LAST WORDS: Truely I say to you ...

Here are some nuggets I took away from a sermon delivered by Pastor John Fuller of Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Luke records two of Jesus' LAST WORDS in chapter 23 when he recounts the dialog between Jesus and the two thieves who hung with him on the cross. The first are His prayer to God on behalf of mankind when he looked over the crowd gathered at the foot of his cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (34) The second LAST WORDS are found further down the passage when he responds to one of the thieves request, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (42) Jesus' response, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”; the topic of today's sermon. (43)

Before addressing the comments of the thief, Pastor John first reminded us of the role of the cross in God's redemptive plan for mankind:

 "The primary purpose of the cross is Jesus' response to us and our sin."

 

In John 1:29, John the Baptist declares Jesus to be "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

"The cross makes it possible for God to offer us the opportunity to accept His invitation to 'be with me in Paradise.'"

 

• Matthew 20:28 clearly shows that the cross was always in the plan of Jesus' coming when it states, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." 
• Paul shows us in Romans 5:8 that Jesus' death on the cross for our sins is not in response to our turning away from sin and becoming worthy of his sacrifice. Instead,  "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
• Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:24 that Christ "'... himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'" Jesus' death provided the healing mankind needed from our disease of sin. In fact, Peter actually quotes part of Isaiah 53:5 showing us that this death was always a part of God's plan for our redemption.

 

"This Jesus is the only hope we have."

 

The words of the thieves show two possible attitudes we can have toward Jesus' provision for our healing:

• Thief #1 - "Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" (39) This thief only saw Jesus as a means to save his skin. He did not recognize Jesus as Messiah, he was mocking him.
• Thief #2 - “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

The second thief recognized who God was and showed Jesus the respect he deserved as King. How did he do that?

• He admitted he was wrong - "We are punished justly"
• He accepted justice - "we are getting what our deeds deserve."

 

"God does not owe me anything. I owe Him everything."

 

• He recognized Jesus' goodness - "But this man has done nothing wrong."
• Saw Jesus as King and asked for His grace - "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

 

My Take-A-Way: Jesus needs to be ... My King!