The Difference Between Two Thieves

Q: What does the Bible say about the two thieves on the cross?

The Bible describes two thieves crucified alongside Jesus, highlighting their contrasting responses to Him in Luke 23:39-43. In Luke 23:39-43, two thieves are mentioned, one who reviles Jesus and the other who expresses faith in Him. The first thief doubts Jesus’ identity, saying, 'If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.' In contrast, the second thief recognizes his own guilt, acknowledges Jesus’ innocence, and asks Him to remember him when He comes into His kingdom. This story illustrates the profound difference between disbelief and faith, as well as the grace that Jesus extends to even the most wretched of sinners at the moment of their death.

Q: How do we know that grace is necessary for salvation?

Grace is demonstrated through the thief's faith, showing that salvation is not based on works but on God's mercy. The necessity of grace for salvation is vividly illustrated in the account of the thief on the cross. He had no means to perform good works, be baptized, or live a life of righteousness; yet, in his moment of despair, he recognized Jesus as Lord and requested to be remembered. Jesus’ response, 'Today shalt thou be with me in paradise,' confirms that salvation belongs to the Lord and is granted purely by grace. This aligns with Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, so that no one may boast. This highlights the essence of salvation: it is a gift granted to those who truly believe, rather than a result of human effort.

Q: Why is repentance important for Christians?

Repentance is essential as it reflects a heart transformed by grace, essential for salvation. Repentance is vital in the Christian faith as it signifies an acknowledgment of one’s sins and a turning away from them towards God. The second thief demonstrated this when he recognized his guilt and innocently professed his belief in Jesus. His plea, 'Lord, remember me,' showcases an understanding of his condition and a desire for salvation. This aligns with the biblical teaching that genuine faith is invariably accompanied by repentance. As seen in Proverbs 14:26, 'In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence,' understanding God’s holiness naturally leads one to repent, recognizing the need for grace and forgiveness. Therefore, repentance is not merely an action, but a transformed attitude resulting from God’s grace in the believer’s life.

Q: What does the phrase 'fear of God' mean?

The 'fear of God' is a deep respect and reverence for God, acknowledging His holiness and justice. The 'fear of God' encompasses a profound respect and awe for His holiness, power, and justice. In the context of the two thieves, it is illustrated when one thief asks the other, 'Does not thou fear God?' This questioning highlights the necessity of recognizing God’s sovereignty and righteousness, ultimately acknowledging that to properly understand one's sinful state is to have a healthy fear of the Lord. As Proverbs 14:26 states, 'In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.' This means that fearing God brings understanding and wisdom, thus leading one toward repentance and faith. It is not a paralyzing fear, but rather a reverential fear that draws us closer to Him.

Q: Why did Jesus respond to the thief when He did not to the other?

Jesus responded to the penitent thief due to his genuine faith and recognition of his need for salvation. Jesus’ response to the thief who asked to be remembered stems from the latter’s authentic faith and understanding of his sinful condition. Unlike the other thief who sought to challenge Jesus, the penitent thief recognized his guilt and the innocence of Christ. He approached Jesus with reverence, asking not for a physical rescue but for mercy, reflecting a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit's work. This aligns with the biblical principle that God listens to the cries of those who genuinely seek Him. In Romans 10:13, it is stated, 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ This illustrates how Christ responds to the humble and contrite heart, demonstrating the grace extended to sinners who recognize their need.

If you would, open your Bibles
to the book of Luke 23. Luke 23. In this chapter, The Lord Jesus Christ was hanging
on a cross, dying for the sins of His people. In the last few
moments before He gave up the ghost, there were words spoken
by two thieves, one hanging on his right and one hanging on
his left. This evening, I want to look
at these two men and the words they spoke to and about the Lord. So looking at Luke 23, let's
look at verse 39. And one of the malefactors, which
were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself
and us. answering rebuked him, saying,
Does 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. Now the one
thief addresses the Lord and he starts out by saying, If,
if thou be Christ. Turn with me to Matthew 27. Matthew
27. If is a word of doubt. This man is saying he doesn't
think Jesus is the Christ. Now look in Matthew 27 and verse
39. And they that passed 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. Many others doubted just like
this thief. In verse 41, 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. Another thing the word if means,
it's used to try and force someone to prove something. If thou be
the Son of God, come down from the cross. If he's the king of
Israel, let him come down. If God will have him, let him
deliver him now. Just because someone doesn't
do something, it doesn't mean they can't do it. Look with me
in Luke 4. Luke 4 verse 3. I'm going to
say that again. Just because someone doesn't
do something, doesn't mean they can't do it. Verse 3 of Luke
4, After forty days being tempted
of the devil with no food, and the devil said unto him, If thou
be the Son of God, command this stone that it may be made bread. And Jesus answered him saying,
It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word of God. Now look again in verse 9 here
at another temptation. And he brought him to Jerusalem,
and set him on the pinnacle of the temple. And Satan said unto
him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence. For it is written, He shall give
his angels charge over thee to keep thee, And in their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone.' And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended
all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." The Lord
didn't give in to temptation here for the same reason that
He didn't free Himself from the cross. Because His time on this
earth was simply to be about his father's business and to
save his children. And we would be wise to avoid
any conversation or any thoughts that ask for proof of anything
from our God. We are given infinite proof in
this book that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is just
and holy in all that He does. Now, back in our text, The other
thief, he didn't share these same doubts. He began in verse
42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord. He knew who the man next to him
was. And he even chatted the other thief for his doubt. As
he says, remember, well, he even chatted the other man. He didn't
need proof. He simply believed on him. And
then you can also tell a lot about someone, what they believe
by the way that they say something. I remember as a child doing chores
for my mom. And I obviously didn't want to
do them, but I had to. And when I would finally finish,
and I was told I could go play, I would turn and run as fast
as I could. And then just seconds later, I would hear, Luke, And
I would say back, what? And I'd get in trouble. And then
I'd argue, all I said was what? And my mom would say, it's not
what you said, it's how you said it. The thief gave everything
away by the way he spoke to the Lord. In verse 39, And one of
the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou
be Christ, save thyself and us. It didn't even matter what he
said because of the way he said it. He showed he had no respect
for the Lord. And the other thief rebuked him
immediately for this. In verse 40, The other answering
rebuked him, saying, Does not thou fear God, seeing that thou
art in the same condemnation? And then later he spoke, it was
with reverence, saying, Lord. Throughout the scriptures, many
people approach the Lord, some in person, some in prayer. But
unanimously, the result always comes from the way that a person
comes to him. This is because the Lord looks
on the heart. We spend much of our time on this earth going
about trying to fool people. And to be honest, we're very
successful at it most of the time. But when we approach the
Almighty God, there's no fooling and there's no faking. I want
to look at a couple times in Scripture when we can see this
from an approach. A couple pages over in Luke 18. A very familiar passage. Luke
18, verse 10. The Pharisee and the Publican. Luke 18, 10. Two men went up
into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other
a Publican. And I point out what they're
called here. The Pharisee, his name is capitalized. And the Publican, his is a lowercase
name. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I'm not as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast
twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven. but smote upon his breast, saying,
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone
that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted." Now back a few more pages, Luke 8. Luke 8.43, another very familiar example,
the woman with the issue of blood. And a woman having an issue of
blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians,
could neither be healed of any. She came behind him and touched
the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood
staunched. And Jesus said, Who touched me?
When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master,
the multitude thronged thee and pressed thee, meaning everyone
was touching him. Everyone was there. And you say,
Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath
touched me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And
when the woman saw that she was hid not, she came trembling and
falling down before him. She declared unto him before
all the people for what cause she had touched him. and how
she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter,
be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole.
Go in peace. Many people were touching the
Lord. He was being thronged. Yet, why
was she the one who was made whole? In Mark's account, it
tells us in Mark 5, when she had heard of Jesus, she came
in the press behind and touched His garment. For she said, If
I may but touch His clothes, I shall be whole. She uses the
word if here, but it's in regard to her ability, not the Lord's. She's doubting herself. She's
not doubting the Lord. And then in verse 48 here, this
one, it says, And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace. She approached him
with faith and was made whole. We need to remember this. When
anything is about the Lord Jesus Christ, it must be done with
reverence and meekness. Whether it's preaching, teaching,
praying, talking to our children, a conversation at work, or when
we walk in this place to worship. The most important thing is to
remember who God is and who we are. And to realize that it's
God's grace that keeps us from hating Him and hating this gospel. Now another difference between
these two men is what they ask for. Let's go back to our text. Luke 23. The one thief asks to survive. He says, if thou be Christ, save
thyself and us. He's even nice enough to include
the other thief in this. Now, while the other thief, all
he asks is to be remembered. Lord, remember me. This man doesn't
want to die on this post. while this man doesn't want to
die in his sin. This man is in pain and he's
asking to be set free, while this man has a different kind
of pain and he wants to be set free from his sins. This man
over here desires earthly life. This man, the other man, desires
eternal life. These reactions and desires come
from the fact that one of these thieves fears death while the
other thief fears God. Now, the only reason to fear
death is because you don't know God. The one thief asked the
other, does not thou fear God? And the answer is simply no.
He doesn't fear God. And he admits in verse 39 that
he doesn't know God because he says, if thou be the Christ.
You don't ask someone if you're someone if you believe what they
are. Turn to Proverbs 14. Proverbs 14. Verse 26. In the fear of the Lord is strong
confidence, and His children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain
of life to depart from the snares of death. The fear of the Lord
gives confidence and refuge. The children of God who fear
the Lord have a hiding place in Him. The thief has completely
missed it here. Without the fear of the Lord,
there is no escaping death. He did not fear God because he
did not know Him. Now, kids, when I was younger,
the term fear of God, I heard a lot and I struggled with it. Let me try to give an illustration
and then explain it. A few years ago, I was at a school,
at a function with all kinds of kids and parents roaming around.
And I was sitting on a chair and a woman walked over to where
I was She sat down looking really frustrated and right next to
me and I looked at her and I asked if I could do anything. And then
she says, no, I've just been talking to my son and he's still
failing his high school English class. And I just don't know
what to do. His teacher has to be an idiot
because there's no way my son should be failing English. He's
too smart. And I guess I'm gonna have to
go talk to him. And I'm gonna have to make him
understand my son cannot fail. She then paused and looked at
me and said, what are you doing here? You look too young to have
a kid in high school. And I replied, oh, I'm just chaperoning
this event. And she said, oh, what do you
do? And I said, I'm the only male high school English teacher
at the school. Her eyes got real big. Her face
turned beet red. She got quiet and could not open
her mouth. She had just found out who I
was. Now let me connect this back
for you. We all go about our business on this earth oblivious
to God. Then one day, Our eyes are opened
and we see who God is and we see what we are. And compared
to His power and glory and justice, it's an eye-opening experience. And through that, we rightfully
develop a fear of God. We see that despite all our talk,
all our best efforts, we are nothing. The Holy Spirit shows
us that we're empty. Then we find out we just need
one thing. We just need the Lord. And we're
fearful because we can't see why He would choose us. And there's
no reason other than His grace. For why would we otherwise be
found in Him? And our fear of God, our fear
in the Lord, will last until one day we find out we are in
Him. If you don't fear Him, if you
don't fear God, it's because you don't know Him. And if you
fear God, it's because He's been revealed to you. Now, back to
our text in verse 41. We see that one thief knows himself
very well, and even though this other thief may not agree, he
includes him in this statement. Thou art in the same condemnation,
and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our
deeds. He knows he's a sinner. And you
might say, well, of course he knows he's a sinner. He's hanging
on a cross being killed for his crimes. Well, you go ask people
who've been convicted of crimes and see how many of those people
willingly say, yeah, I'm a sinner. I'm guilty. I did all that stuff.
That's not why he knows he's a sinner. The only way this man
knew he was a sinner is because it had been revealed to him by
this Holy Spirit. And I love what our pastor says,
it's one thing to believe in total depravity, but it's a total
different thing to believe you're totally depraved. We must be
shown our sin and made to own it before we would believe how
truly bad we are. Again in verse 31, but this man
hath done nothing amiss. This thief believed that the
Lord was not guilty of his crime. He believed that he shouldn't
be hanging on the cross. But others also thought that.
Pilate says, having examined him before you, I have found
no fault in this man. This thief didn't just believe
he wasn't guilty. He didn't just believe that he
was perfect. He believed in the sinlessness
of Christ. Let me see if I can show you
this. The word amiss here, from verse 41, this man hath done
nothing amiss, that word means out of place or out of the proper
order. So if we read it with that, the
thief is saying, the Lord hath done nothing out of place. Or
he's saying, the Lord has put things in their proper order.
Everything that happens in this world is by the hand of God.
What comfort comes from trusting and knowing that. From believing
in the providence of God. And this thief believes that
whatever the Lord does is right. Now I've talked about numerous
differences between these men. But there's a lot of similarities.
Both men were in the exact same predicament. They were thieves. They both had sinned. They had
been caught. They had been convicted. They
were getting ready to die, deservedly so. Their time on the earth was
no longer measured in years and months, but it was in minutes
and seconds. Neither of them could save themselves. Both men were in need of a savior. Can anybody else identify with
this thief? He's a guilty sinner, deserving
of what he's getting. He's been lost his whole life.
He's nothing but filthy rags. He's about to die. Now, do you
know which thief I'm talking about? I'll go on. He's worthless. He has no merit. He's void of good works, having
probably never been baptized, maybe never hearing the Lord,
hearing of the Lord or seeing Him before. Now, which thief
am I talking about? I'm talking about both of them. I can identify with both of these
men because both of them are the exact same, except for one
thing. The Lord had given one of them
a new heart. Now, despite all these characteristics,
his eyes were open, he was given a new nature and his heart was
made anew. And the only way I am different
from anyone in that building over there, or you're different
from that building over there, or anyone in there, or that we're
different from any other vile sinners, is because of what He
has done in us. That's why He asked in verse
42, Lord, remember Me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. His
only desire is that the Son of God remembers Him. I pray that
this is my request. I pray that this is your request.
For we need nothing else but to be found in Him. And this
is great faith in the Lord. And especially at this moment.
The Lord is being crucified. He's being derided and chastised
by all these men. Many of which are the high powerful
people of this day. The Lord looks weak. He looks
helpless. And looks like He's in a bad
situation. The apostles are gone, he's suffering
in pain and anguish, and this is a shameful way to die. Yet,
by the Spirit of God, this thief had faith in the Lord to believe
in Christ. And we should have that same
confidence as the thief has. Not confidence in ourselves or
anything that we have done, but confidence and surety in the
Lord Jesus Christ. that when thou comest into the
kingdom, not if, as the other thief had said, but when thou
comest into the kingdom, remember me. Now, all this time, I've
talked about these thieves and what was said on the cross. A
conversation that happened in just a few moments. And we've
analyzed what both men said, all to arrive at this one very
critical point. This one thief, he got a response
while the other thief did not. The Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty,
responded to this thief. We just talked about what kind
of man this thief was. He's a lost sinner who to all
onlookers didn't have a single redeeming quality. He didn't
look any different than the other thief. But he was a sheep. And the Lord said in Matthew
15, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Our Lord was dying on the cross, a man who knew no sin. He was
putting away the sin of his elect, suffering in agony as he was
made sin. During all this, He brought this
child of God to Him and gave Him a response. Aren't we thankful
that the Lord brings His children to Him and we're not required
to find Him or come to Him? I heard a man say one time, if
you go camping with your family and one of your children wanders
off and gets lost, how long are you going to look
for your child? I imagine there's only one reason
it would make you stop looking for your child. Because you found
them. How much more, then, will the
Holy Son of God seek His children, find them, and bring them home
to Him? Turn to Luke 19. Luke 19, verse
10. For the Son of Man is come to
seek and to save that which are lost." We are all lost. I don't know if I'm telling you
something you don't know already, but you're lost. Most of us,
at some point or another or now, don't know it. And you know the
hardest thing about being lost? Is that you don't have any idea
if anyone's looking for you. And the only way you know when
someone's looking for you is when they find you. This thief
had at last been found, even though the Lord always knew where
he was. But also realize this, the Lord
never acknowledged the other thief because he wasn't a sheep. Now, the Lord's response to this
one man also shows us that if we call on His name, we will
be heard. Turn to Romans 10. Romans 10, verse 13. Our pastor quotes this Scripture
a lot, and for good reason. verse 13, for whosoever, and
I want to emphasize what our pastor says, the word whosoever
is such a great word because we're all one of those. I just
found out the other day, I was looking something up and I found
out there's another Luke Coffey in Kentucky, in Lexington. And I'm so glad as Todd says,
if it said for Luke Coffey, I wouldn't know if that was me. Verse 13,
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? Cry out to the Lord, ask to be
saved. Ask to be forgiven. Ask for the
Lord to give you faith, to strengthen your belief. Ask to be helped. Lord, help me. Throughout the
scriptures, we're told to call upon the Lord. And I pray that
we never stop asking the Lord to remember me. Now, let's finish
back in our text, looking at the response of the Lord, the
specific words of what he says to this thief. Verse 43, And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise. The word verily can be translated
surely or so be it. The thief asked to be remembered
and the first thing the Lord says is so be it, surely. Then he says, Today shalt thou
be with me in paradise. There won't be a wait, but today
you will be with me. The Lord says you'll be there
with me. And that's the only way to get
to paradise. We must be found in him, our sacrifice, our substitute,
our savior. Found in him is the only way
to enter paradise. And what is this paradise? It
can be translated heaven. But paradise isn't explained
best as a what or where. Paradise is a who. Paradise is
being with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we've looked at all these
different things this child of God did and said. He approached
with reverence. He believed. He knew he was a
sinner. He knew he deserved justice.
He feared God. He knew the Lord could save him.
And he called upon the Lord. All of which I ask the Lord that
we do, that we believe, and that we follow these same things.
But don't take away from this passage or this message of how
good this thief is or how well he did this. Instead, rejoice
in how great our God is. And that he did all of this for
one of his sheep and pray that he would do all this for me and
for you. And in our day, we would be like
this thief remembered by the Lord Jesus Christ and found in
him.

The Difference Between Two Thieves

What does the Bible say about the two thieves on the cross?

How do we know that grace is necessary for salvation?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

What does the phrase 'fear of God' mean?

Why did Jesus respond to the thief when He did not to the other?

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The Difference Between Two Thieves

What does the Bible say about the two thieves on the cross?

How do we know that grace is necessary for salvation?

Why is repentance important for Christians?

What does the phrase 'fear of God' mean?

Why did Jesus respond to the thief when He did not to the other?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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