What About The Thief On The Cross?

Introduction

Good morning.

They’re nice and awake at this hour. Those of you here at nine understand that that is something that changed. Thank you to everyone who is here this morning. And I say thank you because it is encouraging, as Brother Heinley prayed, it is something to see people gathered together to worship God. Amen. As we go forward with the next two weeks, this church in particular here is employing two ways within even our own service times that having the word sound forth, having the word be effective in this area. Beginning next week, Lord willing, Brother Adam Willingham will be here beginning his work full-time as an evangelist here at South Bumby, and we’re looking forward to that. And two weeks from today, Lord willing, Brother Curtis Pope will be here.

We have these invitation cards, these cards that note the topics and the times of our service. It will be a Sunday through Wednesday, March 9th through March 12th. For those of you who do have your calendars out, I think there might be one of you. March 9th through March 12th. If you mark that down, if you wish to have any of these invitations, they are in the lobby and they are sitting there on the counters for you to grab to take, and please use them. Now, although those are in the coming weeks, those men have something in particular that is of use to us. And I’d like to suggest that all of us have something, that very same thing that’s of great use to us this morning.

If you will, please find your Bible. There are some in the pew in front of you. Hopefully, you brought one with you, and if not, many of your phones connect to the Word of God. Please open them, have them out, turn them on. And look with me at Luke chapter 23. Just a few moments ago, we were looking at the cross. Our minds were considering the fact that Jesus gave his body. He shed his very blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Please realize that this morning. If you didn’t quite think about that between examining yourself and remembering that Jesus went to the cross for you, remember that Jesus bled and died because of your sins.

That means he died because if I lose my temper, or if I say something that I ought not to say. He dies for you and for your sins. But look at verse 39, beginning in Luke chapter 23. We’re invited into the story of a very famous person. Despite the fact that we know very little about this particular individual, I want you to read with me what we know. In Luke chapter 23, beginning in verse 39, one of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, Are you not the cross the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God? Since you were under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.

And he said, Jesus, remember me when you enter when you come into your kingdom. And he said to him, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Now, if you were reading carefully, you understand that there are three individuals here in Luke chapter 23 from verses 39 through 43. Count with me. In verse 39, one of the criminals who were hanged, railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ the Christ? Save yourself and us. So we have one criminal on the cross who is mocking Christ. Here’s our second individual in verse 40. But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God? Since you are under the same sentence of condemnation, and we indeed just indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds.

But this man has done nothing wrong. We have two men on the cross, and the third character, of course, is Jesus Christ himself. And what you have is one man who is mocking, reviling Christ, and you have one man who is standing up to the other man. And it is to this man in verse forty-three. Jesus says, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Now, before we get on to the topic and what exactly I’m looking at, turn to your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27. Mark has an account similar, but Matthew chapter 27 also gives us a little bit more information on these two men who were hanged with Christ. Looking at Matthew chapter 27, beginning in verse 37. In Matthew chapter 27 and verse 37.

And over his head they put the charge against him which read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. So also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him, saying, He saved others, he cannot save himself. He’s the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God, let God deliver him now, if he desires him, for he said, I am the Son of God.

Verse forty four, key in. Look at this one closely. And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Now, what robbers is that referring to? Look back at verse 38. Then two robbers were crucified with him. Now, when we go back to Luke chapter 23 and verse 39, please place your marker there. We see much to do about these men who were hanged with Christ, these two robbers. And of course, Matthew’s account, like Mark’s, mentions how they reviled Christ. But Luke chapter 23 gives us a little more insight into one of the men. Have you heard about the thief on the cross this morning? I gotta tell you, for someone who’s in no more than between five and ten verses, there’s much ado about this thief on the cross.

Why is he such a big deal? What’s the issue? The issue is people say, because that thief on the cross was told by Christ, today you will be with me in paradise. That he was saved through nothing else besides looking at Christ and saying, Lord, remember me. That he was saved through ways that that what this church teaches, he was saved despite and without what many people today teach you need for salvation. And so this morning I want to examine, because if in fact this man does have a reliable and God given path to salvation to paradise, then I want to be on that train. So this morning I want to discuss what about the thief on the cross. Now, if you know much about me, you know that I have a little bit too much fun with argumentation, and by extension, have a little too much fun with watching shows that involve courtroom scenes.

But many of us know a little bit about the court system, and what we do know is that oftentimes you need absolute facts. In fact, you need facts to prosecute a case. Circumstantial evidence is considered second rate. It’s this idea that you must have facts to prosecute someone. So I want to make sure if I’m going to put my faith in this thief on the cross and say, because he did it this way, I’m going to do it that way that I can firmly stand on his example. That means two things have to happen in Luke chapter 23, verses 39 through 43. First of all, the thief has to be in heaven, and second of all, the thief has to have done it in a way that I can exactly emulate and replicate.

1. His Background Is Relatively Unknown

If not, the thief on the cross is not the right example for us, and he is not worth our time in discussing what Christ does want for us. So keeping that in mind, the first point that I want to look at about the thief on the cross is that his background is relatively unknown. I left out an important detail about why this thief on the cross is so famous, why we know so much about him. The primary use of this thief on the cross, this man who was hanged, this criminal is the charge that baptism is not necessary. Because they say, Well, the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized. Let me ask you something. I defy everyone in this building to turn in your Bibles right now and show me where the thief was not baptized.

Show me. Until you produce a scripture that says the thief was not baptized, how can you make such a case? You say, Well, he’s on the cross. So all men who have saved never fell away. No one who did what was right has ever fallen. I want you to examine with me part of our gospels. Look with me in Mark chapter 1 and verse 4. You say, Well, Acts chapter 2 and verse 38 hasn’t happened yet, Greg, but I want to tell you there was baptism. Look with me in Mark chapter 1 and verse 4, and it was available to this man. In Mark chapter 1 and verse 4, John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Now convinced, look with me in John chapter 4. In John chapter 4. Let’s examine about this man in his life. So let’s examine what times he lived in. What was available to this thief on the cross? In John chapter 4, beginning in verse 1. Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, look at verse 2. Although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples, he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So not only was John baptizing, Christ’s disciples were baptizing. Where was it happening? Well, if if we assume that the scripture is correct, and Jesus was baptizing, and by that we mean his disciples, whereas verse 2 clarifies, we see verse 5, or verse 3, he left Judea.

Then he went to Galilee. In addition to all the men that John the Baptist baptized, let me ask you this morning, how do we know that this thief was not baptized? How can you make such a statement? In the courtroom, that would be immediately struck as hearsay. In any other realm of discussion, of any real discussion and trying to get to the heart of what is a matter, what is true and what is not true, we would totally disregard that as irrelevant. Why? Because you could go either way. So if I can present to you a reasonable case, which I believe I have, that baptism was around, and we don’t know whether he was or was not baptized. Let’s quit saying what the Bible does not say.

Let’s stick to what is revealed. And I want to talk about what is revealed. Look with me back at Luke chapter 23. What does he say? Because you can understand things about people by listening to how they talk and what they say, can’t you? You get a little bit of understanding about what they know about, what they like to consider. But notice what this, the thief, the one who was saved, says to the other thief in verse 40. But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God? Since you are under the same sentence of condemnation, and we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Read closely with me, verse 42.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. That’s interesting. He said the word kingdom. Now is Luke putting that on there? Is that just is that hindsight? And he’s saying maybe that’s what the thief meant, or does it say, it says that the thief knew about the kingdom? How did the thief know about the kingdom if he was nowhere around Christ or John the Baptist or the disciples who were baptizing? I’m suggesting to you he was around teaching. He knew Christ had a kingdom. And he knew he’d have to ask about it, and he knew something else. Look with me in John chapter 18. His understanding of the kingdom is further explained in John chapter 18. What does Christ say when he’s talking to Pilate?

Beginning in verse 35, Pilate answers, Am I a Jew? Your own nation, and the chief priest has delivered you over to me. What have you done? And Jesus answered in verse 36, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. You see, the thief knew that. What did he say? What did the thief say in Luke chapter 23? Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Now the thief knew he was hanged. In fact, he said he was receiving the just rewards of the way he lived his life. So if we’re going to examine his background, he knew something that even if you look at Acts chapter 1, the apostles didn’t.

In Acts chapter 1 and verse 6, the apostles are asking Christ, When is going to be the kingdom of Israel? They were still thinking physical. But could the thief who was hanging on the cross about to die be thinking and asking to join a physical kingdom of the world he was about to leave? Certainly not. That makes no sense. He would be asking, because of his understanding, that Christ was special. And in fact, part of the reason I read the Matthew account of about how the two men reviled Christ is perhaps there was a change in this man. And where did that change come about? He learned about Christ. In fact, he learned enough about Christ to talk about the kingdom that he knew Christ was head of.

A kingdom needs a king. And in fact, if Christ was dying and this man was dying, not only did he recognize it was a spiritual kingdom, he recognized that Christ had the entrance to it. Well, as Jesus say in John chapter 14 and verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. The thief got this. We’re giving this man far too little credit for what he did know. And we’re explaining away a whole lot of life that we know a whole little about.

Now, this is commonly taught. The thief on the cross is commonly discussed today to prove how baptism is unessential for salvation. But there’s still a major problem among those who teach it, even if you forego learning anything about his background. Look with me at Romans chapter 10.

In Romans chapter 10, beginning in verse 9, Paul writes, Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. We have a major problem on our hands here. You say, well, he did confess. He knew about the kingdom. Of course he did, but what did he confess? What are we supposed to confess with our mouth? Verse 9, read with me. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

Are you kidding me? We’re facing an entire doctrine of how to understand New Testament principles that this thief had foreknowledge, that he was a prophet. He knew Jesus was being raised from the dead. He confessed and believed with his heart and with his mouth that Jesus was raised from the dead. He couldn’t be raised from the dead because he hadn’t yet. He would be having to fulfill a command that our friends who teach about the thief on the cross suggest is necessary for salvation, was impossible for this man. And likewise I tell you, it was impossible. It is impossible for us to try to emulate his circumstances today for an abundance of reasons. But first and foremost, if we live before Jesus was raised from the dead, it would be hard for us to believe and to know and confess he was raised from the dead.

2. Jesus Can Forgive Sins

The text doesn’t say believe and confess that you believe Jesus will be raised, but that he was raised. Let’s let the Bible speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it’s silent. And so a second point I want to get to about Christ. Since it is about Jesus, let’s let the elephant out of the room right now. Jesus can forgive sins. Which one of you here this morning believe that you can forgive sins? And until we get over the fact that we do not have that power and stop binding that Christ had to be unable to do that as well, then we will get a clearer picture of the thief. Look in Matthew chapter 9. Look with me in Matthew chapter 9. I want to show you two different examples of where Jesus on this earth forgave sins.

He had the power to do it, and so we know that that could be why that man was with him. Look at Matthew chapter 9, beginning in verse 1. We see Jesus is healing, a paralytic man. In Matthew chapter 9 and verse 1, it’s recorded, and getting into abode, he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven. Verse 3, and behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man is blaspheming. But Jesus, knowing their heart, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier to say your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and walk.

But that you may know, look with me at verse 6, but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. He then said to the paralytic, Rise, pick up your bed and go home. What does Jesus say? You don’t think I have it? Let me show you. And so now we do need to check. Did it happen? Look at verse 7. And he rose and went home. Jesus said, I have the I can prove to you I have the power to forgive sins, and I will do this, because you are weak of heart, and you are testing me, but I will give in. And if I do this, this will prove I have this ability. He says, Rise, pick up your bed and go home.

Verse 7 says, The man rose and went home. Jesus fulfilled his word. Jesus meant what he said, as if we should assume any different anyway. And so we must believe that Jesus can forgive sins. So I ask you first and foremost, why could Jesus not have that power on the cross? Is it because he was not standing on the ground that he could not forgive sins? Is it because he was up high on the cross that he was no longer on the earth? Did he lose his authority? Certainly not. Christ came to our form, yes, but he had the power to forgive sins. It’s proven time and time again. But look with me now Luke chapter seven. I want to give you another example. Not that we need multiple examples to prove a scripture or to prove what Christ said is so, but look with me at Luke chapter seven.

And Jesus forgives a sinful woman. Speaking of this woman, I’ll read in verse 36. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table, and behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, verse 37 says.

Notice what Jesus says in verse 44. He says, Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, look with me at Luke chapter 7 and verse 47. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much, but he who is forgiven little loves little. And he said to her in verse 48, your sins are forgiven.

Was Jesus blaspheming? No. Was Jesus saying something that he could not do? No. Was he tricking? Was he lying? Was he deceiving? Certainly the Son of God was not lying or being deceptive in any way. This woman’s sins were forgiven because Christ, the Son of God, said they would be. And he has the authority on earth to do that. And so when we talk about the thief on the cross, who did the thief address? Who did he say to remember him? Jesus, the Son of God, the very Son, the very beloved Son of God who came to this earth to obey God’s will, the very Son of God who had the power to forgive sins. The thief knew it. The thief knew Christ controlled who entered the kingdom, and so he laid his plan, his plea of mercy out for Jesus the Christ, the king of the spiritual kingdom that which was to come, and said, Jesus, remember me at the time of your kingdom.

3. He Lived Before Christ’s Death

Jesus can forgive sins. So between thinking about the thief on the cross, understanding we don’t know fully about his background, the idea that Jesus can forgive sins leaves us with a conclusion that says there’s a whole lot about this that we probably shouldn’t be using this as our example, our train to get on to board onto salvation. Why don’t I want to give you one final point? And this is the proverbial checkmate, if you will. He lived before Christ’s death. In Romans chapter 10 and verse 9, you were to confess and believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. I said there’s a problem with that, isn’t there? Because at best he could have believed that Jesus would be raised from the dead. Here’s another problem.

The kingdom hadn’t come yet. I mentioned how the thief kind of knew that. The kingdom hadn’t come. How was this man? How are we to be saved? Let me suggest you a major problem. Our salvation depends entirely on the resurrection scene. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul tells us, if there is no resurrection, our faith is in vain. This man had no resurrection. So why are we trying to emulate something that totally nullifies our faith? It makes no sense. It leads for a vain empty faith, and it will cost you your soul if you think that you can have salvation without Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. You have to forfeit that if you follow the thief’s plan of salvation. You cannot have it two ways. The thief didn’t have access to the blood of Christ and the freedom to be baptized into the resurrection, and baptized into the dead and brought up again, having the old body of sin left behind.

He didn’t have access to that because Christ hadn’t died yet. In Jeremiah chapter 31. Jeremiah prophesies about God’s new covenant. A covenant punctuated in verse 34, when Jeremiah prophesied that their iniquity in this new covenant would be forgiven and their sins would be remembered no more. That new covenant came with a new promise. That new promise came with one person. It came with Christ Jesus our Lord. Look at them in Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9. We understand unequivocally what covenant we’re under, why, and when it started. Look with me at Hebrews chapter 9, beginning in verse 15. If you have any doubts about your faith, if you have any doubts about what Jesus did, or perhaps even why the thief wouldn’t have access to this, look at Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 15.

Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promise eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. Verse 17, for a will takes effect only at death. Since it is not enforced as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore, not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. Look at verse 22. Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Yes, the thief had access to the blood of Christ because Christ’s death was he died once for all.

His blood was shed for all. But he answered to the old covenant. What is verse 17 tell us? A will only can transpire. A will is only activated when there is a death.

And either the thief is speaking to a dead Christ, which we know is untrue because Christ responds to him, or he is not eligible. He is not part of this new covenant yet. And so when we ask about did he live before Christ’s death, the answer is yes, but we have more questions. If you want to base your salvation on the thief on the cross, I would tell you base your salvation on Moses. Base it on Noah. People who lived before the new covenant, before the will was put into the will and testament was put into action by Christ’s death. You can look at any of the Old Testament figures, but churches don’t do that because it doesn’t go with their doctrine well. Because if you want to be saved like the thief was, without Christ’s forgiving of sins, without Christ being your head authority, and you want to make it about some formula he followed, you better make it about animal sacrifices.

What did Hebrews 9 22 say? Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood. Verse 18, therefore, not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. What did the first covenant use, though? Used the blood of bulls and goats. It didn’t use the precious blood of our Savior. Which blood do you want access to? We are blessed this morning to be born into a new covenant, to be born this side of the cross, to the where Christ died, and we can believe with our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus was raised from the dead.

Conclusion

And he came back to life. Defeating the bonds of death, enacting the new covenant, giving us his blood once for all to shed away and to give us the forgiveness of our sins. It is that sacrifice which we have our hope on. It is Christ’s resurrection which gives us our hope and our faith. And so I ask you this morning, how are we saved today? The bottom line is whether the thief on the cross was right or not, we have to answer for things the thief didn’t have. Because the book of Acts was written and even transpired after the thief died. So even if there was some mystical, magical way that he slipped in under the new covenant, that Christ had lost the ability to forgive sins, and that we know for a fact he was not baptized.

If all of that is somehow untrue, which we know it is not, there still is a major problem. We answer to the laws we have been given, to the example that has been set for us, and that is the book of Acts to the book of Revelation, something the thief did not have. Do we wish to say that the book of Acts the Revelation have no bearing on our salvation? You have to do that if you want to be saved like the thief was. Do you wish to say you don’t want the blood of Christ? You don’t need Jesus to have been resurrected? Because the thief was on the cross before Jesus was resurrected. And so, no, the answer astoundingly is no. We are saved in a different way.

We are saved in a wonderful, gracious way through our faith in the Lord our Savior. Look with me in Acts chapter 2. When he preaches to them in verse 36 of Acts chapter 2, what does he teach? Look at the text carefully. In verse 36, what were they convicted of? In Acts chapter 2, let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. That’s what this new covenant is about. It’s about the crucified Savior. And they were cut to the heart. And they said, Peter, what shall we do? And he says, Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. That’s the New Testament pattern of salvation. That’s the New Testament way in which we come into contact with the blood of Christ.

After all, we all claim the blood of Christ saves us. Let’s claim it by doing what Christ has told us and left for us to do. In Acts chapter 22 and verse 16, Paul is told, Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, look with me there. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul drives it all home. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and which you stand, and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I preach to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he all appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Verse 12. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? He’s facing this discussion. He’s telling them, base your faith on Christ. Base it on his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Today men have a problem. You want to know how you’re saved? You get away from your sins.

How do you get away from your sins? You do what the Bible says. What did Jesus say in Matthew chapter 28? All authority has been given to me. What does he tell the apostles? Go therefore baptizing them. It’s that simple. You can get around it. You can throw up examples. You can say Moses wasn’t baptized, and we would laugh that off. You can say Noah wasn’t baptized, although I would say he obeyed God by faith. You can say that the walls of Jericho came down by faith. But Hebrews chapter 11, verse 30 says, Now by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down. The idea is by faith, what happened? Well, God’s people marched around. It was by faith they obeyed. A faith that saves is an obedient faith.

It’s one that doesn’t say, I can do it or I deserve it. It says, just like the thief on the cross did, Lord, have mercy on me. Remember me. Because after all, what did Jesus say? No one comes to the Father except through me. We need Jesus just like the thief did, except we come to him in a different way. We come to him in how he has revealed himself through the New Testament scriptures. We come to him in the way that he has told us to, because we want to obey we want to be obedient servants of him. Do you have that kind of heart? Do you have the kind of faith that says, Jesus, I will give all to you, because if you don’t, all will be withheld.

Because if we wish to obey Christ, it means we need to submit to Christ. And Christ has said, Christ has revealed when the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, and they were asked, What must we do to be saved? He said, Repent and be baptized. Let’s not rely on a man who died on the cross when Jesus could have done a multitude of different things, and he could have been saved in a multitude of different ways. Let’s consider what we have been called to. Not point to other people, but point the fingers at ourselves and say, What must I do to be saved? Reason the scriptures and act now while you can, because the kingdom is coming. The kingdom of God is here. The eternal kingdom of God is waiting for you.

Please act now as we come forward, as we stand and sing.