The Final Outcome

THANK YOU for Christmas donations from church...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!…Excited to be here…Praying it’ll be a great year for the church!

If you’re like me, you’ll be FIGHTING SLEEP today, so I pray you have the strength to FIGHT the GOOD FIGHT...

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Recap:

LAST WEEK- enduring SUFFERING while DOING GOOD...

PREPARED to share GOOD NEWS with others! Have a DEFENSE/REASON for our HOPE!

Must be able to account for why we’re right with God!

Give account in gentle/God fearing way...

This week, we’re going to continue on this theme of suffering that began last week as Peter again references the suffering of Christ and also how Noah’s example can speak to us today.

Read Text & Pray (1 Pet. 3:18-22)

Intro:

(Q) Haven’t we all at some point experienced that it can be difficult to be a Christian?

We STILL go through TRIALS.

We are BLACK SHEEP in CULTURE oftentimes

People might CRITICIZE our “ANCIENT FAITH” or about us believing an “ancient book”…OUTDATED.

GOD HAS always had a PEOPLE, and oftentimes they’re a MINORITY that DON’T FIT IN.

FAR from HOME- exiles & SOJOURNERS, we don’t fit in!

TODAY’S TEXT (through Jesus & Noah’s examples)…KEEPING EYES on FINAL OUTCOME...

Christ is victorious & we partake in his victory!

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Text:

1 Peter 3:18–22 (ESV)

Thought 1

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Finished last week, suffering for righteousness’ sake, occasionally suffering is God’s will.

CHRIST’S EXAMPLE empowers us in our own trials.

CHRIST = RIGHTEOUS, perfect, holy…yet he SUFFERED WORST!

Christ suffered ONCE, FOR ALL. Past-tense, completed…he SUFFERED TO DRAW US to GOD.

Saying: Too good to be true, it is?

Deal at Lowes, exception, not rule!

The offer of salvation through Christ’s work on the cross is the best example of something seeming too good to be true, and yet it is true!

Righteousness for unrighteousness

PEOPLE DRAWN by GOOD NEWS & WORK of CHRIST.... Jesus said, “IF I BE LIFTED UP” - on a cross! He made the first move!

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Put to DEATH in the FLESH, made ALIVE in the SPIRIT...

He EXPERIENCED ALL the PAIN of CALVARY in his natural body.

Made alive in spiritual realm, BROUGHT to HEAVEN

**We believe in a literal, bodily resurrection of LJC...

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CHRIST’S SUFFERING is UNIQUE, yet it is a MODEL for us as we UNDERGO TRIALS in this life...

Tom Schreiner, we suffer on the road to glory as Christ did...”

the road to glory is paved with suffering...

We have HOPE for FUTURE GLORY as well!

Transition: Now, after introducing the suffering and resurrection of Christ, Peter will go on to further describe more of the work that Jesus Christ did. Let’s look at verse 19.

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Thought 2:

19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

DIFFICULT VERSES! MARTIN LUTHER—UNSURE

Questions:

When and how did Christ proclaim?

Who were the spirits in prison?

What does prison mean?

What does Noah have to do with any of this?

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Bible SCHOLARS & commentators are DIVIDED…up to 5 WAYS it might be interpreted…2-3 MAJOR ONES...

PERSONAL RESOURCES DIVIDED…PICKED 1 to SHARE....MUCH PRAYER & STUDY…LESS CONFUSION.

***If you really want to know the other options, see me after service.

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Taking the VIEW of biblical scholar WAYNE GRUDEM.

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“In which” - in the spirit…CHRIST PROCLAIMED in/through the Spirit.

Conclusion: , that Christ, through his spirit, came down to the earth in the days of Noah, and through Noah, a preacher of righteousness, proclaimed for men to repent and receive mercy prior to the flood.

SPIRITS in PRISON- NOW in prison (HELL), FORMERLY PEOPLE in Noah’s day

Background:

2 PETER describes NOAH as PREACHER/herald of RIGHTEOUSNESS

1st century Judaism + many extrabiblical writings, believed NOAH PREACHED to FLOOD GENERATION

1 PETER has already told us about the SPIRIT of CHRIST TESTIFYING through OT PROPHETS....

Grudem’s Conclusion/Paraphrase: “In the spiritual realm of existence Christ went and preached through Noah to those who are now spirits in the prison of hell. This happened when they formerly disobeyed, when the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.”

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(Transition) So, what does this mean? Why does it matter? Well, let’s look closer at the story of Noah...

GOD was WAITING PATIENTLY during long construction of ark.

PATIENCE—AWAITING EAGERLY (repentance) from flood generation.

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

WHOLE WORLD = CORRUPT…but GOD WAITED!

Conclusion: ONLY 8 SAVED....

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Story = ancient, cryptic, etc…PETER & JESUS both BELIEVED it. I BELIEVE IT…

& it speaks to us today!

Schreiner: Christians should NOT be DISCOURAGED by SMALLNESS of NUMBERS

Day of judgment- vindicated.

GOD PRESERVED Noah & family, SMALL MINORITY, in the midst of the whole world...

& GOD WILL BE FAITHFUL to SAVE HIS PEOPLE today, even if they end up being a minority who don’t fit in..Consider, esp. in Peter’s day!

Consider Noah’s Situation:

GOD TELLS him to BUILD a BIG BOAT & FLOOD is COMING.

BOAT WASN’T BUILT on WATER, or near water.

BOAT was IMMOVABLE

NO GUARANTEE IT had ever RAINED YET! (Gen. 2 describes that it hadn’t rained & HEBREW “RAIN” doesn’t come again till Noah’s story!)

Noah had to walk by faith in the midst of a hostile, unbelieving world and trust the word from God more than what he could see.

Modern believers: similar situation!

PROMISE—JUDGMENT is COMING. Impossible to see or know, but we’ve been told.

UNTIL FAITH becomes SIGHT... we HAVE to TRUST!

GOD is COMING to JUDGE the WORLD AGAIN!

UNTIL the RAINDROPS start FALLING PEOPLE might NOT BELIEVE... but once they do we won’t seem so crazy anymore to the nonbelieving world.

RAINBOW—NOT RAIN, BUT IT’LL COME.

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Cross/Gospel:

Noah’s day: SALVATION = physically IN ARK

Today: SALVATION = spiritually “IN CHRIST”

OUTSIDE of ARK, DESTRUCTION was TOTAL...

Tim Hawkins, “paint some screaming people on that rock down there”

CUTE pairs of ANIMALS in NURSERIES DON’T TELL the WHOLE PICTURE

Noah found grace/favor in the eyes of the Lord.

PRESENTLY- Our LORD has DELAYED his COMING…for men to REPENT, to BELIEVE the GOSPEL…but that day is coming...

(Q) When the door is shut, are you going to be in the ark? (Christ)

Have you put your faith in Christ? Are you trusting in his righteousness alone to save you??

JESUS told many PARABLES—ONCE the DOOR is SHUT, IT’S SHUT. Be ready for his coming, whenever it might be...

As CHRIST PREACHED through NOAH, pleading with people…WE can do the SAME as we are prepared to TELL OTHERS about the HOPE that is in us!

Transition: Now, after referencing Noah, Peter is going to show us how the water in Noah’s day was a type for something we experience as modern-day believers.

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Thought 3

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

WATER SEPARATES between GOD’S PEOPLE & WORLD…Noah’s day & in baptism.

***If you’re saved and have put your faith in Christ, and repented of your sins... you should be baptized if you haven’t been.

Baptism in itself doesn’t save…REPRESENTATIVE of the WORK GOD has DONE in your heart.

Grudem: It isn’t the outward physical ceremony that saves, but the inward spiritual reality that baptism represents...

Water cleansed the world of sin in Noah’s day, represents spiritual cleansing we’ve received from God…

It’s not the external washing that matters, but the internal.

BAPTISM = BURIAL of your old man just as Noah’s generation was buried.

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In our baptism, WE APPEAL to GOD for a CLEAN CONSCIENCE

WE APPEAL on the BASIS of the COMPLETED WORK of CHRIST (both his death & resurrection) that we would KNOW in our HEARTS we are RIGHT WITH GOD…God make us new...

Conclusion (v22)

ALL spiritual powers/authorities/angels SUBJECTED to CHRIST!

SUBMISSION topics in PETER...

all to governing authorities,

slaves to masters,

wives to husbands....

****and all creation to Christ.

Schreiner- “In their [our] suffering Jesus still reigns and rules. He has not surrendered believers into the power of the evil forces even if they [we] suffer until death. Jesus by his death and resurrection has triumphed over all demonic forces, and hence by implication believers will reign together with him”

Big Idea/Intention:

So, we learn from this passage today the idea that Christians at times will suffer unjustly as Christ did, but for the Christ-follower there is the hope & promise of glory and salvation that awaits!!

EXAMPLE of CHRIST & NOAH...

CHRIST = VICTORIOUS....NOAH = SAVED!

(I) And so, our worship response to God is persevering in this life, despite suffering, knowing that suffering for the Christian occurs on the road to glory and that Christ has already won the victory.

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Takeaways:

Consider “FINAL OUTCOME” of Christ’s sufferings—glory & victory & HOPE FOR US!

ALL CREATION SUBJECTED to him as king!

Likewise, our suffering is on the road to glory...

Suffering never has the final word for the believer!!

Consider how our SITUATION is so much LIKE NOAH’S

We’ve received grace in the midst of an unbelieving world...

We’re awaiting a judgment that we will be saved from...

We can be outcasts

HOPE of FINAL SALVATION

Jesus Christ is king of kings & lord of lords…he rules & reigns and WILL COME AGAIN to JUDGE the WORLD...

GOD is PATIENTLY WAITING as he did in Noah’s day, but it is coming...

WE MUST BE IN the ARK (Christ) if we are to be saved...

App:

In suffering/trials/difficulties.....remind yourself, “This isn’t the final outcome”

SUFFERING/DEATH isn’t FINAL WORD for BELIEVERS

WE WALK in VICTORY not defeat! CHRIST = VICTORIOUS

TRIALS inevitably COME…but DON’T FORGET your FUTURE HOPE

The end brings an end to suffering & our vindication as believers...

Close in prayer...