Which One?

SERMON TITLE

WHICH ONE? Luke 23:39–43 → Luke 24

BIG IDEA

You are already one of the two criminals, yet only one walks into eternal life.

ANCHOR FLOW

Guilty. Confronted. Deciding.

INTRODUCTION: “I THOUGHT I WAS GOOD”

I grew up thinking I was good.

I didn’t go to church

I knew the language

I thought I was fine

But there was a moment…

Where I realized something:

I wasn’t the good guy in the story

I was the criminal

And tonight, I want to ask you a question that you will not be able to escape:

“Which one are you?”

Not:

Do you believe in God

Do you go to church

But:

Which one are you?

Because in Luke 23…

Jesus is hanging on a cross.

Not alone.

There are two criminals next to Him.

Three crosses. Three men. One moment that determines eternity.

THE CROSS: BUILD THE WEIGHT

Before we zoom in on the thieves, feel the weight of this moment.

Jesus has just been:

falsely accused by religious leaders

handed over to Rome

declared innocent multiple times

And still… He is sentenced to die.

There’s a man named Barabbas:

a murderer

an insurrectionist

actually guilty

And the crowd chooses him… Over Jesus.

The guilty man walks free because the innocent man is condemned.

That’s not just Barabbas. That’s you.

And now Jesus is hanging on a cross…

Being mocked…

Bleeding…

Dying…

And on either side of Him…

Two criminals.

The cross is not:

Failure

Weakness

It is an intentional restraint for substitution

1. WHICH CRIMINAL ARE YOU? (Luke 23:39–43)

Luke 23:39–43 NIV

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Both men:

Same cross

Same pain

Same exposure to Jesus

Same cross.

Different eternity.

The First Criminal: The Mocker

Joins the crowd

Joins the mockery

“Save yourself and us”

He sees Jesus as:

powerless

irrelevant

He sees himself as:

not that bad

deserving escape

He wants relief, not redemption.

No fear of God No awareness of sin No need for salvation

The Second Criminal: The Repenter

Something happens.

Not around him… Inside him.

What happens inside him

He fears God

He owns his guilt → “we deserve this”

He sees Jesus as innocent

He believes Jesus is King

He asks for mercy

This is not self-improvement.

This is God opening his eyes in a moment

The difference between these two men is not what they did, it’s what they saw.

Thief 1

Mocking

Demands Proof

Focused on self

Wants relief

Dies in sin

Thief 2

Repentant

Trusts by faith

Sees Jesus rightly

Wants redemption

Dies in salvation

You are not watching this story.

You are in it. And right now…

You are already one of these two.

Some of you already know.

Both men were dying… but only one was ready.

2. WHAT REAL SALVATION LOOKS LIKE

This is where people misunderstand everything.

They think salvation is:

trying harder

doing better

fixing their life

But look at this man, the repenter/the criminal

He has:

no time

no works

no future

And Jesus saves him instantly.

BECAUSE

Salvation isn’t behavior; it’s transformation.

Now the Gospel is clear

You are already condemned

John 3:16–18 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Jesus becomes sin for you

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Exchange

You = guilty Jesus = innocent

He takes your place.

Simply put, Salvation is:

Not self-generated

Not emotional buildup

Not moral improvement

It is God invading the heart

Salvation is not gradual realization; it is sudden illumination

He gets your sin, you get His righteousness.

3. JESUS’ RESPONSE TO THE REPENTER (Luke 23:43)

Luke 23:43 NIV

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

“Today you will be with me in paradise”

“Today”

Not later

Not after you fix yourself

“With Me”

Not just heaven

Relationship

“Paradise”

Immediate presence with God

He didn’t earn it… he received it.

4. THE RESURRECTION: WHY THIS DEMANDS A RESPONSE

If the story ends at the cross… You can doubt it. But it doesn’t.

Luke 24

Luke 24:1–12 NIV

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The tomb is empty

The disciples don’t expect it

Jesus appears physically

This wasn’t blind faith

Even His followers struggled to believe.

This was proven

He shows His wounds

He eats

He speaks

Anchor Line:

This isn’t a story, this is reality.

The question that confronts us:

Luke 24:5 NIV

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”

Some of you are:

Looking for life in sin

Looking for identity in culture

Looking for meaning in everything but Christ

You’re looking for life where death lives.

The resurrection proves Jesus has the authority to save you.

CONCLUSION: Which One Are You?

The One accused of not saving → is saving

The One mocked as king → is the true King

The One judged as guilty → is the only innocent

The One who won’t save Himself → saves others

So now… We come back to the question.

Which one are you?

Three crosses.

Two responses.

One decision.

Same moment… different eternity.

And the same Jesus… Who saved that man in his final moments… Can save you tonight.

DECISION MOMENT

Right now… This is not about your friend. This is not about your past. This is about you.

Step 1: Identity

Which one are you?

Step 2: The Gospel

You are a sinner

You are under judgment

Jesus died in your place

He rose again

Step 3: The Call

Repent. Believe. Surrender.

Step 4: Movement

If that’s you:

Come forward

Talk to a leader

Not because walking saves you, BUT because you are responding to Jesus.

ALTAR

Call the Lost

Clear. Direct. Urgent.

Send to Counseling

Leaders ready Next steps clear

Call the Believers

If you’re saved:

Come pray.

Pray for friends

Pray for boldness

Pray for salvation

Fill out a “Not By Myself Card”

There are people in your life… One decision away from eternity.