Untitled Sermon

Introduction

Today is going to be a fun passage to go through because it is a really hard passage to read and understand…but that doesn’t mean that we need to skip it or act like it is not there. How many of you guys do that? Well with Scripture a lot of times we come upon passages that are hard to read or hard to understand or just difficult to swallow as a Christ follower; but I want you guys to know that here in Trinity Students we welcome the difficult questions, the hard passages, the crossroads in our lives because they make us more mature as Christ followers and it is something that may be a valuable lesson in itself not to back down from the most difficult things in life. The things that are hard to swallow and the things that take some time, some study, some effort to work through.

We may go through this passage and you still may have questions! And that is okay! Come to me and ask me those questions and I will either answer them to the best of my ability or I will research and study to help give you an educated answer that may spur you along in your faith. Or go to your small group leaders and ask them questions. Questions are good and questions are part of growing! My teachers used to always tell me that good questions were the key to spur along growth and stretching of our knowledge and really to our faith. So, lets get started.

Christ suffered for us (v.18)

Christ suffered for us so that we might be brought to God.

Christ’s suffering happened once for all sins of those who would come to him! (v.18) The phrase suffered once is telling us that God used Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice, which means that you don’t have to worry about that ever being taken away or needing a plan B. The plan A worked perfectly and we don’t have to worry about Jesus’ sacrifice not being enough.

Jesus was the perfect offering for sin and fulfilled the requirements of the law (), He endured the death due to our unrighteousness that was supposed to be our punishment ( and ), so that He would remove the barrier caused by sin and opened the way back to God (John 14:6).

Christ suffered unjustly for me and you.

Verse 18 tells us that Christ was the righteous one that died for the unrighteous ones. He took what we didn’t deserve so that we might be brought to God through his sacrifice on the cross.

He endured this because He was the only one that was capable of doing it. He was the plan A.

Christ suffering is a connection to our suffering. (Whole passage)

This whole passage is connecting Christ’s suffering and the suffering that Noah endured during his time to the suffering that we might endure and those that Peter was writing to was enduring. He wanted them to know that this has happened 1. Jesus and 2. to Noah who was persecuted for His obedience to God among people who were wicked.

An illustration of Noah

There are different views surrounding verse 19 and they are:

Christ (in between death and resurrection) went and proclaimed the gospel to the humans who had died and were in a place of punishment (hades). ( doesn’t add up because scripture doesn’t support people coming to faith after the die.

Christ proclaimed His victory to the angels that disobeyed (demons) (some hold to this view)

Christ proclaimed the gospel through Noah to the people during Noah’s time that disobeyed who needed to repent and come to God for salvation during the time of God’s patience that waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared. (probably likely) Context lends to it.

Noah and his family were minority around hostile believers. (1 Peter 3:13-14)

Noah was righteous in the midst of a wicked world. (1 Peter 4:3-4)

Noah witnessed boldly around him to unbelievers even if it comes with suffering. (1 Peter 3:14, 16-17)

Noah realized that judgment was coming soon. (, ; )

Christ preached through Noah to unbelievers around him. ( , , , ; )

At the time of Noah God was patiently waiting for repentance of unbelievers. (-10)

Baptism is a symbol of Salvation

Peter is clear that baptism is not a magical or mystical practice that saves you (not as a removal of dirt from the body), but as an outward physical ceremony of the inward spiritual reality that baptism represents. (which is Christ’s renewal of our hearts)

Another illustration in Noah in regards to baptism.

It is all about Jesus…Jesus is the one who suffered, died, and was resurrected for us and ultimately for God’s glory.

Ultimately Jesus is in control.

Have you trusted Christ as your sin bearer?

Have you followed up in believers’ baptism?

Are you standing up for your faith?