So, good morning, everyone.
As you've hopefully figured out by now,
! This Sunday is a special Sunday in the life of our church,
in the church calendar.
This is the last Sunday in the Christian year,
and we call it the Feast of Christ the King
because we recognize and celebrate that Jesus is King.
And if you're listening to the readings,
all of the readings point to that reality.
We have the Old Testament reading
that shows how the human shepherds and leaders
over God's people ultimately failed,
and God says that one day He's going to come Himself
and shepherd His people, gather them together.
And in the Psalms, we see God's people
clinging to that promise, waiting, hoping,
the day when all violence will end,
when God will finally put things right,
and we have but to be still.
I could have sung that for an hour, by the way,
just that refrain.
I just felt that in my soul.
That was so wonderful.
And then we see this incredible description
in the New Testament reading of Christ the King,
the cosmic King, the one through whom all things were made,
the one in whom all things hold together.
But then we come to this gospel reading,
and I have to say it is a curious finale.
Four readings in a row, all extolling this great king,
until we get to the gospel reading.
Luke chapter 23 immediately becomes clear
that Jesus is unlike any king this world has ever known,
because we see Jesus not with a crown being celebrated
and worshipped, but hanging on a cross,
suffering and dying.
And even more curious, we see this story,
and the details of this story that we're going to focus on
are unique to Luke's gospel of two criminals,
one on Jesus' right, one on his left.
Now, as we're going to see, one of these criminals
is going to gain the great honor and privilege
of being the first person welcomed into Jesus' kingdom.
The other is going to completely miss his chance.
And the question we're going to contemplate together this morning is why?
What's the difference?
Both men are criminals, both accused of the same crime,
both under the same sentence,
both turned to Jesus in their time of need.
One has his life completely transformed.
The other does not.
I think this is an important question for those of us
who grew up in the modern West,
because the vast majority of people in our society
either grew up attending church
or grew up Christianity adjacent.
When you grow up in a culture like that,
like myself, for instance, I grew up in the South,
which Flannery O'Connor famously described as Christ-haunted.
When you grow up in a Christ-haunted culture,
it's easy to assume that you know what Christianity is all about.
It's easy to assume a kind of familiarity with Jesus.
Many people don't understand that growing up around Jesus
is not the same thing as having a relationship with him.
So there are many people, I think, in our culture,
many people who fill our churches on Sunday mornings
who assume they have a relationship with Jesus,
but who, in fact, do not.
Their lives have never really been changed by him,
although they may know quite a bit about him.
The question we're going to ask this morning is,
why not?
And this passage, I believe,
shows us three things we need to see
in order to answer that question.
What's the difference between these two criminals?
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you for your word,
and we thank you for this final Sunday in our church year,
and we thank you for the focus.
Help us to understand what it means that you are king,
what kind of king you are,
and what this could possibly mean,
what hope it has to offer criminals like us.
We pray this in Jesus' holy name.
Amen.
So the first issue,
the first difference I would suggest
between these two criminals
has to do with the posture of their heart
toward Jesus.
Is Jesus the means to an end,
or is Jesus the end itself?
The first criminal says,
aren't you the Messiah?
Save yourself and us.
But most commentators agree
his tone is quite sarcastic.
What he's really saying is this,
aren't you supposed to be the Messiah?
If so, if you're the Messiah, as you say,
prove it.
I've got a great idea how you can prove it.
Get me off this cross.
That's his approach.
Get me down from here.
In other words,
if you solve this urgent problem in my life,
if you meet my felt need,
then I will consider believing you as the Messiah.
So for this man,
we begin to see right away
that Jesus is for him a means to an end.
I'll believe in you.
I'll put my faith in you
as long as it benefits me in some way.
You do this for me,
and then I'll consider doing that for you.
And before we pile on to this poor man,
I think we probably need to reflect and admit
that many of us, I think,
have done the same thing in our lives,
if we're really honest.
At some point in most people's lives,
not just Christians,
but non-Christians,
atheists, right?
At most people,
at some point in their life,
when they're in a time of desperation and need,
some major crisis happens,
even non-religious people
will sometimes in a moment of desperation
cry out to God.
God, if you're there,
please help me.
I need you to do this for me.
I need you to keep this bad thing from happening.
But the fact is,
and I think we know this anecdotally,
most people are not changed by that.
They cry out to God in a moment of need,
but they're not changed by that.
The reason is because most of the time,
what we're really saying
when we cry out to God in those moments,
what we're really saying is,
if you're really worth believing in, God,
if you're really worth following,
then get me out of this situation
or do this for me,
and then I'll believe.
Some of us may have even prayed that prayer before.
If you do this one thing for me,
God, I've never asked you for anything,
and if you just do this one thing for me,
then I promise I will go to church every week
and I will follow you
and I will give all my money away
and I will do all these things.
If you just do this one thing for me.
And the reason I think
that most of us have done this,
and the reason that I think
most people tend to do this
is because it's only natural.
I mean, if we're honest,
most people are not walking around
contemplating life's greatest questions.
Most people are not walking around
on an average Tuesday
considering the claims of Christianity
and whether or not they're true.
Right?
Most people are thinking about
the person who just broke up with them
and how to get that person back.
You know, most people are thinking
about their job stress.
The reason they're up
at three, four o'clock in the morning.
Most people spend their time
and energy thinking about
how they're going to be able
to afford the things
that they need in life.
Most people are worrying
and wringing their hands
over their health,
or the health and well-being
of their kids.
We're not contemplating
these deep existential questions.
It's only natural.
It makes sense.
We're focusing on the needs
right in front of our face
most of the time.
But see, we need to understand
the problem here.
The problem is this.
Our biggest need as human beings
is never the problem
right in front of our face.
It feels like it in the moment.
Our biggest need is never
the need that's right
in front of our face.
Our biggest need
is the salvation
and renewal of our souls.
But most of the time
we live with that need
buried way down there
in the list of priorities.
The point for us to see here, though,
is that when our relationship
with Jesus is based on
what He can give us
or do for us,
or the ways in which
He will or will not
address those immediate
felt needs,
if our relationship
with Jesus is based on that,
then if we're really honest,
it's not actually about Jesus.
It's about that thing
that we want or don't want.
It's about that felt need.
And whatever that thing is,
that is really our God.
That is really the thing
that drives and animates our life.
And we're trying to make Jesus
a servant of that thing.
So for those of us
who are Christians,
we should really pay attention
to this.
Do we want Jesus
even if and when
He doesn't give us that thing
that we cry out for?
Or if by not doing that thing
we want Him to do,
if by not doing it,
He's actually doing something
far deeper in us
that only He understands,
do we still want Him?
Will we still trust Him
and follow Him?
Do we still love Him?
Do we still believe He loves us?
For some of us,
it can take a very long time
to learn that Jesus
is infinitely more valuable
than anything He might give us.
and the second criminal
already,
I would say,
on some
maybe pre-conscious level,
we're going to come back to this,
is beginning to figure that out.
Because if we look at
this second criminal's
posture toward Jesus,
it's completely different.
He doesn't even,
notice,
He doesn't even ask Jesus
to get Him down off the cross.
He doesn't ask Jesus
to solve anything
about their crisis.
He simply,
in a way,
says,
wherever you are,
I want to be.
Whatever your kingdom is,
remember me.
I want to be there with you.
That's His only request.
So for Him,
we're beginning to see
that Jesus is not simply
a means to an end.
Jesus is the end.
The first criminal says,
Jesus,
I want you to fix my life.
The second criminal says,
Jesus,
I want you to be my life.
And if it means
all of this trouble,
if it means
all of this suffering,
if it means
I have to deal with that
in order to have you,
then so be it.
That's a very different posture.
So if we're only ever focused
on what we can get
from Jesus,
and we never come to see
that having Jesus
is everything,
is worth everything,
then even if we grow up
in church,
and we grow up
all of our lives
hearing about Jesus,
our hearts can remain
far away.
That's the first thing
that we see,
the first difference
between someone
who's going to have
their life changed
by Jesus,
and someone who's not.
the second difference
we see
has to do with
their response
to the wrong
that they have done
in their own lives,
and what we see
is this difference.
It is not regret
over sin,
but a willingness
to accept responsibility
for our sin
that opens the door
to grace
in our lives.
It's not regret,
but a willingness
to accept responsibility.
The first criminal
clearly feels regret.
The first criminal
feels a ton of regret.
He regrets the circumstances
that he's in.
He regrets the fact
that they got caught.
He regrets the consequences.
He regrets the fact
that it's brought
all this suffering
into his life,
and he just wants
to escape.
Tons of regret.
But look at the second criminal.
Verse 40.
But the other criminal
rebuked him.
Don't you fear God?
He said.
Since you're under
the same sentence,
we are punished justly
for we're getting
what our deeds deserve,
but this man
has done nothing wrong.
Now that, my friends,
is not just regret.
There's far more
going on here.
First of all,
he knows
and is acknowledging
with trepidation
that there is a holy God,
and he's clearly able
to recognize
some degree of truth
about Jesus.
He rebukes
this other criminal
for blaspheming
against Jesus
by mocking him.
He recognizes
and affirms
Jesus' innocence,
and he seems
to be able
to recognize
that Jesus
is some kind
of king
with some kind
of kingdom,
only it's clearly
very different.
But I would say
the most amazing thing
is that this second criminal
is willing to fully
admit his wrong.
Now that is very,
very rare.
It's very rare.
He is willing to say,
we deserve this.
We are getting what we deserve.
And that kind of admission,
that willingness
to fully own
and accept responsibility,
the willingness
to admit
that you're wrong,
that is the beginning
of the road
to true repentance.
And in the Christian life,
repentance
is that word
that means
turning away
from your sin
and reorienting
your heart
toward God
completely
because of his mercy.
The beginning of that
is what we see here,
a willingness to admit
this is wrong
and I deserve
what I'm getting
as a result.
And I want to pause
for a second
and just focus
on this
a little more
because it's
extremely important.
Some people,
when they
do something wrong,
they might go on
and on
about how sorry
they are,
about how much
they regret
what they've done.
But sometimes
if you pay attention,
they will ultimately
avoid actually
taking responsibility
for their actions.
They're very sorry,
they're full of regret,
but they won't
actually accept
responsibility.
So,
imagine someone
who gets angry
and in their anger
they snap
and they say
something hurtful
to their spouse
or their friend.
which one
of these
apologies
reflects a
genuine
willingness
to accept
responsibility?
This is multiple
choice.
Okay?
Okay,
the other person's
hurt,
they're upset,
things are tense
and awkward
and now
this person
wants to try
to make it better
so they're going
to apologize.
Okay?
Which reflects
a genuine
willingness
to accept
responsibility?
A.
Whoa,
sorry,
I was just kidding.
It's not that
big of a deal.
B.
Look,
I'm sorry
but I only
said that
because of
what you said
to me.
C.
I'm sorry,
I feel awful,
I'm just a
terrible person,
I'm not worth
loving.
D.
Sorry,
I didn't realize
you were so
sensitive.
D.
E.
I'll say
I'm sorry
if you admit
that what you
did to me
was wrong.
F.
I'm sorry,
I'm just under
so much stress
right now.
Which one?
Right?
None of the above,
right?
If you guess
none of the above,
you get a gold star.
Why not?
Right?
Well,
what do we see here?
We see minimizing.
We see blame shifting.
We see self-pity.
We see a lighter
form of gaslighting.
We see conditional
apology.
We see making excuses
to justify yourself.
Right?
What are all of those?
They're all tactics
to avoid actually
having to accept
responsibility.
What does a genuine
apology sound like?
Right?
It doesn't have to be
verbose and flowery
and extended.
What does it do?
It clearly and specifically
names the wrong
and it accepts
responsibility
without any conditions
or excuses.
Now,
there might be context
and there might be
a point to come to that
in the conversation.
But a genuinely
repentant apology
clearly and specifically
names the wrong,
accepts responsibility,
and places no conditions
or excuses on that.
So,
it might sound
something like this.
What I did to you
was hurtful.
I did it out of anger.
It was wrong.
Please forgive me.
I'm really sorry.
Right?
It doesn't have to be
complicated.
I've known people
who have been Christians
for years
who are well-known
and highly respected
in the church
who may even serve
in prominent leadership roles
and yet they are
incapable of actually
accepting responsibility
when they mess up.
And I'll tell you this,
in the best
and most thriving marriages,
people think of
thriving marriages
as marriages
that are conflict-free
absolutely not.
The best,
healthiest,
most godly marriages,
there might be a lot of,
you might come into seasons
where there's very high
conflict season
in your life.
That's going to happen
in the best marriages.
The difference
is that healthy,
godly,
thriving marriages,
when the conflict happens,
they're able to do
the work of repairing
and healing
and moving forward.
And what makes
that possible?
It's that both people
are willing to admit
and take responsibility
for their sin.
Right?
When that's not happening,
your ability to repair
and heal
and move forward
is very stunted.
Right?
Now you say,
well,
I thought we were talking
about the criminal
and now we're talking
about relationships
and why are we talking
about all this now?
A couple of reasons.
Number one,
if we have a hard time
doing this
in our human relationships,
chances are
we have a hard time
doing it with God.
If you cannot admit
you're wrong
to your best friend
whose feelings you hurt,
then what are the chances
that you're going to be able
to go to your knees
before God
and confess
and admit
all of your sin
to Him?
Conversely,
I believe the more
comfortable we become
taking responsibility
for our sins
and wrongs
in our human relationships,
or I'm sorry,
the more comfortable
we become confessing
and taking responsibility
for our sins
before the Lord,
the easier it becomes
to do this
in our relationships
with other people.
You know,
if you get used to
on a daily basis
when you're doing
morning prayer
or coming to meet
with a priest
for confession
or even going down
on your knees
and confessing your sin
thoughtfully
and meaningfully
on a Sunday service,
if that becomes
a part of your
regular life rhythm,
confessing and owning
your sin to the Lord,
I guarantee you
that's going to translate
into your human relationships.
Having a relationship
with God
begins by recognizing
that God
is a holy God
and that ultimately
all of the sin
that we commit
in the world
is ultimately
committed against Him.
And it begins
by a willingness
to accept responsibility
over our sin,
to confess it
to the Lord,
and then to cry out
for mercy
and forgiveness
knowing that
we don't deserve it.
That is the beginning
of repentance,
that reorientation
of our hearts
and lives
toward God.
So here's what
we've talked about
so far.
The difference
between these two criminals,
number one,
posture.
Is Jesus a means
to an end in my life
or is He the end?
Number two,
do we simply feel
regret over our sin
or are we willing
to take responsibility
for it
and confess it
to the Lord?
That's number two.
But those
have to lead us.
We can't stop here
because there's one
final difference
that arguably I think
is the most important
difference of all
between these two criminals.
And it's something
that we need to understand
anytime we talk about
practices like
confession,
repentance,
we need to understand
this final truth
that ultimately,
friends,
it is not
our repentance
but God's grace
that saves us.
Now listen,
repentance is necessary,
don't get me wrong,
but God's grace
is what makes
repentance possible.
And God's grace
is the only reason
repentance offers
any hope
of salvation.
And if we forget that,
we start thinking
that there is some kind
of formula
that we've been given
and that is not at all
the kind of God
we're dealing with.
We need to understand
something very important
about this second criminal.
Actually, two things.
Number one,
this was not a petty thief.
It's much more likely
given the way this word
is translated
contextually elsewhere
that this man
was violent,
he was murderous,
and he was an insurrectionist.
He was probably part
of a group that was
trying to overthrow Rome
and they had probably
done all kinds of
horrible things
to try to make that happen.
So this is the very
worst kind of person.
He's a violent,
murderous insurrectionist.
Number two,
this second criminal,
this detail is very easy
to miss because it's not
in Luke's gospel,
but it shows up
in Matthew's gospel.
Moments before
this second criminal
says what he does
in our passage,
moments before he says this,
the second criminal
was mocking Jesus
right alongside
the first criminal.
It says in Matthew 27,
44,
in the same way,
the rebels,
that's what Matthew
refers to the mass,
the rebels who were
crucified with him
also heaped insults
upon him.
So imagine this scene.
All the while,
these men,
all three men
are being laid down
and nailed to their crosses.
All the while,
the crowds
and the religious leaders
and the soldiers,
they're all
mocking and insulting Jesus.
Nobody's paying any attention
to the other two.
They're all mocking
and focusing
all of their hate
on Jesus.
And these other two men,
as they're being put
on their crosses,
are also heaping
insults
and reviling Jesus.
Everyone,
even the other criminals,
they're all mocking Jesus.
And then as they hang there,
they're all mocking Jesus.
On his right and his left,
everybody's hurling insults
in Jesus.
And then,
all of a sudden,
imagine this,
all of a sudden,
one of them stops
and he begins
to have an inexplicable
change of heart.
And it's like the pieces
start to fall into place.
Maybe he's seen Jesus
or heard Jesus teach.
Maybe he's seen him
perform miracles.
Maybe he's interacted
with some of Jesus' disciples.
They're probably all
roughly the same age.
And all of those pieces
that he's been around
maybe all of his adult life,
it all begins to click.
And he begins to grasp something
about what's actually happening.
And what's happening
is that grace,
you know,
is beginning to break
into his life.
And he doesn't know it yet.
But this man is by no means
a model for us to follow.
Right?
The preacher,
Alistair Begg,
has a wonderful sermon
on this passage.
And I'll paraphrase him here
as best I can,
although I lack the Scottish accent
to do it well.
But he sort of has us imagine
this criminal,
this second criminal,
sort of arriving
at the gates of heaven.
Right?
So he arrives
and he's looking around
and he says,
you know,
the angel standing at the gate
comes up and says,
what are you doing here?
The man says,
I have no idea.
Well,
what do you mean
you don't know?
Guy says,
that's what I'm saying.
I have no idea.
I have no idea
how I got here.
Angels are like,
all right,
we can figure this out.
He says,
well,
I mean,
obviously,
surely you've been baptized,
right?
Guy says,
I have no idea
what that means.
Okay?
Well,
so,
so surely you're clear
on the doctrine
of salvation
by grace through faith,
right?
Guy,
I've never heard
of that in my life.
Well,
let's just start
with the basics then.
What about your doctrine
of scripture?
Have you,
Guy says,
blank expression,
I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Never even heard
of a Bible.
angel,
after asking
all these questions,
finally just throws
his hands up
in frustration
and says,
well,
on what basis
are you here then?
And the man says,
because the man
on the middle cross
said I could come.
I don't know
if you've been
ever asked that question
of,
you know,
if you were to die today
and you were to go
and you try to gain
entry to heaven
and someone were
to ask you
on what basis
should you be allowed
to come in,
what would you say?
If your answer
begins with,
because I,
you've already
gone wrong,
right?
Because I believe
this,
because I was
baptized,
because I did
this or did
that or stopped
doing these things.
the only proper
answer to that
question,
because he,
because Jesus.
Think about this
for just a moment.
The first person
to enter paradise
through the cross
was a violent
criminal
who had
no theological
understanding,
no baptism,
never even
heard of a Bible,
and no opportunity
to amend
his life.
If that doesn't
make us all
extremely uncomfortable,
then I think
we're missing it.
And here's the way,
I think the longer
that you've been a Christian
and the longer
that you've been
in the church,
and maybe even
for those of us
who are pastors
and theology
professors
and Bible scholars,
right,
who teach this,
and we have
our ordo salutis,
and here's how
salvation works,
and here's how
it all maps out,
right,
and then you read
this story,
and you're just
kind of like,
what?
Now,
I'm not saying
all that stuff
doesn't matter.
I'm not saying
it's not solid
and biblical.
I'm not saying
that repentance
isn't necessary.
I'm not saying
that we shouldn't
baptize all believers,
right?
I'm not saying
any of that,
right?
But what this
ultimately means
is that the reason
that any of that
has any value
is that we are
dealing with a
promiscuous,
unpredictable,
scandalous grace,
and I think it
means that when
we do enter
into paradise
and we look
around at who's
here,
I think we're
going to be
shocked at
who's there,
and I think
there's going
to be a whole
lot of that
kind of thing
going on.
what are you
doing here?
What are you
doing?
We'll probably
have people
look at us
and say,
what are you
doing here?
So the season
of Advent
begins next week,
and it's a
wonderful time
for us to
reexamine our
relationship
with Jesus.
You know,
for those of us
who want our
lives changed
by Jesus,
for those of us
who don't just
want to be
Christianity adjacent,
right?
But those of us
who actually
want to be
changed,
Advent is a
wonderful time
for us to
remember some
of the things
that we've been
talking about
this morning,
to do some
self-examination.
First,
in my relationship
with Jesus,
is Jesus a
means to an
end or is
Jesus the
end?
How does my
faithfulness and
devotion to him
wax and wane
depending on
whether or not
he's living
according to my
plan for my
life?
You know,
one of the
disciplines we
use to remind
ourselves of
this is the
discipline of
fasting.
And we're
encouraging our
church beginning
on Fridays
during Advent
to either fast
for one meal
or fast for the
day.
A lot of the
church around the
world will be
doing the same
thing.
And one of the
main points of
fasting is to
recenter our
focus on our
ultimate need
for Christ.
You know,
I love the
old quote by
the old
preacher Charles
Spurgeon.
He says,
nothing teaches
us about the
preciousness of
the creator as
much as when we
learn the
emptiness of
everything else.
And this is an
opportunity to
remember that.
Number two,
for those of us
who want to
reevaluate our
relationship with
Jesus and grow
closer to him,
focusing on how
do we respond to
the sin in our
lives?
Do we simply
feel regret over
the consequences
of the trouble?
Or is there in
us a willingness
to accept
responsibility for
our sin that
opens the door
to grace?
Beginning in
Advent, we're
going to have a
number of unique
opportunities for
corporate repentance.
As a church,
there's also going
to be opportunities
to come and
meet with clergy
and do confession
if you'd like to
do that.
There's an
Anglican version
of that that we
do during these
seasons.
And you can let
us know if you
want to do that.
But I think that
this is particularly
important for those
of us this year, I
think any time you
are on the cusp,
on the precipice of
a new season in
your life as a church
community, as we
are beginning to
move into this
neighborhood and
this building and
all the things that
we're hoping to
see, often in the
story of God's
people, before times
of flourishing and
growth and
fruitfulness, there
are times of
hardship and
desolation and
challenge.
And we're in one
of those right
now.
And it's easy to
just kind of shake
our fists and be
frustrated and focus
on the negativity
of that.
But in reality, this
presents a major
opportunity for us.
As we've been
saying, even as we're
renovating our
building, this is an
opportunity to
renovate our
hearts.
And that a heart
level renovation
begins with
repentance.
It always does.
Repenting, turning
to the Lord,
confessing, seeking
or asking forgiveness,
extending forgiveness,
doing the work of
reconciliation where
possible.
this is a time for
that.
Number three,
remembering as we
talk about all of
these practices,
right, it's always
important to remember
whenever we talk
about things like
fasting and
repentance and all
that, it's not
ultimately these
practices, but God's
grace that saves us.
It's important to
remember that these
practices have no real
inherent value in and
of themselves.
It is the grace of
Jesus Christ which
gives them value.
value.
It's only because of
Jesus, our suffering
king, that they have
any value at all.
It's only because we
have the kind of king
who refused to save
himself in order to
save us that they
matter.
Let's pray.
our Lord and heavenly
father, you have shown
us what a true king
looks like.
You have shown us the
true king of the
world.
And you've shown us the
hope that he brings.
You've shown us how and
at what cost he gathers
his people together as
their true shepherd.
You've shown us why
violence will one day
come to an end.
We see that on the
cross.
You who refused to do
violence but accepted
it upon yourself.
We see how you are the
one in whom all things
hold together, Lord.
We see your glory on the
cross.
We pray that we would be
changed as we approach
you.
That whether we are
long time seasoned
Christians, whether we
are teenagers who are
just beginning to think
about this, whether we're
here and we've never
heard any of this
before, we pray that
Lord, in the coming
weeks, we would all be
changed by you.
From the inside out,
Lord, not just for our
good, but ultimately
that we might be a
people who glorify you.
We pray this in your
holy name.
Amen.
Thank you.