Two different responses to Good Friday

Introduction

Good Friday is a day when we remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

Two men died next to Jesus on good friday. At the end of this day one of them was with Jesus in paradise and the other one was not.

The difference between the two was their final response to Jesus on the cross. They both started in the same place that day. But both ended up in very different places by the end of it.

I want us to spend some time thinking about the difference between these two men. But before we do it will be helpful to have a quick explanation of what the Bible teaches about the reason Jesus died.

Penal substitutionary atonement

Galatians 3:13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),”

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Both started in the same position v.32& 41

Both criminals v.32

Both justly condemned v.41

One believed the other didn’t v.39-42

One blasphemed v.39

One believed v.40-42

One went to paradise the other didn’t v.43

Jesus’ promise v.43

Silence about the other man

What is your response?