"18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him."
As someone who has been studying the Bible for a number of years, I find most of the Word easy to understand and interpret. However, as you preach through the Bible you will occasionally come upon those passages that are not so easy to understand at least without devoted hours of study. While we are never asked to resolve the issues in any given passage, we are expected to understand the principals of the teaching and apply it to our lives. Sometimes a passage is like one of those pictures, and within it, with other pictures hidden in it. You look and look, and your still not seeing what God wants you to see.
It at those times, we have to take a step back, pray then look at the whole picture, rather than trying to focus on just one part.
The passage before us today, has often been called one of the most difficult passages to understand in
the New Testament. Yet I believe, that if we look at it in the right way, we’ll
find what the Holy Spirit wants us to focus our attention on.
While I believe that we have all fallen victim to suffering the consequences of our sin, the solution to that kind of suffering is simple. Confess, Repent and ask for Forgiveness. God's Word assures us that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."
Many Christians today, do not seem realize that
suffering simply for being a believer is the norm for Christians in many,
if not most of the rest of the world! Throughout church history, there have been many people who have died for their faith, and this is still happening in many parts of the world, even today. Sometimes God has determined that Christians will suffer simply for being Christians.
In I Peter 3:17, Peter tells us "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong."
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for Your Word for us today. Thank You for this profound reminder, that a life in Christ is a call to suffer. While we may not suffer unto death, whatever suffering may come our way is because we live a godly life in an ungodly society.
Lord, thank You for reminding us that while it may often seem as if the sinners are triumphing over the righteous, that is not the case. Grant us the strength to suffer the way Christ did with a spirit of confidence, committing ourselves to You. Knowing that You will deal justly with the unjust, righting every wrong. We are so grateful that through Christ, we not only triumph over sinful men, we also triumph over sinful spirits. Father, we humbly thank You for all that the Cross at Calvary means to us.
It is in Christ's name that we pray
Amen
Today's Message: What Jesus Did
In Our text, the Apostle Peter begins in verse 18 with the death of Christ and he ends with the
resurrection of Christ in verse 21. Everything in between is based upon
the death and resurrection of Christ.
In our society today, rarely do you ever pick up a magazine, a newspaper or turn on
television news without being told about something else that could
threaten our life. Everything from viruses and diseases, a terrorist attack, a bomb, severe weather, pollution and toxins or an unsafe food product. In our overexposed daily lives, we are constantly being made to fear something. Rest assured that whatever your fears are today, there will be even more tomorrow.
In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Many Christians believe that Satan is our greatest enemy. Let me assure you, Satan’s not your greatest enemy. When Jesus said n Matthew 10:28, "but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." He was not talking about Satan, He was talking about the One who gave you life is the same One who will take that life away. Jesus was telling us that our greatest enemy is God. The God Who created the universe, Who is the very same God Who will destroy it. That's why Jesus said we should not be fearful of anything that can only harm your body and not touch your eternal soul.
You should absolutely live in fear, no you should live in terror of the One Who can destroy both your body and your soul, the One Who can bring about your eternal ruin, and that is only God Himself.
What astonishes me however, is that we live in a society where people literally have a fear of everything that can kill the body and have absolutely no fear of the One who can kill their soul!
The only thing that disgusts me more, is that so many Christians, have brought God down to their level, Who is excuses their sin rather than striving to be obedient to His Word. Yet, they are constantly call on Him and asking Him to bless them and their sinful ways.
In 1918, Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America," and 245 years later, we're still singing it as though we think God is an American. We are constantly calling upon God, Whom we refuse to obey, to bless America, because we really think we deserve it. After all, why wouldn't God want to bless us, we have put "In God we trust" on our coins, in saluting our flag, we proudly boast, that we are a nation "Under God." Certainly God should bless America.
When life is overall going well, we just tend to think that God is blessing us. We have pastors who are portraying God as this benevolent lover and of everybody, Who is apparently so desperate for a follower, He will accept whatever crumbs their willing to offer Him, and just for calling upon His name, wants He wants to bless us, give us good things. Even our "Best Life Now."
If you happen to be one of those who have fallen victim to that kind of teaching and believe it, allow me to rain on that parade for you today. Let me bring some biblical truths into the sentimental imaginative kind of thinking. God Himself is our ever-present deadly danger. If you are on the wrong side of God's great love and mercy, there is no enemy like God, not even close. That is why the Bible makes it crystal clear that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. You haven’t even begun to be wise unless you’ve learned a healthy fear of God. True wisdom dictates fearing Him above all others.
Proverbs 9:10 teaches us "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Deuteronomy 4:24 says "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
And, in Psalm 7:11, "God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day." By the way, indignation is synonymous with resentment and anger.
Exodus chapter 32 tells us that He killed the Israelites who worshipped the golden calf.
And, in Numbers chapter 11, those who were disobedient to God were killed by snake bites.
In II Samuel 24, He killed 70,000 by in a plague. And there’s still plenty more in Old Testament to go. However, I won't belabor the point, I pray that you're getting the picture. Over anything that man can do, God is to be feared.
In Roman 3, the Apostle Paul says "But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?"
In verse 12, he says "There is none righteous, not even one." I believe that many in the church today, are comparing themselves with the wrong standard! If we would compare ourselves with the absolute righteousness of God, we would see the truth! And that is that the only thing we deserve is hell! It is only by God's grace, that we do not get justice that we so often demand.
Open your Bibles with me to Peter the third chapter. As we conclude this very practical chapter, we now come to a new section of teaching in this great epistle. Throughout his epistle, on a number of occasions, Peter's theme has been the suffering of Christ and the pattern for how the believer endures suffering for righteousness’ sake. Christ demonstrated to us how to deal with unjust suffering.
In our last message, we ended with verse 17, today, we'll pick up there to transition to today's text.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 17 through 22, to set the text in our minds, while we prepare our hearts for what the Holy Spirit has to say to all of us. Listen for the Word of our Lord.
" For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who
once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the
days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that
is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him."
In verse 17, Peter reminds us that there are two kinds of suffering. You can suffer for doing what is right,or you can suffer for doing what is wrong. Inevitably, at one time or another, all of us will suffer. God grants you the free will to choose which kind of suffering you want.
You can choose to suffer for doing what is wrong and if you suffer for doing what is wrong, you will suffer at the hands of God. If however, you choose to suffer for doing what is right, you suffer at the hands of men and God will protect you.
In this morally corrupt society in which we live, there will be pressure to compromise. However, when you choose to compromise and live the worldly life, you will suffer. You will not suffer at the hands of men, you will ultimately suffer at the hands of God.
If, on the other hand, you choose to love a godly and virtuous life, obedient to God's Word at any cost, though you may suffer at the hands of men but you will be protected and blessed by God.
We all have a choice to make, to choose the nature of our suffering.
Now, let's look at verse 18, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."
From the beginning to the end of this section, Peter wants us to understand that Christ died for sins and He died unjustly, He died the just for the unjust. He didn't deserve to die. Yet, even in being treated unjustly, He triumphed through the resurrection and is sitting at the right hand of God. And now, all of those demons who were part and parcel of His suffering are now subjected to Him. Even though Christ suffered unjustly, He triumphed in that suffering. Christ suffered for doing what was right. And because of that, God caused Him to be triumphant. What a glorious truth!
Peter says He suffered death in the flesh, death for sinners, but He was alive in the Spirit. Now, there are several interpretations of this passage proposed. Some
people say that Jesus went into hell after His death and burial, but
before His resurrection, and preached to the people who lived at the
time of Noah. Some think that Christ made an offer of salvation, a sort
of second chance at salvation. Then, there are those people think that since the passage says that whatever Jesus did He
did by the spirit, that the passage is referring to the pre existent
Spirit of the Lord having preached in the time of Noah to the sinful
generation that was eventually destroyed by the flood.
I believe that as a living Spirit, He immediately was able to go and proclaim His victory to the spirits in prison. Right at the cross, while His body was dead, His Spirit was alive and already He was proclaiming the victory. Yes, I believe that it was a triumphant sin-bearing, a triumphant salvation and a triumphant supremacy.
This is so rich, because if we grasp the triumph of Christ's sufferings, not only for their sake, that is the sake that we might know those great triumphant realities, but for our sake that we also may understand our own triumph in Him.
Christ was without sin. In fact, Pilate was right when he said," I find no fault in Him." The Jewish religious leaders had to fabricate lies against Him. They had to bribe and pay false witnesses in order to bring about an illegal conviction. Because He was just, the righteous suffered for the unjust. He triumphed in that suffering, and through His suffering He has brought us God. In the heart of Peter, we see the reality that even a believer while his suffering is not substitutionary and it is not redemptive, the suffering of a Christian may well be the tool by which someone might come to God, when they see how we handle that suffering.
The first thing we see is that the suffering of Christ was ultimate. It was ultimate in the fact, that in this life, you cannot suffer any more than death. Christ suffered to the point that He died. I believe that that is ultimate suffering, to be murdered for righteousness sake. Allow me to point out, that He's not asking you or any other Christian to do something that He hasn't done Himself.
Then, I'd like you to note that Peter says "For Christ also died," the implication of the word "also" means in addition to somebody else. He's saying that you shouldn't be surprised if you suffer, keep this in mind, Christ also suffered. The Lord is asking you to be willing to suffer for righteousness sake. In terms of suffering, Christ has done that!
The next thing I'd like you to notice, is that though His suffering was related to sin, Christ suffered because of sin, the sin was not His own. Christ also died for sins. As believers, when you and I suffer being treated unjustly, criticism, verbal or physical abuse, hostility, persecution, or when some Christians in some parts of the world even suffer death, though it is related to sin, it's not their own.
Follow me here, in a sense, they are suffering the sin of hatred, the sin of animosity, the sin of hostility, the sin of anger, the sin of jealousy,because of the sins of other people. Christ suffered for sins, which were not His own. they were the sins of others. He never had an evil thought. He never committed an evil act. In fact, He never thought, said or did anything that wasn't perfectly holy. And yet, it was sin that put Him there on the Cross at Calvary. The sins of others.
As a footnote, the phrase "died for sins," is used in the Scripture to speak of a sin offering. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. Scripture makes it's clear, God said because of your sins you must make an offering. In the Old Testament, God required the death of an animal, as a symbol of the need for someone to die to cover sins.
The third thing is, not only did He die, He died in a unique way. It is unique because there is nothing else like it. It was set apart. And so the death of Christ was not only the ultimate suffering, it was not only related to sin as He died for sins as the ultimate sacrifice to atone for sins, His death was unique.
It was unique in the fact "Christ also died for sins once. Once is the Greek word "hapax," which means "
perpetual validity that does not require repetition," once for all. Hebrews chapter 7 says "For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." In Christ's sacrifice was once for all, His sacrifice was better than any other sacrifice.
perpetual validity that does not require repetition," once for all. Hebrews chapter 7 says "For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." In Christ's sacrifice was once for all, His sacrifice was better than any other sacrifice.
In Hebrews 9:24-25, "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own."
Christ did it once and it put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. His sacrifice was unlike any other sacrifice, in that it never had to be repeated.
Next, the suffering of Christ was comprehensive. It was not limited to a certain person, a certain family, a certain nation, a certain time like the Old Testament. Christ's sacrifice wrought satisfaction to God for all who would come to Him.
Christ's death was not only ultimate, it was not only for sin, it was not only unique, it was not only comprehensive, it was vicarious, "the just for the unjust." Jesus, Who was without sin, took the place of sinners.
In verses 19-20, "In which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water."
The word prison is the word "phulaké," a prison with spirits in it. By the way, the word spirits is never used of a human in the New Testament. In the book of Genesis, Scripture tells us that back in the days of Noah, when the patience of God kept waiting, there were some spirits who were disobedient. They were too wretched, they had gone too far. Their perverted sexual activity polluted the world. While Jesus’ body was in the grave His spirit went to hell and made a proclamation. In some translations, it says He went to preach. The word Peter uses here is not the Greek word "euangelizo," it is the word
"kérussó," it means proclamation.
It wasn't too to offer a second chance for salvation, the Bible doesn’t tell us anywhere that fallen angels have any hope of salvation. He wasn't attempting the condemned demons, He made the proclamation that He had triumphed over them. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:15, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."
In order words, Jesus literally showed up in hell to proclaim to them they had been conquered!
Though we are to fear God because of what sin can do, if you are in Jesus Christ, He took care of sin. Fear God because of the eternal punishment of hell, but Jesus rescues those from hell who would believe and place their faith in Him. In the middle of verse 20, Peter reminds us that "during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water." For 120 years while Noah built the Ark, he preached and warned his contemporaries of the coming judgment. Then, God drowned the people of the world because of their sin except for Noah and his family, who God protected in the ark.
In verse 21, Peter says "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Notice he says "baptism now saves you," in that there is a being put into that saves you not water. Peter is not saying that baptism saves us or that the water washes away
sins, in fact, he goes out of his way to make clear that baptism cannot
put away the filth of the flesh! He's talking about an appeal to God for a good conscience. He's talking about repentance. He's talking about an outward cry to God for an inward cleaning, which is available through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, the ark, that place of safety from God's punishment, is none other than Jesus Christ. The physical act of baptism is an outward act which signifies an inward transformation. It's the outward expression of calling on the name of the Lord in faith.
Verse 22, "Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him." A triumphant supremacy. This is the glorious final note of triumph. The right hand of God is always seen as a place of strength, it is always seen as the seat of highest preeminence. The right hand of God is the place of authority. When Jesus finished His work on the cross, was exalted to the right hand of God, the place of prominence, honor, majesty, authority and power.
"Having gone into heaven,"Jesus Christ, marvelously triumphed, even in the midst of His suffering and death on the cross, and He is sitting at the right hand of God.
Beloved, what a glorious truth that is for all of us. Because He lives, we too shall live!
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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