2 Kinds of People

Two kind of people those who know two or more languages and the rest of us who pretend to know another language. Between my wife and I I think she has the funniest story….she was trying to tell someone that she had a headache but instead of saying sakit Kepala she said [Sakit Kelapa]….What is even worse than that is that I usually don't know when I have made a mistake and usually keep right on going…

There are 2 kinds of people in the world, aren’t there? People who are good at language and people who aren’t. And all you…I know..are good at learning languages. I feel lonely!

Actually…did you know that at the end of the day…when all is said and done….there REALLY are 2 kinds of people in the world? Did you know that?

Today is a Red Letter day. And there are 2 kinds of people in the world:

People who see today as a GOOD…a VERY GOOD day. And people who see this as Just another Day.

People who see today as a day that changed eternity. And people who just don’t see what the big deal is.

People who are WITH Jesus. And people—who might even be sitting in this room right now—who are NOT with Him. Two kinds of people.

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the last words of Jesus—the words Jesus said from the cross. And if you remember the story, there are TWO criminals who are crucified on either side of Jesus. And these 2 men represent the 2 kinds of people that are in the world…the 2 different ways people approach Jesus. And the difference between the 2… In fact…is all the difference in the world. It’s the difference between Life and death, heaven and hell. And so it makes sense that the most important question you will ever ask yourself is: What kind of person am I? Let’s look at it together today.

Our scripture passage is found in . The night before, Jesus has been betrayed by his disciple Judas, (SLIDE: I think we have a screenshot of Jesus WhatsApp chat.) He has been denied by Peter, and he has been abandoned by the rest of his disciples. He has been brought before a religious court who wants to have him killed, and then brought before a Roman court who wants to have nothing to do with him. Both Herod and Pilate…the Jewish official and the Roman official have declared his innocence, but the mob is demanding execution. They secure a trade. They demand the release of Barabbas, a murderer, and demand that Jesus is taken instead. Finally, Pilate washes his hands and agrees to the execution.

While all this has been going on, Jesus has been mocked, beaten, spit upon and cursed. He has been flogged until he is unrecognizable. And now, he is being led, like a lamb to the slaughter, to a place just outside the city wall of Jerusalem—to a hill called Golgotha. Following behind him is a large, chaotic crowd. Some in the crowd are spitting and hurling insults at Jesus. Women are wailing and clinging to each other…soldiers are yelling orders and holding back the crowds. Thousands of visiting bystanders are in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, and they are just watching with wide eyes because they don’t know what is going on. The Roman soldiers yank one of visitors—Simon the Cyrene—to carry the cross because by this time Jesus is physically not able to carry it. It’s hot, dusty, loud and chaotic, and they are winding their way outside Jerusalem. Let’s pick up the story in

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Let’s PRAY.

There are 2 kinds of people in the world. One person encounters Jesus, meets him, even talks to him—but he is never WITH Jesus. The other person encounters Jesus, and is told, “I assure you, TODAY, you will be WITH ME in paradise.” What’s the difference? What does that second person do differently?

On this Good Friday…THE ONLY RED LETTER DAY that changed ETERNITY…we’re going to ask this question, “how can I be someone who is WITH Jesus in paradise?” Not SOMEDAY but TODAY…How can I be someone who is WITH Jesus in paradise?

I want us to look at 3 things the second criminal did that made the difference. 3 things from our passage:

Wake Up to Jesus. See your Need. Fall on his mercy.

First….we need to Wake Up to who Jesus is.

Let’s think about this crucifixion scene. I already mentioned the chaotic crowd that followed Jesus through Jerusalem on his way to Golgotha. Now, they have all gathered to witness the execution. Verse 35 tells us that there is a crowd watching…they are surrounded by onlookers…some probably curious, some hostile.

It says there are religious leaders there…the wealthy and culturally powerful ones…and they are scoffing at Jesus. They’re mocking him. They see this crucifixion as righteous retribution. “Serves him right!” Because these leaders believed that THEY were the righteous ones of Israel. And yet Jesus came telling them that nothing they were doing was earning them any points with God. In fact, sinners— were better off with God, than these so called righteous. And so these religious leaders hated Jesus. They wouldn’t miss the crucifixion because this is their chance to gloat. “Who do you think you are now, Jesus!”

And then it says there were soldiers. The muscle…the representatives of the empire. THEY were mocking Jesus too. “Ha…What a great ‘King’…can’t even get himself off a cross.” They put a sign above him, “This is the King of the Jews.” They were being sarcastic, because they thought Jesus was weak…nothing more than a JOKE.

And then there are two Criminal’s…. Both started by mocking Jesus. Sometimes these criminals are called “thieves,” but many scholars will tell you that they were just as likely insurrectionists. They were Jewish nationalists who wanted to kick Rome out of their country. It’s likely these 2 men were friends…partners in the Resistance against Rome…fighting together to bring liberation to their people. And then they were caught and were now being crucified.

So EVERYONE in the world is MOCKING or SCOFFING at Jesus. EVERYONE thinks he is a joke. The general public, the religious leaders, the soldiers of the empire, even his own friends.

It was the EASIEST thing in the world for this FIRST criminal to go along with everyone else. The easiest thing in the world for him to see Jesus just like everyone else in the world saw him…as a joke. A curious spectacle. A weak, defeated failure.

It would have been the easiest thing in the world, to go along with the cultural flow around him.

Have you ever been river rafting? I’ve only been in Indonesia for 4 years, only once have I ever seen a river that I would want to spend much time on…let alone submerge myself in. Almost all the rivers I have seen are disgusting. BUT…I’m sure there are some beautiful rivers in Indonesia somewhere…I am confident that they do not exist in Surabaya. But maybe some of you have travelled somewhere and have had the chance to go river rafting. Let me tell you something…no one goes river rafting upstream. You don’t get into the raft and then spend the entire time paddling against the current. That would be miserable. The way you do it, is you go WITH the current. It’s EASY. It’s FUN. It’s ENJOYABLE. EVERYONE does it that way.

That was the First Criminal: Jesus is a Joke…Going with the current of the culture—but What about the Second Criminal?

This second Criminal did something that is one of the hardest things in the world to do. When he encountered Jesus, he went against the FLOW. Everyone else looked at Jesus as a joke. Spiritually, they were SLEEPING. They didn’t SEE Jesus. They were BLIND. Their eyes were closed. Two weeks ago, we talked about Jesus’ words “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” tells us that they didn’t know because the god of this WORLD has blinded them to the REALITY of WHO JESUS IS. It’s like they are ASLEEP—their eyes are closed.

But the second criminal…somehow this guy WAKES UP. And he stops in the middle of the strong current, and he goes against the crowd, the religious leaders, the empire and his own friends and he says, “Don’t you FEAR GOD?” He wakes up!

There are 2 kinds of people in the world: the ones whose eyes are closed to who Jesus is, and the ones who WAKE UP to WHO JESUS IS… If you are going to be WITH JESUS in paradise, you have to WAKE UP. You're going to have to stand against the CURRENT of this world. Everyone around you might think Jesus is a joke. Good Friday is JUST ANOTHER DAY. Just another day to sleep in. But if you’re going to be WITH JESUS, you have to be the ONE MAN…the ONE WOMAN…who GETS IT. WHO WAKES UP and SEES Jesus for who he really is.

Who do you say Jesus is?

Is he just a good, moral teacher? Is he just one god among many? An historical phenomenon, but nothing more?

Think about this with me for a minute: Thousands of people throughout the course of human history have claimed to be god and tried to start a religion. They come up, have a group of followers for a time and then they die and with that…fade into history, — we never hear about them again. There have been thousands of people claiming to be god and trying to start a religion. It’s a big group. None of them have changed the world. If I asked you, you probably couldn’t think of a single one of their names. None of them have changed the world.

On the other hand, there is a very tiny, small group of people who have started a MAJOR world religion. In fact, I could count them on 1 hand. That’s what you call an exclusive club. Indonesia recognizes 5 religions and if I asked you, you could NAME every single one of the men behind those religions. Every single one of those men lived an EXTRAORDINARY life in some way. Far outside the ordinary…so much so—that vast groups of people follow their teachings to this very day.

WE have two groups. One BIG group of people who have claimed to be god, and another group— a TINY group of people who actually changed the world. Do you realize that there is only 1 man in the history of the world who Claimed to be God AND Started a World Religion? There has only been 1 man! ONE MAN…who both claimed to be God AND founded a major world religion that shaped the world and changed the course of history. In Fact, he started the most successful startup in all of human history…it’s called CHRISTIANITY. ONLY ONE. Out of the billions and billions of people who have ever lived….ONLY 1 man.

Only 1 man claimed repeatedly—indirectly and directly—to be the creator God of the universe, in the flesh, and then lived a life of such beauty and power…that people BELIEVED him. What kind of life would your friend have to live in order to convince you he was God in the flesh? That’s the kind of life Jesus lived.

In the words of Jonathan Edwards, Jesus was “a conjunction of diverse excellences.” Here’s what that means: all the things in human personalities that are usually opposites are brought together perfectly in the life of Jesus.

He was BOTH humble and powerful, he was tender and strong. He was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Love and JUSTICE. He could raise an adulterous woman from the dust with his tenderness and forgiveness, and he could lower the prideful religious leaders with his warnings and correction.

Jesus was a “conjunction of diverse excellences” that the world had never seen. And on TOP of all that…he healed the sick, cured the blind, raised the dead, and started a movement that turned the values of this world completely upside down. His movement spread across the world like a wildfire, toppled empires and nations, and 2,000 years later it’s burning brighter than ever. That’s not a myth. That’s HISTORY.

Who do you say Jesus is?

In the words of the apostle John,

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.“

Who do you say Jesus is?

If you go against the flow, and you take Jesus’s life seriously…there is only 1 way to answer that question: This man was GOD in the flesh.

You know…the Bible depicts the crucifixion as a CORONATION. You know what a coronation is, right? It is when a monarch is formally installed as the KING OR QUEEN. It is a ceremony, and it usually involves a CROWN being placed on the monarch’s head. They are dressed in royal robes. And they ascend to the throne. This still happens today. Tracy and I have been watching THE CROWN on netlfix. It’s about Queen Elizabeth from Great Britain. She’s still alive today. Every once in a while she wears her crown. When she goes grocery shopping maybe. Or stops to fill her Avanza up with gas.

The Bible depicts the Crucifixion as Jesus’ coronation. He is given a purple robe signifying royalty, a crown is placed on his head, and he is lifted up as the KING of the Jews. The Crucifixion is Jesus’ CORONATION. But the whole world missed it. The whole world was MOCKING because they thought it was a JOKE. Except for one guy. That Second criminal—He WAKES UP to who Jesus is…He is a King who is coming into his Kingdom.

Are you awake to Jesus or are you still sleeping? Which one are you?

It’s interesting, because in Matthew’s account of the crucifixion, he says that BOTH the criminals mocked Jesus. It’s very possible that this second guy started off mocking Jesus, but then when he watched the way Jesus suffered, when he heard Jesus pray “Father, Forgive them” for the very people who were driving nails into his flesh…that’s what WAKES HIM UP. He was in desperate circumstances. And he looks at Jesus’ life, how he lived…and that WAKES HIM UP.

Very often, that’s what wakes us up too. Life circumstances leave us in a place of DESPERATION. And so we start looking for help. And when that happens, if we can LOOK at JESUS…look at the way he lived, the beauty of his life, what he claimed about himself…that can WAKE US UP. Even if the whole world around you is sleeping, if you can take Jesus’ life and claims seriously…It will wake you up. If you’re here and you’re skeptical about Jesus, maybe you think all of this is just a joke. PLEASE - Be the one guy who investigates Jesus seriously. Look into his life. Look into the evidence. Don’t miss Jesus just because you’re floating through life with the current.

That’s the first thing the second criminal does…He WAKES UP to who Jesus is.

Second thing the criminal does, is he SEES HIS NEED. He wakes up, and he SEES HIS NEED.

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

[Story about stealing a piece of candy when I was young.] I learned from a young age, that I was a sinner.

Unfortunately the fact that I’m a sinner has only been confirmed over and over and over the older I’ve gotten. The Bible tells us that Adam’s sin has been passed into our DNA. At some point, mankind chose to REJECT God. As a result, we are born to sin. It’s in our nature…it’s built into our SPIRITUAL DNA. We start sinning from a young age and we keep on with our sin nature until the day we die. That’s the problem you have. That’s the problem that I have. That’s my CONDITION. That’s my need.

But not everyone sees it that way. The first criminal didn’t. He saw he had a need alright…but it wasn’t that he was a sinner and he deserved to die. It was that he was hanging on a cross and he needed Jesus to get him out of there.

Almost everyone at some point in their life will pray a prayer like this…”Jesus, if you’re real….do THIS…for me.” Fill in the blank.

Jesus, if you’re really there…get me out of this situation.

Jesus, if you’re really there…get me this guy or girl.

Jesus, if you’re really there…get me this job.

Jesus, if you’re really there…DO THIS and then I’ll believe in you.

It’s very normal. You get in desperate circumstances, and you think what you need is for your CIRCUMSTANCES to be fixed. Or you NEED your life to go a certain way…that’s your NEED.

But you’re never going to be WITH Jesus that way.

There are 2 kinds of people in the world. People who think their need is a CIRCUMSTANCE that needs to be fixed, & people who know their need is a guilty CONDITION for which there is NO FIX.

The second criminal WOKE UP to Jesus, and he saw that his need was that he was GUILTY. He deserved to die. He was a sinner! Listen to what he says, “41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” He saw his life in comparison with Jesus who had done NOTHING wrong. And he saw that his real need was that he was guilty…and there was NOTHING that could be done to fix it. He was sentenced to die, he DESERVED to die, and he was ABOUT to die.

Do you see your need? Is Jesus…if he is real…just a means to some end for you? Is Jesus just something you want to use so that your life can go the way you think it needs to go? Is that what you think your need is? You will never be with Jesus if that’s what you think your need is.

Go against the flow of the world who tells you that compared to other people, you’re a pretty good person. You deserve paradise because you’re not as bad as that guy. STOP. Go against the flow. WAKE UP and realize that COMPARED to Jesus…you are a SINNER. You have been sentenced to die, you DESERVE to die, and you are about to die.

If you go with the flow of the world…they are NEVER going to tell you that. Listen…Some CHURCHES won’t even tell you that. They want to tell you that what you NEED is a great life. You need someone to fix your self-esteem. You need someone to fix your finances. And Jesus is just the one to do it.

STOP. Go against the flow. You will never be with Jesus that way. Your NEED is not a circumstance that needs to be fixed. Your need is a SIN CONDITION for which there is NO FIX. You are a sinner who is sentenced to die, DESERVES to die,—all of us have about 75 years give or take—and then we die.

If you are saying to yourself right now…”This is the most depressing sermon ever…why did I come today…I should have slept in!” Don’t worry…we’re not done yet. Today is called GOOD FRIDAY for a reason.

How can you be WITH JESUS today in paradise? The second criminal shows us that first we have to WAKE UP to Jesus, then we have to SEE OUR NEED, and finally this morning, we must FALL ON HIS MERCY.

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The second criminal sees Jesus forgiving his killers, forgiving those who were mocking him, he heard that Jesus had saved others…and he wakes up to who Jesus is. This is GOD. This is the perfect, sinless Son of God who has done nothing wrong and does not deserve to die. He is a King who will come into His Kingdom.

What the criminal didn’t yet realize is that this man was dying for a REASON. Jesus was being mocked because he had saved others but he couldn’t save himself. What the crowd was too blind to see is that the only way Jesus COULD save others is if he WOULDN’T save himself. Jesus was dying so that he could meet the only real need we really have: THE NEED FOR MERCY.

We are sinners. And we deserve to die. Jesus was perfect, and he deserved to live. BUT because this God was full of BOTH JUSTICE AND LOVE…he traded places with us. On the CROSS, the full force of God’s JUSTICE met the FULL FORCE of God’s Love. On a Friday afternoon, some 2,000 years ago, on a hill called the SKULL, GOD traded places with YOU. You were SENTENCED to die, you DESERVED to die…and Jesus said…Take me instead. I’ll DIE…so that you can live. I’ll will carry out the punishment you were sentenced for.

So that why? So that we can FALL ON HIS MERCY.

Both Criminals had NOTHING to offer Jesus. However, the Second one—He didn’t have a good past to offer, and he didn’t have the promise of a BETTER future. He had NOTHING…he was literally about to die. A few moments after he speaks with Jesus, the Bible tells us that the Roman soldiers come and break the legs of the criminals in order to speed their death. This man was about to DIE and he had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. In fact, he started off just like everyone else…mocking Jesus. But then he WOKE UP…he saw his guilty condition, and he simply said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” “Now I see who you are…you ARE the King…will you just, REMEMBER me when you come into your Kingdom? I know I don’t even deserve that…but will you just, remember me?”

There are 2 kinds of people in the world. People who are too proud to kneel, and then there are people who FALL on the MERCY of Jesus Christ. Which one are you?

When the condemned criminal woke up to King Jesus, and saw his true condition, he simply wanted to be WITH Jesus in his memory. He had nothing to offer and deserved nothing from Jesus…but he appealed to JESUS’ MERCY. “Remember me…”

Did Jesus’ mercy give him what he asked for? NO. JESUS gave him more. More than this cynical, broken, ruined criminal would have ever asked for or could even imagine.

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

LISTEN because this is important: JESUS’ MERCY EXCEEDS PARDON. Jesus’ mercy EXTENDS PARADISE. That means that not only does Jesus take your PUNISHMENT, but he ALSO grants to you his PRIVILEGES. Jesus’ privilege is Paradise….and he extends it to you.

Long ago, in the Garden, Adam lost paradise for mankind. at the cross, Jesus gained it back.

You know one of my favorite experiences is coming home after a long day, and I’m tired and I walk in my front door and my wife is making Soto Ayam and I get a WHIFF of what’s for dinner. Don’t you love that. I can SMELL what’s coming. The Bible often depicts Heaven as a MEAL…a meal that we will share with Jesus. The MEAL Is coming ICA…do you smell it? To be with Jesus’ SPIRIT TODAY…which is what happens when you become a Christian…is to get a WHIFF of Paradise. Paradise is not a PLACE, it is a PERSON. Paradise IS Jesus. So to be with Jesus’ Spirit TODAY is to get a whiff of paradise TODAY. It is to step across the threshold into Paradise and BEGIN to experience its effects…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… Someday we are going to be with JESUS IN THE FLESH…and when that happens….no eye has seen and no mind can imagine what is awaiting us.

Are you WITH JESUS?…or WITHOUT Him? The GOOD NEWS of GOOD FRIDAY is that although you were a Criminal, sentenced to die, deserving of death, Jesus the innocent Son of God, died to pay for your sin. On the cross, the full force of God’s justice, met the full force of God’s Love…in the person of Jesus Christ. Who do you say he is? Do you see your need? Have you FALLEN on his mercy?

Maybe the greatest lesson we learn from the second criminal is that while you still have breath… it’s never too late, and there is never something you can’t be forgiven of. ANYONE can fall on his mercy at ANY time…even in the last few moments of life. You know it wasn’t the religious people—the morally righteous people—that were assured that day. It was the criminal in the last few minutes of his life. It was the one who knew he had nothing. No good past to offer. No better future to offer. To experience Grace, all you need is NOTHING. All you need is NEED.

Have you experienced His Grace?

As I close this morning, the worship team & ushers are going to come and distribute the communion elements. Hold on to those and we will take them together in just a minute.

If you’ve been around Church for a while, then you know intellectually that we are saved by FAITH and not by WORKS. You know that in your head. You’ve heard it a million times. But EXPERIENTIALLY…we forget this all the time. You keep a little tally in your head about how you are doing with God. Okay, I volunteered in Sunday school and I went on a missions trip…so let’s put some checkmarks on the “GOOD” side. But I haven’t done my devotions in a month and I keep getting irritated at my mother in law…so I guess I need to take a few deductions.

However—We don’t get to be WITH Jesus because our GOOD marks outweigh our bad marks…we get to be with Jesus because we FALL on his MERCY. It’s called GRACE. And it’s what sets Christianity apart from every one of those other religions. No other religion offers Grace because no human could have come up with the concept. God’s GRACE is counterintuitive to the human experience. That’s why we need to remind ourselves of it all the time. Every single Sunday I pound in the idea of Grace. Because without being GROUNDED in Grace…the realization that there is NOTHING we can do to EARN God’s love…we will either become too PROUD…because we will think we are such good Christians…or we will become too FEARFUL…because we think we are falling out of favor with God. Grace is not a tally system. That’s what this whole passage is showing us. ALL YOU NEED IS NOTHING.

Wake up to who Jesus is….the KING. SEE YOUR NEED…it’s your guilty condition for which there is no fix. FALL on HIS MERCY…his grace will catch you.

You can be ASSURED…SECURE and SURE…that you will be WITH JESUS…TODAY…in Paradise.

Communion: Today we celebrate the CORONATION of KING JESUS. The King has come into His Kingdom…not everyone of you in this room realizes what has happened. Some are still asleep. But for those of us who are AWAKE, we come to the King’s table and we remember his death that secured our place in Paradise.

When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

[…]

28 “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. 29 And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom.

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