I want you to listen to this message as if your life depends on it
Because it does
I'm going to explain to you as clearly as simply as succinctly as I know how
What it means to be saved
What it means to know you are for certain going to heaven when you die
And I know many people who've gone to church their entire lives and still aren't sure that they have doubts
about their salvation
They have doubts about am I really going to get in?
Is God going to love me? Is he going to let me into his heaven?
I don't ever want you to have any doubt again
About whether you're going to heaven or not
I want you when you finish this message to be absolutely certain confident with zero doubts
zero fears
Zero anxieties that if you were to die tonight
or in the next hour
You would go straight into the presence of God. I want you to have that assurance
I don't want you to ever doubt again, and I don't want you have any misconceptions
As you know, Jesus was led up the hill to Golgotha. He was crucified between two thieves
One of them rejected Jesus. The other actually accepted him on the cross
And it's extremely important text of scripture
Because it tells us in this one passage
What you must know in order to be saved
Let's read the text. Luke chapter 23
verses 39 to 43
One of the criminals hanging beside Jesus
hurled insults at him
So you're the messiah are you?
prove it
Prove it by saving yourself and save us too while you're at it
But the other criminal on the other side of Jesus rebuked him the criminal who just said that said don't you fear God
Even when you're dying
We deserve to die
for our evil deeds
But this man has done not
Not done anything wrong
And then he said he looks at Jesus, and he said Jesus
Remember me
when you come into your kingdom and Jesus replied
I assure you
Today you'll be with me
in paradise
now
What does Jesus tell us in this passage? And what do we learn about salvation?
Because obviously if Jesus says you're going to heaven you're going to heaven
I must know
That only God's grace can save me
I must know that only God's grace
Can save me I'm never going to do it on my own effort
Now we see this in verse 42
In verse 42 it says then he said the thief on the cross then he said Jesus
Remember me
Jesus remember me
Now what is implied when this guy says looks at Jesus he's sweating and he's dying and he says remember me
when you come into your kingdom in heaven
One thing we know he knows that he can't save himself
He can't get off the cross
He can't go do a bunch of charity work. He can't try to atone for his own sins
He can't make up for all the bad things he's done wrong
There's no way he can repay the people or God or anybody else. He's hanging on the cross. He's in his final moments
He knows he can't save himself
He knows he's made a mess of his life
He's wasted it
This guy has wasted his life. He's got nothing to offer God
zero zip
We know that he doesn't try to make excuses
And hanging there on the cross. He says he doesn't say now Jesus I'm a lot better than some people really
I'm really a lot better than that person over there. He doesn't
Beg, he doesn't bribe. He doesn't bargain. He doesn't barter with God
He doesn't compare. I was better than somebody. He doesn't try to make excuses for his sins. He is hanging on the cross with no hope
You don't have any either
Without Jesus you have no hope of getting into heaven. He has no hope
And so while he's hanging on the cross in the final moments of his life he throws himself
on the grace of God
the mercy of God
And he just says two words
Remember me
Now I want you to listen very closely I want you to hear this
There are some people out there well-meaning christians
Okay, they're they're Christians. They're believers
They love the Lord well-meaning Christians who think that you have to use certain words in order to be saved
And that you have to say a certain kind of prayer
In order to be saved and if you don't use the certain words in a certain prayer
Then you're not going to be saved that it doesn't count. It doesn't matter
This guy does not use any theological terms
He doesn't even say I repent it's not there
He doesn't say I believe it's not there. He doesn't say I trust
He doesn't say I receive you into my life. He just says remember me
And Jesus looks at him and says
I got it. It's good enough. You're in. I'll see you in heaven
That of all cases proves. It's not about words
This guy was in no sense a theologian
And Jesus prayer may have not sat I mean the the sin the sinner's prayer here may have not satisfied the theologians
But it satisfied Jesus
And if it satisfies Jesus, that's good enough. Okay
So he only says two words remember me
Remember me
that's all he said here is the point I'm trying to make
It's not the words you say that matter. It's the direction of your heart
If you have a humble heart
And the direction is toward God
It counts
To go to hell you have to do almost the impossible you have to reject the love of God
Why in the world would anybody do that
Why would anybody say no no, I thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me, but I really don't need that
I'm going to get into heaven on my own terms, it's his house
He gets to decide how the invitees come in
And why would somebody want to deny God and reject God and go the opposite of God their entire life and then
Want to spend eternity with them for the rest of their lives
There are two people two statements that God makes to people
And it's this have it your way or have it your way
There are people who on earth say I want to live my life completely without God Jesus says fine have it your way
But one day you're going to die and you're going to stand in front of him and he's going to say it again
Have it your way
You spent your entire life walking the opposite direction why in the world would you want to live in my house now
I made you I created you. I love you. I've watched every moment of your life. And you said no
Why would you want to be in heaven now
Why does everybody want to reject God on earth and be with God for eternity
He knew that only God's grace could save him and you've got to know that only God's grace can save you
He just says remember me what I'm telling you. This don't complicate the gospel
Don't complicate the good news. Don't try to tack on additional conditions that Jesus never required
There is no good work that you can do that gets you into heaven
It's receiving the grace salvation is not what you do for God. It's what God does for you
When Jesus dies on the cross, he says it is finished not I'm finished because he wasn't
He's living alive today. He said it is finished. I have paid for everything you need to get to heaven