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Jesus Saves the criminal on the Cross

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Bible verse : Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

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

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The high priests and Jewish religious leaders hated Jesus to the point that they wanted to kill him. They gave 30 pieces of silver to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, arrested Jesus, and took him to the court of Pilate, the governor. Pilate did not find any sin in Jesus, but he ended up handing the innocent Jesus over to them to be crucified because the people were screaming for him to be crucified.

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Jesus carried the cross without any sin and walked the path of suffering toward a place called Golgotha. Every time Jesus fell due to the weight of the cross, the Roman soldiers whipped him mercilessly. Jesus, who had already been beaten so many times, was so weak that he could not bear the cross.

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When the Roman soldiers realized that Jesus could not carry the cross to Golgotha Hill, they forced a man named Simon from Cyrene, who was watching along the road, to carry the cross instead of Jesus.
Simon of Cyrene carried the cross instead of Jesus and followed behind him.

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On the way to Golgotha Hill, the women and people who followed Jesus were following behind him, weeping for him.
They were so sad and sad as they looked at Jesus suffering without any sin.

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When Jesus noticed that they were following him and crying, he spoke to them. “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your children. The judgment that will come upon you in the future will be much greater than what I am experiencing now.
Will those who do this to me also do this to you?”
Jesus said this because, even in the midst of his own suffering, he was worried about the suffering that his followers would suffer in the future.

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After arriving at Golgotha Hill, Roman soldiers drove large nails into both hands and feet of Jesus. There is a great mystery hidden in the suffering of the sinless Jesus being crucified. This is because the only way to save humans is through the cross. Jesus hung high on the cross with nails pierced through both his hands and feet.

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Around Jesus as he hung on the cross, there were two people who were crucified together. These people were so evil that they had no choice but to be crucified.
One of the two men was placed on the right side of Jesus and the other on the left side.

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At the foot of Jesus’ cross, soldiers were casting lots to take Jesus’ clothes.
Jesus saw this scene and prayed to God for them. “God, they don’t know what they are doing. Please forgive them.” In this way, Jesus taught us to love even our enemies even in the midst of his suffering.

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Others made fun of Jesus and said, “That Jesus saves others, so he must be able to save himself!” The soldiers also offered sour wine to Jesus and laughed at him, saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

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At that moment, a criminal who was hanging on the cross next to Jesus also spoke to the Roman soldier. “Hey, Jesus! “If you are really the Son of God, save yourself and us from here!” Even when he was crucified, he could not change his evil habits and was doing evil things that slandered Jesus.

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At this time, the criminal on the other side scolded the criminal on the other side and said, “Do you not realize your sins even though you are now being punished on the cross? We have sinned and deserve this punishment, but this person has done nothing wrong! Was there anything this man did that was wrong? “
Aren’t you afraid of God?” Meanwhile, the criminal knew that everything Jesus did was right.

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The man who rebuked the criminal on the other side looked at Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
Jesus looked at him and said, “Truly I tell you, Today you will enter heaven with me.” Jesus saved the criminal who repented at the last moment.

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When Jesus was crucified and it was noon, the whole earth began to darken.
The sun no longer shone. The whole world was dark for three hours.
The veil that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn in two.

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When the whole earth was in darkness, Jesus cried out with a loud voice.
“Father! “Into your hands I commend my soul.” Jesus died after entrusting his soul to God. Through this, Jesus took our sins and died on the cross, opening the way for everyone who believes in Jesus to be saved.

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One of the two thieves who was crucified with Jesus did not realize his sin and instead slandered Jesus. However, the other criminal repented of his sins and asked Jesus, his savior, to remember him. In response, Jesus willingly forgave his sins and granted him heaven. Even in the suffering of the cross, Jesus showed that He is the only one who provides salvation.

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Let us also look to Jesus, who suffered for all our sins and achieved salvation on the cross. We must live by following the example of Jesus who saved criminals even in the midst of suffering. We must not neglect to share with those around us that Jesus achieved salvation on the cross.
God the Father, relying on the precious blood of His Son, Jesus, grants forgiveness of sins to everyone who believes in His name and makes them a glorious citizen of heaven. I hope we all become friends who hold on to the amazing grace and great love of the cross every day and live humbly with gratitude.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)