Sermon Tone Analysis

“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.