Could you please open your Bible to Luke chapter 23? The title of our sermon is this, What Will You Do With Jesus? We're going to focus on the conversation between the three who were crucified. And we're particularly interested about what Jesus had to say. You know, it's not uncommon for those who were crucified to cry out. Most often it was cries of agony and abuse. But the words of Jesus from the cross are some of the most crucial words ever spoken. There are seven different cries from our Lord as he hung on the cross. And what makes his words particularly significant is that throughout the whole cross drama, Jesus often remained silent. So when he does speak, we would do well to pay attention. And all seven of the cries from the cross help us to understand the significance and purpose of the cross. So the particular cry that we will be considering this morning is the second cry of the cross. It's only found in the gospel of Luke, and it's a cry of assurance. So please read with me from verse 39 of Luke chapter 23. And the Word of God says, And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Now, no doubt you have seen artists' drawings of Jesus on the cross, whether it be the pictures in the children's books or more detailed works of art. But you have seen that Jesus was not crucified by himself. There were two other crosses, so three in total. Jesus was in the middle, being the more prominent. Have you ever wondered about the men who were crucified with Jesus? They were criminals. We could say they were on Jerusalem's most wanted list. We don't know exactly what they were guilty of. Matthew and Mark both refer to them as thieves. Some speculate they were insurrectionists like Barabbas, so they desired to lead a revolt against Rome and that could be true. But whatever their crimes, they were certainly guilty. They knew they were guilty and everyone else knew they were guilty. But their particular crucifixion ended up becoming the most famous in all history. Okay, understand the crucifixion of Jesus is not the only crucifixion that has unfolded throughout history. In fact, this form of execution was common. Criminals like those on the left and right of Jesus were regularly executed in this cruel fashion. But little did these criminals realize that their crucifixion alongside Jesus would become the most well known in all of history. We don't know how much they knew about the circumstances surrounding the crucifixion. Did they know Barabbas who was meant to be crucified with them? Perhaps they did. But maybe they were jealous. They viewed Barabbas as the luckiest man alive. Man, how lucky is he? He got released. He should be here with us. You know, it's not fair. Why couldn't we be released? Perhaps that was part of their thinking. But in reality, these two men were the lucky ones. Because being crucified with Jesus gave them an importance opportunity. At the time these men were crucified, understand they're both on their way to hell, that they have one foot in the door, if you like. But of all the criminals on all the crosses outside all the cities in the entire Roman Empire, these men happened to get crucified next to Jesus. And as a result, they have one last chance to be saved before they die. They were presented with one last opportunity. Now the question is, would they make the most of this opportunity granted to them? And this will be the focus of our sermon. There are ultimately two responses when it comes to Jesus. And these two responses are personified by these criminals on the cross. And as we look at their reaction to Jesus, we'll be faced with this question. What will you do with Jesus? And ultimately, this is life's most important question. And understand it's one that cannot be avoided. All will answer this question and one's answer to it has eternal ramifications. My friend, what will you do with Jesus? Now, before we focus on this question, it's important to understand what the cross is all about. So I'd like to take a few moments to share a brief summary about what the Bible says in regards to the purpose of the cross. As I've already stated, Jesus was not the only one who has ever been crucified. This was a common form of execution. So why do we remember this crucifixion? Why is it commemorated? Well, the cross of Jesus is unique. Because when he went to the cross, he went as the representative of all mankind. And there at the cross, Jesus took the sin of humanity upon himself. Okay, understand Jesus had no sin himself. He was perfect. He's pure, holy. He's completely free from sin because he's God. But at the cross, he took all the sin of mankind, your sin, my sin upon himself. It was credited to his account. And there at the cross, he was treated as though he was a sinner. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24 says, who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree. So there at the cross, Jesus took sin upon himself, bearing it in his own body. And he was punished in our place. Isaiah 53 verse 5 says, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. So understand what Jesus endured at the cross. The physical suffering, the emotional suffering, the spiritual suffering was all on our behalf, in our place. He was our substitute. He was judged for our sin. He experienced the wrath of God in our place. So this is why the crucifixion of Jesus is unique. Because he went about dealing with the sin of humanity. My friend, this is what the cross is all about. Jesus paying the price for our sin. Jesus being judged for our sin. Jesus dying for our sin. Jesus providing salvation for you and me. And this is why it can be called Good Friday, when in reality most things that happened were unspeakably bad. Because Jesus endured all of this to bring about the greatest goods. the possibility of salvation from sin. So this is what the cross is all about in the Christian faith. But we need to understand that what Jesus did on our behalf at the cross, it's not automatically applied to everybody. We have a choice to make and the choice is this. Will we accept that which Jesus has accomplished? Okay, that's the response we must make. So with that in mind, let's examine the two different responses of these criminals and we'll be faced with the question, what is our response to Jesus? So the first response we see is haughty rejection. Okay, is haughty rejection. Now at this particular point, the three who were crucified have endured unspeakable suffering. excruciating pain shot throughout their bodies. Every breath was agonizing. The shame was immense. But what was noticeable at this particular crucifixion is that the crowds tormented Jesus. It's highly likely that mocking and slandering the one who hung on the cross, this was not unheard of. This was a common practice. But at this crucifixion, it was Jesus who was slammed relentlessly by just about everyone. He was cruelly ridiculed by those who watched on. If you look at verse 35, the rulers were deriding Jesus. This speaks of the spiritual leaders, the priests, the scribes. that they had been waiting for this moment for years that they hated Jesus and now all of this vented up hatred came pouring out and in verse 37 the soldiers were mocking Jesus I thought he was a king what was going on that doesn't look like much of a king to me And we see in the other Gospels that the crowds were also mocking Jesus. Those who had demanded that He be crucified continued to hurl abuse at the Lord. So try and engage your imagination. Picture the scene. Jesus is speaking, is experiencing unspeakable torment. And the crowds around the cross are unleashing this barrage of slanderous blasphemy. Now, none of us have experienced what Jesus went through, but I'm sure we've all experienced when we're abused or when we're bullied. And it's not nice, is it? No one enjoys it. And here at the cross, Jesus is relentlessly taunted. All the people that had gathered at the cross, they're goading him. Jesus, why can't you save yourself? You say you're God. Come down from the cross. Prove it. If you are who you claim to be, come on down. Then we'll believe you. But Jesus, you don't look like much of a king. You don't look to be that powerful. What's going on? And so it goes. But the mockery wasn't limited to the onlookers. It's interesting that his crucified companion also joined in. And this is quite the low blow. He obviously senses that the crowd has it in for Jesus, so he joins the pile on. He decides to throw his own punches. We're told in verse 39 that he railed on Jesus. That term means to vilify, to defame, or to speak evil of. So this man, again picture, here he is crucified. He's in agony. So he agonizingly inhales air so that he can exhale blasphemous abuse. He is using what little strength he has left to verbally taunt the Lords. Notice the contents of his verbal abuse. Verse 39, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. You know, in these few short words, it reveals what this man is like. Here he is, he is next to the Savior of the world in his dying hour. This is his great opportunity. He can be spared from the hell that he deserves if he trusts in Christ. But he doesn't. He only responds with selfish demands and bitter contempt. Rather than treating Jesus with reverence, rather than seeking forgiveness, rather than acknowledging his sin, rather than seeking mercy, He used his little remaining strength to mock and ridicule Jesus. And what we see in his angry outburst is that this criminal demanded that Jesus save him on his own terms. And it's riddled with pride. He doesn't come to Jesus on Jesus' terms, but he provides his own terms. There's no humility. There's no faith. There's no repentance. But rather there is this proud and entitled demand. Okay, Jesus, get down. Jesus, get me down. And then I might listen to what you have to say. But if truth be told, this man, he was not interested in a relationship with Jesus. He didn't care about forgiveness. He didn't want to actually deal with the eternal consequences of his sin. but rather he just wanted Jesus to get him out of his current predicament. There was certainly no fear of God. There's no acknowledgement of sin, no repentance, no request for forgiveness. In fact, there's no spiritual concern whatsoever. And when it came clear that Jesus wouldn't honor his request and get him down from the cross, his true heart was revealed. He unleashes a verbal barrage of blasphemous slander. When he realized Jesus wouldn't deliver him like he wants it, he unleashes. Jesus, I knew it. You're a fraud. You're no king. You're no deliverer. You've got no power. The crowds are right. You deserve this. You're no king. If you were a king, if you were powerful, you would get me down. Jesus, you're pathetic. This is the rejection of Jesus by this first criminal. Forgiveness of sin was not something that he thought worthy of pursuing. Being reconciled with God was not something he valued. He had no concern for God, no guilt over sin. He merely wanted to use Jesus to meet his own selfish ends. And when Jesus refused, this man rejected Jesus. And do you know what? This is what many people are like with God. You don't pay too much attention to God, but things get bad. They want God to help. You know, what want God's help in these temporary emergencies, when the circumstances get desperate, that they demand that God intervene. They want God to be like the genie in the bottle. You get your three wishes, everything's fixed, and then God can disappear. That's what people want. And maybe this is what you're like when it comes to God. You're very much like this first criminal. You may make demands of God, but if truth be told, you have no real interest in him. Understand this first criminal is representative of mankind. Can you see yourself in him? Maybe you feel just like this criminal. You feel like God's a fake. He's a fraud. He's not needed in your life. I don't see myself as a sinner. I don't have a problem. I have no desire to be reconciled with God. I'm a bit skeptical. Perhaps you even mock God. You have rejected Jesus and the salvation that he offers. Maybe this first criminal describes your response to Jesus as one of rejection. But there's a second response found here and it's a response of humble repentance. Gale of humble repentance. What is fascinating about this second criminal is that initially he too joined in with the mockery and ridicule of Jesus. It wasn't just one of the criminals, it was both of them. He too fired arrows of insults. Matthew 27 44 says, the thieves, plural, also which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. So it was both of Jesus' crucified compatriots who joined the choir singing choruses of contempt. But then he fell silent. Something happened. And then, unexpectedly, he began to defend Jesus. Talk about a dramatic turn of events. And this must have really shocked the crowds. What's going on? be a bit like albanese or dud and saying nice things about each other we wouldn't expect that at the moment would we okay and for the crowds at the cross and for the other criminal they must have been completely shocked with this dramatic change of tune if you look at verse 40 we're told that he rebuked his fellow criminal okay this term means to admonish strongly and sternly so so he's very forceful in his rebuke Okay, talk about a dramatic turnaround. Okay, and he challenged his fellow criminal on several grounds. Okay, we see this throughout the text. He challenges him for his lack of fear toward God. Okay, that there's no reverence, there's no respect. And he also reminds his fellow criminal that, hey, we deserve to be here. You know, it's just, it's fair for us to be here. We are criminals. But the same could not be said of Jesus. He understood that Jesus was innocent. and to taunt and mock him was unfair and uncalled for. What a dramatic change. This criminal is now humble. He has respect, he has reverence, he has a deep sense of his own sinfulness. And also to defend Jesus at this time, my friend, talk about courage. Because no doubt he too was mocked and ridiculed. As soon as he starts defending Jesus, guess what? The crowds turn on him as well. No doubt his fellow criminal had some unkind things to say. And they would have most certainly mocked his request of Jesus. Can you hear the mocking commotion of the crowds, the ridicule and the laughter as he humbly requests, Jesus, please remember me. The mention of kingdom here seems to be speaking of heaven. So he's throwing himself at the mercy of Jesus. He understands that he does not deserve the favor of the Lord. And yet he humbly asks Jesus to save him from his sin and bring him to heaven. My friend, this is an astonishing scene. And what we have here is the conversion of this criminal. That there at the cross in his dying moments, he comes to know Jesus Christ as his personal savior. This is one of the most amazing salvation stories of history. Imagine his testimony at church. You wouldn't want to follow it, would you? It'd be quite impressive. You know, I was at the cross with Jesus. And you think, man, I've got to give my testimony next. Think about it. He is the most unlikely candidate. He's a notorious criminal. He's a bad guy. And just a short time previously, he's mocking and ridiculing Jesus. And yet now, he's humble. He responds in repentance and faith. He confesses his guilt. He declares his absolute spiritual bankruptcy. He acknowledges that, hey, I'm a sinner. I'm deserving of death. He understands that there's nothing about him that merits God's favor. He knows he's completely dependent on mercy and grace. That, my friend, is repentance. That's a prerequisite for salvation. And then think about the strength of his faith. This is the other prerequisite. Think of repentance and faith. Different side of the same coin. Think about his faith. He believed at a time when Jesus seemed to be helpless and powerless. It seems that Jesus was completely unable to save himself. He is Jesus hanging on the cross. As one writer put it, if ever Jesus looked unable and unfit to be a saviour, it wasn't Calvary. Jesus was dying upon a cross. To all outward appearance, he had lost the power to save anyone. His enemies were triumphing over him. His friends had forsaken him. Public opinion was against him. No one pointed to him and exclaimed, behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin in the world. It looked like a dying man and nothing else. But regardless of all this, this thief saw Jesus as his Savior. This is amazing faith. So this man trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior as they hung there on the cross. This has to be one of the most amazing conversion stories in all of history. And it leads to an interesting question. What brought about this change? Why the turnaround? Why go from ridiculing Jesus to rebuking those who ridiculed Him? Why change from mocking Him to trusting Him? What changed His mind? Was it the prayer that Jesus had just proclaimed? Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Perhaps he couldn't forget those words that they're ringing in his ears. It pierced his heart, pricked his conscience. Perhaps he realized from that prayer his own stupidity and sin. He understood that he needed forgiveness. Was he the first answer to this prayer that Jesus prayed perhaps? Or was it the mockery of the crowds? They proclaimed that Jesus saved others but he couldn't save himself. Now these words were shouted as mockery and ridicule but did they have an inadvertent effect? Did it get this man thinking, well how did he save others? What are they talking about? Or was it the sign that Pilate wrote above the cross of Jesus? Understand this usually listed the crime that the one being crucified was guilty of. For Jesus, it said, this is the King of the Jews. Someone has called this a gospel tract. Did that have an impact on this guy? Or was it the gentle patience of Jesus as he suffered ridicule, injustice, and the excruciating pains of the cross? Surely that must have had an impact. And perhaps all of these elements were contributing factors, but what we do know is that one will not come to Christ without the gracious work of God via the Holy Spirit. And this is a glorious illustration of it. As he hung there on the cross, after his last outburst toward Jesus, he started to think. the Holy Spirit began to work within, convicting him of his sin, of his need of forgiveness, and he became one of the most unlikely converts. And my friend, this reminds us that no one is beyond the saving reach of Jesus Christ. No one is too bad to come to Christ. Wherever there is life, there is hope. Just look at this criminal who was crucified next to Jesus. So with the scene considered, we need to come back to our question of how one responds to Jesus. Both of these criminals were next to Jesus. Both of them saw and heard the same things, that they were both faced with a choice. One accepted Jesus and one rejected Jesus. And my friend, they are the only two choices. When it comes to Jesus, you cannot be neutral. And you're faced with this decision again today. What will you do with Jesus? And no one leaves here this morning without making a choice. You either accept him or you reject him. Okay, today's Good Friday. We remember the cross. And Jesus went to the cross to deal with our sin. Now we need to understand the Bible is very clear that we have all sins. Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And this is something that this converted criminal understood and believed. He understood his sinfulness. And this is something that we all need to grasp. And this is a stumbling block for so many. We fall miserably short of God's perfect standard. Now, sure, you may well be quite a good person. You do good things. I'm not saying you're the worst person in the whole world. Definitely not. But here's the problem. All that it takes is one sin to fall short of God's perfect standard. One lie. One immoral thought. Stealing once. And so on. That's all it takes. One. So that's our first problem. Now here's another problem. We're actually sinful by nature. We're born sinners. That's what the Bible teaches us. So we're born in sin and we choose to sin. And this is a problem because God is just. And that means God must punish sin. He can't turn a blind eye to sin. He is not a corrupt judge. He must do what is right. He has to deal with sin. And this is what the cross is all about. It's about Jesus dealing with our sin. And this is the choice that we all face. Sin must be paid for. The Bible tells us the payment is death. That speaks of physical death, but also spiritual death, separation from God. And this is the choice that we all face. Who's going to pay for my sin? Will Jesus pay for your sin? Or will you pay for it yourself in hell for all eternity? They're the only two options. And understand, all sin debts must be paid. Paid either by Jesus or by you. No sin debt can be left unaccounted. God must balance the books, if you like. So this is the choice that we all face. Jesus died for sin on the cross. He was punished for it. He bore God's wrath. But understand, in order for this to be yours, In order for the work of Jesus at the cross to be appropriated or to be applied to you, for your sin account to be paid in full, you must repent of your sin. What that means is you need to acknowledge that you are a sinner. God, I am a sinner. I've rebelled against you. And you acknowledge that there is nothing about you that makes you worthy of salvation. You understand your spiritual bankruptcy. That's repentance. And then you must place your faith in Jesus Christ, but believing that he is God and that he died on the cross for your sin, that he paid the price for sin in full. And then he rose again on the third day and that this alone is able to save you. Nothing else is able. Nothing else is required. Nothing else needs to be added to it. My friend, this is the free gift that God offers to you. But you must accept the gift. Repent, believe, and you will be saved from your sin. That's the message of the Bible. That's what we call the gospel. You will be forgiven. Your relationship with God that your sin has severed will be restored. And you will be guaranteed an eternal home in heaven. But it all comes down to this question. What will you do with Jesus? Okay, what will you do with Jesus? Will you accept him or will you reject him? And every person here this morning is faced with this choice. And my dear friend, understand there are eternal consequences attached to this decision. What will you do with Jesus? And the importance of our answer is seen in what Jesus has to say as he hung on the cross. So far, we've focused on what the criminal said to Jesus. And thus far, he has remained silent. And isn't that striking? He doesn't defend himself. He just takes all of the mockery, all of the slanderous remarks. But he does finally speak. And he speaks to the one who humbly repents and trusts in him. And this is what he says. This is the promise. Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. What a glorious declaration. What a comforting assurance. Jesus assures his crucified compatriot that on this day, notice there's no delay. It's instant. At death, this converted criminal would enter paradise with Jesus. This word paradise, it's used two other times in the New Testament, and it clearly refers to heaven on both of those occasions. So the promise is that at death, the forgiven sinner will go to heaven. Okay. And Jesus stresses here that this would be a reality today. It wouldn't be tomorrow. It wouldn't be some other undisclosed time, but instantly. Okay. Now Jesus cry from the cross. It causes problems for purgatory. It causes problems for soul sleep and other such teaching because Jesus is very clear that at death both he and this believing criminal would enter paradise. There's no delay, that there's no waiting bay, that there's no purifying periods. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Now it's also worth noting that this converted criminal is assured of heaven despite never being baptized. never attending church, never partaking of the Lord's table. So this causes massive problems to those who teach faith and works as a means of salvation. Okay, that this proves that one act of faith can save the worst of sinners. My friend, the Bible is very clear that we're saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Nothing else explains this cry from the cross. But here's the main points. What amazing grace that this converted criminal and all Christians are guaranteed heaven as soon as they die. That's very good news. And there's nothing more certain. When we breathe our last breath, whenever that may be, our physical bodies remain behind. But spiritually, our souls, our inner man goes straight to heaven. And notice what Jesus says here, okay, with me in paradise. So all believers at death are instantly taken to heaven, and we are united with Jesus. Okay, that this answers the vital question that all mankind are faced with, what happens after death? Okay, we all need an answer to that question. And this cry from the cross makes it very clear that death is not the end. My friend, understand you don't just cease to exist at death. That this life is not all that there is. We all live forever. And for the believer that existence will be in paradise and it will be with the Lord Jesus. So my friend, what astonishing words here from our Lord. That sinners like you and me are promised heaven. I promised Jesus' presence that at death we immediately go to be with our Lord. That's a great comfort. All believers are assured of heaven. My friend, this is our great hope when our loved ones are sick. When our believing family and friends pass away, when tragedy strikes, that they're going to heaven, that they will be with Jesus, and one day we will be reunited with them. And this is our great hope when we face death, that our bodies will be laid in the ground, but our souls instantly enter the presence of God. This is our sure confidence. For all believers at death, we immediately enter eternal bliss. This is our great assurance. Like this thief on the cross, Jesus says to us, as we die today, today, Brendan, you're going to be with me in paradise. Jesus says the same thing to you and me. This is what Jesus has secured for us through his saving work on the cross. This is one element of the gracious gift that he gives us in salvation. Heaven is assured. And hell is avoided for all eternity. Our final abode is with Jesus. And we will be with him forever and ever. We will be with him. We will be like him. And we will enjoy him for all eternity. And this helps us to be able to face death. Now, sure, we can still be scared of the process of death. We can be concerned about our loved ones that we're going to leave behind. You know, that's normal. And we need to trust the Lord with those things. Believe that his grace is sufficient for such things. But we don't have to fear one bit about where we will go or what's going to happen to us. We are sure for heaven as believers. Once we breathe our last breath, once we depart this world instantly, we go into the presence of Jesus, heavenly bliss, and everything will be better. Everything will be perfect. No more pain, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more heartache, no more broken relationships, no more struggling, no more sin. it will be heavenly bliss with Jesus forever and ever. In Christ, this is our great hope. And my friend, for this to be guaranteed for you, we come back to our question, what will you do with Jesus? Okay, death is not the end. And what happens to you after death, where you end up, is determined by what you do with Jesus. So my friend, think seriously about this question. It's the most important question that you'll ever answer. What will you do with Jesus? Amen. Let's pray. Father, we just thank you for this special day where we can reflect upon the cross and all that Jesus endured and went through on our behalf and all that can be ours in him. Lord, thank you for the hope of heaven that we have as your people. Lord, I do pray that if there's some here today that don't know Christ as their Saviour, help them to be thinking seriously about this question. What are they going to do with Jesus? And what a blessing it would be if they come to Christ as their Saviour today. Lord, please be working in hearts, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.