"THREE MEN, THREE CROSSES AND THREE DEATHS!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte




LUKE 23:32-46
 


There are many ways one might meet one's demise. It might be an accident, it might be disease, it might be old age, or it might even be through intent, ours or someone else's. Though there are many means by which one might experience death, there are only two possible conditions in which one might meet the hour of death. We see each of those two conditions in the text for today. But before we look at the text more closely, let me share the account of three young men. They had been given opportunity to do well. They came from a good home. They were loved by their parents. They were brothers, biologically, but two of the young men were of a different spirit. When they grew into their teens, they became involved in fights, parties, immorality and crime. The third, the elder brother, tried to urge them to do differently, but was met with scorn and ridicule. In a real sense, the elder brother, we'll call him Bill, represents the attitude, activity and experience of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, came to offer us a different, better and Godly way of life. He, too, was met with scorn, rejection and ridicule. His plea, too, fell on deaf ears. In time there was an attempted robbery and Bill's brother, Ted, was shot and killed. He had not availed himself of Bill's offer of help and died in his delinquency. A similar situation shows up in the text. There we see three men, three crosses and three deaths. In spite of all Jesus' grace, intent, desire and ability to save we see one spurning Him unto death. Consider the first man.
  1. THE FIRST MAN DIED IN SIN: V39:
    1. The thief, though in a perilous position himself, joined the other mockers railing and abusing Jesus verbally. His heart was not softened by the certainty of his impending death. He died in sin.
    2. Many maintain that same careless, stiff-necked attitude today. Why do some die in sin, separated from Christ?
      1. They say, "Nobody tells me what to do! I make my own choices, call my own shots, determine my own direction!"
      2. Their philosophy is, "If it feels good do it!"
      3. Their god is their body, their money, their popularity, and their pleasure.
      4. Their way of life is described by Paul in Ephesians 2:1-2 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
      5. Some think they are good enough in their own right and don't need any help from Jesus. They trust their works, their sincerity or their religion.
      6. Some think they will live their life as they choose and then, just before death, they'll accept Christ. Problem is, who can predict the exact moment of death?
    3. To all who think and live that way, Jesus says,
      1. John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
      2. Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
    4. It is appointed unto all once to die and then comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27. To die in sin is to face sure condemnation and eternal separation from God.
Bill's brother Ted died in his criminal condition. Bill grieved over his slain brother. And his grief fueled the fire in his heart to still save the one remaining brother, Jimmy who was now in jail for his infractions. Bill visited Jimmy regularly and urged him all the more earnestly. Jimmy was released on bail. The death of his brother and the reality therapy of being jailed began to work on this boy's mind and heart. The faithful persistence of his brother Bill etched itself into his thoughts. He resolved, with Bill's help and guidance, to shape up his life. He would return to the church of his boyhood; he would reestablish ties with the family; he would sever relationships with his criminal cohorts, he would once again follow Christ. A similar change of heart is evident in the text. In this text we see 3 men, 3 crosses and 3 deaths. The first man died in sin; consider the second man.
  1. THE SECOND MAN DIED TO SIN: VV40-42:
    1. Not long before, this man, too, had hurled verbal venom at Jesus. But eternity dawned on him. Death's cold hand touched him. Judgment came to mind. He feared God. And he repented. He died to sin. Please note, however, that beyond that, beyond repentance, this man is not a model of Christian conversion. You cannot point to the thief on the cross as an argument for baptism not being necessary:
      1. Christian baptism had not been commanded or practiced yet.
      2. He could not have been baptized if it had been and if he wanted to be. He was pinioned to a cross.
      3. Jesus had not died and the man was still under the old covenant of Law, not the new covenant of grace.
    2. Besides, Paul reminds all who have been baptized into Christ that they have died to sin, Romans 6:1-4.
      1. That means, first and foremost, that we have changed our way of thinking and have decided not to live in sin any more and that we consider the members of our body as dead to sin:
        1. untouched by it's appeal, unmoved by its allure, uninvolved in its activity.
        2. Paul said, "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ..." Colossians 3:5-9.
      2. It means that we loathe sin instead of loving it.
      3. It means that exterminate sin instead of excusing it.
      4. It means that we deplore sin instead of defending it.
      5. It means that we reject sin instead of rationalizing it.
      6. It means that we incapacitate sin instead of indulging it.
      7. It means that we crucify sin instead of coddling it.
    3. Our attitude ought to be that expressed by David:
      1. Psalms 19:13 "Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression."
      2. Psalms 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."
    4. If you've died to sin, you won't be living in it any more; it won't rule you and you will have a broken and contrite heart. Your life will have changed.
Just so Jimmy woke up to the error of his ways and decided to turn away from crime and to Christ. Sometimes crooks don't take kindly to one of their own leaving the pack. When Jimmy decided to go straight, others had a different plan. His former accomplices were going to try to force Jimmy to come back in with them. They knew he was staying at Bill's house. They sent two fellows there to persuade Jimmy to rethink his decision. When they got there, they gave him the choice of coming back in with them or being shot. At his refusal, they squeezed their triggers. As they did, Bill jumped in front of Jimmy, taking one of the slugs in his own chest while the other struck Jimmy. The assailants fled, leaving both men for dead. Jimmy survived, but Bill had given his life to save his brother. In only an infinitesimal way does that parallel what Jesus Christ did for all of us. As we consider the text we see 3 men, 3 crosses and 3 deaths. The first man died in sin, the second man died to sin. Consider the third man.
  1. THE THIRD MAN DIED FOR SIN: VV34, 46:
    1. Jesus was not the victim of circumstances, a helpless martyr caught up in a plan gone awry! He was a willing planner of, and participant in, the Cross. He was in complete charge of His own destiny! Listen to His own words:
      1. "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." John 10:17-18.
      2. Luke 23:46 "And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.' And having said this, He breathed His last."
    2. Well, so what? What does that mean to me? How does that bear upon my sins? How does that affect me? Hear this:
      1. Isaiah 53:6 "All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him."
      2. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
      3. 2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
      4. 1 Peter 2:24 "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
    3. God allowed Jesus to go to the Cross on our behalf, in our stead, "for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:26.
    4. So, Jesus died for sin to give us a choice. The choice is limited to this: will you die in sin, or will you die to sin? Only you can decide that and your decision determines your destiny! Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. Your choice!!
But carefully hear Jesus again on this matter: "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." John 8:24. Hear Paul, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2. Then give thanks that it is still true, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-7. Just as you are, in your guilt, in your weakness, in your failure, in your fear, in your sin, come to Him Who died for sin and Who will save you from your sin and give you new life.
 


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