We're going to read together from the word of God, from the book of Luke's gospel, chapter 23, Luke's gospel chapter 23. And we're reading from verse 34, Luke chapter 23 and verse 34. Let us hear the word of God tonight. Then said Jesus, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots. And the people stood beholding and the rulers also with them derided him saying he saved others. Let him save himself if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him coming to him and offering him vinegar and saying, if I be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And the superscripture also was written over him and letters of Greek. And Latin and Hebrew, this is the king of the Jews. And one of the malefactors which were hanged reeled on him, saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Amen. Ending our reading at verse 43, we know that God will bless to us the reading of his inspired inerrant and infallible Word. Let's bow together for a moment of prayer, please. Our gracious God and loving Father, we come now to the preaching of Thy Word. I am trusting Thee for power. Thine shall never fail. Words that Thou Thyself has given me must and shall prevail. We ask in Jesus' name and for God's eternal glory. Amen. In the closing moments of our service tonight, I want to draw your attention to the theme of a deathbed conversion. A deathbed conversion. We find it here in this portion of God's Word that we have read from in Luke chapter 23, and especially verses 42 to 43. He said unto Jesus, as the dying thief, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Many people dismiss deathbed conversions out of hand. They say that it's not possible for a person in the last days of their life on earth, or maybe even in their last day on earth, or their last hours upon earth, to come to Christ and to be truly saved. And I can understand why some people would dismiss the possibility of someone being saved at the last, and why others would have grave doubts about whether or not that conversion would be genuine. But let us always remember that with God all things are possible. And God can work in a person's life right to the last moments of their time upon this earth. God is able to save someone right at the end of their life. Why do I believe that this is possible? But I have seen it in my own life's experience, in the lives of some who have come to Christ and have borne witness to that fact at the end of their days and in the final days and hours of their life. I've not seen it in many, but in some over the years. Of course, we must always remember that the Lord knoweth them that are his, that he seeth the heart, that while man looketh on the outward appearance, God looketh on the heart. Many others, of course, even though exhorted to come to Christ on their deathbed, reject and refuse Christ, and his so great salvation right to the end of their lives. I say that deathbed conversion is possible because of this incident before us in the Word of God tonight. Here we have a man right at the end of his life, a Christ rejecter, and yet he's genuinely seen just in time He embraces God's salvation and he finds security for eternity. And that is confirmed by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself. What wonderful mercy is shown to this man. And what mercy is shown even to you, sinner, in this service tonight. And I want to speak The Lord helping me on this incident here, looking at the theme of a deathbed conversion. May the Lord write His Word upon our hearts by His Spirit tonight. As you look at this man here, I want you to notice five things concerning him in this portion of God's Word. First of all, I want you to see his crime. There are two men here who are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are called manufacturers here in Luke's gospel. They are called thieves in Matthew and Mark's gospel. They were bad men. While thieves in Matthew and Mark emphasize what they specifically done was bad. The word translated thieves in Matthew and Mark is worth noting. It describes the particular type of thieving that they were engaged in. There are two words in the Greek for a thief. One emphasizes secrecy and stealing. The other emphasizes violence and openness and stealing. It's the latter word that refers to these two thieves. They're mentioned here as being crucified with Christ. The historian Josephus tells us that Palestine at that time was infested with thieves. The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10 would indicate that that was indeed the fact. And Rome vigorously went after these men. They often murdered in the robbing of others. And they were crucified by the Romans. Many of them were put to death in this particular manner. And so we say that this man was a law breaker with his partner in crime. He had broken the law. And we live in a world of law breaker. Those who are involved in crime and criminal activity are all around us, breaking the laws of the land. But we are all law breakers in some sense. We have broken God's law. We are guilty before him tonight. The Bible tells us in Romans chapter three, verses 22 and 23, For there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, you may never have broken the law of the land, or you may never break it in any sense, but you have broken the law of God. For you see, my friend, tonight it is impossible for any person to keep the law of God perfectly. And the Bible tells us that even if we offended in one point, we are guilty of all. How commendable was the rich young ruler in his lifestyle, in his adherence to the law. When the Lord mentioned various parts of the law, he said, all these have I observed from my youth. But then the Lord said to him, one thing thou lackest. Look at Nicodemus, with all his religion, with all his regard for the law, and yet he had broken that law. Saul of Tarsus again, with all his religion, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, the Bible tells us, as touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless, and yet he had broken God's law. And there's some Maybe even some in this service tonight. You have a great deal of uprightness about you in your life, a great deal of religion, a great deal of respectability and morality, and yet you fall short of God's standard. That's what it means. It says, All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You missed the mark as far as God is concerned. This is your crime tonight. Oh, that you might take the sinner's place as this man took the sinner's place. For my friend, you'll never be saved if you don't take the sinner's place. You need to humble your heart tonight. as this man did before the Savior, and come to Christ, even tonight, his crime. I want you to see, secondly, his calamity. He was a man crucified with his partner in crime. Verse 33 tells us, when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, the Lord Jesus that is, and the malefactors, one in the right hand and the other in the left. This most cruel of deaths, crucifixion, was the portion of this man. He was hanging on a cross beside the Lord Jesus Christ. And the other thief, his fellow criminal, was on the other side of Jesus. Nailed to the cross he was. The cruelest form of death imaginable. Nails in his hands and in his feet. What a calamity as far as this man was concerned. And not only for him, but for his partner in crime as well. And for many others during the rule of the Romans at that particular time in Palestine. You see, my friend, the end of this man was death. And you know, the Bible says tonight that the wages of sin is death. that sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. And you know there are many people in our society today, and they think that they can sin with impunity. They think that they can sin, but there are no consequences. This man discovered that sin has awful consequences. He was facing them now on the cross, being crucified, feeling the full weight of the law that was meted out to him. Oh, my friend, the Bible says the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The end was death. I'll tell you something else, the end of this man was darkness. Oh, the darkness. of this time for this man. There was no light in his soul to cheer his dying moments. As he looked forward, all was darkness. And he was facing darkness for all eternity. Outer darkness. The darkness of a Christless hell. Remember Judas? The Bible tells us And he was in the presence of Christ, but he went out, and it was night. It was night for his darkened soul. It was night for his doomed soul. It was night for his damned soul. And it will be night for you if you die in your sins. For the Lord says, if you die in your sins, where Christ is, you cannot come. That's where the rich man lifted up his eyes in Luke 16. He lifted up his eyes in hell, in the darkness. Oh, the dreadfulness of the darkness of an eternal hell. But the end was not only darkness. The end was destruction. That is the end for the Christ rejecter. No matter how high your profile may be in life, No matter how much power you may wield in this world, no matter how prosperous you may be, you're facing destruction. And tonight, without Christ, there is but a step between you and destruction. You're nearer to it than ever you've been before. As we near the end of a gospel mission. This man was just a short time away from destruction. You cannot tell, but this is the reality that you face tonight. Destruction without Christ. His crime. His calamity. What do you see thirdly? His confession. He confessed his condemnation in verse 40. The other answering rebuked him, saying, He's rebuking his partner in crime, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? You see, it heard his fellow thief railing on Christ, abusing Christ, insulting Christ, blaspheming against Christ. That's what railing means. This man retorted with this rebuke, Dost thou not fear God? Saying thou art in the same condemnation. This man faced up to the fact that he was condemned. He was under condemnation because of his law breaking. He had broken the law. My friend tonight, You have broken the law of God, therefore you're under his condemnation. The Bible says that the sinner is condemned already, that the wrath of God abideth upon the sinner, and God's wrath abideth upon you tonight. You notice his challenge to his partner in crime as to not fear God, seeing the same condemnation. There was no fear in the heart of the other thief. No fear of God. This man was just hours from death too. And yet he was still refusing Christ. He was still rebelling against the Lord. He was still reviling Christ. Is there no fear of God before you tonight? Is there no fear of God in your heart? Look at the picture of the sinner there in Romans chapter 3 from verse 9. Book of Romans, the chapter 3 from verse 9. What then, said Paul, are we better than they? No one knows. For we have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are all together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of ass is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. No fear of God. Does that describe you tonight? These other verses here that we have quoted, do they describe you tonight? Have you no fear of God in your heart? The Bible says in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28, And fear not them which kill the body, who are not able to kill the soul, but rather, listen, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Oh, that you might fear the Lord tonight. Because your life, your immortal soul, is in the hand of God. He can destroy both soul and body in hell. What a challenge this man put to his friend who was dying also without Christ and who died without Christ. You'll notice also he confessed his culpability He said in verse 41, and we indeed justly, for we receive the true reward of our deeds. He wasn't trying to plead innocence. You know, oftentimes when you visit in a prison and sir, Kenny does a bit of that. I've been doing it for more years than I care to remember. You never met as many innocent people. As you meet in the prison, they're all innocent. Most of them anyway, they think they are, and they'll tell you they are. They will plead innocence. But this man was facing up to what he had done, and the fact that he deserved to get the punishment he was now enduring. Will you face up to your sin tonight? And the fact that your sin deserves death, don't try to cover it up. Don't try to be those that would not face up to the facts. Come clean about it tonight. Face up to it. Be upfront about it. Like the prodigal son who said in Luke 15, 18, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. Like David in Psalm 51, I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, the only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Oh, you're culpable tonight, as far as your sin is concerned. But you'll notice also, he confessed the crimelessness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 41, he said, this man, the Lord Jesus, hath done nothing amiss. He saw Christ crucified beside him on the cross, on the center cross. He saw Christ as the pure and spotless one, the flawless, crimeless, faultless Son of God. Scripture says of Christ, He is holy. harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. His eyes were looking toward Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb of God. May your eyes be opened tonight to see the Lord Jesus Christ, to see who He really is, the Lamb of God. A spotless Lamb of God. In Him is no sin. He is the One who knew no sin. Never conceived an evil thought. Never was tainted in His mind by a wicked imagination. He could not sin. For He is God. Guile was not found in His mouth. You look away from the hand tonight. Look away from the preacher. Look away from yourself. Look away to Christ tonight. Spotless, crimeless Son of God. You'll notice, fourthly, his cry in verse 42, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Here's a man facing death in his last hours of life, and he cries out to the Lord. He's desperate. He's desperate. Note the urgency of his cry. He's not hesitating here. He's not procrastinating. He acts immediately. No time to waste, no time to delay. He addresses the matter now. Will you cry to the Lord tonight? You may be in your last hours, my friend. You may be even in your last moments. You need to cry to the Lord tonight. You need to cry right now for salvation, for behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation. Don't wait another moment. The urgency of his cry. I want you to see also the understanding in his cry. He said, Lord, he realizes who he is. He gives the Lord his rightful place. Will you speak his name with reverence as this man did? Will you approach him in a right manner as this man approached him? Do you remember Saul of Tarsus there when he was met by the Lord in the Damascus road? He said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? He said, who art thou, Lord? The understanding in his cry. I want you to see what is underlined in his cry. He said, Lord, remember me. He wanted the Lord to intervene in his life. Even at this late stage, when all seemed lost, Lord, remember me. Friend, you need the Lord to remember you tonight. Because if the Lord doesn't remember you, you're lost. If the Lord doesn't intervene in your life, friend, you'll perish. in a Christless eternity. Do you remember that leper in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 2? He said, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Lord! If thou wilt. The cry of a desperate man. Here's the cry of a dying man. Lord, remember me. You'll notice the ultimate of his crying. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Just over yonder on the other side of death awaited the glorious kingdom of God. Oh, if only there was some way that this man could enter into the kingdom of God. By crying out to Jesus as he did, this man realized that it was only through Christ that he could enter into the kingdom of God. There was no other way. And friend, there's no other way whereby you can get into God's kingdom. It's not the way of the church, not the way of a creed or any religion. The only way this man could have any hope in death and beyond it was to look to Christ and that's what he did. When you look to Christ in him, don't look at Alan Smiley or Ian Kenney or any other man. Look to Christ. It was providential that Jesus was crucified between these two thieves, for this gave them both equal access to the Savior. Both could read Pilate's superscription above the cross. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Both could watch as the Lord Jesus Christ gave his life, a ransom for many. And the one thief imitated the mockery of unreligious leaders in the crowds of the day, and asked Jesus to rescue him from the cross. But the other had different ideas. This penitent thief here had different ideas. He may have reasoned, if this man is indeed the Christ, if there is indeed a kingdom that I can go to, and if he has saved others, then this is my last hope. This is my only hope. This is the only way of salvation. I'm not ready to die. I must look to Christ. I must put my trust in Him. And it took courage for this thief to defy the influence of his friend and the mockery of the crowd. It took faith for this man to trust a dying king. But trust he did. He stepped out in faith. He believed in his dying hour. He trusted in his dying moments. He trusted Christ for salvation. The cry uttered by this man near to death showed faith that is astounding. This man couldn't merit salvation. He couldn't work his way to heaven. No way he could do that. But he stepped out in faith. He believed to the saving of his soul. And my Bible tells me tonight that by grace are ye saved, through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works that any man should boast. May God give you that saving faith, that gift of saving faith tonight. enabling you in the closing moments of this meeting and perhaps in the closing moments of your life to step out by faith and trust Christ. It's your only hope, man, woman, young person, boy or girl. It's your only hope for God's eternity. But there's a fifth thing here. It's the certainty. You see, in verse 43, Jesus said unto him, verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Notice the promise here, verily. Very interesting word that's used many times in the word of God. It simply means truly. Here the Lord gives absolute assurance, a certainty. is given in the immediate response of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was no maybes, there was no perhapses here. There is absolute assurance. There's no need for this man to have doubts in his mind about his future. Here's the word of Him who cannot lie. A word that you can rest upon and have confidence in. To bring peace and calm to your heart as you face eternity. The Lord says verily, truly, here's my word. Rest upon it. Stand upon it tonight. I'm not asking you to believe my word tonight. I'm not asking you to stand upon the word that I would give of myself. But oh, stand upon his word tonight. You can be sure about salvation. You can be sure about your future! You can be sure about eternity! I promise you. But do you notice there's something present here? He said today. Today. That very day, He'd been in the Lord's presence. There would be no delay. Just as when Lazarus died, the Bible records there in Luke 16, it came to pass the beggar died as Lazarus, and he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, or into paradise, into the Lord's presence, for that's where Abraham was. He was carried. And what a joy to know that if you died tonight, you'd immediately be in the Lord's presence in heaven. Have you that assurance? Do you know that, my friend? You died tonight, you're gonna immediately pass into glory. That's what the great truth is set forth in the Catechism. The souls of believers do at their death immediately pass into glory. Immediately pass into glory. Today, that's what the Lord said. It was personal. Today shalt thou be with me. This dying man, this dying thing, he was going to heaven. You see, my friend, salvation is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that the person who is in that relationship, who is saved, will at their death personally go to glory. And the Lord told this man personally, today shalt thou Be with me in paradise. Just as he spoke personally to Zacchaeus there in Luke 19. This day, he said, is salvation come to thy house, to the jailer there in Luke 16, 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And do you know the Lord said today, shalt thou be with me? You see, it has to do with the person. The Lord Jesus Christ, whom he had previously rejected, but now he had received him as a savior. What a change there was in this man's life. Now he had hope of being with Christ, which for him would be far better, as Paul said, absent from the bodily and present with the Lord. He'd be with the Lord. You know, people talk about being with their loved ones in glory, believers even, and they talk about that, but you know the greatest thing? Being with the Lord. With the Lord. And while we will be with those who have gone before, who died in Christ, my friend, we'll be with the Lord. It's the most important thing. If you just hope tonight, the place in paradise, what a prospect, to be assured of heaven that very day. This man had begun that day with no hope of heaven, and now he can end that day by entering into heaven. His future is secure. You know, you get these things through your door. Make your future financially secure. It's not worth the paper it's written on. But my friend, you can have real security if you trust in Christ. This man had this real security. and not only security, but serenity. He was going to heaven and what seems of delight would be the experience of this man for all eternity. You know what the Bible says in Psalm 16, in my presence is fullness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. It has been said that the light of heaven is the face of Jesus Christ. That the joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus Christ. That the melody of heaven is the name of Jesus Christ. That the harmony of heaven is the praise of Jesus Christ. That the theme of heaven is the work of Christ. The employment of heaven is the service of Christ. And the fullness of heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Fullness of joy. Fullness of joy. Heaven. My friend, has this matter settled with you tonight? Are you sure of heaven? This man left it late, very, very late. But he didn't leave it too late. He came to Christ. It was a deathbed conversion. But don't leave it so late, friend, because you cannot guarantee a deathbed. Neither can you guarantee a deathbed conversion either. And therefore, tonight I urge you, in the closing moments of this meeting, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call ye upon him when he is near. The Bible says, come now, Let us reason together, saith the Lord. Come now to Christ. Don't leave it till tomorrow. If this man had left it till the next day, he would have missed his opportunity. Because he would have been in eternity. Don't leave it too late. A deathbed conversion, yes. But you may not have that. Therefore, I plead with you and urge you and implore you tonight to now come to Christ and be saved. May the Lord bless His Word into our hearts tonight.