a ventilator, I think it was
for 12 days. And during her time in the hospital,
Stacia and I would go to bed every night. And the last thoughts on my mind
were of coming. Would the Lord be merciful to
her overnight? Would she make it through the
night? Would the Lord be pleased to
have mercy on her? And the first thing in the morning that came
to my mind was Connie. Was the Lord pleased to see her
through the night? Would he be merciful to her today? Would he restore her to health?
It was a very natural reaction. We were dealing with the very
real, very present reality of physical death. And I wish I could say that I
had such love, such compassion, and such urgency that I had for
her under that physical trial as I do for the friends and family
and loved ones that I have that are on death's door. that are
going through this life without God, without Christ, without
mercy, who are at the point of spiritual death, who are dead
spiritually, and we are none of us promised tomorrow. In 1 Timothy, Paul said, I obtained
mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to everlasting,
to life everlasting. We know Paul's conversion was
a pattern. Scriptures tell us that. We have
patterns throughout this book of what the Lord does for sinners. And just as Paul's conversion
was a pattern, so too is the conversion of this thief on the
cross. We're going to look this morning
at dying thieves. In these three men hanging on
these crosses, we have represented all of mankind. We have represented
the thrice holy God. And we have the answer to the
question that we all must have answered. How can God be just
and justify sinners? Lord willing, from this account,
we're going to see our condition, every person's condition outside
of Christ, God's mercy to sinners. the response to that mercy, and
the hope, the very sure hope that sinners who obtain mercy
have in Christ Jesus. Every now and again, the Lord
blesses and really impresses upon my heart my natural condition
before God, outside of Christ. For a moment of time, the reality
really sets in of the situation of mankind. But hold your place here, we're
gonna come back and let's turn over to Matthew's account in
Matthew 27. Matthew chapter 27. Matthew 27, verse 38. Matthew
27, verse 38. Then were there two thieves crucified with him,
one on the right hand and another In Luke's account, these men
were described as malefactors, evildoers. Over here in Matthew,
he refers to these men as thieves. Both words very adequately describe
what we are. We are evildoers. We are thieves. But as I was preparing this message, really dawned on me, crucifixion
was a death sentence reserved the worst
of the worst. This was a execution carried
out as a warning, as a deterrent to others. These men did this,
and if you do this, this is where you're going. These men, Matthew refers to
them as thieves, not as murderers, not as insurrectionists, not
as traitors, common thieves. We're all thieves. We have all,
we come into this world attempting to steal the glory and the honor Do you think to yourself, well,
I've never tried to steal God's honor. I've never tried to rob
him of his glory. Well, when you hear God declares,
there is none righteous, no, not one. And your heart within you responds,
no. Look at what I've done for you. Look at these good works I've
provided. I give to the poor and the needy. I come to church every Sunday. I'm a good person. You've attempted
and have stolen. of the righteousness and holiness
which is his alone. None of us can escape from the
just judgment that we are thieves. Here at Calvary, here we are,
all of mankind having our natural condition revealed. We are guilty,
we're condemned, we're in debt, we are without The law has spoken, the judgment
has been set, the verdict is in, you are guilty, and the punishment
is ready to be dispensed. We have sinned against God Almighty,
and for every person, there is an appointed hour at which our
souls are required. From the moment we enter into
this world, we might as well be as these things on the cross. They know death is coming. It's a surety for them. It's the same with us. They didn't
know when it would come for them. Even as they hung there, they
knew it was soon. We know of a surety from the
time we're born. I thought back to my children,
the day they were born. And even today, I am very well
aware they have been loaned to me. I have them for a time. And either
I will leave this world or they will leave this world before
me. Death is a certainty. This body
is going to be laid down. We just don't know when. And if it's not bad enough that
we are condemned, that we are guilty, if the Lord doesn't have condemnation. Back here in Matthew
27, verse 38. Then were there two thieves crucified
with him, one on the right hand and another on the left. 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. Likewise also, the chief priest
mocking him with the scribes and elders." As I read this last night, as
I was going over my notes, I've been under the sound of
the gospel almost all my life. been around long enough that
I've seen men that my dad would have said they are a true preacher. They're a great preacher. And they're no longer preaching
the gospel. They've gone off. The scribes
and the Pharisees knew the scriptures. If we're not kept, I'm not counted. I'll be just
like these scribes, priests, and Pharisees. Verse 42, they said, he saved
others, himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel,
let him come down. 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. We are born, we enter into this
world, having God's law written on our hearts, in our hearts,
our conscience also bearing witness. We know in our hearts there is
a God. We know every man, woman, boy,
and girl knows that we're guilty. And we know that we've not appeased
Him. How do I know that? because we
try so hard to appease him. We don't have rest. We keep trying,
we work, we work, we work, and we can't appease him, our conscience
bearing witness. Knowing all this, knowing that death is upon us,
knowing we face eternity, we cry out, We will not have this
man to reign over us. We lash out against, we despise,
and we reject the only man that God accepts. Our second point, here at Calvary,
we see God's mercy and grace revealed. Let's go back to Luke
23. These three men hanging upon
these crosses are enduring a physical agony that I hope no man are railing against our Lord
who is in their midst. But suddenly, in a moment, one
of them stops. Something miraculous has occurred. We don't have it recorded here
for us, but we know that somehow one of these two men, one of
these two thieves, For how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? Whether that gospel message was
preached to him, this message that pointed him to Christ, whether
it was a message that he heard long before these events, and
the Lord brought it back to his memory as he was watching the
events take place of that message, or whether the preacher hanging
there in his midst preached to him, we aren't told. The messenger is not important. One thing that I do know, this
man, this sinner, heard about Christ in the preaching of the
gospel. Now, we've got a saying at work, follow the KISS principle. Keep
it simple, stupid. So for our picture here, for
our title, I wanna get it as simple as possible. Let's assume
that both of these thieves have had the same experience. Let's
assume that maybe they were raised together.
They went to the same places. They did the same things. They're
best friends. They've been bosom buddies from
the time they started walking. They have the same knowledge,
they've had the same opportunities, they've had the same teachings, all the way up to this time.
And this day, at this hour, is the first time they've either
one ever had the gospel preached to them. and blaspheme against God. And the other has a sudden, inexplicable
change. What happened? This one man, he heard God call
him. Not a call as Christ used to
call some of his apostles, where he walked up to them and said,
Follow me. But the result is the same. To this man, in this hour, it
was revealed to him that God had lovingly, mercifully, sovereignly
chosen him in Christ before the foundation of the world. In the
time appointed, a preacher of righteousness was sent to him. That preacher of righteousness
was sent to him in a time that he wasn't even looking for it. He had just a few moments ago
been with everyone else, railing against Christ. But God in mercy
called him by his grace. This man, who just moments before
was looking for a temporal blessing, for a release from these worldly
sorrows. His cry and desire was the same
as the man on the other side of Christ. Save thyself and us. Get us out of this trouble. And suddenly, he found himself
with a much greater need than this physical pain he was enduring. He needed salvation from sin. He had heard the command of God,
which said, seek my face. And his heart, his being, his
character replied with, thy face, Lord, will I seek. Again, we're assuming these two
men heard the same words. They've seen the same events.
What made the difference in their reactions to the gospel declaration? That difference is the same difference
that was made for Noah in his generation. Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord. This thief found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. As Jacob and Esau being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was revealed to this man that
God called, according to his purpose, him that calleth. Here on Calvary's Hill, with
all of mankind being represented, we see that salvation is of the
Lord. He purposes, He chooses, He declares
how, He sends the gospel message, He calls, He turns the heart
of man from blaspheming to glorifying, He accomplishes the work, He
finishes the work. Here at Calvary, he shows great
mercy to sinners. What is our response? What is
the sinner's response to God's mercy? So far, we've looked at this
as a pattern, as a picture, as a type. And Lord enabled us to enter
into this personally. We're all represented here at
Calvary. Our Lord Jesus Christ is shedding
his precious blood for the sin of his people. He is dying for
sin. On one side of him is a man who is dying in his sin. And on the other side is a man
who is dying to sin, a man who is an object of God's sovereign
grace. Can I know which Am I the thief on this side or
the thief on that side? Which one of these men represents
me? Our Lord said, out of the abundance
of the heart, the mouth speaketh. The heart, the attitude, the
desires that we have, the desires of these men, was revealed in
their words. It is very easy to say words
when life is going well. When things are easy, everything's
calm. It's very easy to repeat the
right words. As a boy sitting in these pews,
I knew the words. knew what to say, but when hardship,
when trouble, when hanging on a cross, it reveals what's true, what's
truly in the heart. We already saw that for a while,
these two men, they walked in agreement, both railing and blaspheming,
but now one, speaks differently. Luke 23, verse 39. 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. I recently overheard a pastor
who rather bemoaningly said, we tend to make salvation complicated. He concluded, it's really not. We tend to judge our salvation. We tend to judge one another's
salvation based on theology. My experience isn't the same
as your experience. Am I saved? I don't know as much
as you know. Am I saved? From the words of this man's
mouth, what did he know? Verse 41, and we are, we are
condemned indeed justly. This man knew he was a sinner. He owned it and he acknowledged,
I am a sinner. Not in arrogant pride. Well,
I'm a sinner. Not as an excuse. You know, I'm
just a sinner. I can't do anything about it. Sad, hard, I'm a sinner. I am guilty. Secondly, he knew the man hanging
next to him was righteous. Verse 41 again, this man hath
done nothing amiss. He's righteous. And thirdly,
he knew Christ is the God-man and he knew He was the sovereign. Verse 42, Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. Hold your place here again. I
think we may come back and go to 1 Timothy chapter six. 1 Timothy 6. I've often heard the
scriptures are bifocal. Sometimes they're trifocal. Sometimes
they speak in the present, today. Sometimes they speak of things
that were done. Sometimes they speak of things
to come. 1 Timothy 6, verse 14. Paul exhorts Timothy and us,
that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable until
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he
shall show. Times, plural. He came and appeared as a man. He walked this earth. He came
to his hour. He revealed himself to his disciples
on the road to Emmaus. He showed himself to Peter, to
the disciples, to the 500 plus at one time. to Paul as of one out of due
time, and he's been pleased to show himself to some of us today. Those that he has called and
revealed himself to, he shows himself to us. And I pray that
he's pleased to show himself to us today in the preaching
of his word, in the declaration of Christ, in whom crucified,
What does this appearing look like? Do we see some physical
manifestation? No, not since the days of the
apostles. But we do see our Lord Jesus
Christ. We see him revealed in his word. We've been made to know his character. He is God. Verse 15 here. Which in his times
he shall show who is the blessed and only potentate. That word meaning sovereign authority. The king of kings. Sovereign authority. And lord of lords. Gabe brought a message from these
verses, and when he pointed out all three of those words, sovereign
authority, sovereign authority, sovereign authority, my mind
went back to think of Isaiah when he saw the Lord, and he
heard the message, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. man, woman, boy, or girl that
God calls in sovereign loving grace will see the Lord Jesus
Christ as the sovereign authority, the Holy One of Israel. Continuing in verse 16, who only
hath immortality dwelling in a light which no man can approach
unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see. We are made to know
that we are nothing but sin. Justly condemned, with nothing
to commend ourselves to God, Verse 14, yeah, verse 14. Paul writes to Timothy and to
us that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable until
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he
shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King
of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling
in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath
seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. Every sinner God shows
mercy to will bow to the one true and living God, our Lord. this man, this thief, this recipient
of God's mercy, this sinner, and all those to whom God saves
in like manner. Having all of this revealed,
he did the only thing that a guilty, dying sinner can do when faced
with the sovereign While the words are not recorded
here for us, I am certain that everything within me says this
had to happen. Had this man any strength left
at all, he turned and looked directly at our Lord Jesus Christ,
that man hanging on the cross to his side, who for everyone
who looked upon him with natural eyes, looked on him and thought,
he must be the worst of them all. He's in so much more worse
shape than either of the other two. If anybody's going to help
anybody, it's not that man in the center, for his visage was
so marred more than any man in the center. Saved by God's grace,
with all any strength left in him, he turned, looked at that
man on the center cross, and he begged, Lord, remember me. And the words had hardly left
his mouth. When he received the promise,
verily I say unto thee, today shall I be with thee in paradise. Our final point. Can you imagine the effect these
words had on that condemned, dying man? I think that many of us in here
probably can. Many of us have heard that poem. That man still He still has more suffering to
come. The pain and the sorrow of this
present evil world still had to be endured. In just a little
time, a soldier's going to come with a great big mallet, and
he's going to break that man's legs. just like the other man
who is dying in his sin. Being saved isn't going to save
that man from this physical, worldly trials. But that promise had been received. Have you heard this promise? Have you seen him? Do you know
him as the thrice holy sovereign God of heaven and earth that
he is? Do you? Do I? Knowing our sin,
knowing the condemnation that we are under, do I look to Christ
Jesus alone? Do I plead with him to have mercy
upon me? To remember me when he comes
into his kingdom? To all for whom Christ Jesus
suffered, bled, and died for, we have the sure word of his
promise. Thou shalt be with me in paradise. For what is your life? It is
even a vapor. Our life is so short. The hours
are passing so quickly. We've all wasted precious time
railing against God as we've been dying in our sins. Lord, please, for Christ's sake,
have mercy upon us. Please do as you did for another
thief so long ago, have mercy on this thief today. May he be pleased to send forth
the gospel in power to dying sinners, to call us, to show
us who we are, to reveal to us who he is, calls us to flee to him while
there is still time. Thank you for your attention.
I pray the Lord will bless that to us.