"The Issuer Of Grace"
Pastor Albert Almore
“There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”
Luke 23:32-33 NKJV
“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.””
Luke 23:34-35 NKJV
“The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Luke 23:36-38 NKJV
“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?”
Luke 23:39-40 NKJV
“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “LORD, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.””
Luke 23:41-42 NKJV
“And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.””
Luke 23:43 NKJV
I want to speak to you today from this sermon title,
Today’s Message
THE ISSUER OF GRACE
What beautiful words we find in today’s scriptures. It’s reassurance to us all of the grace of God. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of the worst criminals. In this moment the worst of the worst looks to Jesus, and says can I too be forgiven? Can I too still be with you? I watched you as they dragged you up the hill. I saw that you were too weak to carry your own cross. I watched you. Somehow I still saw the love in your eyes for each of them as they drove the nails in your wrist. How is it that you didn’t look at them with anger while they did this to you, but instead you looked at them in concern, as if they were sheep without a shepherd.
It won’t be long now. I feel my pulse slowing down. It’s harder for me to breathe by the second. I’m in and out of consciousness. Just then when I came around I heard you say, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” Can I too be one of them? I know I don’t deserve it. I’m not proud of the life I lived. Luke 23:42,
“Then he said to Jesus, “LORD, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.””
Luke 23:42 NKJV
One criminal said, “If you are the Christ,” while the other criminal looked at Him and called him, “Lord.”
“If you declare with your mouth, “JESUS IS LORD,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”
Romans 10:9 NIV
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE SHOULD CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11 NKJV
The moment that this despised criminal, the lowest of the low, acknowledged Him as Lord, Jesus responded in Luke 23:43 by saying,
“And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.””
Luke 23:43 NKJV
After being falsely accused, almost beaten to death, crowned with thorns into His scull, with 7 inch nails in his wrist and in his feet, stripped of His clothes as everyone looked on. Dying from suffocation because of the cruxifixction, here we still find Jesus offering forgiveness. Here we still find Jesus ISSUING GRACE for one more soul. Dying, but still helping others step into eternal life.
But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, ONE WOULD SCARCELY KNOW HE WAS A MAN.
Isaiah 52:14 NLT
Even though He scarcely looked like a man, He was still fully The Son of God. With death ever so near, He was still so ever full of life.
📝 • He still had the power to CANCEL.
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.”
Colossians 2:13 NLT
“HE CANCELED THE RECORD OF THE CHARGES AGAINST US and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
Colossians 2:14 NLT
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, NO LONGER COUNTING PEOPLE’S SINS AGAINST THEM. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT
📝 • He still had the power to CALL.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that WE SHOULD BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:1 NIV
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
Romans 9:15 NKJV
“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME; YOU ARE MINE.”
Isaiah 43:1 NLT
📝 God calls you BY NAME, not by your MISTAKES.
To have the power to cancel, to have the power to call, this could only mean one thing….
📝 • He still had the power to CARE.
📝 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for HE CARES ABOUT YOU.”
1 Peter 5:7 NLT
📝 Even when Jesus doesn’t CARE MUCH for your sinful actions, He still CARES MUCH FOR YOU.
📝 • He is THE CHRIST.
“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?”
Luke 23:39-40 NKJV
📝 Jesus didn’t come to SAVE HIMSELF. Jesus came to SAVE US.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save THE LOST.””
Luke 19:10 NIV
“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “LORD, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.””
Luke 23:41-42 NKJV
“And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.””
Luke 23:43 NKJV
Jesus didn’t come to SAVE HIMSELF. Jesus came to save people just like the criminal on the cross, TO ISSUE HIM GRACE.
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
I Timothy 1:15 NKJV
“BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
I Corinthians 15:10 NKJV
“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “YOU ARE THE CHRIST, the Son of the living God.””
Matthew 16:15-16 NKJV
HAVE YOU RECEIVED HIS GRACE?
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