Encouragement from Beyond the Grave.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, [0:13] one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:15] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:19] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to First Peter, Chapter three. [0:22] We’re going to be starting in verse 18 this morning as we connect

[0:27] what we talked about last Sunday to the section of scripture [0:30] that we’re covering today. [0:32] Last week, we looked at a section that focused on faithfulness [0:35] to Christ in the middle of suffering [0:38] because you’re being persecuted for your faith in Christ. [0:42] And Peter, in that section, verses 13 through 18 last week,

[0:46] he focused on the necessity of preparing [0:49] to be faithful in the midst of suffering, that it wasn’t just going to happen [0:53] by accident. [0:55] You do not accidentally endure in your faith, [0:58] but rather you must have active discipleship that focuses [1:02] on growth in being committed to living a life of faithfulness to Christ,

[1:08] because it is the truth of Christ that must never be compromised on [1:12] simply because of painful yet temporary circumstances. [1:17] We concluded that sermon by emphasizing the victory of Christ [1:21] in fulfilling that once for all sacrifice that atoned for sin [1:26] completely in order to ensure eternity for all who believe. [1:32] And verses 19 through 22, it should really be understood

[1:36] as part of a whole, that whole being verses 13 all the way through 22. [1:41] So in many ways, this sermon is kind of a part two of last Sunday’s sermon, [1:46] the context in which we see Peter’s conclusion of the section [1:51] that is meant to help you stay faithful to the gospel [1:55] through all of your life. [1:57] You know, when we combine these verses and last week’s verses,

[2:00] I think we really get an encouragement to endure suffering well, [2:04] because we know that ultimately we will be vindicated [2:08] by the risen Savior Jesus Christ. [2:11] We can trust that his work is sufficient to endure us [2:15] through every trial or suffering that we face in this life [2:18] and be vindicated on the other side of it.

[2:21] We will not be put to shame. [2:23] I include verse 18 this week as well, [2:26] because it really is the hinge upon which this section kind of swings. [2:31] The context through which Peter’s point should be understood is in that verse. [2:36] From there, Peter emphasizes not just the power of God [2:41] in your present circumstance.

[2:44] Verses 19 through 22 focus really on the spiritual power of God, [2:49] which is what is necessary for us to trust that there is something [2:52] on the other side of the grave, that there is eternity on the other side [2:57] of death. [2:58] He emphasizes the eternal power of God that transcends [3:03] every immediate context to extend

[3:06] not just over what is bound by time in our day, but rather God [3:11] through Jesus has power over all of history. [3:15] He’s not bound by time. [3:17] He’s going to mention the time of Noah in this text [3:20] in order to show that God’s power to endure [3:23] Noah’s family through the flood was actually a typology

[3:28] of the spiritual power of Jesus to endure Christians [3:32] through temporary circumstances and into eternity through Christ. [3:37] It is the victory of Jesus’s resurrection [3:40] on display through your life as God empowers you to endure [3:44] fully sealed by his power into a future defined by [3:50] and under the authority of Jesus Christ.

[3:53] And so I want to begin reading back in verse 18 once again. [3:58] Peter writes to the power of the Holy Spirit, he says, for Christ also suffered [4:02] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, [4:06] that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, [4:11] made alive in the spirit. [4:15] Number one, this morning, I want you to understand from verse 18

[4:18] that Christ’s victory has been given to you. [4:21] Christ’s victory has been given to you. [4:25] Many of you may not feel very victorious in your life, [4:29] but faith means that doesn’t matter. [4:33] Your victory is not a feeling. [4:35] I think that’s kind of the ceiling that most people give faith.

[4:38] Your faith is dictated by how you feel and a moment [4:42] by moment basis, dependent on your mood, [4:45] dependent on your circumstances, dependent on what you are going through right now. [4:50] And so if you don’t feel very victorious, you don’t consider yourself [4:54] very victorious. Feelings lie all the time. [5:00] Now, I think feelings lie to you more than you would ever be willing to admit.

[5:04] What if you could live a life where, quite frankly, [5:06] it doesn’t matter how you feel? [5:08] And I know right there, I’m losing some of you because you’re banking [5:11] everything on how you feel. [5:13] And that’s half your problem right there, probably more than half of your problem. [5:18] God’s truth has never been dependent on how any human being feels about anything.

[5:24] Faith in Jesus means it doesn’t matter whether I feel good, [5:27] it doesn’t matter whether I feel bad, it doesn’t matter whether I’m indifferent, [5:31] whether I’m apathetic, whether I am passionate. [5:34] It simply is true. [5:37] Whether I feel it or not. [5:40] And that’s one of the greatest things about the gospel

[5:43] is that when I’m living in a world that is cursed by sin [5:46] under the corruption of sin every single day, and I still struggle with my own sin, [5:52] nothing about me [5:55] is the hinge point upon which eternity swings. [6:00] Christ’s triumph, then, is not theoretical. [6:05] It is highly practical.

[6:07] And when you apply that anchor to your life, [6:10] it will change your outlook on every single day. [6:14] Last Sunday, we talked about the efficacy of the suffering of Christ. [6:19] First, we said his suffering was once for all. [6:22] It was sufficient to redeem from sin. [6:25] But secondly, his suffering has concluded.

[6:29] Christ is not perpetually suffering. [6:33] Because of that, neither will I. [6:36] My suffering has an end date. [6:39] Because of Christ, I know that I will not suffer forever. [6:42] But the next step of faith [6:45] then goes from his suffering to the consequence of his suffering ceasing.

[6:52] And it goes to the very victory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. [6:56] It was victory that came out of Christ’s suffering. [6:59] Therefore, I know victory will come out of my suffering because of faith. [7:04] Now, understand your suffering is not the same as Jesus’s suffering, [7:07] and that is a good thing. [7:09] The text points us to his righteousness.

[7:12] It says the righteous one died for the unrighteous. [7:15] I am the unrighteous. [7:16] You are the unrighteous. [7:18] He substituted himself for me, and that is good news. [7:23] Whenever someone downplays the substitutionary nature of Christ’s suffering, [7:27] I know that they’ve lost the plot.

[7:30] It is vital that we understand that he put himself in our place [7:34] because he could endure that which would just simply condemn me in hell for eternity.

[7:40] So if I only consider the example of Christ’s suffering, [7:44] he set a great example so that I can endure suffering. [7:47] I’m missing a key element to the gospel. [7:50] This is about redemption. [7:53] This is about the guarantee of victory because of his resurrection. [7:57] The text said that he did this to bring me to God.

[8:01] He has brought me from the separation of sin to reconciliation with God. [8:07] And he connects the suffering of Christ to the resurrection of Christ [8:11] when he says he died in the flesh, but he’s been made alive [8:15] in the spirit or by the spirit. [8:17] Both translations are right. [8:19] He has brought me from the separation of sin

[8:23] to reconciliation with God through his suffering, [8:28] but also he’s not still dead. [8:33] He’s risen. He has victory. [8:36] And since his death story concluded with a victorious resurrection, [8:41] I may also consider that my death will result in victory as well. [8:48] First Thessalonians five, nine through eleven encourages us

[8:51] that we don’t suffer because we are under God’s wrath. [8:55] Paul writing to the church at Thessalonica, he said, [8:57] for God has not destined us for wrath. [9:00] That’s one of the beautiful things about being a Christian, [9:02] is that no matter how much I try to figure out, why am I suffering? [9:07] I’ll never come to the conclusion it’s because God’s mad at me.

[9:10] I’ll never come to the conclusion it’s because I’m under the wrath of God. [9:13] That would be faulty conclusion. [9:14] He has no more wrath for me. Jesus drank all of it up [9:18] for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation [9:22] through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake [9:26] or asleep, we might live with him.

[9:29] Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing. [9:34] It’s encouragement that the resurrection gives us [9:37] that though he died, yet he is still alive through the resurrection. [9:42] We have the righteousness of Christ, whether we are alive [9:45] or whether we are dead. [9:47] So be encouraged by victory.

[9:49] First, John five, four promises that whatever is faced, [9:52] the result will be victory. [9:55] Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. [9:58] And this is the victory that has overcome the world. [10:01] Our faith. Do you believe that? [10:04] So why do you walk around every day defeated?

[10:08] Why would you walk through every day discouraged? [10:12] Why would you only look at the material world [10:14] for encouragement and discouragement? [10:16] Why do you not base it on the fact that your faith has overcome the world? [10:21] Because God has overcome the world to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [10:25] This is the proper application of Christ’s atonement in everyday life.

[10:34] Harsh reality that many of you need to be confronted with [10:37] is that discouragement is sin.

[10:41] It is a sin to walk through this world discouraged. [10:44] If you are a Christian.

[10:47] You must live life based on truth, not feeling friend. [10:53] So why it’s essential to get the verbiage of the final phrase of verse 18. [10:58] Right. I’m going to be doing a lot.

[11:04] Of exposing the text in this sermon, try to do it every Sunday, [11:07] but I try to put more fun stuff in the middle than I will today [11:10] because there’s a lot of technically controversial topics [11:16] in this text that a lot of people get wrong [11:19] because they don’t do proper exegesis of the text. [11:23] And so in verse 18, we must understand

[11:27] that his point is spiritual victory sets your trajectory through faith. [11:33] And that’s the trajectory of your life. [11:36] And if you have the spiritual trajectory of Christ, which through faith is yours, [11:40] your future is set. [11:43] Peter is drawing a distinction in the final phrase of verse 18 [11:48] between the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ.

[11:51] That’s why he makes this great juxtaposition [11:54] between dead and flesh alive in the spirit. [11:57] He uses this contrast between flesh and spirit [12:01] to show the very real victory that Christians have. [12:05] He’s not by saying alive in the spirit, [12:08] pointing to a spiritual resurrection,

[12:12] nor is he pointing to what Jesus did in the spirit realm [12:16] between his death and resurrection. [12:19] He is stating that Jesus died a very real death [12:23] and a very real physical body. [12:26] And he also, when you compare scripture to scripture, [12:28] you know that he very much had a very real resurrection

[12:32] and a very real physical body. [12:34] And his point in this text is that happened by the power of the spirit. [12:39] And so the reason he draws a distinction [12:41] is based on the context of the people in First Peter. [12:46] Remember, what’s been the context of the whole book? Suffering. [12:49] They were suffering in the flesh physically,

[12:53] and they needed to trust the victory that they had [12:57] through the power of the Holy Spirit. [12:59] The answer to suffering is never physical victory. [13:05] Why? Because then you’ll just suffer more. [13:08] You’re never going to stop suffering in this life. [13:11] I’ve never seen someone age into health.

[13:15] No one has. You age into illness. [13:18] You age into falling apart. [13:21] You age into your joints don’t work anymore. [13:23] It’s the most crazy thing you’ve ever experienced in your life. [13:25] I know some of you 20 year olds, you have no idea.

[13:30] You age into disrepair, [13:33] and then sometimes you believe the notion it’ll get better. [13:36] I’ve reached the age where when I hurt things, it’s just like, [13:38] well, that’s just the way it is now. [13:40] It will never heal. Good luck for me.

[13:47] So we must understand that his point is that they didn’t need victory in the flesh. [13:53] They needed victory by the spirit, because that’s eternal. [13:59] That’s where the good stuff is. [14:01] And the reason he draws this distinction is so that people who are experiencing [14:05] very real suffering would know that even if they die under Roman persecution, [14:12] yet they shall live because Jesus Christ lives.

[14:16] That’s why Paul wrote the way he did in First Corinthians 15.

[14:21] Starting in verse 54, he says, when the perishable puts on the imperishable, [14:24] the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying [14:30] that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. [14:32] Oh, death, where is your sting? [14:34] Oh, death, where is your sting? [14:37] The sting of death is sin.

[14:39] The power of sin is the law. [14:41] But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through whom? [14:45] Our Lord Jesus Christ. [14:48] Death is not feared [14:51] when you have victory in Jesus Christ. [14:54] He says, yeah, I love the way he future cast here.

[14:58] He says, vision, he says, then shall come to pass. [15:02] Because why? [15:03] Because we still feel a little bit of the sting of death, don’t we?

[15:08] Every time a loved one passes away, there’s a season to mourn. [15:12] The scriptures tell us because we have not experienced [15:15] the final victory quite yet. [15:19] It’s on the other side of the grave. [15:23] And what’s fascinating is many of us will spend our entire lives [15:27] fearing death, and then when we die, if we believe in Jesus Christ,

[15:31] we will awaken to realize there was nothing to fear at all. [15:36] We awake to eternity now. [15:39] Number two, I want to get to the complicated stuff. [15:43] That’s not that complicated. [15:45] There’s a tendency among Christians [15:48] to overcomplicate texts that are really simple,

[15:51] to distract us from parts of scripture [15:55] that we don’t really want to think about because our lives are filled with sin [15:58] or because it’s a part of Christianity we’re uncomfortable with. [16:02] And so we will make some things sensational and fantastical [16:05] that are just commonsensical. [16:08] And so we understand that one of the four characteristics of scripture,

[16:12] if you are a real Orthodox Christian, is clarity, [16:17] perspicuity, which just means clarity. [16:19] We should just say clarity. [16:21] Again, I don’t like when people use language just to feel smart. [16:25] OK, I know all the language. [16:28] I don’t use it very often.

[16:29] I prefer definitions to terms. [16:31] It’s just just works because it helps. [16:34] And so if you ever come to me, you know, Steve, let’s have a conversation [16:37] about the perspicuity of scripture. [16:38] I’ll know you just learned that word.

[16:43] I don’t know. [16:44] He read something this week, and now he wants to have a smart talk. [16:47] And I’ll just say, oh, you mean clarity? [16:50] Because that’s what we use in the United States. [16:53] OK, is the word clarity. [16:56] Scripture is clear.

[16:57] You have to spend a little bit of time trying to figure things out sometimes. [17:02] But scripture is clear. [17:04] And so number two, I want you to understand Christ has triumphed [17:07] over the spiritual realm. [17:09] Christ is strapped over everything. [17:11] There’s nothing that he has not triumphed over because of his resurrection.

[17:16] And verses 19 through 20 are more about eternity [17:20] and less about fantasy. [17:23] And I want to prove my point. [17:24] Verse 19. [17:26] In which keep in mind, he’s saying he’s alive in the spirit, [17:30] the spirit realm, not that that is new.

[17:32] He’s always been alive in the spirit. [17:34] The Holy Spirit has always existed eternally.

[17:40] Says in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison [17:45] because they formerly did not obey when God’s patience [17:49] waited in the days of Noah [17:52] while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, [17:56] that is, eight persons were brought safely through water. [18:00] Now, some people will read that text and then they will tell you

[18:04] a story which has more to do with Azkaban and Harry Potter [18:08] than it does to do with what actually is going on in this text. [18:12] They will create this fantastical reality [18:15] where in between the death and resurrection, Jesus in the spirit realm [18:19] went to this super secret prison that God had never told us about [18:23] because they were that’s where the real bad demons were.

[18:26] And Jesus was telling those demons, ha ha. [18:28] Gotcha. I rose from the dead. [18:32] Now, if that sounds made up, it’s because it is. [18:35] I don’t know who made it up for the first time, but it was made up. [18:39] And that’s not what’s actually going on in this text, [18:41] because when you’re reading the Bible, if you’re left

[18:43] scratching your head over someone’s interpretation, [18:46] it’s probably because they’re wrong. [18:49] And on that one, I just think this text is very sensical [18:54] to understand to the context through which the original readers [18:58] would have read it, which is based on the fact that they are going [19:02] through a lot of difficulty, just like Noah was going through

[19:05] a lot of difficulty. [19:06] They were surrounded by wicked people, just like Noah was surrounded [19:09] by wicked people. [19:11] And through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter writes to them [19:13] about the power of the Holy Spirit that was active in the ministry of Noah, [19:18] just like it’s active in their ministry and just like Noah’s family persevered.

[19:21] They can persevere. [19:22] Now, that makes sense, because that’s what’s true. [19:25] Now, when some read this text, [19:29] they will wordsmith it to death [19:32] to try to force meaning that just simply isn’t there. [19:36] And they will attempt to make spiritual application, as I said,

[19:39] overly sensational, overly fantasy based. [19:44] It’s almost as if they read Lord of the Rings and think [19:47] since Lord of the Rings is really interesting, let’s do that to the Bible. [19:51] And they will treat Tolkien as though he’s a nonfiction writer, [19:54] even though he’s a fiction writer. [19:56] They’ll pretend that the Bible tackles orcs and dragons

[19:59] as though they are real. [20:00] By the way, they are not, [20:03] regardless of whatever some podcast that searches for clicks may tell you. [20:08] For the Bible to have clarity, [20:12] it must make sense in its own context. [20:17] That’s just good hermeneutics.

[20:19] And I want to be clear for those of you who search out [20:24] reformed podcasts to consume. [20:26] Podcasts are great. [20:27] You can learn a tremendous amount through them. [20:30] You can also learn a tremendous amount of stupid stuff through them. [20:33] And it can be I want to be honest with you.

[20:35] It can be very difficult to know the difference [20:38] because they sound pretty confident. [20:41] But when people start talking about worlds of dragons and cryptids, [20:45] yetis going through the Alaskan wilderness under the power of demons, [20:48] I want you to understand they’ve jumped the shark further than Fonzie did, [20:52] and they don’t know what they’re talking about any longer.

[20:57] We do not. [20:59] I want you to understand. [21:01] We do not have the freedom. [21:05] When we’re studying scripture to make stuff up, [21:09] we don’t have that freedom. [21:12] We have to understand God is the authority

[21:15] and the reformed hermeneutic requires us to compare scripture with scripture [21:20] as the Bible is the best source for interpreting the Bible. [21:27] And so, as I said, when you hear an interpretation, you’re like, [21:31] I don’t know how they got there, but they seem pretty smart. [21:34] That’s not good enough to accept it. [21:37] It has to make sense according to scripture.

[21:40] They probably just aren’t good Bible teachers. [21:44] The Bible doesn’t discuss cryptids. [21:48] The Bible doesn’t discuss Bigfoot. [21:50] The Bible doesn’t discuss the Mothman in West Virginia [21:54] because all of that is made up and all of it is a fairy tale and a fiction. [22:00] I can’t tell you enough how much you need to understand

[22:03] that people say dumb stuff so that you’ll click on their videos. [22:08] That’s just where we are. [22:10] I believe the Bible is plenty entertaining [22:13] without me making stuff up for it. [22:16] And so let’s talk about the topology of Christ in Noah’s suffering, [22:22] because that’s what’s actually taking place in verse 19 and 20.

[22:25] In verse 19, he uses Old Testament typology [22:30] to explain how Christ is greater [22:33] and fulfills the hope he talks about in verse 18. [22:37] The phrase begins with this phrase, in which if you’re reading an ESV [22:41] like I am, that’s in Hokai, which is a Greek phrase [22:45] that should also use the term also.

[22:48] It means in which also. [22:51] Now, that phrase is used throughout the New Testament [22:55] to introduce a new subject. [22:56] And here he’s introducing the subject of Noah [23:01] to explain Christ’s power in the spiritual realm. [23:04] Like I said, the most obvious interpretation

[23:07] of any text is usually almost always the best interpretation of a text. [23:12] He is noting Christ’s authority over the spiritual realm, [23:17] which is not attached to a specific time period. [23:21] Instead, he is stating Christ has authority [23:25] to guarantee eternity, just as he always has. [23:30] And it was on display in the life of Noah.

[23:35] Peter’s going back to Genesis chapter six. [23:39] Now, I want to be clear in Genesis chapter six, [23:43] the first four verses of Genesis chapter six are used for all sorts [23:47] of foolishness by some people that simply isn’t based in reality, [23:52] physical or supernatural reality. [23:55] And so in Genesis six, five,

[23:57] Moses writes that God was bringing judgment [24:01] because of the wickedness of people on earth. [24:06] He uses the term that means men [24:09] because he’s talking about people, not demons. [24:13] He says the Lord saw that the wickedness of man [24:16] was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart

[24:21] was only evil continually. [24:24] Then in verse eight, he says, But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. [24:30] Then in verses 13 and 14, and God said to Noah, [24:33] I have determined to make an end of all flesh, [24:36] for the earth is filled with violence through them. [24:39] Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

[24:42] Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. [24:44] Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch. [24:49] So in verses 13 and 14, he’s promising, [24:53] no, you will be persevered by God [24:56] through your obedience and building the ark. [24:59] And that was what verse 20 is talking about in First Peter three.

[25:04] Noah was obedient. [25:05] Noah had faith. [25:07] Noah built the ark. [25:08] Only eight people entered the ark because only eight people believed. [25:12] The whole world. [25:14] Think about this.

[25:15] The whole world was against Noah.

[25:19] Only God was with him [25:22] and he persevered and he survived because of his faith. [25:27] How would that apply? [25:30] To Peter’s day. [25:32] Those people in the dispersed church [25:35] felt like the whole world was against them.

[25:39] They felt like only God was on their side. [25:43] And so he looks to Noah and he says, [25:45] if God saved Noah and his family, he’s certainly going to save you. [25:51] That is truth with application in real time. [25:58] God was patient, verse 20 says, while Noah built the ark, [26:03] he was surrounded by wicked men, thus incurring certain persecution.

[26:10] Peter loved Noah because in Second Peter, he talks about him again. [26:15] In Second Peter two, five, he says, [26:17] if God did not spare the ancient world, but preserve Noah, [26:21] I calls him a herald of righteousness with seven others [26:25] when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. [26:29] See, that’s where we get what we’re where we’re really at.

[26:32] He calls Noah a herald of righteousness. [26:34] And so what we can infer from that is while he was building the ark, [26:39] people are coming by and saying, what are you doing? [26:42] We’ve never even seen rain. [26:44] What’s this thing? [26:46] And he says, it’s an ark.

[26:48] And I said, we don’t even know what an ark is. [26:50] And Noah would say, God is going to bring judgment. [26:53] The only way to survive his judgment, if you believe his judgment is coming [26:57] and you’ll get on this ark. [26:58] And the people said, you are crazy, Noah. [27:02] And what the text is telling us is that Noah, being a herald of righteousness,

[27:07] is calling him a prophet. [27:09] And he’s saying that in the spirit, [27:13] Jesus went and preached, [27:17] proclaimed through Noah to the spirits now in prison.

[27:25] Because they did not obey. [27:29] And so he’s talking about the people of Noah’s day. [27:32] The verse 19 spirits in prison refers to their present situation. [27:36] Verse 20 refers to their former situation. [27:40] They formerly did not obey. [27:43] This is talking about their refusal to respond to the message

[27:46] preached through Noah by the spirit of Christ at that time. [27:53] And so the application there is [27:55] that though God’s judgment seems like it won’t come soon enough, [27:59] that’s because God is patient with the wicked. [28:03] God is patient for the repentance of sinners. [28:07] This fits 2 Peter 3, 9.

[28:11] So the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness. [28:15] Sometimes I feel it’s slow. [28:17] And so sometimes I’m the one that counts it as slowness. [28:21] But look what he says. [28:22] He says, but God is patient to you. [28:25] God’s giving you time to grow in your faith, to persevere in your faith,

[28:29] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [28:34] He uses Noah’s typology [28:37] to explain present circumstances for the people of the church. [28:41] And I’m so thankful he does. [28:43] Our present suffering surrounded by wicked wickedness [28:47] displays the patience of God as he waits for people

[28:52] to respond to the gospel by repenting of their sin [28:56] and trusting in Jesus Christ. [28:58] He’s so kind. [29:00] The promise of verse 20 is the justice. [29:02] Noah and his family were brought safely through the judgment of the wicked. [29:06] So will the church persevere through suffering

[29:09] to the pleasure of God in all eternity. [29:14] This also helps you understand what Jesus was doing in the Old Testament. [29:18] He wasn’t just sitting there waiting to be born through Mary. [29:22] No, he was active. [29:24] Every move of God, Jesus and his spirit was working. [29:28] And in this instance, he was using Noah as his mouthpiece,

[29:32] to warn the wicked according to the text. [29:36] And that’s great news, because number three this morning, through faith, [29:40] your future is defined by Christ, [29:44] through faith, your future is defined by Christ. [29:47] Now, normally it’s great because I only have to tackle one tough thing [29:51] if I ever have to tackle a tough text in the Bible.

[29:55] But here we get another one. [29:57] I’m like, Peter, give me a break. [29:59] Now, he starts talking about how baptism saves you. [30:02] And I’m a Baptist, so that’s trouble right there. All right. [30:07] And verse 21, he says, baptism, [30:11] which corresponds to this now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body,

[30:16] but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection [30:20] of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven [30:23] and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities [30:27] and the powers having been subjected to him. [30:31] Now, at the end there, note what is he saying? [30:34] He’s saying Christ has triumphed.

[30:36] Christ is supreme. [30:37] Everyone is under Christ’s authority. [30:40] And he uses baptism as a comparison to the Ark of Noah. [30:47] Baptism, then, is about being immersed in the life of Christ. [30:53] And so the third point, through faith, [30:55] your future is defined by Christ means that the Ark

[30:59] was a type of Christ for you and that you as Noah was endured [31:05] through the ark are being endured by Christ, [31:08] whom you have very much been immersed into. [31:11] And so the use of Noah’s topology continues through Peter’s understanding [31:16] and he uses it to explain the symbol of baptism. [31:19] And so the obvious question in verse 21 is what does he mean

[31:24] when he says baptism now saves you? [31:29] Does baptism save you? [31:31] Of course it does. [31:34] Twist. Of course it saves you. [31:37] The Bible says what it means and it means what it says. [31:42] But what type of baptism is he talking about is the question.

[31:45] Is he talking about a religious ceremony of being dunked in the water? [31:51] Or is he talking about what the religious ceremony of being [31:54] dunked in the water is actually about? [31:58] It’s the latter. [32:00] He’s talking about what baptism actually means. [32:04] If you happen to have a new international version,

[32:08] it states that the water of the flood symbolizes baptism. [32:14] And that’s a good translation. [32:16] He’s saying water is immersive. [32:18] That’s why it’s used for baptism. [32:21] It’s immersive. It cleanses. [32:24] It’s what you use, hopefully, when you are either showering or taking a bath.

[32:28] When you go through the ordinance of baptism, [32:31] you are immersed in the water to symbolize your immersion [32:36] into the death of Christ. [32:39] The Ark was something in which they were immersed [32:43] into the judgment of flood waters and persevered. [32:47] You in baptism are immersed into the judgment of God

[32:53] being immersed into the water represents the death of sin. [32:59] Then you come out on the other side because of the resurrection of Christ. [33:03] Think about it this way. [33:04] Your sin is killed by God’s judgment on the cross. [33:09] And through faith, you come out alive in Christ on the other side. [33:15] And so why does he say baptism saves you?

[33:19] Because he talks specifically about being immersed [33:23] into the death and resurrection of Christ in verse 18. [33:27] He’s concluding the context, as I said, of the hinge of this section. [33:32] Just as Noah had to go into the Ark to survive judgment, [33:35] you have to go into Christ to survive judgment of sin. [33:40] I think Romans six through five is very helpful here.

[33:43] Paul writes, he says, Do you not know? [33:45] And understand, anytime Paul says, do you not know? [33:49] He’s being sarcastic. [33:50] He’s assuming you don’t. [33:53] Do you not know that all of us who’ve been baptized [33:56] into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

[33:59] We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death. [34:02] Now, were you literally buried? [34:06] No, figuratively, we were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death. [34:11] In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead [34:16] by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. [34:20] For if we’ve been united with him in a death like his,

[34:23] we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. [34:28] And so Paul, again, is explaining the symbolism involved in baptism, [34:32] as well as the spiritual significance of baptism. [34:36] It is not I cannot say this enough. [34:41] Baptism is not mere ceremony. [34:46] It is significant.

[34:48] It means something. [34:50] Now, it really is an outward sign of an inward reality. [34:56] That’s why it is a command for the Christian. [35:00] Baptism represents cleansing from moral impurity. [35:05] And so when Peter states that it is not the removal of dirt from the body, [35:10] he is pointing both to the physical nature of baptism

[35:14] not being the saving act, as well as the spiritual significance of baptism, [35:21] which is what saves you. [35:23] The focus of much of this text [35:26] has been the significance of spiritual power. [35:31] And in our era, most people really understate [35:37] the significance of spiritual power in Christ.

[35:40] We are almost baby deists in many ways. [35:44] We wanted to be there in the future after we die, [35:47] but we don’t really apply spiritual power in the everyday. [35:51] You know, every step of Christianity is supernatural in nature. [35:56] Hebrews 10 makes a similar statement when it says our heart sprinkled clean. [36:00] He says, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,

[36:05] with our hearts sprinkled clean by an excuse me, from an evil conscience [36:10] and our bodies washed with pure water. [36:12] And here we talked about verse 23 last week. [36:15] Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering [36:19] for he who promised is faithful. [36:22] And so what saves you?

[36:24] The faithfulness of Christ. [36:26] But you have to go through faith [36:29] to sprinkle your conscience clean in Christ [36:33] in order to persevere on the other side. [36:36] That is not an action that physical water does. [36:40] Instead, it is an activity of the Holy Spirit

[36:44] as the atonement of Christ is applied through faith. [36:49] Friends, we are immersed in his saving activity on our behalf, [36:55] thus making an appeal for a good conscience towards God. [36:59] So how does baptism make an appeal for a good conscience? [37:02] Because the act of baptism looks to the gospel and says, yes, I believe. [37:08] That’s what the author of Hebrews says.

[37:11] Hold fast our confession, [37:14] because we confess that we believe, [37:17] even though Christ is doing all of the work of significance [37:21] and we are saved by grace through faith. [37:24] And so when we are immersed, [37:29] our appeal to God is just like the text says,

[37:34] is on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [37:39] Me going through a ceremony, that’s not what saves. [37:43] What saves is the power of Jesus Christ in all eternity. [37:49] It is the basis of the work that he has finished in his death. [37:53] He’s finished in his resurrection, [37:55] and it has already been applied to my account

[38:00] through faith that it is real. [38:04] Baptism, then, is a spiritual statement about my future. [38:09] That’s what I believe. [38:11] It’s the ultimate confession of faith. [38:14] Verse 22 ends by making the concluding statement [38:18] of the authority of Christ.

[38:21] He says, who’s gone into heaven? [38:22] He’s at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, [38:26] powers having been subjected to him. [38:29] So that begs the question.

[38:32] Does Christ rule and reign over life?

[38:36] Of course, he does. Of course, he does. [38:41] And if you believe [38:43] you are the glad recipient. [38:45] Of his benevolent power. [38:48] If you do not believe. [38:50] You’ve not skirted the authority of Christ.

[38:54] You’ve not gotten around his authority [38:56] and you live under the authority of Satan. [38:59] Satan has no authority. [39:01] Christ has all authority. [39:02] He rules and reigns right now. [39:04] But if you do not believe, you do not get the benefit.

[39:08] You only get condemnation on the other side. [39:14] Jesus rules and reigns, and he will rule and reign for all eternity. [39:19] Friend, the future is not determined [39:23] by your present physical suffering. [39:26] That’s Peter’s point. [39:28] If the road ahead looks hopeless.

[39:32] Believe Christ that it is hopeful. [39:36] If the road ahead looks like it’s full of suffering. [39:40] Walk headlong into it, [39:42] knowing that you will emerge on the other side victorious, [39:46] regardless of the physical outcome. [39:48] There is spiritual power through our present suffering

[39:52] because eternity is defined by God. [39:56] The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [39:59] proclaim a very real victory. [40:02] Put all things in submission to him. [40:05] And we walk in that victory [40:08] because through faith, it defines your eternity.

[40:14] A few application points this morning. [40:17] First, live in the victory of Christ. [40:20] It’s not easy. [40:22] And don’t hear me say that it is, [40:24] but it is the anchor that will endure you through life. [40:27] Don’t base life on how you feel.

[40:30] Base life on what is true. [40:32] Secondly, read every verse of the Bible in the proper context.

[40:39] Please, please.

[40:42] Don’t read it out of context, [40:44] or you will end up in so many erroneous places. [40:49] Third, thank God for his patience. [40:52] I think God every day is patient with me. [40:55] I know what he’s got to deal with in my life. [40:58] Do you understand what he has to deal with in your life?

[41:01] Are you thankful for the patience of God in your life now? [41:04] Understand that also gives us patience, [41:06] as in the days of Noah, as he proclaimed to the gospel. [41:10] God is patient for people to repent. [41:12] Be patient for those you are proclaiming the gospel to. [41:18] And then finally, form a vision for a future under Jesus’s authority.

[41:24] Many of you are investing your lives in things [41:27] that have nothing to do with the authority of Jesus Christ. [41:30] And you think it’s going to pay off in the end. [41:32] It’s not. It’s going to die with you [41:33] and it will not be resurrected with you in eternity. [41:36] Invest wisely.