Introduction

Salvation is a very common word in the Christian community. What does it mean? It means diliverence from the penalty, the power, and the presence of sin. What is sin? Sin is transgression of God's law. The wages of sin is death.......... It was disobedience that caused every one that is born into the world sinners. The end result of that disobedience is death. Every person in the world have an opportunity to receive salvation.

Friday of the Passion week was the last day of the earthly life of our Lord. It was a day of darkness, a day that witnessed the supreme tragedy of the ages. On this day humanity sank to its lowest depths an showed a depravity and degradation never approached or afterwards. On this day the immortal Son of God suffered as no man before or after could ever suffer. He suffered emotionally; The scripture says in Isaiah 53; He is despised and rejected by men,

     A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

     And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

     He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

     Surely He has borne our griefs

     And carried our sorrows;

     Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

     Smitten by God, and afflicted.

The scripture also say in John 1:10-11; He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. His own people chose a murderer to live and rejected Him and cried out crucify Him (put HIM to death, "Kill Him") Thus crucifixion carried with it a stigma. It was part of the humiliation of Jesus that He should be made to suffer this particular form of death. It identified Him with the lowest class of criminals. He suffered physically; The scripture say; in Isaiah 53:5; But He was wounded for our transgressions,

     He was bruised for our iniquities;

     The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

     And by His stripes we are healed.

Expond on the events happening prior to the cross:

1.They scorged Him.

2.They spat upon Him.

3.They platted a crown of thorns and pressed it into His head.

4.He was led to a hill called Calvary.

a). Simon of Cyren was compel to carry His cross.

b). Women was crying for Him and He told them not to cry for Him, but cry for yourselves and your children.

The scripture also say in 1Peter 2:21-24; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed. Yes this was the tragedy of the ages, and yet this tragedy is the "supreme victory" of all time.

On this dark day, we see the son of God hanging on the cross. During these six hours, many things happened and many things were said; He forgave His accusers, He said Father forgive them for they know not what they do, the soldiers gambled for His clothes and an inscription was put over His head written in the letters of Greek, Latin and Hebrew. "This is the King of the Jews"

As we look a little closer, not only do we see one cross but three. There were two theives, one on His right and the other on His left. If we would listen carefully, we will hear a conversation going on.

Body:

vs. 39;

We read in the others accounts of the Gospel that both theives reviled

or blasphemed Jesus, but here we see only one.

In this verse we see the state of this man. (expound)

This theif rejected Christ because of his selfishness and unbelief.

vs. 40-41;

In these verses we see that the other theif had a change of mind.

The first step in Salvation is repentance. True repentance includes confession. He agreeded with God about his sin. He turned and rebuked his conpanion, and acknowledge that he was guilty for his deeds. He not only admitted that he was guilty, he aggreed that death was the end result.

Evangelical repentance" consists of (1) a true sense of one’s own guilt and sinfulness; (2) an apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ; (3) an actual hatred of sin (Ps. 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Cor. 7:10) and turning from it to God; and (4) a persistent endeavour after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments.

vs. 42; Then he said to Jesus, "Lord" remember me when you come into your kingdom.

1. He showed his faith.

vs.43;

Jesus response to his faith.

a). Assurance

b). Salvation is immediate. "Today" 2 Corinthians 6:2 - For He says: In an

acceptacle time I have heard you, and the the day of salvation I have

helped you. "Behold," now is the accepted time; "behold," now is the

day of salvation.

c). Jesus rewarded his faith with the promise that very day, they would be

together in Paradise.

This story reveals to us that salvation is conditioned upon repentance and faith, but given by grace. However, it contains other important messages also. It declares that salvation is independent of sacraments. The theif had never been baptized, nor had he partake in the Lord's supper.

Jesus hang on the cross that day until the ninth hour (3:00pm). His last words was "Father" into your hands I commit My spirit. after that He gave up the ghost. He died. He was buried and on the third day He rose with all power in His hands. The Bible says; now when He had spoken these things, while they watched He was taken up, and a cloud recieved Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said "Men of Galilee, why stand here gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was takenup from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw go into heaven."

Conclusion:

Let me close with this; Therefore we must give the most earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed by us to those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?