Today I should like to paint a picture in your mind. It will be a moving picture or rather, you will be moving in the picture. Far off in the distance you see a hill; you do not know it but the hill is called the place of a skull, which in Hebrew is Golgotha, most commonly known as Calvary. From where you stand you see what seem to be trees unlike any you have ever seen; that is, because you are not from this time and place. Today is where you are from. Those trees, by the way seem to be out of season, or they represent a stand of trees which might have been diseased and died as there are no leaves on them. Around these trees, though they look like ants from this vantage point, people mill about. In this day and age you might think it to be some sort of tourist site.

The closer you get (now remember, we are but painting this picture in your mind), you note that one of these trees draws more attention than all others. You are now closer and you discern that these trees have something in common. They appear to be man made. In fact, they resemble swords driven into the ground, but you know better because you have seen this design in present day circumstances. On each side of the middle tree another appears. In your culture you know these designs to be crosses.

Now you think you know what this scene represents. Indeed it might be one of which you have heard much about. You might even realize that what you are viewing is three dyihng men in close proximity. What has happened to these men is that they have been sentenced to death via a process of crucifixion, a method of capital punishment long known for its degree of cruelty. Somehow or another, you know that the cross in the middle supports, with nails in hands and feet, a man known as Jesus. Over this man's head, you read this, "Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews." That may or may not mean anything to you this morning. As far as you are concerned it ranks as one of the greatest stories ever told. But this morning you are now right there at the foot of the cross, looking up.

On each side of him, Jesus, the right side and the left side, there suspended are two who are dying a similar death; they are known to be thieves.

In all of this cruelty, Jesus spoke to his Father and said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

At the base of the cross soldiers have Jesus garments made into four parts and each soldier has a part. For his coat, rather than tearing it since it was all one piece, the soldiers cast lots for it to determine who would win.

Passers-by yell out to Jesus in mockery saying, "Hey, you, you who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. Come down from the cross. In the midst are chief priests and scribes joining in on the mocking by saying, "He saved others but he can't even save himself." They go on to say, Let Christ the King of Israel come down from the cross so that we can see and believe." They said, "He trusted God so let God deliver him now if he will. Didn't he say, "I am the son of God?"

At one point, one of the thieves hollered out, "Look, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us too." But the other thief reprimanded the first and said, "Don't you fear God whatsoever, seeing that you are being likewise condemned?"

At another point, Jesus called out to his mother, Mary, and said, Look at your Son. Then he spoke to his disciple _________ and said, here is your mother. From that time forward, that disciple took her into his own home and cared for her.

The second thief went on to say, "We deserve it for our deeds brought it upon us. But this man has done nothing wrong."

Then the second thief said as he looked toward Jesus, "Keep me in mind when you come into your kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."

Luke 23:44 says, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earthuntil the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of tne temple was rent in the midst." Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit: and then he gave up his spirit."

Did any of this plan of God's happen for you? Do you know the "yes" and the "no" of it this morning? Did Calvary happen for you? If so far, Calvary did not happen for you, perhaps today you will respond to the call upon your life by God to come and serve him from this day forward. Perhaps today, you can say in your heart to Jesus, "Keep me in mind." If you do say it, Jesus will likewise have you to understand, "Because of what you say today, one day you, too, will be with me in paradise."

Ladies and gentlemen, this morning, especially for those who do not yet beleive it, the purpose of this message is to tell you that Calvary happened for you...but only if, you want it to have happened for you. You see, nothing on this earth is yours, unless you want it to be yours. In terms of anyting material -- those things like trucks and cars, those things like shoes and earrings, those things like goods and goodies -- they are not yours unless you want them to be yours. If you have something, you must want it. You might say that that is not the way it really is. Well, then, ff you don't want it, then give it away. You might say, "Not likely...." If you do not want to give it away, then you must want it.

Likewise, ladies and gentlemen, the spiritual principle works in a similar fashion. But when it comes to the preaching of the cross, it stands as foolishness to those who are perishing. Right now, if you are thinking that Calvary did not happen for you, then indeed it did not. By the same token, all that happened at calvary, likewise did not happen for you. When Jesus came to die for all of those who would receive hiim as lord and Saviour, he did not do it for you -- that is, if you have not received him as your Lord and Saviour.

Are you trusting in yourself this morning? Are you trusting in the man or woman down the street, your friends, and or relatives to have the right answer for your ipurpose in this life? If they are not serving Christ, then who oare they serving? You don't know, iiyou say. Well, if it is not Christ it is the enemy of your soul. But worse yet, you are followoing the who do not serve Christ. That is, you are serving the enemy of your soul through them. It doesn't hurt as much, you might suppose. It will, nonetheless, never protect yo7u from the fires of hell, no matter how much asbestos you have covering your soul, no matter how much fire resistant material you have lying around you. People followed other people before you who did inot follow Christ and went to wherever they go when heaven's doors shut against them.

People followed Jones to Jonestown and perished. People join cults by the thousands and perform mass suicides to no avail. Listen to the news daily -- one cult after hits the papers with its antiChrist like exploits. People follow false prophets, false teachers, false doctrines, falst beliefs, false anything rather than the truth. Right this moment someone could knock on your door with a twisted version of Christianity, a perverted doctrine of some sort, a new age study the stars phenomenon, a pie in the sky peace approach and you could represent the next fish in their net. You do not really have to do that, but if you insist and persist, you will inevitably be given over to those desires to be eternally damned.

Some statistics state that on the average if a person hears the gospel about six times, he or she will or could be receptive to God's plan of salvation. In a recent article on the religious group which is threatening to overtake the Americas, people of this aggressive group must hear the gospel of Jesus Christ 100 times before the possibility of receiving Christ occurs. Now that type of person will never hear the gospel even half that number of times, let alone six times. If you are an extremely religious person this morning and do not yet know Christ as your personal Lord and personal Saviour, you may never get to be with him either. To cut through religiosity, deeply engrained religious practices which run contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the 100 times likewise applies to them. For those who already think that they have their passports to heaven without Christ received into their hearts, maybe a 1000 times hearing the gospel will not suffice. Many who think they have Christ do not have him. Someone told them that they were born saved instead of having to be born again in order to be saved. Some have been told that infant baptism means eternity with God, and no service for Christ need follow. Some have been told that they can work their fingers to the bone and skip Christ in order to get to heaven. What a mess. Phew! How can all of that be cut through?

Did Calvary happen for you? Listen to this. The thieves in the cross were crucified in the same way as Jesus. They died right alongside of him, in such nearness to him. But, the point which needs to be illustrated this morning, the nearness to Christ in his death meant nothing to either in terms of eternal life. The one thief said something. You too have to say something. The one thief said, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." You have to say something along those lines.

By the same token, you can go out to church this morning, and your nearness to someone who has received with pleasure God's plan of salvation means nothing to you. You can look to the cross this morning, but if you do not receive the one who died upon it as your saviour today, you live one more day unsaved. What if it is your last day? Yes you can look at Christ, you can hang around with Christ, but so too did Judas. Judas hung around with Christ...he associated with Christ...he ate the last supper with Christ. But what is his eternal testimony today.

You can call upon call upon an entity by the name of God when you are in a pinch, you can give money at offering time or donate time, clothes, and other, but according t the Bible, no matter what you do, you're just N I C E , just a humanitarian, just wonderful and never one of God's heaven bound souls unless you did what must be done. Skipping the first step arbitrarily (that of receiving Christ as saviour) and trying to make it on your works does no more than trying to make it on your good looks or lack of them. Did Calvary happen for you? That is what you must figure out this morning.

You know, you can also look up to Christ -- as many did when he hung there on the Cross, but unless you believe upon him, nothing good happens. It will not matter that you looked up to him. You can likewise respect the fact that Christ was an outstanding individual but you need to go the extra inch which is to know him as the Son of God and receive him as Saviour. To know his name is not enough to save you. Many will stand before him at the judgment and say, "Right, I heard about you quite a bit before I died. So, let me in." But Jesus will say even to those who used his name on earth by saying Lord, Lord on earth, He will say, "Away from me you workers of iniquity." Yes you can look up to Christ and respect his fame, but it means nothing until you bear his name. Yes, to bear his name is but to carry it in your heart and live to serve him. Carry it on your tongue and live to speak of him. Carry it in your walk and let Jesus be seen in your deeds. One great preacher said that Christians should be a great witness for Christ, and if necessary, use words.

Let us all go back to Calvary to determine whether or not it happened for each one of us. The thief on the cross died with Christ in more than one way. The thief died in Christ's proximity and with Christ in his heart. What was his assurance? The thief's assurance is no different from yours today; his assurance was the word of Jesus. What is your assurance this morning? It is the word of Jesus

The thief on the cross acknowledged Jesus as he hung alongside of Christ as both were dying on the cross. Jesus says in Matthew 10:32, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, (and that is exactly what the thief did), him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven (and that is exactly what Jesus did and he reassured the thief when he said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." Christ can say the same to you this morning, but you must say yes in faith to Jesus. It's your decision. The thief made it; will you?

In verse 33 Jesus says, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, (and that is what the other thief did in his mockery of Christ), him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." That is what Jesus will do when that thief stands at the judgment. This thief will not make it. Will you? Jesus will deny him before his Father and he will go into a lost eternity.

The universalist will say, "Ah, everybody is saved." The devil will say the same thing. Remember the language of the cross: Jesus Christ came to save all but only all who receive him as their Lord and Saviour. Had he come any other way, his death would have been in vain.

Don't be like the passers-by this Easter. Don't look to Calvary as though it were a great story. Don't look up to Jesus as though he were just another extradordinary man. Looking up, at, on, or upon, represent nothing but if anyone action is done, it must be done with an open heart to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour this morning.

Let Calvary have happened for you. Let Jesus also have come and died for you. Let Jesus have died and resurrected and gone into heaven for you today. Receive him this morning and take him in your heart to church this morning for the first time. If you who listen already serve him, show him as you usually do by serving him...perhaps more if he calls you to do so. It doesn't matter that your age is now 80 plus tax; it doesn't matter that your denomination is one that lets you to relax, come alive again until the Lord comes for you. And, should somebody ever wonder whether Calvary happened for you, know in your heart that it did. Know that Jesus died for you.

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