Wayfaring Strangers
A study of 1 Peter
Part 15
“Jesus’ blood is enough”
Have you ever had something in your life that no matter how hard you tried?
You just could not figure it out
A Rubik’s cube is one for me
I finally solved mine by peeling off all the colored stickers and had a perfect all white cube
It just never made sense to me
It may be instructions on putting something together
Or the writings of some great author
Maybe it is things in your life that happened
And as hard as you try
You simply can’t figure them out
As we continue with our study of 1 Peter this morning
We come to one of the most difficult passages of scripture in all of God’s word
False teachings
False doctrines
And even outright cults have been built around these words from the Apostle Peter
Let me tell you straight out
I don’t understand much of this passage
I do not know what much of this passage means
And I believe in all my heart I can say no one else does either
There are things in scripture that are a mystery
God’s ways are not our ways
His thoughts are not our thoughts
And short of being able to interview Peter
And ask him
What does this mean
We are left to try and interpret his words on our own
If we are not careful
We can easily forget the purpose of Peter’s writing
And fail to see the forest for the trees
This is not good and when we do this we completely miss what the writer was trying to convey
I do know that all things will be revealed in eternity
So, I know at some point I will get clarity on this passage
But I also know that at that point
I will be in the presence of Jesus Christ
And I have no doubt
That I will no longer care what this means
Let me read 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 18-22 for you in its entirety
Then we can come back and break down the parts that are clear
Mull over the parts that are not
And focus on the importance of this passage for our lives
1 Peter 3:18-22
18 Christ suffered[a] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.[b]
19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.[c] 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from[d] a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
Let’s start with the easy stuff
It is important when we read scripture that we read in context
I am a stickler for this as you know if you have spent any time here at all
Peter in this passage of scripture was instructing the readers on the idea of suffering unjustly
We covered that in detail last week
Remember the responses to unjust suffering by a maturing believer
Realize you are blessed and lived as blessed people
Don’t freak out when trouble comes
Trust in God to handle it
Make Jesus Christ Lord of all in your life
The good and the bad- he is the God of the mountain and the God of the valley
Always be ready to tell others the reason for your hope
And keep your integrity in all you do.
Good principals to live by from the Apostle Peter
So, in context Peter is still talking about suffering, he has not changed subjects
But, we must remember his letter is a letter of encouragement
He wrote to the believers who had become wayfaring strangers
To help them deal with the hardships that often come with belief in Christ
So, in a further attempt to encourage
Peter writes these words
Verse 18
18 Christ suffered[a] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.[b]
We will suffer
But Christ also suffered
And he did this once
I need you to key on this
Jesus death was a onetime deal
His work on the cross completed the demand for a sacrifice
He suffered no additional punishment for our sins
His death was enough
And he did this for us
Took on our sin
And was punished for it
Although he had never – ever- sinned
There was no sin in him
His death was the completion of the work
It was and is eternal
It was substitutionary – this means it covered the sin of all who will believe
His death reconciled us to God
We were separated by our sin, but Christs sacrifice restores us into proper relationship with God
Make no mistake his death was violent- this shows us the seriousness of our own sin
What Jesus got is what we deserve
Every one of us
But he took the nails in our place
And his death was followed by resurrection
Which shows us that death no longer has a hold on his children
He did not stay in the grave and we will not stay there either though his power and through his sacrifice
He suffered physical death
But Old slick could not touch his spirit
Nor can he touch ours
We will suffer physical death unless Jesus comes back first
We may suffer hardships and illnesses and injuries
Our bodies may take the blows that this world has to offer
But our spirit
As was his spirit will be unaffected
I wish I could stop here
Or skip down a few verses and start over
Many do
I have discussed this passage with many men smarter than myself
Many of them admit to skirting around it
Some commentators leave it out of their writings
Many preachers refuse to preach it
I have spent hours reading praying
Studying the words of Great bible scholars
And there are so many ideas out there and so many opinions that like the Rubik’s cube we want to just rip off the stickers
Or beter yet throw it out the window
But
I have committed myself to teaching the whole bible
This is why I do book studies
I don’t get to pick and choose
I have to preach what come next
This means I must study
And I often get out of my comfort zone
I wish I could tell you
I figured it out
Or this author or that author made it clear for me
Or that God enlightened me on this passage and I get it
But I did not
And the authors did not
And God did not
So, I can with the utmost confidence say
I do not know what this next part means
But I can also say
Because I know God’s word does not contradict itself
That God has showed me though his word
What it does not mean
So that is how I will address this hard topic
Let me read verses 19-20 for you first
“So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood”
Let me tell you the common beliefs here in this passage and why I don’t accept them
Many people claim Jesus went to hell between his death and resurrection as more punishment for our sins
God’s word says that Jesus died for our sins
Jesus said it is finished on the cross
Jesus told the thief on the cross , you will be with me in paradise - TODAY
And Jesus words it is finished leave no room for further punishment
His death was payment in full
Nothing else was needed
So, based on God’s own word
I reject that teaching
Others say this verse teaches about a place called purgatory
Where you can change your eternal destination after death
In short get a second chance
Without using the rest of our time running you through scripture after scripture that does not support this idea
I can simply say
If we don’t have to make a decision in this life
And we will all get another chance
Then Jesus died for nothing
And I know he died to give me everything
We all have the chance to accept Christ
But that must be done on this side of the dirt
There are some who say Jesus preached though Noah to the ones who would not get on the boat
Others say he preached judgement to the angels who sinned with the women of the earth
Some say
Jesus went and explained salvation to the Old Testament saints
Those who died before Christ’s sacrifice
I can say with authority
I don’t know
But I do know this
This passage shows me that Jesus is Lord over all
There is nothing nor no one who he does not have authority over
There is nothing that can stop him
Nothing that can stop his message
Nothing that can stop his love or his grace
Here is what I think
Let me clarify
This is what I glean from the study of this passage
I believe Jesus proclaimed his glory
I believe he proclaimed his mission
I believe he proclaimed the fact that nothing could stop God’s plan
I don’t know where he was or even who he was talking to
But I believe where ever it was and whoever it was
The message was loud and clear
It is finished
Death has no power
The grave can’t hold me
He was loudly
Proclaiming his victory
Amen and amen
Let’s move onto the next hard part of this passage
Actually, it is only hard if we attempt to take it out of context to support the teaching of baptismal regeneration
Of in simple terms the concept of baptism being a condition of salvation
I teach
Because
I believe
Because God’s word says so
That The work of Jesus on the cross is all that is needed for salvation
Baptism is an act of obedience
A sign of salvation
We are making a public profession of faith that we are saved, and we want everyone to know it
I know because God’s word teaches Cleary when we read in context
That Jesus is enough
We don’t need baptism to save us
Should we be baptized
Yes
Does it save us
No
Verses 20b-21
Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.[c] 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from[d] a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Listen to me
Without spending a lot of time here
Was it the water that saved Noah and his family?
Was it the ark that saved Noah and his family?
Or was it the power of God who delivered them
I will answer that for you
It was the power of the almighty God
And it was his power alone
And it is the power of God though the working of the Holy Spirt to convict us
And the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ to forgive us
That saves us
Baptism is a public profession of that relationship
The water has no power except to show our faith
It is Jesus Christ and his sacrifice that saves
There is no further work of atonement
We are saved allover at the time of our acceptance of the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice
Saved
Signed
Sealed and delivered
Born Again
We become a new creation
Baptized with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit right then, right there
And then baptized with water as an act of obedience
As a show of acceptance
As a public profession of faith
The water does not save
Good deeds don’t save
Works don’t save
Never have
Never will
Jesus saves
Nuff said
Listen we can agree to disagree on many items in scripture
On this subject
I will not be moved
Why
Because it is all right here
Jesus is enough
Verses 21b-22
Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
Peter wraps up this part of chapter three with these words
Jesus the one and only
Left heaven
Came to earth
Suffered and died for us
Was placed in a grave
Rose again
And he is now in glory
Interceding on our behalf
And waiting patiently to come back and highest us when the time is right
Every knee will bend, every person will bow
All will recognize him as Lord
He is sovereign
He is in charge
But only those who accepted him will spend eternity with him
So
What does all this mean
Here is where the rubber meets the road
We serve a savior who knows us
Inside and out
He knows our suffering
Because he too suffered
We can be encouraged by this fact
All the other so-called God’s though out time
Want their followers to die for them
We serve the only true God
The only God who died for us
His name is Jesus
For the last several weeks every Sunday Morning on my way here
And every Sunday afternoon on my way home
While listening to the Bee
I hear a song titled Jesus’ blood is enough
By the Talley’s
Ya’ll know I can’t sing
So, listen to these words
I know there are many things that we will never understand in this life
But here is what I do understand
And it is amazing
In the aftermath of another broken promise
In the shame of compromise
In the midnight where memories are haunted
In a room that's full of lies
Jesus' blood is enough
Jesus' blood is enough
To give us life
To take us in
To make our hearts be new again
Jesus' blood is enough
To lift us up
To bring us hope
To mend each broken heart
I know Jesus' blood is enough
Jesus' blood is enough
When you finally let those hidden tears start falling
And the shadows face the light
When you're on your knees and you hear the healer calling
There's no need to hide
Jesus' blood is enough
To give us life
To take us in
To make our hearts be new again
Jesus' blood is enough
To lift us up
To bring us hope
To mend each broken heart
know Jesus' blood is enough
Jesus' blood is enough
There is nothing, nothing More precious to me
There is nothing, nothing More that we need
To give us life
To take us in
To make our hearts be new again
Jesus' blood is enough
To lift us up
To bring us hope
To mend each broken heart
I know Jesus' blood is enough
Jesus' blood is enough
Close from the heart
Pray
