Luke Ch23v35-43 - Sayings From The Cross #2

Well good morning everybody. You might like to turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 23.

Luke 23 · chapter mention

We're going to read from verses 35 to 43. So it's Luke chapter 23 and verses 35 to 43.

Luke 23 · chapter mention

And last time I was with you on a Sunday morning we were looking at the first of the sayings of

the Lord Jesus from the cross and I'm a great believer in simply just moving on to the next

thing and keeping going and trusting the Lord to speak to our hearts. So we're going to look at the

second saying from the cross which actually just continues on where we left off the last time where

Jesus prayed, Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. So read from verse 35.

It'll also be on the screen in front of you.

The people stood watching and the rulers even sneered at him. They said he saved others let

him save himself if he is God's Messiah the chosen one. The soldiers also came up and mocked him.

They offered him wine vinegar and said if you are the king of the Jews save yourself.

There was a written notice above him which read this is the king of the Jews.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him. Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us.

But the other criminal rebuked him. 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 to Jesus. Then he said Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And Jesus answered him. Truly I tell you. Today you will be with me in paradise.

So Father we pray that as we look at your word this morning that you might bring comfort to our hearts.

That you might increase our faith. That you might give us greater confidence in the words of the Lord Jesus.

And a greater hope for the things that are to come.

And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Well I have no idea what comes to mind when you think of the word paradise.

Some of you are probably immediately thinking of a sun holiday.

The feeling of warm sand between your toes and the sun upon your skin.

Well it doesn't get much better than that.

If you are busy parents.

And as much as you love your children.

And I know you do.

Perhaps your idea of paradise is a weekend away without the children.

If you are grandparents with an empty nest.

Nothing fills you with greater joy than all of the grandchildren coming.

And staying for the weekends.

And for others it might be the idea of simply getting away with a group of friends.

And enjoying one another's company for a few days.

You see the reality is that your idea of paradise and mine are probably altogether different.

But for a moment I want you to think less about the place.

And more about the feeling.

Because however different our ideas of paradise might be.

They probably stir up the same kinds of feelings.

Fulfillment.

Peace.

Delight.

Contentment.

Joy.

Pleasure.

That place that you would like to stay forever.

And never have to go back to the daily routine of normal life.

That's the promise of paradise.

And that's exactly what Jesus offers one of these criminals who hangs on the cross next to him.

The promise of paradise.

Now it's difficult to know what this man knew about Jesus before the day of his execution.

He has certainly heard Jesus ask God to forgive the people who are responsible for his death.

And he seems convinced that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

So here on the cross in verse 42 with his dying breath he says,

Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Well it is a bold request isn't it?

By a man who has absolutely nothing to offer.

But he asks it just the same.

And more surprising yet is Jesus' response.

Truly I tell you,

Today you will be with me in paradise.

You see the promise of paradise is given to this man immediately upon death.

It's more than he could ever imagine.

He simply asked Jesus to remember me when you come into your kingdom.

His thinking is far away.

It's in the future.

It's distant.

It's out of reach.

But Jesus responds,

Truly I tell you,

Today you will be with me in paradise.

The answer to this request would come much sooner than this man had hoped.

He wasn't going to rest in some kind of unconscious state,

awaiting the kingdom of Jesus to be established,

sometime in the way off distant future.

His soul wasn't going to be put on ice,

awaiting the resurrection of the body.

No, he would be with Jesus that very day.

As believers in Jesus,

this is the wonderful hope that we have.

That though our bodies are buried in the ground,

we do so in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the body when Jesus comes again.

Not resting in some kind of unconscious state until he comes.

But no, immediately upon death,

we enter into what Jesus calls paradise.

But we are probably more familiar with calling heaven.

Now popular thinking about heaven usually conjures up all kinds of images of clouds and harps and the angels.

And the reality is that the Bible doesn't give us a lot of information about heaven.

Truth is, it's pretty light on the details.

Rather, when the Bible speaks about heaven,

it's less focused on the what and more focused on the who.

Ultimately, the promise of paradise is less about a place and more about a person.

And we see that here in the words of the Lord Jesus.

He tells this dying man that immediately upon death,

he will be with Jesus.

Jesus says, truly I tell you today,

you will be with me in paradise.

You see, ultimately that is what makes heaven heaven.

The presence of Jesus.

Remember the apostle Paul described it as being away from the body

and at home with the Lord.

Yes, the body dies.

Yes, the body is put to rest in the ground.

But the soul, the person, is immediately at home with the Lord.

It's for that reason that Paul, as he's in prison and threatened with death,

could write,

I desire to depart and be with Christ,

which is better by far.

It's what enabled the first Christian martyr, Stephen,

to say with his dying breath,

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

See what both Paul and Stephen are confident of?

Immediately upon death, they would be with Jesus.

Now, many of us take comfort in the knowledge that in death,

we will be reunited with a loved one who has died in the Lord.

I completely understand why we do that.

But the comfort of the gospel is far greater than that.

The comfort of the gospel is that they will be with Jesus

and that we will be with Jesus

and it is the presence of Jesus that makes heaven heaven.

Not the presence of those that we love.

And it's the presence of Jesus

that would welcome this dying criminal into paradise.

This dying thief immediately upon death would be with Jesus

awaiting his coming kingdom.

Remember, that was his request in the first place.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Now, when Jesus responds by telling the dying man

that he'd be with Jesus in paradise that very day,

he's not attempting to correct the man's theology.

He's not saying,

no, forget this talk about a coming kingdom.

Today, you're going to be with me in paradise.

No, the man's understanding does need to be expanded.

It does need to be filled out.

It is incomplete,

but it is not incorrect.

And perhaps the same thing could be said

about our thinking.

You see, if your future hope is only of heaven,

of paradise,

of what happens immediately upon death,

then your theology is just as incomplete

as the dying thief.

His thinking was too far into the future,

but perhaps yours is too immediate.

You see, the dying thief is thinking

only of the future kingdom

with little or no understanding

of the immediate promise

that Jesus offers of paradise.

But perhaps yours is only focused

on the immediate promise of heaven

with little or no thought

of the world that is yet to come.

What the Bible describes

as the new heavens

and the new earth.

You see, the end of the Bible,

and I know that you've been looking

at this recently,

finishes with the most incredible imagery,

picturing the new Jerusalem

with God himself as the temple

descending from heaven

so that as John describes it,

God's dwelling place

is now among the people

and he will dwell with them.

It is literally heaven upon earth.

God makes this new earth

his dwelling place.

And all who've trusted in Jesus

will enjoy a real resurrected physical life

on a real renewed physical earth.

It will be a world

in which you really do get to feel

the sand between your toes

and the sun upon your skin.

A world in which there is fulfillment

in all of the work that you do.

Pleasure in the relationships that you have.

Joy in the things you get to do with others.

Peace with your neighbors.

Delight in the food you eat.

And intimacy with the God that you love.

The world that is to come,

the new heaven and earth,

is a physical one.

Not only with sights and sounds,

but with touch and smell and taste.

It's a world just as physical as ours.

C.S. Lewis would say

more real than ours.

And it is the final destination

of all of God's people.

Until that time,

we experience what theologians call

the intermediate states.

Immediately upon death,

the believer in Jesus

is immediately present with Jesus in heaven.

What the Apostle Paul describes as better,

is the final destination of all of God's people.

That will only happen

when Jesus returns to the earth from heaven,

defeats all of his enemies,

raises even our dead bodies from the ground,

and ushers in his everlasting kingdom

on a new heavens and earth.

If the criminal's concept of the afterlife

was incomplete and limited,

because he was missing the assurance

of paradise upon death,

ours is just as incomplete.

Perhaps even more incomplete than his.

If we are missing the very best parts

of all that God has promised,

a real, resurrected, physical life

on a real, renewed, physical earth,

on which God will dwell

with his people forever.

The criminal on the cross

simply asks Jesus to remember him

when he comes into his kingdom.

But Jesus gives him the promise of paradise.

Immediately upon death,

that he would be with Jesus,

awaiting his coming kingdom.

And it's the same promise

that Jesus offers to all

who will turn to him in faith.

The promise of paradise.

Immediately upon death,

that we will be with Jesus

while we wait for his coming kingdom.

A renewed heavens and earth

where we will enjoy life

with our saviour

as it was always intended to be.

Now, in the advertising world,

when you're offered the promise of paradise,

no matter if it's a two-week sun holiday,

a weekend spa break or retreat

where you get to indulge

in your favourite hobby,

you know that there is going to be a cost.

As the sales agent tries to sell you

the promise of paradise,

you already have this question

going around in your mind.

What will this cost?

So what is the price of paradise?

We've heard the promise of paradise,

but how much will it cost?

Well, here, the promise of paradise

is offered to someone

who was deserving judgment.

The two men crucified with Jesus

are identified throughout as criminals.

We see that in verse 32 and 39

and again in 40.

They are lawbreakers.

These are men whose crimes

are so serious, in fact,

that they have been sentenced to death.

And in the Roman world,

that was by means of crucifixion.

Now, in other cultures

and at different times,

executions were swift.

Whether it was the guillotine in France

or the gallows in England,

it was meant to be quick and clinical.

But it was not that way in the Roman world.

Crucifixion was purposefully designed

to be slow and painful.

The condemned person

hung upon the cross,

experiencing both excruciating pain

in their body

and suffocation in their lungs.

It could go on for hours,

even into death.

But it was a warning to all around

that this was the judgment

that fell on those

who broke the Roman laws.

Now, one of those criminals

is able to recognize just that.

Look at verse 41.

He says to the other,

we are punished justly

for we are getting

what our deeds deserve.

On each side of Jesus

hang those who are deserving judgment.

But there is a greater judgment

than that of the Roman Empire.

It is a judgment far greater

than any judgment

that we could experience in this life.

And it is the judgment of God.

It is a punishment

that never comes to an end.

It is the eternal judgment of hell.

One of these criminals fears God

just as little as he has feared

the Roman Empire.

But the other is aware

that whatever judgment he faces now,

there is an even greater judgment

yet to come.

He pleads with the other criminal

that if he will not take seriously

the judgment of the Roman Empire,

that he will at least take seriously

the judgment of God.

He pleads in verse 40,

don't you fear God?

Stop these insults.

Stop the mockery.

Don't you understand

who it is that hangs on the cross

beside us?

But this man dies

as he has lived

with concern

neither for the laws of men

nor for the commands of God.

Breaking the laws of Rome

left both of these men

deserving judgment.

But ignoring,

breaking,

and disregarding

the commands of God

leaves every one of us

deserving far greater judgment.

It doesn't matter

whether you are the greatest

of lawbreakers

or the most careful

of law abiders.

All of us find ourselves

in the same positioning

of deserving

the judgment of God.

For each of us

has failed to live

as we should.

Loving God

as we should.

Caring for others

as we should.

Whether we realize

it or not,

we are those

who are deserving

of judgment

the greater

judgment

of God.

But between

these two criminals

was the one

who had done

nothing wrong.

Once again

this is obvious

to one of the criminals.

He can't understand

the way in which

the other one

is insulting Jesus.

They're all

under the same judgment

but he can see clearly

in verse 41

this man

has done

nothing wrong.

Now it's hard again

to know what this man

knew or how he came

to this conclusion.

Had he heard about

Jesus and his ministry?

Had he heard about

the miracles of Jesus?

Or did he hear

the teaching of Jesus?

Has he heard about

Pilate declaring

the man innocent

and yet condemning

him to death?

Or is it simply

what he's observed

of Jesus

as he hangs

on the cross?

We don't know

but he had seen

enough to know

that next to him

hung one

who had done

nothing wrong.

You see

here is the price

of paradise

that the one

who had done

nothing wrong

would die for

those

deserving

judgments.

I'm sure

you noticed

that three times

Jesus is encouraged

to save

himself.

First in verse 35

the crowd

standing around

watching and the

rulers sneered at him.

They said he saved

others let him

save himself

if he is God's

Messiah

the chosen one.

It's followed

by the soldiers

who mock him

in verse 37

if you are the

king of the Jews

save yourself.

the final time

by one of these

criminals

hanging next to him

in verse 39

aren't you the

Messiah

save yourself

and us?

Couldn't Jesus

have saved

himself

if he really

was God's

promised Messiah?

Wouldn't Jesus

have had the power

to strike down

his enemies

with a single

word?

couldn't Jesus

have prevented

all of this

from happening?

Well we know

of course he could

but the price

of paradise

was that the

one who had

done nothing

wrong

would die

for those

deserving

judgment.

After all

who has the

right to

paradise

to eternal

pleasure

to enjoy

life with

the holy

God

except the

one who

deserves it.

One who's

lived a

spotless

life.

One who's

innocent of

breaking any

of the

commands of

God.

One who's

only ever

loved God

perfectly.

Jesus

alone

was

deserving

of

paradise.

But for

you and I

to enjoy

paradise

death.

Well a

price had

to be

paid.

The one who

had done

nothing wrong

would die

for those

deserving

judgment.

Isn't that

what's happening

on the cross?

Of course

Jesus could

save himself.

Of course

Jesus could

strike down

his enemies

with a

single word.

but if

he had

done that

he could

not have

spoken

these

words

to the

criminal

who is

dying

on the

cross.

Today

you will

be with

me

in paradise.

Indeed

he could

never have

made that

promise

to any

of us.

you see

the price

of paradise

was one

that we

could never

pay.

That

psalm that

Ralph read at

the beginning

showed that

very clearly.

And yet

here it is

offered to

us

freely.

The dying

thief bears

witness to

that.

He could

do nothing

to earn

his place

in paradise.

He had

no time

to do

anything.

He lacked

all ability

to do

anything.

He simply

looked to

Jesus

in faith.

And that

is the only

way that

any of us

find a

place in

paradise.

When we

realize that

we could

never do

anything to

earn our

place there.

That we

could never

pay enough

to secure

our place

there.

That we

could never

do enough

to deserve

our place

there.

But rather

like this

dying

criminal

we look

to Jesus

in faith.

Trusting

that what

he has

done

has secured

for us

what we

could never

achieve for

ourselves.

The promise

of paradise

immediately

upon death

while we

wait for

his coming

kingdom.

let's

pray

together.

Father as

we read

these words

we see

this man

being offered

something far

greater than

he can

possibly

imagine.

His request

has been bold

enough and

yet he's

given even

more still.

and we

know that

that was

only possible

because the

one who

had done

nothing wrong

would die

for those

deserving

judgment.

And

Father we

thank you

that that

promise that

is extended

to this

man is

extended to

us and

indeed

extended to

all who

will turn

to Jesus

in faith.

That we

too can

enjoy paradise.

That we

can be

with

Jesus

while we

wait for

his coming

kingdom.

Oh

Father it's

beyond our

comprehension

all that you

have planned

for your

people.

But we

pray that

again today

that you

will have

helped us

to further

grasp

something

more

of the

life that

lies ahead

and that

it most

certainly

is not

because of

anything

that we

have done

but only

because of

what the

Lord Jesus

has done

for us.

And we

pray this

in his

name.

Amen.

In just a

moment we're

going to

stand and

we're going

to sing

together

Jesus

Pet It

All.

And then

after that

Ralph's

going to

lead us

in a time

around the

Lord's

table.

So when

the musicians

are ready

we'll stand

to sing.