Two Tickets To Paradise: Only One Was Used

Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. Hey, one of the greatest theologians in the Bible is somebody that you may not have ever thought of as being a theologian. And yet, his theology was absolutely perfect in just the nick of time. Let's find out who that is right now. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. Hey, everybody, listen, I think we're going to have some fun today. I hope anyway. And this comes out of recently when we had the opportunity to consider the thief on the cross. In fact, the crucifixion of Jesus, you know very well that in Luke chapter 23 for one example, Luke's Gospel, is that Jesus was crucified between two malfactors, two very, very bad people. And we often read that thinking like, you know, what does bad mean? I mean, they had like what speeding tickets, they ran somebody. These people were bad to the bone, bad malfactors. They were both condemned to death by the Roman Empire because they were so bad. They had no chance any longer of any kind of appeal. They couldn't in any way escape the sentence. They were truly condemned to very bad guys. And when we see that and hear how they are labeled as malfactors, that means that there were guilty of a lot, if not everything, rape, pillaging, murder, a thievery, you name it, on and on it goes. Just when you think things could not get worse for them, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ begins to take place. And again, you can look at this for starters as we'll just extract it out in a moment. Luke chapter 23, chapter 22, chapter 23. And then in Luke 24, the post post resurrection events, it's pretty cool reading. That said, just when it couldn't get worse for these guys, it does. Because Jesus is crucified and they start, they, those two guys start the day, cussing Jesus out while they're crucified. In fact, let me read it to you. I'm going to pick it up here on the screen and read it. You can follow along if you're a Bible or listen carefully if you're driving. Luke chapter 23, beginning of verse 39, then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us. Okay? But the other answering rebuked him, stop right there. They started out, both of them were cursing Jesus at the beginning. It's not like we had one really bad guy and one guy that was bad, they were both really bad guys. But sometimes going on, when you put the four accounts of this from the four gospels and do an overlay, you get a really perfectly picture, perfect scene. And so the other guy begins to review, come saying, do you not even fear God seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed, justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man, no doubt, he's, of course, referring to Jesus, has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, remember, they're all on the cross. Lord, so in your note taking, market in your mind, this bad guy calls Jesus Lord. Number two, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Number two, remember me. So Lord, remember me, number three, into your kingdom. All right? So this is what's amazing about this. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say to you that today, you will be with me in paradise. What? Jesus tells this really bad guy, hey, I got good news for you. Today, you're going to go to heaven with me. You're going to go to paradise. Technically, you're going to go to paradise first, which is not heaven. Paradise first, and then we're all going to go to heaven. I got some work to do. I've got an announcement to make. You can read that later in Ephesians and in the book of Acts and other places, but here's the point. What in the world is going on here? Two bad guys, one goes to hell, one goes to paradise with Jesus and then to heaven forever. A convert of Jesus himself, by the way, which technically Jesus didn't have many converts, if you think about it. I like to say it this way, when you read the accounts of Scripture where Jesus preached to somebody or witnessed to somebody or shared with somebody, it was most often negative church growth tactics. For example, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and Jesus did everything to get the guy to exhibit faith, but Jesus didn't make it easy. Do you remember that? When the woman came to Jesus, she said, I need help from you. He didn't even answer her. And then he finally says to her, woman, it's not right for you to eat what is promised to the children, the crumbs, the bread. And she said, oh, that's true. She was a Gentile. She said, that's true. But even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children's table. And Jesus said, wow, that's an awesome comeback. You're blessed, that's great faith. This is an amazing moment because the guy gets crucified justifiably. Both of them. This guy is going to die. He's at the end. He comes to the realization of his mortality. He's going to die. He's condemned. If there is an afterlife in his world, it's not going to go good because if he's pagan, then the gods are going to really make it bad for him. He is already thinking in his world of growing up in the Roman Empire highly, highly superstitious jam packed with a plethora of deities. This guy had offended them all. He's in big trouble. Let's look at this. From the cross, I'm going to argue with you that from the cross in an instant of time, I say instant, it may have taken an hour or two. We do not know how long it took this man to come to a census. But notice that his theology is perfect. His theology becomes perfect. See, Jack, what do you mean? Well, let's remember, this guy winds up being with Jesus accepted by Jesus, loved by Jesus, and is benefited by Jesus. He, in some way, is like one of the first guys in Jesus' time zone to actually not only go to paradise but to enter heaven with Christ in all of the saints that were in paradise. Abraham included, known as Abraham's bosom, was the affectionate term of paradise or haides. This is the believers, like Noah, for example, that when they died, they did not go to the heaven that you and I think about. They would have gone to paradise, which is talked about in Luke 15 or Luke 16. You can look at it later. This guy is only going to be in paradise for, let's say, a moment because Jesus is going to lead captivity captive and take his reward, that is the souls, the lives of all those who died believe in Christ. He empties out Abraham's bosom or haides and he deposits that beautiful, triumphal group into heaven above. And here's the thief on the cross with perfect theology before he died. He got it. Let's look at it. His theology is this. When he said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. That's all he said. What is he saying? Jesus is Lord. What is that? That's so tearyology. The doctrines of salvation. You know it too. You just didn't put it together with this guy. All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Wow. Lord, he says. Number two, remember me. Yeah, what's that, Jack? Okay, Lord, I get so tearyology, the doctrine of salvation. Lord, okay, I get it. Never thought about it that way, but you're right. Theologically, so tearyology. That guy's got it. Lord, number two, what are you going to do with number two? Remember me. Oh, listen, that is eschatology. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. What does that mean? It means that this guy believes Jesus is going to live beyond the grave after he dies. So he says to Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. He doesn't even ask if he can be in the kingdom. He knows he's condemned, but he says, Lord, all I want from you is that you'd remember me. What a sorry life, right? Think about how sad his life must have been growing up. He just wants to be remembered. The guy didn't say, you know, save me. He didn't say, you know, anything. Just remember me. By him saying about Jesus, just remember me. He's announcing. He's confessing. I know what's going to happen with you, Lord. You're going to live after you die. You're going to be resurrected. And here's the eschatology. Not only does soteriology dovetail with eschatology, but listen, the first eschatological verse in the Bible is all about soteriology. That's Genesis 3.15. The first prophecy ever given in the Bible is when God said in Genesis 3.15, that the Messiah is going to come from the descendants of Eve on the female side, from a female, not a male, female side. A woman will give birth to the Son of God who will come into the world. That all started in Genesis 3.15. That is prophecy, Bible prophecy, based on the doctrine of soteriology, salvation. Eschatology, this guy believes Jesus Christ is coming back as Lord, and he's going to receive his kingdom. Wow, what is that? That's isriology. The Bible says that the Son of David, that's Jesus. Son of God, Son of David, will return to Jerusalem and Israel just establishes kingdom for a millennia, for 1,000 years. That's Greek, millennia for 1,000, millennia, 1,000, millennia. Okay, listen, Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, how did the guy know this? How did that guy know that? Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, is going to return and reign from the throne of David, in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. That is what's meant when you come back, will you just remember me when you come back and you reign in your kingdom? You're the king, you're the Lord. That's isriology. The Bible doesn't say any other nation on earth where the Messiah will return and be king. By the way, side note. It's interesting that there are those who are demonically possessed and or manipulated, if not possessed, with the doctrine of the Jewish state must cease to exist. We must kill all the Jews. No more Jews, no more Israel. Let's not call it Jerusalem. Let's divide up the land and be done with it. Let's nuke them. Let's blow them up. Hey, listen, look through all the rhetoric. Look through the fog and realize. The Bible says Jesus is returning to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is its ancient name. Jerusalem has always been in Israel. Think of it. There are those evil spirits who want to destroy Israel and Jerusalem. Really, they don't even know what they're saying. What they're actually trying to do is we're going to destroy the nation of Israel and Jerusalem and the Jews. So there's no Messiah coming back to sit on the throne of David and be the king of the Jews. We got to stop that. Who wants to do that? Satan wants to do that. So be careful when you ascribe to somebody chanting death to Israel or trying to rename it Palestine. It was never historically Palestine. So does this guy by his actions really put into question a works based legalistic based theology, doesn't it? What did this guy do? What did he do? What did this guy do to get saved? Did he preach to people? Did he raise the dead? Did he do miracles? Did the guy give any money? Did the guy work in children's ministry? What did he do? Did he take a theological course? Was he ordained? The thief of the cross, come on. Jesus himself said you're going to be with me. How did he get qualified for that? Theologians, listen, if there's a theologian listening to this, how do you explain it? It's Jesus himself saying it. The man's so tearyology was perfect. Jesus is Lord. His eschatology is perfect. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Kingdom, his isriology is perfect. Israel is where you're going to be returning to. Wow. His theology was perfect. Isn't it amazing? And I submit this to you. The guy did nothing to earn his salvation. Neither have you. Neither can you. I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're the Pope right now or the new Pope right now. Watch in this right now. You are not going to go to heaven, the Bible says, based on your own works. You can't do it. You and I cannot be good enough. Every single one of us, Pope included, are sinners who must be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and by us putting our faith in him. Listen, our salvation is merit-based, but not our merit. His merit, 100%. It's amazing, but it makes perfect sense. In that moment, that thief on the cross answered volumes of books and libraries of debate. And from Isaiah, from Abraham to Isaiah to the gospels to the Lord himself, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you say, well, Jack, aren't you missing the great word of the first word of the gospel? No, I'm not missing it at all. I'm getting ready to say it. I'm going to say it because it's not said because it doesn't have to be said in the narrative. And that is repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you shall be saved. This man's confession had repentance built into it. Just like the woman that was caught in the act of adultery. Do you ever hear her saying that she repented of her sins? She never said it. But Jesus knew she had. Isn't that amazing? What about the sin? What about the prodigal son? Did you know that the prodigal son story in the scriptures never mentions the word repent? It doesn't have to. Repentance is the story. You see that? It's pretty cool. Yes, the first word of the gospel is repentant and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You shall be saved. But in some cases like this one and several others repentance is the story. So when it says in verse 41 and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds. He's confessing. But this man has done nothing wrong. Isn't that awesome? Wow. So what are they again? His theology was. His theology is theology. He had it more right than most people do today. What an amazing thing. Hey, that's all the time we got to do today. We got to get going. You do too as well. Again, please tell others. The best way you can encourage me and the team is for you to share those with other people. We can grow those numbers. And by doing so people will see those numbers and say, what is this? Why should I watch this podcast? Well, it's got a million or 500 or six or 10 views. Maybe I should listen. And people listen. People learn. People grow. Ultimately they come to the point where I hope they hear this. God so loved you friend and his infinite wisdom and his eternal state where he's not limited by time. That he gifted to you and to the world, his only glorified son Jesus. The perfect lamb who takes away the sins of the world. That if you would believe on him, trust him, like the thief on the cross did. You will not perish, but you will have everlasting life. That's the word of the Lord. And you need to do it now, right now. Now, because if you say later, you're falling into the lies of the enemy because you may not have a later. You may not live to see tonight sunset or tomorrow sunrise. Let's do it. Want to do it right now? If you do this, you don't have to get a hold of this, but I'd love to know that you could just leave a comment. I just prayed that prayer. How about that? That'd be awesome. Let's pray. Lord, God, we come before you in the name of Jesus the door. Jesus the way, the truth in the life. Jesus the alpha and the omega. Jesus the first, the last, the beginning and the end. Jesus the Jesus who is who was who is to come the Almighty Jesus. And so father, we pray right now that you might hear the prayer of someone on the other end of this microphone, another end of the screen that would say I want to accept you now. Lord is my savior. I want to know you personally. I want to have you in my life 24-7. I want to know that my sins are forgiven like that thief. I want to know that the kingdom of God is where I'm going to be living. I want to be with you, Jesus. I want my sins washed away. I confess. I have done wrong. I have done sin. I have done evil. I am justly qualified to be crucified. I am justly qualified to die and to be in hell because I've sinned against the Almighty Holy God. But I, Lord, before I die and while I have the chance because it's not going to be available after death, your Bible will clear no second chances after death. None whatsoever. I choose now to make Jesus the Lord and savior of my life. I ask you to forgive my, forgive me of my sins as I receive your righteousness, Jesus. Save me. I want to live for you. Live with you and for you forever. As I proclaim you, my crucified savior and resurrected, Lord, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. I hope you prayed that prayer. God bless you guys so very much. We'd love to hear from you. Just look at the information that's provided to you below. But stay tuned. Because we're all about bringing you closer to Jesus. And causing and helping and hopefully playing a part in the Word of God being more prominent in your life. Until next time, God bless you guys. This Jack Hibbs podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported. 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