Now we're turning this evening
to the book of Luke in chapter 23. The title of this message
is this story. The title of the message is the
same as this story, the salvation, the salvation of a thief, the
salvation of a sinner. We see the Lord Jesus Christ
is crucified here between two thieves, not by accident, but
by God's purpose. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. He was numbered among the
transgressors. As it says in Isaiah 53, He poured
out His soul unto death. And He was numbered with transgressors. He bare the sin of many, His
covenant people. And He made intercession for
transgressors. He said, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. The Lord Jesus Christ not only
identified with our humanity, the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. Just as much as his children
were partakers of flesh and blood, he also likewise took part of
the same. In Hebrews 2 verse 14. He identified with our humanity
apart from sin. He also identified with us as
that sacrifice for sin. The Lord laid on him, it says
in Isaiah 53, 7. The Lord laid on him or the Lord
made our sin to meet on him. The Lord laid on him our iniquity. Peter put it this way. Peter
said he bare our sin in his own body on the tree. So he identified with our humanity,
also as that sacrifice for sin, he identified with our sin being
made, sin for us. He also identified himself among
us as one with us, as a transgressor. Now listen to me, let me clarify
that. Although the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin, the scripture
says, he did no sin, and he personally committed no sin. in word, deed,
thought, or motive, yet, we just read a moment ago, God made Him
sin for us. Now this was a real transaction.
God reckoned our sin to Him. Our sin, the sin of God's elect,
was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and He identified with
us as our substitute being made guilty of sin, as a transgressor
before God, as my substitute. It was real. It wasn't a play
line. It was real. He died in our stead, representing
us with the sin of God's people. His elect laid on Him. As our
substitute for sin, the holy, terrible wrath of God fell upon
Him in a most violent manner. Now, we must always remember,
and I've reminded you over the years that I've been trying to
preach this message, It was not what wicked men did that day.
That's our hope of salvation. Yes, they did bruise the Lord,
didn't they? They put nails through His hand,
through His feet. They put a spear in His side.
They hit Him. They spit on Him. They did all
these terrible, atrocious things unto Him. But it was not what
wicked men did unto Him. That's our hope. It's what God was doing that
day. That's our hope. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him in our room and in our stead. You remember that scripture over
in Lamentation chapter 1, the words of Jeremiah? I believe
it was the first message that I ever preached here to you folks. Lamentation 1, 12, where it says,
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see
what sorrow the Lord hath laid upon me, wherewith the Lord hath
afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." How can the Holy
God be angry with His Holy Son? Only one way. God made Him sin
for us. And when sin was found on Christ,
the wrath of God had to fall upon Him without any mixture
of mercy. He dies as the Lamb of God for
the sin of His covenant people. That's what's going on here when
it says He yielded up the ghost. He died for our sin according
to the Scripture. Had He not died for our sin,
we must forever perish under the eternal everlasting condemnation
of a holy God. But thank God the Lord Jesus
Christ, He stood in our stead, in our room, and He took the
punishment for us. And he sets us free. That's the
good news of the gospel. What does this reveal to us about
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, several things. He came to save sinners. He came
to save sinners. He didn't come to call the righteous.
He came to save sinners. The Apostle Paul put it this
way. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. And Paul said,
I'm a chief want. He came to save sinners. Aren't
you glad? The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save that which was lost. He died for the ungodly, so He
came to save sinners. Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ
made intercession for transgressors. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ
made full payment For all my sin, all the sin of God the elect
laid upon Him, He paid the account absolutely 100% to the full. The debt cancelled and we go
free. He paid the debt. Call His name
Jesus, He shall save His people from their sin. Oftentimes people
will ask you, will preach you, what's your theory about the
atonement? I don't have a theory. I have an atonement. The Lord
Jesus Christ put away the sin of God's people once forever. He said, it is finished. It is
done. So much so that God Almighty says of the Lord Jesus Christ,
their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. They're
gone. He put them away. So he came
to save sinners. He came to save His elect. He
came to save His sheep. He came to make full atonement
for their sin, particular redemption. I preach it. I believe it. It's
so. God's Word teaches it. And my friend, He ever lives
to intercede for His people. He ever lives to intercede for
us. That scripture over in Hebrews 7 talks about He's able to save
to the uttermost all that come to God by Him seeing He ever
lives to make intercession for us. So we see He came to save
sinners. He came to make full atonement
for sin. He ever lived to intercede for His covenant people. John
said that. He ever lives when we sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Something else we
learn about salvation in this story. He will have mercy on
whom He will have mercy. He will save whom He will. The apostle wrote it this way.
penned the words that God gave him in Romans 9 when he talks
about sovereign grace. It's not of him that willeth.
He said, I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I'll harden
whom I will. It's not of him that willeth
nor of him that runneth, but it's God that would have mercy
on whom he will. Of his own will beget he us with
the word of truth. He saved one of these thieves.
Why did he save one and pass by the other? Why did he save
both of them? He saved one thief, and the other
perished in his sin. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in his sight." One of them was chosen from eternity unto
salvation. The other was a reprobate from
the beginning. That's what we see, sovereign
mercy, sovereign grace. Now, we have before us in this
story a most striking and glorious example of the Lord's sovereign
grace, don't we? I mean, it's a clear cut. If
God's given you any understanding about the Word of God and the
Gospel of God, you have to see sovereignty and salvation in
this salvation of this sinner, this thief. We see that demonstrated
all the way through scripture. Have you ever thought about that?
Let me give you these examples. God saved Noah and his family
while the multitude of the ungodly world perished in their sin.
Now who made the difference? Grace made the difference. Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God called Abraham out
of idolatry while the rest of his family, for the most part,
died in their sin. They died in their idolatry.
Who made the difference? God who made the difference?
God set his love upon Jacob. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I loved less. No, Esau hath a hated. That's
what God says in his word. God sent his sovereign love upon
Jacob and blessed him while his twin brother Esau was a reject,
hated of God. That's sovereign grace. That's
the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. God sovereignly,
here's another example. God sovereignly reached down
and saved a rebel named Saul of Tarsus while the rest of his
religious friends died in their self-righteousness. Here's another
example. God had mercy on Peter while
leaving Judas to perish by his own wicked hands. Now, in all
those things, all those different cases, all those different people,
who made the difference? Who made the difference? Who
made the difference in each of these Saved and lost, who made
the difference? How do you count to the difference?
If you believe the difference was made by the sinner, then
obviously you believe that salvation is by creature merit, not by
the sovereign grace of God in Christ. For it's not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy.
He saved us. The distinguishing difference
between saved and lost is found in God's sovereign purpose and
grace. Grace, grace, grace alone. And grace, my friend, is sovereign
grace. He'll have mercy on whom he will. The apostle put it this
way in 2 Timothy 1-9. It's God who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
God's own purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus before
the foundation of the world. Grace and grace alone. Who made
us to differ? You remember that question Paul
asked in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7. Who made you to differ from
another? What do you have that you didn't receive? Everything
the believer knows is by the grace of God. Everything we know,
He taught us. Everything we have, He gave us.
Everything we are and ever will be is by His grace, and grace
alone. That's His free, sovereign merit
alone. Now one of the clearest examples
of this is seen in this dying thief. He couldn't work. He couldn't
work for salvation, could he? He was nailed to the tree and
dying. He couldn't witness. He didn't
have time to witness. He couldn't walk down front and
make a decision for Jesus. Oh, he was nailed to a tree.
He couldn't work. He couldn't witness. He couldn't
walk. He couldn't wash. He couldn't be baptized. He's
nailed to a tree, dying. Yet God had mercy on him and
took him home to glory when he died. Do you believe that thief
was saved? Absolutely. God said, when you
die, I'll take you home with me. Today you'll be with me in
glory. I believe this dying thief had
a revelation of the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ. Don't you? We'll see this in
a minute. You see this in the story. At one time, both these
men, it's recorded in Matthew 27, it says they both cast the
same in their teeth. They both railed on him. And
then in Mark 15, 32, it says they that were crucified reviled
him. Both men at one time, both railed
on him. But now we see one sinner calling
upon the Lord with a broken heart. and begging for mercy, while
the other dies in his sin as a rebel against God. Now, how
do you count for the difference? Grace and grace alone. What can
we learn from this about salvation? What can we learn about this
in the salvation of a sinner? Well, we can learn this. Salvation
is of the Lord, isn't it? Salvation is of the Lord in its
origination. Salvation is of the Lord in its
planning. Salvation is of the Lord in its
execution. Salvation is of the Lord in its
application. Salvation is of the Lord in its
sustaining power. Salvation is of the Lord in its
ultimate glory. Salvation is of the Lord. What
has revealed to us here about the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Christ is all and in all. Now what did the Lord reveal
to this dying thief? What did he see? You have to
picture in your mind, it says in Isaiah 52, that his visage
was so marred, that his facial character was so marred, he was
so mistreated and beaten, and his face so swelled up, And he
looked so horrible with that crown of thorns pressed down
on his face. They had beaten him with rods,
and he didn't even look like a man. He looked like a piece
of meat hung out on a tree. He didn't look like a king, did
he? And yet this man, this dying thief, had a revelation that
the Lord Jesus Christ is everything in salvation. And he said, as
a mercy beggar, Lord, remember me. Remember me. Now, four or
five things. I want to remind you, back in
Luke 23, turn back over there, if you have your Bible there,
turn to Luke 23. And four or five things we see
the Lord reveal to him about salvation, about the Lord himself. The first one is this. The Lord
revealed to him that God is holy. God is holy. Look at verse 39. And one of the malefactors which
hang were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ,
save thyself and us, but the other answering rebuked his friend,
rebuked this dying friend, saying, don't you fear God seeing that
we are condemned before God? This man was given a reverence,
this repentant thief was granted repentance of God, he was granted
faith, he was given a reverence and fear for the Lord. He was
given a revelation that God is holy and that God must punish
sin. For he says to his friend, don't
you fear God in judgment? Don't you know that God is holy
and that we're dying before God Almighty, and we must stand before
God in judgment, and he rebuked his friend for not fearing God.
Now, why did he fear him? He knew that God was holy. There
was a revelation into his heart that God must punish sin. Remember from Isaiah 6, when
Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, And the cherubims
cried around the throne, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. You remember what Isaiah said,
woe is me, I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. My friend, those who die in their
sin, those who are left to their own wicked thoughts and their
own wicked will, apart from the power of God the Holy Spirit,
revealing the holy character of God to the heart of the sinner,
they will perish in their sin with no fear of God. Now he has to put that fear in
our heart, because by nature, because of our sin, we don't
fear God. That's what it says in Romans
chapter 3, that there's no fear of God before their eyes. Now
here's my question for us. Has the Lord been pleased to
teach us I want to make personal application to each and one of
us. Has the Lord been pleased to teach us that God is holy
and that God demands, not the best we can do, that God Almighty
demands perfection, that God is holy and it must be perfect
to be accepted, and that that righteousness that God demands
is only satisfied and found in Christ Jesus? Has God taught
you that, that He is holy, that He demands perfection? Who shall
ascend unto the hill of the Lord? We've studied that in the book
of Psalms. Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord? Who shall
stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands and a
pure heart, who's never lifted up his soul to vanity, who has
never sworn deceitfully. Well, that just shut the door
on me. But it didn't shut the door on my Lord. because in Him
I enter in, in His righteousness." You see, we're no longer going
about to establish our own righteousness, but we're resting in Christ who
is our righteousness. And God has taught us that He
is holy. Now here's a second lesson. So
here's lesson number one. God's holy. Have you been taught
that? Has God revealed that to you,
that He is holy and He demands perfection? Here's the second
thing, this dying thief was given a sight of his own sin, in verse
40. But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing that thou wert in
the same condemnation? Verse 41, And we indeed justly
But we receive the due reward for our sin. This man had a revelation
in his heart of his own wicked sinfulness before God. He says
to his dying friend, we're getting what we deserve. This is what
we deserve. He saw his sin was deserving
of death. That this is what the Lord is
pleased to teach us when he does that work of grace in our heart.
He teaches us that we're sinners. That we've all sinned and come
short of the glory of God. And that the wages of sin is
death. God teaches us that if he would judge me and condemn
me and send me to everlasting torment and condemnation, that's
what I deserve. That's what's coming to me, apart
from grace. For the wages of sin is death.
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. You
see, my friend, we are sinners. God has ever, has the Lord ever
taught you what you are? What you are. We're sinners by
birth. We're born in sin, shaped in
iniquity. We're sinners by nature. We have
that sinful nature, that sinful principle put within us. We're
sinners by nature. We're sinners by birth. We're
sinners by practice. And we're sinners by choice left
to ourselves. All we do is sin. In the flesh
dwelleth no good thing. God ever taught you that? Well, if he has, it's good news.
You know why? Salvation's for sinners. You see, we've all sinned against
God, and if he's pleased to condemn us, that's just what we deserve. You remember what David prayed
in Psalm 51? He said, have mercy upon me according to your love
and kindness. Have mercy upon me. And then he said, I was born
in sin, I was shaped in iniquity. And then he said, God, if you
would judge me, condemn me, you're right if you do so. But God have mercy on me, the
sinner. We justify God in our own condemnation. Here's something else this man
learned, and this is what God teaches us. God is holy. We're sinners, born in sin, shaped
in iniquity. If God would judge us and condemn
us as He ought to, we'd be getting just what we deserve, everlasting
condemnation. Here's the third lesson. This
man confessed Jesus Christ as all His righteousness before
God. This man confessed Jesus Christ
to be holy. Look at verse 41 again. This
man, speaking of The Lord Jesus Christ, this man hath done nothing
amiss. Remember what the Roman soldier
Centurion said in verse 47? He glorified God saying, certainly
this was a righteous man. He had no sin, he knew no sin,
and he did no sin. This dying thief had a revelation
of the holy character of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had a right,
true, and high opinion. of the Lord Jesus Christ looking
to him. And this is true. The record
of scripture declares that the Lord Jesus Christ is such a high
priest who became us. who was holy, harmless, undefiled,
and separate from sin. He is the spotless Lamb of God.
He is undefiled. Although the Lord Jesus Christ
is dying for the sin of His people, He had no sin that He personally
committed. He did no sin. He knew no sin. He perfectly
and completely obeyed every precept of God's holy law in word, thought,
motive, and deed, and in doing so, worked out a perfect, justifying
righteousness for who? for his people. God made him
sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God. Now the righteousness we enjoy
is not the righteousness of the church. It's not the righteousness
of tradition. It's not the righteousness of
religious ceremony. It's the righteousness of God.
That is it originates with him. It's of the Lord, and it is in
Christ alone. He is the Lord, our righteousness. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. We're no longer
going about to establish our own righteousness, but we're
resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. Paul in Romans 4 puts it this
way, Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. You see, God can't charge my
sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and then charge it to me. He
can't demand justice be paid twice. The Lord Jesus paid all
my sin debt, therefore who can lay anything to the charge of
God the elect? It is God who justifies. Who
can condemn? It is Christ who was died. Yea,
rather, it is risen again who is even at the right hand of
God, who also makes intercession for us. Now here's the point. When the Holy Spirit is pleased
to convict us and teach us the gospel that God is holy, that
we are sinners, He also shows us that the Lord Jesus Christ
alone is our total holiness and righteousness before God. No
wonder the apostle in Philippians 3 said he counted everything,
dung, ruin, and loss that he might win Christ and be found
in him. Not having his righteousness
which is by the law, but that righteousness which is of God
by the faithfulness of who? Christ, by the faithfulness of
Christ alone. That's our righteousness. He
is the Lord, our righteousness. He has made unto us righteousness
and redemption and sanctification. This man had done nothing amiss. He saw in the Lord Jesus Christ
His holy character, and that's our righteousness before God.
You see, in Christ, in the Lord Jesus Christ, we stand complete,
completely justified, completely redeemed, completely resolved
of all guilt. In Christ Jesus, there's no condemnation
to those who are in Him, in Christ. Here's the fourth thing, the
dying and repentant thief also had a true sight of the Lordship
of Christ. See what it says there in verse
42, and he said to Jesus who is Savior, Lord, Lord, remember
me. Not if, but when you come into
your kingdom. You're coming into a kingdom.
You just bought a kingdom with your blood and you are the Lord
in salvation. Have mercy on me. That's what
he's crying. He's crying for mercy. Crying for mercy. Who's he crying unto? The Lord. The Lord. Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This man's calling.
He knows he's dying. He knows he's guilty. He knows
if he dies without Christ, he must suffer an endless eternity
of torment, and he cries out for mercy. He doesn't say, Lord,
I did this, or Lord, I'm going to change. If I get out of here,
I'm going to change. No, he simply said, Lord, just
look on me. Have mercy on me. Have mercy
on me, the sinner. It's a cry of mercy. Lord, remember
me when you're exalted, when you're enthroned, remember me.
He's confessing that the Lord Jesus Christ, even in this dying
hour, he's confessing that the Lord Jesus Christ has all power
to save. Doesn't he? He has all power
to save. God's given him power over all
flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father
had given him. He has power over all flesh. He's confessing that the Lord
Jesus Christ has power to save him. Lord, remember me when you
come into your kingdom. He's saying here the same thing
that the publican cried in the temple, isn't he? God be merciful
to me, the sinner, the sinner. or what Paul confessed there
in Galatians chapter 1, but when it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal
His Son in me. He's truly confessing that the
Lord Jesus Christ is everything in salvation. Is He not? Lord,
remember me. And that He is all in salvation.
He didn't say if. you come into your kingdom, if
you accomplish salvation, if you put away my sin, remember
me. No, he said, Lord, when? When you accomplish salvation,
have mercy on this sinner. Our blessed Lord, now listen,
our blessed Lord, even in his dying hour, even though he's
been so mistreated, and he's about to yield up his life, an
atonement for our sin. Our blessed Lord, even in His
dying hour, is no feeble, weak, impotent Savior, for He is God,
able to save to the uttermost. He's born as King, king in salvation,
king in righteousness, he's king in peace, he made peace with
God with his own blood, he lived as king, he was born as king,
and he dies as king of kings and Lord of lords. And my friend,
he's coming back as king, and every knee will bow, and every
tongue will confess that he's Lord to the glory of God the
Father. Every knee will bow, every tongue
will confess that he is Lord. God had made that same Jesus,
you remember what Peter preached in Pentecost? God had made that
same Jesus whom you crucified, God had made him both Lord and
Christ. I know that people in religious
circles today, they say, well, make Jesus your Lord. My friend,
you can't make Jesus your Lord. God had made Him Lord. He's Lord
by His eternal, immutable decree. God had made Him Lord. All we
do by His grace is bow to His Lordship and submit to His Lordship. But He is Lord. He is Lord. And that's what God revealed
to this dying thief, the Lordship of Christ. Lord, remember me
when you come into your kingdom. In closing, let me give you this,
in verse 43, and the blessed Savior, the Redeemer,
said to him, said to him, didn't say to this other one, He didn't
say pronounce salvation upon this other dying thief. He said
to him, the one that cried out for mercy, he said to him, truly,
that word barely means truly, truly I say unto thee, today
you're gonna die, but I'm gonna take you to glory. Thou shalt
be with me in paradise. Today the Lord is saying to this
sinner, I put away all your sin. You say, preacher, it doesn't
say that. Yeah, it does. It says that. I'm going to put
away all your sin. For the Lord could not take him
to glory without his sin being put away by his blood atonement. Today you'll be with me in paradise. That's a word of salvation. Has
the Lord taught you these things about salvation? Today, you'll
be with me in paradise. I'm not interested in mama, in
daddy, or my relatives who have died, because as far as I know,
all my relatives died in idolatry. But I'm interested in being,
and here's the two words that are key, with me. Today you'll be with me. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. When the believer dies, he goes
to be with the Lord forever. Forever. Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints. Now we know this, the
first Adam lost paradise, didn't he? Lost paradise by sin, didn't
he? The second Adam, the Lord Jesus
Christ, restored a more glorious paradise forever by putting away
our sin that can never be lost. two scriptures, Romans 521, where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Where sin abounded,
oh, grace does much more abound in Christ Jesus. You see, this
center was taught that all the hope of salvation is all found
in Christ. We have a good hope through grace,
don't we? It's a good hope, but it's a
good hope through grace. He's given us Christ himself,
our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which
has loved us, has given us an everlasting consolation and a
good hope, a good hope through grace and grace alone. Now that's the clear One of the
clearest pictures of salvation, sovereign mercy, is found in
the Word of God. God passing by that reprobate
sinner and saving that elect sinner by His sovereign choice
and by His sovereign grace.