Truly, I say to you,today you will be with me in paradise.
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Use a little imagination. Crucifixion was indescribably horrible, gruesome. What it was meant to do was to put so much fear in the hearts of the populace when they saw someone crucified that they would swear to themselves that this would never happen to them. This was the way of keeping the people in line. It was the most excruciating form of execution that a twisted, tormented mind could devise. And so here are these men there. Jesus, we picture Him in the middle. We picture the thief who rejected Him on one side, the one who ridiculed Him and cast slander at Him. We picture the other thief over here on the right-hand side of the Lord Jesus. And I want you to see him there with his gaping wounds. I want you to feel as you can the throbbing pain, where every nerve in his body is a highway for the footprints of pain. Perhaps he’s nauseous. He is almost in shock. There are flies in his gaping wounds. His body is dehydrated. His tongue is swollen. He can hardly turn his head. But he looks to Jesus and he says, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” () And Jesus, in agony and blood, takes time from dying to turn to this man, and Jesus said, “Verily”—that means “you can bank on it”—“I say unto thee, Today shalt thous be with me in paradise.” ()
Now that’s the background for the study. And I want us to see the theology that this man had, this dying thief, that caused him to say what he said to the Lord Jesus. And I want you to see the result of that kind of theology.
Now, here’s the second theology I want you to see. Not only do you see his theology of sin and the failure that condemned him, but I want you to see his theology of God and the fear that convicted him. Look in verse 40: “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God …?” () Now a good theology not only sees sin for what it is, but it sees God for who He is. And He is a holy God who will punish sin. A healthy fear of a holy God is the beginning of knowledge.
Now, here’s the second theology I want you to see. Not only do you see his theology of sin and the failure that condemned him, but I want you to see his theology of God and the fear that convicted him. Look in verse 40: “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God …?” () Now a good theology not only sees sin for what it is, but it sees God for who He is. And He is a holy God who will punish sin. A healthy fear of a holy God is the beginning of knowledge.
Now when we talk about the fear of God, what do we mean by the fear of God? Does that mean that we dread God? No.
• An electrician has a fear of electricity. Now it doesn’t mean that he dreads electricity. But he knows that when he’s handling those wires, he must be careful or he can kill himself. A pilot has a respect for the power of gravity. Jim Glover, an erstwhile pilot in our church, told me, “Pastor, there are two kinds of pilots: there are old pilots and there are bold pilots; but there are no old, bold pilots.” Now, what did he mean by that? He meant that you have a healthy respect of gravity. No pilot that I know of fears gravity. But he knows that it can destroy him. I have a respect for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Now when I’m going down the road, I see that car. I do what you do: I look at the speedometer, you know, to check and see if I have somehow transgressed. Now when I see a policeman, I don’t quake and tremble, because I have a pure conscience in that arena. But I can tell you one thing: I have a healthy respect for the law.•
A. W. Tozer said this: “The fear of God is love on its knees.” And he said this—and listen to me—“No one can know the true grace of God who has not first known the fear of God.”
Rogers, A. (2017). Sound Theology. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
Do you know what bothers me about our generation? The one thing that we are missing most in America is the fear of God. That is gone in America. Now the Apostle Paul described a generation like this in , verse 18, when he said, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” () And yet if you’re not a Christian, if you’re like this dying thief, you have so much to fear. I hear people say, “Well, I don’t believe in using fear in religion.” Do you know why you don’t believe that? Because you think you’re smarter than Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10, verse 28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” () Listen to what the Psalmist said in , verse 11: “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” () I had rather frighten you into heaven than to lull you into hell. “The fear of the LORD”—“love on its knees”—“is the beginning of wisdom.” (; )
Rogers, A. (2017). Sound Theology. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
The Greek word means “one who uses violence to rob openly,” in contrast to the thief who secretly enters a house and steals. These two men may have been guilty of armed robbery involving murder.
Luke 23:
Matt
Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 275). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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.
J
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Luke 23:
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!”
Luke 23
There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Luke 23:
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?
Luke
Silence of the Savior
But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
Luke 23:
Sinner who sees himself
Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.
Fear God
This man knew that sin brought punishment. This man knew that he was a sinner. And he knew that his sin deserved and received judgment.
First of all, I want you to see this man’s theology of sin and the failure that condemned him. Look in verse 39: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds.” () This man knew that sin brought punishment. This man knew that he was a sinner. And he knew that his sin deserved and received judgment.
Now I want to say this: All good theology has a proper understanding of sin. If you don’t have a proper understanding of sin, your theology is going to be skewed, because you, if you make a wrong diagnosis, it will follow as night follows day that you will never have the right and the proper cure. This man had a theology of sin, and he knew the faults, the failures, that condemned him. And that’s the reason he cried out to God for mercy. Many people will never get saved, because they will never accept the fact that they are a sinner. Yet the Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
You say, “Well, Pastor, I’ve never sinned like this man sinned.” Folks, it’s not the amount of sin that condemns you; it’s the fact of sin.
• As a matter of fact, you don’t have to drink a whole bottle of poison to die. You don’t have to be in ninety feet of water to drown. You can drown in nine feet of water.•
The Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” ()
• I read somewhere of a woman who was in the jail witnessing from cell to cell, and many people were saying how they should not have been there, and how they were framed, or how they were there by unfortunate circumstances, or how what they did was only a mistake, a misjudgment. One man said to this lady, “I am such a wicked sinner.” She said, “Thank God.” He said, “No, lady. I said, ‘I’m such a wicked sinner.’ ” She said, “Thank God.” He said, “Lady, are you mocking me? Are you making fun of me?” She said, “No, indeed.” She said, “Now you’re ready to be saved. That’s why I’m thanking God.”•
You have to understand that you’re a sinner. And this man said, “I am suffering for my sin. I justly am under condemnation.” So the very first thing that I see in this man’s theology—that is so different from Mr. Funk’s theology—is that he recognized sin for what it was. He recognized that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die”; (, ) “the wages of sin is death.” () And, you see, you’ll not get saved until you know this, because the Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save”—what?—“sinners.” () Now if you’re not a sinner, you can’t get saved. Of course, you are a sinner, but you must admit that you’re a sinner. There is none so good he need not be saved and none so bad he cannot be saved.
Rogers, A. (2017). Sound Theology. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
Rogers, A. (2017). Sound Theology. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.
And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
A. He Sees the Seriousness of the Sinless Saviour
A. He Saw That Jesus Was the Sinless Christ
First of all, he saw that Jesus was the sinless Christ. He said of the Lord Jesus Christ, “This man hath done nothing amiss.” () Now I don’t know where he learned about Jesus—I really don’t. Maybe when he was a child his mother taught him the Old Testament prophecies—I don’t know. Maybe he heard Jesus preach and teach—I don’t know. Maybe he saw the way that Jesus reacted when the soldiers buffeted Him and when He was abused and misused—I don’t know. But maybe Jesus had had a conversation with him on the way to the cross. I don’t know how he got this knowledge. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But I know that he had it. He knew that Jesus Christ had never sinned. He said, “This man hath done nothing amiss.” The Phillips translation gives it this way: “This man never did anything wrong in his life.” That’s very important, because as I told you this morning, a sinner could save no one. Only a holy Savior can save. And in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21, the Bible says of the Lord Jesus, “For [God] hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be … the righteousness of God in him.” () , verse 15: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” () , verse 22, speaks of Jesus, “who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” ()
These people in this Jesus Seminar want to make Jesus just another sinner. They want to give Jesus a human birth like we had. They want to look at all the faults, the failures, and the foibles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus could look right at His enemies and could say, “Which of you can convict me of sin?” I wouldn’t ask my friends that question, much less my enemies. But Jesus in , verse 46, said, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” () His sinlessness meant that He was the Son of God.
Now, you know, the Jehovah’s Witnesses tell us today that Jesus is not God. Well now, wait a minute. Was Jesus sinless? Ask a Jehovah’s Witness if he believes that Jesus sinned. Jesus said, “There is none good but one, that is, God.” (; ) Now, friend, if Jesus is not God, Jesus is not good. And if Jesus is good, Jesus is God, because there’s only one that is good, and that is God. And who said that? Jesus said that. You see, there was the failure that condemned him. There was the fear that convicted him, and there was the faith that converted him. He saw that Jesus was the sinless Son of God.
But not only did he see that He was the sinless Christ; he saw that He was the sovereign Christ. Look in verse 42: “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” () This man may have had more faith than any man in the Bible. Can you imagine saying to a man on a cross, dying, saying, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”? Why, he spoke of a kingdom: His only throne was a cross. He spoke of a kingdom: His crown was a crown of thorns. He spoke of a kingdom: His scepter was a nail driven into His quivering palm. He spoke of a kingdom, and the allegiance that the King was receiving was spit in His face. And yet this man saw that He was the sinless Christ. He saw that He was the sovereign Christ. If He had a kingdom, it looked like it was shrinking to the narrow dimensions of a tomb. And yet he calls Him “Lord”: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” And notice he didn’t say, “If you come into your kingdom …” He said “when.” He had a rock-solid faith that that man to whom he turned was absolutely, totally, sinless, had never done anything wrong, and that His was the kingdom.
Now, folks, I submit that that was an incredible faith. And I told you before, one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible is 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 15, which speaks of our Lord Jesus when He reigns, and it says, “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” () They asked Him, those enemies who were casting stuff into His face, and that other thief said, “If you’re the Messiah, if you’re the Christ, save yourself and us too.” () And those on the ground said, “Come down from the cross, and we’ll believe in you.” (, ) I’m glad He didn’t. There was one man that Jesus refused to save, and that was Jesus Christ Himself. He stayed upon that cross. But as I told you this morning, you cannot be saved unless you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. , verses 9 and 10: “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.” ()
Now, listen. Listen to this man’s faith. He saw Jesus as the sinless Christ. He saw Jesus as the sovereign Christ. And he saw Jesus as the saving Christ. Now this is an amazing thing. Here was a man. What was he? He was a sinner. The Bible calls him a “malefactor”; that is, a “wrongdoer.” He is dying for his sin. And he comes to Jesus, turns to Jesus, and he calls upon the name of the Lord, and he says, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” () And he knew that this sinless Christ and this sovereign Christ was a saving Christ. He is crying out for salvation.
What a wonderful theology of salvation he had! I don’t know where he got it. I don’t know how he learned this, because he didn’t deserve salvation. There was no way he could work for the Lord. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t teach a Sunday School class. There’s no way that he could, from this point, obey the Golden Rule. There was no way that he could give his money. He had nothing to give. He was nailed to a cross. He was stripped naked. There was no way that he could be baptized. All he could do is cry out for mercy. And the Bible says, as I preached this morning, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ()
And if anybody ever tells you that a man has to be baptized in order to be saved, just point him to this story. If baptism saves, whether a spoonful or a tankful, this man is in hell, because he didn’t get baptized. Do you know what they tell us? They say, “Oh, well, that was the old dispensation. That was before the death of Jesus. Now after the death of Jesus, things are different.” They make it harder for you to get saved after Jesus died than it was before He died. But let me tell you, folks, Jesus died before this man died. When they came to break the legs of the people on the cross in order that they might not desecrate their Sabbath day, when they came to Jesus, He was already dead. This man died. He lived, and he lived in this dispensation, the same dispensation that we’re in, and he was saved by grace.
Now, listen to me very clearly and very plainly. Jesus is the sinner’s Savior, and He will save anybody, anytime, any place who will call upon Him. And that dying thief turned to Jesus, and with faith he said, “Lord, remember me”—not if, but—“when thou comest into thy kingdom,” () and Jesus saved him radically, dramatically, and eternally right there on the spot. And Jesus said, “Today”—“today, this very day”—“shalt thou be with me in paradise.” () What grace that was!
You see, what is grace? Let me give you a definition of grace. Grace is that quality of God’s nature that makes Him love undeserving sinners and saves them when they cannot save themselves. If you show kindness to a friend, that is not grace. If you show kindness to a stranger, that is not grace. But when you show love and kindness to an enemy, that is grace. And that is what our Lord did to this man on the cross. Romans chapter 5, verse 8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” () “The heavens declare the glory of God,” () but the cross displays the grace of God. And if you’re going to be saved, you’re going to be saved by grace or you won’t be saved at all. For the Bible says in , verses 8 and 9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” () There was nothing that man could do except turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, remember me.”
So, what was his theology of sin and the fault that condemned him? He saw that he was a sinner. “The wages of sin is death.” () What was his theology of God and the fear that convicted him? He saw that God is a holy God and God is a God that needs to be feared. What was his theology of Christ and the faith that converted him? He saw that Christ was the sinless Christ. He saw that He was the sovereign Christ. He saw that He was the saving Christ, turned to Him, and prayed to Him, and said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
Smooth Criminal
And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
B. He Saw That Jesus Was the Sovereign Christ
But not only did he see that He was the sinless Christ; he saw that He was the sovereign Christ. Look in verse 42: “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” () This man may have had more faith than any man in the Bible. Can you imagine saying to a man on a cross, dying, saying, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”? Why, he spoke of a kingdom: His only throne was a cross. He spoke of a kingdom: His crown was a crown of thorns. He spoke of a kingdom: His scepter was a nail driven into His quivering palm. He spoke of a kingdom, and the allegiance that the King was receiving was spit in His face. And yet this man saw that He was the sinless Christ. He saw that He was the sovereign Christ. If He had a kingdom, it looked like it was shrinking to the narrow dimensions of a tomb. And yet he calls Him “Lord”: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” And notice he didn’t say, “If you come into your kingdom …” He said “when.” He had a rock-solid faith that that man to whom he turned was absolutely, totally, sinless, had never done anything wrong, and that His was the kingdom.
Now, folks, I submit that that was an incredible faith. And I told you before, one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible is 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 15, which speaks of our Lord Jesus when He reigns, and it says, “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” () They asked Him, those enemies who were casting stuff into His face, and that other thief said, “If you’re the Messiah, if you’re the Christ, save yourself and us too.” () And those on the ground said, “Come down from the cross, and we’ll believe in you.” (, ) I’m glad He didn’t. There was one man that Jesus refused to save, and that was Jesus Christ Himself. He stayed upon that cross. But as I told you this morning, you cannot be saved unless you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. , verses 9 and 10: “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.” ()
C. He Saw That Jesus Was the Saving Christ
Now, listen. Listen to this man’s faith. He saw Jesus as the sinless Christ. He saw Jesus as the sovereign Christ. And he saw Jesus as the saving Christ. Now this is an amazing thing. Here was a man. What was he? He was a sinner. The Bible calls him a “malefactor”; that is, a “wrongdoer.” He is dying for his sin. And he comes to Jesus, turns to Jesus, and he calls upon the name of the Lord, and he says, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” () And he knew that this sinless Christ and this sovereign Christ was a saving Christ. He is crying out for salvation.
What a wonderful theology of salvation he had! I don’t know where he got it. I don’t know how he learned this, because he didn’t deserve salvation. There was no way he could work for the Lord. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t teach a Sunday School class. There’s no way that he could, from this point, obey the Golden Rule. There was no way that he could give his money. He had nothing to give. He was nailed to a cross. He was stripped naked. There was no way that he could be baptized. All he could do is cry out for mercy. And the Bible says, as I preached this morning, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ()
And if anybody ever tells you that a man has to be baptized in order to be saved, just point him to this story. If baptism saves, whether a spoonful or a tankful, this man is in hell, because he didn’t get baptized. Do you know what they tell us? They say, “Oh, well, that was the old dispensation. That was before the death of Jesus. Now after the death of Jesus, things are different.” They make it harder for you to get saved after Jesus died than it was before He died. But let me tell you, folks, Jesus died before this man died. When they came to break the legs of the people on the cross in order that they might not desecrate their Sabbath day, when they came to Jesus, He was already dead. This man died. He lived, and he lived in this dispensation, the same dispensation that we’re in, and he was saved by grace.
Now, listen to me very clearly and very plainly. Jesus is the sinner’s Savior, and He will save anybody, anytime, any place who will call upon Him. And that dying thief turned to Jesus, and with faith he said, “Lord, remember me”—not if, but—“when thou comest into thy kingdom,” () and Jesus saved him radically, dramatically, and eternally right there on the spot. And Jesus said, “Today”—“today, this very day”—“shalt thou be with me in paradise.” () What grace that was!
You see, what is grace? Let me give you a definition of grace. Grace is that quality of God’s nature that makes Him love undeserving sinners and saves them when they cannot save themselves. If you show kindness to a friend, that is not grace. If you show kindness to a stranger, that is not grace. But when you show love and kindness to an enemy, that is grace. And that is what our Lord did to this man on the cross. Romans chapter 5, verse 8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” () “The heavens declare the glory of God,” () but the cross displays the grace of God. And if you’re going to be saved, you’re going to be saved by grace or you won’t be saved at all. For the Bible says in , verses 8 and 9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” () There was nothing that man could do except turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, remember me.”
So, what was his theology of sin and the fault that condemned him? He saw that he was a sinner. “The wages of sin is death.” () What was his theology of God and the fear that convicted him? He saw that God is a holy God and God is a God that needs to be feared. What was his theology of Christ and the faith that converted him? He saw that Christ was the sinless Christ. He saw that He was the sovereign Christ. He saw that He was the saving Christ, turned to Him, and prayed to Him, and said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Surety of Salvation
Luke 23:
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”