This morning we consider our Savior's second word from the cross to the criminal. Luke chapter 23, we'll read verses 32 through 43, the text being 40 through 43. We also ask that you turn to Isaiah 53, we could read Isaiah 53 along with each of the seven words, but we'll read it this morning in connection with this one. So Isaiah 53 and Luke 23. Isaiah 53 as we hear now the Word of God. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before Him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. And though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong. Because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Luke chapter 23, beginning at verse 32. And two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, he saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, 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 Christ? 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, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. May God add his blessing to the reading and the preaching of his word this morning. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we just read from Isaiah chapter 53, verse 12, he was numbered with the transgressors. As we stand once again, as it were, at the foot of the cross, it is unmistakable that our Lord Jesus Christ was treated as a criminal as he was put to death in the company of two who really were. And although the Roman soldiers and the Jewish leaders most likely planned it that way in order to send a message to those who might be passing by that they see two criminals, well, the third one in the middle, well, he must be a criminal too. Clearly, from what Isaiah tells us, so many years before our Lord even came, clearly, this was no accident. It was planned. It was orchestrated by God Himself. Yet, beloved, even as we consider the three crosses on Calvary that day, what a demonstration of the grace and the justice of God. You see, Calvary is a picture of the world. And the two criminals hanging there that day represented the world. They represent you and me. They represent the effect of Jesus and His cross upon all men. and calvary on that day what it is a demonstration of the truth of the word of god in second corinthians 2 verse 16 which says to some the cross is the aroma of life leading or death leading to death but to others the aroma of life leading to life the bible clearly tells us that the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. It's absurd. It doesn't make sense. It's meaningless. It's not necessary. But to those who are being saved, the very same cross is the wisdom of God. It is the power of God. It is the only hope. Now, boys and girls, I think it's relatively safe to say that both criminals physically hung somewhat equally close to Christ on that day. But by the grace of God toward one of them, they became worlds apart spiritually. And therefore, with his second word from the cross, the Savior gives assurance to the penitent, the repentant one. And he gives this assurance, first of all, after an unbelievable defense of Christ. And this defense, beloved, was by one who was born again. Now clearly we know that there were insults that were spoken, vicious toward Christ while he was on the cross. We read of some of them in Luke chapter 23. And notice how Matthew says it in Matthew chapter 27. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. In the same way the chief priests and teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him, He saved others, they said, but He can't save Himself. He's the King of Israel. Let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him. For He said, I am the Son of God. We can almost hear Him. He says he's the Son of God. Ha, ha, ha. Prove it. The insults were terrible, vicious. But Matthew and Mark add something. Luke says that only one of the criminals hurled insults at him. But Matthew and Mark add, as Matthew says in verse 44, in the same way, the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults at him. At first, there were insults by both criminals. both of them spoke out against him both of them heaped insults upon him now as we think about these criminals we don't know for sure but i think it's safe to say that we can assume that that that these criminals fought their crucifiers that they looked for a way of escape that they verbally lamented their fate complained maybe even screamed in terror until the very end, as they were fastened to the cross, and even for a while as they hung on the cross. We cannot imagine them going down without a fight. But not Jesus. And even in the midst of these terrible insults, there's no reaction by Jesus. Again, as Isaiah 53, verse 7 says, he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. And all of this, beloved, resulted in a changed heart, not for Jesus. But something happened to one of the criminals. And we might ask, well, in the midst of all the insults, in the midst of the verbal abuse, did he begin to notice how Christ suffered? Did he see Jesus refuse that drink from the soldiers that would have dulled his senses and made his suffering a little bit easier? Taken the edge off a little bit? Did he hear the prayer of Jesus for pardon, for forgiveness on behalf of the crucifiers? And witnessing, hearing these things, was he moved in his heart? Well, very possibly. All of those things might have been the means that God used, but we do know that he was gripped by the irresistible grace of God. And he was gripped in such a way so that as he was dying, he was born again. The Holy Spirit made him alive so that he believed. And therefore to him, the Savior gave a blessed assurance as he defended Christ in response to the impenitent, the other criminal who continued to be a mocker. The other criminal was dying, yet he was denying. You see, as one became quiet, as one had a heart transformed, the other continued to heap insults. Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us. You see, even bound to a cross with no way of escape, the impenitent is still looking for one. And his question, aren't you the Christ? expects a yes answer. Therefore, in essence, he is saying, you are the Christ, aren't you? And of course, he didn't believe it. But just in case you are, make yourself useful, why don't you? Get us down from here. But you see, beloved, he only wanted selfish help. He wanted a Savior only for the purpose of cheating physical death so that he might return to his former way of life, that way of life that had put Him on the cross in the first place. He just wanted to get out of this mess that He was in, and therefore a temporary Savior was just fine with Him. And again, He is a picture of the world. If the world is looking for a Savior at all, it's looking only for a temporary Savior. Oh, save us from embarrassment. Oh, save us from high taxes or high gas prices or from the housing crash. Save us from those who would try to take our rights away from us. Save us from those who would try to cram religion, and especially Christianity, down our throats. Save us from sexually transmitted diseases or from other diseases that would kill us. Save us from a mountain of death. Save us from any number of difficulties of life. But do not, they're not asking for salvation from sin and guilt and death and hell. from what you and I truly deserve. Now, Jesus, be the kind of Savior that I think I need. Be at my beck and call at my convenience. That's the kind of Savior the world is looking for, if at all. That's the kind of Savior that the impenitent criminal was looking for on that day. And he met with silence, at least from Jesus. Jesus didn't say a word to him. He doesn't acknowledge him. He doesn't give him the time of day. You see, that will come in judgment. When our Lord comes in all of His glory, He will then speak to that impenitent and to all who were impenitent. But on that day, the impenitent will not want to hear what our Lord has to say to him. Beloved, the impenitent criminal represents those for whom Jesus did not come. But there was an unexpected answer. An unexpected answer of rebuke comes from the other cross, on the other side of Jesus. And this is the first proof of that criminal's repentance. It becomes clear that that criminal had been gripped by a fear of God, as he says, verses 40 and 41, 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. At some point, as he hung on his cross, his life had been made clear to him. And he was brought face to face with the truth of Hebrews 10, verse 31, which says, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And at that moment, he knew that fear, while the other criminal did not have that fear. And therefore, the penitent criminal judges the judged. He rebuked the impenitent as if to say, what's wrong with you? Here we are hanging out to dry. You see, death by crucifixion literally was death by dehydration. Here we are hanging out to dry. We are hanging up to die. Don't you understand it? Don't you understand that this is it? Don't you get it? Our crimes have caught up with us. There's no getting on to this. You talk big, but you see your talk is cheap. We're stuck. The impenitent was hard-hearted, and even in the midst of condemnation, even in the midst of the judgment that he was suffering, he did not recognize God, but the penitent, by the grace of God, He recognized the justice done to the two of them. At the very same time, he recognized the injustice done to Jesus. Now, boys and girls, we often like to praise the one who repented. To pat him on the back, say, good job, because of what he says. And frown and shake our finger at the one who did not repent. But we also need to understand that before Calvary, there was no difference between the two of them. They were both terrible, despicable scum of the earth. They were both outcasts, accursed of God, as hanging on the tree shows. A symbol that they were rejected both by heaven and by earth. They were not fit for society. They deserved only execution. And they were separated only by the Savior. Separated only by Jesus and his cross, physically speaking, as one was on his right, the other on his left. But something else about them was separated by Jesus. Their testimonies were separated by Jesus and his cross. The impenitent saw Jesus as no different than himself. But the penitent, by the grace of God, recognized the righteousness of Christ. This man has done nothing wrong. And the same is true for all of mankind. The only thing separating believers from unbelievers, the only thing separating those for whom there is no longer condemnation from those for whom they are still under condemnation is the cross of Jesus and His shed blood. That's the only thing. We all deserve eternal execution and the eternal curse of God. And like the penitent, we must understand our sin, what our sin deserves. we must know that each sin needs payment. We are called to recognize, beloved, that we need a Savior, and only one will do. And boys and girls, it's this very Jesus who was hanging there that day, surrounded by these two criminals. You know, sometimes we say, especially at the end of high school, we talk about those who are most likely to succeed, those who are most unlikely to succeed. Well, a hardened criminal, beloved, was the most unlikely to repent. No one would have expected a hardened criminal to become a devout worshiper of God and a distinguished teacher of faith and piety to the world, especially as he faced death. Just like most of us, if not all of us, would have a hard time believing if Charles Manson all of a sudden said, I've been born again. I know what I've done wrong. I'm sorry for it. And Jesus is my Savior. How many of us would truly believe Him? But to the penitent here, Jesus gives assurance. In the second place, in response to a sincere confession of Christ. Verse 42, then He said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. You see, through the eyes of faith which have been graciously given to Him, He is given to see the glory of Christ in the hour of our Savior's deepest and greatest visible humiliation. And through the eyes of faith, he recognizes the truth of himself, his sin, his deserved punishment. And he is brought to confess Christ's righteousness. He recognizes the truth of the Savior, this Savior, as the Messiah, as the only Savior he needs. And by the grace of God, in that moment, he commits himself to Christ as Christ hung helplessly on the cross, as Christ looked anything but as a victor, as powerful. Nothing like that. He commits himself, he commits his salvation to the protection of Christ. Because by the grace of God, he recognized who Christ is, God himself. And he recognized what Christ would do. He recognized that this Jesus could save him physically, but He would save him spiritually and eternally in His humble request. In the midst of Christ's suffering and shame when He looked the least like a Savior. This criminal adores Him as King. He celebrates His kingdom. And he declares this Jesus to be the author of life. He recognizes that there is life in the hereafter and for those who stand with Jesus Christ by faith, It is a glorious life. People of God, His sincere confession, we have to say, is in response to grace. That's the only explanation. Again, as I just said, looks can be deceiving. At that moment, boys and girls, there were no earthly recognizable marks of royalty to see in Jesus. He didn't look like the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He looked the very opposite. He looked like a criminal. But the Holy Spirit is powerful. and the Holy Spirit raised this criminal's heart and soul and mind from the depth of hell to the height of heaven. And as He gazed upon this One who was despised and rejected by men in Christ, He beheld life in the midst of death. He beheld exaltation in what looked like ruin. He saw glory in what seemed like shame. He saw victory in destruction. He saw a kingdom, a glorious kingdom in what appeared to be bondage. And at that moment, he surrendered himself to the Savior, the only sacrifice. You see, even though Christ had not yet publicly triumphed over death, and even though many saw, and still today, see Christ's death as detestable and shameful, this penitent found in Jesus Christ, a sacrifice for all of his sins, And he found from Jesus Christ an assurance of pardon. He forgets himself, he forgets his own suffering, and he is carried away to the hope and the desire of a hidden life with Christ. And you know, people of God, this is in response to Christ's prayer of forgiveness. Father, forgive them. This prayer was for this criminal too. The Father answered his prayer in the penitent criminal. Jesus prayed for his own, and even before he finished bringing that sacrifice of atonement, the Father brought one of his own to him. And his humble request is to be remembered. Notice, he doesn't ask for physical salvation. But he's looking to Christ's future kingdom. He is talking about when Christ comes again. He does not ask for a special place on Christ's right or left, as the disciples argued about before, but he simply asks, remember me. Remember me. Don't forget me. I'm not worthy of your attention, but don't forget me. Don't leave me out. Lord, include me in your kingdom. Remember me before the face of your Father with your prayer. Father, forgive him. Isn't it fascinating how the first one to find comfort in, find victory in the cross of Jesus was not one of the twelve. It was not Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was not one of the multitudes that had followed Him. It is not one who had been healed, not one who had been raised from the dead. It was simply not one who had already demonstrated in some way, shape, or form even a little bit of faith, but this one who apparently deserved nothing but to lose his life. And people of God, what a lesson for us, what a call to us. A lesson of hope. Proof that Jesus Christ died to save even the worst of sinners. And what hope for you and me if you were here this morning and think that you've done something so bad that you can never be forgiven of. This is proof that Christ died to save the worst of sinners, that there is forgiveness in Him. What a glorious picture we see as we see the power of the Holy Spirit transform the hardest of hearts and therefore, beloved, we are not to give up. We are not to give up on those for whom we may have been praying even for a long time and there's no evidence that they're even receptive to the story of Jesus. But don't give up. Because the Holy Spirit is powerful to transform even the hardest of hearts. But also a powerful call to you and me. If this criminal, by faith, exalted Christ while he was hanging on the cross, while he looked like anything but a deliverer, How much more should we behold him with reverence as he sits victoriously, even now, at the right hand of the throne of God, preparing a place for you and me? How much more, beloved, ought we fix the hope of life on the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ who has already conquered death and the grave for you and me? How much more ought we to aim toward heaven where he entered with his own blood for all who would believe on him. The Savior gives assurance to this penitent finally with a glorious promise from Christ. Verse 43, Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. What a wonderful assurance of pardon for that criminal to hear even at that moment. You and I hear an assurance of pardon every Lord's Day morning. Do you hear it? Not just with your ear, but do you hear it with the ear of faith? Every Lord's Day morning when you hear that assurance of pardon, that your sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus, does that grip you with joy, with such profound excitement, that yes, I am right with God. You see, in his humble request, he simply said, Lord, remember me. But he has given so much more than he even requested. Not only was he a new man by the grace of God, but in these words of Christ are implied clearly that he received forgiveness of all of his sins into which he had been plunged his whole life long. And he received eternal life. At that moment, he was snatched from the clutches of hell and delivered to the gate of heaven with the promise of Jesus Himself in John 10 that I give them eternal life, they shall never perish, and no one will be able to snatch them out of My hand. Oh, beloved, what a beautiful demonstration from our Lord in this penitent. A demonstration from our Lord of the reason He came. Even as He appeared utterly abandoned, the Savior of the world, in the midst of His humiliation, He displayed the worth and the fruit of His death. While Jesus hung on the cross, His Father hands the Son a trophy of victory, as it were, in this penitent as if to say, I am well pleased with your work. And what evidence for you and me of Christ's saving work. What proof that all that the Father gives His Son, has given His Son, shall come to Him even in the hour of death. What a glorious picture that not one who comes to Christ in repentance and faith will ever be cast away. What a glorious display of Christ's readiness to receive His own and make them partakers of eternal life. This penitent was given immediate salvation. Christ never uttered a word to the other criminal, but to this one He says, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. That salvation was guaranteed at that very moment. Salvation is ours in principle now. It's real. It's true. And it will be ours completely one day in glory. But there was also another comfort for this criminal, physically speaking. Not that he would live, boys and girls. But you see, death by crucifixion could easily take up to three to four days. It had only been a couple of hours. But in these words of Jesus, this criminal was given the blessed comfort that he would not hang there for three or four days and suffer. But soon, very soon, he would experience what Paul says in Romans 8, verse 18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The glory of paradise. And that promise of paradise was not only for immediate salvation, beloved, but it was for infinite satisfaction. A satisfaction that would never end. This criminal was set free from the punishment he deserved. Not the cross, he would still suffer and die the torment of the cross, but he was set free from the clutches of hell and promised the joy of heaven. The same is true for all who truly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that paradise is a life of joyful and blessed rest in the presence of the Savior where believers experience the perfect joy and bliss and communion with God. But we must also notice, beloved, that this is a death blow to works righteousness. Our Lord said to him, Today, that criminal was bound to the cross. He was suspended. His feet weren't even touching the ground. And he would have no chance to work. Never again would he walk on this earth as a righteous man because he would die before his feet touched the ground. He couldn't work for his salvation. He couldn't earn it by being baptized or partaking in the Lord's Supper. He couldn't do it by doing all kinds of good works for Jesus. He didn't have the opportunity like Alyssa to stand here and profess his faith and then go on with life we trust and live for Jesus in that way. And therefore, he is a clear picture, this is a clear picture that salvation is only by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. Dear people of God, the cross brought this criminal face to face with death on the one hand and the glory and mercy of God on the other hand. And the same is true today. The cross brings you and I face to face with the justice and the love of God. Those two things met on Calvary that day. And for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and his cross, for those who want nothing to do with it like the other criminal, they will experience for eternity the justice of God, his wrath and punishment forever. But for those who humble themselves in the sight of the Lord and who believe only in this Jesus that he has died for all of your sins. Those who look to him alone will experience the full love of God more than you and I can think or imagine. The cross of Jesus cuts only one of two ways. Which way does it cut you? On which side, as it were, are you? What is your prayer? Is your prayer, Lord, remember me? Include me before the face of your Father. Pray for me, Father. Forgive him, forgive her. You see, for those who repent and believe, it is guaranteed that he will remember, he will save, because our names are engraved on the palms of his hands, as Isaiah 49 says. Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. You see, with this assurance of pardon, The sovereignty and the justice and the grace of God are magnified. Of the two that were crucified with Jesus that day, one was saved that none might despair. There is hope, beloved. But only one was saved that none might presume because that hope is only in Jesus Christ. And the day is coming when Christ will again stand in the middle of his sheep and goats, and the sheep on his right will hear his word of assurance come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world but the goats on his left will hear his word of terror depart from me you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Jesus Christ is triumphant death has been swallowed up by his victory and his promise and assurance to all who believe in him is this. Today, what urgency. You will be with me. What company? In paradise. What glory. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your blessed word of truth. The truth of the cross of Jesus. For this vivid picture with these two criminals of the work that Jesus came to do. And Father, may it be that by your grace and by the working of your Holy Spirit we find ourselves always and only on the side of the penitent criminal because of the work of Jesus. That even as we have sung earlier in this service, that we might never, may it never be, Lord, that we would outlive our love for You. A love which is in response to Your great love for us. Father, we pray that many would come to know the truth of the Savior Jesus Christ. That many would see the cross, not a cross of suffering and shame for themselves, but a cross of victory in Christ Jesus because of what He has done. May we too rejoice in Your work done for us so fully, so completely, and given to us so freely. Thank You, O Lord, for Your precious gift of salvation to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.