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Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
Today we continue our series on Jesus’ seven sayings from the cross, titled Christ speaks from the cross.
Today we are talking about God Can Save Anyone Anywhere Anytime.
Text
Luke 23:43 (AMP)
43 Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Scripture Reading
Luke 23:39-43 (AMP)
39 One of the criminals who had been hanged [on a cross beside Him] kept hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us [from death]!”
40 But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
42 And he was saying, “Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”
43 Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Prayer
Father, we thank you or the beauty of this world.
We are grateful for the light of the sun, the wind on our faces, the colour of the world around us, and for all the awesome things that enrich our lives.
We thank you for all the world that you have made.
Sin has entered it, and because of that, we need a Saviour.
You have provided that Saviour in Jesus Christ.
We bring our gifts that the message of Christ may be proclaimed to those who do not know Him.
Some of our money will be used here in this church.
Some will be used in other places, even at the uttermost parts of the world.
May we, Your people and the sheep of your pasture, not only enter into your gates with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise, but also have thankful hearts and give cheerfully of our means that those without a Saviour may hear the gospel and find eternal life.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
Since Jesus came into the world to identify Himself with sinners, it was quite appropriate that He should die between two of the worst.
No doubt, those who placed Him there did so with malice, intending to add insult to the injurious death they had imposed upon Him.
Again, however, as on other occasions, God used the wrath of humans to glorify Himself.
Jesus had the opportunity to demonstrate to the world His great grace and mercy even in the last hours of His life upon earth.
- Last words are significant.
Some of the most fascinating quotes are those of the final words people spoke while on earth.
A famous atheist is reported to have said on his deathbed that he was “About to take a leap of faith into the dark.”
On the other hand, the final testimony of one of America’s greatest evangelists was, “Earth is receding, heaven is opening, God is calling!”
The two thieves, with their last words, reveal a great contrast between two types of people.
One continued to reject Jesus until the very last, mocking Him by demanding with a sneer that He prove His power with a miraculous act.
The other man, however, must have understood the spiritual nature of Jesus’ message and ministry, for he requested a part in Christ’s kingdom.
Surely this thief was not referring to any political organisation that he though Christ would establish by overthrowing the Roman government.
His request in verse 42, “Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” Spoke of a life beyond.
2. Deathbed salvation is possible.
Can someone be saved after years of sinning?
Of course, that’s what God’s grace is!
Such a transaction should be analysed discreetly.
A wise pastor once said to a bible college student, “I believe in deathbed confessions. I believe someone can be saved in their last moments. Ive seen several, and I must admit that I’m always a bit nervous about them, wondering if the confession was absolutely genuine. But I know that deathbed confessions are valid and absolutely accepted by God.”
The is no doubt about this!
Jesus verified the sincerity of the thief’s confession.
The request was more than the asking of a favour.
The man was saying, in essence, “I am sorry for my sins. I accept your who you say you are. In this last brief period of my life, I want to go on record that I identify with you and all that you stand for. Where I have erred, please forgive me. I throw myself entirely upon your mercy. Let me be part of you during these remaining moments on earth and let me share with you where you go.”
This is all any of us can do, regardless of how young or how old we may be.
No one is saved by piling up good works in order to obligate God to declare him or her righteous.
Even the best people on earth are sinners, and their righteousness is like “filthy rags” in God’s sight.
3. We an know that we are saved.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I hope I’m a Christian” or “I’m trying to be a Christian”?
Such statements sound very humble, but they are completely unscriptural.
The Bible makes it clear how we are saved, Romans 10:9 (AMP)
9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
When you have done this, you are saved.
You may or may not feel a surge of emotions.
The feeling is not the face nor even the proof.
The authority for our salvation rests upon what God’s Word says to us.
A feeling may come immediately or gradually, but the fact of the new life occurs instantaneously.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, we can know that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
To say that you are certain of your salvation is not boasting but is rather accepting that God does what He says He will do.
God pur our sins on Jesus’ back when Jesus died on the cross.
God is so completely satisfied with the substitutionary death of His Son for our sins that He will eternally remain so and will never again take up judgement against us.
In the resurrection of Christ, God vindicated everything that Jesus did and gave all authority to Him.
When we receive the Saviour in simple faith, we can say with assurance, “I’m saved and I know it.”
How awesome is this assurance.
Conclusion.
Although the thief was saved at the twelfth hour, he was saved!
Someone spoke of it as “literally blundering into paradise.”
This is not, however, a fair description.
We all “blunder” into heaven, because we must come simply as sinners, throwing ourselves upon the grace of God.
True, this man was one who had wasted his life, but in a sense we all do the same thing until we come to the saviour.
Christ swept this thief into heaven, into the full embrace of God’s love.
Jesus’ grace was so much bigger that the thief’s prayer.
One fact worth noting is that it was not the words of Jesus that led the man to repentance and faith.
Jesus did not address the thief at all until the thief spoke to Him.
The convicting work of the Holy Spirit had already been done before the man uttered a word.
The sinlessness of Jesus, His refusal to utter a word of harshness, His generosity in the face of cruel treatment, these were the things the Holy Spirit used to bring the thief to his prayer for forgiveness.
Yet when Jesus did speak, He added greatly to the impression He had already made on the man.
He spoke of the unseen world as a place with which He was already familiar.
Jesus assured the thief that He was as influential in that world as the thief considered Him to be.
When this sinner laid on Jesus the guilt if his sin, the weight of his soul, and his concerns for eternity, Jesus accepted the burden and brought assurance to him.
He can do the same for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
He can do it for you!
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
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