“Truly I tell you; today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43b NLT)
Are there any other words that can bring peace and relief to the soul of the sinner? Jesus did not say today you CAN be in paradise. He did not say wait until baptism. He did not give out a list of rules and requirements to have eternal life. Jesus, based on one person’s simple confession said, today you WILL join me in paradise. That’s all! Jesus went on to say, “It is finished.” It’s done. It’s complete.
God's grace is revealed in His willingness to welcome anyone at anytime into His kingdom, even at the moment of death. The thief who hung on a cross next to Jesus had absolutely nothing to offer the Lord—no good works, no faithful service. He couldn't even be baptized. In his utterly helpless condition, the only thing he could do was believe. But that was all it took, because faith is the only way to be saved.
Remember that there were two thieves were crucified with Jesus. Both thieves began their crucifixion by hurling verbal abuse at Jesus. As the minutes passed, one of them had a change of heart. His anger against the Savior turned to criticism of the other criminal, and then to defense of Jesus, the admission of his own guilt and a helpless plea for a place in Christ's kingdom.
It wasn’t by accident that those men were in that place in the presence of Jesus. It wasn’t by accident that Jesus was crucified in the middle of these two men. It was the divine plan of God. God arranged the meeting of Jesus with these two men. Both of the thieves hanging on the cross were still thieves when one of them cried out to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” But this man was no longer a thief when Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
What was it that turned this mocker into a believer? Even if he himself had even heard about the name Jesus Christ, the crowd's mocking of Jesus supplied him with the information he needed to be saved. Scornful onlookers accused Jesus of being exactly who He was: the King of Israel, the Savior of others, and the Son of God. As the condemned man watched and listened, he turned in faith to the only One who could save Him. Not the one dying with him, but the One dying FOR him.
What happened to the other man? The other thief, although he knew who Jesus was, never asked Him for salvation and because of his decision he is right now crying out for mercy in hell.
On the hill that day, one man died in his sin, one Man died for sin, and the other was saved out of his sin. There are only two responses to the inevitability of death. We can either accept or reject Christ's payment for our sin. There is a change that takes place when we are in the presence of God. What has been isn’t what always has to be. The despair and helplessness melts away in the presence of God. The problems that confront our lives become possibilities. The fear that sometimes grips us melts into strength and courage in the presence of God. And the filth of sin is washed away in the presence of Jesus.
MAY GOD BRING US INTO HIS PRESENCE TODAY. GOD BLESS!
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
