. They deserve to be there…they’re being punished for something they’ve done.

And so, I just want you to picture the scene here…Jesus is led through the city…they come to this place called The Skull…they’re each nailed to an individual cross…there’s at least three nails that penetrate through their body and into the wood. Two were placed through each of their wrist…just between where the two bones meet. And then one was placed through each of the feet. One foot was placed over the other, and a single nail was driven in through both feet together.

And so, all three of ‘em…Jesus and the two criminals, they’ve been nailed to the cross and they’ve now been there for hours at this point in the story.

And again, what’s important to understand…only two of the people actually deserved to be there…the two criminals. The one criminal, he even says, “…this man, [Jesus] hasn’t done anything wrong” (v. 41). Jesus had lived a perfect life…He was righteous in all that He did. He was sinless…and yet here He was, positioned between two criminals being crucified for sins He never commited.

And so, Jesus, He’s hanging there on the cross…He’s surrounded not by His disciples or people who admire Him…He’s surrounded by mockers, criminals…And at first, if you were to read the accounts in Matthew 27, verse 44, both of the criminals were insulting Jesus alongside the crowd that was there in attendance.

But listen, here’s what I want you to see…somewhere ,along the way, something shifts in one of these criminals. One thief, he sees something the other doesn’t. And he realizes Jesus is innocent. And more than that, this guys sees that Jesus, He’s a King with a kingdom that outlasts even death.

And so, in a moment of desperation and faith, this man, he says to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And listen, Jesus’s response in verse 43…it had to shock everyone who was standing by listening and watching. He says, “Truly, I say to you, today you WILL be with me in paradise.”

Listen, that first word there, “Truly.” It’s a word of certainty…a word of authority and grace. He’s not guessing at something…He’s not grasping at straws. He’s not hedging His bets. Jesus is declaring, with full confidence, that He alone has the power to promise salvation.

This thief, he obviously has no good deeds to offer…he doesn’t have the ability to do anything to make himself “right” before God, right? He wasn’t baptized…He didn’t confess to a priest…He didn’t have time to turn his life around. He simply looked to Jesus in faith (we’ll talk more about that in just a second)…but that was enough. And Jesus, He met this man, not with judgment…but listen to me, He met him with grace…not because the man deserved it…but because he simply came to Jesus in faith and ultimately because Jesus has the authority and power to promise salvation.

And listen, pay attention to the middle parts of Jesus’s statement…He says, “…you WILL be with me in paradise.” Again, it’s a promise…a promise that’s not built on contingencies…its not a promise built on man’s freewill…or man’s power…its a promise rooted in the authority and the power of Jesus Christ, alone!

That’s the scandal and the beauty of the cross. At the center of our faith, there’s a Savior who saves not just the good or the religious…He saves the broken…He saves the guilty…the dying. He saves those who are most undeserving…those who understand their own depravity. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5). He saves those who acknowledge their sin and their own inability to do anything about the problems sin creates. He saves those He chooses by His own authority and by His own power. And listen, this promise that Jesus makes to the thief…its immediate. Eternal life is his at that very moment…its not something that he can just squander away.

Easter, it confirms this grace…Jesus didn’t stay on a cross. Eventually, He died…He was buried in a tomb…and three days later…the Bible, several historical accounts outside of the Bible…eyewitnesses…testimonies of martyrs who gave their lives for what they saw and believed themselves…three days later, Jesus rose from the dead proving that His promise…it wasn’t just some empty wish…His promise, it has real power.

Listen, for believers, we read these accounts, and it should be a reminder to us, we’re securely held and we’re protected in the hand of Christ. Nothing, no power of hell…no scheme of man…nothing can remove or take away the promise of salvation that Jesus has given us as regenerated people. People who’ve been given new life…people who’ve been given a heart of flesh…people who’ve been gifted the indwelling of the Spirit, you can have confidence knowing that no matter what happens, your future, it’s fully protected by the authority and by the power of Christ. It’s not you…it’s not on your decisions, good or bad…its not on your works…its not on your circumstances. The promise of salvation, its rooted in the power of Jesus Christ.

But listen, for unbelievers this morning…maybe you walked in here and you feel like the thief. You feel like it’s too late for you…that you’ve messed up too much…you feel like there’s nothing that can save you from the mistakes you’ve made or the circumstances you find yourself in…If that’s you this morning, I want you to understand…Easter says otherwise. Jesus still works the same today. He meets us with grace…especially in our weakest moments…and when you feel most undeserving, that’s when Jesus gives grace all the more. His promise is true…there’s real power in His promise to save…because He lives.

Listen, there’s a lot of things that promise to save you…or to help through whatever it is you’re dealing with…but understand, only Jesus has the power to follow through with that promise.

That’s the first point…Jesus makes the promise of salvation.

II. The Nature of Faith

Point number 2…the nature of faith.

Again, Jesus says to the thief beside Him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It makes you ask the question, “What did this guy do for Jesus to make that promise?”

Well listen, go back to the thief’s statement, right? Verse 42, he says, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

This criminal, based on his own statement…he believed Jesus was a King, even though Jesus was bloodied and dying beside him…He believed Jesus had a kingdom, even when it looked like Rome had the final word…He believed Jesus had real power…the power to remember him, to include him, to save him…not someday but that day.

Guys, that’s the nature of faith. Its trusting in who Jesus is, even when everything you see around you seems to say otherwise. This man, he had no evidence…there weren’t any miracles or signs…there was simply a crucified Messiah and a flicker of hope.

And that’s how Easter brings all of this together…the resurrection, its the reason this man’s faith wasn’t in vain. Because Jesus rose from the dead…because the grave is empty…we know and we can believe that Jesus really is the King with a kingdom…we know that the authority to save, it rests on the shoulders of Jesus.

The thief trusted Jesus with His last breath…and Easter, it assures us that his hope wasn’t misplaced.

And so, what did this guy do for Jesus to make him that kind of promise? He simply believed…he trusted…he had faith that Jesus was what He claimed to be and that Jesus had the power He claimed to have.

That’s the nature of faith…and that’s the whole point of the best news. To receive salvation…there’s nothing this thief had to do. He wasn’t baptized…He didn’t have the ability to join a church…He didn’t have time to read his Bible or to join a small group. This guy never went on a short term mission trip. He had hours to live, right?

I’ve used this before…but one of my favorite preachers, Alistair Begg…he said this about the thief and his salvation:

Imagine the scene in heaven when the thief who died beside Jesus arrives. The angel asks, “What are you doing here?”The thief replies, “I don’t know.” The angel presses [him], “What do you mean you don’t know?” The thief responds, “Well, because I don’t know.” The angel, perplexed, says, “Let me get my supervisor.” And so the supervisor angel arrives and [he] begins questioning the thief:​

“Are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?”​

“I’ve never heard of it.”​

“What about the doctrine of Scripture?”​

“I don’t know what that is.”​

“Did you attend a Bible study?”​

“No.”​

“Were you baptized?”​

“No.”​

“Were you a member of a church?”​

“No.”​

Frustrated, the supervisor angel finally asks, “On what basis are you here [then]?” The thief replies, “The man on the middle cross said I could come.”​

His faith, coupled with Jesus’s grace and power…that’s what brought this man salvation. It wasn’t his works…it wasn’t the things he could do.

So many people think that by the things we do, we can somehow justify ourselves. There’s entire “Christian religions” built around these ideas. It’s repentance and faith that saves us.

And then, after we’ve been regenerated…after we’ve been given a new heart…through the Spirit of God, we’re given fruit…and then and only then, are there works that pour out of us. Works are a result of salvation…they’re not the means of salvation.

I was baptized…I come to church…I read my Bible…I pray…I’m a part of different small groups…I go on missions…not because those things earn me anything…I do those things because I get to…it’s my privilege…and as a believer, with the very Spirit of God in me…I want to do those things.

But my salvation, it was secured by the grace and power of Jesus Christ…and it was my faith, in those things, that activated that salvation. It was me realizing, like the thief, I’m a sinner that deserves death and separation…and it was me realizing Jesus was the only One, by His work, that could deliver me from that destiny.

Faith, isn’t about how strong you are…its about who you reach for. The thief didn’t have all the right answers, but he reached for the right Savior.

Some of us, we hesitate coming to God because we think our faith, isn’t enough. There has to be something else that makes us right before we come to God. We think our situations or our circumstances…we think the wrong we’ve done…we think those things place an impossible barrier for God to reach us. And the reality is, that’s partly true…but only because you’re trying to climb that barrier by your own effort.

Faith, its affirming that Jesus already climbed the barrier for you. And listen, it’s turning your life, the entirety of who are…its turning that over into His hands for safe keeping. When you do that…the Bible says in Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 ESV

[when] you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart [faith, right?] that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

And from that point on…the promise of the Spirit…the promise of righteous…the promise of sanctification…all that, its yours today…which moves us into our last point this morning.

III. The Hope of Paradise

The hope of paradise.

Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Listen, Jesus’s words here…they’re more than just a promise of relief after death. A lot of times, when we think about the hope of our salvation…we see those things as future oriented, right? Like its really about death…our reward, its another life after we die. We hold this idea that paradise is a future thing only.

But listen, Jesus’s words…its a declaration of a restored relationship…its a declaration of what we receive right now.

Pay attention to the order of Jesus’s statement…, “Today you will be with ME…in paradise.” The joy of salvation, its not golden streets or massive mansions…its not about this endless peace that we’ll receive. The true joy of salvation, its being with Jesus.

The thief, he had no idea what paradise looked like…all he knew, its who he’d be with…and that was enough.

Guys, the Easter story…its Jesus going to His death…coming out on the other side alive…so that we could go with Him.

That’s the point of Jesus’s statement!

The Greek word for paradise…it had a couple of meanings. Oftentimes it was used to describe a walled garden that was typically reserved for royalty. This word, a lot of times, it was used to describe the garden of Eden. But listen, it was also used symbolically to describe the presence of God in other places throughout the New Testament.

And so, if you’re paying attention, all of those meanings…its about communion with the King of kings. If its the first meaning, then we to go to a walled garden where the King is, right?

If its the garden of Eden, we studied those accounts a couple of years ago…well, the fascinating thing about that garden, it was that God walked with mankind…so again, relationship, right?

And if its about the very presence of God…well, the Bible says that at our salvation…Right? When we’re regenerated…we’re sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)…and so, God Himself indwells us…allowing us to be in His very presence.

Listen, the idea of paradise…its a relationship with the God of the universe…the God of Creation.

Yes, part of it, it’s future oriented, where we’ll physically walk with Christ. But listen to me, it’s also meant for our present lives as well. Through the Spirit of God, we’re in His very presence now…and through the hope of an eternal paradise, it impacts us now.

Guys, I want you to hear me…we live in a world that’s full of endings, right? There’s death…there’s loss…brokenness. But listen, the Easter story, it proclaims that in Christ, the end is not the end. If you’re in Jesus…then no matter what this life throws at you…paradise…its ahead of you…and listen to me, its here with you right now. You get joy in your darkest moments, and you get to see God take what’s been bad in your life…and you get to see Him use it all for His glory! Not because you earned it…but because He extended His grace to you. Its the best news known to man.

Closing

And what I love about Easter…its that it gives us an opportunity to reflect on these things…on this good and gracious God that we get a relationship with. He’s not like any other god we read about…He doesn’t say you have to be perfect…He doesn’t say you have do all these things to be in His presence…He’s done everything to bridge the gap between you and Him. He took on your sin. He died the death meant for you…He did it all, so that you could experience this supernatural joy in His presence for all eternity. In his death, you’ve received forgiveness…in His resurrection you’ve received hope.

All you have to do, its believe. And listen, as you begin to believe in the things we’re talking about…your faith, your belief…it starts allowing you to turn from yourself and turn toward Jesus. That’s repentance…its recognizing that you’re sinful…that the wages of sin is death…its recognizing that you’re separated from this good and holy God…and its turning to the only one that can save you…turning to the only one worthy of worshiping.

Guys, it doesn’t matter who you are this morning…just like the criminal on the cross, who by his own admission deserved to be there…Jesus can save you…by His work…by His authority…by His power.

Jesus isn’t just some other man…Jesus is God with us. John chapter 1 shows us that Jesus is with God and Jesus is God…and by His own willingness, He became flesh…He took on our sin. Jesus experienced our death.

And so listen, this morning…if you’ve never turned your life to Jesus…I just wanna give you an opportunity to do that. Maybe you’re visiting with us…maybe someone invited you this morning…I don’t know…but I wanna give you an opportunity to turn to Jesus.

And so, I’m gonna lead you in a prayer…but listen to me, I want you to understand these words, they don’t save you, they don’t really mean much if your heart isn’t in the right place. There’s no such thing as a prayer that will save you. The Bible’s clear, salvation, it comes by repenting and believing. I just wanna help you this morning process everything we’ve talked about.

Again, Paul tells us in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

And so, if you would, I just wanna take a moment…if we could…just bow your head and close your eyes with me. No one’s looking around.

If that’s you this morning…again, I wanna help you respond to the gospel message you just heard…you could repeat after me, but just remember its not these words that save you…its what’s going on in your heart?

"Lord Jesus...I recognize that I’m a sinner…I know that’s by nature and by my choices. I know that the wages of sin is death. That’s what I’d experience without you. But I believe you are who you claim to be…I believe you are God and that you took on flesh. I believed you died as a man, experiencing man’s punishment against sin. And I believe you were crucified as God, taking on His wrath as our only righteous sacrifice. I know that salvation isn’t by my works but by the finished work of Jesus Christ. Lord, I place my faith and hope in Jesus today…and I pray that your Spirit will make me new and deliver me from the power of sin.

I pray these things, in Jesus’s name…Amen!

Listen, if you confessed that with me and if you meant those things in your heart...The Bible says, you have been saved…you’ve been given eternal life…you have hope that one day, you’ll be raised from the dead just like Jesus. The Bible, it tells us that the very Spirit of God, He’s now taken up residence in you.

But listen to me, if you said those things with me this morning and if you meant those things, I want you to tell someone before you leave. Tell the person that brought you…come tell me during our response time…let someone this morning know.

And so listen, our praise team, they’re gonna lead us in worship…I’m gonna be at the back if you need me to pray with you or talk to you.

This is your time to respond to what you’ve heard and this is your time to seek the Lord.

You come!

[Prayer]