Lessons from the Thief on the Cross

There we go. I'd like for us to look at a wonderful, glorious story, a story that's so simple even a child can understand it. It's actually about a believing repentant thief that died on the cross of Calvary, Calvary next to Jesus.

There was another thief as well that rejected our Lord and it's almost as you see God in His sovereignty was hardening one heart and He was showing compassion and softening another heart. That's what Scripture actually says.

You hear so many people in this day of age even in churches say, well I got a choice and and I've looked in commentators on this story and they said one chose Jesus and the other one rejected Him and even though one did reject Him, when it comes right down to it, it was God showing mercy to one and pardoning the other.

Actually, if you look at, you don't have to turn there, but as Brother Keith was talking about from that wonderful text he shared with us from Malachi and as I was looking down, as he mentioned, God says I've loved you, says the Lord.

You say in what way have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? You notice, says the Lord. Yet Jacob I have loved, but Esau I've hated. That's God speaking. And so many people get caught up in why did God hate Esau?

Really the question is why did God love Jacob? Why does God love us? And that's what we're looking at today folks, is the great love of God in Christ Jesus. We're going to look at some lessons here and we're going to go to the cross.

I tremble every time we go there because of who died there. Even though we're going to be looking at the thief, the repentant thief, our eyes are upon the Savior. Keep in mind that Jesus said in Luke 19 10 after Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus.

Jesus made this statement. As the Pharisees was looking on, this was a tax collector and a wicked man. Jesus said salvation has come to your house today. He said something else that strikes a blow to man's pride.

For the Son of Man has come to seek to save that which was lost. Now this is the story of that and I want you to keep that verse before you. So go with me please and open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.

Luke's Gospel and we will begin with verse 32 and read to verse 43. Now I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do today. I'm just going to highlight just a few points. This is not going to be an exhaustive exposition.

It makes me think of there's a larger catechism and there's a shorter catechism. Well today you're going to get the shorter. There's much much more here okay. But I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit, which is the real teacher, opens up your hearts and mine as well to see these great gems.

So I'm not going to give you the larger exposition. I'm going to give you the shorter. We're going to have communion today and that's one another reason why but we're going to summarize it up and we're just going to highlight just a few points.

So I'm reading from the New King James Version and we'll begin with verse 32. Verse 32 says, there were also two others, criminals, led with him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, they crucified him.

Notice the focus is on Jesus. They crucified him. And the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Verse 34, then Jesus said, Father forgive them for they do not know what they do. They divided his garments and cast lots.

And the people stood looking on and even the rulers with them sneered saying he saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him sour wine and saying, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.

And in inscription, here's the first gospel tract folks, an inscription also was written over him in letters in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

This is the king of the Jews.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us. Almost the same kind of accusation. But the other answered and rebuked him saying, do you not even fear God?

Seeing you are under the same condemnation. Notice what he says, we indeed justly, justly, for we receive the dear reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. And then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus said to him, surely I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Let's bow in prayer please. Our Father, and our wonderful Savior, and our Lord, speak, speak Lord to us. For you have spoken through your Son, for your servant hears.

For your glory, in Jesus name I pray, amen. When seeking what we can learn from the thief on the cross, we should be remembering that at the time of Jesus' crucifixion, there are two thieves, as I said, that were crucified beside him.

And both began their time on the cross by mocking and blaspheming our Lord. Other accounts give this, as did many of the other spectators, as we read. But by the grace and sovereignty of God, one of the thieves responded in true belief and true faith.

And we see here the very elements of salvation that has come to him in that day. As our Lord died a death that was more than any other death that anyone else has ever died. Because he was the spotless Lamb of God that was ordained before this world started rolling into existence.

In faith, he believed Christ for his salvation. And beloved, the scripture tells us in that very day Jesus took him to paradise. J .C. Ryle calls this, and I really encourage each and everybody here to read his chapter.

It's a chapter from the holiness of God. Those excerpts of different sermons, I would say, or writings that he put together and they compiled it to one book. Holiness. It's one of the classics of all time.

But J .C. Ryle called this conversion of this thief on the cross, Christ's greatest trophy. I love that, don't you? We're going to see today why this is Christ's greatest trophy. At the beginning of that writing, J .C. Ryle says this, There are a few passages in the New Testament which are more familiar to men's ears than the verses which head this chapter.

They contain the well-known story of the penitent thief. And it is right and good that these verses should be well-known. Ryle says, They have comforted many troubled minds. They have brought peace to many uneasy consciences.

They have been a healing balm to many wounded hearts. And they have been a medicine to many sin-sick souls. They have smoothed down not a few dying pillows. And wherever the gospel of Christ is preached, they will always be honored and loved and had in remembrance.

Amen, so true, so true. I could not help but think as we've been looking at assurance of the believer in 2 Peter, this story came to my mind. It's one of the greatest stories I believe we would ever read on assurance of salvation.

I don't believe anything tops it. Like I said, we're going to highlight some certain things and then we're going to look at a conclusion and then we're going to go to the Lord's Supper. So we go to Calvary.

We go to the cross. And behold the Lamb of God. And look upon Him. As God by His Spirit would teach us the truth and the lessons to be observed for an encouragement to benefit our souls on this very day.

So as we look into this wonderful text today as we read from Luke, Luke 23, and we go to Calvary's cross, our eyes of faith is really on our great Savior. As the writer to the Hebrews says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Doesn't that say everything? We dare not put our eyes on men. Even though the story is here by the providence of God, this really happened in history 2 ,000 years ago. We look to Jesus. We look to Jesus from the moment of our conversion up until the moment we look to Jesus in eternity.

We will forever look to Jesus. Our eyes are upon Him. Because He's more than life to us. He's more than anything else to us in this world. So we look to our great Savior. We will observe the great lessons around Him.

So we will see two thieves on the two crosses, two responses, and one great Savior. One great Savior. Jesus Christ, the crucified, the suffering servant. And as the inscription says, this is the King of the Jews.

This is the King. Pilate, the governor, a heathen governor wrote that. And even the Jewish people said, don't write that. He says, what I've written, I've written. That's by the providence of God. I'm telling you, we're going to see God's providence here at the conversion of this believing thief.

So we see with an attitude of all inspiring intercession that we saw that in verse 34, Jesus prayed. The first words is a prayer as they crucified Him. And He said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

What an intercession. All inspiring intercession. There's an angry rejection. And there's an amazing reception. Now let us find blessed assurance in our Lord Jesus as we behold the cross of Calvary. Notice verse 32 with me.

We'll begin there. And like I said, I'm not going to go through every verse, but I'm going to highlight some certain things. Verse 32 says, there were also two other criminals that led with Him to be put to death.

Led with Him to be put to death. The old authorized King James Version says, there were also two other malefactors. Malefactors led with Him to be put to death. We need to understand that these two thieves known as robbers were perhaps insurgents, insurrectionists.

They were more than just thieves. They were rebels against the Roman rule. And mere thieves in that day were not usually crucified. So these men had, the scripture says, yes, they're robbers, malefactors, but basically they're insurrectionists.

Commentators suggest that these men, and I think this is a good suggestion, that these men that were being crucified were probably cohorts of Barabbas. That's a very good suggestion. Because you know, as the story says, they released Barabbas and Jesus was crucified.

This was all in the providence and sovereignty of God. Because if Jesus was released, He would have never been crucified. And salvation would have never come. Paul mentions that in 1 Corinthians. If they'd known that this was the Prince of Glory, they would have never crucified Him.

So this was in the mind of God, and it was ordained of God, because God knew that this was going to happen. He didn't have to, but God ordained it. I don't know about you, but when I think about it, it staggers my imagination.

That this is Almighty God, the second person of the Godhead, that was sent from the Father to come to this world, to seek and save the lost, and save sinners from sin. Now, we see our Lord, the suffering servant, crucified with these two rebels, these two thieves.

Isaiah 53 verse 9 says this,. And they made His grave with the wicked, but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. And if you read the latter part of Isaiah 53 verse 12,.

It says,.

And He was numbered, get that, He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many. This is the sin bearer. He took it upon Himself, the Holy One, that knew no sin, and sin was foreign to Him.

He bore the sin of many, and He made intercession for the transgressors. So we see our Lord, the suffering servant, as Isaiah 53 speaks of, numbered with the transgressors, He made intercession for the transgressors, and what a great Savior is Jesus our Lord.

The first lesson I'd like for us to look at, and like I said, there's many more, but I want to just highlight some here. The first lesson I think is the most important,.

As we learn,.

Is that the repentant thief recognizes Jesus' power and willingness to save. That's everything, isn't it? Isaiah 63 verse 1 says, Who is this who comes from Edom? Listen to the question. Who is this that comes from Edom with dyed garments, from Bezorah?

This One who is glorious, adorned in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength. Oh my, I'm telling you. God is asking a question like an all-wise parent. He wants our attention, and that's what good parents do there to their children.

They ask a question when something is important, and the parent already knows the answer. So God is doing this.

He asks the question,.

Who is this One who comes glorious, adorned in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? God answers, I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Don't you love that? He's mighty to save.

We need to not forget this as we tell our lost loved ones about Jesus, that Christ is mighty to save. They're in bondage to sin, and once were we as well. And yet, He causes the dead to come to life. Light comes to darkness, and raises the newness of life.

That's the power of the Gospel. Beloved, this is the very reason our Lord came. As I said earlier, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. To save sinners. I like what Spurgeon says, Just enough to make us savable,.

But to save us.

Didn't Matthew say that? Thou shalt call His name Jesus. For He shall save His people from their sins. From our sins. He saved us out from it. What is this today? They call them churches, but they're not real churches.

For the real church means called out ones. And yet there are so called churches today that are still in their sins, practicing sodomy, practicing homosexuality, practicing adultery, practicing sin, and yet they get up and play church, and God says I will not receive them.

But yet, when God calls sinners, and He saves sinners, He calls them to repentance. To believe the Gospel. And to save them from this wretched life. That's the power of the Gospel. Now think of it. The thief here was on the very brink of hell itself.

And I think of that God saved him, and snatched him from the very brims and fire of hell. He was on the brink of hell. He was nailed to a cross. He was suffering.

A just punishment by the way.

A just punishment for breaking the laws against Rome as an insurrectionist. He lived a wicked life. He seemed to die a wicked state for it. At least for a moment. And he even railed on the Lord like the other thief for a short time.

But as time passed, as we read the Scriptures, he seemed lost, he seemed gone, he seemed past of recovery. This robber was a very, very wicked man. And God is angry with the wicked every day, isn't He?

But yet right there,.

At a distance,.

There was the Savior.

Mercy and justice. And all kissed each other. And there the Savior was ready to save him. And we're going to see this.

And this robber, again, was wicked.

But notice with me what happens in verse 39 and 40. Then one of the criminals who were hanged, blasphemed him and saying, If you are the Christ, save yourself and us. He was basically repeating what he heard from verse 35.

He saved others, let him save himself. If he is the Christ, chosen of God. Even the soldiers also mocked him in verse 36. Coming and offering him sour wine. And then in verse 37, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.

And then in verse 40,.

But the other.

This is the believing thief. Answering, rebuked him. Rebuked the one that was railing accusations. And he was doing it at first. And then, it's like he stops. This man has a turning point. Do you not even fear God?

Seeing you are under the same condemnation. Now this is a wicked man. He is dying on a cross. He's nailed to the cross next to the Savior. Verse 41,. And we indeed justly for our receipt the dear reward of our deeds.

But this man has done nothing wrong. This leads me to my next point. And this is a very important one. And we cannot miss this. Because this is critical. First we see that, that God is willing to save sinners.

Christ is power and His willingness to save. He's willing to save. He's not only able to save, He's willing to save. Isn't that great? He desires to see people into the kingdom. And what do we see?

The next point.

We learn that this repentant thief understood who he really was before God. This is so critical. He had a right knowledge of who he really was. And we will see, he had a right knowledge of who Jesus really was.

We're going to go to that point next. But let's first look at, he had the right knowledge of who he really was. He was guilty. He was ruined. He was helpless. A guilty sinner, vile and wicked. As verse 41, and we indeed justly, notice what he says, justly, in other words, we deserve it.

We deserve this death. For we receive the dear reward of our deeds, in other words, this is what we deserve. He was telling this other thief this. And Jesus was hearing this the whole time. This conversation.

There was this conversation going on. While the three of them was nailed. The one in the middle is the one we're looking at, right? But the conversation was going, that one thief across to the other. And then he says, but this man.

I love how the text puts man, not in the small italics of man, but the capital M. This is the man. This man has done nothing wrong. Now he had a true knowledge of who he was, guilty and vile. This repentant thief recognized his own guilty state before a holy God.

He recognized the pure innocence of Jesus.

Beloved, I'm telling you,.

This is the very element of true repentance. Recognition. Notice, there was recognition of who he really was, recognition of who Jesus really was. Then he made a confession. There was a confession. And then there was an acknowledgement of his own personal guilt before God.

Jesus mentions about confession. There's a place for it. After one is coming to faith and believing, the confession Jesus says, if you confess me before man, I'll confess you before the Father. But if you don't confess me, I'm not going to confess you.

So he really had the eternal perspective. And we're going to look later, how did he have this?

Had to be the Spirit of God.

But there was means of grace as well that God allowed at that moment. So there was a right acknowledgement of his own personal guilt before God, before the holiness of God. Just like the prodigal son.

Doesn't it remind you of the prodigal son in Luke 15? Listen to verse 18. The prodigal says, I will rise and go to my Father. I will say to him, Father, I've sinned against heaven. I've sinned against you, before you.

Didn't David say that? This sin I've committed is before you and you alone. The person that's converted to Jesus Christ, this is the way he comes into the kingdom. He recognizes he's sinned before God.

Just like the repentant tax collector Jesus mentioned who cried out and beat his breast. He didn't say these long prayers like the Pharisees did. He said, God be merciful to me,.

A sinner.

Be merciful to me, a sinner. And what did Jesus say?

He says, I tell you,.

This man went down to his house.

Justified.

And you know, this is what's taking place with the thief on the cross. There's justification that's taking place in heaven. God's declaring this man righteous. Now he didn't know about the doctrine of justification by faith, but he sure looked to Jesus and all through the means of grace and the Holy Spirit and all that was taking place there brought him into the kingdom.

It was the Spirit of God.

That was doing this work. It wasn't something that all of a sudden he thought, oh wow, I got it all together and I'm going to do this and this and this. This man was in pain. He was desperate. He was humbled.

He was broken.

He was crushed, but he.

Knew something about the one in the middle, the man in the middle. Jesus says, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. He who humbles himself will be exalted. That's how salvation happens. I tell you, beloved, this repentant thief was humbling himself.

He was humbling himself. Some people say, well he was hanging on a cross.

And so was the other.

The other one rejected him. The other one hardened his heart.

But God, the Holy Spirit, was.

Drawing this one in. But yet he was humbling himself because he was humbling himself before the Savior.

Oh, I.

Tell you, beloved, he gives recognition of the pure innocence of the holiness of Jesus. He recognized who Jesus really was. He recognized first his own personal guilt, but he recognized who Jesus really was that Jesus was without sin.

He was innocent. He was pure. Hebrews 7 .26 says, for such a high priest was fitting for us. Listen to that. For us. I put my place, myself, in the place of this thief. This repentant thief.

And then the.

Hebrew says, who is holy?

Harmless.

You know what that word harmless means? Innocent. Undefiled.

Separate from sinners.

Separate from sinners. And notice what he says, and has become higher than the heavens.

All glory.

Be to him. He's higher than the heavens, folks.

There's.

Nothing greater. Praise his holy name. So we understood and we understand by the scriptures and as the thief did who he really was before God and that's the state we should be. Guilty, vile and helpless we.

Spotless lamb of God was he. Hallelujah, what a savior. He understood the perfect innocence of Jesus. He understood the holiness of Jesus. And I really believe it was the means of grace as he was hanging on the cross.

God was.

Just moving upon him. But yet the means of grace was there. He heard Jesus pray for his enemies. Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.

And what they did to him.

He saw the spotless lamb of God. He knew Jesus was able to save to the uttermost, folks.

Isn't it glorious?

The third thing we see the believing repentant thief recognize that Jesus is Lord. I love this. Jesus is Lord. Look at verse 42. Then he said to Jesus, Lord. Let me stop right there. No one can say Jesus is Lord unless by the Holy Spirit.

And really understand.

What Lord.

Really means. He is Lord.

He is Lord. He is Lord. He is Lord.

I'm telling you every knee's gonna bow. Every tongue's gonna confess that Jesus Christ.

Is Lord to the glory of.

God the Father. To the glory of God the Father through all eternity. Think of that. One day. There's gonna come a day. Every knee's gonna bow. Every tongue's gonna confess. And I like what Raul says. It's better to do that now.

Because one day even the wicked. Those that rejected. Even Pilate. Even Adolf Hitler. Even all these mass murderers. These people that are so wicked. They're gonna bow the knee. And they're gonna confess I'm Lord.

And then they're gonna be turned into hell. But Jesus desires us to now humble ourselves and repent. I'm telling you man's pride is so.

Horrible.

And I look at myself. And I say God, take this out of me.

Crucify.

This from me. By your blessed Holy Spirit.

Jesus.

He says to Jesus.

Lord.

Then covenant language comes.

Remember. Remember. Jesus knew. He loves that kind of language. Remember me that thief says when you come into your kingdom. This wicked man cries out. And I'm telling you he's desperate. Isn't he? That's our problem.

We're not desperate.

We must be desperate sinners. To call out on our Savior. To call to our Savior. He was desperate. He was a desperate sinner. Crying out to a great deliverer. And he says Lord. You know what that means?

Savior.

Deliverer.

King. Sovereign. He understood that it's never too late to be saved.

Now I'm not.

Pushing for deathbed repentance here. Even though he came into the kingdom here at the very last hours. And he won't share the same rewards as everybody else. All the other saints. But beloved.

He's in the kingdom.

We will see him.

Praise God.

He may not take any rewards as so doing for Christ. But he got his great and exceeding reward as far as I'm concerned. That's all that really matters.

Jesus.

Is his reward. That's the way he was looking at it. This is the reward right here. I don't know about you. Yes I want to do all that I can. And we're going to be all embarrassed at the judgment seat one day that we didn't do more.

And that we didn't love him more. But this man right here. We will see him before the throne of God.

We will see him.

And here he's asking. He goes to the right one. Right? He cries out to the righteous one. The holy one of Israel. The Messiah himself. The one for whom God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

He goes to the one who's the Lamb of God without blemish and without spot as Peter says. He goes to the one who committed no sin. No deceit was found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled did not revile in return.

When he was suffering he did not threaten but he committed himself to him who judges righteously. There's no one that trusted the Father like Jesus. A perfect trust. The one who cried out and prayed for his enemies.

He calls this desperate thief calls to the one. He goes to the right one. Does he not? He prays and he gives the request to the right one. And he prayed for his enemies who mocked him and Jesus says Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.

I'm telling you folks that is such a deep prayer. You see beloved this thief was nailed to a crew cross. He was nailed to a crew cross like the other like I said but yet grace was given to him. I like what Augustine I guess you could say.

Either way I think would be right. He says this do not despair one of the thieves.

Was saved but.

Do not presume one of the thieves was damned. That's a proper view. That's a proper view. And you think of it. The Holy Spirit has these.

Two before.

Us. Isn't this the story of.

Mankind?

There's rejection everywhere. Matter of fact Jesus said more will be rejected. He knows this. And on the day of judgment I like what Spurgeon said. No one will be able to blame God and say they could not come to Jesus and Jesus would turn them away.

Because Jesus said he that cometh to me I would no wise cast out. So no one will say that Jesus did not welcome all because that is the common general call like we looked at that God says to whosoever will.

But Jesus knows there's only going to be a few.

The chosen.

That's going to come into the kingdom. Amen. Jesus said it.

This is not the words of some.

Man. Jesus said straight is the gate. He said actually when he began to say that he says enter into the straight gate. He encourages the first thing.

Enter.

Into that straight gate. For narrow is the way that leads to life. But few there.

Be that find it.

Few.

But broad is the way that leads to destruction. And many there will be going into that path. We see that don't we? This is the human history. So we have both thieves. And this repentant believing thief comes into the straight and narrow way.

Let us not forget this. Two thieves, two responses. The repentant thief had grace given to him. The rejecting thief was hardened. Just like what God says. Jacob I've loved.

Esau I've hated.

People say explain that to me. I'm telling you that's God's.

Decision.

Deuteronomy 29 .29.

Look.

The secret things belong.

To the Lord.

But the things that are revealed belong to us and we got enough revelation here. Only there's certain things only.

It's God's heart and mind.

What we need to do is.

Make sure that we're in the kingdom. We humble ourselves. Don't worry about these questions. If we got questions he'll take care of that on the other side. I'm going to be honest with you once we get to the other side it's not going to matter no more.

Because it's our.

Fleshly state.

It's almost like the curiosity kills the cat. But satisfaction brings them back. And that's the truth. We all have a curiosity about it and actually we want to know no no. But God says no I know all things.

He knows what's best. What we need to make sure.

That we're in the kingdom.

Amen.

Follow me. And now that thief understood that he could not be saved through his own good works could he? No. Or any act of self-righteousness. No because actually self-righteousness means that human beings can do something to merit their salvation.

That's externalism. That's playing church.

God despises.

That. God hates that.

Somehow to.

Earn brownie points with God. To earn God's favor. It's blasphemy. God hates it. And this thief was nailed to a crucifix on Calvary next to our Lord. Let me ask you this. What acts of righteousness could he do?

He couldn't get down from that cross. He was nailed on that cross. He couldn't come down.

To go to church.

He couldn't go join a church. Could he or he couldn't perform any good deeds of righteousness or he couldn't even be baptized. I had a discussion with an elderly Church of Christ man one time.

I did.

This respectfully because he was much more older than I was but he was strictly Church of Christ and we were talking about salvation and kind of interesting that this is my great aunt when we went to visit.

She's, I pray with the Lord now. I don't know but.

We were.

Talking about Jesus and salvation because I knew she didn't have long and it was a gracious conversation and.

There was a curtain.