Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise

The Thief on the Cross and Jesus’ Promise of Paradise

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now, here's a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrook.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Jesus 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?

And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And he said to him, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

The Meaning of the Thief’s Prayer for Forgiveness

In the name of Jesus. One of the criminals, there's Jesus on the cross. And I always like to think of, well, the cross is like the beginning, if you would, of the threshing of the harvest. The separating of the wheat and the chaff.

Because as Christ is dying for our sins, your sins and mine, He's hung between two thieves. And one thief railed against Jesus. And you think, what is this guy thinking? He is about to leave planet Earth.

He is suffering in agony for his sins, for his crimes. And he's railing at Jesus. And he knows a thing or two about Jesus. Are you not the Christ? Well, is he? Of course he is. Well, save yourself and us.

Be the greatest escape of all time. They'll write movies about it. Escape from the cross, rather than escape from Alcatraz, right? Three guys in orange jumpsuits, bleeding terribly, while being chased by dogs through the streets of Jerusalem.

It would be a great story, you know? Told for millennia. Doesn't make any sense. This is why what comes next is something that is humbling and something that we need to consider as profound. Words to this fellow then, the other thief, says, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

Now this is an interesting theology here. What is it that Jesus has done in order to receive the same sentence of condemnation as these lowly thieves? Well, we'll get to that in a minute. So this fellow then confesses these words.

We indeed justly, we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. And I think his words are helpful for us. Because it's really easy for us to somehow think that suffering on a cross is not exactly what our deeds require.

But this fellow is noting that temporally that's at least the case. That temporally, suffering like this is exactly what is required. Because he has broken not only God's law, he's broken Roman law so egregiously that he's incurred the death penalty to be made an example of.

But made an example of here also for us. Not only the just consequences of our sin, but, well, an example for us of humility. Of rightly confessing that we are by nature sinful and unclean. This man though, this Jesus fellow, he has done nothing wrong.

And so in what has to be one of the most bold prayers ever offered by any human being, this thief has the audacity to look to Jesus and invoke him and ask these words, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Hmm.

I think this guy's been to his Jewish catechism class. He's heard a thing or two from the prophets. Because in the Old Testament, when God remembers a person, they are blessed, they are pardoned, they are forgiven.

But when God remembers sins, well, that's a bad thing. And so in saying, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom, he is quite humbly asking Christ to forgive him. Not in so many words, but if you know your Old Testament prophets well, then you'll know that asking Christ to remember him is to ask Christ to forgive him so that he's remembered in his kingdom.

And so Jesus then does not rail against this thief who has the audacity to pray such a prayer. I mean, after all, he is receiving the just condemnation of his sins. But Jesus said to him, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

Paradise, the Sabbath Rest, and Hebrews 4

Hmm. Hmm.

There's a lot there. There is a lot there. Last time we've heard of paradise, yeah, it was that garden long ago. In fact, if you think about it this way, in that garden, you've got the whole creation account that God himself, he spoke the universe, the world, everything that you can see, smell, taste, touch, the things visible and invisible, God spoke them into existence over the course of six days.

And then God rested. I was reading a theologian recently who was musing about this and said that, did you ever notice that it never mentions what day it is that Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil?

You got the six days of creation, God declaring, oh, it's Tov Ma 'od, it's very good. And then God taking his Sabbath rest, resting from all of his work. And the implication is this, is that from the time God finished his work, the intent was it was going to be an eternal Sabbath rest.

In a paradise earth. I like the way he's talking, I think this makes a little bit of sense. And so here Jesus says to this thief, today you will be with me where?

Paradise. Paradise.

In fact, the themes here in this portion of the Gospel of Luke, while Christ is suffering for our sins, invoke Hebrews chapter 4. In fact, let me read this out. Hebrews chapter 4, starting at verse 1.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, talking about what? The eternal Sabbath rest. Have you ever stopped to think that what Christ has called us back into is that eternal Sabbath rest?

The fact that while Christ died on the cross on a Friday, wait a second, the next day was going to be the Sabbath. And Jesus perfectly rested that day in the tomb. In fact, he rested so perfectly, he didn't burn a single calorie.

He didn't breathe a single breath. He sat sleeping, if you would, that day. So now we are called into the eternal Sabbath rest. You see, the promise of entering his rest, God's rest, it still stands. It stands for you.

It stands for me. We are called into that rest. We are called into paradise. So let us fear, lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. You see, for good news has come to us, just as to them.

But the message they heard, it did not benefit them, talking about the Jews who heard in the ancient world at the time of the apostles, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed, we have entered that rest.

We have. Notice the past tense. We've already entered it. As he has said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest, although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, and God rested.

And on the seventh day from all his works. And again in this passage he said, they shall not enter my rest, therefore it remains for some to enter it. And those who formerly received the good news, they failed to enter because of their disobedience.

And again he appoints a certain day. God has now appointed a certain day, and that day is today. Saying, through David, so long afterward, in the words already quoted, today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts.

Brothers and sisters, you are hearing God's voice today in these words of Scripture, wooing us, telling us that Christ wills for us to enter that paradise, enter into that Sabbath rest, the eternal one that he has already entered into.

The author of Hebrews goes on to say, if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from all his works, just as God did from his.

So let us then strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God, it is living, it is active, it is sharper than any two-edged sword. The word of God pierces to the vision of soul and spirit, of joints and of morrow, of discerning the thoughts as well as the intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from God's sight. All are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.

Let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are and yet is without sin. So let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, just like this fellow, this thief on the cross.

Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we also may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So brothers and sisters, Christ has said to this thief, today you will be with me in paradise.

Christ Bore Our Sins and Was Numbered with the Transgressors

The same thief who said that Jesus has done nothing wrong, and the author of Hebrews has confirmed it, that Christ was tempted in every way and yet was without sin. And here's where I'm going to wonderfully quibble with this fellow who said that Jesus did nothing wrong.

Now it's true, Christ never sinned. But you'll note that Christ is our sacrifice for our sins. And always and again in the Old Testament, a sacrifice is that victim that suffered and died in the place of the sinner so that the sinner might live.

In fact, in the Old Testament, all of the sacrifices of the Old Testament were always seasoned with salt. Keep that in mind. But the sin sacrifices always and again had the sins of the people imputed to them before they were slaughtered.

And so scripture tells us that although Christ never sinned, it tells us something else about him. Isaiah 53 puts it this way,. Surely he has borne our griefs, he has carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken and smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. And upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep, we have gone astray, we have turned, everyone to his own way.

But the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. And so you'll note that even though Christ is our great high priest, although he has absolute empathy with our weaknesses because he's been tempted in every way that we are, in the end, he was the one who bore your sins and mine.

And he was the one who was punished in our place. And so that fellow who railed at Jesus that he needed to save himself and us, again, foolish words, foolish, foolish words, because what Christ was doing was saving even him.

And how foolish that he also did not plead with Christ. That Christ would forgive him, that Christ would remember him. And he did not hear from Jesus today, he will be with me in paradise. Sad, if you think about it.

The Darkness, the Torn Curtain, and Christ’s Innocence at the Cross

Now the text in Luke goes on to say it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. From noon until three in the afternoon, the time of the evening sacrifice.

While the sun's light failed, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. What an amazing thing if you think about it. There's Christ in the last moments of his agony on the cross, and the temple now, the dividing line between the holy of holies and the holy place is torn in two, from top to bottom.

God's the one who did the tearing. So then Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. And when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and he said, certainly this man was innocent.

What an interesting thing for him to say. And he was right, and yet he was wrong. Absolutely true, Christ never committed any sin. But Isaiah continues, you see it was the will of the Lord to crush Jesus.

He had put him to grief. When a soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and he shall be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted as righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.

Because he poured out his soul to death, and he himself was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. So this Lenten season, let us humbly consider our need to cry out to Jesus to remember us in his kingdom.

For us to be forgiven by what he did. For us to be accounted righteous for his name's sake. And for us to hear from him today in the words of the absolution. When you hear Christ say to you, your sins are forgiven, you could even add to them, today you will be with him in paradise.

Because today is the day of his Sabbath rest. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you would like to support the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church, you can do so by sending a tax-free donation to Kungsvinger Lutheran Church, 15950 470th Avenue NW, Oslo, MN 56744. And again that address is Kungsvinger Lutheran Church, 15950 470th Avenue NW, Oslo, MN 56744.

We thank you for your support. All of our teaching messages may be freely distributed as long as you do not edit or change the content of the message. And again, thank you for listening.