Who? Lessor Known People of the Bible
Wk 6 There is No Such Thing as Coincidence. (The Thieves on the Crosses)
Luke 23:39-43
March 24, 2024
Darin Elquist
Palm Sunday-
The Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday is a reminder of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This event is mentioned in each of the four Gospels. It’s called “Palm Sunday” because palm branches were waived by the crowd as Jesus rode into town. Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week; in Western Christianity, this is the beginning of the last week of the season of Lent.
Luke 19:37-38
And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:
“BLESSED IS the King, THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Crucifixion-
An ancient method of execution. (capital punishment) The condemned criminal would be tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death.
Different types of crosses used
by ancient Romans
Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Two Thieves-
Luke 23:39
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the
Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
About the Thief Who Rejected Jesus
- No admission of guilt
- He was sorry he got caught, not sorry for the actual crime
- Unbelief
- Arrogance/ Lack of Humility
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death.
To Hurl Abuses-
To Speak Reproachfully; Rail at, revile, blaspheme
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
It’s All About Grace
The Penitent Thief’s Faith…
This man has done nothing wrong- Faith in the person of Jesus
Jesus, remember me- faith in Jesus’ power
Jesus, remember me- faith in Jesus’ mercy
When you come into your kingdom– Faith in Jesus’ words
Things to Think About-
- It’s never too late to turn to Jesus.
- Even the worst, most vile people can be saved by Jesus
- Salvation is Simple
The thief that came to faith in Jesus…
- Was never baptized
- Never had communion
- Never went to confession
- Never went to church
- Never donated money
Because his hands were nailed to cross,
this guy could not even lift a hand to do anything for Jesus.
Yet… Jesus saved him.
April 20- Bill West Retirement Party
1pm to 4pm at The Bridge Church Reno
April 28- We will meet for service at The Bridge in Reno
We will join our sister church on this Sunday to say Goodbye, and thank you to Pastor Bill West and Kim for serving this church for 15 years.
1330 Foster Drive.
***April 28- NO SERVICE AT THE BRIDGE SPANISH SPRINGS***
1.What is Palm Sunday?
a. What are some of the things that would be happening in Jerusalem before/on Palm Sunday?
2.Read Luke 19:37-38
a.Why would the people be praising “the King”?
b.What kind of King were the people looking for?
c.Were they correct in who they were looking for? Why or why not?
3.Why did Jesus have to suffer?
4.Read Philippians 2:7-8
a.What does it mean that Jesus “emptied Himself” or “made himself nothing”
or “made Himself of no reputation” depending on your translation
b.How can God make Himself nothing?
5.Did the religious elite of the day misunderstand who Jesus was?
a.What were the religious elite of the day called?
6.Read Luke 23:39
a.Do you think the criminal mentioned here was religious? Why or why not?
b.Can someone sin horribly their whole life and then be
accepted by Jesus right before the time they die?
c.If so, do we have the same patience that God has for sinners?
d.If not, what is the “cut off” point for salvation?
7.When people are skeptical today that Jesus is God, is there any scriptural evidence that you could point them to?
8.What is grace?
a.If you were to rate yourself on a grace scale from 1-10 on how much
grace you have been given, what would the rating be? __________rating
b.Flip it around, if you rated yourself on how much grace
you give out, what would the rating be? __________rating
9.Read Luke 23:40-41
a.Discuss the differences between these two criminals in how they perceive Jesus.
b.Is there any difference between how people see Jesus today?