One Sacrifice, One Salvation, One Way

v. 18:

Peter had just talked about defending the gospel, and the fact that it may bring suffering.

Now he goes on to give the example of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was completely sinless, He did nothing but good, yet He suffered and died.

He was just (righteous) and He died for the unjust (unrighteous).

The sinless, spotless Lamb of God died for the sinners (us).

He did it for one reason, so that He could “bring us to God”.

Jesus is the only way to God.

John 14:6

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

We can’t go to God, because we can’t get to where He is…Jesus has to bring us to God!

Our sin has left a gap between us and God that we CANNOT bridge.

God is Holy and we are filthy sinners.

Isaiah 64:6

Isaiah 64:6 NKJV

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 NKJV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The case is hopeless. . . except for the Lamb of God!

All is hopeless without Jesus.

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8

Romans 5:8 NKJV

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Acts 4:12

Acts 4:12 NKJV

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

We could never be reconciled to God if it were not for Jesus Christ.

Jesus suffered “once” for sins. He cannot and will not do it again!

Romans 6:10

Romans 6:10 NKJV

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Hebrews 7:27

Hebrews 7:27 NKJV

who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Hebrews 10:10

Hebrews 10:10 NKJV

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Once was sufficient. It was a perfect redemption which cannot be undone or redone.

You cannot lose your salvation, Jesus made a one time offering that is good forever.

Jesus took our death penalty!

While His body was dead, this same Spirit that raised Him from the dead was constantly at work.

v. 19-20:

While His body lay in the grave, He was busy proclaiming His victory over death!!!

Here, the word for preach is not the same word for preached the Gospel, rather it means proclaim or publish.

Jesus was not giving a  second chance to those who had died in unbelief, the Bible tells us that there are no second chances after death.

There are no second chances after death.

Hebrews 9:27

Hebrews 9:27 NKJV

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Jesus was proclaiming victory over Satan and his hosts.

These were the same evil spirits who in the days of Noah were trying to corrupt and control people. (Gen. 6:1-4,12).

The spirits Jesus preached to were the demons from “the days of Noah”.

Genesis 6:1-4

Genesis 6:1–4 NKJV

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

While the ark was being prepared, Noah preached righteousness to these demon controlled people, but none listened.

Only eight were saved when the flood came.

We face the same challenge today, trying to preach the Gospel to an evil world.

The majority of people that we share the Gospel with will reject it, but we are to persevere and keep trying.

Noah preached for 120 years without a single convert, we don’t know what frustration is.

Don’t you think that those people hated him?

They probably called him a fanatic and a crazy old man.

We’ve not seen frustration.

Here is an interesting phrase.

These eight people were “saved through water”.

The same water that destroyed the old world, lifted the ark of safety.

v. 21:

This provides a picture of baptism, and being raised up out of the water… symbolic of the resurrection of Christ.

Notice that Peter is not saying that baptism saves us, but that Baptism is “the answer of a good conscience toward God.”

We do it because we have been saved. It does not remove tour sin, it is our answer to God for His saving grace!

It is the death and resurrection of Christ that saves us and gives us life.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 NKJV

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

v. 22:    

This same Savior has since gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, and all of the creation is subject to Him.