Our Blessed Assurance
Luke 23: 39-43 (ESV):
39One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of con demnation?
41And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”43And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
In my years of pastoral ministry, one of the privileges I have experienced is being called to minister at the bedside of people in their final hours. I have personally observed the fear and struggle of those who have no idea what will happen to them after they die. Conversely, I have also witnessed the pure confi dence of believers on their deathbeds. Many times, these believers have told me, “I’m so ready, Pastor. I know I am going to heaven.”
Hearing these reassuring words undoubtedly brings immense comfort to the loved ones left behind. The truth is that one day, we will all face the same situation. As Hebrews 9:27 clearly states, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” This emphasizes that each of us has an appointment with death, and when that occurs, judgment follows. Numerous biblical verses help us under
stand that this judgment determines whether we go to heaven or hell. But what about you? Are you ready for death? Do you know where you will spend eternity? And how does one make the necessary arrange ments? Sadly, many people believe that no one can know their destination after death. They do their best to reach heaven, yet the thought of knowing beforehand seems extremely fanciful to them.
This makes our sermon particularly important this morning. Our study of the seven last words of Je sus, or the seven victorious words of Jesus on the cross, highlights a very significant topic about our blessed assurance of salvation. I trust that we will all clearly understand this morning that God wants us to be as sured of our journey to heaven while we are still alive here on earth. In our narrative, Jesus took the time to provide one of the thieves crucified alongside Him with the blessed assurance of where he would spend his next life after his death. Last Sunday, we studied together how Jesus prayed for sinners during His first words. This morning, we find our Savior forgiving one of the thieves and assuring him of spending his eterni ty in heaven.
As we continue to reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we should appreciate that He served as our substitute for our sins. The Bible clearly states that God providentially placed Jesus on the cross along side two known sinners to more clearly portray the reason for His crucifixion. Pilate and the religious lead ers likely arranged for the two thieves to be crucified with Jesus, thinking this would imply that Jesus Him self was a sinner. However, we understand that this occurred to demonstrate that Jesus is the real Messiah,
as this scenario fulfills an Old Testament prophecy stating that He would be numbered with the transgres sors.
Isaiah 53:12 (ESV):
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the trans gressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Also, at the cross, there were only two sinners, not three or four. Do you know why? It is because this illustrates the great divide among the people of the world throughout history – those who reject Jesus Christ and those who receive Him. These two categories of people still hold true even in this room today. My prayer is that, after this sermon, each of us will belong to the category of believers in Jesus Christ. To appreciate our passage more distinctly, let’s organize our text based on the three characters.
I THE DERIDING SINNER (v. 39)
Billy Graham in one of his sermons once said:
“Calvary is a place of decision. It is the eternal sword erected to divide men into two classes, the saved and the lost.”
This is certainly true for the two thieves on the cross. Each of them made a personal choice about how to respond to Jesus Christ. In verse 39, the first thief turned to Jesus and began to mock or deride Him. Of course, before this verse, nearly everyone around Him was doing the same.
Luke 23: 33-38 (ESV):
33And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals,one on his right and one on his left.
34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
35And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”
36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine
37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”38 There was also an inscription over him. “This is the King of the Jews.”
Clearly, when this thief began mocking the Lord Jesus Christ, he likely only reflected the crowd around him. I believe this serves as a significant warning for all of us. The last thing we want to do is respond to Jesus according to the popular opinion of those around us. Why? To address this, we first need to consider Romans 3:10-12, 23 (ESV):
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The Bible repeatedly tells us that we are surrounded by sinners who do not seek after God. Therefore,
following the crowd will certainly lead us astray. This is the very reason why God com mands us not to conform to the world. We are familiar with Romans 12:2:
2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Once again, following the world is a poor choice, as it will only draw us further away from God. How are you today? Could it be that you are rebelling against God by surrounding yourself with rebellious peo ple? Of course, even if he only followed the crowd, it doesn’t mean that he was not accountable for his choice. Each one is accountable for their own sin, even for their own choice. Ezekiel 18:20 plainly states this truth:
20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
For this deriding thief, what makes this choice worse is its timing. If there is a time to seek the Savior, it is when you are dying. But instead of leaning on Jesus, he hardened his heart against Him. Now, let me remind you, every single one of us is dying. For this reason, the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2 declares, “. . . Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Salvation is the decision we can not delay. Indeed, today is the day of salvation. I trust we will make this decision today while we are still alive.
II THE DECLARING SINNER (vs. 40-42a)
The next character is the declaring sinner or the confessing sinner. Unlike his friend, who listened to the mocking crowd, this sinner primarily listened to the Savior. How? The reality is that this sinner probably didn’t know much about Jesus. Perhaps he had heard of His works, as He attracted multitudes of people during His ministry. Then came Luke 23:34 - And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Without a doubt, these words of Jesus opened his heart to a gracious and compassionate Savior who can forgive him of his sins. So, out of his very limited knowledge of Jesus Christ, he made several essential declarations about Jesus Christ.
A. He Declared His Own Guilt (vs. 40-41)
If you return to verses 40-41, you will see this thief first rebuking his friend and then saying, “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” When he rebuked his friend, he acknowledged that Jesus Christ was not guilty of any crime deserv ing of the cross, and then he admitted that they were both deserving of punishment for their sins.
Clearly, this personal acknowledgment of sins is the very first step toward salvation. No sinner will be saved until they admit their guilt and the deserving nature of condemnation. Jesus died for sinners, and to embrace His work, one must acknowledge their status as a sinner. Jesus Himself stated in Luke 13:5, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Clearly, Jesus emphasized that repentance is essential for salvation. Why? The
church father Augustine explains, “Before God can deliver us, we must undeceive our selves first.” You see, sin is viewed as a deception because it frequently hides its de structive nature, appearing pleasurable or harmless while ultimately causing harm and distancing individuals from God, as it distorts truth and reality.
B. He Declared There is Life After Death (v. 42)
When the late Pastor Adrian Rogers preached a sermon from this text, he titled it “The Theology of the Thief.” This theology is evident in his appeal to Jesus Christ: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The reality is that, whether we recognize it or not, each of us has some theological beliefs that influence our personal choices. My challenge for you is to ensure that your theological beliefs draw you closer to God. It would be a shame to know so much from the Bible and remain far from the Lord. This thief perhaps didn’t know much, but he knew enough to recognize that he did not want to spend eternity in hell.
Of course, the Bible is quite clear about the two destinies after we pass from this world. Here are two passages:
1. Hell – Revelation 21:8
8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
There are sins we can easily exempt ourselves from, such as murder, sexual immorality, or idolatry. However, there are sins listed here for which we can easily find ourselves guilty, such as cowardice, faith lessness, and lying. That’s why we are all sinners in need of a Savior.
2. Heaven – Revelation 21:3-4
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourn ing, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
The main attraction of heaven is not how beautiful it’s going to be, but the fact that we will dwell with God in that place. He Himself will wipe away all our tears and take away all our sorrows. What a sharp contrast from the world we are living in!
I trust that none of us are ignoring this theology, as it is true. Just like the second thief, he chose to go to His “kingdom” or to heaven instead of hell. Have you made a reservation to go there? Let’s stop over looking this truth.
C. He Declared Jesus as His Savior (v. 42)
Finally, in his appeal, he perceived Jesus as the one who could save him from eternal condemnation. Without the proper perspective of Jesus, I believe he wouldn’t have made this appeal. What is remarkable, however, is seeing Jesus as the Savior despite his seemingly pathetic circumstances. How would you see Him
as the Savior in his state? Without a doubt, it was God graciously revealing to him the true nature of Jesus Christ. So, convinced that Jesus as the Savior, he did not hesitate to make this appeal. He certainly wasn’t mistaken because the Bible is quite clear in John 14:6 -6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Indeed, only Jesus is the remedy for our sins and our eternal condemnation.
III THE DELIVERING SAVIOR (v. 43)
Lastly, we need to highlight the response of Jesus Christ: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” There are several remarkable truths here that we would be able to appreciate:
A. The Savior never turns away sinners.
There are Old and New Testament verses that I want to mention to reinforce this beautiful truth. First is Isaiah 1:18 - “Come now, let us reason[a]together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson.” The other one is John 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will nev er cast out.” He may be the vilest sinner in the eyes of those around him, but once he turns to Jesus, His compassion and grace are enough to accept him. No matter what we have done, we can go to Him and be assured of His forgiveness.
B. The Savior never requires righteousness for salvation.
If personal righteousness was a requirement to be saved, this thief will definitely be rejected. But praise God, the only righteousness that is demanded is that of Jesus Christ. This is the basis of why our sal vation is by grace through faith alone.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV):
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Warren Wiersbe’s words about this verse is so appropriate. He said, “Grace is simply an undeserved favor of God. You can’t earn it, buy it, or work for it. You can only receive grace as a gift.” This is exactly what the thief received that day he made that appeal to Jesus on the cross.
C. The Savior guaranteed salvation while they were still alive.
It is quite noticeable that Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” He did not say, “ . . . you might be with me, or there’s a big possibility you might be with me.” No, He gave a clear and direct guarantee of where he would spend eternity. Is this assurance given to us as well? Definitely! 1 John 5:12-13 (ESV):
12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
The apostle John clearly stated that he wrote to Christians so they would know
they have eternal life. The question is, how can you be sure? The answer is in verse 12: if you believe in the Son of God, you can be confident that you have eternal life. Only you can truly know that you possess eternal life. Salvation comes through your personal faith in Jesus Christ!
The question now is: Have you believed in Jesus Christ? The salvation experience of the thief on the cross is truly amazing and gives us tremendous assurance. The decision to be saved is always urgent because death can come at any moment. I remember reading the story of Matthew Huffman, the six-year-old son of missionaries in Salvador, Brazil. One morning, he complained of a fever. As his temperature rose, he began to lose his eyesight. His mother and father placed him in the car and rushed him to the hospital. As they drove, Matthew did something his parents will never forget. He extended his hand into the air. His mother took it, but he pulled it away. He extended it again. She took it once more, and he pulled it back again, reaching into the air. Confused, his mother asked, "What are you reaching for, Matthew?" "I'm reaching for Jesus' hand," he answered. With those words, he closed his eyes and slipped into a coma from which he would never awaken. He died two days later, a victim of bacterial meningitis. Although he did not learn much in his short life, he learned the most important thing: whom to reach for in the hour of death.