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Luke 23:40-43: From Sinner to Saint!

2/28/2013

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23:40-43

The thief on the cross was saved the same way as Paul or Peter. Paul murdered Christians; Peter denied Christ; both Paul and Peter needed to come to the realization of their own sinfulness, repent, and believe on Him. Just like the thief on the cross, God is willing to save any sinner that comes to Him!

Luke 23:39-43 – Grace For Anyone Desiring Paradise

2/26/2013

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Luke 23:39-43

The thief on the cross came to the end of himself; he knew he was a sinner and needed Christ to save him.

A story is told of a man who was considered a “drunk”; he was always begging for money and hardly ever worked. He says in his own testimony that drinking would take control of him; he had a family to take care of, but instead he would bring his horse to the bar and buy everyone drinks until the horse was completely sold. Another time, instead of staying home with his wife – he drove 11 miles through a massive snow storm so he could buy his fill of whiskey. One time, when his son was 2 years old – this alcoholic came home from a ten day drinking binge to find his son dead in his mother’s arm. At the funeral, his wife insisted he promise never to drink again. Two hours after his vow, he came home staggering drunk. Could Christ save a man like this?

Luke 23:39-43: Paradise Now

2/24/2013

"43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

Jesus informed one of the wayward criminals who was crucified next to him, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” No other book but the Bible is trustworthy enough to tell us what Paradise is and how we can get there. We can be assured that we are going to Paradise today; we need not wait until right before we take our last breath that heaven will be our home.

Matthew 6:15 – Overcoming the Problems of Forgiveness, Part 2

2/23/2013

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15

The world’s philosophy says, forgive other people for your own benefit. God is much wiser: He shows us that Forgiven People Forgive. Our motivation is not solely to forgive so we can benefit; our motivation is to forgive so others will see how loving and kind God is. But what happens when we stubbornly decide we will not extend forgiveness to someone else?

Luke 17:3-4 – Overcoming the Problems of Forgiveness, Part 1

2/21/2013

" 3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." Luke 17:3-4

While some do not forgive others because they have not yet received Christ as their Savior and they have yet to be forgiven themselves, many do not forgive because they simply haven’t been taught how to handle the issue of an unwilling or unrepentant offender.

Luke 23:34 - Why Forgiveness “seems” to Fail

2/19/2013

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Luke 23:34

Notice the forgiveness of God and Jesus in Luke 23:34; yet, it “seemed” to fail because the people around the cross, in response, “parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Why didn’t they thank the Lord that He had forgiven them for all their wrong doings? Because, they lacked repentance; neither their hearts or minds changed.

Luke 23:34 - Classified Ad for Free Forgiveness

2/17/2013

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Luke 23:34

An account based on a true story is told of Paco, a young Spanish man who ran away from home, estranged from his father. Realizing the need for reconciliation with his son, the father put an ad in the Madrid city newspaper, El Liberal, which read “"Paco, meet me at the newspaper stand at noon on Sunday. All is forgiven! Love, Papa." The father did find his son at the newspaper stand on Sunday, along with many other young men named Paco who were also looking for love and acceptance from their dad!

2 Timothy 1:7 - Grace Exploding with Love!

2/16/2013

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 2:7

God’s Word tells us that we will suffer for our relationship with Christ; this is true especially when we share His gospel to the world. Sometimes when we witness for Him, we will look into people’s eyes before opening our mouths and we give up because we think we are going to be rejected anyway.

2 Timothy 2:2 - Sharing Jesus by Grace

2/14/2013

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2

Part of living as Christians is to teach and show to others what we have been taught by God, specifically the good news that Christ saves to the uttermost those that put their trust in Him. It may be discouraging because we have told everyone we know; then let's tell others we haven't met. It may be discouraging because we've run out of people to witness to; then let's tell the same people the same message, but in a different way. Or maybe we are discouraged because we simply don’t know what to say. Remember what we were told when we got saved, and let's keep repeating the same message! You have to admit, the gospel is always the same: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

2 Timothy 2:1 - Grace Strengthening Soldiers of Christ

2/12/2013

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

Soldiers: here are our marching orders as end time saints! Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; He is our life and source of strength. God not only gives strength, but he enables us to perform what He has called us to do. Paul praised the Lord that he “hath enabled” him, and put him in the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12). Then he used the same greek work for “enabled” when he asked us to be strong in Christ.

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