NOT ASHAMED OF CHRIST.
Then the next thing is, he confessed Christ at that dark period. It was the darkest hour of Christ’s pilgrimage down here. We will never see another dark hour like that. The sin of the world was on Him; heaven was closed against Him—locked, bolted, and barred. He was now hanging on the tree bearing our sins; and it is written, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” And even God had to hide His face from Him, for He could not look on sin, and Christ was then bearing the sin of all the world. I believe that’s what Christ meant in the garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed that the cup might pass from Him. Up to that time He saw His Father’s face, and He knew He was blessed of Him, and from time to time a voice came from heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” But now He was taking our place before God as a sinner, and God had to hide His face from Him. Yes, it was breaking the Saviour’s heart; and now, when darkness is coming over creation, and the moon is to be turned into blood, and the sun is about to veil its face because it cannot look upon the terrible scene, and Peter, one of His most conspicuous disciples, had denied Him with a curse, and swore that he never knew Him, and Judas, one of His own disciples, had gone out and sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, and the chief men of the nation were mocking Him, saying, “He saved others, let Him save Himself, if He be the Christ”—amidst all this darkness and gloom, out comes this signal faith of the thief, “Lord, remember me,” He called Him Lord there and then; and he said to the other thief, “This man hath done nothing amiss.” Thank God for that confession. There’s faith and confession for you. If you want to be saved, you must have faith in Christ, and be ready to confess Him before all men.