[0:00] now as the lord enables us let us turn back to the gospel according to luke and chapter 23 and we may read from verse 39 and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him say if thou be christ save thyself and us but the other answering rebuked him saying does not thou fear god seeing thou art in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amiss and he said unto jesus lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom and jesus said unto him verily i say unto thee today shall thou be with me in paradise one or two thoughts on these words as the lord enables us we find written that the lord jesus christ had been disregarded by the jewish hierarchy and that they had chosen for themselves to have barabbas released rather than the holy one of israel and then in verse 33 they came to a place which is called calvary and there they crucified him and the malefactors one on the right hand and the other on the left and i'd just like to say one or two words first of all about and the place calvary to which they brought him what kind of place was it and secondly we find in verses 42 and following that it was a very special place for one of the thieves in verse 42 he said unto jesus lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom calvary was a place of prayer for that particular man and thirdly and finally we see in verse 43 the answer jesus gave to that very short but wonderful prayer jesus said unto him verily i say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise calvary was a place of blessing to that thief a place of suffering a place of prayer and a place of blessing calvary the place of a skull that's what it says elsewhere in the scripture and some commentators lead us to believe that bodies of people who have been crucified already may just have been left there exposed to the elements
[4:00] and that some of their body parts may have been strewn around on the ground in that place pieces of skulls the place of a skull a most awful place an unclean place a place outside of the city of jerusalem jerusalem but when jesus was crucified there he found it to be a place of horror a place of deep deep suffering a place where people scoffed at him where people rebuked him where people totally and visibly refuse to believe his claims to be the son of god jesus christ knew suffering in himself that neither of the two thieves crucified with him experienced certainly they all experienced physical suffering he was wounded for our transgressions the wounding of his hands and his feet these wounds were common to all who were crucified and they associated pain with these wounds but our lord jesus had deeper pains than the pain inflicted by the roman nails in his hands and his feet but only was he wounded in that physical outward sense for our transgressions but the bible reminds us in isaiah 53 that he was also bruised for our iniquities and expositors encourage us to think that that bruising was something deeper than the physical wounds that he suffered that the bruising was something deeper in his spirit that god by his sword of justice was dealing deeply with him to the very soul one of the commentators says that the lord plunged that god the father as judge plunged the sword of justice into his son right up to the hilt so that his justice was fully satisfied and that included for jesus outward and physical sufferings mental sufferings deep spiritual sufferings the darkness that was visibly seen around the cross from the sixth hour to the ninth hour was representative of the darkness that he himself knew within himself when he cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me he suffered that we might not have to he suffered that awful righteous punishment due to his people for their sins and the calvary he experienced was a calvary quite different to the calvary experienced by the thieves from that point of view they were suffering for their own sins jesus was suffering for the sins of the elect every single one the father had given him in covenant before the world
[8:00] was he was bearing their sins in his own body on a tree and at last he said it is finished he satisfied completely the requirements of god's divine justice on behalf of all of his people and as he suffered and as he experienced what he was experiencing on the cross we find that in luke 23 at verse 35 that this was for him a place of scoffing verse 35 the people stood beholding the rulers also with them derided him saying he saved others let him save himself if he be christ the chosen of god verse 36 the soldiers also mocked him coming to him and offering him vinegar and saying if thou be the king of the jews save thyself and also in verse 39 one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him saying if thou be christ save thyself and us you see the connection between these three attacks from different bodies of people the soldiers the jews and even the malefactor on the cross and each of them say if you are who you said you are if you and you remember at the very beginning of jesus's public ministry ministry after his baptism by john the baptist he was directed into the wilderness by the holy spirit to be tempted by the devil at the very beginning of his public ministry and you remember the devil's attack was every time said in this way if you are the son of god if you are indeed whom you claim to be if you are as if he was trying to put a doubt in his mind as to himself who he was and to the ministry that he professed to have and the lord jesus rebuffed and answered the tempter on every occasion he knew who he was he was convinced of who he was and now it's as if the devil is trying at the very end of his life to bring this doubt again before them each of these groups using the same word if you are who you say you are one of the malefactors even who were hanged wailed on him saying if thou be the christ save thyself and us he wanted relief from his present sufferings that malefactor but the lord jesus christ experienced what he did on calvary in the room and in the stead of all of his people and he was able in triumph to say at last it is finished in other words he had completed the task that the father had entrusted to him in eternity before the world was he had agreed to come and now he had finished the work that the father gave him to do a place of suffering a place of horror a place of mockery a place of scoffing
[12:01] a place of darkness and awful spiritual darkness but particularly coming to our middle point that calvary was for one individual on these three crosses a place of prayer i'm not sure if any in jerusalem on that particular day would have expected this thief to be shining the way he did on the cross the first place at which he shines is this after his friend the other malefactor the other thief who was hanged with him he said to christ if you be christ save yourself but this one the other answering rebuked him saying dost thou not fear god seeing thou art in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the duly reward of our deeds you find it written in the gospel of matthew in chapter 27 verse 44 that the thieves who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way there was one point when the two malefactors the two thieves were casting sort of abuse at
[13:39] Jesus and speaking in derogatory terms to him if you are not if you are the christ as you say you are but something has happened to this second of the thieves second one of the thieves and he now turns on his once friend in crime and he said do you not fear god seeing you are in the same condemnation we are suffering justly the law has convicted us and this is the punishment that the law meets out to people who are guilty of what we have been guilty thieving and whatever else it was involved in we are suffering justly we receive the due reward of our deeds but then he says of Jesus this man has done nothing wrong everybody else who shouts abuse at him says he's an imposter says he's a liar he's not at all the genuine article that's why they're saying if you are the son of god but this thief says
[14:53] I know he is who he says he is we are suffering justly the law condemns us justly and I agree with the law the law condemns me and I agree with it but Jesus has not done anything wrong it's an interesting word used in the original here but this man has done nothing amiss it's as if he's saying he's never done anything in the least out of place I heard a minister once in Edinburgh and he was explaining something about the use of this word and he says Jesus never used the wrong cutlery and he never used the cutlery in a wrong way something as ordinary as that
[15:57] Jesus never did anything wrong he never put a foot wrong he never spoke out of turn he never remained silent when he should have spoken and he never spoke when he should have remained silent he lived a perfect life now this thief here he declares openly from the cross and himself crucified there with no hope of being released until death took him away and he said this man beside me has not done anything wrong ever I've done plenty wrong and I'm suffering for my sins but he's done nothing wrong what a change has come over him since what he said there in Matthew 27 that the two robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way what has happened to this man in this awful place of horror that is
[17:01] Calvary in this place where the voices of the enemies of Christ are shouting so loudly and are so abusive in what they're saying what has happened to this man I read somebody's comment on it once and this man said the disciples Peter and James and John were on the Mount of Transfiguration and they saw Jesus' face and whole body shining forth brighter than the sun in its height and this minister was saying something like that has happened to this other thief although Calvary was such a dark place with so many devilish influences leading the minds and speech of the people who were shouting at Jesus nevertheless there was a shaft of heavenly light coming into this man's mind and heart it was the work of the
[18:19] Holy Spirit enlightening his mind in the knowledge of Christ something like what happens in everybody's conversion it is by the Holy Spirit's leading and enabling that we see ourselves as guilty before God the same as this man he says we are suffering justly our sins deserve the punishment we're receiving but also the Holy Spirit showed this man the beauty of the one crucified beside him there's an amazing verse in Isaiah 52 I think it's verse 14 and it says this about Jesus as many were astonished at thee his visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men one one of the elders in crossables when I was there he used to tell about the minister
[19:37] Peter Chisholm some of you may have heard of him I don't think any of you would have heard him but he was a very famous minister and had a great following and that Chisholm had said about that particular verse in Isaiah 52 14 telling how marred the visage of Jesus was more than any man and his form that when he was born that Jesus was the most beautiful of all children but by the time he closed his eyes in death on Calvary he is the most awful looking individual he spoke that with the utmost respect because that's what that verse really means Jesus had been so roughly handled and had suffered so intensely that his visage was so marred more than any man but this thief he sees him as the fairest of ten thousand the altogether lovely one he has heard him praying father forgive them for they know not what they do he had been in his company a short time and the holy spirit had enlightened his mind on his own sinfulness and the beauty of the savior savior and he says publicly this man has never done anything wrong but more than that his being led by the holy spirit leads him to pray to this man the man who had the crown of thorns the man who had been whipped the man who had been beaten the man who had been spit upon crucified now hanging between heaven and earth abused by everybody around him verbally
[21:55] I mean and this man he sees such a beauty in him and such a glory in him that he cannot help but pray to him when he says lord remember me when you come into your kingdom into your kingdom well what does this mean well down through the old testament scriptures there are repeated references to a king coming for example in in Isaiah chapter 32 there's a king coming who will rule in righteousness there's also in Isaiah chapter 9 unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders and
[23:08] David himself he's been promised by the lord that coming from him who is one who is going to rule his people Israel so this was in the promise of God down through the centuries and we see that this thief has the insight given to him that none other in the whole world fits the bill of all of these promises but the man beside him who is suffering such an horrendous death upon the cross he knows that this is none other than the promised king the king mediator the messiah and he cannot but pray to him and call him lord lord what a place for this man what a place for every one of us if we are led by the holy spirit to see the beauty of jesus crucified surely we call him lord surely we don't call anybody else lord like we call him lord lord and savior and what does he say in his prayer remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom he knew he had a kingdom he knew that he had an inalienable right to a kingdom and the kingdom was the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory and this man says remember me i need your grace and i claim through you the glory that you have prepared for all of your people remember me i think this is a prayer we all have is it not remember me with that love which thou to thine dost bear the people of god down through the years repeatedly pray this prayer they want to be remembered by the lord if he remembers us with love with blessing with grace with strength for the day with strength for the task but particularly with salvation and that's what this man was seeking remember me and if somebody were standing beside this thief and say how do you expect to be remembered given your history of evil activities down through the years how do you expect this glorious king to remember you and he and he'll be able to say
[26:29] I believe because he's a gracious king because he came to seek and to save sinners I am a sinner came to seek and to save the lost and that's the way I am by nature and I claim him as one who is able to save me from my sins remember me we need to pray that prayer all the time Lord remember me but then thirdly Calvary besides being a place of horror and suffering and a place of prayer it is also a place of blessing verse 43 Jesus said unto him verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise what an amazing response today with me in paradise what does that mean well at one level it means that he was going to receive more than he had asked for he asked to be remembered but Jesus said you're going to be with me
[28:01] I'm going to be with you every step of the way he didn't have long to live this thief the Lord undertook to say to him you're going to be with me ending in paradise the word paradise means a garden an orchard of fruits a place of beauty and peace and that's the word used here and that would have brought that marvelous concept of beauty and peace before the mind of this man when Jesus said you'll be with me in paradise in paradise what does it mean that he was going to bring him to be with him in paradise do you remember the catechism in relation to the death of the saints that the souls of believers at their death are made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory their bodies being still united to
[29:21] Christ rest in their graves until the resurrection and the paradise into which the Lord brought this man that day before the sun went down it's described in various ways in the scripture for example in Isaiah 35 we have these marvelous verses at the end of the chapter it says no lion shall be there nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon shall not be found there but the redeemed shall walk there and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away that's a little insight into the paradise that Jesus is speaking about and there's another verse also in Luke chapter 12 verse 32 when Jesus is speaking to his disciples by way of encouragement and he said fear not little flock it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom the kingdom of grace yes but the kingdom of glory which is what the
[30:53] Lord Jesus here I believe is talking about the kingdom of glory and what an amazing picture we have in Revelation and chapter 7 when we find the Lord Jesus Christ the Lamb leading his people throughout the whole of the glory into which he has taken them it says that they shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the sun light on them for any heat but the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and lead them unto living fountains of water and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes you shall be with me it's wonderful to have in this life someone who is a close friend to you who thinks the same way who wants to do the same kind of thing who delights in your company however you feel days you're up and the days you're down it's wonderful to have a friend who understands you and who's walking with you
[32:12] Jesus is that in an amazing and glorious fashion he promises you shall be with me you'll never ever be out of my sight you shall be led by me fed by me you shall be given the covenant blessings that I am dying to procure for you and you shall be given them through me as mediator throughout the endless ages of eternity beginning today today you shall be with me in paradise and then it says it's about the sixth hour and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour I wonder if the devil tried his utmost to break in on the thief's searching and blessing that the
[33:19] Lord had pronounced upon him we don't know but one thing we do know is that Jesus has promised to him was fully realized that day before the the day finished he was with him in paradise what about the other thief well it doesn't say but looking at the at the text the way it sits before us at the end of that day he was somewhere else in outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth friends ask the Lord to take you often to Calvary the place where the Lord Jesus Christ made peace for his people by the blood of his cross and ask the Lord to give you a greater insight greater understanding and if it be his will to give you more and more of that peace that he died to procure for us by his sufferings and by his atoning death a place of suffering a place of prayer and a place of blessing let us pray help us
[34:57] Lord to be thankful for the many kindnesses you are showing us in life we don't deserve the least of them but you are pleased to give us so many good things and all because of Jesus because of who he is and because of what he has done give us always to love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and give us to grow in our knowledge of him so that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour bless us as we sing your praise in conclusion and bless this congregation we pray and we ask that you would lead them in every detail of their congregational activities and we think particularly of them at this present time in their vacancy pray that you would lead them by your spirit to the manner of your choosing and at the time may not be long until they realise who the
[36:03] Lord would have them call we pray that you would bless them in that respect remember those who are ill and who are suffering those who are mourning and may the voice of death as we heard be blessed throughout our communities forgive our sins we pray in Jesus name for his sake amen it's psalm 145 verses 8 to 14 it's the long meter version of the psalm psalm 145 at verse 8 the Lord our God is gracious compassionate is he also in mercy he is plenteous but unto wrath and anger slow good unto all men is the Lord or all his works his mercy is thy works all praise to thee afford thy saints O Lord thy name shall bless the glory of thy kingdom show shall they and of thy power tell that so men's sons his deeds may know his kingdom's grace that doth excel thy kingdom hath none end at all the death through ages all remain the
[37:16] Lord upholdeth all that fall the cast down raiser up again these stanzas verses 8 to 14 of Psalm 145 the Lord our God is gracious the Lord the Lord is gracious can washción let se of soul in mercy did His plenty hours have done to have none care so.
[38:10] Good unto all men is the Lord, O all His purposes may be.
[38:28] Thy personal grace to Thee have borne, Thy sage, Lord, Thy name shall bless.
[38:48] The glory of Thy kingdom show shall lay a law like a well.
[39:04] Thy kingdom have done and end at all.
[39:33] It has ruined His whole revealing. And all that hold and all that fall, The house have risen, the dying.
[40:01] Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.
[40:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.