Luke 23:26–43

0:01 Well, Third Avenue Baptist Church, on behalf of the church that I pastor and serve in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is Oakhurst, Baptist Church, let me express to you our gratitude and our excitement about partnering with you in the gospel on college campuses. So back in December, your pastor, Greg Gilbert, invited me and a few others here today. to a meeting back in his office. And we discussed what each of our churches was doing in campus ministry. And we were praying and considering whether it would be a good idea and a good opportunity to partner our Baptist churches together for the sake of gospel ministry through a network. And we decided through that two days, let's do this. And so we're excited to be a part of that founding church, a part of that network across campus, international ministries.

0:50 Charlotte. It's just about 20 minutes from our church campus, 30,000 students there. And I was just with our staff. On Thursday afternoon, we were there tabling amongst a number of organizations. Our staff had a great idea, give away free iced coffee, and all sorts of students stopped by. And I was reminded of really two things that are true there on the college campus. Number one, there are thousands and thousands of students that don't know the message of Christ. They don't know the message of the gospel. And number two, I think it's got to be one of the easiest places to get into a gospel conversation.

1:25 Just standing there, the opportunity to meet students and ask them a simple question. Hey, you know, we work with a campus minister here across campus. Do you understand? The message is, of Christianity. And most every student would pause and say something like, I know some things about Jesus. I don't know if I know the message... of Christianity. Well, let me tell you about it. It was that simple. You got to share the gospel and follow up. So you can be a prayer for us. We're in prayer for you. We're so thankful for the ministry you have to students at UofL.

1:55 And we're excited to see what the Lord would have. I'm really convinced if things go the way that we're praying they go, and the way they seem to go, This might be one of the most important ministry initiatives I've been able to take part in. So let me pray for us now as we come to hear God's Word preached. I want to pray as well. for the work of the gospel through our churches. Let's bow and pray. Father in heaven, we're reminded, just as we sang this morning, of your mercy and your love and the kindness that you have received. freely shown to us as your people in Christ's, And Lord, we ask that we would be those people who show that mercy and that kindness.

2:30 to others, particularly through verbally proclaiming the good news of Jesus. Lord, we thank you for preserving this church as a witness of the gospel, as a lighthouse. for truth, that would share the love of Christ with people throughout this city. With students on the campus, indeed, to the ends of the earth, Lord. And we pray you'd bless us as we meet this morning. We thank you for the opportunity you've given us to be here. You woke us up this morning. You gave us the physical strength to be here. We trust you have a purpose for each one of us being here this morning.

3:04 And so we ask you come and work in us by the power of your Holy Spirit. through the truth of your word. Lord, we pray you'd work in our hearts and shape us and form us this morning. We pray for any that are here that do not yet know you. Lord, we pray today would be the day. that you would save them, that you'd open up their eyes to see the beauty. and the glory and the power and the love of your son Jesus. You'd work in their lives. So I thank you for the privilege and the honor it is. to preach your word. Lord, I pray you'd help me to preach faithfully.

3:36 and clearly and joyfully. And we ask you to use this time for your glory, And for our good. In the matchless name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Well, when's the last time you considered the power of of words Back in the spring, for the first time in my life, I got a case of acute... laryngitis. It happened right at the end of a sermon that I was preaching and then I tried to get up and lead our Sunday evening service. I thought my voice was just hoarse or rough, but I couldn't get any words out.

4:09 I went to the doctor the next day and he told me, you have laryngitis. And he said, you're going to physically be able to whisper... But you can't do that. It's going to damage your voice. Even more. So don't say anything. So I went home and I relayed that message to my wife through a text on her phone because I couldn't say anything. And I spent six days not being able to talk. Including my oldest daughter who was away at college, came over for spring break and I couldn't talk to her. And so it was a week of sending texts and writing things down, lots of pointing.

4:41 a game of unending charades and I learned something that week I'm terrible at charades. At times, you know, it was funny. But it was often frustrating. I couldn't communicate. I couldn't say the things I wanted to say. I was so excited to see my daughter... back home from college and I couldn't talk with her. And it got me thinking about The power of words. And especially what we see in Luke chapter 23 today. We have words that Luke records in the Gospel of Luke. He's wanting us to see the mercy of Christ...

5:13 through some of his final words. That's important to consider. Every word he spoke... Came at a cost. Think about this. To speak, he had to push up on nails that had been driven. Through his body. He had to draw in breath through lungs that were collapsing. under the horrific weight of crucifixion. He had to force out words in the middle of unspeakable, unbearable things. Pain, every word he spoke was costly. It meant something.

5:47 word he spoke It came in the middle of immense suffering... And yet, in Luke chapter 23, verses 26 through 43, which we're going to be looking at this morning. We see that Jesus speaks three times in this passage that Luke records. Once on the way to the cross and then twice in the cross. hanging from the cross, And every time he speaks, we see something remarkable. The mercy of Christ... toward guilty sinners. In his final moments, he's showing mercy, even in the way...

6:24 that he speaks. You know, when you think about the cross of Jesus Christ, a lot may come to mind. This likely is a familiar story for many of you. And we're going to be reminded as we take a look at this story. Familiarity is not the goal. Faith is. And far too many in this country are familiar with parts of the story... yet haven't put their faith in Jesus. And I hope that's not you this morning, but if it is, I hope your mind is changed. by the end of this sermon. But when you think about the cross of Jesus, a lot may come to mind. There was tremendous suffering...

6:55 You may think about the nails, you may think about the crown of thorns, the physical agony, and all of that. is important to the story. But as Luke records these final moments, he draws our attention to the words that Jesus spoke, and he's highlighting the mercy of Jesus. of Christ. So let's consider that mercy this morning. If you haven't already done so, turn with me to Luke chapter 23. The best way to stay engaged in this sermon is to open up a hard copy of the Bible. So if you don't have one with you, use that one provided for you. You can turn to page 8.

7:28 83 in the pew bible page 883 luke 23 i was told this is fine to do i do this at my home church i'm told it's fine to do here If you want to take that Bible home with you today, meaning you don't own a hard copy of the Bible, use that this morning. Take it home with you. It is Third Avenue's gift to you. I'm sure they would love for you to take a copy of God's Word. You might know who he is. and what he's done through Jesus Christ, his son. And let me give you a main idea sentence that I want to argue for in this passage. Here's the sentence. Christ...

8:01 was crucified. so that guilty sinners... could receive mercy. Christ was crucified... So that guilty sinners... could receive... Mercy. As we make our way through this passage, we're going to follow three different scenes that we see here, three statements from God. We're going to see a word of warning. A word of forgiveness and a word of salvation. These are the words recorded by Luke from Jesus. Let's look first in verses 26.

8:37 through 31. The first place that we see these words of mercy are not at the cross yet. But on the road to the cross, as Jesus speaks a word of warning, verses 26 through 31, we see a word of warning. Now in these first few verses, Luke records the scene on the way to the cross where we see that even as Jesus suffers, he mercifully warns those who are headed for judgment. to see their need for repentance. Now think about this. By this point in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus had already been severely...

9:10 Bieten. He had been publicly mocked. scourged. The Siamese bloody. This time he's been treating physically in a way where he is worn down. And those sentenced to death on a Roman cross had to carry their own clothes. But Jesus could not physically carry his cross the whole way. Luke doesn't explain why, but you can imagine why. the way that he's been beaten. Let's pick up in verse 26. Verse 26.

9:41 And as they led him away, they seized one, Simon of Cyrene. who was coming in from the country... and laid him On the cross to carry it. behind Jesus. Simon, a man from North Africa, likely in Jerusalem for Passover, is suddenly pulled into this moment, and he carries the symbol of condemnation. the symbol of shame... Upon... His shoulders. which is a fitting picture in that Jesus will soon take that symbol of condemnation and shame and be Now Luke quickly shifts our attention.

10:23 And he shows us the first way... that mercy is revealed on the road to the cross. He warns those around him. Look at verse 27. Verse 27. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them, Jesus said, daughters of Jerusalem... Do not weep for me. But weep for yourselves... and for your children. Now it seems natural in that moment. These women are weeping for an innocent man who is about to suffer and die on the cross. Right?

10:56 But Jesus stops them. They weep for Jesus, but he is not... A helpless victim. He's willingly going to the cross. This was the plan the whole time. This wasn't a detour. This is why he came. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came down to earth, and he took on a human body in order to lay that body down as a sacrifice, as an offering to pay the penalty. for sin. He came to do this. So they're reaping, they're lamenting. For the wrong person.

11:28 Instead of receiving their sympathy in the moment, he gently redirects they're weeping. And he says, weep for yourselves. Weep for your children. For judgment... is coming for you. He doesn't need their pity. In that moment. But they, are in need of his mercy. Now this is remarkable. Even here on the way to the cross, Jesus in compassion, he stops... He warns them, those around him, one more time. Saying in verse 29...

12:00 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never die. nursed. Now Jesus is warning about coming judgment on Jerusalem. And he's not introducing a new idea here. So I know we're jumping into the Gospel of Luke this morning. But this is the fifth time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus warned about the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem. which came true in A.D. 70, as the Romans seized Jerusalem and they destroyed it.

12:35 Jesus warned that judgment will be a time of terrible suffering and will be particularly catastrophic. for pregnant mothers and for those with young children. So much so that women with children... would envy those... who are without child. The suffering would be so severe. in that judgment, that even the blessing of having children would feel like a burden under the weight of... Of that suffering. Now the pain and suffering of this judgment... It would be so great. that those there would desire a quick death.

13:07 which is what is pictured in verse 30. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us. And to the hills. cover us. And Jesus uses an illustration. to give them one final... Look at verse 31. For if they do these things when the wood is green... What will happen... When it is dry. Greenwood's alive. It's full of moisture. It doesn't burn easily. Dry wood, on the other hand, it's dead. It's ready to burn.

13:43 Now, fire pit season is approaching. Fall will be here soon. I know it's in the 90s today. But soon enough, it'll be fall. If you're like me, you like to... "Gather in your backyard and have a fire pit." And when you're looking for wood for the fire pit, you don't go and cut a branch off a tree in your backyard. That's not going to burn. It's green wood. It's alive. There's moisture in it. You're going to rather look for dead wood that's lying on the ground, branches that had fallen, a recent storm that knocked some wood down. That's dry wood. It burns easily. Jesus is making a comparison here. The green wood represents himself.

14:16 alive. Innocent. righteous. The dry wood, it represents the people around him. Guilty. spiritually dead, And under judgment. And he gives a lesser to greater argument, which he's known to do quite often. He compares his suffering to the suffering that's going to come upon God. Jerusalem and the people there. And he's basically saying, if this is what happens to the innocent one, if the innocent one, Jesus, is suffering like this and under the judgment of people here, how much worse will it be when judgment comes upon you the guilty.

14:58 Even on his way to his own execution, Jesus was concerned about the people around him. Even on his way to his judgment and his death, even in his physical condition, his words were full of mercy, a merciful word. He was warning them and calling them and urging them to repent of their sins before a holy God. What a picture. of mercy. Now what Jesus was warning about in the fall of Jerusalem, it was God's judgment on Israel for their sin of rejecting the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, the long-awaited one that they rejected. God had sent Jesus.

15:38 And they rejected him. And that destruction in Jerusalem in AD 70, it was only a preview. of a greater judgment that is yet to come. The final judgment when King Jesus, who's ascending and reigning this morning, one day, hopefully soon, he's returning to earth. And he came the first time as a lamb. He came the first time, not for judgment, but to lay down his life to save. But when he returns, he's returning as a lion. He's returning to judge. He's returning to finally and fully do away with sin, Satan, and death.

16:12 Forever. And he's putting the whole world on notice. He's putting them right there. Hey, the judgment that is to come, it is greater. And notice that he wept over those. who would reject him. He wept over the idea that they would face Satan. Judgment. The compassionate king, he didn't want... their tears of pity for him. He wanted tears of repentance. for their own sin... Against God. Now Jesus still sends out this warning today, this morning, Through his church.

16:47 And brothers and sisters, we have a message that is urgent. A friend of mine wrote a book on evangelism. It impacted me to think about my own personal evangelism. And he encouraged three categories. Share the gospel with honesty. with joy, And with urgency. And maybe you can think about that and you might think, hey, typically you might check one or two of those off-screen. the box. Maybe you're joyful in sharing the gospel, but you need to be more urgent with those around you that today is the day you need to trust in Jesus. We need all of those. We have a joyful message to preach.

17:18 We have a message where we want to be honest about who God is, who his word says that we are as sinners in need of forgiveness. And we want to be urgent. What's keeping you from putting your trust in Jesus? Today, it's a question I often ask in my evangelism. What's keeping you? from putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Today. Well, I wonder what do you do When you hear a warning, When I first started in my church 11 years ago, it was in what we often call the revitalization stage, which basically means that there's not enough staff there. The senior pastor's doing everything. So I found myself during the week even changing fuses.

17:58 in our elevator operating room. So we had a storm and knocked some fuses out. We needed to have that operable for Sunday morning. So there I am, and I'm not very handy. I don't know much about these things, but I'm in there trying to change things. Fuses, I couldn't get it to work. So we had to call up the repair guy. He comes in, he looks in this room and he says to me, who's been in this room? I said, well, I've been in this room. He said, well, you shouldn't go in this room. He said, you see this red wire right here, which is right by where I was walking. putting the fuses in. He said, if you touch that, you'll die.

18:29 I like to myself, die? I was just trying to change. He said, yeah, you will die. There's an electric vault around. It would kill you immediately. I looked at him and I said, well, I'm never going in this room again. And I haven't. 11 years later, I haven't even thought about stepping foot in the room. "Die for the gospel, sure, die for no later, no thank you." Thank you. So warn it, what do you do Would you hear a warning? What do you do when you hear a warning from Jesus? Because when you look at his message... It's an honest message.

19:01 It is a joyful message. We have a great gospel. Who wouldn't want to serve a God like this, full of mercy and grace and kindness? And we have an urgent message. Meaning you must. repent of your sin, have a change of mind, and agree with God and what he's said in his word about your sin. That your sin is not just some small thing that means you're not perfect. Your sin is an offense against the holy God. who created you. It's high treason against the highest authority. It is a rejection of his loving and right authority over you. Yes, it is breaking his commandments, but behind those sins in the plural is sin, a condition, a condition you can't possibly undo on your own. And the only hope you have, the only plea you have for mercy is to repent and turn to this God who created you and put your faith in Jesus Christ.

19:52 That's an urgent message. Amen. It's an urgent message that we have. And I wonder, have you heeded? this message. The gospel is good news. that comes with a warning every single time. And you will either receive Christ... or you will Reject him. So I wonder, what do you do with a warning from Jesus, when you hear it. Some of you may have spent years in a church, maybe even in this one, hearing this gospel again and again and again, knowing the warning but not being moved.

20:31 And again, familiarity with the message of Christ is not enough. The goal is faith, not familiarity. Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you personally trusted in him? Today is the day you can do that. Today is the day you need to do that. I hope you'll talk with someone who brought you. Maybe you're here with a friend who brought you or a neighbor. Maybe you're a kid who's here with mom and dad. And you need to talk to them afterwards and say, hey, I want to put my faith in Jesus. today. I'll be standing out here. I'm sure they'll have elders at the doors afterwards. We'd love to talk with you about what it would look like to get right with God.

21:09 today through faith. In Jesus. And brothers and sisters, consider that we have an urgent and a compassionate relationship. So Jesus' message was compassionate, merciful, compassionate. Urgent. He was speaking the truth in love the entire time. So if Jesus was in the midst of his suffering... And he was concerned in that moment to warn people of God's judgment, even in his own agony on the way to the cross. Well, brothers and sisters, we should be concerned...

21:42 as well. We carry a message that is both urgent... and compassionate. And the primary way that you can show mercy to people around you Christian... is to verbally proclaim the truth of God in Jesus Christ. Share the gospel. Call people to turn and trust in Jesus Christ. So I wonder, Christian, how urgent have you been in your evangelism Recently. And how might that change?

22:13 This week. Thank you. Pray. Proclaim. If God answered your prayers from last week, Who would get saved this week? If you think about it, you think, well, I didn't really pray for someone's soul last week. Maybe you're discouraged. Maybe you've been sharing the gospel with a loved one for a long time and you're discouraged. Well, this is a new week. Sunday mornings reminds us there's a new week. God's mercies are new. Pray for someone's soul this week. and seek to start a gospel conversation.

22:44 with someone around you. Well, here in this next section, we see the reaction of a second group, those who scoff and those who mock. In verses 32 through 38, we see here Jesus responding to another group. With a word of forgiveness. That's part 2, verses 32 through 38. A word of forgiveness. of forgiveness. Now with the second group, we see that even in the midst of mockery... Jesus mercifully prays for forgiveness for those who reject him.

23:17 And Jesus will not be executed alone. He is numbered among two criminals. Let's pick up. In verse 32. to others who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called the skull, there they crucified him. and the criminals, one on his right, and one on his left. Now, again, this is exactly what Jesus said would happen. This was the plan. And back in Luke chapter 22, Jesus pointed to a prophecy from Isaiah 53 saying, 12.

23:51 That he would be numbered with the transgressors. And here that prophecy is fulfilled as Jesus is treated. Like a guilty criminal. nailed to a wooden cross between two criminals. Now the whole Gospel of Luke has been building up to this moment. We don't have in the Gospel of Luke a detailed biography of the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, their goal in all four Gospels, quickly get your way to the cross and to the empty tomb. That's what we see happening here.

24:23 He's strikingly simple. He just says, there. They crucified him. No details, no elaboration to the horrific suffering involved with this form. of execution. Now we get more details in other places, but crucifixion was one of the most brutal forms of execution ever devised. A slow execution. public Humiliating death reserved for public criminals. It's such a terrible form of punishment that it would not be legal in our country. It wouldn't be legal in the state of Kentucky today. It would certainly be considered cruel and Unusual. Hanging on the cross intentionally led to a slow death.

25:05 A death marked by agony. exhaustion, and suffocation. It was extreme suffering... And Jesus felt... All of it. Being truly God did not lessen the pain. Jesus was also truly man. Amen. And he truly... suffered He felt this pain. Now the physical pain wasn't the greatest pain. bearing the weight of sin, Bearing the wrath of a holy God, I think was the greatest part of the pain. But certainly all of these elements of suffering, Jesus felt being truly healed.

25:40 man. And it's right there in the middle of that suffering. that we hear his first words... From the cross. And these details serve to highlight A picture of mercy in verse 4. 30. Four. As Jesus suffers... He intercedes. For his enemies. Look at verse 34. And Jesus said, Forgive them. For they know not... what they do. Astonishing words.

26:11 From what I read in my study, it was common for those being executed to cry out in anger, in vengeance, to curse the executioners. But not Jesus. Jesus cries out to God the Father for mercy for his enemies. He doesn't pray for himself in that moment. He's already done that. He prays for God. to forgive his enemies. And he's surrounded by his enemies. But don't misunderstand. What's happening here? Jesus is not being defeated by his enemies.

26:44 He's accomplishing victory. He's dying forever. for His enemies. They are cursing him. Jesus is praying for them. They are mocking him. Jesus is showing mercy the entire time. They are taking his life on a human level. But Jesus is willingly laying his life down, lovingly, as a sacrifice. And Luke shows us This moment's not random. We find scene after scene where we find fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy that God had planned all along. For instance, what we read this morning, we heard read rather in Psalm 22, David speaks of the innocent sufferer in Psalm 22.

27:29 18. The innocent one suffering says they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Look here in Luke 23, verse 34. What do we read? And they cast lots. to divide his garments. Not coincidence. Fulfillment. Jesus is the innocent sufferer. that Psalm 22 looked forward to. This is no ordinary man asking God to forgive his enemies. This is the long-promised Messiah and Savior.

28:02 As Jesus hung there on the cross... largely unclothed, Treated as a public criminal with public shame. Look at this scene around the cross in verse 35. Verse 35. The ruler scoffed, saying, "...he saved others." Let him save himself. If he's the Christ of God, his chosen one. In verses 36 and 37, the soldiers mocked. If you are the king of the Jews... Save yourself. What they didn't know is that even in their mocking...

28:34 And even in their scoffing, they're actually bearing witness to the truth of Jesus. He has saved others. He is the Christ. He is the King. Even there in verse 36, the soldiers... offering Jesus sour wine... It's not incidental. Psalm 69, 21 says, For my thirst... They gave me sour wine. And now these soldiers are doing... Exactly that. What was written centuries before is now unfolding at the cross. Now keep in mind, this sour wine was not an act of of mercy. They're not easing his pain by offering him sour wine. Rather, they're sustaining him. That's what sour wine would do, to kind of keep you going, sustaining you so that you would suffer longer. But even in this evil act, they unknowingly fulfill the very word.

29:25 of God. We even get the detail in verse 38. Verse 38. There was an inscription over him, this is the king of the Jews. In crucifixion, there would often be a placard placed above the criminal that declared what their crime was. But Pilate had already made it clear that Jesus was not guilty. He did not commit any crime. He was innocent. So instead of a charge... He has a title. And in mocking that title, They're actually proclaiming The truth.

29:56 This man on the cross... He's the king. He's not just the king of Israel. He's the king of every nation. Again, what a display of mercy. that the first words recorded by Luke from the cross... are not words of anger... They're not calls for justice. For mercy. They mock Jesus. He prays for them. And I wonder, Christian, how often This is your response. When you get mocked, When Jesus...

30:29 gets mocked. I mean I could feel it there the other day a little bit when I was standing there and we're giving away iced coffee And some students were coming up, and a few of them got a few a bit combative and hostile. I could feel myself getting a little angry. In that moment, I thought about this passage I was about to preach on Sunday. And there's something right about being angered when somebody speaks ill of Jesus, the Son of God. But how often do we also feel mercy and compassion? The goal is not to win an argument. The goal is not just to stick it to our enemies.

31:01 The goal is what God's done in our lives. Salvation for those who are far from Christ. And I wonder, Christian, how often it's your response when Christ is reviled, when you're mocked. for following... Even on social media when you see things, in public when you hear things, how often are you moved to, to pity. to pray for those. who mock, our Lord and Savior. Thank you. Notice this prayer doesn't deny their guilt. His prayer acknowledges the reality... They're committing evil. They're in need of forgiveness.

31:33 This is wrong. This dishonors and displeases God. It's a serious matter. But he prays. Father, forgive them. Pardon them. Release them. Lead them to yourself that their sins might be... Forgive it. And who is the them? that Jesus prays for. I think it's everyone there. Forgive the executioners. Forgive the ones casting lots for his clothes. Forgive the people watching. The rulers...

32:06 scoffing, the soldiers mocking, Father, forgive them all. Do you see what this reveals? This prayer for mercy... It's a window into the mission of of Jesus. This is why Jesus came. He's not merely enduring suffering. He's accomplishing forgiveness. for sinners like you and me. So don't miss this. Jesus' desire... This moment's not their destruction. It's their forgiveness. He's not eager to condemn them. He's willing to forgive and to save. They taunted him to save himself and...

32:43 But Jesus refused to do that. He remained on the cross to accomplish salvation and forgiveness. And here's the hope. Jesus' prayer, it reveals his willingness to forgive even those who have sinned grievously. against God. In other words, no sinner... is beyond the reach of of the mercy... of Christ. His prayer on the cross, Father, forgive them. is a prayer that gives the hope of God's mercy to anyone who would repent of their sin and put their faith in the world.

33:18 In Jesus. Well, finally, we see a third word in verses 39 through 43, a word of salvation. Part three, a word. of salvation. Even in his final moments, Jesus is still showing mercy, granting salvation to a repentant sinner who turns and puts his faith in Jesus. Now in these final verses... Luke brings us back to the two criminals. There are two men that are in a terrible place. Both of them are guilty. Both of them are dying on the cross, final minutes of their life.

33:51 Both of them are in close proximity to Jesus. They're right next to him. But they respond... in two completely different ways. The first criminal, he uses his final moments and his dying breath... to mock Jesus. Look at verse 39. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him saying, are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. Now the people below... The rulers, the soldiers, they were mocking Jesus too.

34:22 but they were likely thinking that they had plenty of time left on earth. But this criminal knows that his life is ending. You don't survive... A Roman cross, unless your name's Jesus. He's at the edge of eternity. He is minutes from hell. And rather than repenting, and turning to the only one who could save him. He hardens his heart. He doesn't deny his situation.

34:54 He just wants out of it. Rather than repenting of his guilt... He adds to his guilt. by mocking the only one, who could save him. That's a picture of sinful... Humanity. Humanity opposed to God. Rebels to the will of God. No repentance of sin. No humility. No faith in Jesus. Only self-interest.

35:26 Something like, what can Jesus do for me? He just wants out of the situation. He doesn't want salvation. He wants out of that situation. Mainly seeing Jesus as a way... to get out of trouble. and demanding relief without repentance. And even in that dying breath, rejecting Jesus. But the second criminal is different. Now what's remarkable is that he didn't start out that way. We're told in Matthew's Gospel, some different details, that at first... Both criminals were reviling Jesus.

36:00 They began in the same place. rejecting and reviling Jesus. But then the second criminal has a change of mind. Look at 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. You're seeing the beginning of repentance. A change of mind as he faces death. He begins to fear God.

36:31 He realizes that beyond Rome's judgment... on the cross, a greater judgment... It's coming. And by God's grace, his mind was changed from reviling Jesus... to repenting and looking to Jesus. Then he confesses his sin. Look what he says. We're receiving the due... reward, of our deeds. No excuses. Just an honest... Confession. I'm guilty. I deserve this. Then he confesses Jesus.

37:04 But this man... has done nothing... Wrong. That's just a very simple, clear plain confession of faith in Jesus. Confessing the righteousness of Jesus. So piece this together. First, he feared God. Second, he confessed... His own sin. Third, he confessed Jesus as the righteous one. And then finally, The only thing left to do He cries out to Jesus, For mercy in verse 42. Look at 42. Jesus said, Remember me.

37:41 When you come into your kingdom. He doesn't ask to be delivered from the cross. That's what the first criminal asked for. This man asks for deliverance. from what is beyond the cross. He pleads for salvation in the world to come. He believes death is not the end. He believes that Jesus, the man dying on the middle cross... is the king. He believes that Jesus has a kingdom. That is coming. Think about the remarkable faith demonstrated here. Because by sight, imagine what he was seeing.

38:17 Jesus didn't look like a king in that moment. He looked defeated. He looked defeated. Bieten. Bloody. dying mocked. This didn't look like a moment of victory. by sight. a beaten Bloody man. dying, on a cross. But by faith, This man sees a king. with a kingdom to come. Think about it. This man has nothing to bring to Jesus. No good works.

38:47 I mean, he was a guilty criminal dying on the cross. There wasn't any good work he could bring. There was no pledge he could bring of, I promise to live a better life. because he was about to die. All he brings... is a plea. for mercy. Remember. me. His only hope is to offer up a plea to Jesus for mercy. In other words, his faith was not in his own merit. His faith was in the mercy. of Christ. His faith was not in his own merit. His faith, what he clung to was the mercy...

39:22 And how will Jesus respond? Imagine you're reading this for the first time. And if you are reading this for the first time this morning, we'd love to talk to you more about this after the sermon. But imagine reading for the first time, how will Jesus respond? Jesus responds immediately. With mercy. Verse 43. in paradise. You see the mercy here? Jesus says to a dying criminal, today...

39:54 When you die... You, a guilty sinner, will be with me. In the presence of the righteous Son of God... In paradise, heaven. Fully saved. fully restored. It's a promise from Jesus of eternal salvation. Think about this. Again, a guilty criminal who deserves God. that very soon, He will be with the Son of God in eternal life. Glory. Now this is one of the most remarkable conversions in all of Scripture. If I were to ask you, if you have a knowledge of the Bible, what's the most remarkable conversion of Scripture most of you would likely say what but I would probably say first, The conversion of Saul. Pretty remarkable. Acts chapter 9. But after I studied through this passage, I thought, you know, this might be a tie.

40:41 There might be one A and one B, and there might be a tie here. Think about what you see here. This is an amazing testimony. A criminal being judged by Rome, hanging on the cross in his dying hour, about to face the judgment and wrath of a holy God. He is on his way to hell. And yet in his dying hour, Jesus saves him. By God's grace, he confesses faith in Jesus. Jesus immediately accepts him, shows him mercy, and this man... becomes a christian on the cross we often think about the story as the thief on the cross but that's not the way the story ends he doesn't die as a thief he dies as a christian He goes from being a criminal on a cross to the Christian on the cross. Saved, redeemed, purchased by Jesus. Right there is Jesus is dying on the cross.

41:32 An amazing testimony. In fact, J.C. Ryle... calls this repentant thief. Christ's greatest trophy. I love that description. Christ's greatest trophy. Because this conversion most clearly displays the sheer grace of And mercy of Jesus... in saving sinners. The thief brings nothing to Jesus, yet he's forgiven and he's saved, not because of any merit that he had, but because of the mercy of Christ. And the finished work...

42:03 Now when I first preached through this passage to my church back in the spring, I told them that I had a loved one who was on her deathbed at the time. That was my grandmother. And I said, And I knew that pretty soon her life would be over and that we'd have a funeral. They'd already asked me if I would preach the funeral. I knew that'd be maybe one of the final opportunities I had with my cousin. I'm getting older. You get older, you start to approach 50, you're not going to see your cousins for a long time. So this might be one of the final gatherings I have with them. Most all of them don't know Jesus. And as I was studying through this, I thought... This is the message I want to preach at my grandmother's funeral. I want to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

42:39 through this story because it so plainly tells us about conversion. A lot of my extended family... probably nominal Christians would be familiar with Jesus, but no faith in him. Think about what this story teaches us about Jesus. Think about what this story teaches us about salvation. Number one, it's never too late to turn to Christ. As long as you're alive, it's never too late to turn to Christ. Now, deathbed conversion is not a good plan. If that's your plan this morning, it's a terrible plan. . I've done a lot of funerals, and very few people that I've done funerals for had deathbed experiences.

43:15 A lot of them had sudden death. They weren't expecting. Maybe they thought I had a few more years left. Not a good plan. As long as you have life and breath, it's never too late to turn to trust in Jesus. Great memories I have my pastoral ministry is baptizing an 86-year-old man. He was a Roman Catholic from New York. His son came to faith in Christ, was evangelizing, praying for him. By God's grace, he was saved. We baptized him. And I had to have help with him. You know, most that I baptized by God's grace are young and strong. He was older. And we needed help to get him down and get him up. I couldn't do it by myself. But what a testament. I've got a picture of him, of Joe. He's there in my study the day that he got baptized. Never too late to trust in Christ. What a joy it is to see God save someone even in their old age. This man here was dying on the cross and trusted in Jesus in his final moment. So Christian Christian.

44:08 Please don't give up praying. For those loved ones. who rejected Jesus, Don't grow disheartened. This is about them and their soul. And there's good reason, as long as they're still living, to pray for God's mercy, to pray for his spirit to move in their heart, to keep preaching the gospel. If you're not geographically close to them, to ask the Lord to send laborers to them. The Lord has laborers almost everywhere on planet Earth. Send laborers to them that they might hear the gospel and believe. Number two, we see here there is life after death. It's real. Eternity is real. This life is not all that there is. One criminal was not concerned with the next life.

44:46 But the other one was, And he turned to Jesus to be saved. There is a brevity to this life, even if you get 90 years. My church members in our 90s tell me it goes by so fast. There is brevity to this life. There is certainty to death. Unless Jesus returns first... Everyone here in this room will have a funeral day. And there's an urgency. to trust in Jesus while there is still time. Number three, life after death is immediate. Jesus said, today you will be with me.

45:18 in paradise. It's immediate. You either go to heaven or to hell. I know that's not popular often to say with people, but we don't say that as Christians because we're trying to be judgmental towards you. We're saying because Christ has given that judgment. That's what's real. And it would be unloving of us to not say what is wrong. True. Life after death is immediate. When you die, your physical body remains here, and your spirit will immediately go to be with Jesus in heaven or will go to hell forever.

45:49 for conscious, Eternal torment. The hope that I find as a Christian there... Is it the final trial that I'll face in life is death? And by God's grace, I'll survive that trial. What it gives me a hope as a Christian is that Christians, I've heard it put like this, We will never face a trial that we will not outlast. The final trial that you'll face here on Planet Earth Christian is death, And the one who's gone before us has accomplished the victory over death. He's so graciously given it to us so that the final trial that we face, a terrible thing like death, is going to lead to victory immediately in the presence.

46:31 of Jesus. Christian, that should bring you comfort and joy that the day that you die or the day that you said goodbye to a loved one who died in Christ, that was the day they went to be with Jesus immediately. What comfort... What assurance, what hope there is only in Jesus. Number four. This is why I chose to preach it at this funeral. Not everyone goes to heaven. What an urban legend that everyone goes to heaven with. That's putting it nicely. It's a lie. from the pit of hell. Jesus made it clear, he only told One, that they were going to be in paradise. He didn't say that to both of them.

47:06 Only one was told today, you will be with me in paradise. Two men next to Jesus, one rejected him. And he perished. The other trusted him. and was saved. Only those who trust in Jesus Christ are saved. And then finally, think about what this... seen. tells us about the truth of the gospel. We see unpacked in the epistles. Salvation is by God's grace... Through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by works. Salvation is by God's grace alone. Through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, it can't possibly be by works.

47:42 This criminal had no good works. He wasn't baptized. He trusted in Jesus in his final hour. Only those... who trust, And Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, for the mercy of God, will be saved. Salvation. is based upon the mercy of Christ. and not our merit. So here's the question. If you died today... Would you be with Jesus? In paradise.

48:19 Would you go to be with him? Have you had your sins forgiven? Have you come to know the mercy of Christ? Have you confessed the truth about yourself that you're a sinner? Now, if you confess the truth about Jesus, he's the only savior. He's the only way to God. There's only one way to God. There's only one way to heaven. There's only one way to be forgiven of your sins. There's only one way to be declared righteous before holy God, his name is.

48:50 is Jesus. And you can either reject him like the one man on the cross and ignore him. and mock him, Put them off. and die in your sin. Or you can turn and trust in Jesus today and cast yourself upon his mercy. As we stand looking in the Gospel of Luke at the foot of the cross... The mercy of Jesus is revealed again and again and again. I have good news for you, good news that's proclaimed here every Sunday morning. The mercy seat is open this morning.

49:23 The opportunity, the availability of mercy in Christ is found this morning to anyone who would turn and trust in Jesus Christ. And for those who are in Christ, we need to understand this gospel is not just a message of evangelism for the unbeliever. It's a message of salvation that we need to delight in and rejoice in all of the time. Think about the assurance and the comfort. And the hope that we are renewed by and reminded of as we look to the cross of Jesus Christ. We're reminded that while our sins, they are many... Even what we confess today.

49:54 no matter how mature you are in Christ. I think maturity actually points to being more and more grieved by our sins against the Lord rather than less grieved. A mark of maturity, we repent faster. We're more sensitive to the ways that we dishonor God and we displease Him. But also a mark of maturity, we're more confident in His mercy. Our sins are His mercy is more. This mercy that we see revealed in Jesus Christ reminds us, as Christians, we don't have to hide our sin. We don't have to deny our sin. We don't have to act like our sin is not that big of a deal. We can name our sin for what the Bible names it as. It's an offense against the Holy God. At the same time, we find comfort. There is mercy. We serve a merciful Savior. You do not have a King like ours who's full of power and glory, and He is merciful, and He's compassionate, and He'll never than our guilt. His mercy is more than our failure. And so for the Christian life is It's a life full of confession.

50:55 Confession our sin against Christ. and the mercy which he's shown us. Our God. is full of mercy and grace. And because he's revealed this in Jesus, we can delight in his mercy. We can be merciful and extend mercy to those around us. We can have hope. and a future of knowing God. For those who put their faith in Jesus, we don't leave this scene in despair. We leave Rejoicing. Christ is full of mercy. We've been rescued from God's judgment all by his grace and mercy. And now all we know...

51:31 is his love and his kindness. There is no... greater love than this. So Third Avenue Baptist Church. Lift your eyes to Christ. Be strengthened by the love and mercy of Jesus. His marvelous mercy and love... and rejoice. And let's do that as we close out this service. Amen. Please bow with me as we pray. Thank you. Father in heaven, we ask we would not leave here today without being moved inwardly by this display of mercy. For those who are in Christ, Lord, may we find...

52:11 peace once again through the gospel of knowing your love and your kindness to us in Jesus. We pray that your mercy would continue to shape us. and transform us to live in ways that are pleasing to you, to show mercy to those around us. Lord, we pray for those who are here today. who've not yet trusted in Jesus. Lord, we pray today. would be the day. May you fill our minds and hearts as a church. with joy. with peace in Christ as we close out this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.