Gospel Audio Transcript from a Drive-in Gospel Meeting by John Fleck.
Conversion of a sinner
Luke 23 v32-46
- And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
- 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.
- Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
- And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
- And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
- And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
- And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
- And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
- But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
- And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
- And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
- And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
- And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
- And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
- And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Conversion is needed
What I have read today from the scriptures is a fascinating story often preached upon the conversion of a thief that hung beside the Saviour on that day outside Jerusalem.
The story of a man going from prison to paradise, just by oneself, on the same day. He began the day in that morning in a prison cell. And when the day was over, he was in paradise because that's what Christ himself said. He said to him near at the end of his earthly journey, he says today, shallt thou be with me in paradise?
You know, I want to tell you everyone this afternoon, that the most important thing in everybody's life is to have an experience of conversion. This is what happened to the thief. Conversion of a sinner. On this day, he was converted to God and conversion is necessary for everyone. Because we are wrong to begin with and we are on the wrong pathway and we need a change before we can ever be in paradise, in that garden of delight in heaven for all eternity.
And I want to say as well, that conversion is absolutely urgent. There's nothing so important for everybody here today than to be converted to God.
I've never been so convinced. The end of this age of grace is upon us. The sin of the world is rampant. It’s rebellious. It is hostile to God. It is everywhere. And there's only so long that God will put up with the terrible animosity of people against God’s law and against His order. Against His principles. This is a confused world that we live in.
I tell you that salvation is absolutely urgent for you. I would say that today is the day of salvation for you. If you're present today, still needing it. And so we have the great story and many lessons to learn from it of this man who was converted just at the closing moments of his life. Life was ebbing out for him. And it was well that he got the matter settled and knew from Christ that it was settled before he died.
Every thought you have about your sin is placed there by God himself. There is a power working today in this world that convinces people and reminds them of the reality of wrongdoing and of evil. And we all have sinned.
There is not a just man upon the earth that does good, and sinneth not. And from the very first man, Adam, right down to the smallest child born. I tell you every single one is born in sin. And as years pass by those sins multiply and year by year build up.
In the day of judgment. If you are here today without conversion and without Christ every day you live, you're getting closer to when you will stand before God at the great tribunal, but the message of the gospel declares, how God can settle things out of court to use an everyday expression.
In other words, you can have the matter gone and dealt with. And the price paid and the judgment settled before you have the awful experience of standing before God on that day. The greatness and glory of the gospel that it provides for you, a way of escape so that you don't need to face the judgment.
I'm one of those who knows that everything has already been settled. My judgment day was 2000 years ago when Christ died for my sins. And I'm depending on him alone for time and eternity, and I'll never ever be in hell and I'll never stand before the great white throne, which you, may stand before, as things are standing right now, you're on the way to standing to hear all your sins recounted in front of you, every single one.
And there are many, thousands upon thousands of sins in your life. They are not only the sins you have committed, but the things you haven't done, that you should have done. Many people forget that whenever we preach about sins, it's not only to remind people of the wrong things that they have done, but also to speak to them about the many things that they ought to have done, that they never have done. For instance, you've never, ever brought glory to God. You've never given God thanks for His son. You haven't served him for five minutes of your life.
I hope you see the seriousness of that. And if today you are conscious in your life that there are things that you should be doing and it’s God you should be serving. And it’s Christ you should be worshiping and it’s a Christian’s life you should be living. I hope that this will be a day of change and you will, from this day forward, make a decision that I am going to be done with selfish living. I'm going to be finished with my own desires altogether and I'm going to bow the knee before the Lord and acknowledge him in the language of Romans 10 and nine. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
In fact, that verse is a commentary upon this story that I've been reading Romans 10 and nine is a favourite verse of mine. And it more or less tells the story from Paul's standpoint of the conversion of the thief. So we begin with guilt and everybody is guilty and you need that guilt settled and dealt within this life. It's too late when the other side is reached. If you live and die in your sins, you'll never have another opportunity.
The tender heart of Christ is coming out here when he is even hanging up on the cross. And it's the story that tells how he graciously dealt with this thief and saved this robber, beside him. He didn't deserve it. He deserved the death sentence. He deserved to go to hell, but grace reached him and grace is flowing like a river to this very day.
And I want to tell you friends that everybody that ever was saved was saved by grace alone. Grace alone. The Bible says it is by grace, that you're saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works less any man should boast.
No one has ever been saved by merit. Not a single person in Ballyclare will ever set their foot in heaven through any good works or any merit they have done. Any promises that they have made and kept, any religious ordinances they've gone through, any creed they have endorsed. All of those things will never, ever save a sinner. The gospel has nothing to do with that at all.
The gospel declares that salvation is available by grace, grace alone, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. And so grace today is still available to every single one of you in this audience that's listening. Do you know what grace is? Grace is the deserved favour of God bestowed upon those who don't deserve it.
Grace reminds us that salvation is a gift. God gives the gift of salvation. We receive it as a free gift. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. We never pay for it. God, doesn't ask for one penny to be paid. Grace reached this thief. It's the second great chapter in his story, on the journey from prison to paradise.
If he threatens judgment, he will carry it out, unless there is a price paid, unless there is some righteous basis whereby he can remove that sentence. He cannot change those attributes of DNA that are his, they are there unchangeable, immutable attributes of God himself. He is Holy. He doesn't judge sinners out of an outburst of temper. His wrath and judgment is the subtle characteristic of a holy God who does not put up with sin. God is righteous. He's fair. He's holy. He's balanced. He is God. And let him be God, please. Romans three says, let God be true but every man a liar. And so God needs a foundation upon which to show mercy and grace.
That brings me to the third point and right to where we are in this story, because I want to say that Golgotha is the place where the price was paid. Golgotha is of course the Latin name for the Roman name for Calvary where the Saviour died.
Golgotha is referred to more in our Bibles than Calvary. Cavalry is only once mentioned in our Bibles in Luke chapter 23, but Golgotha is the same word. It means the place of a skull. And where the Saviour died was the place of the skull. I'm not going into why it was called that just now. But I do want you to know dear friends that whenever the Saviour died on that cross, God had a righteous basis upon which he could save your soul.
The blood of Christ was shed. His death was a death of a substitute. I hope you're listening because you could be saved today. I have no doubt that somebody could be reached and delivered by God's great mercy this very day. He died on the cross and He died for all. The Bible says that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. First Corinthians 15 three He was buried, raised again the third day and was seen by many believers. The same Bible verse says that he died for the ungodly. Romans five verse six says Christ died for sinners.
Oh that some of you today could grasp the truth of the gospel that God is announcing in your ears today. A full provision through the precious blood shed at the cross and no need to perish. The substitute has been found. God himself has sustained a penalty. Jesus dying on the tree means the sentence passed on Him. It has descended on his head and that he has died instead. And if there's someone in the meeting here today who would believe in their heart right now that the work is finished and finished for me. And the cross is all I need. And the precious blood has satisfied God and nothing remains to be done and I will receive it and rest upon it myself. I will be saved this very day without shedding a tear.
Dear friends today, cast aside all those unnecessary anxieties that people have and take it in. I was a guilty sinner, but Jesus died for me and give God the glory. And that's how every sinner can be saved. They are saved by believing God, God has spoken. His word is true. I receive it as it is the truth. I give God the glory. I do not boast in myself. I renounce everything in myself. I say no to every human merit. I rest my soul upon the finished work of Christ. And God says I have everlasting life. I am justified by his grace and God can settle things out of court. If I receive the gospel and believe His word. Is anybody prepared to do that today? This is the difference between heaven and hell forever.
It's too late when you reach the other side, you need to be born again!!!!
Maybe someone else will be saved today. That's why the meeting is convened. We believe in a present offer of mercy right now. I'm not content with any meeting unless somebody is saved in it or more than one. I don't like the idea of merely coming and going to meetings and preaching a bit and going away home and saying that's another service over and another message preached.
It's not worth anything. I would rather that God was in it and that work was being done and fruit was abounding. Now let me get to another stage here. We receive the just reward of our deeds. We are guilty and we deserve to perish, but then I believe this, he saw that the one on the cross beside him was going to die for sins that were not his.
And he gets to see he's dying in my place. He says, this man has done not one thing out of place and he's taking my place and he's dying for me. And I believe that was the moment he was saved and he turns to Christ and he says, Lord, remember me. Now this is the point the Lord Jesus replies to him and he says today, shall thy be with me in paradise? That's what I call the guarantee. I love this Guilt, Grace, Golgotha guarantee today. Shall thou be with me in paradise? You know, it's a great thing to be saved and to know you're saved.
I am absolutely sure that my soul has been saved. I don't have a doubt about it. That's what God wants. Thou shalt be saved. My friend, you can be saved and know that you're saved today.
We know Romans five, one, therefore being justified by faith. We have, it's not, we hope to have, or we might feel that we have, or wait. We have it now with blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. You can have the assurance and the guarantee, the word of God not only tells you how to be saved, but it tells you that you can know that you are saved.
You Believe God, you rest your soul there. You need nothing more. And you go to heaven with a guarantee that everything is well. There's nothing like it. And then last of all, of course, the glory. Guilt, Grace, Golgotha guarantee. And that very night he was in the glory.
Everybody wants to go to heaven. I don't think there's anybody here today who doesn’t
Find it at Calvary. Golgotha. Have the assurance in the guarantee from the Bible that your soul is saved by faith, that God will never condemn a soul that has trusted Christ. Every believer will be in heaven. And know with absolute certainty that the glory will be yours. What a blessed place heaven will be. May everybody here be in it when the journey's over?
The story of a man going from prison to paradise, just by oneself, on the same day. He began the day in that morning in a prison cell. And when the day was over, he was in paradise because that's what Christ himself said. He said to him near at the end of his earthly journey, he says today, shallt thou be with me in paradise?
You know, I want to tell you everyone this afternoon, that the most important thing in everybody's life is to have an experience of conversion. This is what happened to the thief. Conversion of a sinner. On this day, he was converted to God and conversion is necessary for everyone. Because we are wrong to begin with and we are on the wrong pathway and we need a change before we can ever be in paradise, in that garden of delight in heaven for all eternity.
And I want to say as well, that conversion is absolutely urgent. There's nothing so important for everybody here today than to be converted to God.
The Urgency
You need to be saved to use another great Bible word and you need to be born of the holy spirit. And in the days we live in with all the sober and serious events that are happening in the world, you hardly need me to tell you that the coming of the Lord is near.I've never been so convinced. The end of this age of grace is upon us. The sin of the world is rampant. It’s rebellious. It is hostile to God. It is everywhere. And there's only so long that God will put up with the terrible animosity of people against God’s law and against His order. Against His principles. This is a confused world that we live in.
I tell you that salvation is absolutely urgent for you. I would say that today is the day of salvation for you. If you're present today, still needing it. And so we have the great story and many lessons to learn from it of this man who was converted just at the closing moments of his life. Life was ebbing out for him. And it was well that he got the matter settled and knew from Christ that it was settled before he died.
Starts With The Guilt
Now, let me put it this way, Just in, maybe four or five steps as we trace this story, you know it all begins really with guilt. That's where we have to start in the gospel. This man who was a criminal beside the saviour. As they were hanging outside the city there, he was absolutely convinced that he was guilty. You know, that's where all our stories begin. No one can ever really know sin forgiven until they become aware of how guilty they are. And the holy spirit of God today is in the world to convince people of their sin.Every thought you have about your sin is placed there by God himself. There is a power working today in this world that convinces people and reminds them of the reality of wrongdoing and of evil. And we all have sinned.
There is not a just man upon the earth that does good, and sinneth not. And from the very first man, Adam, right down to the smallest child born. I tell you every single one is born in sin. And as years pass by those sins multiply and year by year build up.
In the day of judgment. If you are here today without conversion and without Christ every day you live, you're getting closer to when you will stand before God at the great tribunal, but the message of the gospel declares, how God can settle things out of court to use an everyday expression.
In other words, you can have the matter gone and dealt with. And the price paid and the judgment settled before you have the awful experience of standing before God on that day. The greatness and glory of the gospel that it provides for you, a way of escape so that you don't need to face the judgment.
I'm one of those who knows that everything has already been settled. My judgment day was 2000 years ago when Christ died for my sins. And I'm depending on him alone for time and eternity, and I'll never ever be in hell and I'll never stand before the great white throne, which you, may stand before, as things are standing right now, you're on the way to standing to hear all your sins recounted in front of you, every single one.
And there are many, thousands upon thousands of sins in your life. They are not only the sins you have committed, but the things you haven't done, that you should have done. Many people forget that whenever we preach about sins, it's not only to remind people of the wrong things that they have done, but also to speak to them about the many things that they ought to have done, that they never have done. For instance, you've never, ever brought glory to God. You've never given God thanks for His son. You haven't served him for five minutes of your life.
I hope you see the seriousness of that. And if today you are conscious in your life that there are things that you should be doing and it’s God you should be serving. And it’s Christ you should be worshiping and it’s a Christian’s life you should be living. I hope that this will be a day of change and you will, from this day forward, make a decision that I am going to be done with selfish living. I'm going to be finished with my own desires altogether and I'm going to bow the knee before the Lord and acknowledge him in the language of Romans 10 and nine. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
In fact, that verse is a commentary upon this story that I've been reading Romans 10 and nine is a favourite verse of mine. And it more or less tells the story from Paul's standpoint of the conversion of the thief. So we begin with guilt and everybody is guilty and you need that guilt settled and dealt within this life. It's too late when the other side is reached. If you live and die in your sins, you'll never have another opportunity.
Next is Grace
Now, let me go to a second point and it is this. I want to speak for a moment to you about grace. This is a story that reminds us of the Lord Jesus, praying to the father that he would forgive the soldiers, forgive them for they know not what they do.The tender heart of Christ is coming out here when he is even hanging up on the cross. And it's the story that tells how he graciously dealt with this thief and saved this robber, beside him. He didn't deserve it. He deserved the death sentence. He deserved to go to hell, but grace reached him and grace is flowing like a river to this very day.
And I want to tell you friends that everybody that ever was saved was saved by grace alone. Grace alone. The Bible says it is by grace, that you're saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works less any man should boast.
No one has ever been saved by merit. Not a single person in Ballyclare will ever set their foot in heaven through any good works or any merit they have done. Any promises that they have made and kept, any religious ordinances they've gone through, any creed they have endorsed. All of those things will never, ever save a sinner. The gospel has nothing to do with that at all.
The gospel declares that salvation is available by grace, grace alone, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. And so grace today is still available to every single one of you in this audience that's listening. Do you know what grace is? Grace is the deserved favour of God bestowed upon those who don't deserve it.
Grace reminds us that salvation is a gift. God gives the gift of salvation. We receive it as a free gift. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. We never pay for it. God, doesn't ask for one penny to be paid. Grace reached this thief. It's the second great chapter in his story, on the journey from prison to paradise.
You need to get to Golgotha
So it begins with guilt. It moves to grace. But then you see grace needs some foundation to act upon God needs some means by which he can show grace. God isn't merely lenient. I want you to understand this. Now listen carefully. As a parent, I could be lenient to a child. They could say that they're going to be on the receiving end of some chastisement then I could change my mind and fail to carry out what I said I would do. I would take a lenient view and compromise, I suppose, nearly every parent has done that at some point, unless you're a perfect parent, but, God never operates like that at all. Please be sure about this that God does not in any way change His mind from His holy standard.If he threatens judgment, he will carry it out, unless there is a price paid, unless there is some righteous basis whereby he can remove that sentence. He cannot change those attributes of DNA that are his, they are there unchangeable, immutable attributes of God himself. He is Holy. He doesn't judge sinners out of an outburst of temper. His wrath and judgment is the subtle characteristic of a holy God who does not put up with sin. God is righteous. He's fair. He's holy. He's balanced. He is God. And let him be God, please. Romans three says, let God be true but every man a liar. And so God needs a foundation upon which to show mercy and grace.
That brings me to the third point and right to where we are in this story, because I want to say that Golgotha is the place where the price was paid. Golgotha is of course the Latin name for the Roman name for Calvary where the Saviour died.
Golgotha is referred to more in our Bibles than Calvary. Cavalry is only once mentioned in our Bibles in Luke chapter 23, but Golgotha is the same word. It means the place of a skull. And where the Saviour died was the place of the skull. I'm not going into why it was called that just now. But I do want you to know dear friends that whenever the Saviour died on that cross, God had a righteous basis upon which he could save your soul.
The blood of Christ was shed. His death was a death of a substitute. I hope you're listening because you could be saved today. I have no doubt that somebody could be reached and delivered by God's great mercy this very day. He died on the cross and He died for all. The Bible says that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. First Corinthians 15 three He was buried, raised again the third day and was seen by many believers. The same Bible verse says that he died for the ungodly. Romans five verse six says Christ died for sinners.
Oh that some of you today could grasp the truth of the gospel that God is announcing in your ears today. A full provision through the precious blood shed at the cross and no need to perish. The substitute has been found. God himself has sustained a penalty. Jesus dying on the tree means the sentence passed on Him. It has descended on his head and that he has died instead. And if there's someone in the meeting here today who would believe in their heart right now that the work is finished and finished for me. And the cross is all I need. And the precious blood has satisfied God and nothing remains to be done and I will receive it and rest upon it myself. I will be saved this very day without shedding a tear.
Dear friends today, cast aside all those unnecessary anxieties that people have and take it in. I was a guilty sinner, but Jesus died for me and give God the glory. And that's how every sinner can be saved. They are saved by believing God, God has spoken. His word is true. I receive it as it is the truth. I give God the glory. I do not boast in myself. I renounce everything in myself. I say no to every human merit. I rest my soul upon the finished work of Christ. And God says I have everlasting life. I am justified by his grace and God can settle things out of court. If I receive the gospel and believe His word. Is anybody prepared to do that today? This is the difference between heaven and hell forever.
It's too late when you reach the other side, you need to be born again!!!!
God Provides Assurance
Now in this world, you need new life. You need a new future. You need to be rescued from misery. And the grace of God is the foundation. And the means by how we receive this blessing and ultimately land in paradise. So it all begins with guilt. Then we have grace and then we have to go to Golgotha, the place where Jesus Christ, our Lord was crucified. I trust that some of you will get there in your thoughts today. You know, the Lord's day, that's a day that reminds us more forcibly than any other day about the death and burial and resurrection of Christ.Maybe someone else will be saved today. That's why the meeting is convened. We believe in a present offer of mercy right now. I'm not content with any meeting unless somebody is saved in it or more than one. I don't like the idea of merely coming and going to meetings and preaching a bit and going away home and saying that's another service over and another message preached.
It's not worth anything. I would rather that God was in it and that work was being done and fruit was abounding. Now let me get to another stage here. We receive the just reward of our deeds. We are guilty and we deserve to perish, but then I believe this, he saw that the one on the cross beside him was going to die for sins that were not his.
And he gets to see he's dying in my place. He says, this man has done not one thing out of place and he's taking my place and he's dying for me. And I believe that was the moment he was saved and he turns to Christ and he says, Lord, remember me. Now this is the point the Lord Jesus replies to him and he says today, shall thy be with me in paradise? That's what I call the guarantee. I love this Guilt, Grace, Golgotha guarantee today. Shall thou be with me in paradise? You know, it's a great thing to be saved and to know you're saved.
I am absolutely sure that my soul has been saved. I don't have a doubt about it. That's what God wants. Thou shalt be saved. My friend, you can be saved and know that you're saved today.
We know Romans five, one, therefore being justified by faith. We have, it's not, we hope to have, or we might feel that we have, or wait. We have it now with blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. You can have the assurance and the guarantee, the word of God not only tells you how to be saved, but it tells you that you can know that you are saved.
You Believe God, you rest your soul there. You need nothing more. And you go to heaven with a guarantee that everything is well. There's nothing like it. And then last of all, of course, the glory. Guilt, Grace, Golgotha guarantee. And that very night he was in the glory.
Everybody wants to go to heaven. I don't think there's anybody here today who doesn’t
Missing Conversion!
You never imagine that you'll drop into hell someday and lie down in the lake of fire? No, no, that's not going to be you, sure it isn't. I was preaching with a man down in county Armagh a year or two ago. He was traveling a day or two previous to the gospel meeting along a road and at the side of the road, there was a massive advertisement for the national lottery. You know how it goes and on the big poster it said “it could be you” - that's the slogan. My dear brother preached that night powerfully with the theme “it could be you” and spoke about how people go to hell. He said "it could be you". It was a very effective meeting. There was a young woman there in her twenties, and she had been going to the gospel meetings for six weeks, but somehow that was a sledgehammer blow and she hardly slept the whole weekend. She was saved on the Monday through the finished work of Christ because she was wakened up to the reality that many have not woken up to. It could be me. It could be me. I could perish. We don't want you to perish. We want you to be in heaven and in paradise. So dear friends, I leave it with you today. The story of the thief. May it be yours today to enjoy the same blessing, to be converted to God, admit your guilt, acknowledge that you need grace from God.Find it at Calvary. Golgotha. Have the assurance in the guarantee from the Bible that your soul is saved by faith, that God will never condemn a soul that has trusted Christ. Every believer will be in heaven. And know with absolute certainty that the glory will be yours. What a blessed place heaven will be. May everybody here be in it when the journey's over?
Notes
This is the edited transcript for a Gospel Message by John Fleck on the subject "Conversion of a sinner". Some of the notes will vary slightly from the original podcast audio as a result of editing transcript errors but the message is still the same. This transcript has been provided to help those who are not able, or do not have the time for whatever reason, to listen to the audio recording.