-
So this is from Sam Rodman.
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He writes, "Hello, Tim.
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Please clarify this for me..."
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Now what I'm wanting you to think
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is somebody asks you this question.
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How would you answer?
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Where would you go in Scripture?
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What would your counsel be
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to an individual that asked you this?
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"Please clarify this for me.
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Regarding the thief on the cross,
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how do you compare
his salvation with ours?"
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So he's obviously thinking
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that there's something different
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about his salvation and ours.
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"How do you compare them?
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I mean, he did not live
a good life at all.
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He did not show any fruit of repentance.
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He did not live right,
-
yet Jesus saved him anyway.
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How was Jesus able to save him
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when we are clearly instructed
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to live right and to turn from sin?
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As I understand it,
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he was the only one in Scripture
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who had this deathbed salvation.
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So we can't rely on that,
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but you know what I mean.
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Thank you very much.
Sincerely, Sam Rodman."
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Now I know this is probably an easy one.
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But here's the thing,
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you want to answer people biblically.
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You want to answer them clearly.
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You want to lay down a good,
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strong explanation or argument
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if you're answering.
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So how do you answer?
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Maybe the first thing we need to do
-
is open up our Bibles to Luke 23
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to the passage where
the thief on the cross -
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it's the only account in the Gospels
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of this thief being saved.
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We see him show up in the others,
-
but this is the only one
that we're actually told.
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I think that's interesting.
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Do you guys find that interesting?
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That the other authors could refer to him
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but not mention that he got saved?
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Doesn't that make you wonder
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what all manner of things
we're not told about?
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Anyway...
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Luke 23.
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Do you guys all have it?
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So, I'll start reading in verse 39.
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"One of the criminals who were hanged
-
railed at Him..."
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Railed at Christ.
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"...Saying, 'Are You not the Christ?
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Save Yourself and us!'
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But the other rebuked him, saying,
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'Do you not fear God
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since you are under the same sentence
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of condemnation?
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And we indeed justly,
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for we're receiving the
reward of our deeds.
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But this Man has done nothing wrong.'
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And he said, 'Jesus, remember me
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when You come into Your kingdom.'
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And He said to him, "Truly, I say to you,
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today, you will be with Me in paradise.'"
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So hear his question again:
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"Please clarify this for me.
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Regarding the thief on the cross,
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how do you compare
his salvation with ours?
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I mean, he did not live
a good life at all.
-
He did not show any fruit of repentance.
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He did not live right.
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Yet, Jesus saved him anyway."
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I think that's one of
the telling statements.
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"He did not live right...
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yet Jesus saved him anyway."
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Basically what that communicates
-
is the fact that he's having difficulty
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figuring out what salvation looks like.
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I mean, I think he has a difficulty
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discerning between what saves
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versus what proves that we're saved.
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There is a proof of
salvation in Scripture.
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There's various characteristics
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of genuine Christianity that come up
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all over the Scriptures.
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And yet, that's not the same thing.
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The proofs of what it means to be saved
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are not the same thing as being saved.
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And he perhaps is not clear on that.
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"How was Jesus able to save him
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when we are clearly
instructed to live right
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and to turn from sin?
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As I understand it, he was
the only one in Scripture
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who had this deathbed salvation,
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so we can't rely on that.
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But you know what I mean."
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Now, actually I don't know what he means.
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I mean, I understand what he's saying,
-
but I think he's implying there
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that you know what I mean
and would agree with me
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that we can't rely on that.
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But I would not go down that path.
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We certainly can rely -
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any example in Scripture
where somebody is converted,
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obviously we can rely on that.
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So what do you say?
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(from the room)
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So he said that he hadn't repented?
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But here it sounds like he was repenting?
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding
what he's saying.
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No, you were understanding exactly right.
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You're saying that he has mentioned here
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that there's no evidence
that this thief repented.
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But he doesn't really
quote the account at all.
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He doesn't make any
reference to the account
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other than the fact that it happened.
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Yes, you're exactly right.
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Let's just look at the text.
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The proofs of repentance,
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the proofs of salvation are here.
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They're here in the text.
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But I don't think that
that's the biggest issue.
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The biggest issue is this:
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he says, "he did not live right,
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yet Jesus saved him anyway."
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What's his assumption?
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(unintelligible)
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God saves those who live right.
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One of the greatest texts in my opinion
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concerning the glory of the Gospel
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is found in Romans 4:5.
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Let's look at it,
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because it just so brings
to light the reality.
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And it really says that the statement
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that he makes here is diametrically
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wrong and opposed to
what the Gospel teaches.
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If we go to Romans -
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do you want a Bible?
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Okay.
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Do you have a photographic memory?
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(unintelligible)
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It's no problem at all.
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If you want one just shout,
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we'll dig one up for you.
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But in Romans 4:5
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we have this statement:
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(I'm going to start reading in v. 4).
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"Now to the one who works..."
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The idea here is a person who is working;
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a person who in their own effort
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is trying to gain favor with God.
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"...His wages are not counted as a gift."
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In other words, if you
work to get to Heaven,
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you merited it if it were possible.
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It's a wage.
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You basically were good
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and you earned something.
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That's the idea. That's
what he's teaching there.
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"His wages are not counted as a gift,
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but as his due.
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And to the one who does not work
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but believes in Him who
justifies the ungodly,
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his faith is counted as righteousness."
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So on the one hand, you
have the person that works.
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He gets a wage.
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The wage is his due.
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That's over against the
person who doesn't work,
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but he believes in the God
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who justifies the ungodly.
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To justify is a legal term.
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He's declared righteous.
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The truth that we find
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is that God saves the ungodly
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by pronouncing ungodly people righteous.
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This happens through
faith in Jesus Christ.
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What did the thief on the cross do?
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He was justified by faith.
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He was saved not because
of his own merits.
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God justifies the ungodly.
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Was the guy ungodly? Yes.
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He was a thief.
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He was dying for his crimes.
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The proof of his repentance;
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the proof that something was genuine here
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would be demonstrated in what?
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(from the room)
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"We're getting what we justly deserve."
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Tim: That's one thing.
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Admitting your sin.
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That's a good indication.
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Remember what repentance is.
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Repentance is - the "repent" in English
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is to think again.
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Or, from the Greek term,
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we get this idea of an afterthought
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or to change one's mind.
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The idea is he changed
his mind about himself.
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The other guy was justifying himself.
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(incomplete thought)
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The other guy was mocking.
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This man was admitting.
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He had a change of mind.
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His mind had been changed to recognize
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he was a sinner,
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that he deserved what he was getting.
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Not only did his mind
change about himself,
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who else did his mind change about?
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(from the room) Christ.
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Tim: What are two things
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he recognized about Christ?
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(from the room)
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He said, "Do you not fear God?"
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So I'm thinking wow, he knows
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something is going on here.
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Tim: I would bring that back more
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to a proper evaluation of himself.
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He's a sinner.
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There's a reason to fear God
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because he's headed towards trouble.
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But what are the two things
about Christ that he recognizes?
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James: He believes Christ is perfect.
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Tim: Yes, he believed He did not have sin
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and he believed He had a kingdom.
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He's asking Him to remember him.
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He's looking for salvation.
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He's asking.
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So would you say
anything else to this guy?
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James: Just a quick question.
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In Matthew it mentions
the robbers (plural)
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were mocking Him.
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So is it your understanding that
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this man's change of mind...
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Tim: Yes, I would say his change of mind
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happened on the cross.
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He repented on the cross.
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He came to faith on the cross.
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James: So what would you say led to that?
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I mean, we know the
supernatural power of God,
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but was there the sayings of Christ?
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Tim: We don't see anything
more than we're told.
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I mean, yes, I think there's
every reason to believe
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from the parallel accounts
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that in the beginning he was mocking,
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but something began to happen.
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He was observing something.
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Anybody know what things were said?
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(from the room)
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If you are the Son of God,
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come down from the cross
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and we'll believe in You.
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Tim: I'm talking about the things that
were said by Christ Himself.
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What would this thief have heard said?
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(from the room): Forgive them.
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Tim: Forgive them.
They know not what they do.
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What else would he have seen?
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James: It's interesting how they were
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just mocking Christ,
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and He didn't defend Himself in pride.
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So that man witnessed that.
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That's not Christ saying something,
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but that speaks volumes to see
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His response to this
reviling and everything.
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(from the room)
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They would have seen Christ
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entrust His mother.
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Tim: Yes.
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He would have seen Jesus look down
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at John and His mother, and say,
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"Behold your son; behold your mother."
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He says this:
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"As I understand it, he was the only one
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in Scripture who had this
deathbed salvation,
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so we can't rely on that.
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But you know what I mean."
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But here's the thing,
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every individual is saved how?
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What does Scripture say?
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Saved by grace through faith.
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We are justified by faith.
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Who is the father of the faith?
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I mean, again, let's go back
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to the argument in Romans 4.
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Abraham was justified by faith.
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And what we're told is righteousness
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was counted to him because of the faith.
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And it's not counted to him only.
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And all of this is not
done simply for his sake.
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And in fact, we're told
that this happened,
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that Abraham believed God
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and it was counted to
him for righteousness
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before he was circumcised
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in order that he might be
the father of the faithful
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whether they're circumcised
or not circumcised.
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(incomplete thought)
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You go to Hebrews 11.
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By faith... Abel.
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All the way back to the very first person
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who was a genuine child of God.
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It was by faith. It's
always been by faith.
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And so I wouldn't agree
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that we can't rely on this.
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What we would say is that every account
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in Scripture where somebody was converted,
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we can rely on.
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The reality is we're saved by faith.
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I think where Sam is having the problem
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is that the length of time
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didn't exist.
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So he's having trouble understanding how
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if that life is not demonstrated,
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how could he actually be saved?
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But that's actually a wrong understanding
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of what it is to be saved.
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We're saved in a legal fashion.
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Declared righteous.
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Counted righteous.
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The unjust, the ungodly,
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wicked people, bad people,
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sinners are counted righteous
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in a moment in the courtroom of God
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when faith is exercised in Jesus Christ
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dying on that cross;
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in Jesus being that Savior,
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and looking to Him and trusting Him;
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trusting in His merits,
trusting Him to save.
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That's what this man did.
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(incomplete thought)
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I mean, that "remember me" -
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he's talking to the only
One that can save him.
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And isn't it amazing?
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What did he hear that
he's actually thinking
-
that Christ is going to enter a kingdom?
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Remember me when You
come into Your kingdom?
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I wonder what he even thought
-
when he said that?
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Isn't that interesting?
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Here you have Christ dying
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seemingly defeated.
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That's what those down
on the ground were thinking.
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That's what the other thief was thinking.
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That's what the two on
the road to Emmaus -
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even His disciples were thinking.
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We thought it was Him,
but it can't be Him,
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because they killed Him!
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They crucified Him.
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And you remember, this
was after Jesus came forth
-
and He's walking with these guys.
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"Haven't You heard all these
things that are happening?"
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What things are happening?
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"Well, we thought He was the Christ.
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We thought He was the Savior.
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But He's not."
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Why would they think that He wasn't?
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Well, because He died.
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Isn't that amazing?
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This guy is being put to death
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right next to Him.
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He's dying on the cross.
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His life is ebbing away
-
though He gave up His life
-
of His own accord.
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But He's over here dying on this cross.
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He's over here bleeding.
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He's over here suffering,
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obviously going to die.
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And this man has the faith to believe
-
that somewhere in all
of this there's triumph.
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There's a kingdom.
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That Christ is actually the Jewish king.
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That's what Pilate put up there.
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The king! What did he put?
-
This is the King of the Jews.
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And he believed that.
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And that's what faith is.
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We live by faith, not by sight.
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If you're talking about sight,
-
yeah, you'd talk like the other guy.
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You'd tell Him, "You're the Christ.
Why aren't You saving Yourself?
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What's this all about?
Why aren't You saving us?
-
Come down if You're the Christ."
-
The whole thing looks hopeless
-
from man's point of view.
-
He's dead!
-
They're killing our King?
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What's this? This is the One we hoped...
-
and now?
-
We thought He was going to usher
in a Kingdom and He's dying.
-
This thing's looking pretty
hopeless right now.
-
And yet, in the midst of all of it -
-
and you've got to remember,
-
he's not sitting there
like you're sitting there.
-
He's hanging on spikes.
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His own life is ebbing away.
-
And somehow in the midst of all that,
-
where he was mocking in the beginning
-
it seems,
-
and now there's been this turn.
-
We don't know exactly all the mechanism
-
that God used to bring this change about,
-
but we know this -
-
you know what happened
-
when the disciples recognized
-
that the Gospel had gone to the Gentiles?
-
You remember how they phrased it?
-
That God has also granted repentance
-
to the Gentiles.
-
Repentance is granted.
-
Repentance is something God gives.
-
It's something the Spirit
of God works in people.
-
So definitely God was at work
-
bringing faith.
-
It's the miracle of salvation.
-
God saves in a moment.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
What's the order?
-
That came up down in Mexico - the order.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
What we find is that God calls
-
and then God justifies
-
and then God glorifies.
-
That seems to be the order.
-
To foreknow, to predestine, to call.
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That's what we have there in Romans 8.
-
There's a call. There's an effectual call
-
and the sinner hears it.
-
Jesus said, "You can't come unto Me
-
unless My Father who
has sent Me draws you."
-
And there's this draw and this call,
-
much like Lazarus: "Come forth!"
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And he came forth from the grave.
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There's power in that call
-
to raise from the dead.
-
And then the sinner responds
-
in repentance and faith.
-
But I think Sam's big problem
-
is that he's very much confusing
-
salvation and what
proves that we're saved.
-
Because the reality is this:
-
the fruit - it looks good, right?
-
Even in that account,
-
even though it wasn't given
-
lots of time to develop.
-
The fruit looks good already
-
just in those few moments.
-
And undoubtedly if he
was allowed to live a life,
-
then the reality of
the fruit of the Spirit
-
would have all the more blossomed
-
and taken maturity in his life.
-
Anything else on that one?
-
(from the room)
-
I have a question.
-
Does the parable of the manager
-
paying his employees equally
-
just by their hours worked,
-
does that apply at all here?
-
As far as the timeline of
this man being saved?
-
Tim: Well, actually,
-
the parable you're talking about
-
would be a great portion of Scripture
-
to take him to.
-
The truth is that...
-
(I've got a mouth full of coffee grounds).
-
The truth is those who are saved
-
early in the day - at a young age -
-
the picture, the parable is
-
the Master calling workers
out to the vineyard.
-
And some get called early in the day
-
and some get called
right at the end of the day.
-
And yet at the end,
-
they're all given a denarius.
-
And those who work the entire day
-
are looking and thinking
-
that they should get more,
-
but actually it's the same.
-
It seems to indicate what?
-
(from the room)
-
Entitlement?
-
Jealousy?
-
You've got the parable
of the prodigal son.
-
His brother refused to
come in to the banquet
-
because he'd stayed there
and worked all his life.
-
And his brother went out
-
and did all this stuff.
-
And the elder brother was there at home
-
the whole time
-
and he was jealous,
-
which is a picture of the Pharisees.
-
They were jealous.
-
Tim: So you have this prodigal son.
-
And we could say there really
wasn't much time to do anything.
-
The father ran out and
threw his arms around him
-
and killed the fatted calf.
-
But the reality is the same thing
-
was demonstrated in the prodigal son
-
that we see demonstrated
in the thief on the cross.
-
What was that?
-
There's suddenly a change in the thinking.
-
A person comes to himself.
-
A person reconsiders.
-
A person suddenly recognizes:
-
I'm not in a good place
-
and there's a turning towards home.
-
What you have is this guy
-
hanging on the cross,
-
he turns to Christ.
-
His hope is there.
-
Well, okay, we're going to move on
-
to the next one.