“The place called Calvary” (Luke 23:33)  

For the criminal, Calvary was a hill of shame and pain, but for saints, it’s the hill of victory and comfort. If you’re a saint, what happened on Calvary is the reason Christ is preparing for you a place in Heaven (John 14:2). If you’re a sinner, if you die unmoved by what He did on Calvary, He’s preparing a place for you in Hell (Matthew 25:46). There’s a reason the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). What happened at Calvary IS the Gospel. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). So, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). 

 "Is it not strange, the darkest hour That ever dawned on sinful earth, Should touch the heart with softer power, For comfort, than an angel's mirth? That to the Cross the mourner's eye should turn, Sooner than where the stars of Bethlehem burn?" 

 Oh, sinner, look to Calvary! In that place of thirst, God struck the Rock from which flows Living Waters, pure as crystal. Each drop is capable of alleviating the woes of mankind. Calvary is where you understand God loves you unconditionally. It’s where you’re inspired to unconditionally submit to the Lordship of Christ. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already” (John 3:16-18). 

 For the saint, your cares are scourged, and your sorrows are nailed to the cross, but for the sinner, there’s “a certain fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26).