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When I was a 13-year-old boy

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growing up in a godless home, in a

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house that was haunted, you could hear footsteps

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upstairs and there was no one there.

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There'd be pounding on the doors and no

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one on the other side.

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And in that house, my parents fought all

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the time.

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A pastor who lived across the alley saw

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what was going on in my life.

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He got a burden on his heart to

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pray for me.

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This man wouldn't let me go to hell.

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He invited me over to his home for

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family breakfast and devotions.

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He gave me my first job in his

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Bible bookstore, gave me my very first Bible

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and in a revival meeting at his church,

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he led me to give my heart to

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Christ, my Savior.

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My life has never been the same and

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I am an old man now.

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And that took place back in 1968 in

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the turbulent 60s in America.

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Through all that turbulence in society where JFK

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was assassinated and Bobby Kennedy was assassinated and

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Malcolm X was assassinated and Martin Luther King

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was assassinated and all the turmoil and chaos

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in my parents' haunted home, which was haunted

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by demon entities, through all that hell, I

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found the Savior.

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Because a pastor wouldn't let me go to

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hell, he prayed for me and he told

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me about how love sent my Savior to

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Calvary.

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In Luke's Gospel, in chapter 23, we read,

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and there were also two other male factors

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led with him to be put to death.

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And when they were come to the place,

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which is called Calvary, there they crucified him

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and the male factors one on the right

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hand and the other on the left.

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Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they

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know not what they do.

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And they parted his raiment and cast lots

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and the people stood beholding.

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And the rulers also with them derided him

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saying, he saved others, let him save himself

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if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

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And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to

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him and offering him vinegar and saying, if

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thou be the King of the Jews, save

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thyself.

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And a superscription also was written over him

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in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew.

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This is the King of the Jews.

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Let me pause here, friends, to say here

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is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus

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Christ, naked and nailed to a bloody cross,

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experiencing the shame and pain of Calvary.

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All around him is chaos.

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The people and the religious rulers deride him,

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hurling insults at him.

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The Roman soldiers mock him, even making a

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sign where they put it above his head.

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This is the King of the Jews.

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And Christ is reviled and rejected of men.

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Even one of the criminals reviles him.

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And one of the male factors, which were

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hanged, railed on him saying, if thou be

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Christ, save thyself in us.

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Listen, friends, out of all this chaos and

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evil and sin and all hell coming against

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Christ on that cross, we see Christ's reception

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of sinners and that mercy is free and

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a man is saved.

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But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, dost

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thou not fear God, seeing thou art in

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the same condemnation?

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And we indeed justly, for we receive the

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due reward of our deeds.

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But this man has done nothing amiss.

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Listen, friends, Jesus came into the world doing

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good.

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Jesus healed the sick.

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Jesus fed the hungry.

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Jesus gave sight to the blind.

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Jesus even raised the dead to life.

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Yet what happened?

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Men cried away with him and nailed him

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to a cross.

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Look at that blessed man on the cross,

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friend.

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Look at that man on the cross.

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See him there with his arms outstretched, beckoning

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you to come to him and believe on

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him.

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Look at that bloodstained Savior for sin.

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When all is against him, his love flows

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out to a world of guilty sinners.

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The cross is the place where men sought

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to get rid of him.

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But by his death, it becomes the place

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where his saving power flows out to all

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who come in repentance, confessing they are sinners

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and own him as Savior and Lord.

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See Christ's reception of sinners.

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Look at what the penitent thief says to

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Jesus.

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And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me

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when thou comest into thy kingdom.

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And Jesus said unto him, verily I say

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unto thee, today shalt thou be with me

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in paradise.

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I will stop there, friends.

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Those two words, with me, stand out in

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my text.

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They remind me of a story I'll never

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forget.

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Let me share it with you.

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There was a man traveling through the city

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of St. Louis, and it was a Sunday,

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and he was a Christian.

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So he parked his car at a downtown

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church and went inside to worship.

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Once inside, he realized he was the only

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white person in an all-black church, so

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he took his seat on the back row.

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Up on the platform stood the elderly pastor,

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and his sermon was on heaven.

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He began by saying, some folks call heaven

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paradise.

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Other folks call it Abraham's bosom.

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I like to think of heaven this way.

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Here is Jesus, just returned from his earthly

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ministry, and old Gabriel greets him.

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Hello, Jesus.

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Sure is good to see you, Jesus.

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We sure missed you up here, Jesus.

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Welcome home, Jesus.

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But wait.

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Who's that with you?

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Is that that thief from the cross?

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Oh, no, sir.

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No, sir.

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We can't have no thieves up here.

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He's not welcome here.

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Just then, Jesus replied, never you mind, Gabriel.

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Never you mind.

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And then Jesus, wrapping his arm around the

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thief, hugged him, and saying, never you mind,

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Gabriel.

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He's with me.

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The thief on the cross was a heartbeat

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away from hell, but a breath nearer to

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Jesus.

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He realized his need of a savior for

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sin.

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How about you, friend?

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Are you a lost sinner?

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Do you have a need for a savior

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from sin?

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What are you waiting for, mister?

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Don't wait until you're better.

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Come to Jesus.

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Come.

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Bring to him your heartache.

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Bring to him your tears.

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Come to him and own him as your

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savior is Lord.

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Hear in his love, not that we love

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God, but that he loved us and sent

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his son to be the propitiation for our

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sins.