For us "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left." (Luke 23:33 )  Next "Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."" (Luke 23:34 )  Those around despised him "The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." (Luke 23:35-38 )  Except for one man, who realized what was happening, one of the thieves next to him being crucified for his crimes.  "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." (Luke 23:42-43 )

For us Jesus Died.  "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." (Luke 23:44-46 )  He was dead.  The sinless Lord had taken on the sins of all of us and died on a cross like a common thief.  For us he was buried, "Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid." (Luke 23:52-53 )

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus" (Luke 24:1-3 )  Where has he gone, what has happened?  He has already done so much for us-it cannot have ended like this-with him being gone!  Now two messengers appear "suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground" (Luke 24:4 ) and they deliver the best words we could hear:

""Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:5-6 )

For us He was crucified buried and rose again.  For us.  On that day when He rose and defeated death he gave us the ability to do the same by spending eternity with Him.  That is the purpose of why He did this for us.  Eternity with Him is the outcome of what He did in those days.  And all of it was done for us because of grace and mercy out of a Love we can not comprehend.  To not recognize that God wants a relationship with us when He did this for us is simply denying the obvious.  If you have never cried out to God, like the thief on the cross recognizing who Christ was, and believed that Christ did this for you don’t deny the obvious any longer.  He did this for you.

If you need to do this the first step is admitting to yourself that you are a sinner and that trusting in yourself or anything you can do is not sufficient.   Then you need to trust in Christ and what He did do on the cross when He died for your sins.  To affirm your decision say this prayer “Lord I know that I am a sinner incapable of doing anything that would allow me into heaven on my own.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross, and that His death paid for my sins.  Thank you for giving me a way.  Amen.”

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