WORSHIPING THE LORD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE — Part 5
“In this you greatly rejoice, through now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD THAT PERISHES, THOUGH IT IS TESTED BY FIRE.”( 1 Peter 1:6-7b).
In the previous devotion, we observed that God places His children in manifold storms to “reveal the authenticity of their faith”, for themselves, as well as others within their lives! Moreover, we were also reminded that our Lord and God orchestrates these “diversities of adversities to 'REFINE THE QUALITY OF OUR FAITH’!
The passage before us gives a vivid illustration drawn from an ancient goldsmith and his refiner’s caldron. Consider, for a moment, an ancient refiner (of this era) who had a piece of gold he was seeking to refine. All manner of impurities will pollute portions of this precious treasure. A large amount of dross will be exposed by the fire and separated from the gold. The goldsmith’s purpose of placing it into the fire was to identify and remove all of the foreign elements (slag, as it was called) presently abiding within this gold!
A refiner's fire did not destroy the gold indiscriminately like a forest fire. A refiner's fire did not consume it completely, as an incinerator's fire would. A refiner's fire refined. It purified. It melted the gold bar, separating the impurities that would ruin its value and leaving the genuine gold intact. The goldsmith would place that piece of gold into the refiner’s caldron (the refiner’s fire). Then he began increasing the heat's intensity. Notice, the ancient goldsmith never left the gold unattended! He closely and carefully observed the entire refining process of this gold.
The refiner knew the precise temperature needed to free gold from its impurities and how long it should remain in the fire. As he increased the heat in the smelting process, foreign elements began to rise to the surface. As the dross rose, the ancient goldsmith would begin to skim away all of the slag. However, something very interesting began to occur. As the refiner carefully removed the dross, he would begin to see a faint reflection of his own image on the surface of the gold!
Once the goldsmith was able to see his own image, he knew that this gold was being purified by the fire! After a specific season of refining, he would remove the gold from the caldron for a period. Then at a later point, he would place the gold back into the refiner’s fire, turning up the flames once again. Remember, the refiner was in complete control of the duration and the intensity of the flames.
See, the goldsmith, like the Lord, had a sovereign purpose in purifying this gold. He is fully aware that “no gold was as precious and priceless as gold that had been refined in the fire”. This process continued until he could observe the clear reflection of His own image on the surface of this gold. Then he could distinctly see his personal image; he knew that this gold had been “PURIFIED”! Dear believer, the gold lost nothing in the purification process, except the foreign elements that hindered it.
Likewise, genuine faith loses nothing when placed in the Lord, our Refiner’s fire. The quality of your faith is only being purified and refined. Only your impurities are removed from “the gold of your faith”, in the Lord’s refining process in your lives! Just like the goldsmith after finally completing the refining process, that piece of gold would become so PLIABLE that the goldsmith was able to mold that chunk of gold into the very purpose intended for the gold. Subsequently, if you approached that piece of purified and pliable gold and could observe it microscopically, you could clearly see the FINGERPRINTS of the goldsmith on the gold.
Dear friend, please know that the Lord Jesus is not an arsonist; He is a Refiner! He does not place His children into the Refiner’s fire to ‘wreck’ your faith. He places them into His fire of afflictions to ‘refine’ your faith! When the Great Refiner has refined your “walk of faith” through the fires of adversity, your faith becomes more purified! Your faith will also become more pliable (more submissive to the will of the Lord). Then, when others are observing your refined faith, as you pass through the adversities of life, they will be able to see the FINGERPRINTS of the Master on your life.
The Lord has called out and said, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And when you pass through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior!” (Isaiah 43).
Oh, what a Savior, a Redeemer, a Refiner. Believers do not have to fear the adversities and sufferings of this life, for His hand guides the process, and His purposes are for Good!
WORSHIPING THE LORD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE — Part 4
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, IF NEED BE, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:6-7a).
Today, let's consider the NECESSITY of these “diversities of adversities”.
Peter proclaims these important words, “If NEED BE OR IF NECESSARY, you have been grieved by various trials.” God is informing through Peter that these adversities and afflictions are necessary realities in the life of a born-again follower of Jesus! This begs a question. When would an adversity or affliction become necessary in the life of a child of God? The answer is, “When God wisely finds this storm necessary and beneficial for their spiritual growth in the grace and knowledge of Him! Martin Luther, the reformer, has well said, “Affliction is the best book in my library.” But why would he make a statement like that? Why would it be profitable for a true worshiper to pass through the “howling winds of the storm of adversity”?
First, this storm of adversity “REVEALS the AUTHENTICITY” of YOUR FAITH in JESUS! Notice carefully, Peter says, “that the genuineness of your faith..though it is tested by fire.” The Lord allows these fierce storms to display the reality of your faith in Him. Our Lord and God desires to put a believer’s “bona fide” reliance on Him on full display for all of the world to see! When one biblically grasps this truth, they will begin to stop “resisting adversities as enemy intruders” and begin to “welcome them as intimate friends”! Even though the storm may be heart-rending, you will realize it is also an opportunity to glorify God by publicly demonstrating the credibility of your faith in the Lord!
Think deeply about this important issue. How will you and I know if our faith is genuine faith in Jesus? Does that occur when sitting on the mountain top of blessing? Will faith be assured when the easy breeze of prosperity is blowing at our back? Will faith be confidently on solid footing when sailing smoothly through calm seas? When there are no trials, no troubles, and no tribulations intersecting with my journey, can we know the depth of our faith? Absolutely not! Faith is tested when you are sailing on the troubled sea of adversity, and the howling winds are blasting in your face. And yet, you are able to reject any wicked temptation to turn away from Him in tears and indecisiveness. Instead, a believer is to run toward our Lord and Savior. Faith leans into our Lord, discovering that He is our greatest treasure and highest need.
When faith is being built, walking with Him through the storms gives joy through the tears! This is trusting in the Lord; clinging to the Lord, relying on the Lord, and worshipping the Lord. Your response of faith in Him is proving to you that you possess far more than a mere “profession of faith” in the Lord Jesus. You have a possession of faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord.
This is experiencing an authentic conversion to Christ and a personal consecration of your life to the Lord. When you are still worshiping the “Master of the storm”, when the gale force winds of adversity are battering the ship of your life, your faith is genuine and growing! Friend, this is a source of solid assurance in my own soul, that my faith in Jesus is a solid and bona fide faith and not a phony faith!
Furthermore, your single-minded worship of the Lord (even through your tears over the tempest) is a tremendous testimony to others, including unconverted people within the sphere of the influence of your life. It is an encouragement to other saints, revealing that the Lord is over the storm. Then, lost people observe a born-again child of God as they walk through a downpour of heart-wrenching distress, yet continue to submit to the Lord in the sacrifice of worship. This is a powerful testimony of the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. This witness (in the whirlwind of adversity) is an extremely effective testimony to the unbelievers watching, observing your walk through this cyclone of calamity!
For this reason, the born-again believer can be suffering a “heaviness of sorrow” and still know a “deep and abiding joy in the Lord Jesus”! Sea mariners tell us that there are many areas of the ocean where there are strong currents upon the surface of the water, which move along in one direction. However, (down in the depths of the ocean underneath those currents), another strong current is running in the opposite direction! Those two currents do not interfere with one another. But there remains the surface current of water running in one direction, and the undercurrent moving in a counter direction.
Likewise, the born-again believer can function in a similar manner as the ocean. On the surface of their lives, there may be a powerful current of heartbreak and heaviness, producing a repetition of dark, billowing waves. However, if you plunge into the depths of this believer’s inner core, a stronger undercurrent of steadfast joy in the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus is flowing safely, without hindrance or impediment. This is why the Apostle Paul could truthfully testify from a prison cell, “Rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say rejoice!
Ed Lacy Ministries – Striving to do God's work, God's way, for God's Glory
edlacyministries.org
The Amazing Grace of God A Ten Part Video Study Watch The Life Which Glorifies God A 12 Part Study on John 15:1-9 Listen The Beatitudes The Key to Supreme Happiness, and Spiritual Prosperity Listen Th...
WORSHIPING THE LORD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE — Part 3
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials” (James 1:2)
In the first two devotions in this series, we have considered the REALITY of these storms of adversities, and the VARIETY in which they assail every child of God. Today, let’s continue to ponder these words, noticing the INTENSITY of these storms of adversities. The apostle Peter writes in 1:6b, “You have been GRIEVED by various trials.” Peter reminds us that these ‘adversities and afflictions’ could possibly produce tremendous stress at the inner core of your being.
The term “grieved” describes a believer being deeply disturbed and tremendously troubled. It paints the picture of a follower of Jesus who has been brought to a profound heaviness of heart by the terrible storm now engulfing them. They are being traumatized in their inner soul, utterly disconsolate by this howling storm of suffering.
Yet, a born-again child of God, this is precisely the time that you must flee to the Lord of the word and the word of the Lord. You must give ear to the Father to hear and heed His voice. The One, who is sovereign over this storm, speaking through His word by the Holy Spirit to give you strength and comfort.
For this reason, dear brother or sister in the faith, you must choose to hear and heed the Word of God with close and careful attention! God declares these precious words in Isaiah 48:10, “I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.” Psalms 34:19a declares, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” It is true that storms of adversities are composed of varying intensities of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. But all are ultimately designed by the “Father of the furnace” (the One who is your heavenly Father) for specific ‘refining purposes’ in the life of the child of God.
Throughout scripture, we can know that when the Lord places one of His children in the “refiner’s fire”, it can be a heart-rending experience for a time. Oh, it is easy to talk about “walking through the storms of adversity,” but it is quite another thing for a born-again believer to actually be placed in one of the fiery furnaces of affliction! That tribulation can result in great heaviness of heart and soul!
But noticed the “contradiction in terms” within both James and 1 Peter. Peter’s instructions, “In this you greatly REJOICE, though now for a little, if need be, you have been GRIEVED with various trials.” Then James writes, “Count it all JOY when you fall into various TRIALS.” Rejoicing, when grieved! Joy in trials! The Word of God places two opposite extremes. Is it possible for a believer to be REJOICING AND GRIEVED at the same time? How can JOY AND TRIALS be happening concurrently?” These dual phenomena may be among the most paradoxical realities in the life of a true worshiper of Jesus!
Paul said it this way, in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” You may think, well, Paul, which is it? Are you sorrowful? Are you rejoicing? The answer is the apostle was experiencing both, simultaneously! Now, it is true that Paul was in the midst of adversity and affliction. However, it was also true that his relationship with Jesus was granting him the power to sustain him in the midst of the storm and was also filling him with a passion and purpose to worship his Lord in the midst of his trials and tears!
Recall the words from the song, ‘On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand’:
His oath, his covenant, his blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
Recall our Lord and Savior was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief!” So, believer, you can be certain it is a rule of the kingdom of Jesus that all the members of His body be like the Head of His body! If the God-Man was immersed in a “baptism of suffering”, then you must also know a baptism of suffering! Therefore, as followers of the Lord Jesus, you will be distressed with varying intensities of suffering.
Yet, remember, every storm of adversity is a ‘sovereign call to worship the Lord’! Every heartbreak that comes to your life as a believer is ultimately permitted by God, limited by God, and purposed by God. Each one of the varying storms is a gracious call from our God to WORSHIP HIM.
Call to mind the words from Job’s lips, in the midst of overwhelming, unimaginable adversity: “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; BLESSED BY THE NAME OF THE LORD.’ In all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Job, a godly man who worshiped through the tears of great adversity! WILL YOU?
WORSHIPING THE LORD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE — Part 2
“My brethren, count it all joy, when you FALL into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (perseverance)” (James 1:2-3).
Notice the word “FALL”. It depicts sudden, unexpected distress, plummeting into a pit of adversity! Please understand, this adversity was not unexpected from the Sovereign, Omniscient Lord’s point of view! It’s only unexpected from your point of view”! This word, ‘fall’, paints the picture of one plunging into a shaft that possesses extremely high walls! Moreover, descending so deeply into this pit that it is impossible to climb out on one's own ability!
Additionally, it is the same word the Lord Jesus used when teaching on the ‘good Samaritan’ illustration, who came to the aid of the man who had been attacked by robbers! Luke 10:30 describes this man as he “FELL among thieves.” The passage reminds us that “the pathway to Heaven is a pathway laced with problems, pressures, perplexities, and persecutions”!
Peter's words in 1 Peter remind his readers that, “You have been grieved by VARIOUS trials”. James calls on believers to “Count it all joy, when you fall into VARIOUS trials.” Both writers warn that genuine believers can expect to be tested with all manner of storms, which will assault them in many different shapes and sizes. The authentic believer, living for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, will walk through a multitude of “divinely orchestrated” adversities.
The Greek word translated as ‘various’ actually means ‘many-colored’ trials! James is alerting those who have been saved that they can expect to be tested with a multiplicity of adversities and afflictions that will assail them in many varying forms and frequencies. They will come in a myriad of different descriptions; from a legion of differing directions, and in varying degrees! Some trials will come from expected people and places. Yet, sometimes, they will affront you from unexpected people and places! One thing you can be absolutely certain of is that you will walk through a “diversity of adversities”!
Suddenly, you may discover that you have fallen into an abyss of adversity! At times, they may be fierce persecution from the lost pagan world, or even the unconverted religious world! They may come to you in the form of a family crisis, such as a parent agonizing over heartbreak from a wayward child, or a child experiencing an estrangement from unconverted parents! You may find yourself in the midst of a financial crisis, a career crisis, a health crisis, or even the tragic death of a loved one! A great conflict can arise within the local church (that is not being resolved biblically). This conflict may cause great disruption within your soul!
These are just a few of the multitude of possible calamities or catastrophes that can invade the life of a born-again child of God. I will add, take note, that there are “no exemptions” from this reality of being educated in “the Lord’s school of adversity”!
Notice that James describes what appears to be a contradiction in terms. Joy and trials do not normally coincide. He writes, “Count it all JOY when you fall into various TRIALS.” Most expend a great deal of energy and resources to avoid any approach to trials. Some have adopted the faulty mindset that if you can avoid trials, you will have joy! On the other hand, if you are experiencing a trial, then you cannot possibly have joy. So they exert maximum effort to eliminate any potential for trials, so they can experience joy.
However, James says, “You can know the unadulterated joy of living in a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, even when you are walking in the center of the storm of adversity! What? This sounds impossible! But, prayerfully, in the coming days, we will understand that when a born- again believer is experiencing and expressing the joy of worship in the storm of adversity, this will have an astounding impact on the people living within their sphere of influence!
WORSHIPING THE LORD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE — PART 1
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1: 7).
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (perseverance). But let perseverance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).
Today, we begin a new series, “Worshiping the Lord in the Storms of Life”. Although these words seem antithetical to believers, we must remember that the Lord is working to seek and save the lost, while simultaneously purifying His bride.
Therefore, these scriptures declare that trials, troubles, and tribulations are an inevitable reality in the life of every genuine follower of Jesus! James did not say “IF” you fall into various trials. On the contrary, He declared, ‘When you fall into various trials”. These thunderstorms of adversity and affliction are an inexorable fact of existence for those who are walking on the narrow road! Calamity and crisis are concrete certainties to be expected (sooner or later) in the life of a born-again believer! As a matter of fact, oftentimes, the life of a disciple of Jesus is sprinkled (if not saturated) with seasons of problems, pressures, persecutions, and perplexities!
However, graciously, the child of God has been given the solid assurance that no tempest of adversity or affliction can enter their lives, unless our Sovereign Lord permits it! Furthermore, when our God sanctions these storms in the life of one of His saints, He places precise limitations on their severity and length. Moreover, our authoritative King orders and orchestrates the entirety of the process, involved in these whirlwinds of calamity, for the ultimate spiritual good of growing in Christlikeness. Allow me to add, there is no “greater good” for the born-again believer than increasingly becoming more like our Lord and Savior and less like ourselves!
Recall, when the “accuser of the brethren” undertook a sinister attempt to impeach Job, he insinuated to God, “LORD, have YOU not made a hedge around Job, around his household and around all that he has on every side?” With these words, the accuser of the brethren was basically saying to the Omnipotent Lord, “You are personally protecting the life of your servant; therefore, I cannot bring an adversity or an affliction into his life, unless You permit me.” Friend, thankfully, the scriptures reveal that there is a divinely secured boundary surrounding the life of every born-again believer. This divine hedge cannot possibly be penetrated, unless God allows it!
What does this truth mean to the follower of Jesus? It means that when we find ourselves ‘walking through the valley of adversity’, it is true that the enemy of my soul may be the ‘immediate cause’ of the particular adversity or affliction. However, the believer can stand on the biblical verity that ‘their Lord and God is the ultimate and overarching cause’ of each adversity or affliction. Lucifer may have been the ‘delivery boy’ who brought this storm to the door. But the Lord and God has allowed this storm; He has placed a limit on the veracity and length of this storm; and He possesses a sovereign purpose for this storm. Moreover, He is working this storm together for their ultimate good and His glory! This is certainly a solid and sound motivation for you to WORSHIP the Lord in the midst of the storm of affliction or adversity!
Friend, the winds of adversity and affliction may be howling in your face today! However, the first thing to remember is that ‘Jesus is sovereign of your storm’. Oh, but you may be saying, “I am walking through a great crisis today!” Dear friend, Jesus is King over your crisis.
Even if this particular pain, problem, or perplexity is powerfully plummeting your life, now, remember these truths! Jesus is reigning and ruling as Prince over every one of your pains, problems, and perplexities. If you will be ‘submissive in worshiping Him’ in the storm, He is going to work this whirlwind together for His majestic glory and your ultimate good.
THE ASTONISHING CONVERSION OF A CONDEMNED CRIMINAL — Part 18
“Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’” (Luke 23:42).
In the previous devotion, we observed that this criminal’s faith in the Lord Jesus was a PUBLIC FAITH! Today, let us consider the truth that his faith in Jesus was a PRAYING FAITH!
The faith that had been miraculously graced to this spiritually bankrupt rebel compelled him to pray. Moreover, his prayer was directed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that no one coerced him into repeating a suggested prayer. This man had heard a concise and Spirit-empowered proclamation of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ! His heart had been supernaturally resurrected, illuminated, and liberated (by the powerful work of the Spirit of God)! He had been graced with "repentance toward God and a bona fide faith toward the Person and the work of Jesus Christ the Lord. Consequently, the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work produced a praying faith!
When the Spirit of God mightily breathes life into the sin-deadened heart of a sinner, that regenerate sinner will breathe back to the Lord Jesus in a prayer of penitent faith. By the mighty power of grace, this criminal believed on the Lord Jesus Christ from his heart. Then he employed the only member of his body, not bound to the cross (his tongue), to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
This brings us to the last point in this series of devotions. I will entitle this point, “THE WELCOMING SAVIOR. “Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.’” This man had shattered both the laws of men and the law of God. Yet, God the Son set His saving grace, mercy, and love on this destitute and lawless rebel. Subsequently, by Jesus’ payment, he was fully pardoned and completely cleansed from his former life of blatant iniquity. His sin-blackened soul would be made whiter than snow. Eternal life was granted to an insurrectionist who was hanging over the brink of hell. Instead, he had entered into a saving knowledge of God the Son. And he was welcomed with great assurance into the paradise of heaven. Friend, what does this mean? This glorious truth reminds us that any man or woman may come to Jesus and find the same glorious salvation in Him! As a matter of fact, no one is excluded from eternal life, unless they exclude themselves by rejecting the glorious Gospel!
Within the Lord’s welcoming, notice several key truths: ‘THE CERTAINTY of JESUS’ PROMISE’ to this criminal. “Today YOU WILL BE WITH ME in paradise.” This was an unequivocal assurance given to this man by God the Son, the One whom God the Father has given all authority. Friend, when the Lord Jesus gives His word, you can stake your eternity on it!
Furthermore, pay close attention to the IMMEDIACY of JESUS’ PROMISE’. Jesus said, “TODAY, you will be with Me.” The Lord Jesus did not tell this penitent criminal that he would have to burn off and pay for his massive mountain of sins in purgatory for 500 years. There is no purgatory! The very premise of a purgatory is a blasphemy against the cross! On the contrary, the Word of God promises to every born-again believer that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
Next, observe the ‘INTIMACY of JESUS’ PROMISE’. “Today, you will be WITH ME in paradise.” Oh, dear reader, do you grasp that to be WITH JESUS is precisely what makes Heaven truly Heaven? As a matter of fact, “Heaven is Heaven because JESUS CHRIST is at the center of it!” Jesus is the epicenter of Heaven. Jesus is the supreme love and sovereign Lord of Heaven. Jesus Christ is the preeminent treasure and pleasure of Heaven.
Friend, if these truths are undeniable biblical truths (and they certainly are), then how can you or anyone have the solid assurance that they are in a present possession of eternal life? Well, friend, ask yourself these vital questions:
Is Jesus the EPICENTER of YOUR LIFE NOW?
Is Jesus the SUPREME LOVE and SOVEREIGN LORD of YOUR LIFE NOW?
Is Jesus Christ the PREEMINENT TREASURE And PLEASURE of YOUR LIFE NOW?"
Precious one, the biblical reality of “eternal life” is not just an endless quantity of time in a place called Heaven. Eternal life is a divine quality of life, NOW! “This is eternal life, that you may KNOW God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son, whom He has sent.” Heaven is simply the ultimate culmination of this saving knowledge of God the Father and God the Son, which is the very essence of eternal life.
(I pray that the Spirit of God will mightily apply these 18 devotions from His Word to your heart and life.)
THE ASTONISHING CONVERSION OF A CONDEMNED CRIMINAL — Part 17
“Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’” (Luke 23:42).
Let’s consider this amazing confession. Please notice that this penitent criminal publicly confessed that he was a great sinner. Openly, as he hung from the cross, he confessed that he deserved to be condemned to hell. Then he testified to the vital truth that he had an urgent need for forgiveness. By calling Jesus LORD, he plainly affirmed that Jesus is God the Son and that He is the only Savior of sinners. He was attesting to Jesus and the crowd that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, the Messiah, and the King of kings! Personally, this man was bowing to King Jesus Christ to be his LORD! Candidly crying out, “Lord, make me one of Your subjects and servants, in Your coming kingdom. Lord, make me fit to enter into Your kingdom. Forgive me, save me, wash me, cleanse me. Through his words and actions, he was repenting and believing, vocally admitting, “I am turning from my former ways, and I am trusting You as My Master and Savior!”
Moreover, observe the next tremendous truth of his confession. This condemned criminal attests to the glorious truths concerning the coming Resurrection and Coronation of Jesus as the King of kings. Furthermore, he was affirming these things in the face of the present torture of the Lord! Recall, the Lord Jesus Christ was not residing on a throne. He was impaled on a Roman cross! He was not wearing a crown of gold. He was wearing a crown of thorns! Everyone knew that no one survived an execution by crucifixion. This torturous impalement always ended in certain death. Yet, this criminal was praying, “Remember me, when You come into Your kingdom!”
This criminal’s mind had been miraculously illumined with glorious realities, which were far beyond the present crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was trusting in the Lord’s victorious resurrection and coronation, which was soon to come! Consequently, he also realized the possibility of eternal life for himself, as a willing subject in this coming Kingdom. This man, even while suffering excruciating pain, rightly responded to all of the truths that he had heard. He repented of his former life of wicked sinfulness and willful selfishness. I must ask, dear reader, “Have you repented and been converted, so that your sins may be blotted out?”
This condemned criminal exhibited repentance, but he also placed SAVING FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ! He said, “Lord, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.” He was confessing his sins and repenting of them, but he was also placing all of the weight of his confidence in the truth that Jesus Christ is the great Savior of sinners; the great Forgiver of sinners; and the great Redeemer of sinners!
Consequently, this criminal believed in his heart and publicly confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father! In the face of all of the reviling of the religious leaders, the deriding of the wicked soldiers, and the taunting of this mob, he publicly believed in Jesus as Jehovah God who saves; as the long-awaited Messiah, and as his Lord and God!
This last truth from this man’s lips reveals that “saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” will always become a PUBLIC faith. This insurrectionist publicly confessed his lostness, his rebellion, and his culpability. He publicly cast his soul on the marvelous mercy and amazing grace of Jesus. He publicly placed his confidence in what the Lord Jesus was accomplishing on the cross. He publicly committed his eternal soul to the Lord’s keeping. Openly and genuinely trusted in the coming resurrection and coronation of Jesus as King of kings. He publicly believed and confessed all of this, in the face of all of the wicked hostility of the encircling mob!
Friend, would you publicly commit your life to the Lord Jesus (in saving faith in Him), even if you must do so in front of an extremely hostile crowd of Christ-haters? Would you publicly confess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter the response of those within your sphere of influence? Will you take opportunities and make opportunities to publicly witness the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ today?
THE ASTOUNDING CONVERSION OF A CONDEMNED CRIMINAL — Part 16
“But the other, answering, rebuked him, 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 has done nothing wrong. ‘Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’” (Luke 23:40-42).
Within these verses, we are powerfully reminded that when the Holy Spirit miraculously produces the new birth (resulting in the conversion of a condemned sinner), He illuminates the sinner’s heart regarding vital spiritual realities. The awakening infusion of Spirit-produced light produced a holy fear of God, in direct relationship to the just wrath of God and the condemned condition of the sinner! Moreover, the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit revealed the glory of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, along with the personal hope that there was forgiveness for sin because He is Savior!
Repeatedly, this criminal had heard the Lord Jesus ask God the Father to forgive the very mob that was impaling Him to a Roman cross. So, this insurrectionist was awakened and witnessed this truth in action. Therefore, ‘if forgiveness, grace, and mercy were available for this wicked hoard of rebels, then there must be forgiveness, grace, and mercy for me!’
As a dramatic result of this precious illumination of the Spirit, this domestic insurrectionist recognized that “Jesus is Jehovah God, the One who saves sinners.” You may be thinking, “How do you know that this criminal realized that Jesus is God’s appointed Savior of sinners? For the very reason that he prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, “Lord, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.” He was pleading with the Lord Jesus, with a broken and contrite heart, to forgive his sins and save his soul. He had been awakened to the saving truths that Jesus Christ is the Messiah King. Friends, the Lord of lords is the exclusive Savior of sinners and the Son of the living God.
Furthermore, this condemned criminal had also been illuminated with the glorious promise that ‘this crucifixion would not mark the end of Jesus’ life.’ He had heard that this Jesus had authority and power over death itself! Recall that Matthew 27 informs us of this same account writing: The criminals were both hurling abuse at Jesus, while the others in the mob were quoting these words from the lips of Jesus, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’” The reviling crowds were mocking Jesus, concerning His claims that He was going to facilitate his own personal resurrection from the dead. Friend, through these very words, the Holy Spirit graced this dying criminal with the understanding that King Jesus possesses an eternal kingdom that He will return to establish!
Notice the words in verse 39 carefully: “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Jesus, saying, 'If you are the CHRIST, save Yourself and us.” Yet, in verse 42, the other criminal was asking, “Lord, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.” Note that both criminals ask Jesus to save them. But the Lord Jesus ignored the request of one, yet He granted the request of the other. Why? What was the difference?
Oh, the difference was that the dying criminal, in verse 39, did not ask the Lord in a heart attitude of genuine repentance. He was only exhibiting a worldly sorrow. He was mourning over what his “life of sin” was costing him. He was only grieving the consequences of his sin. This man’s only desire was to get off of this cross of execution and live! He had no interest in confessing his sin, his guilt, his lostness, and his need for the salvation of his soul. He posed no inner yearning to cast his life on the grace and mercy of Jesus. He possessed no yearning to commit his life to Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Therefore, the Lord Jesus did not respond to his request. Where repentance and faith do not coincide, there is no redemption.
However, the other criminal was truly repentant and believing! He openly confessed to his own sinfulness, rebellion, guilt, and lostness. He personally acknowledged that he deserved eternal condemnation. This guilty criminal exhibited a “mental U-turn” against the tide of all the peer pressure that surrounded him. Moreover, he turned to his companion in crime and rebuked him! He publicly admonished the entire mob! Even more so, he publicly exonerated the Lord Jesus of being sinless, unjustly condemned, before the religious leaders! This criminal publicly confessed that he was a great sinner; he deserved to be condemned to hell. He was fully aware of his need for Jesus to be his Savior and Lord!
THE ASTONISHING CONVERSION OF A CONDEMNED CRIMINAL — Part 15
“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, 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 HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG” (Luke 23:39-41).
Precious one, if the Lord Jesus Christ had been guilty of even one sin, He could not and would not have been qualified to be the Savior of sinners! A sinner cannot bear the sins of other sinners, because every sinner must bear his own sins. Oh, but the God-Man, who is the perfectly righteous SON OF GOD, was bearing the wrath of all of the sins of every sinner who would ever repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!
We need a Savior who is perfectly righteous. We need a Savior who perfectly kept God's moral law. The salvation of any sinner reliably rests on the Savior’s substitutionary death on the Cross, and securely stands on the Savior’s perfectly righteous life, wrought out in His holy life on this earth! This notorious sinner hanging next to Jesus was being spiritually arrested with the staggering truth that “Jesus was perfectly holy, and yet Jesus was being condemned.”
Moreover, the Spirit of God brought this condemned criminal to the miraculous conclusion that, “If Jesus is being condemned, but had committed no sin, then He is voluntarily being condemned in my place and on my behalf! He is not dying for His own sins, for He is sinless. He is dying for my sins, as my substitute!”
Now, we have observed that his needy sinner has been mightily seized with the fear of God and the holiness of God! Consequently, he was also arrested with an overwhelming sense of his own wretched sinfulness!
But this brings us to another assertion. He was also gripped with a personal realization of the Deity of Jesus Christ. He had heard the mocking of the religious crowd, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the Cross.” He heard the religious leaders deriding the Lord with the words, “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him. For He said, I am the Son of God.” Suddenly, those taunting words of derision became spiritual light to this man’s blinded heart.
The Spirit of God was shining this glorious light of truth that “This One hanging on the middle cross is God the Son. Jesus Christ is the God-Man. This One, being crucified next to me, is the great I AM! He has come to seek and to save sinners like me. And for that to be possible, He must not come down from the Cross. God the Son must not save Himself, for He and He alone came to pay the full price for the wages of sin on behalf of any sinner who will repent and believe the Gospel. God the Father is not sparing His only Son. He is delivering up His only begotten Son to be the sinless substitute on behalf of sinners!”
Most probably, this criminal remembered the teachings from the Old Testament sacrifice in the holy of holies, for these teachings dominated the culture in Jerusalem. He would have unquestionably known that “The High Priest was required to enter into the holy of holies, once a year, with the blood sacrifice of a spotless, unblemished lamb”. It is evident that the Holy Spirit was illuminating to this career convict that, “This Jesus, the King of the Jews, must be the long-awaited Messiah. He must be the Great High Priest. Furthermore, this Great High Priest is offering Himself as the spotless Lamb of God. He personally realizes, “I am a lost sinner, and I am in grave need of the salvation of my lost soul. I need this holy Son of God to be my Savior and my Lord.”