2011.01.16b.Sermon Sanctified in the LORD (part 2)
1 Peter 3:13-22
Peter’s message on suffering and the hope of our faith continues as a theme throughout the first book. This passage is a difficult passage to traverse without keeping in mind this theme.
Last time: 1 Peter 3:8-15 Peter urges the church body to come together, in the same mind. Our actions and the conversation of our lives should uphold a godly life.
Unity among believers, Righteous Living, What’s your message of hope?
Today continuing from 13-22
SUFFERING
Exposition of 1Peter 3:13-22
Peter’s theme throughout the 1st book is one of suffering. We continue in this difficult passage as a part of the whole. The scripture is not for private interpretation, we are not to pull out parts of verses to make our point to some other interpretation or meaning other than that which is states in the context it is written.
13. God is with you, who can truly harm you?
14 You may be called to suffer for Christ. This happens to many Christians, but understand and be blessed when you suffer. Fear not.
James 1:2-4 (KJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
15 Santify the LORD GOD in your hearts. Let Christ be honored and reverenced in your heart. Make him first place in your heart as your first love. Revelation 2:4-5
Fear not man, but the LORD.
Confess Christ as the grounds for your hope.
Do you have a message of hope to others?
Is it? Christ the savior of your soul, who paid the price of your sin, by suffering on the cross, dying and rising again.
What is your reason for hope? Vs 18, 21-22 spells it out.
18 Christ suffered for yours and my sins. He the Just for me the unjust. He was put to death (to pay penalty for the sin), yet made alive by the Spirit (even though the body was in the grave)
21-22 He arose from the grave ascended into heaven and rules over all with God the Father.
16 Have (Live) a life of good conscience, as before God. A life holy and pure is the best answer to false accusers. When you do something wrong, your conscience typically gets the best of you. You want to get clean as fast as you can. Carrying the guilt will tear you up. We are to live a life of good conscience before the LORD. Clean/right spirit.
Some may falsely accuse your good right living, we must live and do right no matter what.
17 We may suffer for this, if so, we suffer for good (rather than for wrong actions). We do this as unto the LORD. The Father sometimes chastens children. If God wills that we should suffer, it is better to suffer for righteousness than for evil.
2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
WARNING: THIS NEXT SECTION vs 18-22 MUST BE TAKEN IN CONTEXT OF 1st PETER. Scripture is not for private interpretation or singling out of a part of scripture from its context. It must be taken in context. Too many will pull from these verses and give a different message. However I trust the Spirit of the LORD to direct my next thoughts and conveyance based on the context of the scriptures as a whole.
SUFFERING CONTINUED
18 Christ also suffered. Our example, Jesus once suffered on the cross. Once only, and He suffers no more. He was put to death by the wounds inflicted on his fleshly body. His natural, earthly life was ended. Put to death in the body his spirit was quickened. Having life in himself, as soon as the body failed through weakness the power of the indestructible life began to show itself.
CHRIST SUFFERED in the flesh for our sins, TO BRING US TO GOD. He died physically, in the flesh, upon the cross. Yet He was alive by the Spirit.
19 This same Spirit* preached to the lost (Spiritually lost are in spiritual prison. Spiritually saved are captives set free!)
*1 Peter 1:10-12 states that the prophets prophesied of this grace and salvation as it was the “Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Continuing… “now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven”.
WE MUST READ THESE VERSES 19-20 TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT. Some misconstrue this to mean that when Christ died, preached to the spirits in prison, or hell. This is not what this passage represents. Remember, Suffering. Read on.
Vs. 19-20 Christ put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit went and preached. THIS PREACHING OF Christ in the spirit was to spirits. Those spirits were in prison (locked up in a cell of sin?) Is the unbeliever a spirit locked in prison of sin? Isn’t it that the Holy Spirit is who convicts the unbeliever of their sin and causes them to come to the decision to accept or reject Christ? These spirits were aforetime disobedient. The time of their disobedience is stated as the days of Noah. UNDERSTANDING. Noah worked on the ark for 120 years. The land heard the story of God’s judgment, yet only 8 souls were saved from the floods.
Interesting observation, only 8 souls, yet all those animals. But that’s for another time.
CONTINUING WITH Vs 19
This same Spirit* preached to the lost when...
20 Continuing from 19, the LOST who were of the day of Noah. Disobedient to the calling through Noah by the Spirit of Christ to repent. God suffered (patience) 120 years while Noah built the ark. People saw and mocked Noah and the Spirit of the LORD. They for 120 years were preached to repent. The sign of judgment coming in the building of the ark. Instead, they persecuted Noah and Noah suffered for righteousness. Out of the entire world, only 8 souls were saved from judgment.
SIGNIFICANCE: The water of the floods is significant. Noah and his family rode above the waters of judgment encapsulated in the ark.
The water killed and destroyed every living thing on earth, but Noah (the 8) were kept in ‘good conscience’, kept safe inside the ark.
The Ark is a representation of the believer kept in Christ. He is in us, and we are in him.
Buy Christ’s suffering and carrying our sins upon himself, we are brought as clean before God. We are to be totally immersed in Him.
21 The Ark figure, saved them.
HERE IS WHERE SOME MISINTERPRET. Some read and single out the words “baptism doth also now save us”
But Peter reiterates that this ‘baptism’ is not the cleaning of the body in this case. But rather the inner change and infilling of Christ in us. HE in us, we in HIM.
JESUS IS OUR ARK to carry us above the Waters of Judgment to the Father. Safe in His arms. Safe, abiding IN CHRIST.
22 Christ arose from the grave, ascended into heaven to the throne of God and rules eternal.
In all this, we see that suffering is required for our Sins. Jesus suffered, we may be called to do so as well.
JESUS, who SUFFERED the pain and anguish, to the death on the cross, to carry and remove our sins and pay the debt that was owed by them.
JESUS, who we are to SANTIFY in our hearts as LORD and SAVIOR.
JESUS, my ark who in, I am safely kept from God’s wrath and judgment.
JESUS who will CARRY and BRING US to GOD, as CLEAN in HIM.
JESUS, MY LORD AND SAVIOR, who rose again from the dead and rules at the throne of God for eternity.
SANCTIFY THE LORD IN YOUR HEART, AND GET IN THE BOAT!
