Making Sense of Suffering - Part 2

All right. Well, I was it a great song, a leading into our sermon this morning and if you have a Bible encouraging to turn to the book of 1st Peter, I we're going to continue where we left off not last week but last time we were in the book of 1st Peter and the we're going to look at the second part of the message that I had entitled making sense of suffering. I want to go ahead this morning and just read our texts of scripture and that is going to be First Peter chapter 3 and we're going to read verses 16 down to the end of the chapter this morning, having a good conscience. That where is they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be a shame that holds the accused, your good conversation and Christ, For it is better. If the will of God be so that you suffer for well, doing then for evil doing for Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, by which also, he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient. When Once the long-suffering of God, waited in the days of Noah. While the ark was a preparing where in few that is eight Souls were saved by water, like the figure whereunto, even baptism does also now save us not to putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is gone and the heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and Powers being made. Unto him. Let's go to the Lord this morning and prayer. Heavenly Father, we do come to you this morning and we're thankful for the opportunity to be reminded even as we sang. The song, This final song this morning of the hope that we can have a not just because of who Jesus Christ was a but because of who Jesus Christ is he is our Lord and savior that lives and he will live forever. And in him we have the hope and the promise of eternal life and so God we praise you. For that this morning, I pray. That is we I think to make her way through another text here in the book of 1st Peter. God, that you would go before us that you would teach us. I pray that we would have hearts, that are ready to receive all that you have for us and that we would make that known. We would evidence. What is going on in the inside by an obedience on the outside. God, we thank you for this opportunity again. In Christ name, we pray. Amen, this morning. The, the introduction I have is really the same introduction that I had for the previous message and I'm going to, I'm going to exclude some of these things. But I would imagine if I asked you to recite or give me an idea of what the introduction was three weeks ago, most of you without looking at notes, would have a difficult time doing. So, this idea of, of making sense of suffering is something that really was pertinent to. These Believers. That Peter is riding to a because suffering was their present experience, a Peter was not preparing them as we often do. You know, we say things are going to get worse and worse and there, I may come a time in our life and our generation where of the Church of Jesus Christ is going to be persecuted even in the United States. Can we heard those things? Our whole lives, we have seen some of those things and we understand the direction that we're headed in Peter's not riding today. About a theoretical experience that they may have something day. No he's riding to Believers for in the midst of great difficulty and he's riding not just to identify that what they're going through is suffering. They knew that he's riding not just to identify that what they're going through that is suffering for the Lord. They understood those things but he's riding to encourage them that they can a by God's grace, and by God strikes, they can make it through these things that I want to challenge us as a church to, to understand that, whatever we may be facing by way of suffering in our life. It is God's desire for us to go through those things and what I mean by that. Okay, and then we'll look at this from maybe two sides of the coin. We believe that God is a sovereign God that he is in control. And I've said this for a long time now that God is either causing or allowing all that we are experiencing in our life, to take place until what I mean. When I say that, God intends that we would make it through or go through that, God knows about the suffering that we're facing in these moments and God at times, allows us to experience those things for his glory and for our good. But I want to tell you. It is also God's desire that we would go through these things. And what I mean in the secondary way is that we're going to make it through it. There is going to come an end to the suffering that we're facing in our life. And the end, I want to be upfront with you. The end may be in glory at the end, may be in heaven, but after all, aren't we called to live our lives here on Earth. With heaven in view, are we called to live our lives here on Earth? Not for the treasures that the world seeks to provide a not for the rewards that the world aims to give. But for what we have been promised in the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a God's desire. Is that we would make it through the suffering that we're experiencing in our life. The song service in in many ways, it's really fitting for what we're looking at here, this morning and previously I read for us, I'm going to do this again. Luke chapter 9, a beginning and verse 21, and he straitly charge them, and that is Jesus and commanded them to tell. No, man, that thing saying the son of man must suffer, many things and be rejected of the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be slain. I mean raised the third day and he said to them all if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. If most of us were trying to get a group of people to follow us, we would probably leave out some of the things that Jesus just said, we're coming his way. If most of us were trying to recruit people, maybe for some team or or some, maybe it's for a job or whatever the case, maybe we would be tempted to leave out the hardships that may come along with ye as the benefits. We would highlight the benefits, but Jesus is upfront. Jesus is real. And what Jesus says, basically is what I just tried to express 2 as Hey, listen. I suffering is real, or we're going to go through these things, but beyond suffering is glory and good that we cannot even fathom. And if we have a difficult time this morning, understanding that God can use suffering for good. What we simply need to do is look to the cross. The greatest suffering that the world has ever known, want you to hear this? This morning, has led to the greatest good that the world has ever known, but without the suffering of Jesus on the cross, are there is no good for you. And I and so Jesus looks at this group of people and he says, Hey, listen, if you're truly going to be a follower of me that you are going to have to count the cost, you're going to have to take up your cross daily and follow me. And then in verse 24 again, he makes the statement for whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake of the same shall save it. We may think that we know better than Jesus. And we may hold onto areas of our life. I we may be unwilling to let go of certain things in our life thinking that we can manage them better than Christ. And in the end we feel as though we'd be in a better position. But Jesus says, very plainly for whosoever. Will save his life is going to hold on to those things and not being willing to let go and follow Jesus in in, in this may be a turn that makes you uncomfortable in some sense. But in Reckless abandon, we're we're letting you go. We're trusting God with our life completely, unless we're willing to do that Jesus, describes us as holding on to our life. But if we're willing to let go of those things for his sake, the Bible says the same shall save it. This way of thinking is not only countercultural, but at times that causes parts of us, every part of us of our human nature, our flesh to recoil, but Jesus makes a statement in phatic Lee without any wiggle room, and he is Amy. What he's aiming to do is to bring these professing followers of Jesus to the place and their life where they're willing to count the cost. As a builder. Bye-bye Trey there, times when I'm driving around. And I'm seeing buildings that the construction of this building began like years ago. Okay. And for whatever case, and I don't always know all the details, but for whatever reason, other the building on this project has has stopped it seized and maybe this is due to permitting. Maybe this is due to, you know, a change of plans, maybe maybe some tragedy happened, but I think what often happens is, people begin the project. They have all these high goals and aspirations, but at the end of the day, they never really counted the cost of what it was going to take us to get to the end of this project. And when things get hard and when they run out of resources and they run out of time and they run out of energy and they run out of motivation, Midway through this project, they just stopped And this is a devastating thing because all that they have invested up until this point with seemingly or what a waste, and what Jesus is Calling those who have a desire to follow him to. Hey, listen. I can you imagine a living your life for Jesus and aiming to follow Jesus? Let's just say for 20 years and you get to the 21st year and all the sudden things were harder than you ever had imagined. I could be by way of suffering and you simply throw in the towel and you walk away from the Lord, what good has been accomplished in all of those years and it's probably many of us here this morning that know of someone. Maybe this is even been your own experience and God has brought you back to him, but someone who started out well, After someone who had, it seemed like all the right motivation but somewhere along the way they threw in the towel when it came to following Jesus. And can I tell us this morning that is not Christ as a higher for us? He desires that we would follow him until we get home. With him until he's calling them to count, the cost to understand each other, the pathway of following Jesus again, may include great suffering. But God can and will, if we would allow him, he will use those things to accomplish far more than we could ever imagine. Last time we saw the idea of suffering and happiness, and I'm just going to say a couple things before we move on, and making sense of suffering. Part one, we looked at verses 13 and 14, and Indians vs, Peter and strike these Believers. If you suffer for righteousness sake, remember what? He says, happy are ye one of these Believers to have a Christian worldview when it came to their suffering. So that they could understand that their suffering was not pointless, so that they could understand that their suffering was not a pointless. Paul, says this and 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17. He says, for our light affliction, I was thinking about Paul's description of our present suffering of these Believers Suffering and there's times we want to say, hey, Paul, I'm not really sure, you know exactly what you're saying here. Because what I'm going through In This Moment is anything other than light But most of us here this morning, we would say, Hey, listen, we need to allow the Bible to Define its terms, and we need to allow the Bible to Define even our suffering. That's what Paul says, not by way of a slap in the face or by way of saying, Hey, listen. If I can use this illustration, there was an altercation that happened in her home this week. And it was really kind of a horrific thing. I was not there to experience it. I've only heard both sides of the story many times, but at one point are She's not up here. Just give her a little Grace. Okay, she doesn't usually act this way. Our four-year-old had a handful of the eight year olds hair. And somehow the eight-year-old got dragged across the floor, okay. Enough said it's been dealt with. They've moved on their still sharing the same bedroom, all of those things, you know, it's it's all okay,

When my wife was trying to correct and discipline and teach them in this moment, at one of them was still crying and making a big deal out of what was a big deal, obviously. But the four-year-old looked over at her and said, would you just stop being a baby? I mean, this was, this was not a good day in the frost house, all, I'm just going to say that

Can I tell you this morning? Paul is not saying Your light Affliction. What? What Paul's intent here is not. Hey would you just stop being a baby? This is not really that big of a deal. Know what he's trying to do is shift our Focus from that which hurts and that which is heavy and that which is causing sorrow and that which is causing us to feel as though we are. Not sure we can take one step forward so we're not sure if it truly will be worth it all what Paul is reminding us of Hey listen for our light Affliction that Affliction with which were facing now and light of all that God is doing for us. Listen, this is light and this is easy because of God's plan for us. Shifting our Focus from our current suffering to all the good that God intends for us. And God is using this, he says, which is, but for a moment, he's reminding us of the brevity of our suffering, work is for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory, Verse 18. What we look not at the things which are seen, But at the scenes, which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal and that's good news. This means that all of our suffering in this life, as a follower of Jesus Christ has it in I cannot remind is this the worst day that we will ever face in this life? As a Believer, is the worst day that we will face in light of all of eternity. But the best say that we face in this life and all of us will have a best day. We'll look back. And we'll say this was just the, the Pinnacle of the experience of this life. Can I tell you the best day that we experienced in this life is just a taste of what God has planned for us. And so if we are suffering for Christ headed to Heaven, what Paul says, or what Peter says is that we should consider ourselves blast if you suffer for righteousness, sake, happy or blessed, are you The second thing we saw it, when it comes to making sense of suffering and will be briefer, here was more brief. Will take less time. Is suffering and Hope. The song verse 15 that we can and should have hope in the midst of our suffering. That was a pastor here. This morning, who cares about people? I had the experience yesterday to attend. The funeral service for some family members in our church and Pastor Max did a wonderful job leading that service and I sat back over here and I was watching the family as they were sitting up here and I don't always have that view during a funeral service in our church. And I'll tell you I was sitting there watching the family in their interactions and their emotions and I'll tell you I was weeping with them. I didn't have a great connection to the one who had passed, but I love deeply those who are sister. I can I tell you, they stand here this morning and I think about our congregation and I think about those who even in this moment, even some today have have shared with me things that are weighing heavy upon their hearts. Can I tell you in the midst of the greatest challenges that we face in this life? Not only can we have hope but we must have hope because of who Jesus Christ, is if we lose. Hope, in the midst of this life, can I tell you? I we we lose hope because our eyes. Once again are focused on the wrong thing. If we, if we would fix Our Eyes Upon Jesus looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. If we would look Upon, Jesus, friends, and want to tell you, no matter what we face in this life, and I say this and some sense with fear and trepidation because I don't know what comes my way or, I don't know what comes your way, when I tell you this morning, if we keep Our Eyes Upon Jesus in this life, we always have a reason for hope. We always have a reason for hope. So making sense of suffering suffering and happiness suffering and hope. Thirdly and this is our next point that we have not yet gotten to is this idea of suffering and holiness. I want to read verse 16 and 17 Again. The Bible says this having a good conscience. It's really important.

That whereas they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse, your good conversation in Christ was better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well, doing then for evil doing, I want to say this how we respond to suffering matters, to God, gay. How we respond to suffering matters to God and it should matter to us as well. Peter also indicates that it not only matters into God and it shouldn't matter to us, but it matters to the world as well. If we are followers of Christ and all that the world should be able to accuse us of listen is Christ likeness or say that again. If we are followers of Christ all that the world should be able to accuse us of is Christ likeness. Now we said a lot already and are we say these things on a regular basis, continual basis in an effort to help us follow Christ in our lives on a daily basis. If we're thinking about suffering. And we understand that God cares about how we Face suffering, how we think about suffering, how we walk through suffering. And if we're followers of Jesus Christ, if we're imitators of Jesus Christ, then doesn't it just makes sense that we pay attention to Price example, that is given to us and then laid out for us. If that's the case, then turn if you will quickly over to John chapter 19 and I want us to read a few verses here in just think about Jesus. And the way that he suffered

Beginning and verse 1. The Bible says this then pilot therefore took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers plated a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe and said, hail King of the Jews and they smote him with their hands pilot. Therefore went forth again and say it's under them at behold. I bring him forth to you as that. He may know. And these are some incredible words that pilot give a 22 to God's chosen people concerning Jesus. I find no fault in him. Then came for Jesus wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe and pilot saith unto them. A behold, the man, when the chief priest therefore in the officers saw him, they cried out saying crucify him crucify, him pilot, saith unto them, take e him, and crucify him for I find no fault in him. Jesus suffered at the hands of those who hated him but I want to tell you and I want you to think about this. Jesus suffered with a clear conscience. Jesus knew that the world hated him. A Jesus knew that these these religious people are these so-called followers of God, that they hated him enough to bring him to this place where he was going to be nailed to the cross, where he was going to die, for no crimes that he had committed such as they were going to cry out, crucify him, crucify him, crucify him and I want to tell you to church this morning its 1, something in the midst of our suffering to know and to recognize and to realize that the world is against us But it's another thing to know that God is for us and in the midst of the suffering that we face in this life as Christians or because we are Christian at what Peter is reminding these Believers? Hey listen. How you suffer matters and you should suffer, you should be able to suffer with a clear conscience. The Texan, John 19 goes on and we would jump down the verse number. I know, I'm sorry, back in, in the book of 1st, Peter chapter 2, and verse 21 Peters already made something abundantly clear to us. He says for hearing two, were you called because Christ also suffered for us. And then here's these words leaving us an example. But you should follow his steps. Who didn't know sin? Neither was guile found in his mouth when he was reviled reviled. Not again. When he suffered, he threatened not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. For most of us and then we can maybe have a group discussion on this at some point. But if you're anything like me in my flash, my natural response to suffering is not to just sit back and take it like a champ.

In my flesh, my natural response to suffering. Of of all kinds. Is to do what? To retaliate too sick to take care of myself and make sure that I'm not wrong anymore or that I am not wrong the end this way. And I think that if you're anything like me, it wouldn't take a lot for us to take the position of Vengeance or to respond to evil with evil. But if we do, we suffer with the consequences of our actions and a guilty conscience. And this is why Peter said it is better. If the will of God be so that you suffer for well, doing then for evil doing as a Christian or christ-followers, we are to be Representatives or ambassadors for Jesus. And so when we can respond in a christ-like way, I we are being installed in life that Jesus desires that we would be. I want to I want to bring home what Peter is saying here and want to give us some personal application that we can walk away with this morning. If you are a follower of Jesus, if you've trusted Jesus Christ as your savior, you know, that he is your lord and your savior. I want to tell you that that what Jesus promises to us, that in this world. In this life, we're going to experience challenge tribulation trial. And I think him in and my wife's not up here. So I have a little bit more Liberty than I might if she was sitting in the front row and I'm just joking. But I think many of us this morning would agree that at times life is hard. And life is hard in all kinds of areas in. Arenas K. How many of you agree that this morning that sometimes family life or or life with those who you are closest to can be difficult, Liz? Let me just see your hands. I want to hold it up for a minute. They send me. You are not being truthful cuz I've talked to your spouse is in. Your your children know, I'm just joking. We recognize that. Those things are difficult, K. How many views ever had a rough day at the workplace? Only see your hands k. How many of you have ever had a rough day? With church family. Are the few of you now but now I really know the truth. Then I'm telling you we all got a raise their hands, okay. So how can we apply? What Peter is saying to us here? If we are, if we are following Christ and we are to be an ambassador or representative of Christ, can I tell you? I, when we experience, and of any kind of suffering and, and what that maybe is is an argument with a spouse, it maybe the Disobedience of our children, it may be that we have a hard time seeing eye-to-eye with that co-worker. It may be that someone at Bible Baptist Church their personality. It just clashes with my personality and there's nothing wrong with my personality. So it's all.

And I'm just giving some examples of ways that we may experience circumstances where we rather than want to be like Christ. We want to be like our so I we just want to let him know how we feel. Can I ask you this morning to sinks, truth may be any of those Arenas of life for you. How much good has been accomplished when we retaliate

How much good has been accomplished when we return evil for evil? And I don't know about you but as a child, I heard this all the time, two wrongs don't make a right. Will it may not make a right, but at times, it makes me feel better. And that's what I'm going for. When the sibling is being dragged across the floor, you know, all of those kinds of things. but can I tell you that if we respond in any other way to any kind of suffering that we experience in life, Differently than Christ responded to the greatest suffering. We got to stop fooling ourselves and pretending that we're following Jesus in those moments cuz we're not. We're missing the point. And I want to tell you in those moments when we would is Jesus does when we would commit ourselves to him that judgeth righteously what we try to teach your children. Hey, listen. If you're in an altercation with anybody, if it's at church, if it's at home, don't try to settle it on your own come and find an adult cuz I don't want to talk to their parents riding. I don't want to have to hear, nothing come trust us that we are going to deal with this in a way that will be best. I can I tell you when we take matters into our own hands, what we're doing is trusting ourselves rather than who Our Father, we're trusting ourselves rather than God. And so Peter is stressing this idea of suffering and Holiness that we need to, we need to pay attention to our Holiness. As we experience suffering in this life, I wrote this down all may not be right in the world. But if all is well between us and God all is well.

Horseland finally, suffering, and Heaven. As we come to this last section of chapter 3, I'm reading down through these things and, and, and what I'm taking away, is this idea, I did all of the suffering again, in this life, it must be viewed. It must be considered with heaven and view a Jesus again in our example, Peter says, in verse 18 for Christ also has one suffered for sins. And then he, he breaks some things down for his. He reminds us of the kind of suffering that Jesus faced the just for the unjust that he might bring us. Those of us who are unjust to her apart from God, to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit Verse 18, begins us again, or at Leeds us again, right to the feed of Jesus and Peter reminds us that the greatest suffering that the world has ever known, is a suffering. That Jesus Christ went through in this life, when Jesus became a man and he took a pond, the cross. I have three s's for you that hopefully be a help to you. First of all his suffering with substitutionary. I want to hear this church this morning. Jesus died in my place in your life as a Believer. When you kind of start to get over that, I can I tell you don't get to the place where you ever get over that. Jesus died in my place, friends want to tell you, I know me, like, you don't know me. God knows me, like I don't even know me. Jesus died in my place. All of the wrongs.

All of the wrongs that I have willfully done in this life. Jesus says, I know it and I see it and I can't look past it because I am going to take it upon myself to make it right, friends, going to tell you this morning, there is no story like the gospel in the world. There is no story like the gospel in the world that there is no love story. Like the story of God's love for us in the world. And when we think this morning and how fitting it is that we're about to remember together the sacrifice of Jesus, when we consider what Christ went through on the cross. I honestly think that if I were there today, not even considering the Christ was going through all that, he went through for me. I think that I would look upon the agony that Jesus experienced on the cross. I think I would look upon the the way that the, the, the the Roman officers treated Jesus has, they beat him nearly to death? Is a forced that thorn of crowns into his brow. I want to think that if I was standing there that day and I didn't understand that Jesus was dying for me, that I would feel bad.

You may think less of me when I tell this to you, but I don't like to watch or see gruesome things. Like like MMA fighting and and some of those things, to be honest with you, I just don't understand it. I don't want to see another human being being beaten in that way. It's hard for me to watch those things. I don't like watching more war movies, where people's lives are being taken and people are being killed. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see Jesus day or that day. I think the cross would have had an impact on me. but then,

but then I listen to these words that Peter says, and if he reminds us that Jesus,

He is the just. I suffered for the unjust.

Jesus died in my place. Not because I want you to hear this. Not because of all the wrong that had been done to me. And there's a big difference here. but because of all the wrong that had been done by me,

the death of Jesus, the sacrifice of, Jesus was substitutionary. Here's a word that you probably haven't used in a while, and you may never use again, but not only was his suffering. Substitutionary, his suffering was salvific. What does that mean? Well, it means that his suffering landed to the Salvation of many. It's my desire. As as one of the pastor is here, it's my desire. As of the pastor who stands up here and preaches and teaches, most often to never leave us to a place or lead us to a place where we again, forget all that Christ has done for us. We're gathered here today as those were saying because what Jesus did same.

Is suffering. Salvific, I love theology. I love getting together with Max and Jake And discussing theology. Or we don't always agree on the nuances of things, but I love thinking through those things. I love listening to a podcast about theology. I love reading or listening to books about theology. I love hearing books about theology,

And theology matters. But I tell you this morning that Jesus suffering is not only be logical if practical in the sense that it reaches me. The world wants to tell mankind that there are all kinds of ways. And then the Pope. If you put a whole lot of stock in the Poke, I'm going to send you right now but I'm trying to tell you the truth in love. The current pope who sends out messages and I can't quote him exactly. But basically saying that there are all kinds of ways. Pathways. Religions that will lead us to God. I'm here to remind us this morning that if we have not placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and Christ alone and his finished work on the cross friend. I want to tell you, it doesn't matter what we think about the world and what we think about the Bible, what we think about religion, if we get it wrong with Jesus, we missed out.

Finally. Not only was his suffering substitutionary and salvific but here's a word of Hope for. Each of us here this morning his suffering and I don't mean to diminish his suffering but I think this is a truth that we need to see his suffering with short-term.

He was dead for three days but is Peter says, but quickened by the spirit. And again, this is fitting for us this morning as we gather around the Lord's table. To remember all that Christ went through for us. I think this is something that we may not often think about when we come to the communion table, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus, we remember the suffering of Jesus but can I offer? This is a glimmer of hope to you this morning that are in the midst of suffering. The elements that are here today, remind us that the suffering of this life is temporary The suffering of this life, Jesus knows. He experienced he understands what you're going through and is Isaiah says in Isaiah 53. In verse 38, he is despised and rejected of men, a Man of Sorrows And acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not friend. If you're here without having received the gift of salvation,

May you by God's grace recognize all that Jesus did for you on the cross. And today, not tomorrow, not next week, not a month from now. But in this moment is, God is speaking to your heart, may you call upon the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and confess your sins, and your sinfulness to him and ask him to save you by his grace and friend would have tell you this morning, he will he will. And friend, if you're here this morning and you have received the gift of Salvation, understand all that all of our suffering, for Christ could never repay his suffering for us. So what then do we do with our suffering? We allow it to serve as a sign that reminds us of his love for us. We allow our suffering to lead us to him.

Now, in 5 minutes, some of the more confusing versus that I'll have the opportunity to preach through in the book of 1st, Peter. let me read them again for you and if I look up and you have the look like I understand exactly what's going on here, I'm just going to lead us to the conclusion cuz I don't And I'm being honest with you, I'm going to give you a, give you give you what I've got. by which also he that is Jesus when and preached unto the spirits in prison Kane. So I'm just going to give you some some questions I think about as we go through this and if you're reading your Bible correctly, these are questions that should come to your mind. We know that he is Jesus, he went and preach so he's he's declaring he's proving is showing one of the questions that I have to go through this and I don't have all the answers. I'm just telling you. Okay. Why did Jesus do this? Why is he preaching to the spirit people who are these spirits to question that I have? And I I feel comforted that the by the fact that people who are far more brilliant than me have some similar questions and then we are or what is this prison that he's referring to? I'm going to give you a word on these verses and this is from my my good friend by way of study that is Charles Spurgeon. He said on these verses and I think it's pacifically verse 19. This is what he says this passage nobody understands.

Though some think they do he's like he he's like he knows what the response is going to be by some. Who hear what he says this passage nobody understands and people like oh yeah well I think they do. I'm not sure. I'm in a hundred percent agreement with him, but it made me feel better. He said it is for our good to be made to feel that we do not know everything.

That's virgin on the issue. At least he said something cuz most people say nothing. let's continue reading a verse 20, which sometimes the gate again speaking about these Spirits in prison which sometimes were disobedient When Once the long-suffering of God, waited in the days of Noah wall, the ark was a preparing. We're in a few. That is eight Souls does Noah, and his family were saved by water verse 21. The light figure, we're into even baptism death. Also now save us that that should raise some flags for us and say, okay, I need to understand what's going on here. Not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ came. Now, I'm looking at your faces. I'm trying to see who was like, I got it all figured out, okay.

My intention is not to get caught up in the weeds cuz they may just trap me forever.

There's some things that remain unclear to me. But I want to emphasize a few things that are abundantly clear. Okay, one thing that seems abundantly clear and Peter points this out, he's he's, he's thinking about whether these, these Spirits are, are the Fallen Angels, okay? That's a common view. Whether the spirits are some Old Testament, people who have died without God. Those are some things that are out there. Just just giving that to you. I haven't completely settle this in my own mind. I'm just being honest with you. But one of the things in this is a statement that that got me is, I was thinking through, this will be back up for another second. Okay, I still got some time, you're like you do.

The preaching of Christ here. Sometimes, we assume that the preaching of Christ is intended to, to bring about the salvation of those who are in that prison, if you will, whatever. This is that Peter is referring to But the Cross of Christ, actually, declares many things. It declares that there is salvation for those who will come to Christ. But what it also declares is that beer is eternal judgement for those who reject Christ. So with all that in mind and then I'm reading through and thinking about this, and I'm trying to think about what I'm going to say when I'm standing before. All of you. One of the things that stands out to me here in the midst of this is I'm first of all thankful for God's grace. Because I am by God's grace, one of those who have come to cross. If you hear this morning that that should be encouraging to you. One of the things though that stands out to me, here in the end, is, Peter gives gives this illustration know what he says in verse 20 again, which sometimes were disobedient when Once noticed this, the long-suffering of God waited

Okay, so now we have this image of Noah and his ark, we understand that this represents a lot of things. He's going to tie baptism into this. I want to make this clear baptism saves, nobody K. Baptism is a symbol and a sign of what God has done. And in here, we're pointing back to the ark and we recognize that guy that God gave us the symbol of Salvation by way of Noah and the Ark. But one of the things that I don't want to get caught up in the weeds or the bulrushes. Okay. What I want you to understand is that in the days of Noah the Bible describes that mankind basically all that they could do was think evil continually It was a wicked world. Is the world that was living in Rebellion against God? But you know what? What Peter highlights hear about the character of God in the days of Noah? When the world was wicked, the long-suffering of God. You know what God could have done in the days of Noah. He could have gone like this. And there's an art. And he could have said, no and get in. You're the only righteous one living and he could have saved them. But you know what he did, instead, he commanded Noah of the Bible calls him, a preacher of what righteousness to go through. The painstaking process day-by-day of gathering wood and bringing this to this this place where they would build this Ark. And all the while whether it was by now, or getting up and declaring what God was doing or it was by the simple Act of Noah's building an ark. And by the way, they didn't have any understanding of why you need a boat. Be kind of like, you know, living in Hawaii and owning a snowmobile. Maybe a snows and some of the mountains, I don't know. You can ride in volcanic, ash, whatever the place is the case, maybe you get the point. No, it's building this Ark. But what God is doing, is sending a message. Listen, judgment is coming, judgment is coming, judgment is coming the sound of that hammer, hitting those nails. If there were Nails, whatever, the case of the wooden pegs day-by-day, Noah's building this art, it was 120 years in the time that God gives this message to Noah the when they board. The our friend over to tell you, that's a lot of patience. For people who were Wicked. And for people who hated God,

I believe in and we can again have some discussion about this. I believe. That the ark was big enough to hold more than just 8 people. And I believe listen that the arc could have been even bigger. If more people would have come, So what is it? That Peter's emphasizing here. Is emphasizing this idea. Hey, listen, the patience of God, the long-suffering of God is amazing. But what must be understood is that there is coming an end. And the cross of Jesus Christ, the ark that Noah built as a reminder to us this morning. Again, that salvation is available for all who will. But a rejection of this salvation? Listen, leads to Everlasting punishment, to sobering sing this morning.

none of that was even in my notes and that's why I said I was going to get caught in the weeds but there I went

to Peter's point.

Christ suffered patiently.

At any moment.

at any moment of the scene of the Cross, she keeps, this could have just said,

He's a gracious Lord.