Sermons on The Penitent Thief:

He Took My Beating

Contributed by John Lowe on Jul 25, 2012

The year is 1885, and it’s the first day of school for the children of this small school in upstate, South Carolina. The last teacher had left unexpectedly, and the students are waiting outside of the one-room school house for the new teacher to arrive.

He Took My Beating Sierra and I have worked in Children’s Church for many years. Although we are not currently teaching children, I have some very fond memories of those days. The sermon for today is one that I first gave during a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:5-7

Denomination: Baptist

Death: Life's Sequel Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on May 24, 2021

How does your family handle death? More importantly, do you remember when you first realized you were going to die? Today, I want to speak to you on this subject – Death: Life’s Sequel.

How does your family handle death? More importantly, do you remember when you first realized you were going to die? Today, I want to speak to you on this subject – Death: Life’s Sequel. As I speak to you this morning, hundreds of millions of my cells will die. Over the course of this day, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Seven Words Of Jesus From The Cross: Series

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Apr 17, 2025

The Seven Last Words of Jesus, spoken from the cross, offer profound insights into his humanity, divinity, and sacrificial love, urging reflection on forgiveness, faith, and the ultimate triumph of redemption.

Death and resurrection are two important events in the life of Jesus and the life of the church. The events of Good Friday are recounted in all four Gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospels, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper with His disciples. He ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:34, Luke 23:43, John 19:26-27, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, John 19:28, John 19:30, Luke 23:46  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gospel - Faith Alone In Christ Alone

Contributed by Frank Gallagher on Nov 13, 2000

Many Bible verses including the illustration of the Thief On The Cross teach that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

The Gospel - Faith Alone In Christ Alone (Luke 23:32-43; Matthew 27:41-44; Ephesians 2:8-9) [HTML formatted version and handouts are located ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43, Matthew 27:41-44

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Remember Me!

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Mar 29, 2012

The thief on the cross is an example that we are saved completely by the grace of God as this hardened criminal received the promise of eternal life.

Many of you might remember Karla Faye Tucker. She was the first woman to be executed in the US since 1984. She was notorious as an accomplice to a brutal ax murder of a two people in the early eighties. Soon after being imprisoned, Tucker took a Bible from the prison ministry program and read it in ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

Denomination: Lutheran

Three Crosses At Calvary

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Oct 18, 2000

Calvary was the place of Three Crosses - of Rebellion, of Repentance and of Redemption - and the choice is ours.

The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our faith. It is the chosen symbol of the Christian faith. Thank God, we see it now as an empty cross because the seeming tragedy for good and apparent victory for evil was overturned by the power and purposes of God into the triumph of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Denomination: Baptist

The Seven Words From The Cross

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Mar 16, 2004

The Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross are a wonderful commentary in his own words of Forgiveness, Salvation, Love, Atonement, Suffering, Victory and Security.

The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our faith. It is the chosen symbol of the Christian faith. Thank God, we see it now as an empty cross because the seeming tragedy for good and apparent victory for evil was overturned by the power and purposes of God into the triumph of ...read more

Scripture: John 19:26-30, Luke 23:34-43, Luke 23:46, John 19:29-30

Denomination: Baptist

Are We Worth It? Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on Oct 13, 2005

The encounter that Jesus has with the thief on the cross has an amazing and life changing message for us (I Am Jesus - 35).

Are We Worth It! Jesus, His Encounters (7) I Am Jesus – Message 35 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lesson 9: The Gentiles’ Former State: Isolation Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Apr 25, 2018

It is a good thing for Christians to “remember” what they were. No ability of the mind can be better employed to produce humility, penitence, gratitude, and love, than the memory. It is good for us to recall our former sins.

Commentary on the Book of Ephesians By: Tom Lowe Date: 3/31/17 Lesson 9: The Gentiles’ Former State: Isolation (2:11-13) Ephesians 2:11-13 (KJV) 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-13

Denomination: Baptist

A Rolling Stone Series

Contributed by Mike Gilbert on Mar 19, 2008

Easter message...powerful lessons we can learn from when the stone rolled away, revealing Jesus’ resurrection.

*INTRO>If you were to take a survey on the street, asking folks to identify the greatest rolling stone, most would probably name Mick Jagger, although some might give a nod to Keith Richards because he is such a specimen and testimony of what damage prolonged drug use will do to your body. But the ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

How To Know That You Know

Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Feb 19, 2020

A sermon examining the fact that we can know for sure that we are saved.

HOW TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW I John 5:1-13 When I was a child I had a Sunday School teacher who often said concerning salvation, "you have to know that you know that you know that you are saved. Ironically many years later the Holy Spirit revealed to her that she was not saved and at that point ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Cries From The Cross Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Jan 11, 2024

Appreciate what Jesus did for you on the cross: feel its sorrow; grasp its suffering; and take its sufficiency. You’ll never be the same again!

In 1940, Clarence Jordan, a farmer-theologian, founded Koinonia farm in Americus, Georgia, to promote racial unity and cooperation. Soon after that, a pastor gave Jordan the red-carpet tour of his church. The pastor proudly pointed to the rich, imported pews and luxurious decorations. Then, with ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-30, Psalm 22:14-15

Denomination: Evangelical Free

His Crucifixion At Golgotha Series

Contributed by Stephen E. Trail on Mar 27, 2017

Fourth part of The Echoes of Easter.

The Echoes of Easter Pt 4 "His Crucifixion on Golgotha" Luke 23:26-49 Luke 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great company of people, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:26-49

Denomination: Baptist

Seven Last Words

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Apr 24, 2014

Jesus went to the Cross so that we, through his death and resurrection might have a personal relationship with God and that we might know its power in every area of our lives.

Seven Last Words The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our faith. It is the chosen symbol of the Christian faith. We see it empty, it is an empty cross because of the apparent tragedy which God turned for good and the apparent victory for evil which God overturned by the power ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Remember Me (Whose Line Is It?) Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Apr 11, 2003

The story of the thief on the cross is one of the most powerful in all the Gospels. But it is possible to get some wrong impressions from what this teaches us.

OPEN: A minister was talking to a professing Christian and asked him if he was active in his local Church. The man responded, "No, but the dying thief wasn’t active in a local Church and he was still accepted". The minister then asked if the man had been baptized. He said, "No, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:38-43

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ