Notes from a taped Sermon by Harold Paisley
Reading: Matthew 27 verses 42 - 45; Mark 15 verses 25 - 28; Luke 23 verses 38 - 45; John 19 verses 32 - 34
The Thieves that were crucified at Calvary
First in Matthew`s Gospel something is said that is said that is not in the other gospels. When they were crucified side by side with the Lord Jesus they joined with the company that was there, the thieves began to rail on him. "The thieves cast the same in his teeth." (verse 44)
In Mark we find they were not there by accident - God intervenes in the affairs of men. God directed that these 2 men would be brought, to be crucified by the side of the Saviour and the scripture is proven true. "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors" (verse 28)
Thirdly we notice what transpired at Calvary. As the day wore on we find that one of these men changed his whole attitude. The other one continued to rail upon the Saviour and to mock the Saviour even in the hour of death.
That conversion was a patterned conversion. The change of mind he had and the reliance alone on Christ to take him to heaven without right or ceremony depending only on the merits of the Lord who died on the tree.
In John 19 we notice the difference between the death of the Saviour and the death of these men. No man took the life of the Saviour, he was dead already when they came but they did not break his legs. They brake the legs of these thieves, they died asphyxiated on the cross. As soon as their legs were broken their lungs filled with blood and they went into eternity. One left that tree of shame and cursing for paradise and the other one left that tree of shame and suffereing to suffer the vengeance of hell itself. The Saviour gave up his own life. God put a fence around the precious body of the Saviour and no man could brake his legs at all. He was the type of that paschal lamb, no bone of him was broken. In the human hand there are 28 bones, in the feet there 27 bones but not one of them was broken when the soldiers nailed him to the tree. It would be impossible to place a nail in the palm of a mans hand and drive it through and into the wooden cross without even breaking a tiny bone. This part of our anatomy has more bones than any other part of the body. They crossed the feet of Jesus and they drove the largest nail through both the feet, one nail going through both the feet nailing him to the cross yet not a bone broken even though 54 were available. God preserved the bones of the Saviour, if one bone had been broken he would not have been a Saviour at all. It is interesting that while the tiny bones were preserved when the nails were driven in that it seemed that the thigh bones are going to be broken, the largest bones in the human body and they came to break the legs and they broke 4 thigh bones but when they came to him they brake not his bones. As we see the Saviour hanging on the cross we see the pre-eminence and the uniqueness of the Saviour - that he was there for you and me. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Remember what they said at the cross "come down from the cross and we will believe on thee". In other words they mocked him. There was a man that didn`t come down from the cross. He believed without seeing him coming down from the cross but he believed he would come down and he would rise again. He believed he would be a king and reign over the universe and so he applied to this one who would die and rise again for salvation. Salvation is found in one person, you will never find it in an ordinance, even a scripture ordinance and you will never find it in a religion and you will never find it joining anything, there is only one way you will ever be saved and that is coming as a lost weak helpless sinner. This man can do no works at all but he can rest on Christ, the one who will rise again and have eternal life. God will not save anyone against his own will, he must come and take the message of salvation by himself.
In Matthew 27 we see 2 men and they have been taken out of the prison in the morning and they had walked by the Saviour to Golgotha. One of them followed him to Calvary but also into eternity with him, followed him all the way. We read that the thieves showed their enmity, not just one of them but they both were at enmity with God`s son. One of the things that sin has done to human nature is this - there is an enmity in our heart. Some people are able to hide it, sin has not only brought guilt but sin has brought enmity in hearts against God. Nothing can remove it, no reformation, not even hell fire. You have often heard people say "if those who are in hell were allowed out tomorrow they would repent." No - when a sinner goes to hell he becomes more bitter. There is only one thing that can remove enmity - the blood of Christ. A sight of Calvary changes a mans nature, changes his whole outlook for time and eternity. Enmity in the human breast took men to martyrdom. Enmity in the hearts of men of Acts 7 stoned Stephen and even Paul was there watching it, he was in bitter hatred, he hated Christianity and he hated the gospel. And all men that are unsaved have a hatred towards the fact that they have to own up that they are a guilty sinner and that is the toughtest thing for a man to admity. Here these thieves began in the same way. Romans 3 verse 23 "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We all started on the same road, everyone is guilty yet sinners can be redeemed and changed. People will see that change immediately. There is a sweetness that fills the heart of a man that knows the Lord. The gospel is sweet to believers.
When we come to Mark`s gospel we see God is working behind the scenes. These 2 men are lying in a prison and suddenly they are told to arise and get on their garments because this is the day you are going to die. Can you imagine that? Was this a mistake? No - "he was numbered with the transgressors." These 2 men walked with him and the bible was being fulfilled. The bible is true. As they walked along that road up to Calvary these 2 men were fulfilling the scriptures, he was numbered with the transgressors that day. There they hanged one on the right hand and one on the left. This man is in heaven today, he is glad he was one of them that was called out at the beginning of the day. He was in his sins that morning. He was in Christ in the middle of the day. He is heaven at the end of the day.
Luke 23 at the cross a man has written and placed an inscription over the cross. It was written by the man who signed the death warrant of the Saviour. Why did Pilate write this and why did he write it in 3 languages? This cross was a T shaped cross and over the head of the Saviour these words were written "This is the king of the Jews." That tells the shame and the glory of the Saviour. This man is writing about the sufferings of Christ he never appreciated and the glories that yet awaited him. While he wears the thorns upon his temples and hangs alone upon a tree with his hands outstretched to save, those hands will rule the universe, that pierced hand will one day have the sceptre in his hand of dominion and upon the head with thorns that is bowed will wear the diadem of authority of the glorified Christ. How can he rise to be a king? Because God will bring him from the tomb and exalt him finally as king of kings. Here`s a man hanging and dying - how did he know he would have a kingdom? He is reading that inscription. It is interesting that PIlate was a man who changed his mind to please the multitude, when his wife said don`t do anything with this just man that he didn`t observe her and when the crowd said crucify him he allowed the crowd to change his mind. Pilate knew that Christ was not worthy of death but the crowd made up his mind but they didn`t change that writing. That writing is a display, is written by the hands of a sinner, is a dispaly of the glories of Christ and the greatness of a Saviour it hangs on. All the letters of the universe are represented. Here`s a dying thief and he looks at Christ`s attitude, he beheld his sinlessness. You will never be saved untill you realise Christ was the only sinless one that was ever in this world. Modernism denies the sinless character and states he might have sinned. The Saviour could never have sinned. "this man has done nothing amiss" this thief recognises this man is different from all other men. He is certainly different from me, we receive what we deserve. Every man that goes to hell will acknowledge he is receving what he deserves. My sins deserve eternal death and every man at the judgement day will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and as he goes to the final destiny he will acknowledge "I am receiving the due reward of my deeds". The thief saw a sinless man dying there and he began to rebuke the other thief "doest thou not fear God?" He believed he would meet with God. Do you believe you will meet God? Do you believe that one day you will stand before God to give an account of your life? What a day that will be. Those saved, the account of their past days will be blotted out. All the sins, evil thoughts, hidden things, everything about you is recorded and the most blaring awful sin to hear the gospel and to rise and reject our Lord to be your Saviour. When anyone rejects the Lord you are touching God in the most tender place there is. There is none on earth that God loves more and there is none on heaven that he exalts more. He loves to hear that precious name. This man looked and he recognised he had a kingdom and he was sinless. It is said that on that day at Calvary there were over a million people present, the largest Passover that had ever been in Jerusalem. They watched him there and out of that million there was only one man. Isaiah 53 "who shall declare his generation" (his manner of living). As the Saviour walked at Calvary there wasnt a leper that was cleansed, there wasn`t a man who had received his eyes, there wasn`t one who had been raised from the sick of the palsy, there was no lame man or beggar man or any of the multitudes that had been fed who spoke up for him. He walked alone that day. Who would delcare his manner of living? No one except one - a thief, the last man on earth before a million people, before the bitter scribes and Pharisees. How it must have pleased the heart of God when he said "this man hath done nothing amiss." He told lies all his life but God appreciated his words and the Son appreciated his words and knew the Holy Spirit had dealt with him. Luke 24 verse 47 "repentence and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name among all the nations." Paul said he preached repentence towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. What is repentence? It is the change of mind. Remember that prodigal when he went down the road. He thought he would do his own thing not what his father wanted him to do. That is what sinners do, they do their own thing. There was a day when he changed his mind and said "I will arise and go back to my father and I will say Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee". What a change. Repentence is a change of attitude, mind and thoughts and you begin to say "I am all wrong, I am on the wrong road, I am a proud and haughty sinner and I will turn humbly to God and receive his blessed Son to be my own and personal Saviour for time, for living, for dying and for Gods eternity." The thief turned his eyes from everything and he said "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." It is a very humble prayer. He believed in God`s kingdom and he wants to be there amongst them. And the Saviour said "today thou shalt be with me in paradise." How did he get there? He couldn`t work, he would never be at a gospel service, he was never baptised - faith in Christ alone. This is the passport to the realms of bliss. His legs were broken, he suffered agonies in the throes of death but the one beside him had already bowed his sacred head. The last sinner to be saved during the ministry of Christ opens the door for the multitudes to be saved in this age. He is the first of a long line saved by grace alone trusting in the merits of Christ.
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