Three Crosses

1. Three Crosses Three Crosses

2. Cross of Impenitence • Lawless: disrespect for the law of man and God. • Hardness: Defied holy influence of Christ. • Railed on him, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us” (Lk. 23:39). • Even other criminal said, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” • Carnality: Only thought of self.

3. Cross of Penitence • Reviled the Savior at the beginning • Righteous indignation • Rebuked impenitent thief • Vindicated the Lord in the presence of the Lord’s enemies • Sense of guilt, “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong (Lk. 23:41).

4. Cross of Penitence • Desire for remembrance - “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). • Desired mercy; made no demands. • Received the precious promise - “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

5. Cross of Penitence • Most popular thief in the world! • Why? • So many religious people look to this thief for salvation. • They say, “He asked and received, why can’t we do the same?” • Answer is in the situation. • Thief received promise while Jesus was alive. • Jesus had power on earth to forgive sins (Lk. 5:23-24). Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Rise up and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgivesins—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

6. Old Covenant Still in force Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:14). And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant…For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives (Heb. 9:15-17).

7. Who Do We Look To for Salvation? • Many use the thief to destroy the essentiality of baptism. • They say, “The thief was saved without baptism, why can’t I be saved without it?” • Looking to the thief, instead of the Savior for salvation. • Jesus bound baptism for the remission of sins upon all sinful men (Acts 2:38).

8. The Cross of Goodness • Sinlessness • 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 (1 Pet. 3:18). • Forgiveness • Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

9. The Cross of Goodness • Two typical attitudes in the crosses of the thieves: • Impenitent: untouched in the presence of Christ. • Broken in the Lord’s presence (Ps. 51:17). • Looking at the Central Cross we see: • “In none other is there salvation” (Acts 4:12). • Jesus “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).