Fresno Central SDA | "The Thief on the Cross" l David Giangrande

but letting it show in our lives so as we  sing all three verses let's just remember   why we're here number 152  tell me the story of jesus tell me the story of jesus   that christ was tell me the story of jesus bright on my heart all of the days he was tell me the story of jesus  right on my heart every word anguish again   me tell me the story of jesus sweetest our next song will be number 109 that's marvelous  grace 109 and we will sing all three verses oh is grace is is praise the lord for that grace and i hope you  were here for sabbath school because david shirley   was granted a grace that he by no means  deserved our next song will be number 412   and it's cover with his life number 412 and we'll  sing all four verses look upon jesus me my life is   my life crush jesus my life was is lord i accept it is whiter than snow reconciled by his death for my sin justified by his life fullness of his my life i love those words of that song because it gives  a complete message of both justification and   sanctification it's a complete message so if you  ever get a chance read the words and you'll see   the blessing of it we'll begin our opening song  which is number 183 i will sing of jesus love and   if you will please stand we'll sing that together  um all verses that's 183 i will sing of jesus love   sing of him is know is is is   you may be seated and i pray that   we can keep singing that song of jesus  love and sharing it with others bless you and happy sabbath to all of you it's wonderful  to see you in the house of the lord this morning   it is a privilege to be here i'm i'm  sad that not all of us can be here i hope you all have had a good week i heard somebody say that god's command   to keep the sabbath is like a parents  command to their children to eat ice cream it's a reluctant command because i don't know  about you but i want to keep the sabbath i need   to keep the sabbath i love the sabbath rest and  i'm praying to ever grow in my understanding of   what it means to enter the rest of god that he  offers us for our own good the lord of the sabbath   made it for us to enjoy i'm very happy to be here  and again i'm sad that not all of us can be here   we've gotten news up this week  that some of our church family   have come down with kovid becky berg and john  is uh they're sequestered at home becky's   hopefully recovering with treatment and john  is trying to stay healthy my mother-in-law has   coveted we're praying for her i saw last night  pastor our previous pastor octavian poinaru was   preaching at the loma linda romanian church  because their pastor is in the hospital with   coveted along with some of their church members so  we're keeping our local church family and extended   church family in prayers for for a speedy recovery  and and any other conditions that people may be   struggling with we have families to pray for that  have been on our list and we can never keep and   uplift our families in prayer the cervantes the  kritzer family the diaz family the isa family the   greer family the guvaya family the hinojosa family  the lilac king the kanablian family the medalla   family the matlock family the melton family the  montes family i would add to that every family   satan is attacking every family at all times  and it is by the mercies of the lord that we   can enjoy god's blessings in any form or fashion  we've all heard it before that if you're having   no problems in your life you should say what's  going on why is the devil going so easy on us why me lord why not me lord we have also scott  bear mary de leon helen excel deborah holland   janette lewis always praying for our children  and the families families with young people with   children it's a challenge to raise children  in this day and age it's a challenge for us   we want to make some changes  in our home we're praying for god to intervene there are families in our  church we're traveling our pastoral families   traveling and of course we wish them the to  enjoy and come home restored and recovered and   and may god bless them on their on their travels we're also holding our school in prayer faa  on their upcoming new year the pathfinder club   and the nominating committee that has the arduous  duty of meeting and spending hours and reflection   and contemplation and discussion and may the lord  guide them and present to them ideally everybody   should be serving in some capacity we should  all come to church with with not the consumer   attitude but with the contributing how lord how  can i contribute how can i connect better with   my church family how can we connect with each  other of i remember when we first moved here   we made friends with one family made friends  with another family made friends with another   family and we would introduce families that have  been here for 10 years and never met each other i'm not bragging that we connect but  it's it's something we should be doing   connecting with each other learning to um yeah so yeah be learn to connect with with the  lord and with each other learn to contribute and   not just to consume hey i didn't get anything out  of church today oh i'm going to try a different   church because they're offering better things  may the lord give us a health a heart for for for a healthy church attendance um we  have vbs coming up and i was hoping mrs uh mrs josie would would be here to make the  own announcement are you here by any chance   miss josie if she's not she asked us to inquire  about volunteers that are needed and if you were   able to help with the vacation bible school  if you have experience in this department   there's a meeting on sunday july 25th at 9  00 am that's tomorrow in the fellowship hall here they will meet to discuss and plan and pray   and set up for vbs and also pass out flyers  to the surrounding community and neighbors and finally we have an urgent appeal for a family  who has lost their home to a fire with three   children in the family and they need things  furniture home items anything and everything   and if you can help with donations contact  miss chrissy scott with what you can offer and before i come up pathfinders okay time to sign up for pathfinders yes that's  july 25th at 9 00 a.m at f a a and we'll skip   that one the club for all kids to learn more of  god and his gifts pathfinders is an opportunity   no child should miss out on contact miss  palmidala for more information signups   are again are tomorrow at 9am at faa which is  clashing with vbs so decide where you want to be and uh before we have our prayer i would  like to take a moment and just read psalm 103. would you allow me to read it's it's kind  of long but but i think we can do it in   under two minutes psalm 103 in the new  king james version that i happen to have of psalm of david bless the lord o my soul and all  that is within me bless his holy name bless the   lord o my soul and forget not all his benefits who  forgives all your iniquities who heals all your   diseases who redeems your life from destruction  who crowns you with loving kindness and tender   mercies who satisfies your mouth with good things  so that your youth is renewed like the eagles   the lord executes righteousness and justice  for all who are oppressed he made known his   way to moses his acts to the children of israel  the lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger   and abounding in mercy he will not always strive  with us nor will he keep his anger forever   he has not dealt with us according to our sins  nor punished us according to our iniquities   for as the heavens are high above the earth so  great is his mercy toward those who fear him   as far as the east is from the west so far has  he removed our transgressions from us as a father   pities his children so the lord pities those who  fear him for he knows our frame he remembers that   we are dust as for man his days are like grass  as a flower of the field so he flourishes for the   wind passes over it and it is gone and its place  remembers it no more but the mercy of the lord is   from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear  him and his righteousness to children's children   to such as keep his covenant and to those who  remember his commandments to do them the lord has   established his throne in heaven and his kingdom  rules over all bless the lord you his angels   who excel in strength who do his word heeding the  voice of his word bless the lord all you his hosts   you ministers of his who do his pleasure bless the  lord all his works in all places of his dominion   bless the lord o my soul amen i invite  you to kneel for prayer as you are able our gracious and kind heavenly father we  come to you this morning the sabbath morning   in prayer acknowledging your grace and  mercy toward us thanking you for the blessed   opportunity to meet in a house of worship to unite  to connect to learn from one another to learn more   about you to seek you we pray especially this  morning to prepare our hearts to to meet you   to prepare our hearts to learn what it means  to fear you father make us willing to change   and change us according to your word may we  heed your words may we heed your covenant   and learn to do it lord you've promised us so  much you've promised us healing you've promised   us mercy forgiveness of sins and to those who need  it most this morning we pray especially that your   hand be upon them on all of us to know your love  and mercy and assurance bless the speaker this   morning lord who will impart to us the words of  life thank you lord for the many messages that   we've already heard from this pulpit that  you've blessed it always with your truth   with a steady and constant biblical scriptural  truth that we've that you want to preserve continue to bless those who cannot be here  for due to sickness or any other reason   bless those who are who are struggling with  illness or with any kind of debilitating   condition bring peace to them lord and help  them to have a blessed sabbath even if they   have to be home alone and we pray that  this situation might not endure that we   can all be united if not here in heaven  we pray all these in jesus name amen and happy sabbath to all of  you and each of you and to   today our children's story is going to  be with uh teacher carol and she is not   here oh you're gonna wonderful  welcome come on up and and uh we are in for a treat so first of all let us know who this is gilbert  oh this is gilbert oh this is gilbert gilbert   is one of our soon-to-be new members we have not  met welcome gilbert thank you welcome everybody   can the children please come up uh we can sit  right here children children's story come on up all right can you sit right here when i say i say fishy you hold the grass up high in the air got it all  right when i was a young boy about seven years old   anybody here seven years old anyone a seven right  here all right here you go now let's practice   grass wave in the air when i say grass when i  say fishy let's make a fishy face fishy face   okay grass fishy there you go here you go all  right all right my father used to take me fishing   and uh i never really liked fishing but uh  he would take me and uh we would go out to   uh the san juan king river and we would fish and  they would have these ponds out there and let me   give you some a little bit of demographics there  would be these big ponds and there was a road they   went over and the ponds were connected by a big  drainage pipe and i'm talking huge and uh on this   drainage pipe would go underneath the road and  there'd be another pond and uh my dad had a secret   spot where he would fish and i would always i  didn't want to fish but he uh would take me anyway   and and he had his favorite fishing pole and his  favorite lures and one day he was trying to get   me to like fishing so he said you can use my gear  and so i was very excited but i was very nervous   and so he set me on the pipe and i was sitting  on the pipe with my feet hanging over the side   dangling and i could see the big pond and my  father told me he said i'm gonna leave and i'm   gonna leave you here i'm gonna go to my spot and  i'm gonna leave you here alone but whatever you   do do not lose my fishing pole and i said okay  dad and so i'm gonna read a really quick verse   try to put things in perspective and so uh that  you'll find this in deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 8 31 verse 8 then moses summoned joshua and said  to him in the presence of all israel be strong   and courageous for you must go with this with  this people into the land that the lord swore   to their ancestors to give them and you must  divide it among them as their inheritance   and this is where i want to get and  then the lord himself goes before you   and will be with you he will never leave nor  forsake you do not be afraid do not be discouraged   and so there i was sitting at the end  of this pipe with my feet hanging over   and uh i started to fish but where the fish  were where he told me to fish was out in the   pond so i could cast my reel and then reel it in  but there was no fish out there all the fishies   fishies fishies fish face were on the side right  where the grass was growing tall grass and uh   and my father has specifically told me do not fish  there because the the lure and the hook was going   to get stuck in the in the grass and so the longer  i fished out in the pond and every time i reeled   it in no fish but when i looked on the side the  fishy where's the fishies i would see the fishies   right next to the grass grass fishies and i really  believe those fishies were looking at me fishies   and i wanted to catch those  fishies because i could see them   but father told me do not fish in the  grass and uh as a seven eight-year-old boy   that temptation was too strong and so  what i did i threw my lure in the grass   where the fishies were fishies grass and so what  happened i got the hook stuck in the grass grass   and and i was trying to pull and pull and all  i could hear was my dad telling me i told you   not to fish in the grass and as i  got closer to the edge i slipped   and i fell and before i could fall over because  i didn't know how to swim and i was terribly   afraid i grabbed a rivet hole that was in the  pipe and that rivet hole was about this big and i was able to grab it with my finger put your  finger right there now here you are hold on tight   and there i was hanging on the side of the pipe   hold on tight with your finger and there i was  hanging and uh i was hanging there for several   minutes and i was screaming and yelling and i knew  that there was nobody that could hear me but i   knew my father was on the other side of the road  and so i screamed and yelled daddy daddy help me   and i screamed louder and louder  help me daddy help me help me   hold on don't let go huh it's pretty heavy huh  and i could feel the metal cutting into my finger   as i was hanging on the side of that pipe with  nobody there and i held on the other hand with to   the fishing pole i didn't want to let it go and  as i yelled and i screamed daddy daddy help me   you see i didn't scream anybody else's name but  i knew my father was there and right when i was   gonna let go because i had been hanging there for  at least a couple of minutes i remember my father   running i heard the footsteps him running at him  grabbing me by my wrist and pulling me up and so   my message today to the children and to  us he will never leave us or forsake us   a lot of times where we don't see him and a  lot of times we feel like we're hanging by one   finger and we're ready to give up and there's  nobody around and nobody can see us hanging but when we call out to the lord father  help me just like that blind beggar   jesus thou son of david have mercy on me and so children fishies grass never forget that whenever  you're alone or you need help   to call on the lord and he will be there for you  thank you very much happy sabbath okay kitties foreign oh okay um   when it feels like the dark  lingers longer than the night when the shadows feel like giants are you  chasing me down tell me where could i run there's no hiding from your love lord you're with me the way it  goes should i rise or should i fall you're too good to let me your mercy waits at every end like you planned it from the start should the dawn come with wings  or find me for sight of the sea there your hand still fastens  me ever closer to your heart   should i rise or should i fall even  so would your mercy isn't even full   should i rise or should i fall  you were faithful through it all you're too good to let me go you surround me the way it goes should advise  or should i fall lord you're with me through and you're too good to let me go wow that was beautiful that was wonderful   i always enjoy hearing the young folks  sing and play thank you thank you well i see some i see some deacons and they have this look  on their face like we have no purpose in life so i'm going to ask them to  stand up and take up an offering and we'll have a word of prayer lord jesus thank you so much for this beautiful  day and thank you for giving us an opportunity   to share in this work of spreading the  gospel to this world i pray that the funds   received will bless others and that your  soon coming will be even sooner because of   the work that's been done we thank you for  hearing our voice we pray jesus name amen so so so thank you adriana for playing the piano if you  hadn't gotten up i'd have to go back there and   play my recorder and you really wouldn't  want to hear me just playing by myself   i'd like to say it's a great privilege to be  here in this pulpit i've heard wonderful sermons   in the past by some wonderful speakers  like see raymond holmes herbert douglas   pastor bora for many years the local pastors  here i'm hoping that today will be no exception   before we begin let's have a word of prayer   lord jesus again we thank you for an opportunity  to be in your house of worship and to open up your   holy word to see those things that are written  therein for us today i pray that your spirit   would be here among us that you would open up  our minds help us to see help us to hear help   us to understand and help us to determine in our  hearts to do that which is right at all times amen i woke up this morning at 3 00 am with the with  the impression that i needed to preface my remarks   with a couple of bible verses so i wanted to  read the first one which is ezekiel chapter 18   and we're starting with verse 26. when a righteous  man turns away from his righteousness and commits   iniquity and dieth in them for his iniquity that  he hath done shall he die again when the wicked   man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath  committed and doeth that which is lawful and right   he will save his soul alive because he considereth  and turneth away from all his transgressions   that he hath committed he shall surely live he  shall not die yet saith the house of israel the   ways of the lord are not equal o house of israel  are not my ways equal are not your ways unequal   therefore i will judge you o house of  israel every one according to his ways   saith the lord god repent and turn yourselves  from your transgressions so iniquity shall not   be your ruin cast away from you all your  transgressions whereby ye have transgressed   and make you a new heart and a new spirit for  why will ye die o house of israel for i have no   pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the  lord god wherefore turn yourselves and live ye and   the death that he's talking about there is  the death the second death that's referred   to in the book of revelation in chapter 2 and in  chapter 20. there's no resurrection from that one   so this these verses show us the mercy of god for  those who are repentant but it also shows justice   for the indifferent and   reminds me of hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3 how  shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation back in the month of may when pastor gover asked  me to preach while he was on vacation i began   thinking about what god wanted me to present and  as time went by i was very impressed to examine   the story of the thief on the cross the account of  the thief on the cross troubled me for a long time   i remember hearing that to go to heaven  required obedience and forgiveness is vital but   we we're we're supposed to behave ourselves  if we profess to be followers of of jesus   then there were people who would say that well  works have nothing to do with your salvation   uh salvation is a free gift and works would  smack of legalism after all the thief on the   cross was assured salvation he was forgiven and  then he died no works of righteousness there   so i was i was puzzled did the thief get a  free pass no works required then what about us   was there some kind of a double standard there  we have to struggle for years and this guy   lives a criminal existence and then right at  the last second asks for forgiveness and gets in   and i remember thinking that all i  would have to do was to make sure   that when jesus appeared in the clouds of  heaven that i would shout to him forgive me   jesus and then he would forgive me just before  lifting me into the clouds but then we were told   that we need time to build a righteous character  and that wouldn't happen instantly plus the bible   tells us that probation closes before the plagues  fall and character building has to be done by then   solomon wrote in the book of ecclesiastes  chapter 12 and verse 13 let us hear the   conclusion of the whole matter fear god and keep  his commandments for this is the whole duty of man   for god shall bring every work into judgment  with every secret thing whether it be good   or whether it be evil and the apostle paul  in second corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10   says for we and he's talking about  the professed people of god we must   all appear before the judgment seat of christ  that everyone may receive the things done in   his body according to that he hath done whether it  be good or bad in the book of daniel in chapter 7   we get a look at that judgment it says in chapter  7 verse 9 i beheld till the thrones were set down   and the ancient of days did sit whose garment  was white as snow and the hair of his head   like the pure wool his throne was like the  fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire   a fiery stream issued and came before him and  thousands thousands ministered before unto him   and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before  him the judgment was set and the books were opened   and i beheld in the night vision and behold one  like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven   and came to the ancient of days and they brought  him near unto him and there was given him   dominion and glory and a kingdom and all peoples  nations and language should serve him his dominion   is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass  away and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed   so daniel 7 tells us that this judgment occurs  before the eternal kingdom is set up as it   names all the obedient subjects who will serve  jesus and his father for the rest of eternity the pre-advent judgment shows who developed a holy  character it shows who like enoch walked with god   on this earth no surprises among the  inhabitants of the unfallen worlds   as to who is resurrected from the dead when jesus  returns to the earth they along with the angels   have observed the whole process and the bible  tells us that we are saved by grace and we're   judged by our works our works reveal if we allow  the grace of jesus to complete its work in us   all those who will be resurrected when christ  returns to the earth will have had the born-again   experience so the question comes did the thief  on the cross experience the new birth bible tells   us that jesus was crucified between two thieves  both convicted criminals were filled with regret   one was regretful because he had been  caught and was being punished for his   crime but it seems that the other was experiencing  something much deeper let's read a little bit   about the born-again experience in the book  desire of ages and we're going to start   in the place where jesus meets nicodemus  at night this is from john chapter 3.   this jesus continued that which is born of  the flesh is flesh and that which is born of   the spirit is spirit and by flesh he means our  own natural tendencies when he's saying spirit   he's talking about those things that make us like  jesus christ by nature the heart is evil and who   can bring a clean thing out of an unclean  not one that's from job chapter 14 verse 4.   no human invention can find a remedy for  the sinning soul the carnal mind is enmity   against god for it is not subject to  the law of god neither indeed can be   out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murders  adulteries fornications thefts false witness   blasphemies you'll recognize those verses  from romans 8 7 and matthew 15 verse 19.   then she says the fountain of the heart must  be purified before the streams can become pure   he who is trying to reach heaven by his own works  in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility   there is no safety for one who has merely  a legal religion a form of godliness   in other words just walking into church sitting  down and singing the songs and smiling at people   doesn't make you a christian that's just a  good act i mean it may be a good act okay   the christian's life is not a modification   or improvement of the old but a transformation of  nature there is a death to self and sin and a new   life altogether this change can be brought about  only by the effectual working of the holy spirit   nicodemus was still perplexed and jesus  used the wind to illustrate his meaning   the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou  hearst the sound thereof but thou canst   not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth  so is everyone that is born of the spirit   the wind is heard among the branches of the  trees rustling the leaves and flowers yet it is   invisible no one knows whence it comes or  whether it goes so with the work of the holy   spirit upon the heart a person may not be able  to tell the exact time or place or to trace all   the circumstances in the process of conversion  but this does not prove him to be unconverted   by an agency as unseen as the wind christ  is constantly working upon the heart little by little perhaps unconsciously  to the receiver impressions are made   that tend to draw the soul to  christ these may be received through meditating upon him through   reading the scriptures or through  hearing the word from the living preacher suddenly as the spirit comes with  more direct appeal the soul gladly   surrenders itself to christ by many  this is called sudden conversion   but notice but it is the result of long wooing  by the spirit of god a patient protracted process while the wind is itself invisible it  produces effects that are seen and felt   so the work of the spirit upon the soul will  reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its   saving power when the spirit of god takes  possession of the heart it transforms the life sinful thoughts are put away evil deeds are  renounced love humility and peace take the place   of anger envy and strife joy takes the place of  sadness and the countenance reflects the light of   heaven no one sees the hand that lifts the burden  or beholds the light descend from the courts above   the blessing comes when by faith the soul  surrenders itself to god then that power   which no human eye can see creates a new being in  the image of god isn't that wonderful man anyway   so what about the thief on the cross did  he experience the new birth now during the   time in during that time in the land of palestine  there was great expectation of the coming messiah   the prophetic clock as written in the book of  daniel indicated clearly that the time had come   john the baptist and jesus both publicly  stated that the time was at hand   but as we know a common misunderstanding and  misguided hope was that the hebrew nation would   accomplish a military  conquest over the roman power   there were self-appointed zealous individuals who  would take it upon themselves to recruit people to   fight against the roman soldiers that patrolled  the land and these adventures always ended badly   no doubt the young man who was crucified with  jesus that day had been familiar with all this   he was awaiting execution for crimes against  society he was sentenced to die by crucifixion   which was a cruel shameful and torturous death it  was about the worst death that anyone could have   to deal with it's terrible a scourging came before  the crucifixion to increase the pain of the ordeal   so he'd whip you in your back with this whip  that would tear your skin apart tear your flesh the flesh on the back was ripped open by the  scourge and then aggravated by the wood of the   cross as as it rubbed against the body and if that  wasn't bad enough as a jew the thief understood   from the writings of moses that to be hung on a  tree was to be subject to the curse of jehovah   if you were going to be punished for a crime  there was always the possibility that god would   show mercy to the condemned but if you were hung  on a tree there was no hope of redemption it must   have been terribly discouraging to be sitting in  a cell knowing that this was an inescapable fate   certainly evil angels were pressing upon  him the hopelessness of his situation   and discouragement is one of satan's  most effective tools to seal people   in hopelessness let's take a closer look  again by reading from desire of ages to jesus in his agony on the cross there came  one gleam of comfort and it was the prayer of   the penitent thief both of the men who were  crucified with jesus had at first railed upon him   and this is one of the things that i find  a little bit puzzling as i was studying   in matthew 27 starting with verse 41 it  says likewise also the chief priests mocking   jesus with the scribes and the elders said  he saved others himself he cannot save   if he be the king of israel let him come down  now from the cross and we will believe him   he trusted in god let him deliver him now if he  will have him for he said i am the son of god   the thieves also which were crucifies  with him cast the same in his teeth   no doubt satan's evil angels were working  intensely to get these two doomed men to   seal themselves in a lost condition and perhaps  the men were hoping jesus would miraculously   liberate himself from the situation and if he did  hoped that he would free them as well it was sour   for the punishment of their transgressions which  prompted their misguided hopes obviously it was   their sinful flesh their selfish mind set that  prompted the recorded outburst okay so continuing both men who had been crucified  with jesus had at first railed   on him and one under his suffering  only became more desperate and defiant   but not so with his companion this  man was not a hardened criminal he had   now notice this one closely he had been led astray  by evil associations but he was less guilty than   many of those who stood beside the cross reviling  the savior he had seen and heard jesus and had   been convicted by his teaching but he had been  turned away from him by the priests and rulers   seeking to stifle conviction he had plunged  deeper and deeper into sin until he was arrested   tried as a criminal and condemned to die on  the cross so this young man had heard jesus   teaching and he noticed it didn't sound like  what was popular with the people at that time   according to jesus the conquest was spiritual  not military well he wanted clarification   so he did what was logical if jesus was not  around he went to the rabbis and the teachers   he figured the experts would be able to explain  it to him and what they told him was unexpected   and disheartening if the educated experts didn't  believe jesus was the messiah perhaps they were   right and so his path took a really tragic turn  in the judge okay continuing with desire of ages   in the judgment hall and on the way to  calvary he had been in the company with jesus   he had heard pilate declare i find no  fault in him john chapter 19 verse 4   he had marked his god-like bearing and his pitying  forgiveness for his tormentors on the cross he   sees the many great religious religionists shoot  out the tongue with scorn and ridicule jesus when somebody sticks out their tongue all  dignity is gone it looks really bad and destroys   one's credibility and here the teachers of the  people are behaving that way shameful he sees   continuing he sees the wagging heads he hears  the upgraded upgrading speeches taken up by his   companions in guilt if thou be the christ save  thyself and us notice if casting doubt among   the passersby he hears many defending jesus he  hears them repeat his words and tell of his works the conviction comes back to  him that this is the christ turning to his fellow criminal he says dost  thou not fear god seeing thou art in the same   condemnation the dying thieves have no longer  anything to fear from man but upon one of them   presses the conviction that there is a god  to fear a future to cause him to tremble   and now all sin polluted as it is his life  history is about to close and we just indeed   justly he moans for we receive the due reward of  our deeds but this man hath done nothing amiss   there is no question now there  are no doubts no reproaches   when condemned for his crime the thief had  become hopeless and despairing but strange   tender thoughts now spring up he calls  to mind all that he has heard of jesus   how he has healed the sick and pardoned sin he  has heard the words of those who believed in jesus   and followed him weeping he has seen and  read the title above the savior's head he has heard the pastors by repeat it  some with greek grieved quivering lips   others with jesting and mockery the holy spirit  illuminates his mind and little by little the   chain of evidence is joined together in jesus  bruised mocked and hanging upon the cross he   sees the lamb of god that taketh away  the sin of the world hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless  dying soul casts himself upon a dying savior lord remember me he cries when thou  comest into thy kingdom now i think this   is the moment when the spirit of god makes a very  direct appeal this man sees the bleeding form of   jesus and recognizes this is what the countless  sacrificial lambs represented and he dared to hope   that the mercy of this dying messiah was stronger  than the curse of god did he surrender yes he did   he didn't have much at that point in his life  but what he had he laid at the feet of jesus   just as jacob when he realized that he had been  wrestling with the one who had come to comfort him   clung to jesus and would not let go so this young  thief calls upon jesus in penitent surrender   quickly the answer came soft continuing again  with desire of ages quickly the answer came soft   and melodious the tone full of love compassion  and power the words verily i say unto thee today   thou shalt be with me in paradise for long hours  of agony reviling and mockery have fallen upon   the ears of jesus as he hangs upon the cross  there floats up to him still the sound of jeers   and curses with longing heart he has listened  for some expression of faith from his disciples he has heard only the mournful words we trusted  that it had been he which should have redeemed   israel how grateful then to the savior was the  utterance of faith and love from the dying thief   while the leading jews deny him and  even his disciples doubt his divinity   the poor thief upon the brink  of eternity calls jesus lord many were ready to call him lord when he wrought  miracles and after he had risen from the grave   but none acknowledged him as he  hung dying upon the cross except   the penitent thief who was saved at  the eleventh hour the bystanders caught   the words as the thief called jesus lord and the  tone of the repentant man arrested their attention   those who at the foot of the cross have  been quarreling over christ's garments   and casting lots upon his vesture stopped  to listen their angry tones were hushed and   with baited breath they looked upon christ and  waited for the response from those dying lips   as he spoke the words of promise the dark cloud  that seemed to enshroud the cross was pierced by a   bright and living light to the penitent thief came  the perfect piece of acceptance with god christ in   his humiliation was glorified and all he who in  all other's eyes appeared to be conquered was a   conqueror he was acknowledged as the sin bearer  men may exercise power over his human body they   may pierce the holy temples with a crown of thorn  they may strip from him his raiment and quarrel   over its division but they cannot rob him of his  power to forgive sins in dying he bears testimony   to his own divinity and to the glory of the  father his ear is not heavy that it cannot hear neither his arm shortened that it cannot save  it is his royal right to save to the uttermost   all who come to god by him i say unto thee  today thou shalt be with me in paradise   christ did not promise that the thief should  be with him in paradise that very day for he   himself did not go to paradise he slept  in the tomb and on the morning of the   resurrection he said i am not yet ascended  to my father john chapter 20 verse 17. but   on the day of the crucifixion the  day of apparent defeat and darkness   the promised was given today while dying  upon the cross as a malfactor christ   assures the poor sinner thou shalt be with me  in paradise you know some argue about the comma   some scholars point out that jesus never said  today i say unto thee anywhere else in scripture   so they don't want to believe that he said  it in this instance but this is the perfect   place for him to say it he is at the most  extreme situation in his entire ministry   he is a prisoner he is totally restrained he  cannot move but even in this apparent helpless   position no one can prevent him from saving a  sinner from destruction christ is triumphant continuing the thieves crucified  with jesus were placed on either   on either side one and jesus in the midst this was  done by the direction of the priests and rulers   christ's position between the thieves was to  indicate that he was the greatest criminal of   the three thus was fulfilled the scripture  he was numbered with the transgressors   isaiah 53 verse 12. but the full meaning of their  act the priests did not see as jesus crucified   with the thieves was placed in the midst so  his cross was placed in the midst of a world   lying in sin and the words of pardon spoken  to the penitent thief kindled a light that   will shine to the earth's remotest bounds  and brothers and sisters it's shining today   with amazement the angels beheld the infinite  love of jesus who's suffering the most intense   agony of mind and body thought only of others  and encourage the penitent soul to believe   in his humiliation he as a prophet he as a  prophet had addressed the daughters of jerusalem   as a priest and advocate he had pleaded  with the father to forgive his murderers   and as a loving savior he had forgiven  the sins of the penitent thief so can we say that the penitent  thief on the cross was forgiven   we can say that he was born again from above  he received a precious promise from jesus that   he would be not cursed of god but saved in the  eternal kingdom but did he have an opportunity   but did he have an opportunity to walk the walk   this would be examined what okay what  would be examined in the judgment   to show definitively that the experience was  genuine some people in christianity think that   being forgiven is all that's required but this  is a serious misunderstanding of the gospel   at best and a lie of the devil at worst it's  right up there with thou shalt not surely die   think about it just to be forgiven doesn't really  make sense imagine your first day in heaven   and you're in your new mansion for the  first time and you think who will i be   living next to for the rest of eternity so  you go next door to meet your new neighbor   you knock on the door and this sinister  looking individual opens the door   you identify yourself and you ask  for his name and he says lucifer lucifer you mean like the devil and he  says yeah that's me wow what a surprise how did you get here i didn't  think you'd be allowed in   and he says jesus forgave me that's it remember  christians aren't perfect just forgiven would you feel happy and safe  knowing that this individual   is your next door neighbor  for the rest of eternity being forgiven won't make him any less of a devil  than he already is and just being forgiven won't   change us either it takes the power of god working  in our hearts and minds as we walk with christ   the disciples walked with christ during his  ministry on earth and it changed them well   it changed them somewhat just before his arrest  jesus told peter that he needed to be converted   but they were really changed completely   by walking individually with christ through  his spirit after his ascension to heaven   it was the indwelling christ that made them  kind compassionate loving leaders of the church in john chapter 6 we read the  words of jesus starting in verse 53   then jesus said unto them verily verily i say unto  you except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and   drink his blood ye have no life in you whosoever  eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal   life and i will raise him up at the last day for  my flesh is meat and deed and my blood is drink   indeed he that eateth my flesh and drinketh  my blood dwelleth in me and i in him notice   as the living father hath sent  me and i live by the father   so he that eateth me even he shall live by me  this is that bread which came down from heaven   verse 58. now did jesus want his  followers to be eating his physical body   of course not it was the word of truth that he  spoke that was supposed to be internalized by   his hearers and in verse 63 he clarifies it is the  spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing   the words that i speak to you  they are spirit and they are life   when we desire to know his will for us his spirit  will enlighten our minds in john chapter 17   in his prayer to his father he explains further  starting in verse 20 he says neither pray i   for these alone meaning his disciples but for them  also which shall believe on me through their word   that they all may be one as thou  father art in me and i in thee   that they also may be one in us that the  world may believe that thou has sent me   and the glory which thou gavest me i have given  them that they may be one even as we are one okay to be one with christ is to have the mind  of christ christ speaks to our minds he is in   us by that internal connection jesus was in his  father and his father was in him how was that done   by the connection that each had with with the  other through the mind eating the manna was a   symbol of internalizing the truth of god which  ends up in our mind the disciples grasped it   after jesus ascended to heaven then they were  able to experience the comforting presence of   their lord and savior wherever they might be  even if they were all in 12 different places   they could hear his voice  through reading the scriptures   they could hear his word when a holy angel  was sent from heaven to whisper in their ear   and they could hear his voice when he spoke to  them internally and the good news is so can we this also this is from acts of the apostles  page 29. christ did not tell his disciples   that their work would be easy he showed them the  vast confederacy of evil or raid against them   they would have to fight against principalities  against powers against the rulers of darkness   of this world against spiritual wickedness  in high places that's from ephesians 6 12   but they would not be left to fight alone  he assured them that he would be with them   and that if they would go forth in faith they  should move under the shield of omnipotence   he bade them be strong be brave for one  mightier than angels would be in their   ranks the general of the armies of heaven  he made full provision for the prosecution   of their work and took upon himself the  responsibility of his of its success   so long as they obeyed his word  and worked in connection with him   they could not fail go to all nations he bade them  go to the farthest part of the habitable globe   and be assured that my presence will  be with you even there labor in faith   and confidence for the time will never come  when i will forsake you i will be with you   always helping you to perform your duty  guiding comforting sanctifying sustaining   you giving you success in speaking words that  shall draw the attention of others to heaven   these are the words of jesus to his disciples  and we can take them as words to us as well today we arranged for alex ortega to  present a series on the five steps   of grace moving through the sanctuary  at our church in brooklyn back in 1992   as he was bringing across the necessity of works  of righteousness in the life one of our brothers   raised his hand now i knew that he had been  influenced by the idea that works have nothing   to do with your salvation and he was thinking  specifically about the thief on the cross   so alex stopped when he saw the raised  hand and invited him to ask his question   he said i accept christ and  then i die what's my future alex said you don't have a future you're dead some of us chuckled at that unexpected response  but alex quickly followed up with an explanation   i'm not being facetious to die in christ is  all right but none of us are dead yet we still   have our lives to live none of us in that  room were hanging on a cross awaiting death   the seminar was to teach us how to be overcomers  dying was relatively easy walking the walk every   day was more challenging so we see that the thief  didn't end up on that cross by cohen coincidence   god drew him god drew him in spite of his many  bad choices and he finally came to the place   where he surrendered his heart and mind to  christ lord remember me then what happened he still lived after he was forgiven grace had to complete its  work the finish didn't take long because of the   work that had gone on before in preparation and  i want i want to say that again because we need   to understand when that thief was on the cross  there was a lot of history that went before him   the finish didn't take long because of the work  that had gone on before in preparation what   does god use in preparation he can use anything  and anyone to draw our minds in his direction   he can use our friends he can use our family he  can use our boss he can use what we had for supper   he can use our spouse everything god can use to  try to draw our minds to see some things that   he wants us to see and god was drawing him  when he heard jesus and he was impressed but   he got sidetracked by the rabbis and lost his way  but on that cross he surrendered himself to christ   and the work of character building began again  where it had left off that's vital to understand   yes grace had to complete its work he didn't  live very much longer but here is the vital   lesson for us today whatever he had left he gave  it all to christ there was no account of this man   cursing swearing or sinning during the time that  jesus makes that promise to him after that time he watched jesus his constant thought was  that's my lord he saw jesus receive the   abuse of those who hated him but he loved  jesus he saw jesus breathe his last breath   and at that point he clung to the promise that  jesus had given him regardless of the pain and   abuse that he received his mind was on jesus just  like jacob when he wrestled just like saul on the   damascus road he had met jesus and now jesus was  his focus he was making no plans to sin next week no plans to sin the next day no plans to sin  the next hour all he wanted to do was please   his lord the pain was excruciating but his mind  was stayed on jesus and he died in peace isaiah 26   3 thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind  is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee when we meet jesus and we surrender to  his love then we will focus that same way   you ask the angel gabriel what is his greatest joy  and he'll say something like oh i love to please   my lord whatever he asks me to do i love to do  it think back to the day that you were baptized   when you woke up that morning and remembered  today is the day you were careful because   you wanted to please jesus that day and you  know something you did please jesus that day you can do it again you can start tomorrow and  then you can do it again the day after and again   and again and again purpose in your heart to  please him make every day your new baptism day   say lord today let's walk together and help  me to please you and he will let's pray lord jesus again we thank you for showing us that you are mighty to save you can save to the uttermost no matter what  we've been through no matter what we've done   no matter how bad things may look your arm is not short that it cannot  save and pull us out of that hole   you can lift us up dust us off and give us  new life new hearts new attitudes so that   we can please you love you and serve you bless  us to that end we pray amen we're going to sing   our closing song right now that's 3 10 i would  draw nearer to jesus let's all stand and sing constantly trying to serve him safely nothing withholding from him knowing he loves i i would draw differ to him i would draw nearer  to jesus seeking his strength to be true i will foreign may that be our prayer till our last breath  or the day jesus comes you may be seated

Channel: Fresno Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

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Id: BsuykHAvtLU

Length: 96min 35sec (5795 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 25 2021