The Reality of the Cross: Jesus As Prophet, Priest, and King

The High Point of the Passion Narrative

Thank you so much, Mordimo

Good afternoon. Looks like we’ve made it to the end of this journey that we’ve been on and we finally get to the place that we’ve been looking forward to: we’ve gotten to the cross.

Now this passage that has just been read to us is a bit somber, it’s a bit solemn, but this is a precious passage because it contains the best news for us who are gathered here today.

Now the crucifixion is the high point of this passion narrative. In fact, it has been rightly said that as we read the Old Testament, it becomes very clear that the smoke of the Old Testament sacrifices blows towards Golgotha. And therefore, whatever it is that all those bulls and goats and lambs that were sacrificed in the Old Testament, what those things were meant to do is to bring us to this moment in history where the lamb that we saw early on in the morning is crucified.

So the Son who was born to die is going to die by crucifixion. And, as Reverend Agagwa told us, there is not a more excruciating form of execution that has been invented by human beings. In fact, that very word “excruciating” literally means “out of the cross.” They had to coin a new word to capture the agony of the cross. So, Jesus is going to die in great agony.

But this is the most decisive moment in all of human history. In fact, this very conference is tailored around the subject of the cross just to help you appreciate how significant the cross is.

It was Augustine of Hippo who said that, “The cross is the pulpit from which Jesus proclaims the love of God for the world.” So this is a love story that is being consummated here on the cross. In fact, Paul says in Romans 5:8 that, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So this is proof. This is a demonstration. This is a commendation of God’s love to the world. God is saying it, really large, “See how much I love undeserving sinners.” This passage may have been well… we might even say what we said in the morning – that passages like this – the entire passion narrative is written with Old Testament ink, because we’re going to see again a lot of fulfilment, even as we walk through this passage.  But as we unpack this passage, I think what Luke wants us to see is the convergence of all things.

Here we’re going to see what Bible students have called the threefold offices of Christ. We’re going to see Christ as a priest, we’re going to see Christ as a prophet and we’re going to see Christ as a king. If you think about all the kings of the Old Testament and all the priests and the high Priests of the Old Testament and all the prophets of the Old Testament, who are all pointing us to this one man who is those three things in one.

So let us walk through this passage by considering three things. I want us to see Jesus” Jesus as the prophet who warns Sinners, Jesus as the prophet who warns Sinners. And secondly, Jesus as the priest who wipes away the guilt of Sinners. And thirdly, I want us to see Jesus as the king who welcomes sinners. Jesus as the prophet who warns, the priest who wipes away the guilt of sinners and the king who welcomes sinners into his kingdom.

The Prophet Who Warns Sinners

Let us consider firstly Jesus as the prophet who warns sinners. Beginning in verse 26, we meet Jesus on the “Via Dolorosa” – the way of suffering. Jesus is now heading to Golgotha and he has this wooden plank on his shoulders. He’s going to be crucified on that wooden plank. By this time, Jesus has been brutalized so he’s bloodied, he’s bruised and he’s definitely weak. Remember, Jesus has not slept through the night. We caught him in Gethsemane. He’s been through a series of trials. It was morning, now it’s afternoon, they’re about to nail him to the cross. And so Jesus, as you would expect, is fatigued.

Jesus is greatly wounded, and even the Roman soldiers can see this. And because they do not want the people to miss the spectacle that the crucifixion would be, they get someone from the crowd to help Jesus with the cross, so that Jesus can make it to the cross. And the guy they seized on is identified here as Simon of Cyrene. Now Cyrene is modern day Libya.

It could be that Simon was a, because of the name Simon, and because this is Passover, he would have come like the rest of the Jews from the Diaspora to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. So, he was just minding his business and then he’s seized upon and he’s made to carry the cross of Jesus.

Now it has been said twice. I think it bears repeating that Christ, when he calls us to be his disciples, the invitation he gives is, “If any man should come after me, he must take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

I think here we have a Holy Spirit inspired, living, breathing picture of what discipleship looks like, because you notice when Simon of Cyrene gets hold of the cross, we are told that he was made to carry it behind Jesus. Now Simon of Cyrene is doing fine – Jesus is the one who’s weak – but isn’t it interesting that when Simon of Cyrene puts the cross on his shoulder, he doesn’t walk ahead of Jesus, even though he could have?

And I think the idea there of discipleship is clear in a picture, that discipleship is taking the cross that Jesus gives to us, which is essentially on the way of suffering, and going after him along the path of suffering. This is the narrow hard path. And like we said yesterday, this “Via Dolorosa” everyone who walked down this path with a cross on their shoulder knew one thing for sure – there was no returning. If you’re walking Via Dolorosa, down the Via Dolorosa with a cross, the end is sure. You’re going to die. Nobody returns when they walk down that path.

Isn’t that what that German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that, ‘When Christ calls a man he bids him, “Come and die.”” A call to discipleship is a call to die; it’s a call to die to ourselves and sometimes are called to die for the Lord literally, the way the disciples would die for their Lord. Now I think this is a very good picture to just show us what discipleship looks like.

But now we get to the point where Jesus is seen clearly as a prophet because as this crowd is on his trail, as he’s leading the way to his own death, we are told that there is this group of people, this huge crowd of people, and a throng of women following Jesus and they’re mourning and lamenting. There is no indication in this story that these were disciples of Jesus, even though we know from the whole Lukan account that Jesus had women disciples. In fact, Luke paints women in a very positive light. Jesus has a soft spot for women in this culture.

Remember, this is a very patriarchal culture and there was a lot of chauvinism but because Jesus came for the weak, Jesus dignifies women in his ministry. Now we don’t know for sure if these women were his disciples. They probably were just women being women. They were deeply moved and heartbroken by the pitiful state of Jesus, because at this point, Jesus is a pitiful sight.

Isaiah 52:14 says that,

“Just as there were many who were appalled at him—

his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being

and his form marred beyond human likeness – …” (Isaiah 52:14)

So as these women behold Jesus Christ staggering down the Via Dolorosa, they were struck with pity. He was a pitiful sight. This was a traumatic sight. You do not want to see somebody who looks like this. He was disfigured beyond what you could imagine. But as these women are mourning and lamenting for him, we are told that Jesus turns to them and he issues this gentle rebuke and stern warning.

Verse 28, he tells them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 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 nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’, and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28-31)

The situation is going to be bleak. Jesus has been utterly brutalized by the Romans and the women are heart-broken, but then Jesus turns to them and he warns them and he tells them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, I know what you’re seeing is pitiful and it is traumatic, but I don’t want you to weep for me. I want you to weep for yourselves. I want you to weep for your children because what you’re seeing is just but a shadow of what is going to befall you guys.”

Now earlier on in the Book of Luke 21, Jesus had predicted the fall of Jerusalem and he had made it very clear that a day of vengeance and wrath and great distress is coming for Jerusalem. Jerusalem will fall by the sword and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot. In fact, it is going to be so bleak that women with children are going to wish they had none.

Now remember, these are Jews and one of the marks of blessedness in this society is the fruit of the womb. It is going to be so bad people are going to wish they were cursed and not blessed. It is going to be so bad people are going to tell the mountains, “Fall on us!” because it is better to die than to live. And Jesus is drawing their attention to what is coming for them. And he puts himself in there and he says, “If this is what they’re doing to the green wood, the green tree – that is full of life and fruitfulness, the Romans have no regard for that, what will the Romans do to you guys, who are dry, dead, barren?” Because this nation is barren; It has rejected the Messiah and God is going to judge them because of this rejection of the Messiah.

You remember, as Jesus is getting into Jerusalem, he weeps for them. “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” (Matthew 23:37) and it is because their rejection has dire consequences. And so, Jesus wants these women to know that there are bad times coming. He prophesies and it actually happens because in AD 70, a couple of decades after Jesus had died, Josephus, a historian, tells us how Jerusalem was devastated.

Now an interesting detail around the destruction of Jerusalem is this: Jesus is dying during the Passover and during the Passover he reminds them that Jerusalem will be destroyed. And actually, the destruction of Jerusalem happened during the Passover. Now historians tell us that it was such a total blood bath on that day when Jerusalem was seized and destroyed by the Romans, that about 1.1 million civilians died. Now those were civilians, those were non-combatant people. Some soldiers died. This is the one thing that changed the history of the Jews entirely because Jerusalem was burnt down, the temple was burnt down and there was dispersion. This nation was never to be again.

So Jesus is telling them, “You don’t know what’s coming for you, so I don’t desire your pity. I would that you would be penitent. I do not want you to feel sorrow for me, I want you to feel sorrow for your sins because what is coming to you for rejecting me is going to be really really bad.”

You see, this is Jesus the prophet in the moment of his death, just a few moments to his death he’s still continuing with this ministry, this prophetic ministry of warning sinners. He’s almost going out of breath and yet Jesus wants to use his final breath to warn these people that they would repent, that they would reconsider their ways, because something bad is coming. Why? The writer to the Hebrews tells us that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Almighty. (Hebrews 10:31) You do not want to be the recipient of God’s judgment.

If you’re here and you’re a Christian this message still sounds forth, even right now. The prophet Jesus here is telling us what is happening to him because of the sins of men, will happen to every man who refuses to receive his work on your behalf. And so, in the words of Hebrews 3:15, as we come to the end of this conference, we want to plead with you once again, “Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your heart,” because a time is coming when everyone who has rejected what Jesus has done for them will have to endure God’s wrath for themselves.

And because you have offended an infinitely holy and just God, it’s going to take you eternity to drink the cup that Jesus drank for sinners. And that is to tell you, you’ll never drink it enough.

Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 3:9 that “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness, instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,” not even you but everyone to come to repentance. And as we approach the cross, we would want you to know that you can repent today. Jesus the prophet doesn’t want you to perish that is why his warning. This warning is meant to draw out your repentance and to win you to his side.

But before we move on, I know there are so many or a few churches that are represented here, but I think as we hear the warning of Jesus a few moments to his death, I think this just heightens our sense of why evangelism is important. Because evangelism is basically doing what Jesus is doing here. Evangelism is warning people and telling people that there is a day of reckoning that is coming.

Jesus has already said it. He’s the prophet and what happened in AD 70 is just but a shadow, it’s just a picture of the last day when God comes to judge the world. And therefore, we ought to go and tell. We ought to go and warn and tell sinners to come that they might escape the judgment that is reserved for all who reject Jesus. Dear saints, if Jesus used his dying breath to warn sinners, shall we not use our living breath to warn them?

It is Spurgeon who says, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap over to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let no one go unwarned and unprayed for.” So we go and warn just as Jesus, a prophet, warns sinners.

The Priest Who Wipes Away The Guilt Of Sinners

But secondly, notice Jesus is not just a prophet here. We see him as a priest who wipes away the guilt of sinners. We’re told there that he was crucified with two other criminals. It’s interesting that Luke doesn’t detail the crucifixion. It is as if he just wants to cut through to the chase and show us why Jesus was crucified and not necessarily recount the details of the crucifixion. So he has gotten to the place of the skull, Golgotha and he’s crucified alongside two other criminals.

Notice, they’re called criminals, not thieves. I think it is important for us to make the distinction there because the Roman government didn’t crucify thieves. Stealing was not a capital offense. You needed to have done something more than stealing. Maybe they were thieves but they were robbers. You know the difference between a thief and a robber is that a robber uses violence. So it could be they had stolen but they had done more in order to merit being crucified. So Luke calls them criminals.

But this very act of being crucified alongside these two criminals fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12:

“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.” (Isaiah 53:12)

I want us to see in this moment, the fulfilment of being numbered with the transgressors but I want us also to see the fulfilment of “made intercession for transgressors.” Jesus prays here but before we get to the prayer of Jesus, where Jesus prays that they would be forgiven, these people that have done this to him, isn’t it interesting that when Jesus opens his mouth to speak, in this moment of much anguish and great agony, Jesus prays that they would be forgiven?

This confirms his very words in Luke chapter, chapter 6:45 where Jesus said that, “It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

Now if you’re wondering what Jesus was feeling about all these people that had brutalized him, hear his prayer. In this prayer, there is no trace of vengeance, there is no trace of vindictiveness. In verse 34 he says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus is interceding in this moment for these people that have transgressed greatly. They have sinned against him and they have sinned against his father. And when he opens his mouth to speak, he doesn’t speak wrath, he’s not lashing out at them. Instead, what flows out of the mouth of Jesus is love unmeasured.

He said, “Father, forgive them, because they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Now Jesus had more than an intention to save sinners. What is happening in this moment is an action to save sinners, and the verbal equivalence of what Jesus is doing actually on the cross is captured in the prayer. Jesus is dying in order that sinners might be forgiven. So Jesus not only prays that sinners would be forgiven, Jesus dies in order to propitiate God’s wrath, in order that sinners might be forgiven.

J.C Ryle quotes helpfully here, notes helpfully here, he says, “As soon as the blood of the great sacrifice began to flow, the high priest began to intercede.” You see, in this moment we see Jesus the high priest, but we also see Jesus the Lamb of God that is being slain, and as soon as his blood hit the ground, Jesus lifted up a prayer to the Father. So the high priest here, who is also the sacrifice, is doing the act that saves us, and is verbalizing his desire for our salvation. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

This is why Paul writes in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7)

Father, Forgive Them

But I wonder if you noticed something in his prayer? Jesus says, “Father, forgive them.” So the question is who is “them?” Is Jesus praying for the soldiers? Is Jesus praying for the leaders who brought him to this moment? Is Jesus praying for the crowd that said, “Crucify him, crucify him?” Who is Jesus praying for?

I do believe with all my heart that Jesus intentionally prayed this prayer indefinitely. I really believe Jesus meant to not be specific in this prayer, so that he says forgive “them.” But that is good news for you and I, dear friends, because it is in this indefinite “them” that people like you and I can find themselves. This little word “them” is big enough to accommodate every sinner that will agree to identify as a sinner.

So when Jesus says, “Father, forgive them,” he’s not just praying for the soldiers and the religious leaders, Jesus is praying for any sinner who will be willing to say that they are a sinner. Anyone who has transgressed against the Holy God can crawl under this word “them” and the prayer of Jesus can be effected for them. “Father, forgive them.” This word can accommodate everyone here. This word can accommodate everyone in the world. Jesus says, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Now, that is not to say that these people were innocent and sinful at the same time. I think what Jesus means here is that they did not understand the full extent of what they were doing.

Isn’t it true of sinners like us that we often sin and we are guilty of many sins but we don’t quite understand the full extent of our sins? And we said yesterday, part of the reason we don’t is because we are sinners by nature, and our understanding of holiness and righteousness and moral purity is not what it could be, or at least it’s not God’s understanding. So that as we think about sin, we don’t yet understand the sinfulness of sin in its entirety. So they do not know what they do.

But it is not just that sinners do not understand the full extent of the heinousness of sin; it is also true that sinners sometimes don’t even know it when they sin. David writes in psalm 19:12,

Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:12)

Even David acknowledges that he could be guilty of sins that he’s not aware of. So sinners don’t quite understand the full extent of their sins.

But sinners don’t even understand the full number of their sins, but Jesus says forgive them for all of that. So Jesus here prays for us. He prays for me, because I belong to the “them.” I own the “them.” This is me.

And so, dear saints, as we come to the close of this conference, it is important to know that this is a prayer that God is happy to answer. In fact, by the time we come to the end of this story, God is already answering this prayer. And one massive evidence that God answered the prayer of Jesus on the cross: do you remember when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost and Peter stood to preach and we’re told that 3,000 people were added to the church?

Part of the things that Peter says in that sermon, as he’s preaching, the reason they are cut to the heart, is because Peter indicts them and he tells them, “You crucified him.” So there are some that were there as Peter was preaching who were in this crowd that said “Crucify him!” But on that day, in answer to this prayer, God saved the very people that had said “Crucify him!” This is a prayer that God answers.

Again, we’re going to see Jesus saving a criminal right here. And I think the criminal changed his mind when he heard Jesus praying this prayer. At one point, this criminal is mocking Jesus with the other criminal and it could be it was after he heard Jesus praying that prayer that he figured this is a different man. He’s not cursing on the cross. He wants those that have sinned against him to be forgiven.

And therefore, even today, dear saints, as those that are sinning saints, when you sin, the reason you rush to God and confess your sins – as we are told in 1 John 1:9 – is because in Chapter 2 of 1 John, John tells us that, “I write to you little children that you may not sin. But if you sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins…” (1 John 2:1-2)

Do you see that? This is what Jesus is doing both actually and verbally on the cross. And this is the basis upon which we run to God and say, “Forgive me!” because God is happy to forgive them.

The King Who Welcomes Sinners

But you not only see Jesus as a priest who does work enough to see the guilt of sinners removed and wiped away, we see lastly that Jesus is the king who welcomes sinners. Now we get to the story of this criminal who changes his mind on the cross. But before that, we see that at this point, Jesus is still being mocked, he’s still being humiliated.

We are told there that the soldiers are at the foot of the cross and they’re dividing his garments. They’re casting lots to see who gets what. And if in effect, they are fulfilling the words of Psalm 22:18. And we also see that he’s given sour wine to drink. Again, fulfilling the words of Psalms 69:21. And Luke is saying very loudly that the man on the cross is none other than the ultimate Davidic King, because those two Psalms were written by David.

And so, as they continue to mock him, and as they make him look like a failed King, that – like we were reminded in the morning – it looks like Jesus has totally lost, Jesus has completely failed, but in reality, Jesus is winning because of how this story ends.

Isn’t it interesting that this place is actually called the place of the skull? Because what Jesus is doing here is fulfilling that prophecy in Genesis chapter 3. The Seed of the woman is crushing the head of the serpent. It’s these little details that remind us that the Holy Spirit inspired this book. At the place of the skull, the skull of the serpent is actually crushed.

So they mock Jesus, these soldiers and the people around the cross here. And they’re saying, “If you’re the king of the Jews, save yourself. Prove that you’re the king of the Jews.” (Luke 23:35) But these people forget one thing: that Jesus is not a king who needs to save himself. Jesus came to save others. Jesus did not die for himself. Jesus died for others.

And so, even though coming down from the cross is something Jesus could do, Jesus stays on that cross because he’s doing a saving work on that cross. Jesus is not a self-serving Saviour. Jesus is a saviour who serves sinners and he’s not going to come down from the cross until the work is done. And so, Jesus doesn’t listen to them. Because he’s the king of the Jews he stays on that cross, because it is only by staying on that cross that the Jews will truly be saved.

So instead of saving himself from temporal, short lived suffering, Jesus stays there that he might save us and the criminal that he’s going to save from eternal suffering.

Now there is this exchange that’s going on, the two criminals. You’ve heard how it goes. But I want to suggest that these two criminals are a clear representation of the entire population of the world. This is the world in two persons. Because there is a division here; one criminal continues to scoff and to mock, but there is a criminal that changes his mind.

One criminal acknowledges his sinfulness. In fact, he rebukes the other one and tells him, “Don’t you fear God? You and I are under the same sentence of condemnation.” He says, “We are guilty as charged. See, we are dying for things we did. What did he do?” (Luke 23:40-41)

Even the thief on the cross, the criminal on the cross, ascertains and confirms that Jesus was sinless. Isn’t it interesting that it has been confirmed so many times?

But you see, he not only acknowledges his sinfulness, he acknowledges the sinlessness of the king dying on the cross. Now I know he acknowledges his kingship because when he speaks to him, he tells him, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) So there is an outright acknowledgement there that Jesus is truly the King. Jesus was not bluffing. Jesus was not faking it. Jesus was actually the king and Jesus is actually the king.

But isn’t this an interesting drama here, that there are two criminals on this cross, both who saw the one who identifies as the door, the one who identifies as the way, the one who identifies as the truth – but both of them didn’t see the same thing? One saw Jesus as the door to Paradise, one saw the door but didn’t know to walk through the door.

At one moment, they were both mocking Jesus and it’s hard to explain the transformation that happened in the heart of the other except to say this; you remember from yesterday, that Jesus is the Sovereign One, the one who is able to overcome the stubborn wills of sinful men. As if to prove that Jesus is who he truly said he was, Jesus is going to save one more person before he dies, just to tell this crowd, “By the way, I am winning right now, I am not losing. And I have enough power to change one that was against me a while ago to become one of mine.”

In this brief moment of death, the king of the world is so intent on saving that even a few minutes or hours to his death, he demonstrates his power to save. And so, there is this criminal who becomes a convert. He perceived Jesus rightly; he saw Jesus as who Jesus was truly. He says, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

Jesus Saves Immediately, Certainly and Eternally

I want us to focus lastly on Jesus’s response. This is the highlight here. Jesus responds to him and he says, “Truly, I say to you (today), today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

I want you to notice a few things about that statement and a few things about how Jesus saved him. Notice, he saved him firstly, immediately. Jesus saves him immediately. Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

You see Jesus specializes in the now. And this is why the Apostle Paul, writing in 2 Corinthians 6:2 says,

For he says,

“In a favourable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Jesus saves this man on the spot. Nothing else needs to be done. He tells him, “Just as you have confessed, just as you have asked, I’m saving you right now.” So he tells him, “Today…” This is an immediate salvation.

And dear saints, this is how Jesus saves people even today. Jesus saves you in a split second. Jesus saves you now.

“Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) “If you confess with your mouth you… will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Jesus saves immediately. Jesus doesn’t tell you, “I need some time. Would you please give me some space? I need to sort out a few things.” No, Jesus saves immediately.

But notice secondly, he doesn’t just save immediately, Jesus saves with certainty. Certainly. Because he says, “truly…” There is no doubt. Jesus gave this man his sure word. “And he told him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” (Luke 23:43)

You see, when Jesus saves a man, when Jesus saves a woman, when Jesus saves a child, Jesus saves them certainly. This is how we know, this is the basis of our assurance. Jesus doesn’t save in parts. When Jesus saves, you’re either saved or you’re not saved. So he gave him his word. He told him, “truly.” It was immediate. It was certain.

But we also see that Jesus saved him eternally. He tells him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Now this word “Paradise” has this idea of eternal peace and blessedness. This word “Paradise” has echoes of the Garden of Eden. That is what Paradise looked like. And Paradise in the coming age will look better than that. But he tells him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” which the thief calls his kingdom.

But notice, he doesn’t just say you’ll make it to Heaven, you’ll make it to Paradise. He says, “You will be with me.” You see, dear saints, if Jesus is not in Heaven – that’s not heaven. Jesus is the one who makes heaven, heaven. And that is why we sing this song,

“I will not gaze at glory

But on my King of grace

Not at the crown He giveth

But on His pierced hand

The Lamb is all the glory

In Immanuel’s land.” (The Sands of Time are Sinking by Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace Music)

So Jesus tells him, “You’re not just going to make it to Paradise, you’ll be with me.”

When you read the gospels, the Kingdom of Heaven is often presented as a banquet. It’s a party. It’s a big party and guess who organizes the party and invites people to the party? It’s Jesus. So in the Kingdom of God, in this big banquet, because the kingdom is a banquet, the king invites us. And see the king here giving this criminal his word. He tells him, “You will be with me in my banquet today.”

So you won’t get to heaven and ask around about Jesus. “Is he around?” No, you will know you are in Paradise, because you will be with Jesus.

He was saved immediately, he was saved eternally, he was saved certainly. Lastly, he was saved graciously. He was saved graciously. Do I need to say that this criminal didn’t do anything except believe? It’s very clear. He never read his Bible. He never went to church. He was never baptized. He never sung a song. It was just pure grace. This is sovereign grace on display. There was nothing he could have done to be saved. All he did was believe. “Jesus, please remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Encouragement and Warning

See, one one preacher helpfully notes that on that cross, one man was saved that none might despair. But only one, that none might presume.

This is an encouragement to those of us who are here and wondering if they are too far gone in their wickedness. This one criminal is an eternal reminder that you do not need to despair. You only need to despair of your own efforts, of your own works, of your own trials to save yourself.

But this one criminal was saved to remind you not to despair. Your sins may be many, and they are, but here is mercy that is abundant. Here is grace that is overflowing. You just need to hear Jesus saying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

And Jesus says that to everyone who is willing to say what that thief said: “Would you have mercy on me? Have mercy on me, a sinner!”

But we also told that it was only one that was saved of the two, that none might presume.

Listen, you are not too good that Jesus has no option but to save you. If you’re presuming on Jesus because of your goodness, if you’re presuming on Jesus because of your commitment, if you’re presuming on Jesus because you’ve come to this conference for two days, listen: that’s not how Jesus saves anyone. You being presumptuous and this sinner, this criminal was presumptuous, and he died in his sin. This man used his dying breath to scorn the Lord of Life. What a wasted life!

Only one, that none might despair. But only one, that none might presume.

You see, Jesus has done the work because tomorrow is Sunday and early Sunday morning Jesus will rise from the dead. And because Jesus will rise from the dead, Paul tells us that he died for our sins and he was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

Listen, sinners and saints, as you leave this conference you need to walk with assurance that the Jesus who died didn’t remain in the grave. You see, if the cross was the payment of our sins, the resurrection is the receipt that the payment was received. So the Father says, “I am pleased. I am appeased. It is done. They can go free.” Now they don’t only go free, they can now come into the kingdom. We belong in the Kingdom. We have been saved eternally and no one and nothing will get you out of the Kingdom.

Our Father, we thank you for the good news of the cross. What kind of love is this, that would save sinners like us? And not just save us certainly but eternally. And therefore Lord, we pray that you would give us the grace to go back to our churches and to our homes and love you and worship you and live for you and tell others about you. Because a king so good demands and deserves all that we can give.

Thank you because the grace that gave all of this, demands all that we can give. And therefore, fill our hearts with gratitude, Lord and help us to glory in nothing else but the cross, the cross. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. Amen.