Jesus Never Stops Forgiving

Do you ever think you are too far gone for God's forgiveness? Do you think others are too far gone to be saved? Luke 23:39-45 is one of the best examples of repentance in scripture. It also demonstrates the awesome, saving power of God. This text is commonly held up as the example of how far a sinner can go and still be saved. The separation between God and man was destroyed through the cross and resurrection! The heart of this passage is that God will not reject a repentant sinner no matter what they have done. Let's look at each verse of Luke 23:39-45:

 "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39). In those days, crucifixion was only reserved for the lowest of criminals. It was against Roman law to crucify Roman citizens. They were beheaded. Here in this verse we have a scenario where Jesus, the sinless One, crucified next to a lowly criminal. The criminal begins to mock and scoff at Jesus. The criminal taunts Jesus by saying, “if thou be Christ.” The word used here for “Christ” means “anointed one”. It is the proper name that was used for Jesus. The word, “save” means to deliver from danger. The criminal tempted Jesus to save himself along with the two other criminals.

 "But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41): The repentant criminal rebukes the unrepentant criminal for His blasphemous taunting of Jesus. The repentant criminal rebukes by asking the question, “Don’t you fear God,” His conscience bore witness to the fact that he was witnessing a great injustice. Here, the repentant criminal gives the reason for his rebuke. He confesses that he rightfully deserved their sentence of crucifixion.  That is that the repentant criminal recognized that he had done something wrong. It takes a heart of repentance to surrender to Christ. The criminal expresses his surprise at the unrepentant criminal’s actions because Jesus had done absolutely nothing deserving of execution. The word “justly” means honestly, justly, as it is fit, proper, or right.

 "Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42): In this verse the repentant criminal now addresses Jesus. His request is very simple. It was one of total dependence upon the mercy of Jesus. It was totally absent of any excuse or self-righteousness. The criminal addresses Jesus as, “Lord”. This word can mean master, owner, or possessor. He recognized Jesus for who He is, the Savior. The word here for “kingdom” refers to the kingdom of heaven.

"Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43): Jesus replies to the repentant criminal’s request in the previous verse. Jesus gives an extra assurance of His words by adding, “Verily, verily,” or “truly, truly.” Jesus then goes onto tell the repentant criminal that “today” he would be with Him in paradise. Note that it was today and not some future time. This passage verse teaches that believers are immediately ushered into heaven, into the presence of the Lord. The word for paradise refers to heaven.

 "It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two" (Luke 23:44-45): The time period in which Jesus was crucified was 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. A total of six hours. However, from 12:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. darkness fell over the whole earth. This verse does not just say in a particular area but over the earth. The word for earth here means the entire physical planet. This verse goes on to note that even the sun’s light was darkened. The veil of the temple was said to be about six inches thick. It divided the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. There was no machine or device at that time that was capable of tearing that veil all the way from top to bottom. This was a clear act of God’s awesome power. Many commentators believe that this act meant that we not have direct access to God’s presence. No longer do we have to go through the Levitical priesthood as representatives for us. Now we can go straight to God if we trust in His son Jesus.

One of Jesus' last conversations was the forgiveness of a criminal. In comparison to God, we are all criminals. We have broken His heart through our sin and rebellion. We are broken, lost and in need of salvation.

Thank you Jesus for taking my place on the cross and for eternally forgiving me! 

Is the vehicle more important than the destination?

#8: Ministry is not just how good your programs, strategies, or environments become. They are simply vehicles. Ministry is all about people being changed eternally by Jesus! In 2012 there are more ministry strategies, books, conferences and blogs about the new "ministry nugget" that will take your church to the "next level." For those of us in ministry we see all of the many ways churches function. We divide it up into traditional, modern, contemporary, and emergent churches (I'm sure there are more). I grew up in a somewhat traditional church and have served in this type of church. I have also worked in the contemporary model of the church. I am grateful for the new vision for the church with how it functions and reaches the lost. But this is what leads me to my next questions...

Does the style or environment of the church matter in eternity? We must realize that the style, programs, strategies are the avenue in which we share the truth of Jesus Christ. If the goal becomes one of these vehicles then the gospel can become of less importance.

Are we so relevant  and comfortable in the church that we are trying to disciple lost church members? We are spending a lot of time in our churches today trying to revive the lost people who have not been saved by Jesus. This is why there is so much frustration with church leaders and a lack of passion by the people in the church.

Example: Is the church supposed to only be attractional? It is the "come and see" mentality. It is consumer driven. People come with a "buffet" mentality. What can I get from the different programs offered? In the 1960-1980's this style dominated the church world. This "attractional" or "consumer" model does not work anymore (and I think never has). The church is not the social center of today's culture like it was in the past. We must move into a missional mindset if we are going to reach this generation.

Example: Is the church supposed to send people to be missional? Yes! The word “church” stems from the Greek word ekklesia. It is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not a building, but of people. Jesus came for people. Jesus came to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). One of the goals of a church is for the people to become personal soul winners and grow in community (Proverbs 11:30)!

The vehicle is important (environment, strategy, programs). But if the vehicle becomes the crown of the church, we can miss the King.

If leaders become more focused upon the program and less focused upon sharing the gospel, what will the church look like in 10 years? As leaders, our goal should be to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. People are looking for hope for their lives, their family and friends. Environments, programs and strategies help people walk in the door, but if that is the end goal then we are simply filling buildings with lost people. I haven't heard one baptism video testimony who talks about how amazing the programs were or how nice the environments were. A person who has been changed by Jesus, talks about Him!

In God's eyes, faithfulness is more important than performance. Let's not make the vehicle of ministry more important than the vision of the gospel changing lives for eternity.

What are your thoughts?

Heart Check-up

If you have been to the doctor for a heart check-up, you know that you want to know exactly the condition of your heart. In the Bible the word heart is mentioned 963 times! We protect a lot of areas of our lives (money, appearance, popularity, cell phones) but often we do not guard our hearts!

^“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23

“Guard” or “Keep” is translated preserve, observe, watchers, or watchmen. The Hebrew word "natsar" is a command calling for continual watching.

The heart is the inner core of a person. The heart refers to the “mind, will and emotions.”

God examines our heart, not our outward appearance, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7. In our culture, we often hear people say, "follow your heart!" We need to understand that our hearts reveal we are lost! “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

Jesus said:

“If you hate your brother, you are a murderer at heart…” Matthew 5:22 and “Look with lust, you commit adultery in your heart…” Matthew 5:28 ^“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.” Matthew 15:18-19

In order to guard our heart, we need to know the condition of your heart. How do we guard our heart?

• Mind: What you think becomes what you believe.

Satan is a terrorist. He wants to poison our minds from the truth of God’s Word. If our mind is dwelling on the opposite of what God's Word says, we will be fixed upon poison (Proverbs 23:7, 27:19). Our mind is the foundation for what we focus upon and live. "Give careful thoughts to the paths of your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” Proverbs 4:26

• Will: The attitude and response to life flows out of your heart.

Our arteries can harden and we can have a heart attack physically. Spiritually we can allow the trash of the world to invade our mind, will and emotions and lead to a hardened, flat-lined heart. A religious hypocrite is one who can perform outwardly but does not know Jesus internally. A follower of Christ has a closer, abiding relationship with Jesus.

• Emotions: Are my feelings in line with what Jesus says?

Proverbs 28:26, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” We have to discover what Jesus says about us and make sure our feelings are subject to His truth. God is jealous for our heart’s affection. He does not need it but desires it! Our heart finds purpose through a growing relationship with God.

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 “

If God performed open heart surgery on you, what would we find? Do you have a relationship with Jesus or just religious ritual? Are you guarding your heart emotionally and spiritually?