“After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So, then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’”
John 11:11-15 NLT
Have you ever heard someone say, “You may feel like God is the ‘11th hour God’, but His timing is always perfect”? I have really been trying to understand what this means on a deeper level. Some real-world examples of this is like a championship game that is tied in the last quarter or the last inning. Or a person who is on their death bed and only has hours to live. What are the emotions or thoughts you may have in that moment?
Today I want to speak from a perspective of the two thieves that hung on the crosses beside Christ on the day of His crucifixion. These two men were very different, but I think we all have a choice throughout our lives, not just in the ‘last hour’, to choose which one we will be. The story of Christ’s crucifixion along side these two thieves is talked about in Luke. The one to Christ’s right has become known as the “Good Thief,” while the one to His left is referred to as the “Unrepentant Thief.” These two men had spent a lifetime in a place of dishonor, deceit, and sin. They were given the same sentence as Christ: the innocent one.
“Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 32-43 NLT
Both of the thieves were in their last hour prior to crucifixion and ultimate death. They both could have kept a mindset that there was no Hope for them. That their lives were over, and Nothing could save them now. But God. How many times do you look at your life and feel hopeless? Guilt and sadness for choices you’ve made or the pain you have caused others. The enemy will try to tell you in the middle of the struggles that there is No Redemption for you. The enemy will whisper over and over that there is no way that you will ever overcome or that your mistakes are what will define you for the rest of your life. You may begin to believe that your identity is now your mistakes. But all of this is LIES! The enemy knows that if he can get you to forget your identity in Christ, he can steal your confidence and faith that God isn’t finished with you yet. God NEVER gives up on you, and He will do a good work in and through you even when you fail. But we have to make the choice that the “Good Thief” made. He could have allowed his feeling of defeat and hopelessness to take him to his grave after a life of emptiness. He could have also been like the “Unrepentant Thief” and chosen to question Christ’s authority in his last hour. He says to Jesus, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself-and us, too, while you’re at it”. Christ’s love for us appears to be so reckless that its hard for the “Unrepentant Thief” to believe that Jesus would choose to to die when He could have taken Himself down and proven to everyone, He was who He said he was. But He knew that His Resurrection and His selflessness to die for all, was going to be way more powerful. He had the power and potential to do anything, even to save Himself. Yet He didn’t focus on his Potential, He died for a much greater Purpose! Just like in the story of Lazarus, Jesus knew that it is in the “last hour” or when time seems to be running out, we begin to feel desperation. In John Chapter 11 the story of Lazarus’ “11th hour” plays out. “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
The question is will the desperation turn into submission or surrender to the one that is truly in control? Or will we waste precious time trying to do things our way, knowing that we are not the ones that are in control? I believe this is why Jesus says, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” God can do much more with our circumstances and our lives than we can ever dream possible, but yet sometimes we can be so stubborn. We will wait until it gets extremely dark along our paths before we beg God to intervene. We could have the light to guide us the whole way if we are willing to have faith and trust in Him alone, yet when we wait until the 11th hour to submit our lives to His will and control we begin to stumble because we do not have His light to guide us. Then we want to question as to why God has forsaken us. Why was God not there when we needed Him most? Lazarus’ sister Martha said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” John 11: 21-22. Jesus knew that His Father would be glorified more by what seemed like a miracle, than for Him to just to be the hero similar to Him choosing not to save Himself from the cross.
The “Good Thief” and the “Unrepentant Thief” both were in their “11th hour”. They had the almighty power beside them, yet they had a choice. Do they acknowledge their mistakes and turn them over to God’s control, and submit the time they have left to the Lord’s care and control, or do they just assume that it’s too late for them and die with those heavy burdens on their lives?
I leave you with this statement today. It is in the 11th Hour that God’s Power is the greatest! It’s in those “miracle moments” that God will be glorified for the changes and healing in your life, and not yourself. It is in that period of time that restoration and true healing is possible. But we have to KNOW that it is never too late. God’s grace and mercy does not have a time limit on it. Our faith is what aligns us with our purpose for the Kingdom of Heaven. We also have to learn to submit sooner. Don’t let the path get so dark that we suffer longer. The darkness will have light shined on it again when our death occurs, only for our lives in Christ to be restored and set ablaze for Him and Him alone. We have to TRUST that all good things come to those to trust in our Lord and Savior. The “Good Thief” said this before his death, “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 41-43 I say it one more time, please hear me, it is in that “11th Hour” that you will find God’s greatest power, His unconditional love, and all of His grace and mercy for us. Trust Him. Submit all of your burdens and trials to him and wait for Him.
The Trenches of the Kingdom 