Bethany Family,

Thanks so much for committing to a time of family/personal worship this Sunday while we are unable to meet.  The following is a simple outline based on our scheduled worship gathering, but feel free to improvise and use all, some or none of these suggestions.  The important thing is that you are gathering for worship together with family and friends. Next week, we will be broadcasting a complete worship service live-streaming from the BGF auditorium.

1) Here are the songs that were scheduled for this morning in worship.  Pick one to listen to.

2) Let’s have a time of prayer.  As you gather for prayer, remember:

1. Our world and nation as we confront this world-wide health crisis
2. First responder- doctors, nurses, EMT, hospitals and all those serving on the front lines in the coming days
3. Our church family and community, particularly the elderly and sick
4. For our leaders- President Trump, Congress and all of the branches of the Federal government that are responding; for PA Governor Wolf and local officials that must make decisions of critical importance.
5. Our children and parents as school and work schedules are disrupted

3) Read through Pastor Steve’s Sunday morning message

Seven Sayings of the Cross: Grace

Luke 23:32-43

You know, I’ve often noticed that young children have a heightened sense of right and wrong particularly when it comes to themselves.

“His piece of cake is bigger than mine!  Not fair!”

Or

“She got a new bike and I didn’t.  That’s not fair!”

Or

“He’s got a full head of hair, and I’m follicle-ly challenged (going bald). That’s not fair!”

Ok, so maybe that last one was me.  But I think you get the point.  Fairness is a big deal- especially in America.  Why even our government is committed to providing “equal opportunity under the law.”

If you have young children, watch the following video:

Thought Questions:

1. Do you think fairness is important?
2. What do you find particularly unfair in our world?

So, I’ve got a question for you.  Is God fair?  Think about that. To help us unpack that, let’s look at a definition of fairness:

fair·ness /ˈfernəs/

Noun: impartial and just treatment without favoritism or discrimination.

So, I ask you, if God were fair and gave us “impartial and just treatment without favoritism of discrimination, what exactly would we get?

This week we are continuing with our journey with Jesus as we consider the 7 sayings from the cross.  Jesus is suffering incredible pain and agony, hanging suspended between heaven and earth, and yet, 7 times he musters the strength to intentionally speak.  And each time he speaks, we have an amazing window into the heart of God.  This week, we are meditating on the second saying.  This time, Jesus isn’t speaking to the Father, but he’s responding to a situation that’s developing around him.

Let’s read the scripture found in Luke 23. Try to picture what is happening.

³² Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. ³³ When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”^[f]And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.^[g]

³⁵ The crowd watched, and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. ³⁷ They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

THE SITUATION

The first thing I want us to notice is the SITUATION.  Earlier the night before, Jesus had been arrested in the garden of Gethsemane.  Judas betrayed the son of God with a kiss.  Jesus was dragged before the Jewish leaders for a mock trial, while Peter was out in the courtyard denying that he knew Jesus… three times.  After the trial, the men guarding Jesus blindfolded, beat and mock him.  “Prophecy, who hit you?”, they said.

The next morning Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate.  Now, the Jewish leaders want him condemned to death, but because they are subject to Rome, they can’t do it themselves.  So, they brought him to Pilate.  Pilate has no interest in Jewish theology, he doesn’t care if Jesus is a so-called Messiah, but he DOES care about insurrection against Rome.  So, the Jewish leaders lead with this line: “This man is subverting the nation, opposes payment of taxes, and claims to be a king (Luke 23:1).” Pilate questioned Jesus closely but found that he has committed no crime.  He wants to let him go.  So, the leaders begin whipping up the crowd. “We have no king but Caesar!”  The crowd asks that Barabbas, a thief and murderer be released, while crying “Crying crucify him, crucify him!” Jesus is flogged and led through the streets of Jerusalem… and the crowd follows.  The same crowd, which was crying for his blood the night before, is back heaping abuse on the innocent son of God. Jesus is hanging on the cross and the situation is hostile, noisy and chaotic.

Now, let’s pull in the other gospels, here, to compare to our account in Luke, because there’s a subtle difference… see if you can pick up on it.

Matthew 27: ⁴¹ The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. ⁴² “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So, he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! ⁴³ He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

Mark 15: ³¹ The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

Did you catch the difference?  In the Matthew and Mark account, both thieves, both criminals, both robbers mocked Jesus.  They both hurdle insults.  They both ridicule… at first.

THE CHANGE

But as the day went on… and the hours ticked by, for one of the thieves, something began to change.  He began to notice Jesus.  While everyone else was cursing and swearing, while the crowd was mocking and shouting, Jesus… didn’t say anything… He just took it.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Then the thief observed Jesus as he and prayed, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”  He heard the crowd shout, “Save yourself, Christ of God! Save yourself, Chosen One! Save yourself, King of the Jews! Save yourself, son of God!” And something began to change inside.

The first thing to change was what he thought about himself.  At first, he was right there with the first thief.  “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and while you are at it, save us! You’re “innocent”, we’re “innocent”, everyone on death row is and we are all victims of Roman injustice”  But this changed to a rebuke to the other thief, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?  We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” I am guilty as charged.

You will never come to Christ until you change your mind about yourself- that you are a sinner deserving of death.

Romans 3 says,

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹ there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
¹³ “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
¹⁴ “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶ ruin and misery mark their ways,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they do not know.”
¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Wow.  That’s a bit overstated, don’t you think?  We aren’t all that bad, are we?

Yes we are. Without exception, the Bible says, “The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” Think about it.  If there was any other way to remove sin, any other way to expunge our stain, to redeem, to pay the penalty of sin, don’t you think God would have done it? But, no.  It cost Jesus his life. The price that was paid, highlights the seriousness of sin.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

The thief changed his mind about himself, but he also changed his mind about Jesus. “He’s not a criminal, like they said. He’s an innocent man. He is the Christ of God. He is the Messiah. He is the Chosen One. He is the King of the Jews. He is the son of God.” Everything the crowd was mocking Jesus about, were, in fact, true.  He was exactly who he said he was. Whereas for the crowd and the other thief, the cross was a contradiction (the Messiah would never be put to death), for this thief it was a confirmation (He’s dying for me).

Interesting, isn’t it?  Two people hear the same message, see the same movie, read the same book, hear the same testimony… one is hardened, one is softened.  Why?

The song writer wrote:

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

But “I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.”

THE REQUEST

Both thieves asked.  The one demanded, “Save yourself and us while you are at it!”  But the second man brokenly and humbly asked: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Is there anything this man did to merit salvation? NO. Talk about a deathbed conversion!  He’s not just taking it down to the final hour, he’s taking it down to the final seconds.  He repented at 11:59:30. There’s nothing we can do to merit salvation.  Turn to Jesus before it’s too late.

THE RESPONSE

So, this is the answer to our question:  Is God fair?…  No, God is not fair.  If he were fair, no one would be saved.  Instead, he’s GRACIOUS!

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Notice a few things about Jesus’ response.

Jesus’ response is certain. Jesus said, “I assure you.”  In the King James it’s “Verily, verily.” In the NASB it’s Truly, truly.  In the NLT it’s I assure you- a formula that Jesus uses 58 times in the New Testament when he’s about to say something truly outstanding, something hard to believe, but absolutely true. When Jesus saves us, it’s a done deal.  We don’t have to question.  We have assurance. It’s not based on our merit, but his.

Jesus’ response is immediate– He says TODAY.  There’s no such thing as soul sleep, no purgatory, no intermediate state.  To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  (2 Corinthians 5:8).  We don’t have to wait for eternal life.  It begins the moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It begins today.

Jesus’ response is personal, Jesus said, you will be with me. Isn’t that an amazing thought?  A thief who rejected God his whole life, responds to the gospel and enters heaven walking arm in arm with Jesus. Now that’s grace. That’s the unmerited favor of God. The greatest blessing of heaven is not the streets of gold or a reunion with loved ones, it’s seeing Jesus face to face.  It’s being with him.

Jesus response is glorious, Jesus said, you will be with me in paradise.  Paradise a Greek word adapted from the Persian, meaning a garden.  The world began in a garden and Adam and Eve lost it.  Paradise was, indeed, lost.  But in the eternal state, paradise is restored.  Revelation 22 describes the River of God and the Tree of Life.  God redeems and restores everything that humanity lost because of sin

CONCLUSION

So, what is the takeaway?  How does any of this impact our lives?  Well, the dying thief reminds us that salvation is a gracious gift that cannot be merited or earned, it can only be received and is there for the asking.  But in order to receive it you must acknowledge that you are a sinner and acknowledge that Jesus is both Lord and Savior.  There is no other way.  You can go to church every day of your life and be an outstanding citizen in every way imaginable, but without Christ, you are still lost. You must depend entirely and exclusively on Christ to enter Paradise.

What about believers?  Well, life may not be fair, but Jesus is gracious. And in the end, that’s a much better deal.  Sometimes we see how God is dealing with others and we question.  Why are their kids turning out?  Why do they have smooth sailing?  Why do I have financial difficulty?  Why is my health so poor? And like small children, we think, “it’s not fair!” But the high watermark of God’s grace for us is found at the cross.  Jesus is preparing a place for you.  He has forgiven your sins and every day we can experience life with him. In fact, the Bible teaches that right here and right now, you are seated in the heavens with Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). And that is all the grace we need.

Today, you will be with me in Paradise.  Is that your confident hope?

4) If you wish, have a brief discussion.

1. What in particular did the Holy Spirit bring to your attention in the message?
2. In what ways do you resent God’s “fairness” towards you?
3. In what ways has God been gracious?

5) Here’s our closing song: