WEBVTT

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 Our text is going to be verses 18 through 22, but I do want to back up and just read from verse 13 down because the text this evening is kind of just a continuation of what we looked at last week.

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 So the Bible says this in verse number 13,

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 And who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good?

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 But and if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.

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 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you of the reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

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 Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

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 For it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for doing well than for evil doing.

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 Verse 18, here's where we're going to pick our text up this evening.

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 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

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 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing,

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 wherein a few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

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 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God.

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 By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone up into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

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 Last week, Peter kind of told us and really showed us how to live our life and how to respond when doing right costs us.

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 Because we're going to try to do the right thing as we live for the Lord, and sometimes it's not going to go how we think it should.

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 You do the right thing, you take a stand, you stand on the principles of the Word of God, and sometimes people are going to react the wrong way.

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 And we can either be controlled by fear, or we can trust in the Lord.

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 And Peter shows us how do we do that.

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 We sanctify God in our hearts.

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 We keep a clear conscience the way that we live our life, that faithfulness, sometimes faithfulness brings suffering.

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 But when we have a clear conscience before God, we understand we're doing what he's called us to do.

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 But that raises a question that he really answers in these closing verses.

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 He says, how can we have this confidence when doing right costs us when life gets hard?

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 And Peter's answer is super simple.

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 Look at Jesus.

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 Because he's writing to a people that are suffering.

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 But he says, I just want to remind you, Jesus suffered too, but suffering never wins.

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 Because Jesus defeated it.

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 We sang that song, Victory in Jesus.

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 That's not a catchy Baptist hymn we sing, and we sang sold and praise God.

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 No, that's a truth from the Word of God.

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 And he's writing to a people saying, listen, I know life is hard, but there is victory.

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 And it's found in Jesus Christ.

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 So that's what we're going to look at this evening.

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 Let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask him to help us.

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 Father, thank you for the time to open up your Word again.

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 What a privilege it is every time we have the opportunity to read it for ourselves,

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 to proclaim it from the pulpit, to hear it in the Sunday school class.

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 Lord, I pray you would help us to take these truths

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 and just be reminded of the wonderful victory that we have in you and through you.

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 It's not something we have to wait for one day.

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 It's not something that's just reserved for us in heaven,

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 but Lord, it is available right now, and we would live in that victory that you give.

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 Lord, I pray that you would help my thoughts and to guide my words.

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 And there's some difficult places here in this text to explain it with clarity.

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 Lord, I pray that it would be a help to us tonight.

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 We ask this in Christ's name.

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 Amen.

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 Thank you so much for standing.

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 You may be seated.

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 I loved the text this morning in the sense where Luke says,

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 this is what the text is about.

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 I wish that every text that you came to in Scripture said,

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 hey, you're about to read this, and I just want you to know this is what it's about.

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 So you can go into it kind of having a good, clear understanding of,

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 okay, this is what the author is meaning.

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 This is what the Holy Spirit wants to pull out.

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 And then there's texts like 1 Peter 3, 18 through 22.

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 It's not like that.

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 Maybe you were reading that, and I said a couple of things.

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 As I was reading, you think, well, I thought every time you get in the baptism,

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 well, you say this water doesn't save you.

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 And Peter says, baptism now also saves us.

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 So it's one of those texts that we come to, and it seems confusing,

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 and we may not agree with everything Martin Luther says,

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 but I loved with this when I was studying it.

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 You know, when you come to difficult passages,

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 I go to some commentaries, and I start looking at it,

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 and here's what they say.

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 I don't know what it's talking about.

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 Martin Luther said, a wonderful text this is,

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 a more obscure passage than almost any other in the New Testament,

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 so I do not know certainly what it means.

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 I'm like, what a blessing.

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 But I do think, I'm not smarter than Martin,

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 I'm not saying I'm smarter than Martin Luther,

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 but I think when we dig in,

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 I think sometimes we make the text more difficult than it is.

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 I think there's some great truths that we can find here,

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 and Peter's going to talk about some things that when we read it,

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 verse number 19, he talks about Christ preaching to the spirits in prison.

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 He's going to take us back to the days of Noah.

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 He's talking about baptism and saving us,

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 and if you're not careful, that verse right there

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 has taken some people on some wild goose chases

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 that really don't end up where it needs to.

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 So as we dive into this passage,

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 we're not going to belabor some of these

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 and go through all of the views that people have out there,

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 but what I want us to do is,

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 where Scripture is clear, we want to be clear.

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 We can't be dogmatic about things that we are,

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 the Scripture's not dogmatic about.

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 And sometimes we don't have to know everything.

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 I love talking about some of these things.

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 You get in here, and this has a lot of similarity to the book of Jude,

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 and everybody wants to know who the fallen angels are

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 and who these spirits are,

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 and there's all kinds of things out there.

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 But I don't want us to get so fascinated with the difficult parts

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 that we miss what's obvious.

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 Because Peter's showing some things,

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 and while there are some details in these verses

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 that we're going to try to do the very best we can,

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 Peter's main point is not difficult at all.

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 Here's his point.

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 Jesus wins.

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 That Jesus is victorious.

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 We see the very last verse.

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 He's on the throne.

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 That is where he was getting to,

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 that Christ suffered, but suffering wasn't the end of his story.

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 Jesus died, but that wasn't the end of the story.

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 He was put in the grave, but that wasn't the end of his story.

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 That Jesus Christ was and is and always will be on the throne.

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 And that is the thrust, that is the main idea of this text.

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 And he wanted these believers to be encouraged

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 because they were experiencing suffering,

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 and they were being mistreated for their faith.

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 And he tells us there in verse number 17,

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 if you're going to suffer, and you will in this world,

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 if we live for Christ, we will suffer.

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 I mean, we don't like to hear that,

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 but Paul said all that live godly shall suffer persecution.

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 And Peter reminds us in verse 17,

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 as it kind of jumps us into our text tonight,

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 if you're going to suffer, suffer for the right reasons.

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 Do it because you're living for Christ

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 and taking a stand on his truth.

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 So as we come to the text that we're focused on here this evening,

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 Peter isn't abandoning this subject of suffering

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 and giving them some theology lecture.

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 No, in fact, he's doing the exact opposite.

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 He's saying because this is a reality in your life,

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 because these are things that you face,

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 and he knew where their suffering was heading,

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 because no one suffered more unjustly than Jesus Christ did.

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 Nobody suffered like Christ,

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 and the suffering, though, that he went through wasn't final.

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 It didn't have the final word.

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 And as Christians, that's still our hope.

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 Because when doing right costs us,

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 sometimes the faithfulness that we have

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 and we strive for in our life,

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 it's not going to make things easier.

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 That doesn't seem super popular,

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 and saying it out loud, I'm like,

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 man, I wish that wasn't true.

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 But the reality is sometimes we're going to live for Christ.

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 You're going to go to school and try to live for Christ.

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 You're going to go to work and try to live for Christ.

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 And it might make things a lot harder.

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 But it's okay.

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 Because we're not suffering because of wrongdoing.

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 We're suffering for the sake of Christ.

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 And that's what he's reminding us here.

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 So when we look at Jesus,

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 we see that there is hope

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 and there is a way to get through the difficulties that we face.

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 And so our big idea is because of Jesus,

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 it was victorious through his suffering,

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 we can trust him in our own suffering,

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 in our own difficulties in life.

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 So we want to look at this text this evening

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 and answer this question.

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 What does Peter show us about the victory of Jesus Christ?

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 Well, what can we see in this victory

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 that Jesus bought for us on the cross of Calvary?

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 Well, the first thing we see is found in verse number 18.

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 His death brought us to God.

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 It is death brought us to God.

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 Verse 18 says there at the very beginning,

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 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins.

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 That word also really,

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 as we read the previous text that we looked at last week,

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 it connects it.

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 That Peter's going back and looking at that truth

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 and here's what he's saying kind of at the beginning of verse 18.

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 I know what you're going through.

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 Jesus understands what is taking place

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 and he knows what it's like to suffer.

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 But I do want to remind us this.

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 There's an enormous difference

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 between the suffering of Jesus and our suffering.

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 The suffering that we went through

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 is mainly because we live in a broken, sinful world.

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 But Jesus wasn't suffering for his sins.

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 He wasn't on the cross because he deserved it.

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 He was there to pay the price of our sins.

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 He was there to pay a debt that we could not pay.

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 Peter's already alluded to that in chapter 2.

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 He told us,

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 He who did no sin,

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 neither was there guile found in his mouth.

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 And he's reiterating this fact over and over again

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 that Jesus was completely innocent.

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 He was completely righteous.

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 And yet he suffered greatly.

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 The Bible tells us there in verse number 18,

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 the just for the unjust.

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 I mean, that's the gospel right there.

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 That's Calvary.

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 We deserve the judgment.

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 We were unjust.

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 We were dead in our trespasses and sin.

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 And Jesus took it on himself.

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 He paid that price.

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 And Paul tells us that in the book of 2 Corinthians

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 that he was made sin for us

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 who knew no sin,

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 that we might be made the righteousness of God.

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 Here's what he's saying.

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 He did that so you could have hope,

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 so you could have joy,

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 you could have peace.

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 But notice that one little word there

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 at the beginning of verse number 18,

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 once.

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 Listen, Jesus' sacrifice

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 does not need to be repeated.

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 It's good for all time.

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 It doesn't need to be improved.

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 It is in no way needed to be

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 supplemented by what we do.

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 Now, we serve Christ,

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 and we love him,

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 and we do things for him,

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 but we're not doing that

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 to kind of get us over the finish line.

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 No, Jesus did that.

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 We cannot work our way to heaven.

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 He did it all.

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 And Jesus didn't make a down payment

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 on your salvation and say,

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 hey, I got you started now.

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 Finish it out.

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 Praise the Lord for that.

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 Because we couldn't afford it,

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 and we couldn't obtain it.

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 And when he cried from the cross,

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 it is finished.

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 That's exactly what he meant.

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 Hebrews 10 verse number 12 says this,

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 but this man, talking about Jesus,

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 after he had offered one sacrifice,

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 four sins, forever,

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 sat down on the right hand of God.

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 He came and completed the task.

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 That was his mission,

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 to seek and to save

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 and to put his blood there on the altar

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 for our sins.

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 And Peter wanted them to get a hold of this

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 and not run past this truth

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 because here's what it does for us.

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 It means that our confidence in God

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 is not based on our performance.

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 Because let's just be real,

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 sometimes as Christians,

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 we have a good week,

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 a good month,

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 a good couple months together,

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 and we think,

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 man, I'm doing pretty good.

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 But if you're like me,

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 in my Christian life,

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 sometimes we crash and burn.

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 I'm thankful that's not based on

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 when he's looking at my performance

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 or anybody have a yearly review at work?

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 You're like, man,

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 I hope they don't look at those two months.

00:12:40.020 --> 00:12:41.300
 I was good the rest of the months.

00:12:41.780 --> 00:12:43.000
 It was real bad right there.

00:12:43.400 --> 00:12:45.220
 Listen, I'm thankful that's not how God looks at us.

00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:46.420
 In fact, when he looks at us,

00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:47.900
 he sees his son,

00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.100
 that we're robed in his righteousness.

00:12:50.540 --> 00:12:51.800
 Our confidence in God

00:12:51.800 --> 00:12:53.960
 is not based in how religious we are.

00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:55.400
 It's not something within me.

00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:56.960
 Our confidence is simply

00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.080
 in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

00:12:59.660 --> 00:13:00.740
 That's what Peter says.

00:13:01.259 --> 00:13:03.200
 For Christ has once suffered.

00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:05.920
 He has once paid for the sins.

00:13:06.180 --> 00:13:08.320
 And he tells us why he did that,

00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:10.720
 that he might bring us to God.

00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:12.620
 It gives us that certainty

00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:13.920
 that we are forgiven.

00:13:14.060 --> 00:13:16.639
 It gives us that certainty of eternal life.

00:13:16.800 --> 00:13:18.120
 And heaven is our home

00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.480
 if we place our faith and trust in him.

00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:23.420
 But Peter goes even deeper.

00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:26.360
 It wasn't just what Jesus did

00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:27.060
 to bring us to God.

00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.600
 Why he did it.

00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.120
 Because our sins had separated us from God.

00:13:32.660 --> 00:13:35.120
 Our sins had separated that fellowship.

00:13:35.280 --> 00:13:37.060
 The Bible tells us in Isaiah chapter 59,

00:13:37.400 --> 00:13:39.139
 but your iniquities have separated

00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:41.800
 between you and your God.

00:13:42.700 --> 00:13:43.879
 The payment had to be made.

00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:46.980
 See, the greatest problem created by sin

00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:48.740
 wasn't just the fact that we were

00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:49.940
 on our way to hell.

00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:51.680
 That's a big problem.

00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:54.159
 But really, the greatest problem

00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.179
 was we were separated from God.

00:13:57.099 --> 00:13:58.639
 I mean, we think of hell often.

00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:00.379
 We think, man, it's a horrible place

00:14:00.379 --> 00:14:00.839
 and it is.

00:14:00.979 --> 00:14:02.039
 And we think the worst thing

00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:03.620
 may be the fire and the torment.

00:14:03.959 --> 00:14:05.059
 That's going to be pretty bad.

00:14:05.199 --> 00:14:05.939
 But here's what it is.

00:14:05.959 --> 00:14:07.559
 You are separated from God.

00:14:08.339 --> 00:14:09.559
 That's what sin does.

00:14:10.099 --> 00:14:11.199
 It separates you.

00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:12.439
 But Jesus knew that.

00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.179
 And he came.

00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:14.579
 He was the lamb that was slain

00:14:14.579 --> 00:14:16.219
 before the foundation of the world.

00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:18.080
 And he came to reconcile us.

00:14:18.660 --> 00:14:22.160
 He came and bought our life

00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:24.240
 that we are purchased by his blood.

00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:26.980
 And because he bore our sins,

00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:28.879
 he satisfied the judgment of God.

00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:30.300
 And he opened the way.

00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:31.500
 That's why he said,

00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:34.540
 I am the way and the truth and the life.

00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:37.920
 No man cometh unto the Father but by me.

00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:40.040
 See, Christianity isn't just about

00:14:40.040 --> 00:14:41.420
 getting something from God.

00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:42.519
 Here's what it really is.

00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:43.779
 It's getting God.

00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:45.419
 It's not just,

00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:46.759
 oh, get out of hell free card

00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:48.220
 and have some joy and peace in your life.

00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:49.579
 No, it's about knowing him.

00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:51.679
 That having a personal relationship

00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:52.819
 with the creator,

00:14:53.079 --> 00:14:54.079
 that we get to know him

00:14:54.079 --> 00:14:55.319
 and to call him our father.

00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:56.559
 We get to enjoy him now.

00:14:56.860 --> 00:14:57.340
 And guess what?

00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:58.439
 We get to enjoy him forever.

00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:00.279
 That he's invited us.

00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.220
 There's a nameplate

00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:04.279
 and a chair at the table for me.

00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:05.840
 Listen, I don't have to sit

00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:07.059
 at the little kid's table anymore.

00:15:07.539 --> 00:15:08.759
 Hopefully I'm not at the little kid's table

00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:09.079
 in heaven.

00:15:09.939 --> 00:15:10.799
 Actually, the little kid's table

00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:11.840
 is a lot more fun at Thanksgiving,

00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:12.360
 by the way.

00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:14.879
 Yeah, there's not all the kind of politics

00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:15.620
 and all kinds of things

00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:16.279
 going on over there.

00:15:16.579 --> 00:15:17.759
 I mean, we're talking about squishies

00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:18.879
 and all kinds of fun stuff

00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:20.139
 at the little kid's table.

00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.259
 See, what Peter's reminding us here

00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:25.000
 in verse number 18

00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.139
 is Jesus didn't just rescue us

00:15:27.139 --> 00:15:27.899
 from something.

00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:29.980
 He brought us to someone.

00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.879
 He brought us to God.

00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:34.139
 Sometimes we're thankful.

00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:35.139
 I'm thankful he rescued me,

00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:37.100
 but it's so much more than that.

00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:39.620
 It's so much better than that.

00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:40.200
 And really,

00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:42.279
 why he's reminding us of this

00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:44.100
 is because when we think about that,

00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:45.779
 when we think about all that Christ did

00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:47.019
 and what he suffered for us,

00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.440
 it really should change the way

00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:49.820
 that we understand suffering

00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:52.320
 and how we view what we walk through

00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:53.740
 and how we view the difficulties

00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:55.759
 and the trial in our own life.

00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:57.799
 And Peter was bringing them to this point

00:15:57.799 --> 00:15:58.720
 because we have seen

00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.620
 in these first three chapters,

00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:00.960
 I mean, they're going through it.

00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:02.279
 He said, listen,

00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:03.580
 I know you're going through it,

00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:04.840
 but let me remind you,

00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.680
 Jesus went through something much worse

00:16:06.680 --> 00:16:08.000
 than anything you can think of

00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:09.080
 because he loves you.

00:16:09.540 --> 00:16:10.639
 And it reminds us

00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:12.580
 that there is a hope that we can have.

00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:15.360
 See, because of the work of Jesus Christ

00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.259
 on the cross of Calvary,

00:16:16.680 --> 00:16:19.000
 suffering cannot take the greatest thing I possess.

00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:20.600
 It cannot.

00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:22.920
 I mean, people can reject you

00:16:22.920 --> 00:16:24.379
 and you still have God.

00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:25.800
 I mean, people,

00:16:26.060 --> 00:16:27.879
 circumstances can change all over the place.

00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:28.940
 I mean, they can be up and down

00:16:28.940 --> 00:16:30.000
 every single day,

00:16:30.060 --> 00:16:31.120
 but you still have God.

00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:33.139
 I mean, you can lose things.

00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:35.220
 You can lose someone very dear to you.

00:16:35.319 --> 00:16:36.620
 They can pass on

00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:37.620
 or whatever it might be,

00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:38.720
 but you still have God

00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:40.039
 and you have hope if they know Christ.

00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:42.819
 And even death itself

00:16:42.819 --> 00:16:44.939
 cannot separate you from him.

00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:48.000
 I'm reminded what Paul told us there

00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:48.559
 at the end of Romans.

00:16:48.699 --> 00:16:50.120
 I mean, you ever having a bad day,

00:16:50.179 --> 00:16:50.759
 you're going through it,

00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:51.620
 read Romans,

00:16:51.699 --> 00:16:53.340
 the very last part of Romans chapter eight.

00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:55.779
 Nothing can separate us

00:16:55.779 --> 00:16:56.779
 from the love of God.

00:16:57.439 --> 00:16:57.919
 You know what that is?

00:16:57.960 --> 00:16:58.799
 That's real victory.

00:16:59.819 --> 00:17:01.159
 That's victory that lasts.

00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:02.620
 That's not victory based

00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:04.640
 on all these worldly things.

00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:06.519
 Look at the last phrase

00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:07.700
 of verse number 18.

00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:08.740
 The Bible tells us this,

00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:10.599
 being put to death in the flesh,

00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:12.819
 but quickened by the Spirit.

00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.019
 Peter just reminds them,

00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:16.559
 hey, they killed Jesus.

00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:18.779
 Now, we know he laid down his life,

00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.220
 but he died.

00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:22.339
 But he's not there anymore.

00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:25.140
 That he was quickened by the Spirit.

00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:26.900
 His enemies thought the cross

00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:28.339
 was his ultimate defeat

00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:29.960
 and they viewed it

00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:30.920
 as a horrible symbol.

00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:31.580
 But you know what?

00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:32.380
 We're so thankful

00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:33.480
 for the cross of Calvary now

00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.120
 because Jesus took something

00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:35.880
 that was so awful

00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:36.779
 and turned it into something

00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:37.500
 so beautiful.

00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:39.120
 And we can look at the cross

00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:39.660
 every time

00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:40.500
 and every time we see it,

00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:41.519
 we should be thankful

00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:43.720
 for the price that he paid.

00:17:44.860 --> 00:17:45.940
 Even the disciples thought

00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:47.000
 the grave was the end.

00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:49.000
 Like, what are we going to do now?

00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:51.299
 Mary went to the grave

00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:53.319
 and she was distraught

00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:55.240
 and she saw who she's supposed

00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:55.960
 to be the gardener.

00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:57.279
 She said, just tell me where he is.

00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:58.519
 Where did they carry him away?

00:17:58.559 --> 00:17:59.440
 And he said, Mary.

00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:01.779
 The grave wasn't the end.

00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:02.900
 It became the doorway

00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:04.339
 to his resurrection.

00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:07.920
 And he's just reminding these believers,

00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:08.960
 and they knew this,

00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:10.599
 that the cross,

00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:12.319
 Jesus didn't lose the battle.

00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:15.079
 No, the cross proved he won the battle.

00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:16.940
 That he won the victory.

00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:19.019
 And at the beginning of verse number 19,

00:18:19.340 --> 00:18:19.920
 Peter shows us

00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:21.759
 just how far that victory reaches.

00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:24.220
 And he shows us a couple examples

00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:25.759
 here in these next few verses.

00:18:26.580 --> 00:18:28.539
 And this is kind of the part of the text

00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:28.860
 where you think,

00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:29.960
 what is he saying here?

00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:30.779
 Verse number 19,

00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:32.860
 but which also he went

00:18:32.860 --> 00:18:35.100
 and preached unto the spirits in prison.

00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:37.920
 Now, we read that

00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:38.860
 and automatically I'm thinking,

00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:40.019
 who are these spirits?

00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:41.420
 Where did he go?

00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:42.680
 What did he preach?

00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:44.400
 What is going on right here?

00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.640
 We're really faithful Bible students

00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:48.380
 over the years,

00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.220
 and there's going to be

00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:49.960
 differing opinions.

00:18:50.140 --> 00:18:51.120
 They look at these verses

00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:52.400
 in several different ways.

00:18:53.540 --> 00:18:55.860
 Some believe Peter is describing Christ

00:18:55.860 --> 00:18:57.280
 by the Spirit,

00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:58.540
 preaching through Noah

00:18:58.540 --> 00:18:59.920
 to the wicked generation,

00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:01.540
 which we see him talk about Noah

00:19:01.540 --> 00:19:02.840
 there in verse number 20.

00:19:03.580 --> 00:19:05.640
 That Jesus was speaking through Noah

00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:06.200
 as he preached.

00:19:06.280 --> 00:19:07.500
 He was a preacher of righteousness

00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:08.980
 for 120 years

00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:10.040
 as he was building the ark.

00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:13.379
 Another very common held belief

00:19:13.379 --> 00:19:15.279
 is these spirits in prison

00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:17.599
 refer to the fallen angelic beings

00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:18.779
 associated with the rebellion

00:19:18.779 --> 00:19:20.259
 and the wickedness

00:19:20.259 --> 00:19:21.559
 surrounding the days of Noah.

00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:23.619
 You look at Genesis chapter 6

00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:24.579
 and you've ever heard of the Nephilim?

00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:26.519
 It's a rabbit hole.

00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:28.440
 You can get down it really, really deep,

00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:30.220
 but that's kind of what's taking place

00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:32.000
 and that following his death

00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.240
 and his resurrection,

00:19:33.420 --> 00:19:35.980
 Christ proclaimed his victory over them.

00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:38.500
 And there's other interpretations as well,

00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:40.160
 but I just want us to remember

00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.279
 as we were going to say

00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:42.140
 a few things about it,

00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:43.380
 Peter didn't write

00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:45.119
 to give these suffering Christians

00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.140
 an interpretive puzzle.

00:19:46.660 --> 00:19:48.200
 Like, figure this one out.

00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:49.880
 That's not what he's saying.

00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:51.079
 Here's what he's saying.

00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:52.220
 Hey, you have hope

00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:54.039
 because of what Jesus did.

00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:56.339
 My personal opinion is

00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:57.759
 the interpretation here

00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:59.759
 and we find here in verse 19 and 20

00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.220
 seems to fit the language

00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:02.359
 and the context

00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.960
 of the spirits in prison

00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:06.099
 are the fallen angels.

00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:07.519
 Are these beings

00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.680
 that we see in Genesis chapter number 6

00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:10.660
 that were connected

00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:12.139
 to the terrible wickedness

00:20:12.139 --> 00:20:13.039
 in Noah's day?

00:20:13.619 --> 00:20:14.720
 When you read Genesis 6,

00:20:14.879 --> 00:20:16.359
 they said that wickedness was,

00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:18.339
 every thought of the man

00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:19.579
 was continually wicked.

00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:22.920
 And these specific fallen beings,

00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:24.000
 they caused a lot of problems.

00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:25.539
 We don't know exactly what it is.

00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:27.119
 There's a lot of different opinions.

00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:28.019
 That's another sermon

00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:28.680
 for another time.

00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:31.519
 But Peter uses this similar language

00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.660
 here in chapter number 2,

00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:34.460
 verse number 4,

00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:35.779
 in 2 Peter, excuse me,

00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:36.639
 here's what he said.

00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.400
 For if God spared not

00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:39.759
 the angels that sin,

00:20:40.300 --> 00:20:41.620
 but cast them down to hell

00:20:41.620 --> 00:20:42.320
 and delivered them

00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:43.300
 into chains of darkness

00:20:43.300 --> 00:20:45.060
 to be reserved unto judgment.

00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.500
 Quite a while back,

00:20:47.540 --> 00:20:48.620
 we preached through the book of Jude

00:20:48.620 --> 00:20:50.500
 and Jude speaks very similarly

00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:51.620
 of these angels as well.

00:20:52.280 --> 00:20:52.840
 He says this,

00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:54.560
 these angels who kept not

00:20:54.560 --> 00:20:56.000
 their first estate,

00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:58.540
 God has reserved them

00:20:58.540 --> 00:20:59.840
 an everlasting change

00:20:59.840 --> 00:21:00.780
 under darkness

00:21:00.780 --> 00:21:02.400
 unto the day of judgment.

00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:04.240
 So I think what Peter

00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:05.440
 is wanting us to see here

00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:06.759
 and we're going somewhere,

00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:07.579
 so hang on with me.

00:21:07.620 --> 00:21:08.420
 I know this is kind of

00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:09.859
 a little difficult

00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:11.900
 to articulate.

00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:13.859
 But I believe what Peter

00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:14.519
 is telling us

00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:15.700
 is that Christ proclaimed

00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:16.339
 his victory

00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:17.680
 over these defeated

00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:19.140
 spiritual powers.

00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:20.859
 See, because they thought

00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:21.720
 they had the victory.

00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:23.000
 Even on the cross,

00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:24.120
 they thought they had won

00:21:24.120 --> 00:21:25.519
 and they are always,

00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:26.799
 since the beginning of time,

00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.680
 we see it all the way

00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:28.339
 in the book of Genesis,

00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:29.539
 all the way up

00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:30.559
 until the book of Revelation,

00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:32.079
 where God is going to throw them

00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:32.619
 in the lake of fire.

00:21:32.699 --> 00:21:33.639
 Praise the Lord for that day.

00:21:34.179 --> 00:21:35.319
 But they are trying

00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:35.859
 to win the battle.

00:21:35.919 --> 00:21:36.919
 They know they've lost now.

00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.679
 When Jesus rose from the grave,

00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.799
 their sentence was sealed.

00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:42.659
 But they are looking

00:21:42.659 --> 00:21:43.419
 for this victory

00:21:43.419 --> 00:21:44.500
 and Peter is saying,

00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:45.460
 I don't want us

00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:45.799
 to misunderstand,

00:21:46.179 --> 00:21:47.259
 that Jesus didn't preach

00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:48.179
 to them and offer them

00:21:48.179 --> 00:21:49.639
 a second chance.

00:21:50.419 --> 00:21:51.480
 That's not what's taking place.

00:21:51.679 --> 00:21:52.659
 The word preached is this,

00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:54.019
 it means proclamation,

00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:55.500
 to proclaim,

00:21:55.899 --> 00:21:56.599
 to herald.

00:21:56.919 --> 00:21:58.279
 This isn't a second chance

00:21:58.279 --> 00:21:58.859
 after death.

00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:00.639
 No, here's what Jesus is doing.

00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:02.140
 This is what Peter is saying,

00:22:02.360 --> 00:22:02.900
 that Jesus,

00:22:03.120 --> 00:22:05.060
 this is a declaration of victory.

00:22:05.620 --> 00:22:07.020
 That all of these evil spirits,

00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:08.080
 all of these fallen angels,

00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:08.900
 because they're real,

00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:09.340
 by the way.

00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:11.360
 I know we get weirded out

00:22:11.360 --> 00:22:12.300
 sometimes and we talk

00:22:12.300 --> 00:22:13.040
 about angels and demons,

00:22:13.300 --> 00:22:13.820
 they're real.

00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.580
 We're not battling

00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:16.740
 what we see.

00:22:16.840 --> 00:22:18.200
 No, we're in a spiritual battle.

00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:20.400
 That has been that way

00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.140
 since the beginning.

00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:23.340
 Satan had done his worst.

00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:25.000
 Sin tried to do its worst.

00:22:25.340 --> 00:22:26.400
 Death had done its worst.

00:22:26.560 --> 00:22:28.880
 But Jesus still won.

00:22:29.760 --> 00:22:31.320
 That's what Peter is saying here.

00:22:31.760 --> 00:22:33.920
 Evil has never been

00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:35.880
 outside of God's control.

00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:37.780
 He doesn't look at these

00:22:37.780 --> 00:22:39.060
 wicked fallen angels

00:22:39.060 --> 00:22:39.920
 that fell from heaven

00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:40.960
 when Satan fell

00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:41.520
 and think,

00:22:41.600 --> 00:22:42.360
 man, I don't know what to do.

00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:42.680
 I don't know.

00:22:42.800 --> 00:22:43.600
 They're out of control.

00:22:44.040 --> 00:22:45.140
 No, they did some things

00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:45.600
 on this earth.

00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:46.400
 We don't know what it is.

00:22:46.620 --> 00:22:47.380
 Maybe one day in heaven

00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:47.820
 we'll know.

00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.400
 But God says,

00:22:49.600 --> 00:22:50.460
 because they did that,

00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:51.340
 they're being punished

00:22:51.340 --> 00:22:51.920
 even now.

00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:53.420
 They're being reserved

00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:55.280
 until the day of judgment.

00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:56.900
 And so that's what Peter does

00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:57.480
 in verse number 20.

00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:59.160
 He takes us back to Noah's day

00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:01.540
 and he reminds us,

00:23:01.560 --> 00:23:01.840
 he says,

00:23:02.060 --> 00:23:03.900
 which sometimes we're disobedient.

00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:05.540
 This is the reason

00:23:05.540 --> 00:23:06.460
 they're in prison.

00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:08.900
 When once the long-suffering

00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:09.680
 of God waited

00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:10.580
 in the days of Noah

00:23:10.580 --> 00:23:11.519
 while the ark

00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:12.180
 was a preparing,

00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:13.420
 wherein a few,

00:23:13.560 --> 00:23:14.840
 that is eight souls,

00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:16.259
 were saved by water.

00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:18.700
 So he takes the reader back

00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:19.000
 and says,

00:23:19.080 --> 00:23:19.240
 listen,

00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.320
 you remember the days of Noah?

00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:21.440
 You remember the account?

00:23:21.780 --> 00:23:22.980
 The earth was filled

00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:23.740
 with violence.

00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:26.740
 Humanity had rebelled

00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:28.359
 completely against God.

00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:30.039
 And put yourself

00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.740
 in Noah's shoes.

00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:32.160
 I mean,

00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:32.900
 Noah had to,

00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:33.700
 from his perspective,

00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:34.680
 had to think,

00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:35.779
 we're losing this battle

00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:36.339
 big time.

00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:37.579
 I mean,

00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:38.579
 Noah's preaching,

00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:39.519
 can you imagine preaching

00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.559
 for 120 years

00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:42.400
 and nobody listens to you?

00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:43.400
 I mean,

00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:44.059
 that would be awful.

00:23:45.660 --> 00:23:46.380
 He's there

00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:48.039
 and the Bible tells us

00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:49.180
 there's only a few people

00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:49.620
 that enter the ark.

00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:49.940
 How many?

00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:50.660
 Eight people.

00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:52.299
 Out of all the people

00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:53.079
 that heard Noah preach

00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:53.839
 over and over

00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:54.740
 and they'd come by

00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:55.299
 and they'd mock him

00:23:55.299 --> 00:23:55.440
 and say,

00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:56.799
 why are you building a boat, man?

00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:58.180
 We live in the desert.

00:23:58.619 --> 00:23:59.619
 What's going on here?

00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:01.379
 And he had to keep wondering,

00:24:01.619 --> 00:24:01.859
 Lord,

00:24:01.919 --> 00:24:02.919
 it just seems like

00:24:02.919 --> 00:24:04.639
 we're not doing anything.

00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:06.000
 We're not making any progress.

00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:07.139
 And at eight people,

00:24:07.399 --> 00:24:08.440
 Noah certainly didn't have

00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:08.940
 the majority.

00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:11.419
 He didn't seem like

00:24:11.419 --> 00:24:13.099
 he was on the winning side.

00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:16.539
 But Peter's reminding

00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:17.259
 these people

00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:18.619
 that are spread abroad

00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:19.759
 and all over Galatia

00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:21.180
 and really on the run

00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:22.500
 and been displaced

00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:23.400
 from their homes.

00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:24.740
 He wanted them

00:24:24.740 --> 00:24:25.400
 to understand this.

00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:27.319
 Never mistake being outnumbered

00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:27.960
 for being defeated.

00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.779
 Because they had to feel

00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:31.539
 like they're losing.

00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:33.559
 I don't know about you,

00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:34.319
 but sometimes in life

00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:35.299
 it feels like we're losing.

00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:36.619
 I mean,

00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:37.599
 we see this all throughout Scripture.

00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:39.180
 We see the psalmist says,

00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:40.359
 why do the heathen rage?

00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:40.960
 Why do they just get

00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:41.700
 to do whatever they want?

00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:42.900
 He says,

00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:43.660
 I'm looking all around

00:24:43.660 --> 00:24:44.019
 and it seems

00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:45.579
 they have all the cars

00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:46.299
 and all the houses

00:24:46.299 --> 00:24:46.960
 and all the money

00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.019
 and they have no problems

00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:48.500
 and we're over here

00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:49.140
 trying to serve God

00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:49.560
 and we don't have

00:24:49.560 --> 00:24:50.580
 any of those things.

00:24:51.560 --> 00:24:52.220
 But then the psalmist

00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:53.140
 reminds himself

00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:54.440
 when God shows up

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.480
 everything's going to change.

00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:56.140
 And that's kind of

00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:57.140
 where Peter's taken them.

00:24:58.200 --> 00:24:59.040
 He wanted them

00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:00.259
 to understand that

00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:00.620
 yes,

00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:02.100
 the Roman world

00:25:02.100 --> 00:25:02.880
 around them

00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:03.980
 it seemed enormous

00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:04.840
 and Christianity

00:25:04.840 --> 00:25:06.280
 seemed so small.

00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:07.900
 And that's why

00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:08.360
 he took them back

00:25:08.360 --> 00:25:08.880
 to Noah's day.

00:25:09.100 --> 00:25:09.860
 It's kind of like this,

00:25:10.060 --> 00:25:10.240
 hey,

00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:11.440
 we've seen this before.

00:25:12.800 --> 00:25:13.620
 We've seen this

00:25:13.620 --> 00:25:14.400
 kind of situation

00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.440
 where it seemed like

00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:16.240
 all the world

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:17.180
 was against us

00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:17.920
 but guess what?

00:25:18.100 --> 00:25:19.000
 God showed up.

00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:21.140
 God made it known.

00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:21.520
 See,

00:25:21.600 --> 00:25:22.180
 there was a day

00:25:22.180 --> 00:25:22.900
 when Noah looked

00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:23.580
 like a fool

00:25:23.580 --> 00:25:25.560
 until the rain came.

00:25:26.620 --> 00:25:27.220
 Then they were trying

00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:27.900
 to get in the boat

00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:29.320
 but God had already

00:25:29.320 --> 00:25:29.980
 closed the door.

00:25:31.120 --> 00:25:31.780
 There was a day

00:25:31.780 --> 00:25:32.680
 when evil appeared

00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:33.259
 to be winning

00:25:33.259 --> 00:25:35.340
 until God judged it.

00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:37.060
 That's kind of

00:25:37.060 --> 00:25:38.400
 what he's reminding them there.

00:25:38.980 --> 00:25:40.220
 That Jesus' victory

00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:40.900
 on the cross

00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:42.540
 it brought judgment,

00:25:42.780 --> 00:25:43.860
 it brought vindication

00:25:43.860 --> 00:25:44.460
 for those that

00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:45.880
 faithfully served God.

00:25:46.520 --> 00:25:46.880
 That Noah

00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:48.080
 wasn't this crazy man

00:25:48.080 --> 00:25:48.740
 just standing out

00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.740
 preaching to a bunch

00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:50.020
 of people

00:25:50.020 --> 00:25:50.760
 that weren't listening

00:25:50.760 --> 00:25:52.200
 and he's just telling us

00:25:52.200 --> 00:25:53.380
 and telling these believers,

00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:53.920
 listen,

00:25:54.300 --> 00:25:54.980
 Christianity,

00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:56.540
 we cannot measure

00:25:56.540 --> 00:25:57.040
 the truth

00:25:57.040 --> 00:25:58.000
 by the popularity.

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:01.040
 Because the closer

00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:01.720
 we get to the return

00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:02.120
 of Christ,

00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:02.980
 I think we're seeing it

00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:03.840
 in our own life

00:26:03.840 --> 00:26:04.600
 and culture,

00:26:05.100 --> 00:26:06.020
 the truth of the word

00:26:06.020 --> 00:26:06.260
 of God

00:26:06.260 --> 00:26:06.980
 is getting less

00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:08.320
 and less popular.

00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:10.740
 But it doesn't change

00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:11.359
 the truth

00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:12.720
 of the word of God.

00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:14.939
 We can't water it down.

00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.500
 We can't say,

00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:16.279
 well, you know,

00:26:16.399 --> 00:26:17.700
 that's just an old book.

00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:18.759
 No, it's a timeless book.

00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:19.899
 It's settled in heaven forever.

00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:21.079
 God knows what he's doing

00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:21.779
 and really,

00:26:21.919 --> 00:26:22.859
 this is nothing new.

00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.299
 Like Peter told these people,

00:26:25.419 --> 00:26:26.639
 we've seen this before

00:26:26.639 --> 00:26:28.619
 but God's going to show up.

00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:30.720
 See, God has never needed

00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:31.359
 a majority

00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:33.619
 to accomplish his purposes.

00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:35.500
 Peter's readers

00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:36.539
 needed to know that.

00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:38.099
 And I would imagine

00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:39.379
 we probably need to know that too

00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:40.579
 and just be reminded of that.

00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:42.700
 God didn't call us

00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:43.259
 to be the biggest

00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:43.759
 and the best

00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.079
 and the greatest.

00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:44.720
 He just called us

00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:45.299
 to be faithful

00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:47.119
 and let him handle it.

00:26:47.779 --> 00:26:48.599
 And that brings Peter

00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:49.519
 to another picture

00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.200
 from Noah's day,

00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:50.960
 the flood.

00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:53.579
 And through this picture,

00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:55.019
 he kind of shows baptism.

00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.839
 Look at verse number 21.

00:26:58.559 --> 00:26:59.420
 The like figure

00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:00.839
 whereunto even baptism

00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.519
 doth also now save us,

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.819
 not the putting away

00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:06.039
 of the filth of the flesh,

00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:07.039
 but the answer

00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:07.859
 of a good conscience

00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:08.539
 towards God

00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:09.359
 by the resurrection

00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:10.899
 of Jesus Christ.

00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:13.299
 Think, Peter,

00:27:13.399 --> 00:27:14.539
 what in the world

00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:15.420
 are you saying right here?

00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:16.559
 I mean,

00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:17.399
 does Peter mean

00:27:17.399 --> 00:27:18.379
 that the physical act

00:27:18.379 --> 00:27:18.940
 of baptism

00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:20.379
 washes our sins away

00:27:20.379 --> 00:27:20.779
 because that's what

00:27:20.779 --> 00:27:21.420
 it looks like?

00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:22.799
 Absolutely not.

00:27:23.639 --> 00:27:24.440
 That is not

00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:25.220
 what he is saying.

00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:26.920
 In fact,

00:27:27.019 --> 00:27:28.159
 Peter immediately tells us

00:27:28.159 --> 00:27:29.000
 that's not what he means

00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.019
 in that very next,

00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:31.039
 in the parentheses.

00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:32.259
 He's saying

00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:32.960
 that that's not

00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.539
 what it is

00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:34.399
 but here's what

00:27:34.399 --> 00:27:35.159
 he wants us to understand.

00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:36.339
 Peter is teaching

00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:38.379
 that getting into water

00:27:38.379 --> 00:27:39.180
 does not save.

00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:40.119
 He's not teaching that.

00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:41.899
 I say it every single time

00:27:41.899 --> 00:27:42.819
 and I know

00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:44.119
 you get tired of it maybe

00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:44.980
 but I'm going to say it

00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:45.619
 every single time

00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:46.899
 because I don't want

00:27:46.899 --> 00:27:47.420
 people to think,

00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:48.460
 oh, I've been baptized

00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:49.399
 because maybe you've asked

00:27:49.399 --> 00:27:49.619
 somebody,

00:27:49.899 --> 00:27:50.240
 you know the Lord

00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:50.680
 is your Savior?

00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:51.899
 I've been baptized.

00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:53.680
 It's not what I ask.

00:27:54.399 --> 00:27:54.899
 Do you know the Lord

00:27:54.899 --> 00:27:55.460
 is your Savior?

00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:56.940
 Baptism is just

00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:57.899
 an outward picture

00:27:57.899 --> 00:27:58.859
 of an inward

00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:00.259
 transformation in our life.

00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:02.180
 baptism cannot wash

00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:02.920
 sin from the heart.

00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:04.819
 Water can wash our body.

00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:06.440
 Only Jesus can cleanse

00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:06.859
 the soul.

00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:08.200
 But that's why

00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:09.039
 there's a very important

00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:09.599
 little phrase

00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.019
 at the beginning,

00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:11.519
 the like figure.

00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:12.920
 What he's doing

00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:14.160
 is he's referring

00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:14.940
 to the flood

00:28:14.940 --> 00:28:15.920
 and he's using it

00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:16.400
 as a picture

00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:17.500
 and the waters

00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:18.940
 represented God's judgment

00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:19.619
 against sin.

00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:22.559
 And yet,

00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:23.920
 Noah and his family

00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:24.920
 passed safely

00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:25.559
 through the judgment.

00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:25.879
 Why?

00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.039
 Because they were

00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:27.640
 in Christ.

00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:29.599
 That's what the ark is.

00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.299
 The ark is a picture

00:28:31.299 --> 00:28:32.019
 of Christ.

00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:33.180
 That when you

00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.559
 enter into Christ,

00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:35.599
 that's why Peter

00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:36.180
 and Paul

00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:36.740
 and all of these

00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:37.279
 New Testament writers,

00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:37.960
 they keep saying

00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:38.279
 that phrase,

00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:39.500
 in Christ.

00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:40.440
 In Christ.

00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:41.379
 When you're in Christ,

00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:41.779
 guess what?

00:28:41.900 --> 00:28:42.539
 You're protected.

00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:43.180
 You're saved.

00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:43.359
 Why?

00:28:43.559 --> 00:28:45.180
 He has the victory.

00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:46.779
 That's what Noah was.

00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:47.740
 He was protected

00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:49.000
 because he trusted

00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:49.700
 in Christ.

00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:50.660
 And Peter sees

00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:51.339
 this illustration

00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:52.680
 of the believer's salvation.

00:28:53.140 --> 00:28:54.079
 Just as baptism

00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:55.720
 becomes the outward picture

00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:57.220
 of an inward identification

00:28:57.220 --> 00:28:58.680
 with Jesus Christ

00:28:58.680 --> 00:28:59.700
 and his death

00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:00.560
 and his burial

00:29:00.560 --> 00:29:01.560
 and his resurrection.

00:29:01.560 --> 00:29:02.460
 He wants us

00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:03.320
 to see that here.

00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:04.700
 Romans 6, 4.

00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:04.960
 Therefore,

00:29:05.140 --> 00:29:05.960
 we are also buried

00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:06.380
 with him

00:29:06.380 --> 00:29:07.980
 by baptism into death.

00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:09.060
 That as Christ

00:29:09.060 --> 00:29:09.759
 was raised up

00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:10.180
 from the dead

00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:10.759
 by the glory

00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:12.019
 of God the Father.

00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:13.680
 That's what baptism is.

00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:15.700
 We are buried in Christ

00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:16.980
 and we are raised

00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:18.660
 to walk in newness of life.

00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:19.460
 It pictures our death

00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:20.299
 and the burial

00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:21.120
 and our resurrection

00:29:21.120 --> 00:29:22.560
 and now we're a new person.

00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:24.259
 We're a new creature.

00:29:25.100 --> 00:29:25.660
 And when somebody

00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:26.640
 follows Christ

00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:27.460
 and believers baptism,

00:29:27.820 --> 00:29:29.320
 they are publicly identifying

00:29:29.320 --> 00:29:30.540
 with what Jesus

00:29:30.540 --> 00:29:31.759
 has already done.

00:29:32.620 --> 00:29:33.000
 They're saying,

00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:33.920
 I have victory

00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:34.820
 in Jesus Christ.

00:29:35.100 --> 00:29:35.940
 He's my Savior

00:29:35.940 --> 00:29:37.580
 and I'm going to follow him

00:29:37.580 --> 00:29:38.900
 the rest of my life.

00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:40.660
 So I just want to make

00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:41.580
 this very clear

00:29:41.580 --> 00:29:42.440
 like Peter is saying.

00:29:42.800 --> 00:29:43.800
 Baptism is important.

00:29:44.860 --> 00:29:45.500
 I'm in no way

00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:46.180
 downgrading baptism.

00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:47.140
 It's important.

00:29:47.380 --> 00:29:48.140
 It's commanded.

00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:49.360
 In fact,

00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:50.580
 it's the first step

00:29:50.580 --> 00:29:51.220
 of obedience.

00:29:51.660 --> 00:29:52.960
 That every believer

00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:53.960
 in Jesus Christ

00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:55.280
 should be baptized.

00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:56.879
 And if you haven't been

00:29:56.879 --> 00:29:57.539
 scripturally baptized,

00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:58.539
 here's what Peter says.

00:29:58.579 --> 00:29:59.119
 Get it done.

00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:02.460
 God wants us to do that.

00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:05.220
 But baptism isn't the Savior.

00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:06.339
 Jesus is.

00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:09.740
 The sign of baptism

00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:10.519
 doesn't save you.

00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:11.759
 The Savior does.

00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:13.980
 It's just this outward picture

00:30:13.980 --> 00:30:15.720
 that our hope rests

00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:16.859
 in a living Savior.

00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:19.920
 Because if Jesus stayed dead,

00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:21.399
 we have no gospel.

00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:24.019
 If Jesus stayed dead,

00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:24.960
 death won.

00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:26.859
 If Christ didn't raise

00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:27.319
 from the dead,

00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:27.980
 Paul said,

00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:29.139
 of all men,

00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:30.200
 we're most miserable.

00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:31.339
 We might as well

00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:32.139
 pack up and go home

00:30:32.139 --> 00:30:33.000
 and do something else.

00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:35.099
 But Jesus is not dead.

00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:36.759
 That he was risen

00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.420
 from the dead.

00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:38.599
 And so Peter's message

00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:40.039
 to these suffering Christians

00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:41.759
 isn't hang in there, guys.

00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:42.700
 I mean,

00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:44.059
 hold on until Jesus comes.

00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:44.859
 That's not what he's saying.

00:30:45.819 --> 00:30:46.480
 No, his message

00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.559
 is much greater than that.

00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:49.480
 His message is this,

00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:50.940
 that Jesus has already

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:52.220
 passed through the suffering

00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:53.779
 and come out victorious

00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:54.539
 on the other side.

00:30:55.539 --> 00:30:56.220
 And so can you.

00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:58.000
 Because if you're in Christ,

00:30:58.400 --> 00:30:59.920
 just like Noah was in the ark,

00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:00.420
 listen,

00:31:00.620 --> 00:31:01.680
 the floods may come

00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:02.559
 and the difficulties

00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:03.120
 are going to be there,

00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:04.259
 but you're safe.

00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:05.539
 You're secure.

00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:06.680
 You're in the one

00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:07.620
 that gives victory.

00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:09.160
 And if you belong to him,

00:31:09.480 --> 00:31:10.339
 his victory

00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:12.019
 determines your future.

00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:13.839
 I'm not going to heaven one day

00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:14.660
 because I'm a good person.

00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:16.400
 I'm going to heaven one day

00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:17.259
 because Jesus Christ

00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:18.680
 saved my wicked soul.

00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:19.539
 I mean,

00:31:19.600 --> 00:31:20.480
 that's really what

00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:21.480
 Peter's reminding us.

00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:22.220
 I mean,

00:31:22.339 --> 00:31:23.620
 suffering can hurt you.

00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:26.140
 Peter does not deny that

00:31:26.140 --> 00:31:27.000
 in this book at all.

00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:28.740
 Suffering hurts.

00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:30.579
 Life hurts.

00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:32.779
 But what he's saying right here

00:31:32.779 --> 00:31:34.740
 is it cannot destroy your hope.

00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.539
 The world may

00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:39.059
 and tries to oppose the church,

00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:40.620
 oppose the scriptures,

00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:41.779
 oppose God,

00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:43.120
 but they cannot defeat him.

00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:45.120
 He's already walked out of the grave.

00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:47.460
 He's alive and well today.

00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:49.740
 And apart from Christ,

00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:52.500
 my conscience testifies against me.

00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:54.460
 That's what Peter's saying.

00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:55.700
 I know I've sinned.

00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:58.380
 I know that I've fallen short

00:31:58.380 --> 00:31:58.859
 of the glory of God.

00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:01.140
 I know I cannot make myself righteous.

00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:02.259
 But he's reminding us

00:32:02.259 --> 00:32:02.839
 in these verses,

00:32:03.220 --> 00:32:04.160
 because of the death

00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:04.720
 and the resurrection

00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:05.519
 of Jesus Christ,

00:32:06.019 --> 00:32:06.660
 I'm forgiven.

00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:09.480
 I can stand with confidence

00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:10.359
 before God.

00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:11.680
 Not because of what I've done,

00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:13.700
 but because of what he's done for me.

00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:16.259
 And so Peter has taken us

00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:17.700
 from his suffering

00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:19.559
 to Jesus' death

00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:20.559
 to his resurrection,

00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:23.160
 but victory doesn't end

00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:23.900
 with an empty tomb.

00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:25.539
 Here's what he wants us

00:32:25.539 --> 00:32:26.120
 to know as well,

00:32:26.380 --> 00:32:28.640
 that our Savior ascended

00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:29.980
 in victory.

00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:31.480
 Look at verse number 22.

00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:32.940
 The Bible tells us,

00:32:33.299 --> 00:32:34.860
 who is gone into heaven

00:32:34.860 --> 00:32:36.960
 and is on the right hand

00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:37.799
 of God.

00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:40.360
 See, the Jesus who suffered

00:32:40.360 --> 00:32:41.319
 and was crucified

00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:42.500
 and was buried

00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:43.419
 and rose again,

00:32:44.259 --> 00:32:44.779
 he's in heaven.

00:32:45.879 --> 00:32:47.799
 And we see this.

00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.200
 The grave could not hold him.

00:32:50.139 --> 00:32:51.460
 Death could not defeat him.

00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.379
 And after the resurrection,

00:32:53.639 --> 00:32:54.919
 Jesus went back

00:32:54.919 --> 00:32:56.159
 just as he said he would.

00:32:56.939 --> 00:32:57.879
 And I think sometimes

00:32:57.879 --> 00:32:59.200
 we don't give the ascension

00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:00.960
 of Jesus the attention

00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:02.079
 it deserves.

00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:04.259
 It's just as important

00:33:04.259 --> 00:33:05.059
 as part of the story.

00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:06.779
 We talk about his birth,

00:33:06.879 --> 00:33:07.599
 and rightfully so.

00:33:08.019 --> 00:33:08.879
 You better get your Christmas

00:33:08.879 --> 00:33:09.720
 shopping done, by the way.

00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:10.819
 It's already coming.

00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.319
 But I'm thankful

00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:12.980
 for when we come

00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:14.059
 and we get to preach

00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:15.079
 on the Christmas story

00:33:15.079 --> 00:33:16.659
 and the birth of Christ,

00:33:16.779 --> 00:33:18.559
 and we talk about his life,

00:33:18.619 --> 00:33:19.079
 and we're going through

00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:19.939
 the Gospel of Luke,

00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:21.639
 and Easter comes around,

00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:23.240
 and we're thankful

00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:23.839
 for his death

00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:24.579
 and his resurrection.

00:33:25.059 --> 00:33:26.000
 And rightly so.

00:33:26.059 --> 00:33:26.779
 We should be.

00:33:27.639 --> 00:33:28.779
 But the story doesn't end

00:33:28.779 --> 00:33:29.899
 with Jesus just standing

00:33:29.899 --> 00:33:30.639
 outside of a tomb.

00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:32.139
 No, it ends there

00:33:32.139 --> 00:33:32.879
 in the book of Acts

00:33:32.879 --> 00:33:34.220
 where Jesus is ascended

00:33:34.220 --> 00:33:34.639
 into heaven,

00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:35.839
 and the angels say,

00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:36.480
 hey, why are you

00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:37.200
 standing there gazing?

00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:38.720
 This same Jesus,

00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:40.319
 who you saw go up,

00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:41.200
 he's coming back

00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:41.839
 in like manner.

00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.720
 But that ascension,

00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:44.939
 really what it shows us

00:33:44.939 --> 00:33:45.559
 is this.

00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:46.879
 It confirms the one

00:33:46.879 --> 00:33:48.159
 who rose from the grave

00:33:48.159 --> 00:33:49.439
 is really alive.

00:33:50.159 --> 00:33:51.779
 That he ascended in victory.

00:33:52.379 --> 00:33:54.099
 He wasn't hanging out.

00:33:54.159 --> 00:33:54.679
 He wasn't like

00:33:54.679 --> 00:33:56.099
 trying to get out of Dodge.

00:33:56.779 --> 00:33:57.879
 No, he came,

00:33:58.059 --> 00:33:58.960
 and he did what he said

00:33:58.960 --> 00:33:59.659
 he was going to do,

00:33:59.779 --> 00:34:00.579
 and now he's going to go

00:34:00.579 --> 00:34:02.019
 sit down at the right hand

00:34:02.019 --> 00:34:02.700
 of God the Father.

00:34:02.700 --> 00:34:04.420
 That's what Peter is saying,

00:34:04.620 --> 00:34:06.080
 that his humiliation is over,

00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:07.319
 the suffering is over,

00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:08.539
 the rejection's over,

00:34:08.659 --> 00:34:09.860
 the king has gone home,

00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:11.420
 but the king is coming back.

00:34:12.220 --> 00:34:13.440
 That he's still in control.

00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:14.980
 And that's what we see

00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:15.980
 the very last thing

00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:18.300
 that Peter wants to remind us,

00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:19.340
 that the angels

00:34:19.340 --> 00:34:20.440
 and authorities

00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:21.240
 and powers

00:34:21.240 --> 00:34:23.079
 being made subject unto him.

00:34:23.240 --> 00:34:24.420
 Here's a wonderful thing.

00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:27.139
 Jesus reigns over all.

00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:30.480
 Everything is a shadow under him.

00:34:31.240 --> 00:34:32.420
 There is nothing.

00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:33.920
 Really, that's the destination

00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:34.980
 of this whole passage

00:34:34.980 --> 00:34:36.699
 is he starts with suffering

00:34:36.699 --> 00:34:37.260
 and death

00:34:37.260 --> 00:34:38.079
 and all of these things,

00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:39.500
 but it ends at a throne.

00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:41.260
 And one day,

00:34:41.300 --> 00:34:42.260
 it's going to end all there.

00:34:43.420 --> 00:34:45.119
 The entire humanity,

00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:47.440
 we see that the great and small

00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:48.960
 will stand before the throne.

00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:51.639
 Because Jesus is on it.

00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:53.000
 And throughout Scripture,

00:34:53.159 --> 00:34:54.000
 the right hand

00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:55.440
 is a place of honor

00:34:55.440 --> 00:34:57.199
 and authority and power.

00:34:58.300 --> 00:34:59.519
 Sorry, all you left-handers.

00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:02.639
 You're already weird

00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:03.920
 and the Bible confirms it.

00:35:08.699 --> 00:35:09.860
 My wife's left-handed

00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:10.920
 in case you didn't know that.

00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:12.380
 So that was mainly aimed at her,

00:35:12.460 --> 00:35:12.840
 but then I look,

00:35:12.900 --> 00:35:13.500
 she's in the nursery,

00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:15.500
 so whatever it might be there.

00:35:17.559 --> 00:35:18.460
 But Peter's language,

00:35:18.579 --> 00:35:21.320
 it kind of echoes Psalm 110, verse 1.

00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:22.719
 The Lord said unto my Lord,

00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:24.380
 Sit thou at my right hand

00:35:24.380 --> 00:35:25.740
 until I make thine enemies

00:35:25.740 --> 00:35:26.760
 thy footstool.

00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:30.160
 Listen, Jesus isn't in heaven

00:35:30.160 --> 00:35:32.860
 recovering from what happened on earth.

00:35:34.980 --> 00:35:36.960
 I was giving Brother Jared a hard time

00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:38.060
 when I texted him yesterday

00:35:38.060 --> 00:35:38.460
 when it was his birthday.

00:35:38.520 --> 00:35:39.560
 I'm like, hey, you feel 40?

00:35:39.600 --> 00:35:40.660
 He's like, I do feel 40.

00:35:41.200 --> 00:35:42.320
 It's like, I'm recovering, man.

00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:43.000
 It's like, you know,

00:35:43.020 --> 00:35:45.440
 every year you get a little bit older,

00:35:45.520 --> 00:35:46.160
 you've got to recover

00:35:46.160 --> 00:35:47.140
 from certain things.

00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:49.840
 Jesus isn't recovering from anything.

00:35:51.040 --> 00:35:51.800
 He's reigning.

00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:53.200
 He's ruling.

00:35:53.600 --> 00:35:54.920
 We look at our world around us

00:35:54.920 --> 00:35:55.340
 and we think, man,

00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:56.039
 this thing's falling apart.

00:35:56.139 --> 00:35:56.780
 Let me just remind you,

00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:58.200
 he's still in control.

00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:00.059
 But the Bible tells us

00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:01.840
 that by him all things consist.

00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:02.440
 It has the idea.

00:36:02.680 --> 00:36:04.059
 He's still holding it together.

00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:06.220
 Everything is still going

00:36:06.220 --> 00:36:07.180
 according to plan.

00:36:07.579 --> 00:36:09.079
 Jesus hasn't lost control

00:36:09.079 --> 00:36:10.019
 in trying to figure out

00:36:10.019 --> 00:36:11.039
 how to get it back on the rails.

00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:12.900
 No, it's going to get worse and worse

00:36:12.900 --> 00:36:13.900
 as the days progress,

00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:15.019
 but it just reminds us

00:36:15.019 --> 00:36:16.159
 he's coming back again.

00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:17.579
 And when he comes again,

00:36:17.720 --> 00:36:20.139
 he's not coming as a suffering Savior.

00:36:20.139 --> 00:36:21.840
 He is coming as the King of Kings

00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:22.700
 and the Lord of Lords

00:36:22.699 --> 00:36:24.359
 because that's who he is.

00:36:24.919 --> 00:36:26.519
 And that's what he tells us here.

00:36:26.739 --> 00:36:27.919
 That he has no equal.

00:36:28.179 --> 00:36:29.279
 That he has no rival.

00:36:29.539 --> 00:36:30.659
 That he is above everything

00:36:30.659 --> 00:36:33.299
 and everything is subject to him.

00:36:34.919 --> 00:36:36.139
 And what a great encouragement

00:36:36.139 --> 00:36:37.419
 for these early readers.

00:36:39.099 --> 00:36:40.779
 The government seemed to have

00:36:40.779 --> 00:36:41.439
 all the power.

00:36:42.139 --> 00:36:44.000
 The persecution was real in their life.

00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:45.579
 The culture that they lived in

00:36:45.579 --> 00:36:47.299
 seemed to care nothing about them

00:36:47.299 --> 00:36:49.439
 and really would just be better off

00:36:49.439 --> 00:36:50.819
 if the Christians were out of their way

00:36:50.820 --> 00:36:51.940
 and they could live life

00:36:51.940 --> 00:36:52.960
 how they wanted to.

00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:55.660
 And it would have been very easy

00:36:55.660 --> 00:36:56.460
 for them to look around

00:36:56.460 --> 00:36:57.200
 and get discouraged

00:36:57.200 --> 00:36:58.980
 and to look around and think,

00:36:59.100 --> 00:37:01.080
 man, I chose the wrong side.

00:37:01.720 --> 00:37:03.300
 I'm on the losing side.

00:37:03.880 --> 00:37:04.820
 Here's what Peter says.

00:37:05.120 --> 00:37:06.280
 Stop looking down here.

00:37:06.620 --> 00:37:08.039
 Why don't you look a little bit higher?

00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:10.700
 Because Rome is not actually

00:37:10.700 --> 00:37:11.720
 the one that's on the throne.

00:37:11.980 --> 00:37:13.480
 Your persecutors aren't on the throne.

00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:14.760
 The powers of darkness

00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:15.680
 aren't on the throne.

00:37:16.100 --> 00:37:17.440
 Jesus is on the throne.

00:37:18.300 --> 00:37:20.680
 And he is still ruling and reigning.

00:37:20.820 --> 00:37:22.519
 Our confidence in this life

00:37:22.519 --> 00:37:24.380
 isn't that everything's going to work out

00:37:24.380 --> 00:37:25.039
 the way that we want.

00:37:25.200 --> 00:37:26.320
 Here's our confidence in life.

00:37:26.620 --> 00:37:27.940
 Jesus Christ is Lord.

00:37:28.780 --> 00:37:30.200
 That's the confidence that we have.

00:37:31.539 --> 00:37:32.760
 And nothing can change that.

00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:35.000
 Nothing's going to change how that goes.

00:37:35.180 --> 00:37:37.180
 I love what Paul says

00:37:37.180 --> 00:37:38.039
 in the book of Philippians.

00:37:38.260 --> 00:37:39.440
 Philippians chapter 2, man,

00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:41.920
 it just is an amazing portion of Scripture.

00:37:43.019 --> 00:37:44.800
 But he says that in the name of Jesus,

00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:46.300
 every knee should bow.

00:37:46.880 --> 00:37:48.539
 Of things in heaven and things in earth

00:37:48.539 --> 00:37:49.460
 and things under the earth.

00:37:49.460 --> 00:37:51.500
 And that every tongue should confess

00:37:51.500 --> 00:37:52.900
 that Jesus Christ is Lord

00:37:52.900 --> 00:37:55.340
 to the glory of God the Father.

00:37:56.199 --> 00:37:57.119
 We look at our world today,

00:37:57.159 --> 00:37:58.720
 it doesn't seem like that's going that direction,

00:37:59.039 --> 00:37:59.659
 but it is.

00:38:00.420 --> 00:38:01.460
 That one day,

00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:03.260
 that every knee's going to bow,

00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:04.599
 every tongue's going to confess,

00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:06.420
 that all the people say there is no God,

00:38:06.500 --> 00:38:07.599
 they'll stand before him one day.

00:38:08.860 --> 00:38:09.980
 I'm so thankful that

00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:11.500
 I did it on this side.

00:38:12.619 --> 00:38:14.079
 I'm thankful that when I see the Lord,

00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:14.960
 I'm not going to be trembling

00:38:14.960 --> 00:38:16.559
 because I'm scared of what's going to happen.

00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:18.659
 I'm going to be trembling because of who he is.

00:38:18.940 --> 00:38:20.400
 And I'll fall down on my face

00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:22.779
 and worship him because he is worthy.

00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:25.599
 Because he is all what he has done for us.

00:38:27.539 --> 00:38:29.420
 See, one day, Peter's reminding them,

00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:31.259
 everybody's going to know what you already know.

00:38:31.880 --> 00:38:32.719
 Jesus is Lord.

00:38:34.320 --> 00:38:36.299
 So why should we abandon truth

00:38:36.299 --> 00:38:37.900
 because culture changes?

00:38:37.900 --> 00:38:40.900
 Why should we compromise

00:38:40.900 --> 00:38:44.059
 because obedience becomes uncomfortable?

00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:47.079
 Why should we lose hope

00:38:47.079 --> 00:38:49.300
 when suffering comes into our life?

00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:51.039
 He says we don't have to.

00:38:51.780 --> 00:38:52.820
 The king has already won.

00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:54.599
 The king is on the throne.

00:38:55.220 --> 00:38:56.480
 The king has changed your life.

00:38:58.119 --> 00:38:59.519
 Here in these five verses,

00:38:59.700 --> 00:39:01.260
 Peter takes us from the suffering

00:39:01.260 --> 00:39:01.860
 to the death,

00:39:01.940 --> 00:39:02.579
 to the resurrection,

00:39:02.780 --> 00:39:03.380
 to the ascension,

00:39:03.519 --> 00:39:05.840
 to the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:07.840
 And he says,

00:39:07.940 --> 00:39:08.079
 listen,

00:39:08.220 --> 00:39:10.180
 suffering is real in your life.

00:39:11.300 --> 00:39:12.740
 But it's not the end of the story.

00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:15.820
 Because Jesus' life proves that.

00:39:16.840 --> 00:39:18.660
 And if you belong to Jesus Christ tonight,

00:39:19.019 --> 00:39:22.120
 your story is connected to his story.

00:39:23.180 --> 00:39:24.420
 That we are to be seated

00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:25.940
 in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

00:39:26.220 --> 00:39:26.559
 In fact,

00:39:26.600 --> 00:39:27.500
 we're already seated there.

00:39:29.079 --> 00:39:30.579
 Whatever Jesus has,

00:39:30.620 --> 00:39:32.100
 the Bible says that we're not just heirs,

00:39:32.300 --> 00:39:34.120
 we're joint heirs with Christ.

00:39:34.119 --> 00:39:36.679
 That everything that belongs to Christ

00:39:36.679 --> 00:39:38.059
 belongs to us.

00:39:38.699 --> 00:39:39.019
 I mean,

00:39:39.059 --> 00:39:40.380
 you talk about something you don't deserve,

00:39:40.960 --> 00:39:42.059
 that's all of us.

00:39:42.940 --> 00:39:44.059
 None of us deserve it.

00:39:44.739 --> 00:39:47.079
 Heaven's the only place where it's not fair.

00:39:47.380 --> 00:39:48.059
 Everybody there,

00:39:48.319 --> 00:39:49.359
 none of us deserve any of that.

00:39:49.940 --> 00:39:50.299
 We didn't say,

00:39:50.380 --> 00:39:50.619
 well, you know,

00:39:50.699 --> 00:39:51.500
 this is fair,

00:39:51.559 --> 00:39:52.159
 I deserve this.

00:39:52.279 --> 00:39:52.500
 Nope.

00:39:54.279 --> 00:39:55.599
 Hell's the only place where it's fair.

00:39:56.279 --> 00:39:57.299
 Because that's what we deserve.

00:39:58.059 --> 00:39:59.539
 But Jesus invites us in.

00:40:00.819 --> 00:40:01.019
 See,

00:40:01.019 --> 00:40:02.460
 whatever happens between here and glory,

00:40:03.739 --> 00:40:04.880
 suffering doesn't get the final word.

00:40:05.679 --> 00:40:06.320
 Jesus does.

00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:09.759
 That's why we can come to a funeral

00:40:09.759 --> 00:40:11.019
 and see a loved one

00:40:11.019 --> 00:40:12.659
 that's gone on before us

00:40:12.659 --> 00:40:13.539
 and it hurts

00:40:13.539 --> 00:40:14.880
 and we grieve

00:40:14.880 --> 00:40:16.380
 and we cry

00:40:16.380 --> 00:40:17.639
 and we sometimes ask,

00:40:17.759 --> 00:40:18.179
 Lord, why?

00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:21.119
 But death doesn't get the final word.

00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:23.739
 Jesus tells us in the book of Revelation chapter one,

00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:25.019
 he has the keys to death,

00:40:25.159 --> 00:40:25.360
 hell,

00:40:25.460 --> 00:40:26.099
 and the grave.

00:40:27.179 --> 00:40:28.059
 He's victorious.

00:40:28.059 --> 00:40:30.299
 See,

00:40:30.420 --> 00:40:31.699
 Peter wasn't telling these believers,

00:40:32.980 --> 00:40:33.099
 hey,

00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:33.960
 everything, guys,

00:40:34.039 --> 00:40:35.219
 is about to get easier.

00:40:36.099 --> 00:40:37.480
 I just came to the book of Jeremiah

00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:38.739
 in my personal reading time.

00:40:39.139 --> 00:40:39.279
 Man,

00:40:39.279 --> 00:40:40.380
 they had some bad prophets

00:40:40.380 --> 00:40:41.460
 around Jeremiah's time.

00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:42.900
 Jeremiah keeps telling them,

00:40:42.940 --> 00:40:43.019
 hey,

00:40:43.039 --> 00:40:44.059
 you're about to go into captivity.

00:40:44.440 --> 00:40:45.000
 Another prophet says,

00:40:45.199 --> 00:40:45.679
 hey, guys,

00:40:45.779 --> 00:40:46.480
 don't listen to Jeremiah,

00:40:46.739 --> 00:40:47.360
 everything's good.

00:40:48.799 --> 00:40:49.539
 It's not good.

00:40:50.599 --> 00:40:51.360
 Life is hard.

00:40:52.279 --> 00:40:52.860
 Peter's not saying,

00:40:52.960 --> 00:40:53.460
 hey, man,

00:40:53.539 --> 00:40:54.799
 I just want to write this little book to you

00:40:54.799 --> 00:40:55.779
 because everything's about to get better.

00:40:56.780 --> 00:40:57.120
 He said,

00:40:57.160 --> 00:40:57.240
 no,

00:40:57.260 --> 00:40:58.220
 I want to write this little book to you

00:40:58.220 --> 00:40:59.100
 to just remind you of something.

00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:00.120
 Jesus is Lord.

00:41:01.820 --> 00:41:03.140
 I know you're facing that,

00:41:03.200 --> 00:41:03.900
 and I know you're facing this,

00:41:03.980 --> 00:41:05.400
 but you know what's going to help you?

00:41:05.780 --> 00:41:06.560
 Jesus is Lord.

00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:08.519
 He cares about you.

00:41:10.420 --> 00:41:10.680
 See,

00:41:10.860 --> 00:41:12.140
 here's what I want to leave us with tonight.

00:41:12.200 --> 00:41:12.480
 We're done.

00:41:13.320 --> 00:41:14.680
 Because Jesus is victorious,

00:41:15.680 --> 00:41:16.960
 suffering doesn't get the final word.

00:41:17.740 --> 00:41:19.680
 So whatever comes your way,

00:41:20.600 --> 00:41:21.620
 keep your eyes on the throne.

00:41:21.620 --> 00:41:25.120
 Jesus always wins.