Some Truths From A Dishonest Man 6-22-25 AM

I.        We need to fear God (Lu. 23:40).

a.      These two men were both hanging on crosses in terrible pain.

b.      One of them continued to harass Jesus.

           i.      Luke 23:38 mentions that superscription attached to the cross of Jesus.

           ii.      The next verse contains the jab of the criminal telling Jesus that if He were truly the Messiah He could save Himself as well as the thieves.

c.       After seeing all that was going on and hearing what Jesus had said up to this point, the other criminal had enough.

           i.      Again, we don’t know what clicked in his mind.

           ii.      He had seen and heard enough to draw the conclusion that Jesus was different than them and was who He said He was.

d.      Since he had come to realize that Jesus was the Messiah, he realized that to be mocking Jesus was to show a lack of reverence for God.

e.      When you look at the lives of people today, you see a lot of lack of reverence for God, which is what fear in this verse means.

f.        Long ago the Preacher said man is whole when he fears God and keeps His commandments (Ecc. 12:13).

g.      Instead, our society shows a lack of reverence by their actions and words (Ps. 36:1).

h.      Notice Romans 3:12-18.

           i.      This rings true in our time today.

           ii.      All around us are those who do not reverence God.

i.        This dishonest man stated a bold truth to his companion – you need to fear God.

j.        All today need to have a reverence for God as well and we, as His people, have to exemplify that to all others.

II.       We deserve our condemnation (Lu. 23:40-41).

a.      These two men deserved the punishment they were enduring.

b.      Crucifixion was reserved for those who had committed severe crimes.

           i.      Stealing from houses was not a crime punishable by death.

           ii.      When you read about Rome putting people to death by crucifixion, it was often because of some crime against Rome in some way.

c.       Whatever these two men had done, it had to have been severe and viewed by Roman law as a crime against the state.

d.      The criminal speaking did not deny he had done something wrong.

           i.      He said that they were receiving the due reward of their deeds.

           ii.      What they had done was worthy of the punishment they were receiving.

e.      The truth is we all are in this situation (Rom. 6:23).

f.        None of us are free from sin.

g.      Rom. 3:10, 23.

h.      Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2).

           i.      Being separated from God is spiritual death.

           ii.      That is what we deserve because we’ve all sinned.

i.        Rom. 5:12.

j.        James 1:14-15.

k.      This dishonest man knew that he deserved the punishment he was receiving.

l.        We deserve punishment because we have all sinned.

III.     Jesus was sinless (Luke 23:41).

a.      The criminal had just stated that he and his companion were getting what they deserved because of their actions.

b.      He then stated that Jesus had done nothing amiss, or, as all newer translations say, nothing wrong.

c.       Jesus was perfect, sinless in action all His life.

           i.      The Old Testament prophesied this would be the case (Isa. 53:9).

           ii.      Numerous New Testament verses teach this fact (2 Cor. 5:20-21; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Pet. 2:21-22;  Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5).

d.      This criminal knew that the charges against Jesus were not true.

           i.      Pilate had known this as well (John 19:4).

           ii.      Only envy had delivered Jesus into this predicament (Mk. 15:10).

e.      I don’t know for sure that the man understood that Jesus was perfectly sinless His whole life.

           i.      Jesus knew that He was (John 8:29).

           ii.      We don’t know for sure what this man fully knew.

f.        This dishonest man did know and was willing to state that Jesus was sinless in this regard and we know He was sinless in every aspect.

IV.    Jesus would receive a kingdom (Luke 23:42).

a.      He states his request as if he knew it was an absolute fact that Jesus would receive a kingdom.

b.      How did He know about the kingdom?

           i.      Remember, if what we stated in the introduction is true, this man knew the Old Testament.

           ii.      He knew the promise of God to David in 2 Sam. 7.

           iii.      He knew what Isaiah wrote about the coming one (Isa. 9:6-7).

           iv.      He knew what Danial wrote about the kingdom (Dan. 2:44; Dan 7:13-14).

c.      This man believed that Jesus was the Messiah and he knew the Messiah was to receive a kingdom.

d.      An angel spoke to Mary about the kingdom her Son would have (Luke 1:33).

e.      Jesus spoke about His coming kingdom:

           i.      Matt. 16:18-19.

           ii.      Mark 9:1.

           iii.      All the parables about the kingdom of heaven are about the kingdom He would receive.

           iv.      Jesus told people to repent because the kingdom was near.

           v.      Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36).

f.        The apostles spoke about the kingdom being in existence after His ascension into heaven.

           i.      Rom. 14:17;

           ii.      1 Cor. 4:20.

           iii.      Col. 1:13.

           iv.      Heb. 12:28.

g.      There are those today who teach that Jesus does not have a kingdom yet.

            i.      With all the things going on in Israel, this is becoming more and more prevalent.

            ii.      Our premillennial friends have been teaching this false doctrine for a long time.

h.      This dishonest man told the truth that Jesus was going to have a kingdom.

V.      Only Jesus allows you into His kingdom (Luke 23:42).

a.      This man requested Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom.

            i.      He didn’t ask anyone else.

            ii.      He knew it was the kingdom of Jesus and not anyone else.

b.      Only Jesus is the way into the kingdom (John 14:6).

c.       Many people today are citizens in some other kingdom than that of Jesus.

           i.      They are trying to get to God through man-made ways.

           ii.      They are trying to get to God through some other man that Jesus.

d.      It is only the kingdom of Jesus that will be delivered up to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24).

e.      Jesus is the only way to salvation (Acts 4:12).

f.        No other name and no other person can allow us into the kingdom that will be delivered to the Father.

g.      Because Jesus is the only one who allows you into His kingdom, we have to follow His commands to do so.

           i.      Jesus died for the church (Acts 20:28).

           ii.      Therefore, Jesus has the right to set the terms of entrance into it.

h.      We have to listen to His word (Matt. 11:5).

i.        We have to believe Jesus is God’s Son (John 8:24).

j.        We have to repent of our sins (Luke 13:3, 5).

k.      We have to confess Jesus as Lord (Matt. 10:32-33).

l. We have to be baptized (Mark 16:16).