Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the Gospel according to Luke 23. Luke 23. I've entitled this message this
morning, How a Believer. It dies. And it is actually taken from
the passage found in three of the Gospels where two thieves
were hanging on each side of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
would say that probably there is no greater passage of Scripture
that gives hope and comfort to dying, frail creatures of the
dust than the one that we will deal with today. The day in which
this particular incident took place was the day of our Lord's
crucifixion. And there were two malefactors
that were with him on that day was prophesied that he would
die with the unjust. And there on Mount Calvary were
three crosses. One was dying in his sin. One was getting ready to meet
God in judgment. One was dying to sin. Meaning that sin, before that
day was over, had no more dominion over it. And then the Lord Jesus
Christ was dying for sin. Dying because of sin. Dying being made sin. Now, the
rebellious thief, was railing on the Lord Jesus Christ. He
was speaking very abusively, very reproachfully to the Lord. And soon all of his speaking
was going to be over, and immediately he was going to stand before
God. The books were going to be opened
in the day of judgment for him. But in that day, when he left
this world, he was going to lift his eyes up out of hell. The other thief, though, obviously
an object of God's mercy, was going to suffer the same physical
death that that railing malefactor was going to suffer, but by the
grace of God, he wasn't going to suffer the same eternal wrath
and separation from the Lord. Now based on the conversation
that took place on that particular day between the Lord Jesus Christ
and actually these two different thieves, we are going to discover
what the scripture has to say concerning how a believer dies. I don't know a whole lot about
dying. I've witnessed believers die. I know something about the evidence
of seeing one die that gave a good confession of faith But all I
know concerning dying, dying in the Lord, dying in faith,
dying in mercy, graves, is what God has to say. And this particular
passage gives us great comfort. This is the first thing that
I know about a believer dying. He dies exhibiting that Almighty
God, that the God of all grace caused His path to cross with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 23 and verse 39, it says,
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying,
If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." Well, here's what I
know. They were both there. Both men
were there hanging on the cross. John 19, 18 says, when they crucified
Him, and two others with him on either side, and Jesus in
the midst. Now consider how this thief got
to where he was. How did he get there? Well, somebody
would say, well, he's a criminal. He's a thief. Scripture sets
forth that this man was Hanging on the cross because he was a
thief. That's right. That's absolutely
right. But my friend, remember that
Almighty God has a sheep. And the Scripture says, them
I must bring. You think about what the Scriptures
has to say about Where was Zacchaeus when the Lord Jesus Christ came
through Jericho? Well, you said he climbed up
a tree. That's right. Just exactly where the Lord was
going to be passing by. That's right. Why did he climb
up that tree? I'll tell you why. Because Almighty
God purposed it and directed it. and ordered his steps. Predestinated before the foundation
of the world, Zacchaeus is going to have a heart to climb up a
tree. In his mind, I just want to see
better. He was short of stature, Scripture
says. God Almighty had purposed that
Zacchaeus was going to be in the very spot when the Lord Jesus
Christ would walk right under that particular tree, and the
Lord Jesus was going to look up and say, Zacchaeus, come down. Today I must abide in your house. The woman at the well, the well
in Sychar, why was she at that well? The Lord Jesus Christ must
needs go through Samaria. He had an object of mercy that
was there. Saul of Tarsus, why are you on
that road to Damascus? Well, because I've got letters
of authority here and I'm going to take all of the way and I'm
going to bind them and I'm going to take them back to Jerusalem.
Chains. No. No. Almighty God is going
to meet you on the road to Damascus. You Ethiopian eunuch. Where are
you going? I'm going back to the house.
Going back to Ethiopia. I've been over in Jerusalem.
Went to a revival there. I'm going back because I've got
to go home. No. No, you're on that particular road right there
because Philip is going to meet you today. That's the reason
you're going to be there. God Almighty has a people. And they're going to be found
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation The Lord
is going to cross paths with His people. Why? Why were you brought to sit under
the gospel of God's grace? You that know Him, why were you
put in a place where God had raised up a preacher? Why are
you not somewhere else? Because Almighty God purposed
to show mercy to you. This thief! At a divine date
with the Lord of glory, he was guilty. He was captured. He was tried right on time. Caught him right on time. Convicted
him right on time. Sentenced him right on time.
We're going to crucify this guy. We're going to crucify him on
this date right here. This is when we've decided that
we're going to crucify him. No? No, you didn't decide that. Almighty God decided that before
the foundation of the world, that He was going to be on Mount
Calvary, on that date. And here He was, hanging on a
cross, God Almighty in His very presence, all that we might see
and believe and rest in. All things work together for
good. to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose. How does a believer
die? A believer dies exhibiting that
the Lord of glory caused his path to cross with the Lord Jesus
Christ in the hearing of the gospel. Secondly, a believer
dies knowing that a miracle of God's grace has been shown him
I want you to turn with me. Hold your place right here. Luke,
turn with me to Matthew 27, 38. Matthew 27, 38. Matthew 27, verse
38 through 44. This is what God has to say. Then were there two thieves crucified
with him, one on the right hand and another on the left. And
they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying,
Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also, the chief priest,
mocking him with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others.
Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel,
let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
He trusted in God. Let Him deliver Him now, if He'll
have Him. For He said, I am the Son of
God. The thieves. also which were
crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." Both of them. Both of them. Both of them mocking
him, railing on him. You say you're God, why don't
you save us? Why don't you display a miracle here? Get us down. You know, the situation outwardly
had not changed. Both thieves were on their crosses,
but something happened that could only be explained as a miracle
of God's grace. Almighty God, it didn't appear
outwardly, but inwardly, Almighty God gave one of those thieves
a new heart, a new mind, a new will, a new desire, a new love,
a new tongue. Something changed. You know who
gave Him a new heart? The one that was hanging right
there beside Him. It was Almighty God. The Scripture says the Lord
Jesus Christ speaking, and He says, I give unto my sheep eternal
life. I give. And they said, well,
there's the Lord Jesus Christ. He was beaten. His beard was
plucked out, spit on Him. They put a crown of thorns on
Him. He was hanging there naked, mocking
Him and ridiculing Him. They got Him nailed to the cross.
And there He is hanging between heaven and hell, exposed. All of it. He's just hanging
there. Now, let me tell you something.
That's God Almighty on that cross. That's God Omnipotent on that
cross. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I lay down my life for the sheep. All of a sudden, hear both these
thieves mocking Him and ridiculing Him, and then in a moment, Back
in Luke 23, something changed. Both thieves railed on Him, this
picture says. And in verse 40, Luke 23, but
the other, after one of them said, If Thou be the Christ,
save Thyself and us, the other answering rebuked Him, saying,
Dost not Thou fear God? Seeing Thou art in the same condemnation. Oh, in a moment. One that had
been making fun of him and laughing at him and railing on him, the
object of God's mercy, had a new heart. His speech changed just
that quickly. Do you realize that, thief Seth? Do you realize that you're getting
ready to meet God? Do you realize that we're getting
ready to leave this world? Is there no respect? Is there
no fear of God? Do you not realize that this
is God? This is God. This is God's Christ. This is
God's salvation. This is God's Lamb. Thirdly, a believer dies knowing
something. of who he is personally and who
Christ is. Verse 41, he said, And we indeed
justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this
man hath done nothing amiss. That thief knew that he had absolutely
no good works of himself. to recommend him before Almighty
God, he knew that he was a bran snatched from the flames of hell
itself. He knew that he had done wrong. He knew that the law had been
broken. He knew that the sentence that
had been imposed upon him was just. He knew I'm getting just
exactly what I deserve. And I know this, I'm guilty and
he's not. I looked and I found out that
theft, these were thieves, I don't know what they'd stolen. I don't
know what the full implication of it was, but I do know this.
According to Exodus 22, verses 1 and 4, I know that theft in
itself was not punishable by death, but there was to be a
restoration that was made. So there's something else. There
was something. I don't know what was stolen.
I don't know what it was. But obviously, a crime worthy
of death had been committed, and that repentant thief knew
it. He said, we're getting just exactly
what we deserve. If there would have been any
injustice there, he'd have been screaming, he said, I'm getting
what I'm deserving. I deserve to be on this cross.
I deserve to die. You know, when God brings a man
to recognize, I deserve, I deserve in myself, in myself what I am. I know I'm a sinner. I've sinned
against God. I've sinned against God's law.
But this man, this man has done nothing amiss. This man has done
nothing wrong. This man is just. This man is
holy. This man is right. This man is
righteous. This is the Messiah. This is
the promised Savior. This is all the hope that a man
has. Everything, all hope is right
here. Fourth thing, a believer dies
believing Christ. and crying out for mercy. Verse
42, and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest
into Thy kingdom. Here was one that truly possessed
faith. Faith from above. He's looking
at the King of Kings. He's looking at the Lord of Lords. And he knew it. Boy, what a miracle
that God would give a man faith to know that his hope lies totally
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is not blind. By faith
we see the glory of God in Christ. We see Him as our only hope and
we have absolutely no confidence in our flesh. What did the thief
possess to claim as merit? He didn't have anything. This
is who I am. I'm a thief. What I've done is worthy of death. I'm hanging here justly. This is what I deserve. This
is what I'm getting. And all of my hope is in the
Lord God Himself. This is everything. This is the one right here that
if Almighty God shows mercy to me, He's not going to cast me
out. Oh, the boldness of the faith
of this dying sinner. Rulers and priests were mocking
him. His disciples were scattered as the Lord hung there. And this one thief, the one thief
that honored him, that cried out to him, he wasn't ashamed. Lord, all of these religious
people mocking Him, all of the truth, the claims that He made,
the miracles that He had wrought by His own power. You say, the
things that I do, my Father does them, and I do them. And here's
all of these religious folks wagging their heads, oh, if He's
God, you know. This man was getting ready to
meet God. This man was getting ready to die. I'm leaving this
world in just a few minutes. I don't have very many more breaths
left. This is it. This is all of it right here.
I'm getting ready to not see this world anymore. He knew that
Christ was his hope. And he cried out for mercy. And
a believer? Tell you how he dies. He dies
assured from the Word of God that he's going to be with Christ. And Jesus said unto him, Verily
I say unto you, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. What words to die with! It was a trophy of his rich and
free and sovereign grace. This is what this dying thief
heard and believed. In just a few moments. How many,
I don't know. But I'm going to leave this world,
and I'm going to be in paradise with Him. And I'm going to be
in paradise with Him forever. And I'm His, and He's mine. And
I love Him. He loved me. All he had was God's
Word. And that was all he needed. When
the cold breath of death breathes upon the brow of a dying body,
where are you going to find any comfort? All of the stuff that we acquire,
all of the stuff we think we need, all of the stuff we think
we need to do? What is it? The Scripture says
we came into this world naked and we're going to leave this
world the same way. The object of this mercy, the
object of God's mercy, He had no merit. He had no service. He had no baptism. He had no
attendance to the Lord's Supper. All he had, humanly speaking,
was demerit. And soon he was going to die
physically under the hand of the law of the land. But he was
not going to die eternally. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were
dead in sins, have quickened us together with Christ by grace,
you're saved. I read a little excerpt that
was written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and he said this. He said, Dr. Archibald Alexander
was a preacher for 60 years. He was a professor of divinity
for 40 years at Princeton. And he died October 22, 1851,
and was heard to say to a friend on his deathbed, here was a man
that preached 60 years, 40 years a professor at Princeton, taught
theology. And here's what Archibald Alexander
said on his deathbed. He said, all my theology is reduced
to this narrow compass. He said, this is it. This is
everything I know. This is all I know. Jesus Christ
came into this world to save sinners. Lord, give us grace,
faith to believe you that in that day, When we leave this
world, may we see you in mercy, for Christ's sake. Amen.