Hello, I am Shelley Quinn.
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Please join us now
on "The Grace Pipeline"
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as we see how the
lives of two robbers
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provide an incredible
snapshot of salvation by grace.
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Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline."
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On our last program
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we considered the yoke up
relationship with Jesus Christ
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which is to be
partnered with His power.
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And today, what we're going
to look at is an incredible
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snapshot of salvation found
in the story of two robbers,
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one who turns to Christ
and one who rejected Him.
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But what we will learn is
how our God who is impartial,
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honorable, righteous,
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and truthful can be
both just in His judgments.
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And at the same time
the one who justifies us.
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This series is following
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the Bible study in the
book I was privileged to write
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by the same title
"The Grace Pipeline."
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And if you're following along
in the series companion book,
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we'll begin
today with chapter 4.
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The gospels record how our
Lord Jesus Christ was crucified
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between two criminals.
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They were members of a
violent band of robbers
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that plundered Palestine
during this time of history.
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And these two are most
likely Jews by nationality.
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They are presumed to have
been followers of Barabbas,
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the notorious
robber who committed murder
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during an
insurrection and was imprisoned
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at the same
time of Christ trial.
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Now the robbers
faced crucifixion.
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The most hideous and degrading
death of the ancient world
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reserved for only
the worst of criminals.
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Standing in the judgment
hall they heard the commotion
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of the confusing
case against Christ.
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And as they were
led away with him
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carrying their
cross beams to Calvary,
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the raging
thoughts of his persecutors
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and the tearful veils of His
followers fell on their ears.
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Excruciating
suffering awaited them.
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Every movement,
every breath on their cross
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will cause painful throbbing.
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Stripped naked to
increase humiliation,
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the crucified typically suffered
several days of the lonesome
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and lingering labor of dying.
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These two
criminals were fortunate.
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There Friday, of
their crucifixion
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was the preparation
day for high Sabbath.
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That was a feast day
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which synchronized with
the seventh-day Sabbath.
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It was labeled a
higher great day.
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So for religious respectability
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their moment of
death would be hastened.
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The Jews requested of
Pilate to have their legs broken
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so that the death
would come more rapidly
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and their
bodies could be removed
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from this--the cross
before the special Sabbath.
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A heavy mallet would be used
to break their legs destroying
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any potential of being
able to push up on their feet
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to relieve the
body weight pressure
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from their lungs to breathe.
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So suffocation and heart
failure would eventually follow.
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Three crosses awaited
on the Hill of Calvary.
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Guilty before man and God,
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the two
criminals were crucified.
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And the Lamb of
God, the Lord of glory
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hung nailed to the center cross.
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According to tradition,
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Demas was the name
of the penitent thief
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hanging to the right of Christ.
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He knew of
Christ's fame and he noticed
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that he had
been sentenced to die
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only for His claims
of being the Son of God.
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But in his misery Demas
had it first mocked Jesus
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joining his
companion and the others
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who hurled insults at the Lord.
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But the operation of
God's grace began to soften him.
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And as he looked at the
one on the cross beside him,
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he identified a heart
of infinite compassion.
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Christ conduct convinced Demas
that the man on the center cross
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was the Messiah
and suffering wrongly.
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In horror of his own
actions, he changed his language
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and chastised his companion
for criticizing the Savior.
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Saying in Luke 23:40 and 41.
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"Do you not even fear God,
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seeing you are under the
same sentence of condemnation?
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And we indeed justly,
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for we receive the
due reward of our deeds,
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but this Man has
done nothing wrong."
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Demas humbled
himself confessing his sin
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and this was
proof of God's grace
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being extended to
his miserable soul.
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It might surprise you to learn
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that even
repentance is a gift from God.
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This is too
important to skip over.
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So let's read a
couple of scriptures
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from the sheer word of God
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to settle this
matter in your heart.
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In Acts 5:31 the Bible says,
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"Him God has
exalted to His right hand"
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speaking of Christ
"To be Prince and Savior,
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to give repentance to Israel
and the forgiveness of sins."
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So God gives us repentance.
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In 2 Timothy 2:24, proves
"Repentance is a gift from God."
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And it reads, I'll
read 2 Timothy 2:24 and 25.
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And it says, "A
servant of the Lord
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must not quarrel
but be gentle to all.
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Able to teach patiently
in humility correcting those
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who are in opposition if perhaps
God will grant them repentance
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so that they
may know the truth."
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The Holy Spirit is
constantly at work to convince
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and convict people of their sins
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and to bring
them to godly sorrow.
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When God sees someone
who is sorry for their sins
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and they're seeking forgiveness,
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He grants them the
gift of repentance,
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just as God granted to Demas
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who turned away
from his sins to Christ.
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And said in Luke
23:42, "Oh, Lord, remember me
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when You come
into Your kingdom."
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Demas certainly had to recognize
that Christ was not coming down
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from His cross to establish
a temporal kingdom on earth.
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He realized as
Jesus taught in John 18:36
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that Christ kingdom
was not of this world.
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It was a kingdom on the
other side of the grave.
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The spirit of grace
helped him to see beyond
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the shame of Christ
to His coming glory.
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And recognizing
Christ divine authority,
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he confessed Him his Lord.
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In the midst of Christ
agony at His darkest moment
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this prayer of
faith gratified the heart.
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The Lord would not
ignore the penitent cry.
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Christ accepted him
promising Demas eternal life
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proving it is faith,
not works that saves.
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As long as a person
can make the choice,
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it is never too
late to turn to Christ.
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While there is life remaining
in the bodies there is hope.
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And the loving
heart of our Savior
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responded to this
criminal in Luke 23:43.
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And he said,
"Assuredly, I say to you today,
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you will be
with Me in Paradise."
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On that day
Christ promised Demas
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that he had granted his request.
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Demas had tapped into God's
grace pipeline through faith
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and received the gift of
eternal life and an inheritance
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among those whom Christ
makes righteous by faith.
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He will eat
from the tree of life
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which Revelation 2:7 says,
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"Is in the midst of the Garden
of God located in heaven."
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Now I must in to be
perfectly transparent notice
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or make a note that I
place the comment on that verse
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after on verse 43 after today.
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You know, authors of
the New Testament books
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recorded the original Greek
text without punctuation marks
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and the balance of
scripture convinces me
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that translators had
mistakenly placed the comma
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before today in that verse
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which alters
the idea completely.
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Jesus either meant Demas,
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I tell you today at
this very moment in time.
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I promise you Demas,
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you can be
certain in the future,
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you'll be with Me in paradise
or if you put the comma before,
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he was saying to Jesus--
Jesus was saying to Demas
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"This very day you'll
join Me in the paradise of God"
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which option the
scripture support.
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The Apostle John
confirms in Revelation 2:7
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that the location
of the paradise of God
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is in heaven.
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And let me tell you something.
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Demas could not
possibly have entered paradise
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on the Friday of his crucifixion
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because the
promise keeping Christ
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did not return
to heaven that day.
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The account of his Sunday
morning resurrection is recorded
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in John 20:11-18.
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After Christ had resurrected,
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He instructed Mary
not to cling to Him. Why?
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He said, it was because
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He had not yet
ascended to the Father.
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And in John 14:1-4,
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Jesus had previously
explained to His disciples
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that He would go to
prepare a place for them
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and when everything was ready,
He would come again to receive
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His faithful
followers to Himself.
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This is a definite
promise of His second coming.
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So there's only one light
to go conclusion that remains
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that is consistent
with the rest of scripture.
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On the day of His crucifixion,
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Christ promised that
at His second coming,
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Demas will rise
in the resurrection
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of the righteous
and put on immortality
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with the rest of
the righteous ones.
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In his misery the
penitent thief met mercy.
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Divine grace was magnified
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and Demas'
disgrace was abolished.
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The conversion
of the naked thief
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on a cross is an incredible
snapshot of salvation by grace.
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He recognized Jesus as Lord,
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became convicted of
his sinful condition,
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experienced remorse, confessed
his sin and cried out for mercy.
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The grace of our Lord granted
him the gifts of forgiveness,
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repentance,
justification and salvation.
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That is the
message of the cross.
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Look at the Apostle Paul's
words in 1 Corinthians 1:18.
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He says, "For the message
of the cross is foolishness
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to those who are perishing,
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but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God."
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Now in the backs--background
of that snapshot of salvation
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is the darker side of the story.
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The other robber hanging
naked to the left of Jesus
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did not understand
the message of the cross.
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And so to him it was
just absolutely meaningless.
00:12:05.43\00:12:10.18
He snubbed the Savior,
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he spurned salvation
by grace and unforgiven,
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the companion of
Demas perished in his sins.
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When it comes to judgment,
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all men and women
stand naked before the Lord.
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We cannot cover our sins.
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If we accept the
gospel of Christ,
00:12:28.65\00:12:31.29
we will like
Demas stand in grace
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and receive everlasting life.
00:12:35.32\00:12:37.93
However if we
reject the good news,
00:12:37.96\00:12:41.19
we will like
his robber companion
00:12:41.22\00:12:44.32
fall in disgrace and perish.
00:12:44.35\00:12:47.60
Perhaps, one of the
most beautiful and grandiose
00:12:47.63\00:12:51.49
known promises of God is
the one found in John 3:16
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which says, "For
God so loved the world
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that He gave His
only begotten Son,
00:13:01.34\00:13:04.59
that whoever believes
in him should not perish
00:13:04.62\00:13:08.12
but have everlasting life.
00:13:08.15\00:13:10.25
For God did not send
His Son into the world
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to condemn the world,
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but that the world
through Him might be saved."
00:13:15.17\00:13:20.63
God is just, that
means He is absolutely good,
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virtuous,
impartial, fair minded, honest,
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incorruptible,
trustworthy and righteous.
00:13:28.28\00:13:32.14
And in performing His justice,
00:13:32.17\00:13:34.67
He consistently does
all things in accordance
00:13:34.70\00:13:38.91
with what is perfectly right.
00:13:38.94\00:13:41.05
He judges fairly.
00:13:41.08\00:13:42.82
His wrath against
sin is justly deserved.
00:13:42.85\00:13:46.81
But Jesus death satisfied
God's righteous wreath.
00:13:46.84\00:13:51.93
God's pardon to
unholy sinners is only
00:13:51.96\00:13:55.66
because He secures
our acquittal from guilt
00:13:55.69\00:13:59.43
based on Christ
death by His divine grace
00:13:59.46\00:14:03.38
through the gifts of repentance
forgiveness in salvation.
00:14:03.41\00:14:07.74
Where it not for grace,
00:14:07.77\00:14:09.78
you and I would be
helpless and hopeless.
00:14:09.81\00:14:13.21
For the Bible
tells us in Roman 3:23,
00:14:13.24\00:14:16.21
that "All have sinned and
fallen short of His glory"
00:14:16.24\00:14:20.11
which is His
righteous character.
00:14:20.14\00:14:22.46
Just think
about it for a moment.
00:14:22.49\00:14:24.73
Can you recall even
one day in your life
00:14:24.76\00:14:27.71
that you did not fall short
00:14:27.74\00:14:29.16
of the mark of
God's righteous character,
00:14:29.19\00:14:32.32
not only in
thought but in action.
00:14:32.35\00:14:35.17
Have you ever spent
even one 24 hour period
00:14:35.20\00:14:39.08
that could measure
up to His righteousness
00:14:39.11\00:14:41.52
without a single lapse?
00:14:41.55\00:14:43.70
Even the most righteous saint is
indeed a sinner saved by grace.
00:14:43.73\00:14:49.20
In the brilliant presence
of our Lord, our righteousness,
00:14:49.23\00:14:53.50
our very best can be
compared only to filthy rags.
00:14:53.53\00:14:58.24
Thank God for His grace.
00:14:58.27\00:15:00.96
From time to time
someone will ask me,
00:15:00.99\00:15:04.02
well, if God is such a
wonderful God and God of grace,
00:15:04.05\00:15:07.55
why would a loving God
create the devil to tempt us?
00:15:07.58\00:15:12.10
I want to tell you
something, He did not.
00:15:12.13\00:15:14.78
Ezekiel 28:12-15 informs us
00:15:14.81\00:15:18.39
that God created
Lucifer with perfection
00:15:18.42\00:15:21.75
but also with free will.
00:15:21.78\00:15:24.47
God assigned him to be a
covering cherub at His throne,
00:15:24.50\00:15:28.18
making Him the highest
ranked of all created beings.
00:15:28.21\00:15:32.75
Lucifer lived in
the presence of God
00:15:32.78\00:15:35.36
and was
blameless at all his ways
00:15:35.39\00:15:37.74
until inequity
entered his heart.
00:15:37.77\00:15:41.37
Pride was his
iniquity, the origin of sin.
00:15:41.40\00:15:45.81
And Lucifer lifted
his heart in vanity
00:15:45.84\00:15:50.17
and as is
described in Isaiah 14:12-14.
00:15:50.20\00:15:55.93
Here's what the
Lord says about him.
00:15:55.96\00:15:58.70
"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
00:15:58.73\00:16:03.14
How you are cut
down to the ground,
00:16:03.17\00:16:05.74
You who weakened the nations!
00:16:05.77\00:16:08.40
For you have said in your heart,
00:16:08.43\00:16:10.25
'I will ascend into heaven,
00:16:10.28\00:16:12.35
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God,
00:16:12.38\00:16:16.25
I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation
00:16:16.28\00:16:19.37
on the farthest
sides of the north,
00:16:19.40\00:16:21.72
I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds,
00:16:21.75\00:16:25.68
I will be like the Most High.'"
00:16:25.71\00:16:29.65
Lucifer's vain
imagination caused him to think
00:16:29.68\00:16:33.47
that he was worthy
to receive worship,
00:16:33.50\00:16:36.35
the worship
only deserved by God.
00:16:36.38\00:16:38.87
And in his competitive
attitude of self glorification,
00:16:38.90\00:16:44.29
submission to the
Almighty's authority
00:16:44.32\00:16:46.79
was intolerable to him.
00:16:46.82\00:16:49.04
Jesus said in John 8:44,
00:16:49.07\00:16:51.64
that Lucifer became a murderer,
00:16:51.67\00:16:54.30
a liar and the
father of all falsehood.
00:16:54.33\00:16:59.27
To gratify his lust for power,
00:16:59.30\00:17:02.06
Lucifer fabricated
accusations against the Lord
00:17:02.09\00:17:05.74
desiring God's
position and authority.
00:17:05.77\00:17:08.53
He masterminded a rebellion
00:17:08.56\00:17:11.17
and he marshaled an unholy
alliance against the Almighty,
00:17:11.20\00:17:15.52
accusing God of being unjust.
00:17:15.55\00:17:18.62
The Lord could have instantly,
instantly ended the anarchy
00:17:18.65\00:17:24.20
by annihilating
Lucifer and his gang.
00:17:24.23\00:17:27.39
But such an act
would raise suspicion
00:17:27.42\00:17:30.17
that the complaint
lodged against Him was true.
00:17:30.20\00:17:33.54
And what about
the on looking angels,
00:17:33.57\00:17:36.46
those created
beings who remained loyal.
00:17:36.49\00:17:39.51
They would then serve God
out of fear rather than love.
00:17:39.54\00:17:43.12
So until God's just character
can be proven beyond doubt.
00:17:43.15\00:17:48.43
God limited His response as
described in Revelation 12:7-9
00:17:48.46\00:17:55.12
to merely casting
Lucifer and his followers
00:17:55.15\00:17:58.25
which was the
third of the angels.
00:17:58.28\00:18:00.13
He just cast them out of heaven.
00:18:00.16\00:18:02.43
These fallen angels
we are told in Jude 1:6,
00:18:02.46\00:18:06.83
God has reserved as He says it
00:18:06.86\00:18:10.08
"in everlasting
chains under darkness
00:18:10.11\00:18:13.82
for the judgment
of the great day."
00:18:13.85\00:18:17.90
Lucifer the chief of
the fallen demonic troop
00:18:17.93\00:18:22.10
became known as Satan,
00:18:22.13\00:18:24.22
which means adversary and
he's also known as the devil
00:18:24.25\00:18:27.96
which that word means accuser.
00:18:27.99\00:18:30.34
When Adam and Eve
succumbed to Satan's temptation,
00:18:30.37\00:18:33.97
they relinquished to him,
00:18:34.00\00:18:35.79
their God given
authority over the earth.
00:18:35.82\00:18:38.47
Until God restores all things,
00:18:38.50\00:18:41.06
the devil has temporarily gained
a grip over our fallen world.
00:18:41.09\00:18:45.80
And the devil's
merciless mission is to thwart
00:18:45.83\00:18:49.73
the Lord's plan of salvation
00:18:49.76\00:18:51.94
by continuing to
create doubt on his character.
00:18:51.97\00:18:56.64
And don't be fooled, worship
remains his chief desire.
00:18:56.67\00:19:00.43
I'm talking about Satan.
00:19:00.46\00:19:02.26
In his concealed delusion,
00:19:02.29\00:19:04.60
he even vainly
attempted to receive worship
00:19:04.63\00:19:07.93
from the Son of God as the
Bible records in Matthew 4:9-10
00:19:07.96\00:19:14.43
which says and
this is Lucifer talking.
00:19:14.46\00:19:17.57
He said to Him, to Christ,
00:19:17.60\00:19:19.93
"All these
things I will give You,
00:19:19.96\00:19:22.45
if You will fall
down and worship me."
00:19:22.48\00:19:26.02
Then Jesus said to
him, "Away with you, Satan!
00:19:26.05\00:19:29.54
For it is written, 'You
shall worship the Lord your God,
00:19:29.57\00:19:33.93
and Him only shall you serve."
00:19:33.96\00:19:38.62
Satan's greatest mistake was
his scheme to kill the Savior.
00:19:38.65\00:19:44.89
Satan entered the
heart of Judas Iscariot
00:19:44.92\00:19:48.86
and convinced
him to betray Christ.
00:19:48.89\00:19:51.51
Judas had declared that
he was one of the disciples
00:19:51.54\00:19:54.57
but he was
unwilling to surrender
00:19:54.60\00:19:56.50
to the influence of Christ
divine love and holy character
00:19:56.53\00:20:00.26
and to live under submission
to the Lord's authority.
00:20:00.29\00:20:03.47
So expecting that
Christ would start
00:20:03.50\00:20:06.32
a political
rebellion and overthrow Rome,
00:20:06.35\00:20:09.19
Judas became His
follower with mixed motives.
00:20:09.22\00:20:13.60
Personal ambition
stirred his anticipation
00:20:13.63\00:20:17.41
of a coveted
promotion with greater authority
00:20:17.44\00:20:21.19
in a newly
established earthly kingdom.
00:20:21.22\00:20:24.26
So through his
attitude and his actions,
00:20:24.29\00:20:28.24
Judas gave the devil
a foothold in his life.
00:20:28.27\00:20:32.14
As the treasurer of the
apostles the Bible records
00:20:32.17\00:20:35.54
that he secretly stole from
the Lord's ministry finances.
00:20:35.57\00:20:39.84
Then Judas became
angry and he took offence
00:20:39.87\00:20:43.59
when Christ rebuked him publicly
for his miserly attitude.
00:20:43.62\00:20:49.29
So he opened his
heart to the devil
00:20:49.32\00:20:52.16
to allow the devil
to work through him.
00:20:52.19\00:20:54.66
And this
hypocrite became an apostate
00:20:54.69\00:20:57.85
and betrayed his
master for 30 pieces of silver
00:20:57.88\00:21:02.42
which was a
traditional price of a slave.
00:21:02.45\00:21:05.63
Judas became the devil's agent
00:21:05.66\00:21:08.41
and he found disaster
and death to be his reward.
00:21:08.44\00:21:12.41
He died remorseful
but without repentance.
00:21:12.44\00:21:15.98
If he had turned back to God,
00:21:16.01\00:21:18.03
he would have been
restored through God's grace,
00:21:18.06\00:21:20.77
the gift of eternal life.
00:21:20.80\00:21:23.14
The Bible tells us in Roman 6:23
00:21:23.17\00:21:25.36
"For the wages of sin is death,
00:21:25.39\00:21:28.02
but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
00:21:28.05\00:21:33.82
You see Satan presumed to
destroy God's plan of salvation,
00:21:33.85\00:21:38.07
but the cross proved
to be his greatest defeat.
00:21:38.10\00:21:42.39
The crucifixion of Christ
was the central event of--
00:21:42.42\00:21:47.38
in the controversy
between good and evil.
00:21:47.41\00:21:50.15
And it rendered the
devil a conquered vow.
00:21:50.18\00:21:54.18
We were, we are
reconciled to God
00:21:54.21\00:21:57.64
through the gift of Jesus Christ
00:21:57.67\00:21:59.87
as 2 Corinthians
5:19, assures us.
00:21:59.90\00:22:04.49
"God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself,
00:22:04.52\00:22:09.86
not imputing their
trespasses to them."
00:22:09.89\00:22:14.33
You see fallen humanity
have become an enemy of God
00:22:14.36\00:22:18.12
and we had a sinned death
that could never be repaid.
00:22:18.15\00:22:22.74
Divine justice demanded payment
00:22:22.77\00:22:25.82
but God tempers
His justice with mercy.
00:22:25.85\00:22:28.86
In divine mercy
He made provision
00:22:28.89\00:22:31.45
to reconcile the world
to Himself through Christ.
00:22:31.48\00:22:35.12
And in an act
of mercy and grace,
00:22:35.15\00:22:37.78
God sent Christ to win back
humanity's love and loyalty.
00:22:37.81\00:22:42.49
Christ shed His blood on
the cruel cross of Calvary
00:22:42.52\00:22:46.68
that you and I
might be justified.
00:22:46.71\00:22:49.14
Put in right
standing before God.
00:22:49.17\00:22:52.11
Hallelujah and amen.
00:22:52.14\00:22:54.51
Well, we'll
continue on this study
00:22:54.54\00:22:57.16
on our next program as we
begin to probe into the idea
00:22:57.19\00:23:01.88
of how Christ
righteousness justifies us.
00:23:01.91\00:23:05.04
And we hope that you
will be able to join us.
00:23:05.07\00:23:08.56
Well, our time is
almost gone today,
00:23:08.59\00:23:10.59
but I want to take just
a brief moment to review
00:23:10.62\00:23:15.13
how God's system of grace works.
00:23:15.16\00:23:18.36
Not everybody
was able to tune in
00:23:18.39\00:23:20.27
for the first program or two,
00:23:20.30\00:23:22.57
but when I asked the
Lord how to--how it worked,
00:23:22.60\00:23:26.34
this is what He showed me.
00:23:26.37\00:23:28.07
It's an illustration that's
really kind of changed my life.
00:23:28.10\00:23:32.36
You have to
understand that God's heart
00:23:32.39\00:23:34.57
vales with love for us.
00:23:34.60\00:23:36.92
And His love is the compelling
force behind His grace.
00:23:36.95\00:23:43.77
He loves us.
00:23:43.80\00:23:45.17
The Bible says,
within an everlasting love
00:23:45.20\00:23:47.79
and He draws us to
Himself with love and kindness.
00:23:47.82\00:23:51.61
So from that well of love,
flow all of God's blessings.
00:23:51.64\00:23:56.41
Grace is the pipeline
00:23:56.44\00:23:59.11
through which these blessings
flow from heaven to earth.
00:23:59.14\00:24:02.98
Everything,
absolutely every good thing
00:24:03.01\00:24:06.91
comes to us through His
great pipeline of grace.
00:24:06.94\00:24:10.95
So we-- if we think about God
00:24:10.98\00:24:13.25
being the giver of
every good and perfect gift,
00:24:13.28\00:24:16.89
He makes them all available
to mankind through faith.
00:24:16.92\00:24:22.06
Faith is the faucet.
00:24:22.09\00:24:23.76
It's how we tap into
God's grace pipeline.
00:24:23.79\00:24:27.65
And our faith regulates
the release of blessings
00:24:27.68\00:24:31.88
from His great, great reservoir.
00:24:31.91\00:24:35.09
Through Christ, Romans 5:2 says,
00:24:35.12\00:24:38.03
we have access by faith into
this marvelous grace of God.
00:24:38.06\00:24:44.72
Prayer is the handle
that opens the faith faucet.
00:24:44.75\00:24:49.18
Trust is the foundation
for the prayer of faith.
00:24:49.21\00:24:53.45
Relationship is the
foundation for trust.
00:24:53.48\00:24:57.75
And what is the foundation
for relationship? Love.
00:24:57.78\00:25:01.82
So the greater our understanding
of God's love for us,
00:25:01.85\00:25:07.43
the greater our
love will be for Him.
00:25:07.46\00:25:10.67
John tells us, we only love
Him because He first loved us.
00:25:10.70\00:25:15.04
And the greater our love,
00:25:15.07\00:25:17.39
the more intimate our
relationship will become
00:25:17.42\00:25:20.79
with our heavenly Father.
00:25:20.82\00:25:22.42
And the more
intimate our relationship,
00:25:22.45\00:25:24.95
the greater our
trust will become.
00:25:24.98\00:25:27.86
So as we learn to
trust in the Lord,
00:25:27.89\00:25:30.48
leaning not on our understanding
but on what His word says,
00:25:30.51\00:25:35.60
then we develop
the prayer of faith
00:25:35.63\00:25:39.39
and we become more persistent
in our prayer of faith
00:25:39.42\00:25:43.34
and that develops
greater actions of faith.
00:25:43.37\00:25:47.29
So the greater our faith,
00:25:47.32\00:25:49.16
the more we tap into the
various areas of God's grace.
00:25:49.19\00:25:54.18
And then when we
access His grace pipeline,
00:25:54.21\00:25:58.36
the blessings flow
and God's stream of love
00:25:58.39\00:26:03.89
and His gifts flow
through this heavenly pipeline
00:26:03.92\00:26:08.30
and there is no
shortage of supply.
00:26:08.33\00:26:11.56
You know, if you have
been following this series
00:26:11.59\00:26:14.73
would probably realize
00:26:14.76\00:26:16.38
that the greatest three gifts
of God's grace are Jesus Christ,
00:26:16.41\00:26:24.18
our Savior and the Holy
Spirit and the word of God.
00:26:24.21\00:26:31.06
If we recognize these
are the three greatest gifts
00:26:31.09\00:26:35.26
and we understand that,
understanding the gifts of grace
00:26:35.29\00:26:40.48
begin to help us understand
00:26:40.51\00:26:44.04
the effects of
grace upon the human soul.
00:26:44.07\00:26:48.51
God wants you to know
00:26:48.54\00:26:52.29
that grace is more
than just a pardon.
00:26:52.32\00:26:57.82
Grace is being
partnered with His power.
00:26:57.85\00:27:01.58
Grace is
surrendering to His control
00:27:01.61\00:27:05.97
allowing Christ to live
in your heart through faith.
00:27:06.00\00:27:10.59
Allowing the Holy
Spirit to work in you
00:27:10.62\00:27:13.91
to do the will of God
and allowing the word of God
00:27:13.94\00:27:18.07
to be implanted in your heart
00:27:18.10\00:27:21.32
and help you
develop the divine actions,
00:27:21.35\00:27:25.79
the divine nature of God.
00:27:25.82\00:27:29.41
I hope that like Demas
00:27:29.44\00:27:32.40
if you have never looked to
the Lord for salvation before,
00:27:32.43\00:27:36.70
if you've
mocked Him in the past,
00:27:36.73\00:27:38.64
I hope and pray that
you return to Him now
00:27:38.67\00:27:41.74
and ask God to forgive
you, to grant you repentance.
00:27:41.77\00:27:45.57
To ask God to please Lord,
00:27:45.60\00:27:49.02
let me be saved and God will.
00:27:49.05\00:27:53.74
He loves you, my brother.
He loves you, my sister.
00:27:53.77\00:27:57.74
Grow in grace in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:27:57.77\00:28:01.63