Jesus reigns

Visa morning. We are going to have just a brief as small the study of the word weird Refuge church, but will with what we like doing, you know, this is just going through books of the Bible now seeing the genre who started the studying the book of 1st Peter. I'm with title it how to stop her. Well now in the beginning of March that's like a month ago the pandemic broke out and we had to cancel Services. We took a detour from Free Spirit by we want to retake it. All right, so I'm starting this week and in the coming weeks, we're going to continue with our series on 1st Peter. What would happen starting today for speeder Chapter 3 Verse 18 and Anna morning by you. First of all that you can join me in prayer from whatever you are. Could you join me by your head and pray with me this morning? Thank you, because you are a good guy sent you because you love never and thank you because you keep loving us even though we are not always faithful or constant you remain constant and in the middle of the pandemic in the middle of the disgrace Lord will still love you because we believe that you still protected. You are still a good guy. You were still have a plan for the word this morning Lord. We want to just focus on your word. We want to do nothing. We want to put everything aside all the bad news all day all the horrible development on Wheels want to focus in your word. So please give us wisdom understanding of the holy spirit so that we may receive what speed has for all this morning. We ask all of this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen, thank you so much for joining. We are starting the book of 1st Peter. Okay, and I'm going to tell you that brief summary would we haven't started so far the book of 1st Peter is a book for suffering Christians. He's writing for suffering Christians in Asia Minor and what are the first thing that Peter tells them kind of to come for them is to remind them who they are. So the baby first verse 1st, Peter 1:1 says Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are elect Exiles to those who are elect Exiles those two terms are key for any questions to ask any question to assimilate and especially for suffering Christians. We are my friends elect Exiles. We are elect excised and those two terms are the unifying the same. Throughout the letter for example in chapter 2 verse 9. This is what Peter says but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession. And in the next verse that says once you were not a people, but now you are God's people want you had not receive Mercy, but now you have received Mercy someone else involved in your election. You received such a great salvation. You are a chosen one and because of that because now your citizenship is in heaven, you are also an excellent here on Earth. Peter says in the next verse verse 11 beloved. I heard you as sojourners and Exiles. Stan from the passions of the flash now, we don't really belong here are old teammate place is not here. We belong to the kingdom of heaven. However, that doesn't mean that just because your citizenship is in heaven. You're not going to care about what's happening around you no, no no, no. Says the opposite precisely because you know, what an amazing the kingdom of God. Are you going to try to show it in all possible ways and that means you remember this submitting to our authorities. That's why I add Refuge. We're not going to open the building until we have clearance from the Governor from the federal authorities will want to comply. Also said that if you are an exile you need of course to you need to submit to your employer. You need to give a good standing. It says in verse 11 keep your condo come on the Gentiles honorable and he keeps going they wife should submit to their husbands and husband shoots. To their wives and you should be always ready to press and the faith that you have with gentleness with courtesy. That is a life of an exile know, where would I pick up where we left and we are going to chapter 3 chapter 3 verses 18 and on you can read from up here with try to put that the text right right here. Yes Precure text you can read it. You can read it in your in your phone. You can read in your Bible reading 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 18 and on till the end of the chapter. This is what he do it. Christ also suffered ones for sins the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God being put to death in The Flash but made alive in the spirit. It says in which you when I'm proclaimed to the spirits in prison verse 20 because they formerly did Norway when God's patient waited in the days of Noah and the Ark was being prepared in which a few is that is a person were brought safely through water baptism, which corresponds to this now saves you not as a removal of debris from the body by the sound appeal to God for a good conscious through the resurrection of Jesus Christ verse 22 who has gone into heaven and he said the right hand of God with angels authorities and Powers. I'm being subjected to him. What does that all mean as it's a really curious text? Right? Well, we are facing one of the most obscure difficult to understand passages in the whole Bible. There is a lot of possible interpretation. No one agrees in what this really means. I was reading a commentary there is up to 180 180 different interpretations 2D single passage. And of course, I don't have the right answer. I want to do my best this morning and giving you what I think it is it is the meaning of this versus but I'm going to leave some room because this an obscure text the great reformer Martin Luther King said I confess that was Peter means in this I am not sure Martin Luther the guy who brought the principle of Sola scriptura. He wasn't even sure. Why this man of course, I'm not one of the better than Martin Luther I'm going to try but this reminds us that the Bible is the word of God and there are things that are very easy to grasp and to understand others that are more complicated and we should always keep a humble Spirit in order to receive the word of God by the way be wary of anyone who tells you. Oh, yeah. I have figured out the whole Bible they are probably grown in multiple times in multiple places because the Bible is the word of God we live in a box is remind me. What is Persia said about the Bible. He said the Bible is like an untimely lion in a cage on this s***. You just unleash the word of God. Anyways, I want to do our best to try to find the meaning of this burst of this text. I want to start with Something simple verse 18. Okay, that is where we can start is a safe place and I think we would all agree in what means less rate for Christ also suffer ones for sins the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God to come forward this suffering Christians and he'd also by reminding them that Christ also suffer. Those are great news. My friends are relevant news because today the whole country is suffering. The whole world is suffering. I don't think that is a single-family around the word that is not experiencing anxiety or fear or any kind of suffering because of covid-19 from the single mom that just lost her job at the Macy's or JCPenney and she doesn't I wish it was due to pay the bills to feed her kids to the young husband that lost her 20-something 30 something year old wife or were they first thought it was just a flu to the grandfather grandmother will not be able to say goodbye to his or her loved ones because they are in confinement to the health care workers guys. You are amazing. You are going above and beyond but you working extra hours that is not a clear sign where all these will answer and you're suffering to basically order the type of people that are working outside from Uber drivers to the people working at the grocery stores. You are afraid of going out you prefer you would prefer to stay home with your family. You have to pay your bill. So you have no other option. The whole word is suffering. Well, my friend has what Jesus knows exactly what you're going through. Jesus has the ability to empathize because She also suffered this is one of the many unique factors of Christianity. The god of the Bible is the only God that understand suffering. No just I didn't tell level in experience. God experience pain and suffering Jesus. The son of God Came In the Flesh of our lives two walks always and to suffer our sufferings my friend. Jesus went to bed with an empty stomach. Jesus got sick multiple times. Jesus lost his adopted father when he was maybe a kiss or a teenager has lost his cousin John the baptizer with being able to say, goodbye. Jesus knows about suffering and if you're feeling like suffering if you're feeling depressed or in anguish or with anxiety if you are afraid of the future, What is what Jesus knows what you're going through is not open Heaven saying I can see that you crying but I don't I cannot relate Jesus knows Jesus. The only difference is that he stole from being righteous. She's the only person that was ever righteous and software all of us are suffering in part because we are unrighteous when covid-19 started. I was lamenting and I was saying why God I was planning all this trips. I was supposed to go to bed to preach and answer Utah and to Mexico and then I was like why God oh, oh, that's right. Maybe that's why because I'm not the righteous. I am on righteous and I'm not saying of course that God is sending this to punish me or anyone but what I'm saying is that we are all on righteous inside Jesus offered without ever the serving anything, but it's tougher to bring peace with Got enough. He suffered such that in 2020 in the middle of the Covenant in condemning. You don't need to be the same ordeal, but you can run to your father in the middle of the crisis and Jesus didn't just offer. He also was supposed to that that is what Peter is saying inverse 19th at 18. He was also put two best in the flash. My friend. Jesus didn't just pretend he didn't just pass out in the cross. He was bored to death. He suffered the same Destiny of what Elmo 60,000 people have suffered because of covid-19 namely death kiss kiss. Stop pumping blood. She's long since stopped breathing here. She is a mine shut down, Jesus died. He experienced. Has he experienced the worst enemy of humanity death? She died. The difference is that he was made alive in the spirit. It was made a life in the spirit The Same Spirit that anointed him when he was baptized Rose came from the dev on the Saturday. Now, you're listening on for some reason you don't believe in then maybe you're not Christian. Maybe you don't believe in the Bible and you knew you cared about the resurrection of Jesus and it sounds silly. It sounds ridiculous. Well historical reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus will have to go into those but just for a second imagine what it is true metaphorical spiritually. What did Jesus really Rose bodily literally physically Jesus defeated death The worst enemy of humanity the worst enemy of human beings is now defeated. She rose from the dead and without key open the door for everyone else to ask you experienced Resurrection. Now, this is simple we can understand that. I'm basically what you're saying is reminding what uses did suffering dying resurrection that simple right simple enough suffering dying Resurrection. Remember. Because now it when I go to the really tricky part we jumped verse 19 we go to verse 19 test in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison and verse 20 says Because they the spirit formerly did know the way when God's patience waited in the days of Noah Wyle the ark was being prepared in which a few Daddy's eight persons were brought safely through water. That's good. That's great. But what does it mean? Why does the oldest words means? He's a really difficult to understand as I said, there are multiple interpretations. There is there are people that say that when Jesus died he descended to hell and then he preached to the people that have died in the flood and gave them a second chance that there are people that sting that Jesus went to hell but once he was recently and he didn't go to preach but kind of to Mark what they were suffering down there in health. There are people that sing that in a fancy way Jesus was with Noah as he was preaching Before the Flood will have time to go through all the options. I want to tell you what I think is the best approach and why is irrelevant specifically for covid-19. First. We need to remember the story of Noah. You remember Edison Genesis 6 the whole world had gone, but Humanity has corrupted. It was depraved. It has Billy fight to the very worst and God had to take that heartbreaking decision of wiping out Humanity from the face of the planet Kira. Boot it the human project and he uses / Noah and his family are people in total the rest of human beings perished. That is the worst tragedy that has ever hit. The human race is worse or worst is worse than any pandemic included covid-19 in the throat everybody everybody but people perished. Know the people that pair is it cannot be disputed that are mentioned herein for speedly Kenobi vs. Why because the punishment for those two Spirits wants to die in the flood. They were not sent to hell to experience eternal torment. How cruel is good God be if he didn't just punish them by dying the floor but also by sending them to an eternity to suffer in hell, that would be really bad. That was an unloving can go to Parrish on the floor. They didn't go to hell there is no such thing in the Bible as an eternal hell where people are burning and suffering forever. But then what does it mean to be a race who formerly did not away if they are. I believe the instigators there. There were spiritual forces in the days of Noah that Lead Humanity in the spiritual and physical corruption that depraved everyone and everything. There was the word demons evil angels who are behind all the horrible things that the people before the flood and Peterson talks a little bit about those demons in the 2nd Peter in his second letter verse chapter 2 verse for this is what Peter says even angels when they sing Angels who had become demons, but them into hell, I'm committed them to change of Groom in darkness to be kept until the judge man. If he didn't know the spare the ancient world but preserve know ahead of the righteousness with seven others when he brought a flood up on the word of the ungodly what he saying there that there were evil angels who had to be chained. They have to be put in a prison before because they were the instigators the masterminds before the corruption that completely depraved Humanity Before the Flood now God being righteous punish the people that had seen but he didn't give a free pass to the demons. He didn't tell you I guess you didn't really mean it. No, keep put them in a prison been below the surface of the Earth Spirits are not physical beings, but they are in sort of way that is hard to understand in a prison. They are bounded they can no longer. Exercise power temp make human being seen they are in prison. Now, I think that the same demons are the same demons are the ones that are mentioned in 1st Peter 1st. We go back to chapter 3 verse 11. They are Jesus Wayne and Proclaim to the spirits in prison because they formerly did not always this Spirits the space that Jesus Proclaim to are the demons that cost the corruption of humanity Before the Flood and give it a go down. The Bible never says Peter never said that Jesus went down to Proclaim. It says in verse 22 that he went up he went to heaven and in the very Act of ascending he was proclaiming victory over all those emails Kappa Caruso in green. He was proclaiming that he was Arabic How to reclaim them she has gained victory over them and I can almost imagine Jesus declaring his victory as she was growing up. She told the demons you thought you could completely corrupt my creation you thought you could turn my creation against me you thought that you could cause me to give Auburn human beings, but you were grown. I defeated you. I know the feeling you with your own weapon with that now just tell them you was nothing you're Dawn you have no more power. I overcame and I am victorious Jesus pass judgment open all those evil spirits open all those demons and you may think that's very weird to talk about on fanciful. I guess you're right. But what should I care? Listen, that truth is extremely relevant. 99 I'm going to tell you why. One of the big problems that we have with covid-19 is that we want to find culprits. We need to find someone to blame. The problem is that there are no people to blend is no one to play with covid-19. There is absolutely no human being you made this happen. Not even whoever watching the with Market whoever didn't follow the sanitary precautions because they could not have possibly imagined all the horrible things that could come from such a little thing and Rainier View I even myself included we want to be mad at someone we want to be mad that incompetent government and we want to be mad at people that don't take this seriously and what we want to be mad to to the corporate greed. We want to be mad to someone because it has caused too much pain. Guess what my friend there's no human being to be There is no human being to blame for covid-19. But there is someone that is behind everything that has happened because of covid-19. I'm not talking about any conspiracy theories. The person that is behind covid-19 is Satan and of course, we will leave in bacteria and viruses and the physical work but behind that there is a spiritual reality and we are certain that The Mastermind before behind covid-19 is Peyton Keith enjoying all the chaos people suffering people dying people pointing fingers at each other living in anxiety in fear in depression. Steven is rejoicing. This is a party for him today right now in the middle of covid-19. All the thousands of lost lives millions of lost jobs. An uncertain future say that his rejoicing but hear me out and this is very important as surely as Jesus Proclaim victory over those demons that corrupted Humanity Before the Flood you can be certain that Jesus has a good Proclaim victory over Satan and covid-19 my friend you can be so certain. I'm confident that Satan didn't get one get a free pass. She will be punished all the time because of covid-19 and height of frustration an older loss life will be imputed to say that and he will pay for what he did in this pandemic because Jesus Will judge him and Jesus proclaimed victory over Kim. On all of this, because of the resurrection of Jesus come with me come to verse 21st 21st. Baptism which corresponds to this now saves you not as a removal of their from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscious through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it says in the next verse who has gone into heaven at and he said the right hand of God with angels. I was told and Powers having being subjected to him everything everything hinges in their resurrection of Jesus. That is why you can be saved by baptism because of his resurrection. It says I am verse 20 in Destiny first. It says baptism now cleanse you not from the Earth by the gives you a good conscious through the resurrection of Jesus you remember Jesus offered he was put to death but he was recent and because of his resurrection you can have access to the Heavenly Throne because of his resurrection. She has passed judgment open evil forces because of his resurrection, you can have confidence that one day you will also Rise Against suffering death resurrection and Ascension and at the end this is how Peter finish that is amazing. Now Jesus is at the right hand of God governing. She's above everything on everyone. He is at the right hand of God raining with power raining over Angels authorities and Powers Jesus Reigns. My friend Jesus Reigns suffering death Resurrection Ascension power. Jesus has received all power in heaven and in Earth on Jesus. He is now King remember that Jesus Reigns Jesus Reigns over incompetent government. Jesus Reigns over evil rulers. Jesus Reigns over the seas and death. Jesus Reigns over covid-19. Jesus is King Jesus is everything going to everyone on we can be confident that he will crush his enemies because he reigns with power. Whenever you feel like this Perry whenever you feel like this crisis is too much to handle. Please remember that Jesus Reigns Jesus reigns with power. He says will undo. All Injustice has Jesus will make the culprits Play Satan and his demons. Jesus will establish his eternal Kingdom Jesus Reigns and my friend will want to face a quick full of bad news and full of disappointments. Some of you are probably going to have a hard week at your job, or I do like a job job or you will have all these negative thoughts. I want to remember a single truth my friend Jesus Reigns King Jesus raised. I know it's hard to understand any time like just willy-nilly or it sounds like, you know, but positive thinking is more than that we can be certain that Jesus is steel. Everything he eats in Authority. This is difficult for me. For more than one reason and I sometimes wonder when are you going to fix everything Jesus you guys last week? I was supposed to baptize. Naturally we have prepared so much for that. She was really looking forward to her baptism and we couldn't and now we learn this week a few days ago that if they stay at a shelter in place order is going to remain until name. That means that officially our anniversary has been cancelled and I feel bad about my family abroad and I when I see what the bad news when I see are people losing their loved ones and their jobs and about the uncertainty and it's hard for me to believe but it's precisely in the middle of language is precise me in the middle of Christ when we must declare and when we must confess that Jesus Reigns, The Jesus is King and that he is our Living Hope.