Would you open your Bibles back
up to Luke chapter 23? Tonight, we will observe the
Lord's table together. I have entitled this message,
The Greatest instance of faith. The greatest instance of faith. Some 2,000 years ago, a virgin,
one who had never known a man intimately, had a child. In answer to the ancient prophecy
in Isaiah chapter 7, Verse 14, Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, which
means God with us. Isaiah 9, 6 says, Unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given. and the government shall be upon
his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,
the Son of God, the Son of Mary, the God-Man. His name was Jesus. For 30 years, He lived in obscurity
in the town of Nazareth, working as a carpenter, obeying God's
law perfectly. He is the only man to ever live
that never sinned. He loved God with all of his
heart and he loved his neighbor as himself. Then, After those
30 years, for three years, this holy one exercised a public ministry. He was a prophet, mighty in word
and in deed. He went about doing good. He performed miracles that only
God could do publicly. He healed the sick. He gave sight
to the blind. He raised the dead. Only God
can do that. He demonstrated creative power. He brought matter into existence
that was not there before. He controlled the weather so
that His disciples said, what manner of man is this? That even
the wind and the seas obey Him in His preaching, in His doctrine. He spake as one having authority
and not as the scribes. Now that's not talking about
the tone of his voice. That's saying that what he said
recommended itself as the very truth of God. When he spoke,
he spake as one having, possessing authority. He was adored and
worshiped by sinners. And he was hated and despised
by the religious. The Pharisees and the Sadducees,
those represent the liberals and the conservatives, they hated
one another. But they were united in their
hatred of him. They wanted him dead. But they did not know that that
was his reason for coming. He's the only man to ever come
for this purpose, to die. See him in the garden of Gethsemane.
His hour has come to die, sweating great drops of blood, saying,
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,
not my will. but thine be done. He has began
to taste of death even then. It was there that the soldiers
come to arrest him. He says, Whom seek ye? They say,
Jesus of Nazareth. He says, I am. And remember what
took place? They all fell backwards. He's
letting them know, I'm no victim. I am in sovereign control of
this situation. He then allows them to get back
up and arrest him. He's brought before Pilate. Pilate
questions him. He answers not a word. Pilate
said, speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee? To which
he replied, thou couldst have no power at all. over me, except
it be given thee from above." And Pilate was afraid of him.
But the religious people wanted him dead. Pilate affirmed his
innocence, sought his release, but the people would not have
it. And he delivered him to be crucified, delivering him to
the will of the people. He was delivered to the Roman
soldiers. The death reserved for the vilest of criminals was
waiting him, crucifixion. They beat him with a cat of nine
tails, ripping the flesh off of his back. And they began to
mock him. They mocked him in all of his
offices as prophet and priest and king. They ripped out his
beard. I suppose after that you couldn't
even recognize his face. They spit in his face. They slapped
him and said, prophesy thou Christ. Who is he that smote thee? Mocking
his office as a prophet. They mocked him as a priest.
They said, he trusted in God. Let him deliver him if he will
have him. They mocked him as a king. They pressed a crown
of thorns upon his head. and put a purple robe around
his bleeding back and said, Hail, King of the Jews. Then they led
him away to Golgotha. It means the place of the skull,
a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem to crucify him. They flung him
down on the cross. They drove the nails in his hands
and in his feet to fasten him to the cross. And then they lifted
that cross up and they dropped it in the stand. And then the
crowd began to mock him. He saved others himself. He cannot save. Never were truer
words spoken. But he was not crucified alone. There were also two thieves.
The scripture calls them malfactors, which means evil workers. And they both railed on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Matthew tells us the thieves,
plural, both of them, also cast the same in his teeth. Mark says,
and they that were crucified with Him reviled Him. They hated the Lord Jesus Christ
just like everybody else did. As they lived, so were they dying
in enmity toward God. Hardened, wicked men actually
making fun of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, something truly amazing takes
place. While the one thief continues
to rail and to hurl out his venom at the Lord Jesus Christ, one
grows strangely silent. And we read the inspired writer's
account beginning in verse 39 of Luke chapter 23. Let's read
that passage again. And one of the malfactors, 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. Now, these two men represent
all of mankind. These are the two representative
men. You are one of these men. I've described everybody in here.
These two men represent the saved and the lost, the righteous and
the wicked, those who believe and those who do not. Now, these
men were equally wicked, weren't they? They both came to the cross
railing on the Lord Jesus Christ. They both deserved the judgment
of God. But what a difference there was
between these two men. One, as he lived, so he died
in enmity against God. But the other is now a disciple
of Jesus Christ, a bold confessor of the faith when nobody else
was. A man who demonstrated the greatest
instance of faith this world has ever seen. Now remember,
this man never saw a miracle performed by Christ. All he saw was one who was beaten
up so bad you couldn't recognize his face. His visage was marred
more than any other man's. He saw him in a state of utter
weakness, nailed to a cross with, as far as he could see, not one
single follower. He even heard Christ say, my
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He saw him to be the most
despised man to ever live. And yet he calls him Lord, and speaks of Him as a coming
King, and acknowledges His sovereign authority. Lord, if you just
remember me, that's all I'll need. Now, I truly believe that
this is the greatest instance of faith that this world has
ever seen. Now, what was the difference
between these two men? Let's explore that for just a moment.
What was the difference between these two men? Now, we know they
both went up equally lost, equally hardened, equally haters of God,
sinful individuals. I mean, the Bible clearly points
out that they both went to the cross reviling on the Lord Jesus
Christ. What was the difference between
these two men? There is a difference, it's apparent.
What was the difference? Well, somebody says, well, one
had faith and the other didn't. That's true, but why? Why would
you turn with me to first Corinthians chapter four for just a moment? First Corinthians chapter four. Verse seven. Now I asked the
question, what was the difference between these two men? Now look
at the way Paul states this. Verse 7, for what maketh thee
to differ from another? I didn't read that right, did
I? He doesn't say what makes you to differ. He says who makes
you to differ from another. And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Who? makes you to differ from
another. Now, I can tell you why this
thief on the cross, this miraculous change takes place where he quits
cussing Christ and he starts worshiping Him as God. How did
this take place? Why did this take place? Because
God made him to differ. That's the difference between
the one thief and the other. God did something for the one
that He did not do for the other. God the Father made Him to differ
in eternal election when He chose this man before the foundation
of the world to be saved, and saved He's going to be. I don't
care if it is the last moment. If God determined His salvation,
it's going to happen. God the Son made this man to
differ in redemption. You see, Christ was dying for
this man's sins. You're not going to tell me He
was dying for somebody who ends up going to hell and that he
paid for their sins. No, no. God the Son made this
man to differ. You see, all that the Father
gave Christ, Christ died for them and accomplished their salvation.
It was God the Son in eternal redemption dying for this man's
sins. That's why it's different. It's God the Holy Spirit giving
him. You look at this miraculous change
that took place. He heard the gospel, no doubt.
He heard the words of the Lord on the cross. He even saw the
Lord die. He saw all these things. But how can we account for this
miraculous change? God, the Holy Spirit, gave him
a new heart. God, the Holy Spirit, birthed
him into the kingdom of heaven. At that time, God made this man
to differ. I tell you what, if you're a
believer, you know that if you're a believer, the only reason you
are is because God made you to differ. You don't give yourself
the credit in any way. Not if God's made you to differ.
You know that. I don't have to argue that with
anybody that's been born from above. They know it so. God made
this man to differ. Now, like I said, I've entitled
this message, The Greatest Instance of Faith. Now, just what was
it that that thief believed. Now, before we look at that,
this thief gave evidence of his faith. I know he was not saved
very long, but he gave abundant evidence of the reality of the
work of grace that was done in his heart. He demonstrated some
understanding. You see, he knew who Christ was.
Nobody else in that crowd did. They were making fun of him.
He knew he was the Lord. He had some understanding about
himself. He knew he was a sinful man. He knew he was getting what
he had coming. He really believed that. He demonstrated courage. He confessed
Christ when all the apostles were hiding. He demonstrated
some love for his fellow thief when he rebuked him and said,
don't you fear God seeing you're in the same condemnation? I mean,
this man gave abundant evidence that God had done a work of grace
in his heart. His faith was real. And I believe
that we would all agree that the thief believed what one must
believe to be saved. You see, faith has a content. Our Lord said, if you believe
not that I'm He, you'll die in your sins. Faith has a content. He that believeth not shall be
what? Damned. Faith has a content. Now what is it that someone believes? And I could have just as easily
Entitled this message what must a man believe to be saved because
there's something a man must believe to be saved And I and
this thief he's got the bare-bone minimum. You know that but he's
got the maximum He's got you want to find out what believers
believe look at this thief He will demonstrate to you and demonstrate
to me what it is. Somebody believes when they believe
the gospel Now this thief heard He didn't just all of a sudden
start believing when he never heard anything. He heard the
seven sayings of the Savior on the cross. He heard the Lord
say, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. He heard
the Lord say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He
heard the Lord say, It is finished. He heard the Lord say, Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit. And he saw the Lord die. He,
remember, the Lord died before the two thieves did. Remember
when they came to break the Lord's legs? He was already dead. The
thieves saw that. He witnessed all of these things. He heard what all the crowd was
saying about the Lord. He heard all that stuff. Faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Now, what
was it that this man believed? Now, I've got seven or eight
things I want to tell you. He believed that God was just. He wasn't God's judge. He believed
that whatever the Lord did was just. When He talked about His
own condemnation, He said, we are getting what we have justly. Whatever God does is just. That's where we've got to begin.
We've got to begin with God, who He is. He is absolutely just
and we're not going to sit in judgment on Him. Not if we really
believe. You know, that's what everybody who's not a believer
does. They sit there and judge God for a while. How could God
let this happen? How could a loving God let this terrible thing take
place? How could God be fair to elect
some and pass by others? How could God be fair to allow,
cause Christ to die for some and not to die for all, sitting
in judgment on God. You ever find out who God is,
you'll no longer sit in judgment on Him. You believe that whatever
He does is just, right, holy, and true. You might not be able
to bring it all together. You might not be able to give
an explanation for everything, but you know shall not the judge
of the earth do right. Whatever God does is just. You believe in the righteous
character of God. And this thief acknowledged God's
utter justice in his own personal condemnation. Look with me again
at verse 40. 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." Now he believed in the absolute justice of God
in his own condemnation. If God ever does something for
you, and teaches you who He is, you know what's going to make
you see? You're going to see that you have no claims on God. Not by way of righteousness.
Not by way of merit. You have no claims at all upon
the living God. If He passes you by, He's just. If He passes you by, He's holy. If He passes you by, He's right.
If He saves everybody in this room but you, you still have
no claims on God. Whatever He does is right, just,
holy, and true. And you really believe that. Would it be unfair for God to
send you to hell? Would it be unfair for God to
pass you by? No, not if you realize who He is and who you are. This
thief acknowledged God's utter justice in his own condemnation. Now here's the third thing this
thief believed. This thief, he believed God's just. He believed
that God would be just in his condemnation. This thief believed
that Jesus Christ was God. He said to his fellow thief,
don't you fear God? Well, he's talking about the
father. No, he's talking about that one nailed to that cross.
Don't you fear God seeing that you're in the same condemnation? You can't believe on him without
knowing that he is God. You see, if he's only a man,
he can't do anything for me. If that's all he is, he can't
do a thing for me. He's the God-man. You see, Jesus Christ, that One
hanging on the cross, is there because He willed it. Because
He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And
even when the soldiers drove the nails in His hands and His
feet, He was giving them the strength to do it while they
were doing it. He's God. God over all. Blessed forever. Now, if all He is is a man, what
can He do for me? Death won't do anything for me.
What if I died for you? What good would that do for you
as far as eternal salvation? Less than nothing. But this is
not a mere man dying. This is the God-man. And as the God-man, there's power,
there's saving efficacy in His blood. If He died for you, your
sins are put away. If He died for you, your sins
are gone. You see, there's saving efficacy
in His blood because of who He is. He's the God-man. And this
thief knew. Somebody says, well, how did
he know that same way you do? The revelation of God. If you
know that Jesus Christ is God, it's because God revealed this
to you. And you really believe it. You know, I really believe
that Jesus is God. And I love it. And I know it. Prove it to me. I don't need
to. You don't have to prove the truth. The truth is true whether
you believe it or not. But Jesus Christ is God. And
that thief knew that. Don't you fear God, seeing you're
in the same condemnation." Not only did he believe he was God,
he believed in the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
said, this man hath done nothing amiss. This man kept God's law perfectly. He knew that the Lord Jesus Christ
was the sinless man, the sinless one. He knew that he was the
one who kept God's law perfectly. You see, this thief believed
everything there is to believe regarding the gospel. He knew that Christ's obedience It was the
only obedience he knew anything about. He knew that. He believed
it. He rejoiced in that. And this
thief believed in the certainty of the success of whatever Christ
did. He said, remember me, not if
you get out of this mess. He said, remember me when you
come back as a mighty victor in your kingdom. He knew of the
certainty of the success of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, understand
this. Whatever it was that Christ intended
to do, that's what He did. And that thief understood that
because he knew who He was. You see, if you really believe
that Jesus Christ is the God-man, God manifested in the flesh,
it is impossible for you to believe that He could fail in whatever
He intended to do. Now, what did He intend to do?
Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, the opening chapter of the New Testament
tells us, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins. And that's exactly what He did. He came in those 30 years in
obscurity, perfectly obeying God's holy law. And also in his
three years of public ministry, he never sinned. The scripture
says he knew no sin. And on Calvary's tree, all that
sin is, he was made to be. And this is something that's
impossible to understand. Just believe. On the cross, God
wasn't viewing him. As I realize you're not guilty
and you're doing this as a substitute. No, he was guilty. My sin became
his. The scripture says he was made
sin. And God's wrath came down upon
him. And he satisfied the justice of God. And that thief realized, when you come back, You're going
to come as a mighty king. Now, whatever it is the Lord
intended to do, that's what he did. What did he intend to do?
He intended to save his people from their sins. Did he do it? A thief understood that. And
anybody who believes on Christ understands that. To think of
Christ making a roll of the dice, dying for everybody, making salvation
possible for everybody, but it's up to you to do something in
order to make what he did work, that's foolishness. That's all
it is. There's not a drop of gospel in that message. He saved
his people from their sins. When he said, it is finished,
salvation was accomplished. That's what that faith believed.
And that thief believed in his return. He's saying, you won't
stay dead. You're going to come back after
me. You're going to come back as a mighty king. You will return. And here's, here's what I like
thinking about most. That thief really believed. that Jesus Christ was Lord. He looks at that one hanging on a cross, seemingly
in utter helplessness, in utter weakness, in trouble. He sees
that one hanging on a cross, powerless, seemingly. Yeah, he
saw him dead. He saw him die. But he looks
at that one hanging on a cross and he says, Lord, Lord, you're
the Lord. You're the absolute dictator
of the universe. You're an absolute sovereign
control, Lord. And he acknowledged his lordship
like this. Remember me. If all you do is remember me,
if you remember my worthless name, all is well. You know, he believed the same
thing that leper did. Remember that leper? Lord, if you will,
you can make me clean. Thief believed the same thing. Lord, remember me. He believed in the Lordship of
Christ when nobody else did. You reckon anybody laughed at
him when he said that? They were all standing around the cross
watching the Lord die and they saw that thief say, Lord, remember
me. What? He believes that man's
the Lord? Absolutely. Lord, remember me. That's my prayer right now. Lord,
remember me. when you come into your kingdom.
Now look at the words of our Lord, verse 43. You know, before I read the words
of the Lord, I don't know how many times I've heard people
say, regarding some aspect of the truth, they say, well, the
thief never heard that, didn't believe it. Well, it's true. I guarantee you, though, he would
believe anything in God's Word. You know what believers do? They
believe. They bow to all that God says. And if you would have
given that thief anything from... He'd never heard of election
or predestination, no doubt. But I guarantee you, if he would
have heard it from the Word of God, he'd have said, yep, that's it. I believe that.
You see, believers believe. They bow to what God says. But
the thief never heard... The thief demonstrated true saving
faith, didn't he? I mean, this is the greatest
instance of faith this world has ever seen. Now, our Lord's
reply to this thief, verse 43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, Now, if the Lord says it, it's forever settled in the heavens,
isn't it? God said it, I believe it, that
settles it. No, no, God said it. It's settled
whether you believe it or not. You don't even count. Verily, I say unto thee, today, thou shalt be with me
in paradise." In our Lord's answer to this
thief, I see sovereign authority. Today, thou shalt be with me
in paradise." Oh, what authority is in his words. Whatever he
says goes. But I also see his willingness
and his power to save poor, helpless sinners. If there was ever a
poor, helpless sinner, it was this thief. He'd never given
a dime to the cause of Christ. He didn't have any good work.
What did he have? And yet, our Lord says today,
thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. Now, you can't get any more assurance
than that. You reckon that thief had full
assurance? I know he did. I know he did. Oh, what willingness
there is in Christ to save today. Thou shalt be with me in paradise. Now, our Lord went to Golgotha's
hill. There were three crosses. One cross, a man dying in his
sin. Another cross, a man dying for
sin. And on that third cross, in this
thief, we see a man dying unto sin. The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day, and there may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away. Let's pray.