The Thief on the Cross Believed Lk 23:39-43 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
People offer a lot of excuses for why they can’t believe on Jesus. However, you can believe on Jesus; the thief on the cross believed. And if he did surely you can. The thief on the crossbelieved in spite of the fact that:
He had first railed on Jesus – Lk 23:39; Matt 27:44. You may have cursed him, too. Matt 12:31-32. The fact that you may have taken the Lord’s name in vain is no excuse to refuse to receive Jesus.
His friend didn’t fear God – Lk 23:40. Just because your friends don’t want to receive Jesus is no reason for you to refuse. Your friends are not going to answer for you before God. As a matter of fact, they won’t even be standing there with you. Your friends’ refusal to receive Christ is no excuse for you to refuse to receive him.
He had committed capital crimes – Lk 23:41. You may have done many bad things. You have not been as bad as this thief and he believed on Jesus. Your past is no excuse to refuse to receive Jesus.
He was watching the Lord die – Lk 23:42. You must understand that it is much simpler for you to trust the risen Saviour than it was for this man to trust Christ. You know that he has risen; this man was watching him die. The only scripture that he could see at the time was the inscription written above the Lord’s head, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. But those words were enough. He believed that Jesus would enter his kingdom and this man wanted to be there with him. Your unbelief is no excuse to refuse to believe Jesus.
He also was dying that day – Lk 23:43. You might be saying, “It’s too late for me”. It’s never too late. As long as you are breathing you can still trust Jesus. The fact that the better part of your life is in the past is too bad but it is not too late. The fact that you may be dying is no excuse to refuse to receive Jesus.
Conclusion: I am convinced that the reason you are hearing this broadcast today [or are reading this transcript] is that you are like the thief on the cross or you know someone who is. If you are like him, you should be encouraged that in spite of some rather good excuses, this thief trusted Jesus on the spot. And you need to trust him too. If you know someone who is like this thief, don’t listen to their excuses. Just remember that they may think they have good excuses to refuse Christ, but they really don’t. They should be encouraged to know that in spite of their excuses, they can and should trust Christ. Don’t give up on them. Their time is not up until they are dead.