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Steve Andrews
Scriptures: Luke 23:43
Introduction
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons who were ages five and three. The boys began to
argue over who was going to get the first pancake. Mom recognized the teachable moment and
said, "If Jesus was sitting here right now, He would say let my brother have the first pancake."
The five year-old turned to his little brother and said, "Hey little buddy, you get to be Jesus
today!"
We smile at the story of a selfish five year-old, but we also know that our lives are filled with
similar struggles of selfishness and sin. Many saints have found comfort in the honesty of the
apostle Paul, who openly confessed his struggle in Romans 7 to do the right thing when his flesh
pulled him toward sin. I mention the ongoing struggle with sin to illustrate how incredibly
wonderful the forgiveness of God is for those who accept it. This forgiveness is made possible
because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. While we need to strive to honor God in our
daily lives, our greatest need is responding to God's amazing grace to save us from our sin. Jesus
did more than provide help to deal with our stress. He delivers from sin. He offers more than
making life easy. He redeems us for eternity. Jesus did more than teach positive thinking. He
offers a trip to paradise.
This promise of eternal life to a condemned criminal illustrates the unique holiness and majesty
of the Lord Jesus as clearly as anything He ever said. He promised to provide what every person
hopes for, but what no one could ever produce with human effort. Author and professor, Calvin
Miller, described Jesus' words as, "A cross cry that illustrates the transcendent power of Jesus as
He unites the present with the eternal by promising to provide rest for our souls in eternal
paradise." The promise also transcends the plight of a thief on a cross.
While we may never experience the horror a crucifixion because of our crimes, we need to
respond as the thief did to enter paradise with Jesus.
I. Condition of a sinner
The thief described in the text graphically reveals the condition of every soul before a holy God.
A. Physical helplessness
The thief was physically helpless. He was unable to attend synagogue. He could not give an
offering. He could not perform good deeds. He was nailed to a cross! His condition reflects the
insufficiency of our good deeds to accomplish salvation. There is nothing we could ever do
physically to obtain forgiveness of our sins. No amount of discipline, no amount of service, no
amount of financial resources, and no amount of anything we do can qualify us to enter paradise
with Jesus. We are physically helpless.
First, he admits his sin, "We are punished justly." The sad reality is that many people are
unwilling to admit their sin before a holy God. They want to boast of how good they are, as if
God needs their pitiful attempt at righteousness to make heaven a better place. If their
unwillingness to admit sin were not so tragic, it would be amusing. Some think God is going to
allow them to enter His holy heaven by bringing a small house-warming gift to decorate, as if
God was too busy ruling the universe to think about the cute picture frame of your personal
righteous to hang in the hallways of heaven. Only by admitting your sin, or as the Bible says
"confessing" your sin, can you receive forgiveness.
B. Acknowledge Jesus
Second, the thief acknowledges the supremacy of Jesus. He rebukes the other thief and declares
that Jesus has done nothing wrong. This repentant thief understands that Jesus is the King of
kings. He understands what so many of the religious leaders failed to grasp, that Jesus came to
establish a spiritual kingdom. Even with Christ's hands nailed to a cross and a crown of thorns
upon His head, a thief acknowledged His lordship. We find the apostles proclaiming this truth: