1 Peter #9
The Book of 1 Peter • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
2 Part Sermon - Disclaimer.
Lowest Depths to the Highest Heights. Marianas Trench to Mount Everest. Conquering the Depths—Conquering the Heights.
Christ is Lord over All of Creation — because He is the Victor of all Creation! Christ rules over all creation — because Christ hallowed all creation. All must bow their knee, because He is Lord over All. There is no part of the entire cosmos that Jesus has not declared his Lordship—displayed his Lordship—and demonstrated his Lordship. From Hades below to Heaven above, Christ is Lord over all.
Theme:
The Death, Descent, Resurrection and Reign of Christ
Need:
We need a greater understanding of the Person and Work of Christ on our behalf—so that our hearts will be steadfast in suffering and witness.
Purpose
To comfort the saints in the redemption and victory that is in Jesus Christ; to intrust the saints in the nature of the descent of Christ into Hades and the Sacrament of Baptism; and to encourage the saints in the Resurrection and Reign of Christ who is Lord over all.
Read Text:
1 Peter 3:18-22 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) The Death and Descent of Christ Secures our Peace with God - v. 18-20
(1) The Death and Descent of Christ Secures our Peace with God - v. 18-20
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, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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.
The Death of Christ Secures our Peace with God
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 (v. 18a-b).
After exhorting the saints to suffer for Christ and to witness for Christ and to defend Christ’s Lordship—Peter now turns our gaze to Christ Himself; his Person and Work for us and for our salvation. Peter knows that the only ground, the only support, the only encouragement, the only motivation for laying one’s life down for Christ is to remember that He laid his life down for us—and thus, our life is hid with Christ in God—therefore, what can mere man do to us? We are God’s people, united to Christ, and filled with the Spirit. Nothing in all creation can change that, because God is for us. So Peter reminds us of the cost that Christ paid to redeem us by his blood.
He says that the Death of Christ was perfect and sufficient (that He suffered once for sins), that this death was substitutionary (the righteous for the unrighteous), that this death was powerful and effectual (in bringing us to God), and that this death was bodily and actual (being put to death in the flesh.
(1) The Death of Christ was perfect and sufficient.
The old rugged cross was no faulty and probable cross. It was no weak and half-way cross. It was no powerless and potential cross. It was perfect and sufficient. It was once for all, and all at once. He suffered once for sins—not twice—not three times—not every time the Lord’s Table occurs—not continually in heaven above—He suffered once for all, He did the work that the Father gave Him to do, and He declared: it is finished! (John 19:30). Unlike the shadows of the cross in the sacrificial system in the old testament, which didn’t forgive sins but merely purified the flesh, and had to occur over and over and over again—the Cross of Christ perfectly and sufficiently forgives sins, it cleanses the heart, and all the work was completed in just a few hours! All the buckets of the infinite and eternal wrath of God was satisfied in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All the dread and fury of God’s justice was quenched by the body and soul suffering of Jesus Christ. All the punishment due to the elect of God was placed upon the shoulders of the Godman—who came to save his people from their sins! And so He did!
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Oh trust in Jesus Christ and His Perfect and Sufficient death on the cross! Find full and complete forgiveness in him.
(2) The Death of Christ was substitutionary.
The Cross of Christ wasn’t merely an example of how much Jesus loves us—though that is certainly true. The Cross of Christ wasn’t even merely a satisfying of God’s judgment in a generic sense—the Cross of Christ was a substitutionary death—in our place, and for our salvation. The names of all the elect of God were written on his breastplate as he drank to the full the wrath of His Father. Christ suffered, the righteous for the unrighteous. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ He didn’t just die to save humanity in general—He died to save you specifically. Can you say with the Apostle: Gal. 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Oh hear the words of Jesus: John 10:10-11
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Hear from the Holy Spirit through Paul: 2 Cor 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Our Saviour is not a possible Saviour—He is an actual Saviour and Redeemer who stood in our place. On that Cross was the Great Exchange. Jesus took our sins, all of them, and He gave us His righteousness, all of it. Jesus suffered, the righteous for the unrighteous—for the elect exiles of God our Father.
(3) The Death of Christ was powerful and effectual.
That ancient Cross was not a weak or feeble cross. The death of Jesus Christ was infinitely powerful and purposeful, which death brings us to God! The Cross didn’t merely make it possible for us to be reconciled—it actually accomplished that reconciliation. When Jesus died, your peace with God was accomplished in the court room of heaven!
Listen to Romans 5:10-11
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
While we were enemies, nay, before we even existed, we were (past tense) reconciled to God by the death of his Son! Listen to Hebrews again: Heb. 9:11-12
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Hear from the Spirit in the Book of Revelation. The Cross of Christ didn’t make it possible for men to be ransomed and redeemed: He actually ransomed and redeemed the elect on that great day 2000 years ago. Rev. 5:9-10
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Jesus Christ on that dreadful tree propitiated, he satisfied, he quenched, he appeased the wrath and justice of God almighty—not a single drop is coming your way, to you who believe in Jesus Christ and are saved and justified by his blood! Our Jesus did not make salvation possible—He made salvation sure. His work on the cross was all that was needed to satisfy the wrath of God and secure the mercy of God—in the place of His chosen people.
Hear the words of our Saviour in his estimation of the perfection of His Cross Work—in the glory of His atonement—in the victory of His redemption for the elect: John 6:37-40
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Is that the Jesus you are trusting in? The Jesus who laid his life down for you, who will hold you fast, who will never lose you, and who will raise you up on the last day? Slander it if you will, call it names, call calvinism of the devil—these are the words of Jesus Christ himself, these are the doctrines of grace, this is the Gospel, and Jesus Christ was the preacher of sovereign grace, the Saviour of sovereign grace, and the hope of all who believe. Oh run to Jesus, strong and mighty, and He will never leave you under the judgment to come—He will be your perfect refuge, He will be your Lord and Saviour because of His finished work on Calvary’s cross. Jesus suffered that He might bring us to God! Run to his precious blood which washes away all of our sins.
(4) The Death of Christ was bodily and actual.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity—who is truly and fully God—who is Yahweh, the great I AM, who is the Word of God, who is God—Our Lord did not merely appear to be a man, He did not just seem to have a true body and soul—He actually became flesh and dwelt among us! He actually was born of the Virgin Mary in the power of the Holy Spirit! He actually became the 2nd Adam, flesh and bones, body and soul—truly God, and truly man—so that He could die for our bodies and souls, our persons, which need substitution and redemption. If He did not become fully man than no men can be fully saved. Jesus was put to death in the flesh.
Hear from the Apostle John again: 1 John 4:2-3
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
Also in Hebrews 2:17
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Our Jesus is no myth—our Jesus is no hologram—our Jesus is true God and true Man united in one Person, world without end—forever and ever. He stands in Heaven as the Godman, and He will return as the Godman! The holes in his hands and feet are real—and they are tokens that He actually died for you, dear Christian. One day you will behold them and give all the glory to God, as we worship the Messiah, who is according tot he flesh, the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. (Rom. 9:5). Truly He is our Messiah:
Glory to God for the Death and Suffering and Cross of Christ—where Christ spilled his covenant blood, in his covenant body, for his covenant people, to redeem us, save us, ransom us, forgive us, and secure our peace with God! Christ was put to death in the flesh, for our salvation. Hallelujah! Where oh death is your victory? Trust in Jesus the victor over death, the only one who can save us from the wrath to come.
Now we come to the controversial part of the text. A neglected doctrine. An often-times misunderstood doctrine. A doctrine which only lowers our appreciation of the work of Christ if we deny it. God give us your Spirit to teach us and grant us understanding through Holy Scripture as we continue. We’ve seen that the death of Christ secures our peace with God—but not we also see that:
The Descent of Christ Secures our Peace with God
But made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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 (v. 18c-20).
The first things we must understand before unpacking this is that we must understand the Biblical data on the structure of the created world, both visible and invisible. The Bible talks about three-tiers to the world: heaven, earth, and under the earth. Here’s a few passages to prove that:
And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
“Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
Heaven is the invisible realm above the earth, earth is our visible universe, and under the earth is the invisible realm below. Heaven, Earth, and Hades. Heaven, Earth, and Sheol. This is how the Scriptures view our world—and Christ is the created of all of them, of all things, both visible and invisible!
The second thing we must understand before unpacking these verses is that heaven and hades, heaven and Sheol, have compartments or chambers.
In heaven there is the throne, the holy of holies, and the court.
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
Before Christ came all those who died went to Sheol (the righteous and the wicked):
What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
I said, In the middle of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
However, in Sheol there are three chambers: Abraham’s Bosom, Hades, and the Abyss.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
A CRUCIAL distinction must be made here. Though the Old Testament saints affirmed that they too will go down to Sheol to await the ransom of God, they would not be suffering but would be comforted in a waiting place, the place that the Jews called paradise, Abraham’s bosom. Thus in the parable that Jesus gives, the Rich man is in the suffering place of Sheol, in Hades—but Lazarus is with Abraham in the place of comfort and peace. Lk. 16:24-25
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
Thus, with the biblical view of heaven, earth, and under the earth—heaven, earth, and Sheol.
And with the compartments or chambers of heaven with the throne, holy of holies, and court—and with the compartments or chambers of Sheol with Abraham’s bosom, Hades, and the Abyss—we can now approach our text in 1 Peter 3:19-20.
But made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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 (v. 18c-20).
Here we are. Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive in his spirit, and he went and preached to the spirits in prison. Three questions we must ask: where did he go? what did he do? and who was there?
(1) Where did he go? To the prison of the Abyss, the deepest chamber in Hades.
Jesus Christ descended into the lowest parts of the earth, the deepest part of Hades, not to suffer—but to preach. How do we know that this Prison is the Abyss? Because Peter address this in 2 Peter, as does Jude.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
It’s actually a mistranslation in 2 Peter 2:4 to say that they Angels were cast into hell. Peter doesn’t use the word for Hades in general or for hell in the eternal state. But he uses the word for the deep pit, the prison, the deepest part of Hades: Tartarus or the Abyss. In Scripture we see that the deepest place of Hades is the Abyss where Satan and his wicked angels are chained:
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—
It is this abyss, this bottomless pit, the far reaches of the pit, this is the prison where the spirits in prison are chained—this is where Jesus descended—to the lowest depths of reality. And this descent of Christ into Sheol is confirmed by a few other texts in the New Testament:
Ephesians 4:9–10 “(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
Jesus descended into the heart of the earth, to the place that is under the earth, to Sheol: to the deepest part of Sheol—to the Abyss, the bottomless pit.
(2) What did he do? He proclaimed his victory and triumph over the wicked angels.
Jesus didn’t go to give fallen men a second chance, or to present a Gospel-invitation—He went to proclaim his victory and triumph over all evil spirits in the world—He went to confirm their condemnation and to steal the keys of Death and Hades—He went to bind the strong man.
And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Jesus proclaimed his triumph over the evil one, over the wicked angels, over the depths of Hades itself—He took the keys, and thus: Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.”
and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Our Jesus is the victor of Hades—and no body can change that! He went to the lowest low to proclaim his lordship—to confirm the just condemnation of the wicked angels—and to prove to them that one day they will even bow the knee to Christ the Lord:
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(3) Who was there? The spirits of wicked angels who disobeyed in the days of Noah.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
Sheol beneath is stirred up
to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
all who were kings of the nations.
The abyss, the deepest pit of Hades—is indwelt by wicked and demonic angels who are chained in gloomy darkness as they are awaiting their final judgment in the true and everlasting hell, the lake of fire.
Thus Jesus Christ, in his soul, after his death—descended into Sheol—all the way down to the lowest regions, to the deepest pit of the Abyss—he also reached the middle region of the suffering spirits of wicked men and proclaimed his victory over them—and he also reached the top region of Abraham’s bosom and freed his Old Testament saints who were waiting for their Messiah to bring them into heaven (like Enoch and Elijah had been privileged to). As Jesus ascended from Hades in his resurrection, and as he rose victorious from the grave in his new body, and as he ascended into heaven above—he ascended with those OT saints into the heavenly dwelling place, through the veil that was torn, into the presence of God above—where they are reigning with Christ, beholding the beauty of Christ, and longing for the 2nd Coming of Christ. Because Jesus has conquered Hades, now, for Christians, those who die do not descend into Hades but ascend into the presence of Jesus in heaven. Apart from the body and present with the Lord. Jesus went to the depths of the underworld so that you wouldn’t have to. Jesus bore the pangs of death so that you never would have to. Thus, understanding the depths of the victory of Christ over Hades we can alast sing the well known verse with greater appreciation:
I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I shall redeem them from Death.
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Jesus has conquered the grave! Jesus has risen triumphant! And Jesus is coming again to bring his saints into the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells—to the New Jersualem, the City of God, the Dwelling place of God for all eternity—at last, we shall be freed from the shackles of death, pain, and suffering, we shall behold the Lamb of God in all his beauty!
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Oh dear Christian, worship the King, all glorious above! Worship our Father who has sent his Son to Redeem us from death! Worship the Spirit who has applied these riches to our souls! Worship our Triune God for all his benefits of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you. Gaze at your inheritance! Long for it! Long to dwell in the temple of God and to gaze upon his beauty in the face of Jesus Christ for all of your days! Live for that—die for that—because we know we shall rise victorious when Jesus returns, with new bodies, perfected souls—in perfect fellowship with his people—in perfect delight of the Lamb.
And to you who are not yet trusting in Jesus Christ and his Death and Descent for our salvation—you must rest in Him, repent of your sins, run to Him, trust in Him, and cast your soul upon the Lamb of God who is our only hope in life and in death—He is Lord of the dead and of the living—those who trust in him will never taste the second death, which is everlasting torment in the lake of fire—but will dwell in His presence, washed by his blood, satisfied in His beauty! Run to the mercy of the Lamb before it is too late—when you will meet the wrath of the Lamb.
and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
There is no hope for you—unless you run to Jesus Christ—who ever stands ready to receive all those who come to him in repentance and faith! Oh trust in Him! Listen to God’s Word of the Gospel to you now:
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Trust in Jesus who descended into the abyss—because Jesus is Lord—if you trust in Him you will be saved, both now, and forever more.
Because of the Death and Descent of Christ—we have everlasting peace with God and will enjoy his heavenly presence for all eternity through Christ our Victor! Glory to God in the highest! Let us worship our God in all that He has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ—and let’s serve Him all of our days as we await our blessed hope of the appearing of our King.
Now—I only got through half of my sermon so we will pick up at verse 21 next week!
Read first part of the conclusion and read first part of the poem.
(2) The Resurrection and Reign of Christ Secures our Place with God - v. 21-22
(2) The Resurrection and Reign of Christ Secures our Place with God - v. 21-22
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, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
The Resurrection of Christ Secures our Place with God
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 (v. 21).
The Reign of Christ Secures our Place with God
Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him (v. 22).
(C) Jesus Christ went to the Lowest Depths and to the Highest Heights to bring us back to our God and Father.
(C) Jesus Christ went to the Lowest Depths and to the Highest Heights to bring us back to our God and Father.
“He whose body was entombed, went down, in soul, below,
To free us from out darkest doom, and make an open show
Of all the host in Hades’ well, and all the devil’s spawn,
That we might never have to dwell or fear where he has gone.
Our sins have been removed as far as eat is from the west.
For he has paid our ransom-price; his death has set us free.
And in his resurrected life, we live eternally.
Let all in Heaven, Earth and Hell who hear his holy name,
Incline the head and bow the knee; let every mouth proclaim,
‘We now confess that Jesus Christ is Savior, King, and Lord,
Worthy to be loved, and served, and honored, and adored!’
Demons, spirits, all who live, pay tribute and applaud!
Angels, saints, praise Jesus Christ! Praise him, the Son of God!”
Amen. - Sam Renihan.
(C) Jesus Christ went to the Lowest Depths and to the Highest Heights to bring us back to our God and Father.
(C) Jesus Christ went to the Lowest Depths and to the Highest Heights to bring us back to our God and Father.
Amen, let’s pray.
