On this first Sunday in the new
year, I felt the Lord would have us read this text and talk about
these three crosses. Christ our Lord, the Son of God
is on the middle cross. Some have said that according
to custom, They would put the one they considered worst in
the group in the middle, and they put Christ in the middle. And I say, what is that? But
that he is separating. Christ is making a distinction
between the other two. They think he is not in control. He is very much in control. He's making a distinction. Verse
33 said, one on the right hand and the other on the left. The apostle Paul said to the
saints at Philippi in Philippians chapter one and verse 29, he
said, for under you It is given in the behalf of Christ, not
only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. And so this is the title of our
message today from that verse in Philippians, given us to believe. Paul said, it is given us in
the behalf of Christ, not only to believe, but also to suffer. So we're talking about given
us to believe. People do not savingly believe
on Christ by their own decision. Because of a sin nature, the
natural man possesses neither the will nor the ability to trust
Christ. It is a gift. is a gift, for
unto you it is given to believe. So if you truly believe today,
trust in Him, rest in Him, hope in Him, that is not your doing. What a blessed gift from God
to you to be a believer. It is not because you decided
to seek Christ. It is because he sought you. So as we speak on this thought,
given us to believe, I trust the Lord will bring us everyone
here today to see this glorious truth and that Christ is our
hope. Now, the condition of these two
thieves we've read about male factors, the scripture called
them. One on the right hand, the other on the left. One dies
to his sins, believing in Christ. The other dies in his sins as
an unbeliever in Christ. Which one are you? Which one
are you? Much has been spoken, much has
been written about the repentant thief, the one who believed in
Christ. that he embraced the Lord in
the latter moments of his life. And that's absolutely correct.
He did. But it's not in the sense that most people say. I mean,
they say it's like he has no life left anyway. He can't enjoy
life anymore anyway. He has nothing to lose. So he
may as well give Christ a try. And the emphasis is placed on
what a wise choice this thief made in his latter moments. But that's not where the emphasis
belongs. Matter of fact, that emphasis
robs God of His glory in the whole matter. The truth is, God
changed the man's heart. He never changed his own heart.
God changed his heart. It was given him to believe. And if you're truly a believer
this morning in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in him, resting
in him, it was given unto you by God. There's a great deal
of emphasis placed on deathbed repentances. And I've heard it. You've heard it. And especially
when people consider this passage. The thief on the cross that repented
in his dying hours, dying minutes. And certainly that can happen.
It did happen. It does happen. But I would say
this morning, I know way too many people counting on it. The
odds were exactly 50-50. One repented, one didn't. I don't like those odds for myself.
You say, well, if I were in that situation, with only a few hours
or minutes to live. I'd certainly repent. Well, you
would if you could. But repentance comes from a heart
convicted of sin and desiring peace with God. And if you don't
have such a heart now, what makes you think you'll have it then? So many people counting on getting
right in their dying moments are counting on it being in their
ability to do so. Oh, no. Oh, no. You say, oh,
if I were in the final moments of my life, I'd feel different
about it than I do right now. How do you know you're not in
the final moments of your life? Right now. See the difference,
you see what I'm saying? What happens here is bigger than
this man. God's regenerating work is bigger
than you and I. It's something only He can do,
and only because He wants to do it. It's much bigger than
our modern-day make-a-decision religion. After all, it's not
Christ asking the sinner to remember Him. It's the sinner asking Christ
to remember him. The Lord is not the beggar. We
are. The Lord does not need us to
deliver him. We need him to deliver us. So we understand, then, that
our ability to believe is from him, not from ourselves. And people say, well, all you
have to do is exercise your faith. Well, if you had any, yeah. But
faith is the gift of God. Absolutely. Ephesians 2.8, faith
is the gift of God. So contrary to popular opinion,
faith is not some worked up emotional confidence in our flesh, that's
positive thinking. Oh, what's his name? Schuller
used to do that. Something good is going to happen to you today.
Positive thinking, see? And like old Sweetie Pie down
there in Houston, Smiley, I just try to think good thoughts. You
know, we don't major on the negative. Well, you don't have to major
on it. It's just every way you turn. You've got to deal with
it, though, don't we? Yes. We're not talking about
positive thinking. That business is really no better
than the snakes handlers with all their superstition and putting
people under a spell. But I'll tell you something,
the faith this Bible talks about, the faith of God's elect, what
is it? It is the unexplainable. power to believe, trust, and
rest in Christ for time and eternity. And you absolutely don't know
how it came to you. You don't understand why you
believe and can't quit believing when there's a whole lot of people
walking around that you consider to be a whole lot more intelligent
than yourself. I'll tell you what it is. It's the gift of
God. It's the gift of God. It's not something we decide
to take hold of. It's something that takes hold
of us. It's the power of God taking hold of us that pulls
us on, presses us on, and in spite of hell, and we call it
faith. It's not us exercising faith.
It's faith exercising us. You don't possess faith, faith
possesses you and moves you. And I'm glad it's not something
that might work. It's the power of God that does
work, does work. I want to look a few minutes
at this repentant one and see some things about him. About
nine things I have here that we'll get to before dark, I'm
sure. And so the first one is, The origin of his believing,
and we had already been talking about that, it is given us to
believe. What is the origin of it? Well,
his believing on Christ is not to be attributed to anything
previously in his character or nature. Well, character in particular
and conduct in particular. We read in Matthew's account
Matthew 27, 44, that at the first, both of these thieves were mocking
Christ. Both were unbelievers. Both were
set in their minds and hearts. And both were dying in that condition. So you cannot say that this one
secretly believed in Jesus all the time. No, he didn't. No,
he didn't. He was in on the mocking at the
first. We cannot contribute the change
in his heart to any outward means of religion. If we could visualize,
and of course we can't, but if we could visualize this scene
on Golgotha Hill, the three crosses, the Roman soldiers, the mob standing
around jeering and cheering, laughing and mocking. We cannot
contribute the change in this thief's heart to any outward
means of religion. There was no preaching. There
was no Bible reading. There was nobody passing out
gospel tracts. There was nobody singing an invitation
hymn. None of that. There was no one on the scene
physically pointing men to Christ and saying he's the one, he's
the one to believe in. But tell you who was there? The
Spirit of God was there, laying hold of this man's heart and
planting faith in his heart. And it done the job. There was,
over this middle cross, you've read this, the inscription, and
it's right here in this text. Read that but there was the inscription
over the cross written in Greek Latin and Hebrew all three this
is Jesus the king of the Jews and So as the Spirit of God works
in this man's heart he thinks he thinks about it You know it
takes God to even make you think of something good and Otherwise,
you'll think of something wicked. So he's brought by the Spirit
of God to think about it. This is the king of the Jews.
And he thinks, what if it really is him? What if it really is
him? Could it be him? Well, we don't
know if this man had any knowledge of the Old Testament or not.
But if he did, under the influence and the power of the Holy Spirit,
suppose he remembers some things. Suppose he thinks of Isaiah 53,
which Jews were very familiar with. They could not put it together. They did not believe in Christ,
but suppose this old boy came back to him these lines, Isaiah
53, he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. It dawns on this man, that's
what's happening right here, right now. Or perhaps He thinks of Psalm
22, 16, maybe that flashes into his mind. They pierced my hands
and my feet. That's what's just happened. Nobody else is seeing it, but
this old boy is seeing it. The origin of true faith, the
faith of God's elect. It's God himself doing the work. doing the work. That's why I
pray and I try to be conscious and I'm careful. Every time we
come together here, I know for some of you it's nothing more
than coming to church. You come in yawning and you leave
yawning and you just, we've been there and that's good enough.
But listen, listen, God Almighty is making impressions on the
hearts of these little ones as I speak. And every time we come
together, and how we act while we're here, and what we say while
we're here, and the attitudes that we have in our singing,
in our classes, and in our worship, well, it's God. Then let me say
a word about the power of this faith. You and I trust Christ this morning.
in light of the entire New Testament record. We have it. We sung that song, When I See
the Blood. Of course, it was written based
on that passage back in Exodus we talked about. But we have
the New Testament. We know the real lamb and the
real blood is that of the Lord Jesus Christ. We worship this
morning, we trust him in light of the entire New Testament record. We know he came, lived, died,
conquered death, hell in the grave. We know now he's highly
exalted and given a name above every name. He told us that. The scripture tells us that.
He's sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. But think about the power of
faith gripping this thief's heart. He didn't have a New Testament.
What does he see? He sees another man on a cross
beside him, charged, condemned, convicted, just like himself. He sees a man that society has
concluded is a transgressor, a criminal, and worthy of death,
just like him. He sees on the surface a man
in the same boat he's in, helpless and dying. But the power of this faith I'm
talking about had to exceed anything he could see. physically. It had to exceed anything he
could think naturally. And it did. And it did. With no outward evidence that
Jesus was anything more than the other two, one of the two
believed. It's the power of God given faith. given us to believe, given us
to believe. Now what was the nature of this
faith, given us to believe? Well, here's where a lot of folk have
really missed it. How does this faith respond to
the Lord Jesus? This one, he's as close to the
Lord as the other one, one on either side. What does faith really do? It's
clearly seen in this story. Both of these thieves want saving
of some kind. But saving from what? One of them wants saving from
the present predicament he's in. He wants his old life back. And he says in verse 39, if thou
be Christ, save thyself and us. That's what's in his heart. Get
us out of this mess so I can forget about this day and forget
about you and just get on with my life. There's no conviction of sin.
There's no change of heart. There's nothing lasting about
it. It's just a spur of the moment, plea, get us out of this predicament. But the repentant thief, he does
not ask to be delivered from the cross like the other one
does. He sees Christ for who he is. And the nature of this kind of
faith God-given faith, the nature of it, cries for deliverance
from our sins. The other one wants Jesus to
do something about the situation, but this one wants him to do
something about what got him in this situation, his wicked heart. A lot of people
have never understood that true believing, the faith of God's
elect. It's not about having a ticket
to heaven, no. It's having a heart for God.
Having a heart for God. Then I want to say something
of the expression of this faith before men. The other thief with
his Unbelieving plea of desperation verse 39 if thou be Christ get
us out of this mess In response to that the believing
thief speaks and Faith expresses itself openly and He rebukes
the other one He rebuked him and asked him
some questions He asked him, does thou not fear
God? And the answer is no, he didn't
fear God. He probably had on one of those
T-shirts, no fear, like you see people wear. Does not thou fear God, seeing
thou art in the same condemnation? We're dying, man. Do you have no concern for your
own soul? No, he didn't. He didn't. He couldn't. He wasn't interested in preparing
for eternity. He was interested in saving his
hide that day. And the believer reminds him,
hey, bud, we're here on this cross, these crosses. and indeed
justly. We receive the due reward of
our deeds. We deserve to be here. Then he speaks for Christ, and
this is faith speaking expressly. He says, but this man hath done
nothing amiss. How did he know that? Faith working. God told him that. Made him believe that. There's
no way he could have known on his own that Jesus was any different
from himself. But he knows it. He knows it. Faith expressing itself. And
then he makes this petition. Look what he said. Verse 42. And this is such, oh, This is
so profound. Lord. Now, who told this fellow
to call Jesus Lord? He's just another man died on
a cross next to him. But he calls him Lord. Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. They're all three dying on crosses. He calls Jesus Lord. Remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom. Who told him Jesus had a kingdom? Nobody there that day told him,
except the Holy Spirit. He told him. Lord, remember me. He did not ask for a huge mansion on Main Street, paved in gold and all that stuff
and a crayon and all that. He just said, Lord, remember
me. Lord, remember me. That's what grace does. That's
what grace does when we're awakened to the awful corruption of these
sinful hearts. The only plea will not be, Lord,
look what all I've done. Lord, look what all you owe me.
Look what a reward I'll have. No, the only plea will be, Lord,
if in your mercy you could remember me. Remember me. And notice he said me. He didn't
say remember us. He's not identifying himself
with unbelievers. But he's identifying himself
with the Lord personally. Lord, remember me. I can't speak
for anybody else. Seems like everybody else wants
something different in religion. But Lord, I just want you. Lord,
remember me. If you could have a place for
me. If you could have mercy on me. What a petition, a petition
that only God-given faith could bring out of this man. Then a sixth thing, the purity
of this faith. It rests fully on the merits
of Christ. This man makes no mention of
any good he's done in life. He makes no mention of any occasion
when he did the right thing instead of the wrong thing. He knows quite well he's never
done anything worthy of mention in this hour. It's not remember me because
I did such and such. Remember me because I'm not like
so and so. No, no. His hope is not in me, it's in
the Lord. Lord, it's in you. The purity of this faith makes
no appeal to justice, but only to mercy. Lord, remember me. I'm not in a position to bargain
for any favor, but you're in a position to be merciful. That's
pure. That's pure. Remember me. And
then we read, seventh, the answer to this faith. What does Christ
say to this man who is simply asking for mercy? Lord, remember
me. Well, before, on occasion, the
Lord had said to people, I have not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. Or to the
woman in Matthew 15, he said, great is thy faith. He could have said that here,
but he didn't say it. He goes straight to the answer.
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom and the Lord
goes straight to the answer. Today, shalt thou be with me
in paradise. We could comment on almost every
word of that statement. Not tomorrow, but today. That's a promise of the Lord
to this dying man. It's a promise to all dying saints.
Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. There's no soul
sleep. There's no purgatory. When we
leave this life in an instant, with the last breath, We're in
the presence of the Lord. And if you don't know him, it's
alienated from the Lord forever. Today, today I've read of those who wrote about these,
this, this scene and how that crucifixion was the most painful. agonizing, slow death the Romans
could devise. Sometimes a person would go two
or three days or even up to a week hanging on a cross before they
died. But not this time. Christ says
to this man today, today your suffering will be over. and over
forever. Today shout! It's not maybe,
or might, or hope so, or wish it could be. It's shout. Today shout thou! And that's
singular. Thou. He's not talking to both
thieves. He's talking to the one. Just
the one that's had his heart changed. The one he's given faith
to believe, today shalt thou, what? Be with me. Be with me. I can imagine he's
saying in so many words, they've concluded today, you're not fit
to live in this world. But I say unto you today, you
live with me in paradise. Paradise. Many have called the
Garden of Eden paradise, but it wasn't. It was wonderful,
but it wasn't paradise. Paradise is that unalterable,
unchangeable atmosphere of perfect righteousness. And it's the sum
total of everlasting blessedness. in the presence of the Lord,
that wasn't the Garden of Eden. The Lord defines paradise really
in this statement, today shall thou be with me. To be with me,
that's paradise, that's peace, that's everlasting righteousness,
everlasting blessedness, to be with Christ. They used to sing
an old song, where Jesus is, tis heaven there. That's absolutely
true. Nothing else matters. Nothing
else matters. He is paradise. He is heaven. He is glory. We're in a mixed
up, filthy, materialistically minded religious generation that
only wants to talk about streets of gold and mansions and gates
of pearl and walls of jasper and robes and crowns with no
king over us and no purity in us. They like the idea of we're going
to heaven just as we are because we're singing just as I am. No,
that's not it. Unless this faith I'm talking
about takes a holy old heart and brings you to give up on
you, and changes you to believe in, trust in, and rest in the
Lord Jesus Christ. There's no hope. The other thief
died in his sins that day, but this one died to his sins that
day. They are no more, and he's with
Christ. That's the answer of faith. We've got a couple more. Our
time's about gone. The satisfaction of this faith.
The words of Christ brought peace to his heart. He'll die in peace. And the words of Christ were
enough. The words of Christ took him
from the longing of faith to the satisfaction of faith. And
we don't read that this man ever spake another word. I can imagine his gratitude. He is overwhelmed. It's too deep for words. The
peace in his heart is so perfect. Just a calm silence. He speaks
no more. Words would mess it up. The silence of his soul at one with Christ. All he was
or ever has been in himself has ceased to be. I'm glad that's so this morning.
A lot of people don't believe it. But all I am or ever have
been in myself has ceased to be. Colossians 3 3 you're dead
Your life is hid with Christ in God Do you really believe
in him? Are you still believing in yourself?
Big difference Satisfying satisfying it ends the search for fleshly
excitement It breaks ties with religious
trinkets and It kills the interest in religious
acceptance and popularity. It kills the desire for self-glory. It stops this business of look
at us and what all we're doing. And it says look at Him. Look at Him. Look at Him. I'm talking about a faith that
will strip you of your glory, pull you off the throne of your
heart, and put Christ on it. The Bible calls it the faith
of God's elect. One more and we'll be finished.
In this scene at the cross, the chief ministry of this faith
is not just in this man, but it is an interaction with the
originator of it, Christ himself. And this ministers to Christ
in his suffering, even on the cross. This was the only comfort,
the only consolation the only spark of blessedness
I can see in Christ's suffering and dying on the cross, that he's able, he's able, he's
able, he's able in his dying hour to quicken a sinner. For three
and a half years, people had flocked to him with their problems,
their sicknesses, their diseases, And some had come to Him with
their sins and petitioned Him for help. But on this day, Christ
is hanging on a cross, and everybody thinks he needs
help. But none are coming to Him for
help. None but one, that is. And that
was the one that God revealed to him. who this is. Put your
hope in him, boy. And he did. He did. And this
faith ministers to Christ through this thief. Isaiah 53 11 said,
he shall see, talking about Christ, he shall see of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied. Isaiah is describing the crucifixion. Where did Christ see the travail
of his soul? Where was he satisfied? In the gift of God. In the faith
put in this man's heart. Coming out of this center, how
it ministered to Christ. And oh, how satisfied he is with
what he's doing. That word travail, you know,
is always used in connection with a woman's labor pains in
bringing forth a child. Christ is here on the cross,
travailing in birth, and an old thief, a known convicted and
condemned sinner is born again. The old is gone. He's a new creature
in Christ. I'm talking about something the
vast majority of the religious world has missed. And they put poor old Jesus on
a little end, pleading with men to cooperate. But what we see
here in this passage and what every true believer will testify
to today is that I never got God's attention. He got mine. I never changed and came to him.
He came and changed me. I seek Him today because He first
sought me. I love Him because He first loved
me. I want to be with Him because
He first wanted to be with me. I want to be with Him. I want to honor Him because He
first honored me. I want Him to be mine. because
he first wanted me to be his. Oh, the marvel of grace, the
beauty and the blessedness of such a gift given us to believe,
given to believe. Do you believe today? I trust
you do. Let's stand together.