This man who died next to our savior teaches us many great lessons. This lesson will primarily focus on this man's attitude at the point of death.
Body:
1.The Man (Matthew 27: 38-44)
·His reputation was that of a thief, Luke 23: 39 adds “malefactor”. He was a criminal.
·He reviled Jesus, mocked and ridiculed Him just like the Jewish leaders, (Matthew 27: 39-43). He was guilty.
·This was prophesied centuries before: Isaiah 53: 12 and Psalms 22: 7-8.
·He deserved to die. He was crucified! His crimes led to his crucifixion and death.
·He admitted before Jesus that he was getting what he deserved, (Luke 23: 40-41) And that Jesus was not, Hebrews 7: 26.
·He knew Jesus was innocent of the crimes He was being crucified for.
·He knew Jesus was a king with a kingdom and would enter it, (Luke 23:43).
·He knew that even though they were all going to die on the cross, they would live beyond it. He believed in life beyond the grave. Resurrection
·Sin brings suffering.
2.His Repentance, (Luke 23: 40-42)
·He rebuked the other thief for continuing to blaspheme Jesus, (verse 39). The one thief had changed his mind about Jesus possibly because of the attitude he saw in Jesus on the cross. We know sorrow for past wrongs often leads to repentance, (2 Corinthians 7: 10).
·The thief began to show reverence for God, (vs 40). He told the other thief he should fear God because both of them deserved to die.
·He called Jesus “Lord”.
·Recall that Jesus died before the thieves, John 19: 32-34. Therefore they heard Jesus’ words in Luke 23: 34 on forgiveness. They experienced the earthquake and the three hours of darkness. They also heard the words of the centurion in Luke 23: 47. So the one thief believed Jesus was a king, (vs 42). The thief did not ask to be removed from the cross, but be remembered when Christ came into his Kingdom.
·This shows that anybody, no matter how bad, can change if they come to Jesus.
3.Christ’s Promise, (Luke 23:43)
·because Jesus had the power to forgive sin, (Luke 5: 24), and do to the penitence of the thief, Jesus made this promise to the thief. Note that this promise was only made to this one thief and no one else. A special promise.
·This was a promise of salvation, of eternal life. A promise to him of leaving this World of pain and suffering to go to be with Jesus in a place called paradise. This is the place of the righteous dead before the day of judgment. A place of comfort and rest, (Luke 16: 22, 25)
4.Conclusion
·Sadly, many people look to this account of the thief on the cross and say that this shows one does not have to be baptized to inherit eternal life. But the thief did not need to be baptized for the same reason that Moses, Abraham, and David did not. The thief was not subject to the New Testament command to be baptized into christ's death, (Romans 6: 3-4). Why? Jesus had not died yet! The new covenant did not come into force until after Jesus died Hebrews 9: 16-17)
Prepared by Bobby Stafford
The church of Christ at Granby, MO
Located at 516 East Pine St. P.O. Box 664 Granby, Mo. 64844 (417) 472-7109
Grace might be the most misunderstood word in all of the Bible. Some believe grace means that it doesn’t matter what you believe – God will accept you. Others believe that grace excuses all sin. Still others say salvation is by grace alone; obedience is not necessary. But what does God’s Word really teach about this all important word?
Body:
I.The Word “Grace”
·The usual definition of grace is “unmerited favor.” That is probably too narrow a meaning of the word. Vine’sExpositoryDictionary defines it as, “That which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard . . . on the part of the bestower, the friendly disposition from which the kindly act proceeds; graciousness, loving kindness, good will.”
·In the time of Homer, it meant “sweetness” or “attractiveness.” It can also include the idea of “rejoicing.”
·In the New Testament, the Greek word is translated by words such as grace, thanks, favor, pleasure, benefit, and joy.
·As we’ve seen, the word has a broad meaning.
II.What Grace Does/Has Done
·Grace appeared to all people. (Titus 2:11) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,” NKJV God’s grace is available to all who are willing to access it through Jesus Christ.
·It instructs. (Titus 2:12) “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” NKJV Grace is connected with knowledge. Teaching is involved. (John 6:45) “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” NKJV Grace only comes about through instruction.
·Grace justifies. (Romans 3:23-25) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,” NKJV It is a gift from God.
·By grace God revealed His plan for man’s salvation. (Ephesians 3:1-5) “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles – if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:” NKJV
·Grace raises believers to a new life. (Ephesians 2:4-6) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” NKJV
III.Grace Includes Obedience
·Grace does not exclude law. Everyone is subject to the law of Christ. (I Corinthians 9:20-21) “and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;” NKJV This is also called the “Law of faith.”
·Salvation, though, is not by law-keeping. This salvation by works of merit would require perfect obedience to God’s law. If that were possible, there would be no need for the blood of Christ. Therefore, grace must be conditional. Read Romans 6:14-18. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” NKJV They were servants of sin before they obeyed and became servants of righteousness after they obeyed. Note also that they were freed from sin when they obeyed. God’s grace is only accessible when one obeys the gospel and is raised to walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4) “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” NKJV Recall that it is by God’s grace that we are raised to walk in a new life. [We are made alive.] (Ephesians 2:4-6) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” NKJV
Conclusion:
This lesson has shown us that God saves man by grace when man obeys by faith.
Read Acts 11:19-23. When Barnabas comes to Antioch, he “sees the grace of God.” What exactly did he see? But first, what is grace?
·Grace is often translated as “unmerited favor.”
·Grace is an undeserved blessing; a favor or kindness shown without regard to merit or worth of the recipient.
·Vine’s Dictionary includes the idea that grace bestows pleasure and delight; also loving kindness and goodwill.
·Also inherit in the word is the idea of loveliness and agreeableness.
Text:Acts 11:19-23
Body:
I.He Saw the Saved(Verse 21)
·Saints who had been persecuted in Jerusalem came preaching the Lord Jesus. (Verse 20)
·Without the saving message of the gospel, they were lost and without hope. (Ephesians 2:12)
·Because of God’s grace, He offered salvation to them. (Titus 2:11-12) This undeserved favor was made available to everyone. (I Timothy 2:4)
II.He Saw the Preaching of the Lord Jesus(Verse 20)
·What they preached is also called the “word of His grace.” (Acts 14:3)
·It is also called “the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)
·God’s grace is not given apart from the teaching of that word and obedience to it. (Titus 2:11-12)
·The word of grace teaches us that all spiritual blessings (including forgiveness and redemption) are only found in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3,6,7)
·Also, God’s grace must be received. (II Corinthians 6:1) Even though it is available to everyone, not all will receive it.
Imagine a wealthy man having compassion on a poor, homeless man, in his impoverished and despicable condition, and deciding to do something to save him. The poor man doesn’t deserve the rich man’s help (he’s done nothing to earn it), yet the offer is there. The rich man offers to take the poor man and get him cleaned up and to give him a job and a place to live. If the poor man takes him up on his offer, then (and only then) is he saved (from his plight) by grace. If he does not take up the rich man’s offer, he forfeits grace and cannot benefit from it at all. You see, all because mercy and grace was shown toward the poor man doesn’t mean he was automatically saved from his predicament. He has to be willing to receive it. And if the poor man did accept the offer, but then turned back to his miserable lifestyle, he would no longer receive the rich man’s act of grace. UNKNOWN
III.He Saw the Love and Kindness of the Saints (Verses 27-30) ·Those who had received the grace of God showed grace to others. ·The unselfish giving of the Macedonian Christians is called the “grace of God.” (II Corinthians 8:1-5) ·Paul wanted the Corinthians to excel in this grace also. (II Corinthians 8:7)
·God makes grace abound so that Christians may abound in good works. (II Corinthians 9:8-11)
Conclusion:
Barnabas was glad when he saw the grace of God. If you have not received the grace of God, I encourage you to do it now.
Prepared by Bobby Stafford
The church of Christ at Granby, MO
Located at 516 East Pine St. P.O. Box 664 Granby, Mo. 64844 (417) 472-7109
Imagine you are on a ship in a severe storm. You are on deck trying to get to safety. A strong gust of wind blows you off into the water. A man on board sees you and throws you a life preserver. You grab it and swim back to the ship and climb to safety. The question is: “What were you saved by?” The ship, the man who threw the life preserver, the life preserver, the water or yourself – The truth is you were saved by all of them. If you take any one of them away, you will be lost.
The Bible informs us that one is saved by many things. What are we to make of that? Jesus said that we are governed by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ ” NKJV So anything which God declares as necessary for salvation in one passage of Scripture must be implied and included in all other passages which speak of salvation. So what does the Word of God declare we are saved by?
I.Saved by God
· God (II Timothy 1:8-9) “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” (Titus 3:4-5) “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” NKJV
·Jesus (Matthew 1:21) “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Hebrews 5:8-9) “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” NKJV
·Holy Spirit (John 3:5) “Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 6:63) “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” NKJV
II.Saved by the Blood of Christ
·Justified (Romans 5:9) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” NKJV
·Ransomed (I Peter 1:18-19) “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” NKJV
·Purchased (Acts 20:28) “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” NKJV
III.Saved by the Gospel
· (Romans 1:16) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
· (I Corinthians 1:18) “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
· (James 1:21) “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” NKJV
IV.Saved by Grace, Faith, and Works
·Grace (Romans 3:23-24) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Luke 17:10) “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” (Ephesians 2:8) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” NKJV
·Faith (Romans 5:1) “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 2:8) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” NKJV
·Works (James 2:14, 17, 24) “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” NKJV
V.Saved by Belief, Repentance, Confession, and Baptism
·Belief (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 8:24) “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (Acts 16:31) “So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” NKJV
·Repentance (Luke 13:3) “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Acts 17:30) “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,” (Acts 3:19) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” NKJV
·Confession (I John 4:2) “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,” (Romans 10:9-10) “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” NKJV
·Baptism (I Peter 3:20-21) “who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “ (Acts 22:16) “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” NKJV
Conclusion:
We have seen that Scripture teaches that we are saved by many things. By what right does anyone have to say we are saved by one of these to the exclusion of the rest? So, for example, when the Bible says we are saved by grace, that includes all the ways we’ve discussed in this lesson: God, Christ’s blood, the gospel, faith and works, and belief, repentance, confession, and baptism.
