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you you you you you you you [Music] you morning everyone welcome to free guest baptist church for our morning service we're going to turn to psalm 48 for our call to worship this morning take your bibles and turn to the 48th psalm psalm 48 beginning verse 1 a song a psalm of the sons of korah great is the lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our god in his holy mountain beautiful in elevation the joy of the whole earth is mount zion on the sides of the north the city of the great king god is in her palaces he is known as her refuge for behold the kings assembled they passed by together they saw it and so they marveled they were troubled they hastened away fear took hold of them there and pain as of a woman in birth pangs as when you break the ships of tarshish with an east wind as we have heard so we have seen in the city of the lord of hosts in the city of our god god will establish it forever we have thought oh god on your loving lovingkindness in the midst of your temple according to your name o god so is your praise to the ends of the earth your right hand is full of righteousness let mount zion rejoice let the daughters of judah be glad because of your judgments walk about zion and go all around her count her towers mark well her bulwarks consider her palaces that you may tell it to the generation following for this is god our god forever and ever he will be our guide even to death amen we're going to start by singing psalm 72 psalm 72 selection a and we will sing the last four verses stanza 5 to 8. please stand with me stanza 5. you [Music] foreign [Music] foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] is foreign [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] maybe seated as we go to the lord in prayer this morning remember remember those churches that we have close fellowship with in particular the church in surrey this morning where cam porter is preaching so we'll remember him and the others as well let's go to our god in prayer gracious father in heaven i thank you for the privilege we have this morning of gathering together as your people as one flock here amidst many that you have redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation over the face of the earth we thank you for this privilege this beautiful day that you have afforded us thank you for the the opportunity to hear again the gospel and lord i pray that it would be the bomb of gilead to our souls lord i pray that even in our midst this morning there would be those who have not yet closed with christ that would hear the gospel this morning and believe i pray as well for the other churches in this city where the gospel is preached today i pray that it would go forth with power and conviction and i pray that it would not return unto you void i pray for our sister churches for the church in surrey this morning that you would bless them bless cam porter as he preaches i pray that you would give him fluency of thought and speech and conviction and i pray that the holy spirit would attend the preaching of the word there and minister to your people in that congregation i pray as well for our sister church in armstrong that you would be gracious to this new church plant i pray that you would encourage them this day pray that you would give pastor mal jars inspiration to preach with authority this morning your word i pray that you would encourage them and continue to to cause them to mature and add to their numbers such as should be saved we pray for the church plant out in ontario as well in dryden i pray to god that you would encourage those people that you would give dan morley and josh butler much wisdom and much grace as they lead this congregation and i pray god that they would would soon be constituted into into a formal church may your blessings rest upon them lord we thank you that the gospel continues to go forth all over the face of the earth and we pray that it would be victorious in every land where it is preached lord we know that there will be a great multitude standing before your throne on that day from every tribe tongue and people and nation and we pray that that that gospel would go forth with power with anointing and with conviction and that you would save a great multitude even this day or we know that there are many places in this world where the church faces much greater struggles than we do where the church is being hounded and persecuted and where the enemies of the gospel are are much more vocal and much more violent than we see here and i pray oh god that you would sustain your people sustain your people in in countries where islam is the predominant religion and where christians are are hated uh sustain your people in communist nations like china and and other uh nations that have atheism as their as their false religion lord i pray that you would be gracious to your church in north korea in russia all over the face of the earth and lord where people are experiencing the devastation of war in the ukraine and elsewhere i pray that the church nonetheless would continue to grow and continue to know the comfort of the holy spirit or we pray that there would be a great in gathering this very day thank you for the opportunity again we have here to hear the word preached i pray that you bless pastor butler as he comes to the pulpit later to preach to us i pray that you would encourage his heart and our hearts as we hear the word of god i pray lord for those amongst us that are not able to be here today because of sickness or other other infirmities other calamities i pray god that you'd be gracious to them and encourage your people i pray for the young people the youth and the children in our church that you would be merciful to them that they would embrace the gospel that you would grant them faith to believe while they are young and that they would be saved and continue in the faith throughout all their years lord we long to see this faith of the gospel passed on from generation to generation and we pray that that would happen here in our congregation lord go with us the remainder of this day help us to honor and glorify you as we worship i pray in jesus name amen we'll turn in our hymnal now and sing him 213. stand with me as we sing him 2 13 glory be to god the father [Music] foreign [Music] almighty [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] you may be seated for our consecutive reading in the new testament we're returning to james chapter 2 this morning the second chapter of james and we will read the entire chapter my brethren do not hold the faith of our lord jesus christ the lord of glory with partiality for if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him you sit here in a good place and say to the poor man you stand there or sit here at my footstool have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts listen my beloved brethren has not god chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him but you have dishonored the poor man do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture you shall love your neighbor as yourself you do well but if you show partiality you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors for whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point he is guilty of all for he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder you have become a transgressor of the law so speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy mercy triumphs over judgment what does it profit my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works can faith save him if a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to them depart and peace be warmed and filled but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body what does it profit thus also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead but someone will say you have faith and i have works show me your faith without your works and i will show you my faith by my works you believe that there is one god you do well even the demons believe and tremble but do you want to know a foolish man that faith without works is dead was not abraham our father justified by works when he offered isaac his son on the altar do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled which says abraham believed god and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of god you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only likewise was not rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also amen if we were to take that very last verse and just five words from that verse out of context and say so faith without works is dead faith without works is dead we could encapsulate the the theme of the book of james but of course we have to interpret what does james mean when he says faith without works is dead we could take the roman catholic view which would say christ did his work but that on the cross was not sufficient that has to be repeated on a regular basis that sacrifice in the in the sacrifice of the mass and on top of that we have to add our works to it and if we work hard enough we can tip the scales the balance of the scales in our favor and be accepted with god we know that can't be true we know that that salvation is by grace alone and grace is unmerited favor we didn't do anything to to earn the favor of god however we could take a more evangelical approach which is a little bit of the roman catholic view disguised and say well we have to do something christ made it possible for us to be saved by dying on the cross but we still have to do something and it's up to us to do that whatever that is whether that is our own form of penance or or fasting and prayer and feeling sorry for our sins for months or years or whether that is simply raising our hands and going to the front signing a card but something is you know salvation is dependent upon us well it can't mean that either because we have to we have to fit this in context with the rest of scripture and as the prophet isaiah tells us all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags we cannot earn our salvation what james must be talking about here is the fruits of our salvation if we've been saved or we make a profession of salvation and there is no fruit for years to come then this profession becomes suspect and james has some very harsh words to say to certain people in his audience here along those very lines that they're actually hypocrites they're not truly believers so faith without works is dead in other words if we have been redeemed if we have been saved that's by grace but it will bring forth and produce fruit in our lives and by their fruit you shall know them christ tells us so let us pray father in heaven we thank you for your word we pray that you would give us clarity understanding and a love for the truth once again we pray that you would bless pastor butler as he preaches to us open our hearts and ears to hear and to receive i pray in jesus name amen and for our final hymn before the preaching turn to 471 and stand with me to sing 471. [Music] me glory [Music] yes [Music] glory oh [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] baby with me in your bibles to luke's gospel luke chapter 23. would be back in john 7 this sunday i don't think i was lying there just a few things have come up so we'll put off our study and john until the 28th so cam porter is preaching for mike kirkpatrick today and i will be preaching for mike next sunday so god willing will return to john 7 on august 28th for this morning we're going to consider a passage that we have considered many times in the past the thief on the cross specifically luke 23 verses 39 to 43 but i want to begin reading in verse 26 and go to verse 49 to set it in its larger context now as they led him away they laid hold of a certain man simon a cyrenian who was coming from the country and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after jesus and a great multitude of the people followed him and women who also mourned and lamented him but jesus turning to them said daughters of jerusalem do not weep for me but wait for yourselves and for your children for indeed the days are coming in which they will say blessed are the barren wombs that never bore and breasts which never nursed then they will be get begin to say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us for if they do these things in the green wood what will be done in the in the dry 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 there they crucified him and the criminals one on the right hand and the other on the left then jesus said father forgive them for they do not know what they and they divided his garments and cast lots and the people stood looking on but 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 an inscription also was written over him in letters of 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 but the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god seeing you are unto the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong and he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom and jesus said to him assuredly i say to you today you will be with me in paradise now it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness all over all the earth until the ninth hour then the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was torn in two and when jesus had cried out with a loud voice he said father into your hands i commit my spirit having said this he breathed his last so when the centurion saw what had happened he glorified god saying certainly this was a righteous man and the whole crowd who came together to that site seeing what had been done beat their breasts and returned but all his acquaintances and the women who followed him from galilee stood at a distance watching these things amen well let us pray our gracious god and holy father we thank you for this beautiful day certainly the heavens declare your majesty your glory your righteousness certainly we see your your sovereign power and wisdom and providence and on the lord's day we think specifically of the gospel of our salvation and we witness afresh your grace and your mercy and your loving kindness and we rejoice in that given to us freely we ask that you would bless our time now as we consider holy scripture we pray that your holy spirit would be at work in our hearts and minds we pray god that you would strengthen and edify your people cause us to stand in awe of the glorious gospel of free and sovereign grace and for those god who have yet to come to the savior those who have not believed on him we pray that today would be the day of salvation that they by grace would pass from death into life from darkness into light that they would leave here confessing the glory of jesus christ as lord and savior forgive us for all of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and we pray in jesus name amen well one of the things that we notice as we work our way through the gospel narratives is that jesus came to save sinners and when we ask the question what kind of sinners the answer is very simple all kinds of sinners those kinds of sinners they're engaged in sort of regular ordinary garden variety sins of which we're all guilty and we deserve god's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come but we also see notorious sinners people that society would include as being those outside perhaps of the grace of god well this thief on the cross is one such sinner as we move our way through this particular narrative i just want to remind you he's a bad dude and when we see the translation criminal it certainly does refer to somebody who is a robber somebody who does pose a threat to others in terms of stripping them of their property but the word also suggests that he was a revolutionary he was an insurrectionist he was a terrorist in other words he was a threat to the civil order he was a threat ultimately to the cosmic order and we noticed that he is being executed by the civil state they typically didn't execute somebody who wandered into walmart and stole a a candy bar they would execute somebody that was posed posed a threat to the civil state so as we keep that in mind let's look first at the conversion of the thief in verses 39 to 42 and then secondly the graciousness of the savior in verse 43. now notice with reference to the situation confronting the thief verse 32 tells us there were also two others criminals led with him to be put to death so again this was a capital offender this was a man who had been found guilty of crimes against the state and he has now been handed over to die he's been handed over to that grossest form of execution which was crucifixion in the roman empire it was such a horrific way to die that it was not something that would be applied to roman citizens you'd have to have an actual authorization from the emperor to be able to sanction the use of crucifixion against a civilian of rome or a citizen rather of rome so with reference to this he is a notorious offender he is in fact a bad guy now in terms of the time of his execution we notice if you look specifically at verse 44 now it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour so that's the time on the clock but in terms of the time on this man's clock it's the 11th hour he's about to die he knows that he's about to die he at least at this point has not made his peace with god through our lord jesus christ and this 11th hour is coming upon us all we'll all stand one day to die or we'll all come to one day to die and then we stand in the presence of god for judgment that 11th hour is a reference to that final hour of a man a woman a boy or girl's life you see the apostle paul referred that refer to that in second timothy chapter four he knows that the time of his departure is at hand and i think that adds gravity to that last command that he gives to timothy in terms of the church's function with reference to this lower world preach the word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and teaching so the last recorded commandment of the apostle paul relative to the church's practice is about preaching the word so that 11th hour shows the seriousness of the nature of the situation and that's what's happening here with this particular man now notice the change that occurs in the thief the other thief notice in verse 39 we're told there are two criminals verse 32 and then in verse 39 we read then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying if you are the christ save yourself and us now intriguingly the parallel passages indicate that both thieves at one point were blaspheming the lord jesus christ matthew 26 verse 38 matthew 26 verse 44 and ma mark 15 verse 32 indicate that both thieves at one point were blaspheming the lord jesus christ the narrative here shows that the one thief the thief in question the man who passes from death to life stop blaspheming in other words a change had obtained something had overcome him we know it's the grace of god we know it's the power of the holy spirit we know it's the efficacy of the very death of our lord jesus christ on behalf of all those whom the father had given him and notice as well with reference to the continually blaspheming thief the irony of his statement verse 39 then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying if you are the christ save yourself and us now in matthew 27 39 to 43 we read that this is echoed by the passersby the chief priests the scribes and the elders they mocked jesus you say you're the messiah you say to the christ you say you're the anointed of god you say that you have this power and authority will come down from the cross and save us do you appreciate the irony here christ is in the act of saving this other thief at this particular time so the one thief uses it as a means for blasphemy the other thief has passed from death into life based on what christ is doing in terms of his life death and resurrection now notice the response of our thief i'll call him our thief he's the good guy in terms of the two that are on the cross he's only good by god's grace i should remind us but if you notice the response of the thief in verses 40 to 42 he first speaks to his fellow thief in verses 40 and 41 and then he speaks to the savior in verse 42. so let's look at what he says to his fellow thief in verses 40 to 41. notice in the first place he's concerned for others verse 40 says but the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god seeing you are under the same condemnation we'll take up the latter part in just a moment but notice what it starts with he rebuked him saying that's very intriguing so at one point this thief joined the other one in the blasphemy against the son of man but now because he has experienced and tasted the grace of god he's no longer minded only about himself but he's got this others mindedness why does he rebuke this thief because the target of his blasphemy is the lord jesus christ he's now concerned about christ and about his honor and about his glory and not about this reality that we're filthy vile wicked men that are going to blaspheme this one who says that he is the messiah of israel there's an others mindedness that takes hold of a soul when by god's grace he takes hold of their soul if you look specifically at second corinthians chapter five for just a moment this is a trait or an indicator of the power of the christian gospel if you look at second corinthians chapter five at verse 12 for we do not commend ourselves again to you but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart for if we are beside ourselves it is for god or if we are of sound mind it is for you for the love of christ compels us because we judge thus that if one died for all then all die and he died for all now notice the purpose clause in view here in verse 15. our brother reminded us that there are fruits there are evidences there are consequences of justification by faith alone so when god grants grace when god gives us faith and repentance so that by grace we believe the gospel we're forgiven of our sins and we receive the righteousness of christ that grace is alone but it doesn't remain alone it's always accompanied by all other saving graces sanctification good works fruits and evidences that we have been conquered by sovereign grace notice the purpose clause in second corinthians 5 15 that he died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again so when we are narcissists when we are obsessed with ourselves when we are consumed with that unholy trinity of me myself and i that is a bad evidence that we have never come to the blessed savior so this thief to his fellow thief rebukes him because this thief was blaspheming the holy name of our savior notice as well this thief our thief has a fear of god verse 40 verse 40. the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god brethren that is not native to the soul of man that is not something intrinsic to the sons of adam here you can turn to the book of romans romans chapter 3. the apostle paul in romans chapter 3 is summarizing all he has been teaching since romans chapter 1 at verse 18. he introduces the theme of the epistle in verses 16 and 17 i'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of god unto salvation for everyone who believes to the jew first and also to the greek for in that gospel the righteousness of god is revealed from faith to faith that as it is written the just shall live by faith and then he begins that presentation of the gospel with the bad news of man's depravity man's sinfulness man's lawlessness man's rebellion against a holy god the very necessity for which the son of man came into the world to live to die and to rise again so he does that from 118 all the way to chapter 3 and verse 20. but if you look specifically at verses 10 to 18 he gives this litany of verses from the old testament that confirm or affirm or corroborate his point he says in verse 10 as it is written there is none righteous no not one there is none who understands there's none who seeks after god they've all turned aside they've together become unprofitable there is none who does good no not one their throat is an empty tomb with their tongues they have practice deceit the poison of asps is under their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood destruction and mercy uh misery rather are in their ways and they and the way of peace they have not known now notice the final nail in this coffin there is no fear of god before their eyes what's the implication there should be fear of god before the eyes of every creature the prophet jeremiah and the apostle john both asked the same question who would not fear thee o king of the nations for indeed it is thy do in other words creatures coming from the hand of a gracious creator ought to fear him ought to revere him ought to honor him ought to praise him but you know because of our sin our connection covenantally to adam we don't fear him we don't revere him we don't honor him and we don't praise him so now when we witness this thief showing that fear of god we go back to the prophet jeremiah and the promise of the new covenant when god says i will put my fear in their hearts in other words i will teach them to fear me we sing that blessed hymn from john newton it was grace that taught my heart to fear this isn't something you just acquire in a sunday school lesson or from the pulpit it is by the presence and the power of the holy spirit taking that biblical information and applying it savingly to the heart so this thief as he passes from death to life shows concern for others he shows that he has indeed a fear of god and then notice thirdly in terms of the evidence or the fruit that he has in fact passed from death to life he owns his guilt for his sin look at chapter 23 again specifically at verse 40. do you not even fear god seeing you are under the same condemnation and then he says in verse 41 and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong see brethren it's one thing to sort of see sin out there it's one thing to see the sin of the abortionist to see the sin of the euthanasias to see the sin of the the godless atheistic dictator it's easy to see their sin not always as easy to see our set very often we're like that publican who stood and prayed thus with himself thank you god that i'm such a wonderful fellow thank you god that i that i pray all the time that i fast that i that i give tithes that i that i divest myself of everything i possess because because i'm such an awesome and wonderful specimen of a human being and thank you especially god that i'm not like other men i'm not unjust i'm not an adulterer i'm not an extortioner and wow i'm certainly not not like this tax collector this publican this piece of filth or trash it's one thing to see sin in the general sense it's another to be that publican who couldn't even lift his eyes up into heaven but he beats his breast and he says god be merciful to me the sinner and so this thief has passed from death unto life this thief now sees what he has done is an offense against authorized holy god notice the terminology verse 32 there were also two others criminals led within to be put to death but then notice over in chapter matthew chapter 27 and you can turn that i want to make a case that you see something that i think is very important to understanding the passage the particular word in verse 32 of luke 23 is criminal evildoer one who commits gross misdeeds and serious crimes the other gospel writers use a word that's similar but a little bit different with a bit of a different semantic range that includes something a bit more uh uh uh serious notice in chapter 26 and 27 rather matthew at verse 38 then two robbers were crucified with him one on the right and another on the left verse 44. even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing the same word is used in mark 15 and verse 27. now this particular word means in its first instance robber highway highway man or bandit it's probably the way we typically refer to this fellow he's the thief on the cross after all what does thief suggest he wanders into walmart under the cover of deception he steals something he manages to make his way out and he takes that loot home and he eats it or he enjoys it or he sells it or whatever that's usually how we understand the thief on the cross but the second definition i think is what's at play here revolutionary insurrectionist guerrilla so it's somebody who poses a serious threat to the civil order jesus uses the same word in a similar way in matthew 26 at verse 55. in that hour jesus said to the multitudes have you come out as against a robber again they wouldn't have come out as against a man who wandered into walmart who stole a candy bar they would come against a man who posed a threat to the civil order who was an insurrectionist who was a revolutionary who was a terrorist jesus says have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me i daily i sat daily with you teaching in the temple and you did not seize me the lord jesus as i says said uses this with the latter meeting now i want to suggest something that this man and the other criminal verse 32 remember there are two of them worked with barabbas see remember when the crowd said give us barabbas and yet with christ they said away with him away with him crucify him remember that event where pontius pilate there was a custom at the time of the passover where he could take a criminal and give him back to society he thought probably pilate did because he knew that jesus hadn't done anything wrong in terms of the jewish religion in terms of the civil state he thought for sure this will be a slam dunk i'll offer them barabbas the terrorists who wants to overthrow the city or i'll offer them jesus certainly they'll want me to give them jesus but they don't they want barabbas and they want jesus to go away and be crucified brethren there were going to be three crucifixions that day barabbas is the ringleader and these other two are his cronies and you see that connection made in the gospel narratives look at john 18 40. john 18 specifically at verse 40. says then they all cried again saying not this man but barabbas now barabbas was a robber again the latter definition in that word robber the insurrectionist the terrorists the one who posed a threat to civil society look back at matthew 27 matthew 27 i'm spending the time here so that you'll know and see that jesus christ is a real savior for real sinners this man was bad this man was justly being condemned for his crimes this man understood his transgression not just against caesar but against god most high and he's agonizing over that understanding it and reflecting it now while he's on the cross look at matthew 27 at verse 6 uh verse 16. it says and at that time they had a notorious prisoner called barabbas not just a garden variety fellow not just a regular kind of a bandit that wanders into the store and steals stuff but he was a notorious prisoner he posed a threat now notice that barabbas and according to luke chapter 23 go back there specifically at verses 18 and 19 will notice that barabbas was in prison for rebellion and murder so in 23 at verse 18 it says and they all cried out at once saying away with this man and released to us barabbas who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city and for murder and then one final passage and go back to mark 15. mark chapter 15 just to make the connection between baratus and these two cronies that are on the cross on the other side of our blessed savior notice in mark 15 verse 6 now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them whomever they requested and there was one named barabbas who was chained with his notice fellow rebels they had committed murder in the rebellion i started the sermon by suggesting that when we read the gospel narratives it is all too clear to us that jesus came sinners to save but what kind of sinners the polish sinners the self-righteous sinners the church sinners the sinners that never really did anything that bad no he came to save sinners guilty vile helpless we spotless lamb of god was he full atonement can it be hallelujah what a savior this is what caused the pharisees the religious leaders of his time such offense luke 15 1-2 then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him and the pharisees looking down their noses of self-righteous judgment said this man received sinners and eats with them they spoke much better than they knew they spoke much better than they understood that's the very core of the gospel that he comes sinners to eat with sinners to save sinners to rescue it's just like last week in isaiah the prophet chapter 55 one and following oh everyone who thirsts let him come to the waters let him get the nourishment of that milk let him get the exhilaration of that wine let him delight himself in abundance why because with our god there's abundant pardon see we'd only need pardon if we were just normal we need abundant pardon because we're abundantly sinful and that's what this man experiences on the cross it is most blessed it is most glorious it is most awesome there were going to be three executions that day barabbas and his two cronies the thief was a serious serious a serious criminal and sinner and he owned his guilt for his sins he was convicted he now understood he started the day by blaspheming the savior so obviously he didn't recognize it obviously he hadn't internalized it he hadn't gone through the soliloquic way of saying you know what i'm actually justly liable to this sentence of death from my crimes against a holy god and the civil government so back to 23 41 he says and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds see the sinner that is convicted understands that it is in fact righteous with god to cast him off we understand that it is grace we understand that it is mercy we don't pat ourselves on the back having been saved and saying well you know i did contribute vis-a-vis romanism vis-a-vis evangelicalism vis-a-vis any man-centered contribution to the scheme of salvation brethren if it's not all of grace it's none of grace if it's not all of christ it's none of christ and we can praise god for what the prophet jonah confessed when he says salvation is of the lord we can praise god with those saints on high when they stand before the throne and they praise god most high and the lamb who sits on the throne with that constant refrain salvation belongs to our god if it depends on us if it depended upon this thief if it depended upon our doing or our deeds then all of us are held out all of us are going to that place of eternal fire to that place of weeping and washing uh gnashing and and wailing that place of outer darkness we see here that this man received by grace the grace of god most high matthew henry says true penitence acknowledge the justice of god in all the punishments of their sin and i said well you know that's a bit harsh it's a bit overboard that's a bit strict you know can't you just grade me on the curve no he can't he is a holy god he's a righteous god his eye is too pure to approve to look approvingly upon any evil he's a god that is about justice and he must execute that justice and he does so either in the person of his son or he does so in the person of the sinner and so he doesn't just sort of wink it away he doesn't just sort of pass it off he's not like some of the families that would probably say all of our families you know if dad's a bit harsh we'll go to mom if mom's having a particularly bad day we'll we'll go to dad and when it comes time to pay the penalty for our our just desserts we'll we'll try to get them to to renege on that well that's not possible when you're dealing with thrice holy god a god of absolute justice ask nadab and abihu how that worked out ask azza how that worked out asked the countless multitudes that had popped plopped into hell how that worked out this thought that god's just going to suspend his judgment when it comes to little old me that's not biblical brethren that is absolutely contrary to the bible it is appointed for men to die once and then what then comes the judgment we either stand before him in our own righteousness and we stand before him clothed in the righteousness of christ and if we're there in our own righteousness that is very problematic again as we were reminded god through the prophet isaiah this wasn't isaiah you know figuring out the theology of depravity isaiah said that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the sight of a holy god and so with reference to this thief he understands he now realizes and then notice fourthly to his fellow thief what he recognizes concerning jesus the end of verse 41 but this man has done nothing wrong now the thief doubtless means that this man has done nothing wrong which requires crucifixion at the hands of the civil state he doesn't know all the particulars as paul will outline in hebrews 7 26 that our blessed christ is holy harmless and undefiled but he like those pharisees when they whined this man received sinners and deeds with them he spoke better than he knew this man is innocent this man is guiltless this man has done nothing wrong that is vital for us men and for our salvation we need the blood of jesus christ his son to cleanse us from all sin but we need the righteousness of jesus christ to cover us to clothe us to fit us to prepare us so that we can stand in the presence of this holy god you see an image of this or an illustration of this in the prophet zechariah chapter chapter 3 you have this joshua the high priest a representative of the entirety of the nation of israel and he stands before yahweh and the accuser satan is there and when he stands before yahweh he's filthy and i think that we look at that and we say oh he had a you know a blemish of cream cheese on his shirt no the word filthy there is used in other passages to speak of feces to speak of vomit we're getting this picture of the covenant people of israel standing before yahweh of hosts and they are covered in filth they are covered in wickedness they are covered covered in wretchedness before the devil can even open his mouth to accuse joshua the lord rebukes him and then the lord reminds them of his choice of israel god in his sovereign election chose israel as the people for his blessing but then he goes on to order the attendants to take off the filthy garments of joshua the high priest get rid of the sin get that blood of jesus christ in there and wash him from all that putridity get the vomit get the feces brethren vomit and feces sounds pretty harsh and offensive sin is far harsher and far more offensive sin is far more vile and reprehensible than is vomit and feces so if you're offended and you say well i don't like hearing about vomit and feces you know at 12 o'clock on a sunday i sympathize on the one hand but on the other hand we talk about sin we talk about transgression of a holy god we talk about idolatry and blasphemy and sabbath breaking insubordination and murder and adultery and death and lies and covetousness that makes vomit and feces look like a walk in the park so anyways the lord god most high orders the taking off of those old clothes but it doesn't stop there now he's not just standing there naked but he orders the pudding on of new clothes this is justification which is an act of god's free grace wherein he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of christ imputed to us and received by faith alone this thief spoke better than he knew this be uh thief probably couldn't have engaged in discussion concerning the impeccability of jesus he couldn't have gotten into a long lengthy discussion in the seminary class about the sinlessness and spotlessness of the lamb of god but this much he knew this man has done nothing wrong this man has done nothing wrong again guilty vile helpless we spotless lamb of god was he full atonement can it be hallelujah what a savior and consider what else this thief had witnessed now we're going to see in just a moment when he speaks to the savior how great his faith really is i mean imagine coming to the savior as matthew does in matthew 9. jesus is walking by and jesus says to matthew come follow me no matthew didn't have you know the most developed view of the christ at that point he didn't see him with a halo on his head didn't see him with a scepter in his hand but he saw him without blood covering his body he saw him without a crown of thorns pushed into his head he saw him in a position that was not comparable to what this thief does the thief looks past the blood he looks past the gore he looks past all of this this ignominy the older writers call it the shame of the cross and nevertheless he confesses this blessed christ it is most awesome and glorious this man has done nothing wrong but if you go back in the passage verse 32 there were also two others criminals led with him to be put to death and when they had come to the place called calvary there they crucified him and the criminals one on the right hand and the other on the left certainly they would have heard his voice certainly they did hear his voice because christ is going to speak to this man in verse 43. but listen to the voice they heard in verse 34 then jesus said father forgive them for they do not know what they do he understood that with this christ there is this mercy with this christ there is this grace with this christ there is something about the forgiveness of sins and that leads us now to his words to the savior specifically in verse 42. look at what it says excuse me just one moment here verse 42 then he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom now the first thing to observe is that the thief recognizes there is life after death right we live in a materialistic age we live in a day and age that is governed by atoms and by by loins and by things that you can see touch and feel that is very much the case with us today but there is a life beyond this life there is either eternal life in the presence of god most high or there is eternal death separation from god into that hell prepared for the uh the devil and his angels the thief understood that the thief knew there was something beyond this cross he knew there was something beyond his grave he knew that there was something that lay in the future unseen again i think that we live in a materialistic age and by that i mean people don't think about spiritual matters in other words talk to somebody about their soul talk to them about god talk to them about life after death typically you'll get raised eyebrows and you'll get these odd looks and they'll people people wonder what what kind of things have you been smoking what kind of things have you been doing that's the lawlessness of the age we're in it's all about the here it's all about the now it's all about me it's all about myself it's all about everything that affects me we are a a a people that is filled with narcissism and we have no thought concerning the future i mean we might think about college we might think about you know a job prospect we might think about the honey or the the dude that we're gonna marry we might have those thoughts but again they're temporarily oriented how many of us actually give thought to the reality that one day we're gonna die one day it happens to all of us i can tell you that much it happens to every single one you're not elijah and you are not enoch so therefore you are going to die i don't want to scare anybody boy we heard about feces we heard about vomit we heard about death sorry brethren that's what the bible has for us in some of its places we need to ponder life beyond the grave we need to ponder the question am i ready am i fit am i prepared have i been forgiven am i clothed with the righteousness of another have i closed with christ this isn't just an older person problem i mean typically the way things are in the natural order old people die before young people but young people do die there are car accidents there's a whole host of ways for people to go out of this world so it's not something that you can say well i'm only 10 or i'm only 20. i'm not going to think about that until i'm really old like 60. 60 doesn't seem really old to me anymore as it once did but with reference to that there is a day coming and this man thought beyond the grave notice as well the thief sees jesus as lord who possesses a kingdom look at that verse 42 then he said to jesus lord it's easy to see lord or it will be easy to see lord when we see him come again in glory to judge the living and the dead when he's attended by all the angels and the glory of his father when he comes to take vengeance on them who knew not god and those who did not obey the gospel it'll be easy to see him as lord then but again look at what the thief is seeing he's seeing a man that has been given over by his countrymen he sees a man that has been delivered up to crucifixion he sees a man that's got blood pouring down his face who's actually nailed to the cross he sees a man that's in a great position or a position rather of great disadvantage and yet he looks beyond that he looks through that he sees with the eye of faith the actual identity of the savior and he addresses him as lord we actually have professing christians that struggle with the lordship of jesus this fellow didn't struggle one bit this fellow when grace overtook his heart saw this savior as lord and he also saw this savior as a lord who possessed a kingdom a kingdom beyond the grave a kingdom not like near uh caesar's a kingdom not like the kingdoms of man this man looked through the door looked through the shame and saw a lord who possessed a kingdom j.c royal makes the observation in his essay christ's greatest trophy he says he only saw our lord in agony and in weakness in suffering and in pain he saw him undergoing dishonorable punishment deserted mocked despised blasphemed he saw no scepter no royal crown no outward dominion no glory no power no signs of might and yet the dying thief believed and looked forward to christ's kingdom you see that brethren that's walking by faith and not by sight it's a great lesson for all of us we don't see the power of christ's kingdom we don't see this top-down imposition upon this the kingdoms of man we have seen the overthrow of the canadian government by our blessed messiah and we're not gonna see it unless that's his purpose and plan we're gonna see parallel growth the wheat will outgrow the terrors but there will never be nevertheless be tares we will see the constant challenge of the gates of hades to side track the work of the messiah we will witness that we will see that but as the apostle says in second corinthians we walk by faith and not by sight and this thief teaches us that he looks beyond or through the shame the the the the gory character of the savior and he confesses him as lord who has a kingdom and then notice the thief casts himself on the mercy of the savior we saw that a few probably a couple of months ago now with reference to rahab the harlot she had not only heard of the power the majesty and the glory of yahweh but she casts herself upon his mercy remember me when you come into the city of jericho and do not destroy me or my family it's one thing to sort of hear that you're a bad person to hear that there is a real savior but as the hymn writer says venture on him venture holy come to the blessed savior come to the one in whom there is forgiveness there is mercy there is salvation so this dying thief casts himself by grace upon the mercy of the blessed savior then he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom john calvin says lord remember me i know not that since the creation of the world there ever was a more remarkable and striking example of faith in the midst of the gore he sees the king in the midst of shame he sees the savior in the midst of that most heinous situation and circumstance he looks beyond that and he casts himself upon the mercy of christ now i could stop here because we all know how the story ends right but we need to see how the story ends and again if you've not come to this christ this might be the time to start to talk to yourself and say you know he saved that guy he saved the guy that's preaching to me he saved my folks he saved my spouse he saved the apostle paul who said he was the chief of sinners there might be some mercy for me i can promise you there is mercy for all who come to him all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me i will certainly not cast out he says in john 6 37 it will never be the case that a sinner ends up saying you know i came to jesus i believed in jesus i by grace cast myself upon his mercy but he cast me out he wanted nothing to do with me he rejected me he despised me he forsook me that will never be the testimony of any sinner ever because all that the father gives will come and the one who comes i will certainly not cast out the king new king james translates it that way i will certainly not cast out see in in english we don't do double negatives because a double negative makes a positive in greek you could do double negatives you could do triple negatives it just meant more negative it's kind of like newspeak plus plus good plus good and good there is a way to make it more powerful and so we have jesus say i will certainly not cast out the one who comes to me so let's see how he deals got this hymn written on my paper here we sang it last sunday morning come ye sinners poor and wretched weak and wounded sick and sore jesus ready stands to save you full of pity joined with power he is able he is able he is able he is willing doubt no more he is willing doubt no more see the the problem with a powerful savior that's not willing doesn't really do us any good does it he's powerful he can do it but he's not willing to do it but imagine the willing savior who doesn't have the power equally useless i i'd really love to save you but i don't have the power it's kind of like somebody who's sinking and they're they're going to drown to death and you say boy my heart goes out to you i'd love to help you but but i just don't have the power see the hymn writer joseph art understands come ye sinners poor and wretched weak and wounded sick and sore jesus ready stands to save you full of pity joined with power he is able he is able he is able he is willing doubt no more he is willing doubt no more that's the first point we see relative to the savior and his response to this man he is willing the very nature of his response tells us or underscores the willingness of him but as well the very nature of his response underscores the power that is in him notice as well that in this time of great suffering let's not forget where jesus is he's on the cross bearing roman crucifixion which as i said earlier that was not even something that they would do to a roman citizen it was so bad i mean we have the gospel narratives there's no developed sort of passion play there's no sort of celebration of the physical suffering of the savior but there are a few snippets and when you read those few snippets you understand what great lengths the savior went to on behalf of his people he was whipped not once but he was whipped twice there was a whipping that was engaged in by pontius pilate to try to appease the mop let's just satiate their bloodthirstiness by having this man beaten with whips you've probably all heard the stories that the whips were laced with or they were leather thongs and then they had like shards of glass or or stone in there so that when they laid the whip on the back of the offender it would open up the back this is why the prophet isaiah prophesying several hundred years before says by his stripes we are healed what what stripes is he talking about his open flesh now when the decision was made by pilate to execute the criminal offender there was a scourging that always took place consistent with that so in other words the first was simply to appease the bloodthirsty mob hopefully they'll they'll get satiated and they won't press any further but when the kill order is given there's always a scourging that takes place before the actual crucifixion and so he is true humanity brethren true divinity to be sure hypostatic union the two natures and the one person but what's true of true humanity suffering pain blood tiredness remember he didn't sleep he was in gethsemane with the disciples the officers and temple cops come and they collect him and they take him right to the sanhedrin before jesus ever comes to pilate early friday morning he's been up all night with these morons in the sanhedrin he has been up all night he has again true humanity so he's affected by all of that stuff just like we are and yet without sin and yet in the midst of this in the crux of this he's going to take the time out of his already busy schedule to save this wretch who deserves god's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come if you are not a believer here this morning there is everything in this passage to call upon you to come to him to call upon you to taste and see that the lord is good to see that there is mercy there is grace there is forgiveness there is a righteousness he is willing notice as well with reference to his ability assuredly the savior underscores his answer with assuredly this is no cheap wish this is no sort of you know i'd like to help but i can't he's able to save to the uttermost hebrews 7 25 that all those who draw nigh unto god through him so his assuredly his here his amen on man is most glorious and then notice with reference to his response assuredly i say to you today you will be with me in paradise the answer to the dying thief's prayer lord remember me when you come into your kingdom today you will be with me in paradise that's an immediate response sometimes we don't always get those immediate responses but when we do they are glorious the subscription or superscription to one of the psalms i think it's one 102 or in the 110 somewhere not 110 but in that that series that follows the the superscription is i love the lord because he has heard the voice of my supplications do you ever just thank god that he hears you thank god that he listens thank god that he answers thank god that he delivers thank god that he doesn't deliver sometimes the things we ask for would prove to be a lot more detriment detrimental to our spiritual health than than than we know and god and his loving kindness will slap a big answer of no upon us and that is for our good and for our well-being but he answers this man in this particular condition and he says that you will be with me in paradise the immediate immediacy involved you probably all heard the jehovah's witnesses they try to you know sort of satisfy their odd doctrine here by saying oh no he said today i say to you that you will be in paradise like i'm saying this now to you today while i'm on the cross but it doesn't have anything to do with you know until we get to the future no today you will be with me in paradise you got up out of your miserable bed this morning having sinned against a thrice holy god having been found out by the civil state being called now to die by crucifixion for your crimes and when you close your eyes and you breathe your last you're going to wake up in the presence of jesus christ the lord today you will be with me in paradise and herein christ underscores what makes the kingdom glorious what makes christianity beautiful it is the presence of christ with his people this is the refrain and the study of covenants throughout i will be your god and you shall be my people the with me is the thing to take home from this passage assuredly i say to you today you will be with me in paradise we always think about paradise those streets paved with gold those pearly gates those nations where there's trees for the and leaves for the healing of the nation it's about jesus we just sang it the bride eyes not her garment but her dear bridegroom's face i will not gaze at glory but on my king of grace not at the crowning gifteth but on his pierced hand the lamb is all the glory of emmanuel's land it's not the streets paved with gold it's not the gates covered with pearl it's not the gates that exclude the riffraff it's christ he's the altogether lovely as the bride describes him he is the chief among ten thousand he is what makes heaven heaven he is the one that promises to this thief on the cross that when you breathe your last you're going to end up in the presence of christ most high in paradise itself it is a most blessed event that we find in this man's 11th hour in conclusion we see first of all the kinds of sinners that christ came to save were great at the abstract right you know first timothy 1 15. this is a faithful saying it's worthy of all acceptation that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners again what kind of sinners i think there's a class of sinners out there that might think themselves too sinful to be saved right have you ever met that person i'm you know i'm just such a wretch i'm just so bad i'm just so evil i'm just so unholy you kind of say yep yep yep yep and yep yeah you are but they make this conclusion that there's no hope for me isn't it wonderful to be able to say you're the exact kind of person that can hope because christ jesus came into this world sinners to save that is most glorious and most wondrous when all the tax collectors and all the sinners drew near to hear him those are transgressors of god's holy law the same sorts of sins that you and i engage in and if we happen to be polished sinners from a polished background there's even more notorious people even more wretched people even more godless people that by grace become godly people so again the point is and as you go home today eat your soup and you ponder god you ponder this sermon ponder this reality i am not beyond the scope of the salvation that christ has accomplished i am not beyond hope of the mercy of god in christ jesus our lord i am not at that point of no recovery if you have been playing games if you have been resisting if you've been rejecting if you're saying well i just want to deal with this later on listen to the savior come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and i will give you rest we'll sin a couple of weeks time that last day that great day of the feast if any man thirst let him come to me and drink you've got enough problems don't continue to perpetuate it by talking yourself out of the kingdom of god secondly we see on the cross the glory of the savior the glory of the savior consider the humanity of jesus that's a reality he's actually on the cross he's suffering he's bleeding not now presently but at this time of the particular narrative but he's never devoid of divinity he's the john 1 1 and john 1 14. john 1 1 in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god john 1 14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth so that god most high that the second person of the trinity would come down from heaven for us men and for our salvation it really destroys the notion of that theology called hyper calvinism hyper calvinism likes to try to talk everybody out of coming to the savior what a miserable way to present the gospel i'm going to tell you the glory of christ i'm going to tell you about his life his death and resurrection but i'm going to be right there like a pharisee to tell you don't even think about coming the god who orchestrated this salvation the father sends the son the son assumes our humanity the son lives the son dies the son is raised again that destroys the notion of a don't come theology everything about it screams to you right now come he is able he is willing doubt no more and then we see in this passage the sovereignty of god the sovereignty of god in the salvation of the one and the damnation of the other make no mistake about it the one thief passed from death unto life the other did it the three wrote woke up that's that morning barabbas and crony number one and crony number two we don't know what what ended up happening with barabbas he's emblematic of substitutionary atonement that doesn't necessarily mean he's saved but that whole transaction i think we're supposed to see in that the just for the unjust the doctrine of substitutionary penal uh atonement so they say give us barabbas but but deliver up jesus the innocent one goes to die for the guilty so i'm not suggesting that barabbas is in heaven but i'm not suggesting he's not we don't know what happened to barabbas but we do know what happened to this other unrepentant thief that continued to blaspheme he went to hell this demonstrates the sovereignty of god even in the eleventh hour of men barabbas was released and jesus took his spot the other two were guilty of the same crime same sins and yet one is saved and the other is lost matthew henry says this magnifies divine grace as acting in a distinguishing way these two had been comrades and sin and suffering and yet one is saved in the other parishes two that had gone together all along hitherto and yet now one was taken and the other left and then the final observation the power of the gospel why do you think this thief went to heaven you say because he came to his senses no because jesus christ lived died and was raised again the third day because the holy spirit came upon this thief when this thief stands before god in judgment it's not with his works because he didn't have any it's not with his accomplishments because he didn't have any it's not with his righteousness because he didn't have any but it was because the man on the cross told him that he could come the man on the cross told him that he could come william cooper writes to him we sing often with our lord's supper service the dying thief rejoice to see that fountain in his day and there have i as vile as he washed all my sins away and then avoid the folly or rather understand the folly of procrastination i've heard this before i've got a general sense that it's true i kind of feel bad about my sin i kind of have an understanding about who the savior is but i've got life to live i've got oats to sew i've got you know girls to see i've got guys to see i've got you know drugs to t i got all this stuff the folly of procrastination matthew henry again makes this statement he says this gives no encouragement to any to put off their repentance to their deathbed or to hope that then they shall find mercy for though it is certain that true repentance is never too late it is as certain that late repentance is seldom true and then j.c rile one thief was saved that no sinner might despair but only one was saved that no sinner might presume don't presume don't procrastinate don't put it off to another day or another time because there's nothing as important as this reality there's a lot going on in the world right now there's a lot that jockeys for our attention there's a lot of things vying for our interest but there is nothing so significant as the question where will i go when i die the answer the answer that should fill your mind is that i should go to christ now so that when i do come to die i get to be with him forever let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity of the gospel and i pray god that you would bring it home with power by the spirit to our hearts as believers may we again rejoice in your loving kindness and in the mercy of our blessed christ and in the reality that one day we will be with him in paradise and god for unbelievers i pray that you'd open their eyes and hearts to receive the truth that they by grace would believe on the savior that they too would say lord have mercy on me when you come into your kingdom and may they find that that reception and may they find that blessedness we ask that you would help us to sanctify the day help us to call it a delight and help us to bring glory and honor and praise unto you in this local church and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen we can turn in your hymn books to number 568 568 as we see the sing the doxology of praise unto our god you may stand [Music] foreign me [Music] o israel hope in the lord for with the lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption and he shall redeem israel from all his iniquities god what a blessed promise this is in the psalms what a blessed savior we see in luke's gospel throughout the scripture he is in fact all together lovely and chief among ten thousand send forth your gospel today conquering and to conquer may run swiftly and be glorified and may accomplish the purpose for which you sent it and we ask these things in jesus name amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation you