You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
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Before we jump back into the next passage of 1 Peter this morning, our passage today
gives us the opportunity to talk about a theological concept called the perspicuity
of Scripture and who here is not looking for a chance to talk about the Bible's perspicuity,
right?
That is why you came this morning.
It means the clarity of God's Word.
That's why they pick such a clear word like perspicuity for clarity, okay?
That'll help you remember.
It means the fact that we can understand God's Word.
I bet that every one of us at some point has read part of the Bible.
Perhaps even this week if you're doing the Bible reading plan with us, you may have been
in the book of Leviticus and you've read a passage and thought, I don't have a clue what that means.
I don't understand that at all.
And I hope this encourages you.
Some parts of the Bible are harder to understand than others, but even when that's true, the message
of God's Word is clear.
It's perspicuous, if you will.
Listen to how the Westminster Confession of Faith says this.
All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all.
Yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation
are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other,
that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain
unto a sufficient understanding of them.
God gives us His Word so that we might know Him.
So that we might know how to live in relationship with Him, which does not require a seminary degree.
Did you know that?
It does not require a correct understanding of every theological detail.
Thank goodness.
Amen?
It's about a relationship.
So remember, when it feels confusing or difficult as you're reading God's Word,
it's not because He's hiding from you.
He's showing you Himself in some ways that are easier for you to access than others.
Peter says later in his second letter, chapter 3, verse 16,
that some things that Paul writes are hard to understand.
Is that not encouraging to you?
Peter found some things that this crazy Paul guy wrote to be hard to understand.
Some of you have found some things Paul wrote to be hard to understand.
But he says, don't be distracted when that happens.
Rather, grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Don't miss that.
Those crucial things are the clearest things, right?
God reveals Himself so that we might know Him,
so that we might understand ourselves,
so that we might find life as He designed us to have it.
Why all this talk about clarity, about perspicuity?
Well, this passage in 1 Peter 3 that we're about to read
has for centuries been referred to
as the most difficult to understand in the whole New Testament.
Many theologians, all sorts of people with different opinions about what it means,
but they agree on this.
It's hard to understand, and I'm not sure.
And I've read, and I've studied a lot,
and I'm not sure I have the right understanding of this passage,
which leaves the potential this morning for a really unclear sermon, right?
I want to be honest about that with you.
I also don't want that to discourage you.
I want us to expect that the things God most wants us to hear,
His Spirit will speak clearly to our hearts as we open His Word.
That's what He does.
He loves to do that, okay?
So we're going to look at this,
and we're going to trust Him to speak clearly to us.
And after I read it, you'll start praying for me that we will understand.
1 Peter 3, beginning at verse 18,
this is the inerrant, infallible, even perspicuous Word of God,
the God who loves us so much that He wants us to know Him.
For Christ also suffered once for sins,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
that He might bring us to God.
being put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the Spirit,
in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
because they formerly did not obey,
when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was being prepared,
in which a few, that is, eight persons,
were brought safely through water.
baptism, which corresponds to this,
now saves you,
not as a removal of dirt from the body,
but as an appeal to God for a good conscience
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God
with angels, authorities, and powers,
having been subjected to Him.
Let's pray together.
Father, we do ask for Your help,
that You, by Your Spirit,
would be our teacher this morning.
Not merely because we want to know
what this means,
although we ask for Your insight,
for Your Spirit to shine light on this Word
that we have just read.
There's nothing more important
than Your Word for us to understand.
But Father, we ask it because
we want to love and trust
our Savior more,
to know where our hope should be,
to know in the difficulties of life
what to hold on to and how to do that.
So would You speak to us clearly
and give us ears to hear
and hearts to obey and love and trust.
We ask it in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Last week we noticed
that the rest of Peter's letter
that we're studying here
focuses on suffering
in the lives of God's people.
He's wanting us to endure faithfully
in a world that is not our home.
Now here's our picture
of the Ukrainian violinist
if you were here last week.
He wants us to endure
by remembering who we are, right?
Held in His hand.
Part of a courageous people
with an eternal hope.
And in verses 13 to 18,
the key principle about suffering
was that those bad things in our lives
provide good opportunities
for sharing with others
the eternal hope that we have in Jesus.
Today,
in the verses we just read,
the principle about suffering
builds on that.
Because Jesus has endured our sufferings,
we can be assured
we will enjoy His victory.
Where do we get that hope
that we're called to share,
especially in the dark times?
Where does that come from?
It comes from our connection with Jesus.
Our union with Christ.
That's what gives us this assurance.
And it's really glorious.
Y'all,
can we just stay in verse 18
for a while this morning?
Can we vote on that?
Let's just talk about verse 18.
For all the complexity
and confusion
of verses 19 to 21,
the good news of verse 18
is amazingly clear
and perspicuous
and glorious.
Okay, let's start there.
Our connection to Jesus here
begins with Jesus
entering our sufferings.
That's the connection in verse 18
from what we've been reading.
Hey, Christians suffering unjust,
Christ also suffered.
That's what Peter's saying.
Christ also suffered horribly.
Emotionally, physically,
spiritually, unjustly.
Jesus has endured the sufferings
of a world that is not His home.
In fact, Jesus so identifies,
not with His successful people.
Interesting.
Jesus so identifies
with His suffering people,
He's so close to them in that,
that when Saul,
who's about to become Paul
in this story,
is killing Christians,
is persecuting the church,
the followers of Jesus,
Jesus confronts Saul on the road
and says,
Saul, Saul,
why do you persecute
me?
Isn't that amazing?
How closely Jesus identifies
with those of His people
who are struggling.
If you feel the pain of suffering
as a child of God today,
be assured,
your older brother feels it with you.
He hurts with you.
And that's because
He has hurt like you
for you.
This is the glorious good news of Jesus.
When He suffered,
it wasn't merely to empathize
with your sufferings.
It was to end your sufferings
once and for all,
one day, forever.
Right?
Christ also suffered once,
once and for all,
for sins,
the righteous Him
for the unrighteous you
that He might bring you to God.
Don't miss the glorious message
of the gracious Savior.
Every one of us
has a sin and shame problem.
We're messed up.
We feel that the dirt
that is on us,
it clings to us
and we want to hide it, right?
We don't want to be seen
and exposed.
And He washed it away
by forgiving our sins,
all of them,
by washing us clean.
Every one of us
has a guilt problem,
a huge debt
that we can't pay.
We can't afford it.
But He paid it all
in our place.
It was our sins.
Let's be clear, right?
Jesus was on the cross
for our sins,
not His.
Our sins deserved the cross.
And every one of us
has a relationship problem,
not just a sin and shame problem,
not just a guilt problem.
We've got this relationship problem
where we're distant from God.
We're separated from Him
because of all this sin
that we've talked about,
the very God we were created
to live with
and that's the purpose of life.
We're stuck away from Him.
And Jesus brought us back
near to God.
The good news of Jesus
is that you don't have to fix
any of these problems yourself.
You don't.
It's not up to you.
You are connected to your Savior.
You are so covered
by your substitute
that you are safe
and accepted
and beloved forever.
That's the glory of grace, right?
That is the simplicity
of substitution
that Jesus stands in your place
and before the throne
of God above
I have a strong
and perfect plea.
It's not something I've done.
It's a great high priest
whose name is love
who ever lives
and he pleads for me, right?
He stands there in my place.
So we sing
the vilest offender
who truly believes
that moment from Jesus
a pardon receives.
Amen?
That's why we sing that
because Jesus has indeed
won our forgiveness
at the cost of his blood
on the cross.
Praise the Lord, right?
Friend, listen.
If you don't stand
covered by Jesus right now,
if you don't know
that that's who you are
is that you are his
and that he is yours,
please don't let anything
after verse 18
distract you
from the wonder
and the glory
of Jesus
offering himself
to you right now
to cover you today
and forever.
Receive his mercy
substituting in your place.
That's all it takes.
Rejoice in this
brand new relationship
with the God
who made you
and loves you
and wants to know you.
Jesus gives you
that relationship again.
That is the clear hope
of this passage.
Sins dealt with.
Man and God
set right.
Unworthy prodigals
brought back home
covered by Jesus
once and for all.
That's there for you
for all of us today.
I've told you before
one of my favorite pictures
of this
from a PBS documentary
about sheep.
The story begins
with an orphaned sheep
who will most surely die
the narrator tells us.
Every time
the little sheep
runs up
to the milk
that he needs to live
the ewe lambs
kick him away
because he doesn't
belong to them.
That's us, right?
Far from God
deserving death
unworthy
not belonging
in his family.
Death
is coming soon.
But then the mood
of the music
turns hopeful
and you know
something good
is coming
and the narrator
says,
ah,
but the shepherd
knows best.
And what the shepherd
does is he goes
and he finds
one of the little lambs
that is nursing
with his mother
and he takes that lamb
and he shears
his wool coat
off of him
and then he scoops
up the orphaned
lamb in his arms
and he puts
that coat
leg by leg
over that little lamb
and he puts him
back down
and he sends him
running right back
over to the mother
of the first lamb
who bends over
and sniffs
and feels
and welcomes him
back in
recognizing her child
she brings
this orphaned lamb
back in
to tend for
and care for
as her own child
accepted
and beloved
and saved.
Listen,
especially if you've
never trusted
Jesus before.
Jesus,
the lamb of God,
the rightful son
offers you
his coat.
Offers to cover you
no matter what
you've done,
no matter where
you've been,
no matter how little
you deserve
to be in his family
and if you put
that coat on
God won't be fooled
by it,
he sees you.
He will be delighted
to welcome you
into his family
to feed you
from the bounty
of his table
and the riches
of his grace
to keep you
close to his side
forever.
It's all of grace.
It's not up to
how well you perform.
You don't have to worry
about that this morning.
He has paid it all
once and for all.
It is finished.
That's the gospel,
dear friends.
It's good news.
If you don't know it
and if that's not
yours personally,
there's nothing
I would commend
to you more.
There's nothing
I'd rather share
with you.
There's no hope
I'd rather you have
than that good news.
Talk to any of us.
We'd love to tell you
more about Jesus.
It's not complicated,
but it's good,
good news.
Now there's more
good news
for us
as we're in our suffering
of how connected
we are to Jesus.
That reality
that many of you know
that you are
connected to him
and covered by him.
It's just a little
harder to understand
as we keep going
through this passage.
I'm going to give you
my best shot
at seeing glorious
gospel complexity.
Some of you
like complexity,
right?
So you're fired up
about this.
But Jesus was put
to death
in the realm
of the physical
but made alive
in the realm
of the spiritual.
He had a body
then too, right?
Risen bodily
from the dead.
So the emphasis here
is on the eternal
lasting nature
of the spiritual realm.
And verse 19 says,
in that manner,
spiritual,
he went and preached
to spirits
who are now in prison.
Proclaiming to spirits
in prison.
Who is that?
When did that happen?
Why do we care?
All very valid questions.
Very few people
agree on the answers.
I think
that the spirits
in prison
are unbelieving
people
who were on earth
during the time
of Noah
and have now
died
and are in
prison
because of their
unbelief
and disobedience.
And I think
that Jesus preached
to them
back then
in Noah's
day
through the
spirit.
Now one of the reasons
earlier in this book,
chapter 1,
verse 11,
Peter refers to
these Old Testament
prophets
preaching
as the spirit
of Christ
speaking
through them.
So when Noah
foretells
God's judgment
in the form
of a flood,
he says,
God told me
a flood is coming,
his judgment,
and he calls
the people of his day
to find safety
where?
In the ark.
He told me
to build this ark.
You need to come
with me.
You'll be safe.
That's Jesus
in the spiritual
realm
proclaiming
to the people
their need
to repent
and trust
Yahweh.
That's the only
place they'll find
safety.
And I think
why it comes up here
is that Peter
is recalling
this other time
many, many,
many years ago
where the people
of God,
Noah
and his family,
they were in
the minority,
they were suffering
ridicule,
and he's saying
Jesus was there
preaching by his
spirit back then
when,
that word because
could mean
when they were
not obeying,
back in the days
of Noah,
building the ark
and God being
patient and not yet
sending his judgment
even though there was
unbelief,
he hadn't yet
poured out his judgment,
and that's when
all this happened.
Another reason I find
this understanding
to fit with Peter's
flow of thought
in this passage
is that he just
told us what
last week?
He told us to preach,
to witness,
to share the hope
that we have
in the midst
of our suffering
with anyone who asks,
right?
And now he's
assuring us
Jesus is with us
in that preaching
as well.
In that difficult
experience,
Jesus has faced
unbelief
and scorn.
An ark
in a desert?
Come on,
Noah.
Really?
A resurrected
Jesus?
Come on,
Will.
It's not even
Easter anymore.
Stop talking
about that stuff.
You can't be serious.
You really believe
that?
And so,
Jesus knows
when you preach,
when you share
your hope,
it's often
rejected,
even ridiculed.
Don't lose heart,
he's saying.
There's hope
even then.
As it turned out,
the ark was the place
of safety,
wasn't it?
when the flood
came,
the eight family
members of Noah
were the ones
who were saved.
And then Peter
says,
while we're
making things
confusing,
let's have some
more fun with
21st century
Christians.
No,
I don't think
that's what Peter
says.
I think what
Peter says next
is,
while we're
thinking of
people being
saved through
water,
that makes me
think of
your baptism.
It's like that
too.
There's judgment
due to sin,
but if you run
to the ark
of Jesus,
the water,
it will wash
you,
it will cleanse
you,
you'll be saved
in just the same
way like Noah
and his family.
But if you read
verse 21
carefully,
it states,
baptism
now saves
you.
And if you've
been in a church
like this long
enough,
you think,
hold on,
that's not right.
I read verse 18.
I'm saved by
Christ alone.
His death
for sins,
the righteous
for the unrighteous
to bring you
to God.
Now I'm getting
confused again.
Why did we go
past verse 18?
Peter says,
don't be confused.
I'm not talking
of course,
he clarifies for us.
I'm not talking
of the physical
water of baptism
that would wash
dirt off your body,
that that process,
that that ceremony
would actually be
what cleanses
and saves you.
But rather,
the washing
with water
is a sign
of the heart
reality.
You're united
to Christ
and he is
the only one
who saves.
So your appeal
to God
from a good
conscience,
from your faith
in the risen
Jesus,
that's how
you're saved.
Through the
resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
So listen,
your union
with Jesus,
where you're
connected with him,
it's not just
him entering
into your sufferings
and into your
preaching
in a difficult
context.
Christ,
it's about you
entering his
resurrection life.
Romans 6, 5,
if we have been
united with him
in a death
like his,
we will certainly
be united
with him
in a resurrection
like his.
Both of those
are true.
We need that Easter
hope right there,
right?
If you have died
with him
and if you've
experienced those
sufferings
and you're
having yourself
put to death,
you will also
live.
Baptism may be
a bit complex
and how it works
out that it's
a sign pointing
to something else.
Maybe we don't
get all the
nuances right.
Some Christians
who really love
Jesus still get
confused about
exactly how
baptism works
out.
Amen?
Yep.
You know what
we're all clear
on?
It points
to the cleansing
work of Jesus
who lives
so that connected
to him,
we too
never more
will die.
As surely
as Jesus
who endured
even more
suffering than
we have
to the point
of death
on the cross.
As surely
as he is
alive
again,
so you too
who are suffering,
who feel
worldly powers
against you,
who feel like
you're given over
to death
day after day
and you have to
walk back into
this situation
or back into
this relationship
and back into
this struggle,
you can rest
assured that
no matter
what happens
in this life,
you will live
again and
forever.
Here's the point.
Jesus lives
again.
You live
again
forever
with him.
That's what I
think is going
on in that
middle section
and there's
one more thing
that is even
more wonderful
than that.
A glorious
gospel certainty
in this last
verse.
This resurrected
Jesus
has gone
into heaven
and is at
the right hand
of God
with angels,
authorities,
and powers
having been
subjected
to him.
Okay,
now we're
tracking again.
We've been
singing about
this this
morning.
Jesus is not
merely alive,
wondrous
though that is.
He is reigning
over everything,
victorious
over it all.
Now,
this truth,
to be fair,
fits really
well with the
other most likely
understanding of
the previous
verses,
besides the one
I gave you.
That spirits
in prison part
that we read,
a number of
people,
another possible
understanding,
especially if you
like to read this
passage chronologically
and assume
that the preaching
to the spirits
happened in the
days between
Jesus' death
and his
resurrection,
that understanding
would be that
Jesus proclaimed
his victory
to fallen angels,
demons,
spirits,
in prison.
Don't get hung up
on figuring out
which one of us
is right.
You know I'm right.
No,
it doesn't matter
which one of us
got the understanding
of verse 19
through 21,
right?
Whether verse 19
paints that
triumphant picture
or not,
verse 22
makes it really
clear,
doesn't it?
It makes it very
clear Jesus has
indeed triumphed,
he is reigning,
he is victorious,
stick with the
clear part,
so listen,
why does that
matter?
It matters
because some of you
are hurting.
all of you
know suffering,
some of you
are feeling it
this morning.
Some of you
are feeling
overwhelmed
by spiritual
attack,
evil spirits,
hosts of hell
arrayed against
you,
the reality
of spiritual
warfare
and you're
living in it
and you can
have hope,
you can rest
assured
that you
will share
Jesus'
victory.
Jesus is
with us
in our
suffering,
right?
He's there,
you're not
alone and
look where
he ends up
having endured
death,
he rises
to new life
and eternal
victory at
the right hand
of the Father
over all of
his and
our enemies
forever.
How does
that encourage
me when
I'm struggling
when I'm
losing,
when I'm
suffering?
It tells you
your hope
is not
fanciful,
it's not
naive
optimism,
it's not
a selfish
vanity,
you haven't
made this
up,
no,
if you are
really suffering,
if you have
died with
him,
you will
live with
him,
if he
endured
your
sufferings
and now
reigns
over all,
you will
assuredly
enjoy
his
victory
with
him,
remember
you're
connected
to him,
if he's
there,
you will
be there
with him,
you are
seated,
Derek
read earlier
to us,
with Christ
in the
heavenly
places,
so right
now even,
already,
Christ in
you,
is what?
The hope
of glory,
you have
right now
living in
you in
relationship
with Jesus,
the hope
of glory,
one day
forever
reigning
victoriously
with him,
I've shared
with you
before,
one of my
favorite images
of our
sharing Christ's
victory because
we're united
to him.
Team Hoyt
was a
father-son
triathlon
team,
they together
completed
257
triathlons
including
Ironmans,
72
marathons,
they're five
ahead of me,
Rick,
I've been
dreaming lately,
Rick the
son
was born
with cerebral
palsy,
he was
unable to
talk or
to walk
but his
dad realized
how much
they enjoyed
being together,
spending time
together,
especially
outside
when they
could run
so they
developed some
specialized
devices for
staying connected
during the
triathlons,
Dick biking
with Rick
attached to
him,
then getting
off and
jumping into
a boat
where he
could place
Rick and
then swim
attached to
him,
and then
running
together
while pushing
Rick in a
specialized
wheelchair,
they both
suffered the
pain of a
triathlon,
bodies hurting
as the sun
beat down,
the wind
blowing in
their faces
as they're
running or
biking.
But my
favorite images
are of
Team Hoyt
crossing the
finish line.
Rick,
almost always
in these
pictures,
has this
joy across
him.
There's a
big smile
often on
his face.
His fists
are always
pumping in
the air as
they cross
the line.
He is
celebrating
victory,
and he's
loving it.
I think we're
all pretty
clear.
The victory
was earned
by Dick,
suffering the
pains of the
race to get
to that
victory,
even more
than the
other
competitors
out there.
The victory
was earned
by Dick,
but the
victory was
enjoyed by
Rick, too,
wasn't it?
Why?
How?
It's the
only way
that Rick
got to
finish that
triathlon
and cross
the finish
line with
that kind
of victory.
It was
only, of
course,
because he
stayed
connected to
his father
the whole
way.
A father
who delighted
to be with
him.
A father
who found
a way
to make
it happen
when it
didn't seem
possible.
Listen,
whatever else
confuses you
in this
passage,
don't miss
our hope
for enjoying
eternal
victory.
It is as
clear,
as perspicuous,
as Rick
needing to be
connected to
his dad to
finish that
triathlon.
Our hope
in our
suffering is
not in our
own strength.
It's not in
our wise
techniques for
managing the
situations.
It's not even
in the size
of our faith
or our own
strength of
our grip on
God.
It's not.
Our hope
is in the
victory of
Jesus,
who has
united us
to himself.
United himself
to us in
this amazing
relationship
that can never
be broken
because he's
the one
that bound
himself to
us in
love,
enduring our
sufferings,
conquering our
enemies,
and achieving
our victory
to bring us
to God,
right?
That's why he
did it,
to bring us
to God,
to keep us
near him,
connected to
him.
And where
is that?
Where is he
that we've been
brought to with
him?
Where's God,
kids?
He's in
heaven.
That's where it
says Jesus is.
He's in heaven
at the right
hand of God,
reigning over
all powers
and authorities.
Think of it.
If only for
this life
we have hope
in Christ,
we are to be
pitied.
But no,
that's not it.
Our hope's not
just for this
life.
There's a
life to
come.
A hope
that we have
that is for
a life
eternal,
a hope that's
not in
ourselves,
but is in
him.
Listen,
one day,
all of those
warring against
you right now
will be
defeated.
One day,
we will
taunt
death as
we talked
about at
Easter.
You can't
hurt me.
You can't
bring me to
tears with
your stings.
You are
defeated
forever.
We'll say
that one
day.
And we
will reign.
We will
be more
than conquerors,
right?
Through him
who loved
us.
Because
nothing,
no powers,
no suffering,
nothing in
heaven or
earth can
separate you
from the
love of God
in Christ
Jesus,
your Lord.
Oh,
Jesus,
that's our
hope.
don't let
our hearts
waver
and wander
to look for
victory
anywhere else.
Just as
much though,
Jesus,
don't let our
hearts waver
and wonder
if we have
any hope
anymore.
our suffering
can be so
overwhelming
at times,
Lord.
Our world
can be so
disheartening.
Our weakness
can be so
discouraging.
But greater
is he that is
in us.
Jesus,
you are in
us by
your spirit.
Praise you.
so no one
can keep us
from God.
Nothing can
separate us
from his
love.
Thank you,
Jesus.
No one
can snatch
us out
of our
Father's
hand.
May we
find our
hope in
you today
and forever.
Amen.
For more
information,
visit us
online at
southwood.org.