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Introduction: A clergyman, talking about death-bed conversion, said to a Christian woman, "Do you think that a death-bed repentance does away with a whole life of sin?" "No." she answered quietly, "but Calvary does."—Sunday
School Times.
The Bible is an interesting book of contrasts.
Among many, you have the following:
Luke 23:32-
Introduction:The Bible is an interesting book of contrasts.
Among many, you have the following:
Cain and Abel—the first two sons of Adam, one choosing a good path, the other choosing an evil path.
Abraham and Lot—two relatives, one selflessly gives up everything for God, the other selfishly follows his own way.
Jacob and Esau-twin brothers, one was a manly outdoorsman, the other tended to help his mother.
David and Saul—the first two kings of Israel, one choosing not to seek out God, the other choosing to seek out God.
Peter and Judas Iscariot—two of Jesus’ disciples who betrayed him, one sought forgiveness and the other sought suicide.
Today, let us look at yet another startling contrast as we read from the book of Luke…
We are looking at these two thieves that were crucified, one on the left, one on the right of Christ.
One cried for mercy, the other, died in his sin.
Some might say, “this was a death bed conversion.
Is it real?”
Seeing as Christ pronounced that the man would be joining him in Paradise that day settles the matter for me.
It was just a real as the converted man who lived for Christ for nearly his whole life.
Perhaps, this is the greatest Biblical example that proves salvation is simply by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone.
A Similar Predicament (vv.
32-33)
Three men, three crosses...
One man was totally innocent; the other two, not so much.
Two deserved it because of their sin.
One, didn’t deserve it but died because of our sins.
Both were thieves.
Not just run of the mill, break in your house thieves either.
The word used in the Greek indicates that they were more like armed robbers - violent men who possibly could have murdered someone while robbing them.
Interestingly enough, tells us of another robber named Barabbas who escaped the punishment of the Cross after Pilate freed him in the place of Jesus.
(NOTE TO AV: I will not read this verse.
Just show it)
So these two men may have been associates of Barabbas.
So these two men may have been associates of Barabbas.
All three man were condemned to die an agonizing and shameful death by crucifixion.
Crucifixion was preceded by scourging with a whip which had several straps of leather attached and attached to the leather was pieces of broken glass, nails, lead weights and sometimes bone fragments.
This would rip through the flesh of the victim tearing skin and muscle from their bodies.
Once flogged, the victim was made to carry the cross beam of their own cross through the city until they arrived at the place of execution - in this case, Golgotha (The place of the skull)
Then the victim would be nailed to the cross beam and it would be hoisted up on the upright and attached.
There the victim would suffer for hours - sometimes for days.
Death came through a combination of blood loss, exhaustion, and asphyxiation as the victim had to push up on his body, against the nails in order to take full breaths.
It was such a cruel way to die, no Roman citizen was to be executed by crucifixion.
Two deserved it because of their sin.
One, didn’t deserve it but died because of our sins.
Three men were sentenced to die a criminals death, but only one man was going to come back alive.
Salvation’s Price (vv.
33-38)
As cruel as that cross was for Jesus, we need to understand that there was something else besides an execution going on here.
At the cross, we see salvation’s price being paid in full.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross because he was a criminal - although the Pharisees falsely accused him of being a criminal.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross because he had sinned because he was sinless.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross because he failed in his mission…actually, he was fulfilling his mission by going to the cross!
His willingness to intercede for those who crucified him was a foreshadow of what he went to the cross to accomplish.
The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Forgiveness ) of Sin.
In the Old Testament, forgiveness required an animal sacrifice.
However, the New Testament tells us that animal sacrifices were insufficient for providing lasting forgiveness.
But when referring to Christ’s sacrifice, the Bibles says:
It is interesting that the people in the crowd, the soldiers, and even the first thief dying on the cross all said, “He saved others, why can’t He save himself?”
It is not that Christ didn’t have the power to save himself - he did.
In a sense, he couldn’t.
Why? because he was paying Salvation’s price by willingly laying down his life on the Cross.
He paid salvation’s price for you and me!
A Sinners Plea (vv.
39-42)
Now the first thief began to rail against Christ:
Luke 23:
While the second thief rebuked him:
Luke 23:
These two condemned men represent the two types of people in the world: Those who reject Christ and those who are open to receiving Christ.
The big question is, which one represents you this morning?
The first man had a hardened, unrepentant heart.
The second man, even though he started out persecuting Christ, had a change of heart while he hung from the cross.
You say pastor, “I think I am some where in the middle.”
I get that.
Here is the problem.
There really is no middle ground here.
Illus.
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done."
~ C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
I know the second man had a change of heart because I read his words to the other thief.
He recognized how sinful he was.
He rebuked the other theif saying, “we are receiving the due reward of our deeds...”
Sin is serious business to God - a lot more serious than we want to recognize or acknowledge.
While you may have been fortunate enough to have a teacher in school that graded on a curve, God doesn’t grade on a curve.
God insists that we rise to His standard.
As sinners, we deny God’s right to rule us.
We enthrone self instead.
While we may look good on the outside - to other people - God knows what is on the inside - the heart.
In a moment of clarity about his spiritual condition, the second thief prayed a humble prayer: Remember me…when you come into your kingdom.
No thees and thous.
No flowery language.
He wasn’t on his knees.
Just a simple sinners plea: remember me?
The second thief recognized that he had some to the end of himself and all other options were exhausted.
That is when he turned to Jesus.
Salvation starts where we end.
It begins when you reach rock bottom and discover that Christ is the rock at the bottom.
The Savior’s Promise (v.
43)
As we think about the words of this thief, we realize that all he had hoped for was some kind of help in the future.
Jesus, however, gave him forgiveness that very day.
He died and went with Jesus to paradise.
Luke
My friend Thomas Mabiala puts it this way, the thief prayed, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
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