Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

"Haply" means "perhaps," or "maybe."

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GbgmeYKq8M

What is red and invisible?

NO TOMATOES! Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Sis. Val: That makes no sense, Ralph!

Ralph: It was still funny!

Sis. Val: Yeah, I guess. Tell another one.

What is brown and sticky?

Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that said that the messiah would be, ". . . numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). A transgressor is a person who breaks the law - those two criminals were transgressors.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that said that the messiah would be, ". . . numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). A transgressor is a person who breaks the law - those two criminals were transgressors.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

This a picture of the real hill called "Golgatha" or "Calvary," just outside of Jerusalem in Israel. It is called "the place of the skull" because the way the hill is shaped looks like a skull.

This a picture of the real hill called "Golgatha" or "Calvary," just outside of Jerusalem in Israel. It is called "the place of the skull" because the way the hill is shaped looks like a skull.

32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

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

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone.

And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.

6 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

How are we saved? We repent and we are baptized, and we receive the Holy Ghost.

But the thief could not do this, because the Holy Ghost was not given yet, because Jesus had not even died yet. Nobody had ever spoken in tongues yet.

Peter had not even preached Acts 2:38 yet. What does Acts 2:38 say? (kids respond) Nobody had even heard that preached yet! So, how did people get their sins forgiven before the day of Pentecost? What did Moses do? What did King David do? What did John the Baptist do? These people needed to have their sins forgiven so that they could go to heaven. They needed a high priest.

The High priest had to offer a lamb to cover their sins. Was there a high priest there to help the thief?

Jesus is a high priest. Hebrews 14:14 calls Jesus a "great high priest." So, the thief had a high priest right beside him. What does a high priest have to do to get forgiveness from God for a person?

What does a high priest do? The high priest offers a lamb to God to pay for sins.

The priest offers a lamb to God to pay for our sins. We deserve to die for our sins, but God says that a lamb will take our place, and give his life four our life. Was there a lamb at Calvary?

Jesus is the Lamb! Remember that John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus, said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" Jesus was the High Priest, and He was also the Lamb at the cross! The thief had everything that he needed to have his sins forgiven: the perfect priest, and the perfect lamb. He couldn't get baptized in Jesus' name, and receive the Holy Ghost it was too early for that! Peter had not preached Acts 2:38 yet, so the Old Testament law was still the way to God. Let's thank God that we do not have to sacrifice animals anymore, because Jesus is the perfect Lamb who takes away our sins.

We will see the thief in heaven because he believed in the Perfect High Priest and the Perfect Lamb: Jesus. It must have taken a lot of faith to look at Jesus, who was hurting on a cross, just like he was. But if we have faith, we can understand that Jesus forgives, and Jesus saves.

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsUpJnjpBzE