Grateful

“One of the criminals hanging beside Him scoffed, ‘So You’re the Messiah, are You? Prove it by saving Yourself—and us, too, while You’re at it!’ But the other criminal protested, ‘Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.’ And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.’”
—Luke 23:39-43

Excerpt from an Allister Begg talk:

“So, to go to the old question, ‘If you were to die tonight and you were getting entry into heaven, what would you say?’ If you answer that in the first person, we’ve immediately gone wrong.

‘Because I… Because I believed… Because I have faith… Because I am this… Because I am that…’

Loved ones, the only proper answer is in the third person: ‘Because He! Because He!’

Think about the thief on the cross… I can’t wait to find that fellow one day to ask him, ‘How did that shake out for you? Because you were cussing the guy out with your friend. You’ve never been in a Bible study. You never got baptized… You didn’t know a thing about church membership, and yet… you made it. How did you make it?’

That’s what the angels must have said, you know:

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What do you mean you don’t know?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Excuse me, let me get my supervisor.’

They go get their supervisor angel.

‘So, just a few questions for you. First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?’

The guy said, ‘I’ve never heard of it in my life.’

‘And what about the doctrine of Scripture?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

This guy’s just staring — and eventually, in frustration, the supervisor says, ‘On what basis are you here?’

And he said,

‘All I know is the Man on the middle cross said I can come.’

Do you think that you are a good person? What about that hateful thought you had for a co-worker who screwed you around?

Do you think that you are “owed” because of your last name or, on the other end of the scale, because you grew up poor?

Bottom line — none of us are good or deserving.

“No one is righteous, not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
—Romans 3:10-12

The Man on the middle cross said we can come.

That’s it. That’s all there is.

And that’s all we need!

Stop, and be grateful that He said ‘come.’”