When Christ was crucified, he
was hung upon a cross with two other malefactors, two thieves,
two criminals, two others sentenced to death, hung between them as
though he himself was a criminal like they. And in Luke 23 and
verse 39, as the people have mocked Christ,
as the soldiers have mocked him, as they derided him, saying he
saved others, let him save himself, as they scoffed him as being
the king of the Jews. One of the malefactors hung with
Christ, railed on him also. Verse 39 tells us, 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 thou not 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 have 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. And it was about the sixth hour.
And there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth
hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was
rent in the midst. This manufacturer says unto Christ, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom. Lord, remember me. when thou
comest into thy kingdom. Remember me. Given his circumstances, given the fact that this man,
like Christ, was hung up to be crucified, he was facing his
final hours, he had no escape. His life was at its end. There was nothing he could do. Given his tragic circumstances,
these words could hardly be more powerful,
hardly more heartfelt. Lord, remember me. Everyone has forgotten me. Everyone has despised me. I've no hope from anyone. But Lord, remember me. Remember me. Have you ever felt like you're
at the end of everything? Have you ever felt forgotten? Have you ever felt helpless and
hopeless? Have you ever been brought to
the point of crying out unto God, Lord, remember me, help
me, remember me. Because you know
that there is no hope to be found anywhere else. You know your
circumstances are such that man can do nothing to help, that
you've no strength to help. But there is one and only one
who can. Lord remember me. There are a few instances in
scripture where we read of those who cry out with these words often when they're at the end
of everything. In Judges in chapter 16 we read
the account of Samson That mighty man, that strong man, who in
the end, betrayed by Delilah, had been captured by the Philistines
and faced the end. Captured and tied, chained
between two pillars in their hall. He cries out unto His God, O
Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray
Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged
of the Philistines for my two eyes. having been captured, having
had his eyes gouged out, being there, blind in darkness, not
knowing what awaited him. He sought for one last time to
bring judgment upon his captors, to pull the pillars down with
the strength that only God could give him, and to bring a victory
over God's enemies. but a victory which he knew would
come at the expense of his own life. Yes, Samson faced death
in very much the same way that Christ here upon the cross faced
death, a picture of Christ, caught by his enemies, captured, facing his last moments in this
world. face in death and he cries out
unto God, oh Lord God, remember me, help me. Worried of Hannah in 1st Samuel
chapter one. That woman, that wife, who loved her God, but who was
barren and could not bring forth a son for her husband and she
felt the deadness in her womb and she felt the travail and
the affliction of her circumstances and she felt in many ways not
as one that faced death like Samson but as one that was dead
already and as one who could not be helped by man and who
could not help herself and brought to nothing she cries
out to the only one who can help She vowed a vow and said, O Lord
of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine
handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but
wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give
him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall
no razor come upon his head. O Lord, look upon me, remember
me, as one who is dead, one who is
without strength. And the Lord heard the cries
of his children. He heard Samson's cry. And he brought a great victory
against the enemies of God's people through Samson's sacrifice. And he heard Hannah's cry. and
gave her that child Samuel, that great prophet who would anoint
King David, that great King of Israel, that man after God's
own heart. That one, a picture, a figure
of Christ who penned so many Psalms in prophecy of the coming
of the Saviour. The Lord heard the cries, the
affliction of his people, and he answered them when they cried
out, remember me, remember me. As this malefactor on the cross
cried, a malefactor who was dying, who felt the pain in his own
body, who felt the life sapping away
from him, who felt the strength ebbing away, and knew he could
not escape, and knew he was gone, and knew he had no escape, who
cries out in desperation, Lord, remember me. And Jesus heard and remembered. and said unto him, verily I say
unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. In paradise. Who is this one that cries unto
the Lord in such a way? Lord, remember me. a thief, a
criminal, a malefactor. One who is dying. One who is captive. One who is
already under judgment. He's already been tried. He's already been sentenced. He is already nailed to that
cross on which his death would be executed. The day in which he might escape
has long since passed. The day of probation has come
and gone. The day in which he could argue
his case and seek to justify himself stands as a shadow behind
him. He is under judgment. The penalty
is being exacted. He is at the eleventh hour. The minutes are ticking away
till the last ounce of strength passes from his body. And he passes from time. into
eternity. He's captive. He knows he has
no escape. He knows there is nothing he
can do to save himself. And that's what's important to
grasp here. This man is not just a thief,
not just a malefactor, not just a sinner. But here is a sinner
whom the law has got its hand upon, whom the law has caught
up with, whom justice has exacted its
penalty upon. Here is a sinner under judgment,
a sinner about to pass from this world into the next and he knows
it. He says to the other thief who
railed upon Christ, who mocked Christ, that other thief in the
same circumstance, whose heart remained so hardened, that though
he faced death, he still mocked and sneered at the only one who
could save him. This other says unto him, 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 have done
nothing amiss. Oh, what an awareness! What an
understanding! And it clearly didn't come under
him naturally. Because the other, in the same
circumstance, continued to rage against God, against his maker,
and against the son of God, just feet away from him. Yet this
one knew he was under judgment. He knew he was a sinner. He knew
the judgment, the condemnation was just. He knew he was receiving
the due reward of his own deeds. He knew God was just to slay
him. And he knew that if he was to
be delivered, only God himself Only the Son of God could spare
him. Are you under judgment? Are you
a sinner like this sinner? And do you know that not only
are you a sinner but you are under judgment? The law has found
you wanted. God's righteousness, his justice
has found you wanted. and though at this moment this
hour you may not hang upon a cross to all intents and purposes you're
in the same place it's but a span of time if you remain in that
circumstance before you pass from this world to the next and
you receive the due reward of your deeds do you know it? Or is your heart railing upon
Christ? And though you may not utter
the words, though you may not have the audacity to speak them
out loud, your heart in effect says unto God, says unto Christ,
if thou be Christ, save thyself and me. Does your heart hate the only
Saviour who can deliver you from the judgment you are already
under? Well this is the one who speaks,
a malefactor, one under judgment. But who does he address? And
he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. Lord, remember me. There's no if thou be here. There's no questioning here.
There's no doubt here. There's no if thou be God, if
thou be Christ, if thou be the Savior, if thou art Lord. But
he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me. Alongside him, between both these
men, hung the Son of God. The Son of God. God himself. God having taken into union with
his divinity, human flesh and a human soul. God hung in the
midst of these sinners and one of them knew who he was. Lord, remember me. The creator, the sustainer of
all things, the one the only one who can deliver us from our
sins and from the judgment we are under hung in the midst of
these two men and this man knew who he was they both saw him They both saw
what was done to him. They both heard the words. They
heard his words. They heard the words spoken of
him. They both knew of him. They both knew who he was called.
But one knew him and one knew him not. Now you may have heard of Christ.
You may have heard his gospel. You may know who the Son of God
says Aius, you may know that God sent his son into this world,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, you may
know, but your heart might be the heart
that still cries out, if thou be Christ, save thyself and me,
or your heart might be the heart of that chosen one, that sinner,
who under the revelation of God, knew just who Christ was, who
said, Lord, remember me. Well, what is it? Do you know
who's being addressed to you? Do you know who is being addressed
here? Is it just a name? Is this man
crucified in the midst of two malefactors just a name? Just a man called Jesus? Or do
you know him? And can you say under him, Lord,
remember me? Remember me. When is this question asked?
He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. When is this question asked? It's asked just after
the people, the soldiers, the crowds, the rabble, the onlookers,
and the other malefactor. had railed against Christ on
the cross. After Christ had been delivered
up into the hands and the will of the people, though he'd done
nothing, though both Herod and Pilate found him to have done
nothing, though they knew he was innocent, the people cried
out, no, release unto us Barabbas the murderer and crucify Christ. who had done nothing amiss. And
they led Christ with these other criminals to that place called
Calvary, Golgotha, in the original, the place of a skull, a place
of death. And they hung him up in the midst
of them. And the people mocked and scoffed
if thou be the king of the Jews save thyself and a superscription
was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew
this is the king of the Jews and just after this this man
cries out under him Lord remember me just after and just before just
prior to the sixth hour from whence there was darkness over
all the earth until the ninth hour just before the light of the
sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the
midst just before the Lord entered into that abyss of death and
judgment, in which the sins of his people were laid upon him,
in which he was made to be sin, in which the the acts of God's
justice fell upon him, just before Christ himself went into that
chasm of death, in which his own father beat and bruised him
for the sins of his people, in which his own father forsook
the Son, those hours in which Christ cried out, my God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? Just before Christ suffered the
judgment and the outpouring of God's wrath against his people
just before this malefactor says unto him at the final moment,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Lord, remember
me. and Christ says unto him, verily
truly I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. As Christ is about to embark
on this journey through the valley of death, he says unto this sinner,
today thou shalt be with me in paradise. He goes into the darkness
with that sinner's name upon his heart, knowing that it's
his sins whom he will bear. It's his judgment which he will
suffer, and it's his salvation which will be wrought. Christ
knows he's one of his and though that wretched malefactor hung
on the cross with the world hating and despising him knowing he
has no hope Christ looked on him with love and knew that he
would go into the darkness for him he knew he would take him
with him spiritually through the rivers of death and bring
him out safely the other side. He looked on him with love knowing
that in a few hours he would be with him in paradise. Oh the answer to the cries of
this man, oh the certainty of his salvation. He cries out to
the one who can save, the one who's about to save him, literally
about to enter the darkness for him, about to bear his sins,
about to swallow up the cup of God's wrath against his sins. Christ can look on him and say,
today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Christ knew what he
was going to do for this one who looks on him in faith and
hope and cries out Lord remember me, remember me, remember me. Just before Christ
would enter into judgment at the brink of death when Christ
himself would be forgotten forsaken when Christ himself would as
it were cry out to his father remember me my God my God why
hast thou forsaken me Lord remember me this malefactor chosen of
God unto salvation from before the foundation of the world Thy
faith utters words which would ring forth from the Saviour's
heart. Lord, remember me. Remember me and my people. Remember
the affliction of my people. Lord, remember me. In Job, chapter 14, Job echoes
some words which could hardly be more pertinent to this hour.
Job says, Job 14 verse 13, O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave,
that thou wouldst keep me a secret until thy wrath be passed, that
thou wouldst appoint me a set time and remember me. If a man dies, shall he live
again? all the days of my appointed
time will I wait till my change come. Job was a man in many ways
an innocent man who knew what it was as it were to die to have
lost everything, to be in such poverty, such loss, such desperate
straits, to have such illness and affliction in his own body.
He felt as a man who was dying. He felt as a man abandoned, forgotten. And he was made to feel like
it. Because as a figure of Christ, he is set forth as one who, as
it were, died. And then in the end rose again
when God blessed him more greatly in his latter days than he had
been in the beginning. And he pertinently cries out,
if a man die, shall he live again? Oh, this malefactor. If he'd
been mindful of Job's words, may well have said the same.
If a man dies, shall he live again? I'm facing death, I'm
about to die. How can I live again? Remember
me. And how Christ, as he entered
the darkness, might have said in the words of Job to his father,
if thou wouldst hide me in the grave, and thou wouldst keep
me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldst appoint
me a set time, and remember me. If a man dies, shall he live
again? All the days of my appointed
time will I wait till my change come. O Lord, as Thou dost plunge
me into this valley of death, as Thou dost pour out Thy judgment
upon me, remember me, I am Thy Son. Deliver me, raise me up
again, and raise up my people in me. And Christ knew that as he entered
into the judgment he knew that he would rise again and he knew
that all those who died with him and in him like this thief
to his side would die would be judged would have their sins
blotted out and would with Him, rise again, having the righteousness
of God. He says unto this sinner, today,
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. As He said unto you when you
cry out to Him, remember Me, as He said unto you, to your
faith, today, shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. Oh how Christ himself could cry
out like this man, remember me, remember me. But what does this
man actually ask? He said unto Jesus, Lord remember
me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom. When thou comest into thy kingdom,
how did he know that Christ was about to enter his kingdom? Here
was Christ, like him, hanging upon a cross, facing death. And the other malefactor merely
scoffed and mocked like everyone else. Then how did he know that
Christ would enter his kingdom? because God had opened the eyes
of the blind and made him to see. And God had opened the ears
of the deaf and made him to hear. And God had granted understanding
to the simple and to the foolish. And God had poured faith into
the heart of this man, that he looked on Christ and knew who
he was, and knew what he would do, and knew that the gospel
of the kingdom which Christ had gone about preaching was the
truth. He knew that Christ's death was
not the end, but that when Christ laid down His life, He was laying
it down for sinners to deliver them from darkness and bring
them into light. He was bringing in the Kingdom,
the Kingdom of His dear Son. As Paul speaks of in Colossians,
we've been delivered from darkness into the kingdom, translated
from darkness into the kingdom of his dear son. And this man
knew it. He knew where Christ was going
and he cries out unto Christ to remember him when he enters
his kingdom. Lord, don't forget me. Oh what faith there is seen here
in this man's cry, what revelation, what knowledge, what understanding. Well you've heard with the outward
ear but have you got this understanding, this faith, this belief, this
trust? Do you know that Christ has a
kingdom of which he is the king? and in which his people will
dwell forever. That people whom he remembers,
that people whose sins he took away in the cross, on the cross
in the darkness. Do you know that there is a kingdom? in which he will dwell forevermore,
and they will dwell with him forevermore, in which they with
him will reign forevermore. And do you know, as we read in
John, that you will not enter into the kingdom of God except
ye be born again. For here's the cry of a man,
who is born again, because the natural man never cries out,
Lord, in the way this man did. The natural man will to the end
strive to save himself, will to the end seek his own glory,
even though all is lost, even though death awaits him, he'll
walk blindly backwards towards him, But when God the Spirit
brings His Gospel and brings Christ to the understanding and
lifts Him up and shows you a crucified Saviour, crucified for sinners
like you and opens your eyes to behold Him and puts faith
in the heart, then you're born again and you can't bring it
to pass. It's God's work. It's grace. There were two malefactors. One perished in his sins and
one was with Christ that day in paradise. One was chosen and
the other rejected. One was elect and the other was with the wicked.
Both born children of wrath. But one, born again by the Spirit
from on high, by grace, by grace. Oh, what an answer he received.
I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Today. Have you asked such a question? Have you received this answer? And it was about the sixth hour
and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth
hour and the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was
rent in the midst because that veil which kept sinners out of
God's presence, was rent when Christ delivered them from their
sins. And when he went in with them
into the holy of holies and led them forth into paradise. The veil of the temple was rent
in the midst. father into thy hands i commend
my spirit christ cried out and having said thus he gave up the
ghost now when the centurion saw what was done he glorified
god saying certainly this was a righteous man and all the people
that came together to that site beholding the things which were
done smote their breasts and returned and all his acquaintance
and the women that followed him from galilee stood afar off behold
in these things. For when Christ had suffered
in the darkness and the veil of the temple was wrecked, he
led his people on blood-sprinkled ground into the presence of his
Father, into a place called Paradise. As he led you by faith into Paradise,
have you cried out and to the Saviour, Lord remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. Amen.