Study# | Right Person Place Time

Text:

Luke 23: 33, 39-43 (Matthew 27:38)

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Mark 15:27-28:

27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

Theme:

Right Person_Right Place_Right Time

Introduction:

The Gospel According to Saint Luke is the third of the four synoptic Gospels.
- Written by Luke the physician who also wrote the Acts of the Apostles
- Luke wrote of accounts that he had gathered in his research concerning the life and times of the Master.
- Luke wrote in a specificity and forthrightness that was typical of his Greek background and education while, at the same time, focusing on more the peculiararities of the Jesus’ life, character, and actions.
The Gospel According to Mark is the second of the four Gospels of the New Testament and therefore the second of the books of the New Testament. The Gospel is believed the have been written by Mark, the young interpreter of Peter. Although Mark was not an eye or ear witness of Jesus and His teaching, Mark absorbed the words of Peter to give him his content for the book.
- In his not passionately living the events of Jesus’ life, Mark understandably does not portray Jesus in any subjective aura like the other Gospels.
  - Matthew à the Messiah
  - Luke à the Universal Redeemer
- Mark gets right to the heart of the matter in depicting Jesus during His ministry in Galilee.
  - Mark gives us the full picture of who Jesus was – the wonder-working Son of God!

The text takes places at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Here we find Jesus…
- Jesus is placed between two thieves on an old, rugged cross.
  - The Savior not being saved from the cross.
  - The Belief hanging between two unbelievers.
  - The fullness of time dieing at His appointed time.
- Jesus being placed between two thieves is often glossed over, but it truly epitomizes the fulfillment of Jesus’ crucifixion.
  - Through His encounter and conversation with the two thieves, we will see Jesus è the RIGHT PERSON in the RIGHT PLACE at the RIGHT TIME!!

Body:

Jesus was the RIGHT PERSON!
- Verse 39 of our text gives the primary question asked by one of the thieves:

“If thou be Christ, save thyself and us”

Let’s answer the malefactor’s question
- It is the Christ!!
  - As the text explains, “And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”
  - Jesus came down through 42 generations to be born, live, suffer, die, and raised again. He is the right person!
    - Isaiah 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
  - Jesus came to save US!
    - Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
    - Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- It was the RIGHT PLACE!!
  - Jesus was crucified with one thief on the left and another on the right
  - Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
    - Jesus had to be crucified in the midst of thieves.
    - Jesus had to die in the midst of His accusers.
    - Jesus had to suffer in the midst of His oppressors.
  - We would think that it was not the place for a Savior, but it was the RIGHT PLACE for our Savior.
    - Luke 24:44, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
- It was the RIGHT TIME!!!
  - It was the RIGHT TIME in two respects:
    - 1) It was TIME for Jesus to be offered up!
      - John 17:1, “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:”
    - 2) It was the best TIME for Jesus to be crucified!
      - The 6^th to the 9^th hour was when Jesus hung on the cross. It was the time that people traveled the streets heavily as they began their days à for all to see. Jesus used as a spectacle or martyr to intimidate the people to cowar to Roman rule and Jewish theocracy.
- We are called to be like Jesus! à The crucifixion between the thieves gives us the true picture
  - Called to suffer
    - Philippians 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
    - 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”
  - Suffer with the unbelievers à Wheat and tares
    - Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
  - Suffer chastisement à 1^st thief
    - Matthew 5:11, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
  - It’s not our argument à 2 thieves argue
    - 2 Chronicles 20:15, “….Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
  - Unbelievers use/need us à 2^nd thief seeks salvation
    - Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
    - As the old folks used to say, “To whom much is given, much is also expected.”
      - We have to live right and do right by people who don’t live right and don’t do right by us!!!!!
    - The 2^nd thief went as far as to ask that he be saved!
      - Just like us…
        
        We live any old kinda way and then expect for God to answer our prayer!
        
        1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
        
        So, we should for give others as God has forgiven us!!
        
        Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Conclusion:

“Rightness” (Person, Place, Time) is affirmed
- The thief is converted … as our text says………