Let us turn again to that portion of Scripture we were reading here in the Gospel, the Gospel according to Saint Luke chapter 23. And I'll read again verses 42 and 43. We have here the prayer of the dying thief in Luke 23, 42 and 43. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. The prayer then here in the 42nd verse, he says unto Jesus, Lord, Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Taking account of the context here, we see that in the events that are recorded from verse 39 following, we have of course the fulfillment of those things prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. Remember that great 53rd chapter in the prophecy of Isaiah? where the prophet speaks of the suffering servant of the Lord. Remarkable.

And here we have some of the detail being fulfilled because there in verse 12 we read concerning that suffering servant he was numbered with the transgressor. The Lord Jesus Christ here of course numbered with the transgressors, these two malefactors, one on his right hand, the other on his left. Again there in that 53rd chapter we are told how he made his grave with the wicked. Here he is associated with the wicked, but it goes on, doesn't it?

To speak of how he also made his grave with the the rich. We finished our reading at the 49th verse, but if we'd have continued of course we'd read of that man Joseph of Arimathea, a counsellor, a good man, a just man, had not consented to the counsel and deed, those wicked things that they'd done and he comes and he begs the body of Jesus and he took it down, we're told in verse 53, and wrapped it in linen and laid it in the sepulchre that was hewn in stone where he never manned before was laid. He had his own sepulchre ready to receive his own mortal remains and yet he comes to beg the body of the Lord Jesus and lays it there in that sepulchre wherein Never man before was laid, there was nothing of death there, nothing of corruption there. Because he saw no corruption, even when he was laid in the grave.

But now we see the Lord Jesus as that one then spoken of by the prophet. He made his grave with the wicked, with the malefactors, and with the rich, with Joseph of Arimathea in his death. how God's Word must have its fulfilment. And that is the wonder, isn't it, when we read through those Old Testament Scriptures and the multitude of prophecies and the exactness of the fulfilment as they're all accomplished in the coming, the birth, the life, the ministry, the death, the resurrection, the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read through the fourfold gospel, we see time and time again God's Word having its fulfillment.

And what does this man say, this thief who comes to pray to the Lord that he would remember him? Surely he recognizes that this was an innocent man. He says to his fellow thief, We indeed justly, we receive the due reward of our deeds. This man hath done nothing but this." Christ was the sinless one, the innocent one. Three times he was pronounced innocent by his human judge.

It was Pontius Pilate who was the Roman governor, he had authority there. This is a province of the Roman Empire. The Jews had no power to execute a man. This is why they bring him and lay accusation against him before Pontius Pilate, but he repeatedly pronounces the Lord to be innocent.

In verse 4, Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, I find no faults in this man. Again, Verse 13. Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me as one that perverted the people. And behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things whereof ye accuse him.

No, nor yet Herod. For I sent you to him, and know nothing worthy of death is done unto him. And then we're told thirdly in verse 22, the third time. Why? What evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise him and let him go. He's pronounced innocent. It's a mock of a trial.

But how necessary it was, because the death that he dies is no ordinary death, it's a judicial death. And he's the innocent one, but he's the innocent one who is dying for the guilty ones, dying for the sinners. It's that blessed truth, isn't it, of substitutionary atonement. The very thing that Peter speaks of, writing there in his first epistle, Christ also at once suffered for sins. the just for the unjust, to bring sinners to God. This is what He does and this sinner, this dying sinner is brought to God.

And I want us, as I say, to consider tonight something of the prayer that we have recorded here in this 40 second verse he said unto Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom let us consider then for a while this request and I want to mention three things with regards to the request first of all as we consider something of the character of this man and we have to consider his character to understand the significance of the prayer that he's making, the first thing we observe with him is that he was one who had previously been a reviler of Christ. He had reviled the Lord. Now of course, quite clearly, he's dissociated from his fellow thief. We see that in what's recorded at verse 39 following.

One of the malefactors which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. The other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the reward, the due reward of our deeds.

But this man hath done nothing amiss. He is not associated now with his fellow thief, but he was previously. He was previously. We have a fourfold gospel. So we have the testimonies of these different men, Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John, and we have to compare Scripture with Scripture, and we learn certain truths, don't we? We know from what we read, for example, in Mark's account, in Mark 15, and it says there at verse 32 concerning these men, "...they that were crucified with him reviled him." they plural not he, not one of them they that were crucified with him and two men were crucified with him and it becomes clearer when we look at Matthew's account Matthew 27 44 it says the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth what the mob was trying show thyself to be the son of God, come down from the cross, they cast these things in his teeth. Both of these men are guilty of that.

But now there's a change and this man confesses really his previous wickedness. When he utters those words in verse 41, we indeed justly, there seems to be a change in this man. and how important that change is we have to sometimes stop and consider why does he do this he's a dying man and maybe thoughts enter into his head as he thinks over the life that he's lived and what is he receiving the just reward of all his wicked deeds we indeed just remember how David has to come and make his confession to God he was a great sinner was David what wickedness he was an adulterer worse he was a murderer you're familiar with the story of Bathsheba and her husband Uriah and David's wicked ways trying to cover his sin and then eventually giving up and arranging really for the murder of Uriah And the faithful prophet Nathan comes and causes him to see what he's done, the folly of his sin. And we have those penitential Psalms. I acknowledge my transgression, says David, in Psalm 51.

My sin is ever before me. Of course, sin was such a reality in that man. He saw it. He'd sinned, but he'd sinned so much against God, against the whole He says, against thee only have I sinned. Penitential Psalms, we have to come and acknowledge what we are as sinners. Psalm 32, I acknowledge my sin unto thee. He says there in 32 and verse 5, I acknowledge my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I not hid. We don't hide our sins from God. We are to confess our sins. We are to come before Him and acknowledge where we have sinned.

We have those wonderful words, don't we, at the end of that opening chapter in John's first epistle. Such comforting words, really. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us. What words are these? We're to come, we can come before God, we can acknowledge our sins.

And I love the language there, he says that God is faithful and just, he speaks of God's attributes. God's a faithful God, God's a just God. We might expect him to say God is merciful and gracious, and he is merciful and gracious, but why does John say what he does? Why does he speak of faithfulness and justice? Because of what we have read in this chapter tonight.

In the Lord Jesus Christ, God is just. and he's the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. And here is this man, a man who was a sinner, a man who had just shortly previously been reviling the Lord Jesus, one with his fellow, but now so changed. What does he do? He begins now to ask the Lord Jesus to remember him. He asks the Lord to remember Him.

What a prayer is this. So simple. So short. Lord, remember me. Oh, what humility in this prayer. He wants the Lord to be mindful of him. That's his only hope. No hope in himself. He wants the Lord to remember him. We have these short prayers, don't we, recorded in the Gospels.

We are familiar with Peter, a bold, impetuous man. There they are, the disciples, they're on the lake, the Lord isn't with them, and a storm begins to brew. Many of them are experienced fishermen, but they can't cope. It seems that the Sea of Galilee was a sea that could become quite a dangerous place, and they knew that. but the Lord wasn't with them then they see the Lord coming to them walking on the water and there's Peter and when he sees the Lord he's out of the ship and he's walking on the water as he's going to the Lord and then it seems that he is suddenly aware of the tumultuous seas the wind and the waves and he begins to sink and what does he do? he cries out Lord save me that was his prayer Lords save me and it seems immediately they're safe in the boat and the Lord is still the store. But what a prayer, all those short prayers, Lord save me or the woman of Cain and the Syrophoenician woman who comes to the Lord with her daughter and the daughter is troubled by an evil spirit and this woman wants the Lord to heal the girl. And the Lord seems to be ignoring her and the disciples want the woman to be sent away. She's a pest really, she won't give over.

And I love what we are told concerning that woman and her prayer there in Matthew 15, 25. Remember what it says, she worshipped him. She worshipped Him saying, Lord, help me. What worship? That's worship, isn't it? When we come together like this, we need the Lord to help us. How can we worship Him? When we think of who we are and what we've done and the wickedness of our lives, who were we that we could ever worship a God who is thrice holy? But that woman worshipped the Lord Jesus and she worshipped Him in those three simple words, Lord, help me.

And I say, we see a great deal of faith in these short prayers, these remarkable prayers that these people pray. Short prayers, asking God to remember us and to pardon our sins. There's a lovely prayer, isn't there, in the book of Psalms, in Psalm 25 and verse 7.

Remember not the sins of my youth. Do you ever think of that? Sins of our youth, before we knew the Lord, in a state of unregenerousness. Before the Lord had had mercy and come and quickened us. Even after we've known the grace of God and salvation not just the sins of our youth is it but this is what the Psalmist speaks of here remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake O Lord I was looking at that and thinking over the words and he says remember not and then he says remember thou me remember not the sins of my youth. Remember not my sins, but remember thou me for thy goodness sake." Or we can ask God to remember us for His goodness sake, because He's a good God, and a gracious God, and a merciful God.

This is a remarkable request that this thief is making there upon the cross. Remember me, he says to the Lord Jesus, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And just to observe two simple things with regards to the words. How does he address Jesus of Nazareth? He calls him Lord. He calls him Lord. And I would say he recognizes who this man is. and the deity, this is God, this is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

What was the accusation that they brought against him repeatedly? Well we're told back in John 19, 7, we have a law, do you know what the Jew said to Pontius? We have a law speaking to Pontius Pilate By our law, he ought to die, because he made himself the son of God. They were accusing him of blasphemy.

Of course, we don't know, maybe though, these manufacturers were there, they were witnessing this mockery of a trial. Three were being executed, Certainly we can imagine that the centurion was there at the trial, and we read of the centurion, don't we, later? In verse 47, when the centurion saw what was done, the dying of the Lord Jesus, he glorified God saying, certainly this was a righteous man. In the very manner in which the Lord died, The centurion recognized who he was.

Remember no man was able to take his life from him. He had power to lay his life down and he had power to take that life again and he says here, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and having said thus he gave up the ghost. He gave himself and this man, this centurion, undoubtedly had seen many deaths. He was a hardened soldier.

When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, certainly this was a righteous man. Now, in the account that we have in Mark, Mark 15, 39, it says that he said, truly this man was the Son of God. He's a righteous man, There's no charge that can really be laid against Him. He's a righteous man, yes, but He's the very Son of God. He truly is the Promised One, the Messiah. But He's thief.

He also addresses Him as Lord, Lord Remembrance. The Lord remembering Him will be His salvation. But what else does he say? He says something else, doesn't he? He says, Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Does he not recognize the spiritual nature of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ? Hadn't Christ said unto Pontius Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world. It's not a worldly kingdom that this man, this dying thief is looking for. It's an eternal kingdom. It's a spiritual kingdom. Elsewhere in the Gospel, Christ says, the Kingdom of God is within you. It's what God does in the souls of men.

Oh, there's a change in this man. He had been reviling the Lord Jesus, just what all the others there were doing, pouring scorn upon Him, mocking Him, ridiculing Him. But there's that change, and he says, Now, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. But thirdly, think of the reason why. Why this change? Why did the man change? Why did he turn from railing Christ and make a request to Christ? Why did he stop reviling the Lord Jesus and ask to be remembered by the Lord Jesus?

We have to mark the circumstances. He's a dying man. He's a dying man. He's near his end. We read, don't we, of some who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage. That is a solemn thing. This man is very much feeling his mortality.

The Lord teaches us, doesn't he? We're but mortals. We sang in our opening praise the eternity of God. One of creation. The whole world now, you see, since the transgression of our first parents, the whole world lies in wickedness. Death and destruction all around us. We are but mortals. There's a time to be born, there's a time to die. We know that. And as we grow older, of course, we become ever more aware. Our faculties begin to fail. We're not as strong as we once were. Even our powers of recovery seem to be failing. We have to learn that.

It's a good lesson to learn, isn't it? Remember, it's appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgment. And this man is near his end. Is that the cause then? Is that the reason why there's this change? He suddenly, as it were, comes to his senses.

Well, there were two thieves there, and they were both in exactly the same predicament. What was it that made the difference between these two men? Why did one change and the other not change? Well, I would say definitely it's nothing of themselves, it's nothing of himself in this man.

Here we're reminded, aren't we, again of man's hopeless state by nature. That dreadful truth, that doctrine of the sinner's total depravity. Where are we by nature? We're dead in trespasses, and in sins. And when a person is dead, what can you do? There must be a communication of life, new life, spiritual life.

Solomon in his book of Proverbs says some quite remarkable things, amazing things. I was thinking of those words in Proverbs 27, 22, Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from thee. Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, you know, grinding it, and grinding it, and yet that make no difference to him. Make no difference at all to him.

What we see in this man and the change in this man is a remarkable display of the sovereign grace of God. That's the only answer. That's the difference. There are two men there with the Lord Jesus. One is saved and the other is lost. Why? It's simply the sovereignty of God. that sovereign grace that visited this poor man. And it's the Lord who brings him, as it were, to his senses, delivers him from the folly of sin, and he cries, and his prayer is answered. And the Lord will always answer prayers. That's our comfort, isn't it? Our poor prayers are answered in a wonderful way by the Lord.

Oh, we sang it just then, I'll never miscarry which on Him rely thou guilty as Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord cast, what was it, seven devils? Manasseh, that wicked king who was an idolater and sacrificed his own children to his idols and yet God saved him. None ever miscarry which on him rely thou guilty as Mary, Manasseh or I, says Joseph Hart. He found salvation. He considered himself to be the chief of all the sinners. The chief of all the sinners. That's what Joseph Hart was.

That's what he says he was. Remember, I think I've said this before, a friend of mine once said, you know, I don't agree with everything the Apostle Paul says. Quite a stark statement. I don't agree with Paul. But of course he was thinking of 1 Timothy 1.15. that gospel worthy of all acceptation and Paul speaks of sinners of whom I am the chief and his friend was saying well I think I am more the chief of sinners than ever Paul was but I think every child of God at some stage is going to say that the wonder of the grace of God and this man experienced the grace of God and we see it of course in the response of the Lord Jesus. So let me just briefly say something with regards to the way the Lord responds.

Here in verse 43, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Now he begins his answer with the Verily. The word is Amen, isn't it? It's a Greek word, Amen. and it literally means truly, so be it. It's a truth. And the Lord was wont to use that expression in front of so many of his saints. Often in John's Gospel we get a double verily. Verily, verily I sound to you. But here the Lord uses this word verily and it's significant. This is an important thing that the Lord is saying.

He's answering the prayer of a man. And what do we see in the answer? Well, we have a promise. And there are three aspects to the promise. You will observe it is a promise for the present. The man says in his request, when thou comest into thy kingdom, when thou comest into thy kingdom, the Lord says, today, now, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Or the answer is so immediate, really. The Lord, you see, is a very present help in every time of trouble, as the psalm says. He's not just a help. He's not just a present help. He's a very present help.

We do well to mark words The Bible is the word of God and all the words are the words of God, aren't they? We believe that. We believe in verbal inspiration. That's why we love the Authorised Version so much because it's such a literal translation in the right sense. It doesn't play fast and Ruth is not a paraphrase. It's not a free translation. It's a faithful attempt to render what's there, the words, the words of God.

And that's what the Lord says there in Psalm 46. God is a very present help. Before they call, I will answer. While they are yet speaking, I will hear. And so the Lord says to them, Behold, now is accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. That's the truth tonight, you know. Now is the time. Now is the day. The day of salvation for sinners. The day of grace.

The Lord has brought us into this year, hasn't He? We're already two months into the year. How good God is, how long suffering God is. to a wicked world, to a wicked nation, to us, in all our folly, in all our sin, it's still the day of salvation. It's a promise for the present. But it's more than that, it's a promise of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The man says, remember me, Christ says, You'll be with me. Isn't that what the Lord says today? Shalt thou be with me. With me in paradise. Oh, that's what makes it paradise, because the Lord's there. The Lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel's land.

Remember that lovely hymn, which is based, of course, on the letters of Samuel Rutherford, The Times of Sand are Sinking, which speaks of Immanuel Land. It's a lovely, lovely hymn. And it was composed by that woman, was it Mary? Mary Ann Ross, I think it was. She puts so much of those wonderful letters of Rutherford into verse. I think all together there are probably about 15 or 16 verses in the original.

But he speaks of Emmanuel's land and the Lamb. He's all the glory. He's Christ who makes heaven. Heaven wouldn't be heaven without the Lord Jesus Christ. And this man is told he's going to be with the Lord. He asks, remember me. but you see the Lord is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think we're so straightened really in ourselves when we come to pray we're so shut in because of unbelief and the Lord is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think again look at the language there not just above, but exceedingly above all that we could ask or think. That's how the Lord answers prayers. What do we learn here?

Well, surely we're reminded there's no such thing as soul sleep. There are some who imagine that when a person dies, they sleep in the grave. They don't deny that there will be a general resurrection, but they say the soul is sleeping, awaiting the resurrection. Well, that's not biblical. There's no such thing as soul sleep. It's absent from the body, it's present with the Lord. The body returns to the earth as it was, the spirit goes to God who gave it. Believers go to God in heaven, don't they? And that was Paul's great desire, a desire to depart and be with Christ. He said he was far better. All to depart, to be with Christ. To be where Christ is in heaven.

And remember how in this Gospel we read of Lazarus, done with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, back in chapter 16 and remember what we're told concerning Lazarus in that account verse 22 of that chapter it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abram's bosom the rich man also died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and see at Abram afar off and Lazarus in his bosom Two places, heaven and hell. Abram's bosom, Abram the father of all the believers. To be where all those believers are, in heaven.

The promise for the presence, the promise of the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with me. And as I said, that really is a promise of paradise, isn't it? That's what the Lord says. Today they shall be with me in paradise, where Christ is. Heaven, that holy, happy place where sin no more defiles, where God unveils his blissful face and looks and loves and smiles. And how we read of it so much at the end of scripture. We turn to those last chapters in the book of the Revelation. The language that John uses here in chapter 21, verse 3.

I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. This is heaven.

And then the end of that 21st chapter. There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defile it, neither whatsoever work as abomination or make us alive, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And then chapter 22, the very last chapter. Verse 3, There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light. and they shall reign forever and ever. It's heaven.

And this is what the Lord promises to this man. And this is the Lord's response to that prayer, that simple prayer. But all the prayer of faith surely it is. And all that we ourselves might know what it is to pray as this man prayed. He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Amen.

Let us conclude our worship as we sing The Hymn 160, the tune is Belmont 101. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. And there have I, as vile as he, washed all my sins away. Might that second verse be true? of each and every one of us as we come to sing God's praise.