The Apple Cart

"Then he [the other criminal] said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.' And Jesus replied, 'I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"

- St. Luke, Luke 23:42-43

"Want to know what 'Revival' is? Revival happens when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He decides to show up Himself to set the record straight."

- Winky Pratt

When Jesus came from heaven to earth, He upset the apple cart in so many ways, and there's no better example than right here… suspended on a cross between two criminals. As He pays the price for all our sins, Jesus extends grace to a thief and promises him heaven.  

First of all, are you as amazed as I am that Jesus can even remotely care for this thief… let alone anyone… while He Himself has been literally nailed to a cross? I rarely have the heart to care for someone else when I am experiencing extreme pain or difficulty. I'm just being honest here. I mean… I would like to care… it's just that when I'm miserable, I mostly tend to make all those around me miserable. Candace says it's my spiritual gift. Yet, here's Jesus on a cross… dying… and He's thinking about this criminal… He's thinking about you… and about me.

Secondly, what Jesus says to this thief is totally new! "Today you will be with me in paradise." What? What about his crimes… his mistakes… his failures… his sins? I mean, if this guy is going to heaven he oughta clean up his act big time! He needs to straighten up. According to the leading religious experts of the day he needs to do a lot of good deeds to make up for all the bad. He better be helping a lot of old ladies across the street. He needs to change… he needs to get baptized before he ever thinks about walking through the pearly gates, Right?!  Wrong! Jesus doesn't tell him to do any of that. Jesus gives a criminal heaven… just because he asked. The new thing Jesus offers us is called, "Grace!" So, Heaven becomes a gift we are given, not a reward we earn!

Here's what I've noticed… It is so easy to say that… to declare that… to sing that… But it is so hard for my heart and mind to live like that. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul said,

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Paul is saying that when we invite Jesus to forgive our sin and to take up residence in our lives as our Lord, that we now have a new position with God that has nothing to do with our practice! We are loved… We are accepted… We are approved… We are flawless and Perfect and righteous before God the Father… no matter how far short our practical behavior may be. Has that penetrated your emotional DNA?

Too many of us still act like our practice dictates our position in Jesus! Just last week, a fella called me whose mom was in my first church over 40 years ago, and she was wondering where I was. "Actually," he said, "Mom was wondering if you were still kicking'." I assured him that I was, and that I would be happy to talk with his Mom if she didn't kick the bucket before he could get the phone to her. (Touche… you need to pray for me.) Well, we had a lovely conversation, and after about 30 minutes, I asked her, "So Evelyn… how's your relationship with Jesus?" She paused and said, "I don't think anyone has asked me that question since you left Elwood, Indiana." I exclaimed, "Gee whiz, Evelyn, that was almost half a century ago! So how are you and Jesus?" You could hear the sadness in her voice as she said, "Wel,l not very good I'm afraid. You see, I've got so many doubts, so many questions. My husband died… I had a daughter who died of an overdose… I miss so many of my friends… and, well… the loneliness just makes me wonder if God is real."

"Evelyn!" I said firmly, "you need to listen to me now. I was there when you and your husband invited Jesus to be the God of your lives. In that moment, regardless of how you feel now, you became His beloved daughter and your husband is His beloved son in Heaven… right now… that is your position in Christ Jesus! Your only problem is that you are allowing your doubts and questions and circumstances in life to determine your position with God, instead of allowing your position in Him to determine your outlook on life. Listen, any sane person would have the doubts and questions you have as we live through the insanity of this world. But there's a powerful difference in living through the craziness in this world as a Daughter of God, instead of an orphan. Here's my counsel: Lay your doubts and questions before God the Father as a daughter... not as an orphan, but as a daughter… ‘Cause that's who you are! And Jesus will either give you His personal answers to your questions, or He will give you the peace to carry your doubts as the beloved daughter of God the Father."

The challenge is that so many of us are still allowing our practice in life to determine our position in Jesus!

So, because your lifestyle is inconsistent, you're convinced God's love for you is inconsistent… because you're morality is up and down, you're convinced God's grace for you is up and down… because your commitment to church attendance, to serving, to giving, to praying runs hot and cold, you're convinced God's commitment to you runs hot and cold.

Without even knowing it, you've declared that your performance in life is more powerful than the performance of Jesus on Calvary's cross! So stop it! You received Jesus into your life as your Savior and Lord… that means you are loved, and accepted, and approved, and flawless before God the Father! Now go… Enjoy your life… Enjoy your marriage… Enjoy your work… Enjoy your retirement… Enjoy your kids… not to earn God's love, but because you cannot lose God's love!

On that cross with that thief, Jesus really upset the apple cart… and now, nothing will ever be the same… and neither will you! Enjoy!

Pastor Harry

‍