This morning we are looking at
the Gospel of Luke chapter 23. If you want to follow along,
open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke chapter 23. And here
in Luke's Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ is being crucified. The
Lamb of God is being slain. The substitute of God's people
is dying for their sins according to the purpose and power and
will of God. And though man is exercising
his evil will, yet he is fulfilling God's eternal and sovereign will. Though man is displaying his
utter depravity and wickedness and hatred for God, yet God is
displaying his sovereign mercy, love, and grace to dying sinners. Now in this story, this is the
story of a dying thief. And in this story we clearly
see the utter depravity and helplessness of man. And we see the sovereign
saving grace of God. We see the depravity of man.
There are two thieves being crucified, one on either side of the Lord. Two thieves and murderers being
crucified. vile men being executed for horrible
crimes. And Matthew's Gospel chapter
27 is the same account, but yet with a few more words included. And in Matthew's Gospel chapter
27, it says that these thieves, both thieves, were mocking and
taunting the Lord along with the crowd. The whole crowd of
people, all the people, were gathered around the cross and
were mocking the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung on that cross. And
it says the thieves were doing the same thing. Both thieves
were mocking the Lord Jesus Christ. And what was happening at Calvary
that day, this mockery and taunting and daring and tempting the Lord
Himself, continues this day. Because men and women, though
they know it not, are condemned and dying about to face a holy
and just and righteous God. And yet, men and women, the natural
man mocks that God. You see, to ignore God is to
mock Him, is to mock His Word. To reject God, to reject God's
Word is to mock Him, to tempt Him, to taunt Him. To think nothing
of God's Word, God's Gospel, and God's Son is to mock Him. So both of these condemned criminals
are mocking the Lord Jesus Christ. And so did I before the Lord
revealed His truth to me and myself to me. And so did you,
and perhaps so you do even now. But God, who is rich in mercy,
For his great love, wherewith he loves some sinners, chooses
to reveal himself to those sinners." And this is what our story is
about. In just a moment, our Lord quickens
one of these dead sinners. Now here we see God's sovereign
elect in mercy and grace. There are two thieves. Two thieves. Both are guilty. Both are condemned. Both are dying. both receiving
their just due. I'm reading from Luke 23, verse
39. It says, one of the malefactors,
one of the criminals, which was hanged, railed on Christ, railing
on Him, mocking Him, taunting Him, saying, if thou be the Christ,
save thyself and us. So one of these thieves continues
to mock the Lord. But the other, the other thief,
the one on our Lord's right hand, the other one fell silent. All of a sudden, for some reason,
he begins to be still. His mouth is stopped. He discontinues his taunting
and mocking of the Lord as this other one continues. But he's
still now, and he is considering, he is thinking, he is pausing.
Now, both of these thieves, both of them saw and heard the same
thing. Both saw, as it were, a man being
crucified, a man named Jesus. Both of them saw seemingly a
man being crucified in weakness, in disgrace, his enemies defeating
him, his friends deserting him. Both of them saw, as they thought,
a mere man being killed or crucified. Yet, one of them, The thief on
the right hand began to see this one hanging on the central cross
as much more than a man. He began to see Christ's glory. Now was this an act of this man's
free will? Did he all of a sudden begin
to change his own mind? No. This is an act of sovereign saving
grace by the Lord Himself. Was this an act of human reasoning? Did this man begin in and of
himself to consider all points of the subject and begin to reason
things out and all of a sudden decide to accept this One as
his personal Savior? No, a thousand times no. This
is an act of supernatural, sovereign, revealing grace by the Lord Himself
upon a dying sinner. All of a sudden, one of the thieves,
the one on the right hand, began to see who this was hanging on
that central cross and began to see himself as he was in the
hands of that one hanging there. And in verse 40, this one thief
on the right side says, in verse 40, the other answering rebuked
his buddy on the other side, rebuked his fellow dying criminal
and saying, does not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation? This thief says, don't you fear
God? Now, he doesn't say, don't you
fear dying? Don't you fear death? But don't
you fear God? You see, people, this is the
beginning of saving wisdom, which only God Himself can place in
a person's heart and mind. Salvation is not a traumatic,
near-death experience. Salvation is not something traumatic
happening to a person, and they're faced with death, and all of
a sudden they realize, oh, I've got to get right with God. No,
sir. Salvation is fearing God Himself,
not death, not a traumatic experience, but the fear of the Lord. This is what the Proverbs says
in Proverbs 1, verse 7, and 9, chapter 9, verse 10, the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge
of the holy is understanding. And so this thief, by God's sovereign
power and God's revealing grace, God reveals to this man that
he is about to face God. And He reveals to this man that
the one that you are taunting, the one you are mocking, is not
a mere man hanging helpless on a cross, but is God who is doing
something according to His sovereign power and sovereign will. Now
this is sovereign convicting grace by the Holy Spirit of God. Now here's what the thief continues
to say, verse 41. He says, We indeed justly, we
have been condemned justly. We are receiving the due reward
of our deeds. We are getting exactly what we
deserve. But not this man. He hath done
nothing amiss. We're getting what we deserve.
We're going to die and face the judgment and be condemned forever
because that's what we deserve. But not this man. This is a holy,
just, and righteous man. We are worthless, dying criminals. But this man is the only man
approved of God, the only acceptable one, the holy, spotless Son of
God Himself. You see, people, salvation is
by sovereign electing grace. What made this man change was
the sovereign, electing, saving mercy and grace of God. God chose
one of these criminals to reveal himself to this man, to reveal
that man's self to himself. Salvation is a supernatural,
powerful work of God Almighty's Holy Spirit. It is something
that happens to us, not something we do for God. It's something
God does to us. not something we do for God.
It's something that God, an operation, a supernatural, powerful spiritual
work upon the mind, the heart, the soul of a human being, not
something a man decides to do. You see, it's when the Holy Spirit
opens the eyes of a dying, condemned sinner to see the Lord of glory.
That's what's happening to this thief. The Holy Spirit opens
his eyes to see who this is. The Holy Spirit is convicting
his heart of his sin and his helplessness, hopelessness. The
Holy Spirit is convincing him of, as our Lord said in John
16, sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit is teaching this
man in an instant that this is the Christ on the cross, and
this is the Lord of glory about to ascend His eternal and sovereign
throne. And all of a sudden, this man,
all of a sudden in verse 42, he says unto the Lord Jesus,
Remember me. He looks at the Lord and says,
Would you remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom? He says to the one hanging on
that central cross, You are the Lord, the King of kings and Lord
of lords. You're the King. You're the Master.
You're the Messiah. You're the Christ. You're my
Lord and my God. You're not a helpless victim.
You're not a mere man being crucified, but you're the Lord in right
now in your sovereign power. You're not being killed by the
enemy. You're laying down your own life for your sheep. You're dying, but you won't stay
dead. You will ascend your throne of
heaven. Lord, King, Would you remember
me when you ascend your sovereign throne? Lord, when you bring
in your elect sheep, your children into your kingdom, those vessels
of mercy prepared before the world began, those objects of
grace, those trophies of your sovereign power and saving grace,
Lord, when you bring those in whom you have called, whom you
have chosen, could I be one of them? Would you remember me? when you come into your kingdom,
Lord, be merciful to me, the last, worst, and chief sinner
upon this earth." You see, people, salvation is by God's sovereign
electing grace. Salvation is by God's sovereign
power. Salvation is by God's sovereign
revelation. Salvation is by God's sovereign
look. You see, this thief looked on
Christ. But Christ had already looked
on him in mercy and saving grace. That's why the man saw who he
was. Salvation is by God's word. The Lord looked and spoke to
the dying thief in verse 43 and said, Verily, that is of a truth,
without a doubt, verily, I say unto thee, because of who I am,
because my word is established, because heaven and earth will
pass away, but not one word of my word shall pass. Verily I
say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Today. One look, one word, instant salvation,
sudden revelation, sudden death, sudden glory. Lord, yes, today. John Newton wrote a poem once,
and I read it to you now. In evil long I took delight,
unawed by shame or fear, till a new object struck my sight
and stopped my wild career. I saw one hanging on a tree in
agony and blood. who fixed his languid eyes on
me as near his cross I stood. Sure never till my latest breath
can I forget that look. It seemed to charge me with his
death, though not a word he spoke. My conscience felt and owned
the guilt and plunged me in despair. I saw my sins, his blood had
spilled, and helped to nail him there. Alas! I knew not what
I did, but now my tears are vain. Where shall my trembling soul
be hid, for I the Lord have slain? But a second look he gave, which
said, I freely all forgive. This blood is for thy ransom
paid. I die that thou mayst live. Thus, while his death my sin
displays in all its blackest hue, such is the mystery of grace
it seals my pardon to. With pleasing grief and mournful
joy, my spirit now is filled, that I should such a life destroy,
yet live by him I kill." May the Lord use these words to reveal
himself to you. Amen.