Subject Ninety-five

SALVATION OF A THIEF—
The Fifth Contrast in Luke

Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

1. Two thieves
   1. The two thieves who were crucified with Jesus committed the same sin and received the same punishment.
   2. Of the two, one believed and the other did not. Formerly they were both thieves. The only difference was that later on one believed and one did not.
2. One railed on Jesus
   1. The first thief, being very sinful, railed on the sinless Jesus.
   2. Today many are really deep in sins, yet they rail on Jesus.
3. The other one asked Jesus
   1. The other thief railed on Jesus as the first (cf. Matt 27:44).
   2. But when he thought about God, a godly fear came up within him, and he said, “Dost thou not even fear God?” The reason men repent and call on Jesus is that men think about the matter of God. As he thought about God, he thought about the matter of eternity. He knew that his sins would be resolved before the law by his execution but would still be unresolved before God. So he was afraid when he thought about God; he was afraid of entering into eternal perdition.
   3. He knew himself. Because he was afraid of God, his conscience caused him to confess before the Lord, acknowledging that he deserved the punishment of death.
   4. He knew the Lord. He also acknowledged that the Lord Jesus had done nothing amiss to deserve such punishment, and that the Lord Jesus was bearing his sins and dying for his sake.
   5. He asked. So he asked the Lord Jesus to save him, to remember him when the Lord would come in His kingdom.
   6. He was saved. As soon as he asked the Lord, the Lord’s salvation came to him. He was asking for the future, but the Lord promised him, saying, “Today shall thou be with me in Paradise.” Just ask, and you will receive. To ask is to show your faith. Your asking is a proof that you have believed. So, just ask and you will be saved.
   7. He received assurance of his salvation. The assurance of his salvation was in the Lord’s words, “Today shall thou be with me in Paradise.” The Lord has given us many words, and these words are the assurance of our salvation. For example: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36); “He that hath the Son hath the life” (I John 5:12). Just lay hold on one verse, and you will be saved.