So if you would be turning with me to Luke 23. Luke 23. And especially with the hymn we just sung, this passage will probably be familiar. Luke 23, and I'm gonna start in verse 32. Luke 23 verse 32, And there were also two other malefactors led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

And the people stood beholding, and the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And the superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew, This is the king of the Jews. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But 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 due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. 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. One first note I want to make about what we're reading in our text is this. Being crucified at Calvary means nothing unless you are the king being crucified at Calvary.

Two other men died with him there, but we cannot look to the other two men for any kind of salvation. These three were all there in the same plight, if you will. They were all going to die without question. They were all going to die for sins. And I'm going to say it this way, one for his own sins, one of them as a result of their own sins, and one for the sins of many, including, as we know in this text, as we read, he died for one of these other men. So what I mean by saying one of them as a result of their own sin, what I mean is this. This man was hanging there because or as a result of things he had done. He was reaping what he sowed, as the scripture puts it. Now it happened to end up good for him, but it did not turn out good for the other man.

Don't presume on God that things will turn out good for you, even though you just do as you please. We all should be out to honor Jesus Christ, whatever that entails. We sin and just have the thought that things will be okay. We might be mistaken. But this is that time that all the scripture points to when Christ would be made a curse because he's hanging there on the tree. Scripture says, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. He was also made sin for all those he died for. He was made the very thing he despised as we went through before in the last few weeks, even though he knew no sin.

As we went through in detail on previous messages, the water turned to wine. One of the most blessed stories or accounts in scriptures to the believer that showed forth or beforehand what Christ was going to do and what he would endure for his people. That is the gospel and that account is a blessing to any sinner. It is that account that we're reading today where Christ was numbered with the transgressors.

The scripture says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But not everyone knows they are a sinner. They don't think themselves to be a sinner or feel like they are a sinner. They don't do as the publican did, and he stood afar off and beat on his chest and cried out, be merciful to me, the sinner. Most of this world, the only place they will go is all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's as far as they go. They never come to the place where they know I have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I've missed the mark.

They think they want to do something for God or that they are doing something for God. God's people are the opposite. They wonder if they've ever did anything for God. This world thinks they are somehow adding to a sovereign, all-sufficient God. They may not think of it in that particular sense.

But if you're helping someone out or you're adding to them, right? They're deficient in something, they need help. They have a lack and you need to do something for them to complete them or to help them. If they need help, then that lack something, which is only one that someone else can feel.

God has no lack. What he says is so. Those who think they are helping out God or think they are adding to God, they are deadly wrong. We read two accounts of some who think they do something for him and others who don't know what they did, that they didn't know they did something for God.

First, turn with me to Matthew 7. Matthew 7. Matthew 7 verses 21 to 23 and this is I'm just laying some groundwork here Matthew 7 verses 21 through 23 Matthew 7 verse 21 not everyone that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven and but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. No matter how much good you might think you do, if Christ does not know you, it is of no avail. If he does not know you, it is, if he does know you, it's not because what you have done or do, it's because of what he has done.

Him knowing us is paramount. We have nothing to do with that. other than being recipients of it, of His grace. In 1 John 4, 19, we read, you all know this, we love Him because He first loved us. And it's also true, if we do know Him, we know Him because He first knew us. And if Jesus Christ knows us, He has always known us. We only come to know him because he enables us to do so. Just like he did with this man, who came to know him on his deathbed, if you will. This man was going to die, there's no question about that. He was even railing on Jesus Christ to begin with, just like the other ones was. And I'm gonna show you that in Matthew 27, I think it is, Matthew 27. Matthew 27, 38-44. Matthew 27, 38. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and one on the left.

And they that pass 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 priests 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 will 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. It says there they reviled him. They spoke evil of a holy God. But for this one malfactor, as they are called, something changed.

Just as it does with all of God's people. One minute we're railing against God. The next minute, we begin to see who He is. In seeing Him, we begin to see who we are, and that our plight without Him, we can see that. Scripture says to God's people, to believers, we were the children of wrath, even as others. We had wrath against God just like everybody else. Just as this man spoke evil against God at one point, so did all of God's people until he visited them in love and in power. When he does come near to one of his, they will respond just as this man did. But then we have another passage just to confirm that not everyone who thinks they've done something for God really knows God or Jesus Christ, who is God. Turn with me to Matthew 25. Matthew 25. Matthew 25, verses 31 through 36. A little bit lengthy, but I want to read it. Matthew 25, verse 31.

When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. Naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, in the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me not in, naked, and ye clothed me not, sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, whence saw we then hungered, or thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." We see in that passage that Jesus Christ will separate those that are His from those who are not. in the day spoken of here. Those that are his are spoken of as sheep. He puts his sheep on his right hand, and sheep are those he knows. He tells us in scripture, in John 10, 25 through 30, Jesus answered them, I told you and you believe not the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand, and I and my Father are one.

So the only ones that follow him are those who are his sheep. He puts goats on the left side. Goats are simply those who are not his sheep. He says the same thing to both groups, basically. One in a positive light, if you will, and the other in a negative light.

The sheep, he says to them, you did all these things for me. The response of the sheep is this way, when did we do that for you, Lord? The goats, he immediately says to them, to depart from me because they did nothing to help me. Their response, as it is always their response in some form, when did we not minister unto you? His answer back to them is this, you did not help my people, therefore you did not help me.

Anyone thinks that they do anything for God is in danger of everlasting punishment. A child of the king knows he, that is Christ, has done all things for them. He tells us in scripture, without me you can do nothing. So quickly I want to look at these things this morning in this text, in light of this text that we just looked at. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. and he has done nothing amiss.

Scripture tells us in Psalm 111.10 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Yet we also read in Romans 3.18, it says that there is no fear of God before their eyes.

You have one of these malefactor who was at one time railing against Christ himself, but something changed. He began in this brief amount of time that he had, he began to see who Jesus Christ is. In order to fear God, you must know God. Knowing him means he does all his good pleasure, that's what the scripture teaches us, and he does not confer with man about what he wants to do or how he's gonna do it. He may tell us when and how if he's pleased in scripture, but he does not consult with us to do it. Once you begin to see him for who he is, you will begin to see what you truly are. Fear begins to come about. We then come to know what this man knew. When he first sees the Savior, what does that show him?

Condemnation. That word for condemnation means judgment. These men, these malefactors, were tried in a Roman trial of some kind, I would assume. The judgment that was handed down for whatever they did was death. That's why they were here with the Lord.

This one who was railing at first come to see that he was in the same condemnation of death. But his knowledge went even further. The other man knew he was going to die, but he did not know that this condemnation of death was payment for sin, and that being for his own sin. The scripture teaches us, the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Both of these men were right in the middle of this condemnation, if you will. They were about to go over the precipice and experience this condemnation to its fullest, which is separation from God forever. But only one of these men knew and bowed down to the Christ who could save him from it, if Christ just willed to do so.

He knew that what was about to befall him was being justly carried out, verse 41 of our text. We read it, verse 41 of our text. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. So justly. We've all committed sins against the holy God, whether we realize it or not.

If you're driving down the highway at 65 miles an hour, and the speed limit is 35, and you get stopped by the police, and he gives you a ticket, you are justly getting that ticket. You deserved it, in other words, because the law says so. It says in this location, you will go 35 and no faster. And if you do, you can get a ticket. It doesn't matter if you knew the speed limit was 35 or not, or whether you saw the sign or not. If you get a ticket for doing faster than the speed limit, you deserve it because the law testifies to it.

God is sovereign and he does all of his good pleasure. God says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Whether we know it or not, whether we agree with it or not, or whether we like it or not, We are guilty and condemned already. Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save the world. If a person does not believe Jesus Christ, they are condemned already because they have not believed on the name of Jesus Christ. And his law was given there to prove that we have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Christ says, believe me, in John 8, 24, he says, I said therefore to you that ye shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. So how is it that we can do this? That is, believe on his name, because we are all born into this world the children of wrath, even as others, believers are. We're all born dead in trespasses and sin. What makes the difference?

We come to the one who has done nothing amiss. Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God. He says, I and my father are one. He also says, if you've seen me, you have seen the father. He walked on this earth and was nothing but perfect, totally set apart from anyone or anything. Yet he is hanging there with these two other malefactors. He is numbered with the transgressors, we are told.

And he did this by choice. I know this world wants choice. There's a choice that you can hang your hat on. When God chooses to do something, it is done. It was his choice to love some, so much so that he put himself in my place, and in your place if you're in him.

He was both made a curse and made sin for me in my place, that I might be made the righteousness of God in him. We all, if someone does us wrong, we like to make it known, I did not deserve what you did to me. We are fallen human beings who have sinned against the holy God. And this same God who we've transgressed against came down and took the punishment that we were judged for by him. And we were found wanting. We totally missed the mark. Yet he placed himself right there. He has done nothing amiss.

And what do we read of Christ during all of this violence against him? Turn over with me to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2 and just a few verses. 1 Peter 2 and verse 21. Verse 21, For even here unto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth rightly. He was quiet. He said nothing when all these things were done against him because it's what he came to do. He knew he was going to be hanging there guilty of crimes against God because of what he was made. But he was not completely silent.

There was a cry. One of his sheep made a cry out, even in this time when he was hanging there in agony. Christ was hanging there in agony. He heard a cry of one of his. Lord, remember me. Oh my goodness. If he were to be silent right there when this cry went out, the hopelessness that would come about from that. There was one thing from the context here that we know that this man knew that was hanging there with him.

He knew our Lord was not going to stay dead. He knew he was going to die. That is, he knew that Christ was going to die because he was right there and he knew what was taking place. But he knew the Lord would live because he said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. God's people know that our Lord liveth. Just as Job said, I know my Lord liveth, my Redeemer liveth.

How did he know all this? He had the Lord right there in front of him or beside him. The Lord knew him. That's how he knew all of this. And it's the only answer. The Lord enlightened him even when he was hanging there on that tree right beside him. God bethinked that there was an answer today. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

The Lord will always hear a cry from one of his because he manifested his love for them right there, dying on the tree. There's no way he's going to allow one of his to perish. He will enlighten them so that they will come to see who he is. Then they will see, once seeing him, what they truly are.

It's been said before that there was only one time in scripture where someone believed Jesus Christ on their deathbed. And this was given one time so that none would presume upon God thinking he's done something for them when they, you know, that he does something for them when they want. But it was given once only so that none would despair and that they might know he will hear their cry. We by nature will not believe God. The natural man believeth not the things of the Spirit of God. We will only do so if he comes to us in power by his Holy Spirit enlightening us.

Scripture says in Philippians 2.13, for it is God which worketh in you both the will and to do of his good pleasure.

He, that is God, works in us both the will, that's your want to. God will change your want to. He will also change your due. You will go from railing on God to calling on his name. Those he does this for, he will hear them. He has to do something to you and he will, if he has done something for you, but it's all based on his will. Those he does this for, he will hear them. Just as the leper cried out, Lord, if thou wilt. thou can make me clean. He will cause one of his to cry out to him.

We read in the Old Testament, Isaiah 65 1, I am salt of them that ask not after me. I am found of them that salt me not. I said, behold me, behold me unto a nation that was not called by my name. But just so there's no question that nothing has changed from what I just read in that verse, we also read this in the New Testament, Romans 10, 20. But Isaiah says very bold and sayeth, I was found of them that sought me not. I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

Do you see that? Nothing has changed. The way it was is the way it still is because God does not change. Many in this world, though, they will presume upon God and think they will call on him once they've had more time or once they get done doing this or that, or when they get a little older. We read in scripture, Isaiah 55, 6, it says, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near.

He may not be found tomorrow. Do you have a need for salvation? He's the only one that can save you. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot save others. We are all in the same plight, just as this man said, hanging by him. But maybe, just maybe, he hung there on that tree for you, taking your just punishment for sin. Call on him, he has promised this. All ye that labor and heavy laden, come unto me and I will give you rest.

Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. May it be that we will all hear these words and continue to hear these words. Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. And maybe we won't hear those exact words when you believe on God, but we will hear this though, at least. John 14, one through three, I'll read. Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. It's as good as if it's already happened.

Amen. Dear old God, thank you for allowing us to be here again today, dear Lord. Cause us to seek your face, dear Lord. Cry out to you. We know you'll help us, dear Lord. You said you will. You're faithful, dear Lord. If we ask anything in your name, dear Lord, you've said you will do it for us. And we thank you for it. All these things we ask in Christ's name. Amen.