The Theology of the Thief

“The Theology of the Thief”

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I saw a “peanuts comic strip” that had Linus and Lucy looking out the window at a terrible rainstorm. The rain was pouring down, and Lucy was looking out with a worried look, and said;

I hope it doesn’t rain until the world is flooded. Linus said, don’t worry Lucy, God said in Genesis that he would never again destroy the world with a flood. And as a sign of that promise he put a rainbow in the sky. Lucy sighed and said, you know that sure makes me feel a lot better. And then Linus said: sound theology has a way of doing that.

A correct theology of God, sin and salvation is the only way to have peace, rest and assurance in your life.

This morning we’re going to meet the most unlikely person in all the world to have a correct theology.

One of the thieves that died on the cross next to Jesus was saved because he had a proper theology, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Get the scene in your mind, Jesus has been led to Calvary, and they crucified him and two criminals with him, one on the right side of Jesus and the other on the left of Jesus, Jesus is hanging on the middle cross.

Three crosses there that day, three men died that day on the cross, but they were so different from one another:

· One was the savior, one was a Sinner,

one became a saint.

· One died for sin, one died in sin, one died to sin.

This was no accident that Jesus was crucified between two thieves. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. 750 years before Jesus was placed on the cross between two thieves Isaiah said the Messiah would be:

-“numbered with the transgressors”.

God in eternity past in amazing Grace made an appointment with these two thieves to meet the Savior. Both of these men at the end of their life had a chance to be saved by trusting in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Two men died that day on each side of Jesus:

One man died in rejection, the other died in repentance.

One man died on the wrong side of Jesus, one man died on the right side of Jesus.

Listen, when the day comes that you die, the only question that will matter is; which side are you on? Will you end up on the right side of Jesus, or on the wrong side of Jesus?

We are told that both men started out on the wrong side of Jesus, Matthew tells us that both men started out ridiculing Jesus. Saying if you’re the son of God, get yourself and us off this cross.

But one man stopped blaspheming Jesus, turn to Jesus and got saved before he died.

What changed his mind?

Why did he go from mocking and ridiculing Jesus, to trusting in him as his Savior and Lord?

Well as he hung dying there, observing the scene, processing what he had heard and seen, his heart and mind began to change.

He turned to Jesus because he believed certain things, he had a sound theology; I don’t know where he got his theology. I don’t know where he got his beliefs, doctrine, but they were sound and right, which led him to believe in Jesus.

Maybe he went to the synagogue as a boy.

Maybe his mother taught him about God.

Maybe he heard Jesus preach as a man.

Maybe what he had seen and heard that very day:

He heard Jesus tell the crowd, don’t weep for me, weep for yourself, judgment is coming.

He heard Jesus when he prayed from the cross as he was being nailed there, father forgive them they know not what they do.

Everyone who was nailed to a cross was screaming, kicking and resisting; but Jesus was laying down his life. As he observed Jesus dying on the cross he saw something in Jesus life he had never seen before. Jesus was in control of the whole thing, as if he was orchestrating all of this.

He saw the sign above Jesus head:

”This is the king of the Jews”.

God in grace got a hold of this man’s heart, and he was saved that day as he hung dying on that cross.

And the theology of this thief, is the same theology that you must have to be saved. So what was the theology of the thief; what did the thief believe?

1st of all he believed that:

1. Man is a Sinner.

V:41-“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds…

He says were under the condemnation of our sin hanging on this cross, and we deserve it, were sinners. This man is acknowledging that he was a sinner, and the wages of sin is death.

This man is speaking around Jesus who was hanging on the middle cross, or behind his head; and he is rebuking his friend for blaspheming Jesus.

He publicly acknowledges his guilt, crime and sin; and he says he’s getting what he deserves.

This man does not deny his guilt and sinfulness; but confesses it. No one ever gets saved until first of all they admit that they are sinner and they deserve to go to hell. It is only lost sinners that seek a savior.

Now this is where the rubber hits the road; because the problem with most people is they do not want to confess and admit before Almighty God that they are sinners in need of a Savior.

We live in a culture that makes it hard for us to confess the fact of our sin and our lost condition.

It is not politically correct, or cultured to talk about sin, rebellion, disobedience to God and his word, and judgment and hell. We’ve been convinced to talk about the fact that were sinners is repugnant are negative, to talk about hell and judgment is offensive. But listen, I love you, so I must tell you from the bottom of my heart, that you would never be saved, no one is ever been saved, until first of all that person has seen themselves as a lost sinner in the sight of a holy and righteous God!

-“There is none righteous, no not one”

-“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.

-“The wages of sin is death…

This man hanging on the cross realized he was a sinner, and sins deserves punishment. This man said we are receiving what we deserve.

The reason this thief was saved is because he realized he was lost.

The way this man was saved is the way any person is saved! The position this man was in is the position you must be in to be saved; he realized he was lost, separated from God, dying for his sin and he deserved it. As long as you cling to a shred of self-righteousness, thinking that there’s some way you can satisfy a holy God, there is no possible way for you to be saved. We must recognize that we are sinners; then and only then are we in the position to experience grace and salvation.

Oh our pride, Oh our pride…To imagine that we are good enough, or can do enough to satisfy the righteous demands of God!

So you think, the gospel is for the thief, and murderer? And you say, Pastor Eddie, I’m not a thief, that man was a thief. If you’re not living your life for Jesus, if you’re not serving God; then you are a thief! God created you, to know, love and serve him; and if you’re not doing that then you’re robbing God of the glory that belongs to him.

Your breathing God’s air, drinking God’s water, walking on God’s green earth, eating God’s food.

And yet you’re not giving God what is rightfully his by creation and redemption…your life.

This man on the cross was a thief, and every man without the Lord Jesus has robbed God of their life.

-“Give unto the Lord the glory due his name…

-“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”.

God doesn’t save any other kind of people; except sinners. Will you admit right now that you’re a sinner? This thief on the cross doesn’t blame anyone else, he doesn’t make any excuses. He says I am a sinner, condemned and guilty, and it is just and right. No one is ever saved until they confess their a sinner.

There’s no one so bad that they cannot be saved, and there’s no one so good, that they don’t need to be saved.

2nd of all he believed that:

2. God is Holy.

V:40-“Don’t you even fear God…

This man knew he was a sinner, and sin deserves death; but he also knew that God was holy and was to be feared. The wise man Solomon said the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

John Calvin said, all true and sound wisdom consist of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves.

Were told in the book of, 1 John, that God is love.

Yes God is love, but the chief characteristic of God is holiness. The Angels around the throne of God cry out, holy, holy, holy.

God is perfect, righteous and holy.

And once we understand how holy, perfect and righteous God is; we will see ourselves in all our sin and unrighteousness.

The thief on the cross saw himself as a sinner; under the condemnation of God, and the fear of God gripped his soul.

One of these thieves had fear in his heart for God, and the other didn’t. One thief was saved and the other thief was lost. What separated them was an awareness of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.

One thief wanted to save his soul, the other thief wanted to save his skin. He had no fear of the person of God are the punishment of God, he just want out of his present situation.

He said if you’re the Christ, save yourself and us from the cross. In other words I’ll believe in you if you do something for me.

But if you don’t get me out of this present situation, I’m not going to believe in you.

How many times have I heard this? If God would do this for me; I would do something for him.

If God would save my mother from cancer, then I would follow him. There was no consciousness of his sinful condition before a holy God.

Why was this one thief lost? Why did he die lost?

Because he had no fear of God, no understanding of how righteous and holy God was, and how sinful and lost he was. What was wrong with that one thief is what is wrong with the world we live in.

-“There is no fear of God before their eyes”.

Jesus said, do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Today we are more afraid of death, then the one who holds the keys to death and hell.

Today we are more afraid of a forest fire than eternal fire. Today we are more afraid of an earthquake, then the one who made the earth.

The one thief looked over at his friend and said don’t you have any fear of God? Don’t you know that God is holy, righteous and just; and that in just a few minutes you will be standing before him!

He’s trying to get his friend to understand that not only does he have an appointment with death, he had an appointment with God in the judgment.

This thief didn’t get saved the same reason people don’t get saved today.

Why did this thief choose to reject Jesus and go to hell? Because he didn’t fear God, or believe that God would judge him for his sin. He did not believe that there would be a judgment day after he died. But the Bible clearly tells us that after death comes the judgment.

And every person will stand before God and give an account for what they have done with Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And that those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.

A.W. Tozer said, “No one can know the true grace of God, who has not first known the fear of God”.

One thief had no fear and died lost in his sin, the other thief had fear that led him to faith in Jesus.

-“Surely his salvation is near them that fear him”.

3rd of all he believed that:

3. Jesus is the Savior.

V:42-43-Read.

It is not enough to know that you are a sinner, it’s not enough to know that God is holy, and deserves to be feared. You must also know that Jesus is the Savior, and that you need him to save you from your sin.

This thief had a profound theology about Jesus:

· Jesus is Sinless.

V:41-“this man has done nothing wrong”.

He says to his friend we are sinners, getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong, he is sinless, holy and righteous.

What is your testimony about the Jesus you see on the cross?

Will you fear God, and acknowledged that Jesus is the sinless Savior? Jesus never committed one sin.

-“He did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth”.

Jesus was sinless, he is the only person to ever walk on this earth who was sinless; but he was! This dying thief somehow recognized Jesus as the sinless son of God. The words, actions of the Lord Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit opened his eyes and he saw Jesus as the sinless one, dying for sinners.

· Jesus is the King.

V:42-“he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.

Here is Jesus, naked, beaten, and bloody, dying on the cross; and that thief turned to him and called him Lord! When you come into your kingdom, remember me.

Jesus never look less like a king than he did at that moment: his throne was a cross, his crown was thorns, his scepter was a nail, his court was a screaming mob that mocked and spit on him.

Yet that thief call Jesus Lord and said remember me when you come into your kingdom!

This thief believed that Jesus was the king of the coming kingdom. He read the sign above Jesus head, he saw all the love, grace and forgiveness that Jesus extended. And he said this man is perfect, sinless and holy, he’s the Son of God; he’s the king!

This thief said you are the king, and I know you have a kingdom awaiting you when you close your eyes in death, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

This thief believed in life after death; he trusted that this was not the end for Jesus or for him. He knew there was life after death.

This may be the greatest example of faith and all of the Bible!

He was the only person in the world that was willing to call Jesus Lord at that moment.

· Peter called Jesus Lord, after that great catch of fish.

· Thomas call Jesus Lord, after the resurrection in these all the nail prints in his hands and feet.

But the thief on the cross call Jesus Lord when Jesus was dying in agony on the cross.

Have you ever called Jesus Lord?

-Quote.

This dying thief believed that Jesus could get him into the kingdom of God, because he was the king! As he witnessed the crucifixion, he also had faith in the resurrection, and he believed the whole gospel before any of the apostles did.

He believed Jesus was a king, and would sit on the throne in God’s kingdom in eternity.

· Jesus is the Savior.

V:42-“ Lord, remember me…

He believed that Jesus could save him, so we prayed remember me, save me, let me be a part of your kingdom. He was a man that was acknowledging his sin, repenting of his sin, and placing his faith in Jesus Christ. Genuine repentance is always joined to saving faith.

This thief is asking for something he did not deserve, to be eternally saved, and become a part of Jesus kingdom.

It takes faith see Jesus crucified and believe that your sins can be forgiven by Jesus because of his death on the cross.

It takes faith to believe that Jesus has the power to give you eternal life.

It takes faith for anyone to pray the prayer the criminal prayed on the cross, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus will not forget anyone who prays to him in repentance and faith; they will be saved; they will become a part of his kingdom.

-“Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”.

This man called on Jesus and he was saved!

· It was a gracious salvation.

-“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.

Salvation is not by our goodness, it is by God’s grace. Salvation is not a reward for the way you live, it is a gift for guilty sinners. Salvation is the undeserved, unearned gift of God.

This thief was saved like all people, apart from any works. If there was ever a man whose works could not save him, it was the thief on the cross.

He could not be baptized.

He could not do a good deed, his hands and feet were nailed to the cross.

He could not give any money, he had no money to give.

He could not join the church, he was dying on the cross.

He didn’t have anything to offer Jesus, all he could do was trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is the way of salvation for anyone: we are justified by grace through faith, and faith alone.

But his faith in Jesus produced works, he use what little time he had left to profess his faith, to rebuke sin, and to speak up for Jesus.

You say, that guy didn’t deserve to be saved; he’s a criminal, a thief, bad guy! Of course he didn’t deserve to be saved; and neither do you!

It was a gracious salvation.

· It was an immediate salvation.

V:43-“Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”.

He was asking Jesus to remember him one day in the future when he came into his kingdom.

Jesus said, not some far off distant day; but today you’re going to die, and today you’re going to be with me in paradise. You’re not going to purgatory, where your loved ones will pray, and pay you into heaven. Your soul is not going to sleep in the grave for thousands of years… But today when you close your eyes in death, you will open your eyes in heaven! Jesus said to him, V:43-“Verily/assuredly I say to you today you would be with me in paradise.

The moment you close your eyes in death you will find yourself in the garden of God in heaven!

The way this thief knew he was going to heaven was because Jesus said he was!

The way we know we’re going to heaven is because Jesus said we are if we believe on him. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord”.

Today is God’s word; the Bible always puts salvation in terms of today! Today is the day of salvation, now is the time to trust in Jesus!

Tomorrow is the devil’s word; the devil tries to get you to procrastinate, to say tomorrow I’ll trust in Jesus, tomorrow I’ll make things right with God.

But the Bible says boast not yourself of tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day will bring forth!

V:44-“Now it was about the sixth hour…

The Bible records the time that this man was saved, he was saved at noon. When you called on Jesus in faith he will save you that very moment. And you will have a spiritual birthday, a time when you passed from death to life!

· It was a glorious salvation.

V:43-“today you will be with me in paradise”.

Paradise is heaven, the garden of God, Eden restored. The first Adam got us thrown out of paradise; the second Adam the Lord Jesus through his death on the cross has re-opened paradise for those who believe in him!

This thief was going to leave a sin curse world, and a sin curse body and open his eyes in heaven!

Heaven will be more than our minds can imagine. But what will make heaven…heaven is Jesus will be there, V:43-You…will be with me…

Jesus was speaking to this man as a friend, for Jesus to say, today you will be in paradise would be wonderful… But even more wonderful is that Jesus said you will be with me in paradise!

The last person Jesus saved on earth was the first person Jesus welcomed to heaven! The first person Jesus took to heaven was a murderous, cutthroat, thief who is saved in the dying moments of his life.

This is the only deathbed experience in the Bible; there’s only one that none despair, but only one that none presume.

Both of the thieves were dying, but only one of them got saved. Don’t wait another day; trust in Jesus Christ today! You say, it’s too late for me, I’m too bad a sinner. It’s not as late as it was for this guy, and you are no worse a sinner that he was; he called on Jesus and Jesus saved him, and if you’ll call on Jesus He’ll save you!

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day; and there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.