Paradise
Last week we began our study of the seven sayings of Jesus upon the cross. The first saying of Jesus was a prayer of forgiveness. This morning we have come to the second saying of Jesus on the cross - it is a promise.
We aren’t sure of the exact time between these two statements - but I am sure that even a few hours must have seemed like days to those who were enduring the torments of the cross. Christ was suffering physically but He also was suffering mockery from the multitude.
A sign had been placed over His head which read, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. The mob that was there yelled at Him. They told Him to come down from the cross - if He really was the King of the Jews. They laughed at Him. They mocked Him.
Our text for today is found in the gospel of Luke. Please follow along as I read:
Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. Luke 23:32-33 (NASB)
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:39-43 (NASB)
Three men died that day. They were crucified side by side. Two of them were criminals. One of them was innocent. With a criminal on His left - and a criminal on His right - Jesus hangs in the middle.
Where were these criminals from? We do not know. What were their names? We do not know. What crimes had they committed? We do not know. We would not know them at all except for this - they were crucified along with Christ - one on His left - one on His right.
It may appear that these two men were exactly alike. They were both criminals. They both were sentenced to die for their crimes. They would die on the same day and in the same place.
But in reality, no two men could be more different. They differed on one major point - how they viewed the man in the middle. One hurled insults at Jesus - the other asked to be remembered. One man wanted freedom from his pain - the other wanted freedom from his sin.
Let’s take a closer look at the man who wanted forgiveness.
By his own admission he is a guilty man justly punished. He deserves to die and he knows it. By sundown, he will be dead. His case has been tried. His judgment announced. His sentence is being carried out. He says:
"We indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
Luke 23:41 (NASB)
Notice what is going on here. He confesses his guilt. He agrees with the punishment. He knew that he was a sinner. He knew that he deserved to die for the crimes he had committed. He knew that he had no hope within himself. He confessed his guilt for the world to hear. He confessed his guilt before the Lord.
There is a profound truth revealed in the words of this man. Just like him - we all must come to the place where we realize that we are sinful and undone before the Lord. We must admit that we are guilty and in need of salvation. We must confess our sins before a holy and just God.
Many are aware of their needs, but few are willing to confess their sins. But confession is essential to salvation. Simply knowing our need is not enough to be forgiven. We must pour our hearts out to the Lord in honest confession. The Bible says:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NASB)
He confessed his sins, but before he prayed to the savior - he acknowledged the purity of the savior. In verse 41 he says:
“This man has done nothing wrong”
Folks here is a fact:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 (NASB)
Except One. And that one is Jesus. Somehow the criminal knew this.
We really don’t know how much he knew of Jesus until this point in his life, but somehow he realized that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was well aware that Jesus was innocent of the charges that were brought against Him. He saw the Lord as One who was sinless, holy, and undefiled.
This too is an essential element in salvation. All must come to the realization that Christ is holy and undefiled. God demanded that sin be atoned by the shedding of innocent and perfect blood. Christ was the only One who was qualified. He was pure. He was holy. He was innocent, and the criminal knew it.
“This man has done nothing wrong”
- Absolutely nothing wrong - and he knew it.
Now he knows that all his legal options have been exhausted. Now at the last moment of his life he makes one final appeal to the Supreme Court of the Universe. He says:
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"
Luke 23:42 (NASB)
Wow! To me this an example of awesome faith. Jesus is hanging next to him - a bloody mess - a sight awful to behold. The criminal’s feet and hands are nailed to the cross. Every movement is a movement of agony. Every breath is a breath of torture. Around him a howling mob screams for his blood. Yet in that moment he expresses a statement of faith:
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"
Somehow this criminal saw Jesus at His worst and believed in His best. Jesus was - beaten - bleeding - naked and yet the criminal believed that Jesus would someday come in his kingdom. No man ever looked less like a king than Jesus did that day. Yet the criminal saw Him as King. He saw Jesus at His weakest, and yet still believed in Jesus at His greatest. He is a crucified sinner trusting in a crucified Savior.
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"
We don't know what the criminal knew about Jesus before this day - but I doubt that he knew much. As far as we know, he never saw Jesus heal the sick or raise the dead. He knew nothing of Jesus’ teachings and never saw any of His miracles. In the crucified Jesus - in the beaten Jesus - in the mocked Jesus - in the forsaken Jesus - this criminal saw a King and a kingdom.
"Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"
He had:
A. Faith in the POWER of Christ
“Jesus, remember me”
B. Faith in the MERCY of Christ
“Jesus, remember me”
C. Faith in the KINGDOM of Christ
“When you come into your kingdom”
We too must seek the Lord for forgiveness and must do it in faith. We must believe in Him. We must trust in Him. And if we have faith in Jesus we will be saved just like the criminal was. How do we know this thief was saved? We know he was saved by the answer Jesus gave in verse 43:
"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
Luke 23:43 (NASB)
Jesus answered his request by giving him a promise with three parts.
1. PRESENT Salvation
Go ahead and circle the word “today.” Jesus did not say, "Tomorrow". He did not say, "Next Week". He did not say, "When the resurrection comes." He said, "Today." “This very day - the day of your crucifixion . . . you will be with me in Paradise.”
Folks many of God's promises are for the future. Let's look at these verses together:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea." Revelation 21:1 NASB
"And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Revelation 21:4 (NASB)
Have those things happen yet? No. They are sometime in the future. Could they happen today? Yes - but we don't know for sure. The criminal knew for sure where he was going to be that day. He was going to be - in Paradise. Because Jesus told him so.
But it was not just a present salvation it was also a:
2. PERSONAL Salvation
"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
There is no blanket statement here. There is no impersonal response. The Lord made a personal promise to one who had a particular need. Jesus didn’t condemn or judge Him for the crimes he had committed. He saved him. And that is how he saves each and every one of us. One person at a time.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people say, "My Granddaddy was a preacher." or "My father was a pastor." I have heard it over and over again. Somehow they think because of their special ancestry that they will be saved. But this is not the case. You are not saved on the merits of another. You are saved by having a personal relationship with Jesus. Look at what the Bible tells us:
"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
The criminal on the cross believed in Christ - so Jesus said to him:
"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
But notice too that it is a:
3. PLEASING Salvation
"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
The phrase "with Me" is very personal - and it is very pleasing also. Jesus did not say, “You will be over there and I'll be over here” but He said, “It's you and Me together - side by side.” Wherever Jesus was going this criminal would be right by His side. The first and foremost thing that all of us need to be at the side of Jesus.
"...today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
What a day this criminal had. In the morning he was in prison. At noon he was hanging on a cross. By sundown he was in Paradise with Jesus. Out of a life of sin and shame, he passed immediately into eternal blessedness.
What can we learn from this story today? I think we can learn three:
Lessons of Hope and Encouragement
1. Never too LATE
It is never too late to turn to Christ. It’s never too late to turn to Him. As long as there is life and breath, as long as the heart still beats, the invitation still stands. Jesus said:
Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (BBE)
Can someone be saved at the last second? The answer is yes. The criminal on the cross was. It’s never too late to turn to Christ.
Sometimes we look at people and say, “They are just too far gone. They will never come to Jesus.” Then we get discouraged and stop praying for them. But this story teaches us that no one is ever too far gone. Yes he waited till the last second - but guess what? In the last second he was saved.
Don’t ever - ever - ever give up on those you love. They may, like the criminal on the cross, waste a lifetime and then at the end turn to Jesus. It's never too late.
We can also learn:
2. Never too BAD
Even the very worst of people can be saved.
I know that some people feel that they are too far gone into sin to ever be forgiven. Some feel so enslaved by their habits that they despair of ever being set free. Many people would do anything to be forgiven but they think that forgiveness is impossible.
Let me put the matter plainly. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been sleeping. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been drinking. It doesn’t matter who you’ve been hanging around with. It doesn’t matter what sins you’ve committed. It doesn’t even matter if you’ve broken the Ten Commandments - all of them - or one of them. It just doesn’t matter. You can be forgiven right now. You can be saved right now.
If this man can be saved - all can be saved. If there’s hope for him -there’s hope for you. If he can make it to Paradise, so can you. If Jesus would take him, He’ll certainly take you. Jesus came to save people. That is what He does. Scripture says:
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10 (NASB)
If you are lost - Jesus has come to save you - it does not matter how bad you think you are. He has come to save sinners.
We can also learn:
3. Never too HARD
God has made salvation simple so that anyone can be saved.
Consider what we have in this story:
— Salvation was not based on the criminal's relationship with the church. This man was never baptized - he never took the Lord’s Supper - he never attended Sunday School class. But he made it to Paradise.
— Salvation was not based on the criminal's acts of good works. This man could not lift a hand to help the Savior. He could not run any errands for the Lord. He could not give his money to the poor - for he had not a penny to his name. His salvation was totally based on the mercy of God - not on what he had done for God. All that God wants from us is simple faith in Jesus.
Folks do you recall the scripture that we read earlier from Romans. Let me refresh your memory. It says:
"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
It's that simple - confess - believe and you will be saved.
