WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.440 Saviour and my God is he. 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:23.500 Now, can you turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 3? And we're going to read from 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:31.600 verse 17 to the end of the chapter. The words will also be up on the screen. And just to say, 00:00:31.699 --> 00:00:39.780 as we read, at the end of verse 18 and into verse 19, I'm going to use a footnote, sort of an 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:46.560 alternative translation, which I think will be more helpful as we come to think about our text. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:57.800 Well, let's hear God's word together. For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing 00:00:57.800 --> 00:01:07.439 good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:14.540 to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body, but made alive in the spirit, 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:23.140 in which also he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, to those who were disobedient 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:30.760 long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it, 00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:38.660 only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water. And this water symbolizes baptism that now 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:45.979 saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience towards 00:01:45.979 --> 00:01:56.060 God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand 00:01:56.060 --> 00:02:04.280 with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him. Amen. 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:17.319 So our question today is this one. Why suffer for doing good? Or to frame it another way, what is worth 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:25.580 suffering for? Now, I don't know about others, but I have what I would describe as an uneasy 00:02:25.580 --> 00:02:36.740 relationship with exercise. I have listened to enough physical trainers to know that the agony is supposedly 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:44.560 worth it, that it has mental health benefits, that it has many physical benefits. And I have also heard 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:52.040 them encourage me to use my inner dialogue when I feel like giving up. But see, here's the problem 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:57.639 with that idea of the inner dialogue. What if all I can hear in my head is, it hurts and I'm tired, 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:03.859 and I just want to sit and have a piece of cake. There is that battle, and perhaps we feel it, maybe not 00:03:03.859 --> 00:03:08.019 with exercise, but with something else, where we're doing something and it's difficult, and we find 00:03:08.019 --> 00:03:18.919 ourselves asking, is the pain, is the struggle worth it? What about, in the most important question of all, 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:30.739 is following Jesus worth it? Verse 17 gave us a principle. It is better, if it is God's will, 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:36.259 to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. It is God's will that Christians would remain faithful 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:44.500 and obedient, even if that means suffering indeed, even if that means dying. That's better than denying, 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:54.460 dishonoring, turning our back on Jesus. That's the principle, but I imagine that we recognize that's a 00:03:54.460 --> 00:04:02.020 hard principle to apply to our lives. Peter's audience certainly knew this was a hard principle. 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:07.439 In chapter 1, verse 6, we discover their faith has already been tested. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:14.800 In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:22.420 all kinds of trials. The last time we were in 1 Peter 3, we were recognizing the reality that 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:29.959 Christians will suffer for doing good. And when we think about who Peter's first readers were, 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:35.079 we recognize this was their reality. Every time they would have gone to the marketplace, 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:41.959 the fact that they were Christians would have made them stand out. Their worship was so very different 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:49.000 to the surrounding society. Perhaps for many of them, they had already found themselves being excluded 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:56.579 or losing their job, or being rejected by their own family for honoring Jesus as Lord. 00:04:59.299 --> 00:05:02.399 Perhaps you know the Japanese proverb that says, 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:10.319 the nail that sticks out will get hammered in. Will these early young Christians were finding that 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:18.120 they were being hammered by a society that would have them to blend in and to leave Christianity behind. 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:27.519 And so Peter's purpose is to supply for them an inner dialogue, that they would know how to 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:34.620 talk to themselves when suffering for God, suffering for doing good became hard. 00:05:35.799 --> 00:05:41.319 And in essence, what he says to us in this section is, in lots of different ways, God keeps and God 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:49.079 saves his people so God can be trusted and you should keep trusting this God. Peter takes their attention 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:56.939 and our attention to the gospel through four different events that we'll look at today. He takes them 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:03.579 and takes us first of all to the cross, and then to the story of Noah, and then to the story of their 00:06:03.579 --> 00:06:09.699 own baptism, and then to the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus to the glory of heaven, 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:17.560 so that we might understand that suffering for Jesus is worth it. 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:24.280 I hope this is something that we'll all find helpful, but perhaps today this is especially for you 00:06:24.280 --> 00:06:32.399 if you are the only Christian in your family, and you love to share your faith, but you know that your 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:40.220 family don't want to hear. Perhaps this is especially for you if you're living for Jesus at school, 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:45.819 or at university, or even in a workplace where you are the only Christian, and being a minority 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:54.800 is difficult. This is for you if you are praying for the people that you love, and you long for 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:02.600 opportunities to share your faith, but the people in your life still seem hard to the gospel, and you 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:11.000 perhaps find yourself discouraged. This is for you particularly if today, even today, you are tempted to go back 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:17.759 to old ways to blend in, because that life then seems much easier than following Jesus now. 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:24.980 And it's also for you, if you're here in church or listening at home, because you're searching, 00:07:24.980 --> 00:07:32.300 you're wondering, who is Jesus? Is following Jesus worth it? Is the cost that the Bible talks about 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:41.860 a cost worth paying to be a friend, a follower of Jesus? So let's look together at these four events. 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:51.420 First of all, let's go to the cross and verse 18. Notice that verse 18 begins with the word 00:07:51.420 --> 00:08:01.379 for. What is that therefore? Peter is wanting to immediately connect the suffering of Jesus 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:11.060 to the suffering that God's people experience. To say, since Jesus has done this for you, gone to the 00:08:11.060 --> 00:08:20.460 cross for you, Christian, you can keep going. He will hold you. He has grace for you. That the love of God 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:30.699 poured out of the cross might be our motivation. What does it say in verse 18? For Christ also suffered 00:08:30.699 --> 00:08:39.519 once for sins. Using their word once there to speak of this unique act of Jesus when he gave his life as 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:48.240 a sin offering, becoming the sin bearer of the world, so that by faith in Jesus we might be forgiven. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:56.080 And who does Jesus do that for? It says he did it the righteous for the unrighteous. 00:08:57.159 --> 00:09:04.139 And that's important in so many ways. When it says Jesus was righteous, it means he is the one person who did not 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:14.039 deserve death. It is important because in the Old Testament we discover the sacrifices that God accepted were 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:20.059 righteous, clean, pure, righteous, clean, pure sacrifices. Jesus had to be perfectly righteous so that he could 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:23.480 die in our place and deal with our sin problem. 00:09:25.219 --> 00:09:30.539 And that Jesus is righteous is important because it means he's a perfect substitute, because who does Jesus 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:34.079 die for? The righteous for the unrighteous. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:40.280 That's all of us. That's all of us. That's everyone who's ever lived. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:48.580 And without Jesus we could never know God. We could never be in fellowship with God and receiving his love. 00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:52.660 And so Jesus suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous. Why? 00:09:52.659 --> 00:10:03.219 Look at our text. He did it to bring you, to bring us to God. Here's what it's all about. Here's the goal of the gospel. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:10.279 Jesus comes and Jesus forgives our sins so that we who are far away from God by nature might be brought home 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:21.959 to enjoy life with God. Forgiveness of sin is the means to that great end that you and I might enjoy life 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:29.820 in God's presence and be part of his family. That forgiveness deals with a sin that separates us from God. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:38.740 That forgiveness deals with our unrighteousness as the perfect record of Jesus is credited to our account. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:49.900 It's really significant that it's Peter who's writing about the goodness of the death of Jesus. 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:57.459 Jesus. Because Peter in his past had formerly seen no good in a suffering Savior. 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:04.539 Remember when Jesus began to teach his disciples the Son of Man must suffer many things. He must be 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:08.340 rejected. He must be killed. And after three days he must rise again. Peter said, 00:11:08.819 --> 00:11:12.000 Never, Lord. Far be it from you, Lord. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:19.580 Even the night of Jesus' arrest, the night before the cross, Peter drew his sword. He wanted to fight 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:24.940 to stop Jesus from having to go to the cross. But now, after the cross, after the resurrection, 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:31.899 he understands Jesus is our only hope in life and death. And he encourages the people of God to see 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:43.419 that truth. Why suffer for doing good? Is following Jesus worth it? First place Peter takes us is to the 00:11:43.419 --> 00:11:53.340 foot of the cross. To see the love of God as Jesus suffers and dies for sinners. That we might, as God's 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:58.600 people, remember that with gratitude and love, that we might keep trusting the one who has loved us 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:07.860 and gave himself for us. Today, if we feel isolated as a Christian, feel as a minority, remember Jesus 00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:16.879 left home for you, left the glory of heaven to become one of us, to die, as it were, in exile for us, to bring 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:25.980 you and I, by faith, home to God. We remember that we have that relationship with God that's secure 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:34.200 and fixed. What about today if you feel tempted, tempted to give up on Jesus? 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:41.680 Well, we already said there's nothing more important than what we do with Jesus. So, 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:48.539 I think it's important that we give real weight to considering that question. Should I follow, 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:57.559 continue follow, or should I reject Jesus? I don't know about in your own life or in your family how 00:12:57.559 --> 00:13:05.399 you make important decisions. Sometimes we do the pros and cons list to weigh up the relative merits of a 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:15.439 decision. Let's do that here in a few very specific categories to consider is following Jesus worth it. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:25.340 Let's think about, first of all, the reality of sin. If we choose to follow Jesus, then we know our sin 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:31.140 is forgiven and we have peace with God and there's no condemnation. But if we turn our back on Jesus and 00:13:31.140 --> 00:13:37.540 refuse that forgiveness, then we have to take our own sin and we have to face the punishment for sin 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:48.039 ourselves. What about when we think about the reality of God? If we choose to follow Jesus, then we are 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:56.159 united to God by faith that we have life with God, that we enjoy him now and forever. But if we say no to 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:05.659 Jesus, then we will only ever know God as our judge, not our Father. What about as we think about security 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:10.799 for our life? Something that's so important? If we are in Jesus, then we have security. We are kept 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:15.959 secure by the God of the universe who loves us and approves of us and welcomes us and will keep us for 00:14:15.959 --> 00:14:23.240 now and eternity. But if we don't have Jesus, then we have to try and find security in the stuff of life, 00:14:23.319 --> 00:14:29.079 the stuff that is temporary, that does not last, that will not keep us beyond day. 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:36.379 And what about when it comes to the reality of eternity? If we choose Jesus, we know that we 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:42.040 will be home with him in glory forever, enjoying God's love and peace and life to the full, but without 00:14:42.040 --> 00:14:54.100 Jesus. The reality is eternity in hell. So we need to weigh up so carefully what we will do with Jesus. 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:59.620 If you are wondering today, is it worth following or is it worth persevering in following Jesus, 00:15:00.300 --> 00:15:06.560 recognize that all of us, we are wired towards seeking our own happiness. We are pleasure seekers. 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:15.240 And the Bible would say to us, seek your greatest happiness, which is eternal. Take the long-term view. 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:22.680 Choose to follow Jesus to receive the love of God. 00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:34.279 So the first event that Peter takes us to is the cross. The second event is the story of Noah. 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:43.740 Now it is without a doubt one of the most debated texts in the New Testament, difficult to translate, 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:51.000 difficult to understand, verses 18 to 20. But I think to help us, we need to ask the question, 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:58.759 why does Peter jump from the cross to the story of Noah? And why does he bring the story of Noah 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:03.720 to a group of Christians who are feeling isolated for their faith and who are beginning to suffer for 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:10.480 doing good? And I think if we can understand this or the reason why, then it will help us to understand 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:17.820 our text. Now, let's do a basic review of the story. And boys and girls, I am sure, like many of us, 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:23.480 we are familiar with this story and we read it again. So let's just go back in our minds. The world 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:32.600 is wicked in Noah's day, we're told, but Noah finds favor, finds grace from God. And then we hear that the 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:39.600 flood is announced, judgment is coming. But there's also the promise of salvation because that ark 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:49.840 is built. And we discover that as the flood comes, so Noah and his family are saved beyond that judgment 00:16:49.840 --> 00:17:00.700 by God's grace. Now, how does Peter use that story? Well, let's look at our text to see if we can 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:09.140 understand why. In the end of verse 18, Peter says that Jesus was put to death in the body, 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:17.780 but made alive in the Spirit, in which also he went and made proclamation. So the first key thing to 00:17:17.780 --> 00:17:29.520 recognize is that Peter is saying that Jesus, by the Spirit, preaches through Noah. Okay, the story of 00:17:29.520 --> 00:17:38.020 Noah, the words of Noah, are Jesus by the Spirit preaching to Noah's day. Who does he preach to? Who does he 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:46.160 proclaim to? He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, to those who were disobedient long 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:52.039 ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah. Who's he proclaiming to? He's proclaiming to the 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:59.259 people of Noah's day, who were disobedient, who rejected the message of judgment and the offer of 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:08.839 salvation. They are the imprisoned spirits. They are imprisoned, anticipating final judgment, because 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:19.559 they rejected the message of Noah's day, which we know came from Jesus. And all this is happening, we're told, 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:29.720 when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built. So there is patience. God says 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:36.139 judgment is coming, but the judgment doesn't come until the ark is built. And also in that time, as Noah is 00:18:36.139 --> 00:18:45.559 building the ark, he's also proclaiming a message. He is proclaiming that judgment is coming, but here in this boat he is 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:58.720 building, there is a way of building. Now who received that salvation? Back to our text, in it, in the ark, only a few 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:10.279 people, eight in all, were saved through water. So in the end, just eight people, Noah's immediate family, are saved 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:19.859 through the flood of God's judgment by God's grace by getting in the ark. They trusted in God's way of salvation 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:30.399 and God saved them. Now I hope that the logic is clear, and if it's not, please do speak to me, get in touch 00:19:30.399 --> 00:19:36.359 with me afterwards, because it is a difficult passage. But I think what's important for us to think about as well 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:43.519 is, why does Peter include the story of Noah? And hopefully as we see these reasons, it'll maybe 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:53.819 become a little clearer. First of all, Noah, as we've just seen, was a minority surrounded by hostile 00:19:53.819 --> 00:20:03.319 unbelievers. That's a situation Peter's readers could absolutely identify with, and maybe we can too. 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:14.839 He also includes the story because Noah was righteous in the midst of a wicked, unbelieving world. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:22.220 And Peter writes to encourage his readers, so must you be, and by extension, so must we as the church be. 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:36.660 Noah is an example of bold faith that trusts God, recognizing coming judgment and God's way of 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:47.819 salvation. And Peter says, so must you be, so must we be. And here's the big point. I think the main 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:54.659 reason why includes it is simply to remind us that Noah and his family were finally saved. God was 00:20:54.659 --> 00:21:01.500 faithful to his promises. God saved his own, so that they might have faith, that we might be encouraged to 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:11.819 recognize that in Christ, so will we be saved, because God keeps his promises. Why keep going in faith? Because 00:21:11.819 --> 00:21:21.119 God, in the end, saves his people from judgment to give life. So here is an invitation for us, for Peter's readers, 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:29.720 to learn from history. So we feel isolated. We feel like a minority, and it's difficult. We can learn from Noah's 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:35.819 experience. He was laughed at. He was mocked for building a giant boat in the middle of a desert with no sign of 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:44.039 a storm coming. But what did Noah do? Noah kept faith. Noah kept the reality of judgment and salvation in 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:50.960 view, and so he continued trusting in God. That's an encouragement to us to do likewise. 00:21:52.379 --> 00:21:57.139 If we feel tempted to turn away from following Jesus because it just seems too hard, 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:04.980 consider not just Noah, but consider Noah's unbelieving generation, because what happened to them? 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:11.539 They were judged by God. And their judgment is a reminder that sin is real, and the judgment of God 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:18.119 is real, and we need to be prepared. So again, as we ask our question, why would I follow Jesus? Is 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:25.879 following Jesus worth it? Let's think about Noah's ark one last time. Let's think about Noah's ark being like 00:22:25.879 --> 00:22:35.000 a rescue boat. So imagine being in a storm, being overwhelmed by the waves, and the coast guard comes. 00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:43.960 Noah and his ark are preaching a message to the world of his day, and indeed to our own world. 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:52.139 Get in the boat, believe, and be saved was the message of the ark, and the ark is a picture of the cross. 00:22:53.099 --> 00:22:57.599 And what's the message of the gospel? What's the message of the boat? It's believe in Jesus. Get into 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:09.559 Jesus and be saved. He's on a rescue mission. He has done everything to save us. And Peter says to us, 00:23:09.919 --> 00:23:19.399 don't reject the offer of God's rescue. Don't reject Jesus as Savior, but rather follow and keep following. 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:30.759 Now, from that ancient story, Old Testament story of Noah, he then takes them to a very recent personal 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:39.519 story in their experience. He takes us next to their own baptism. There's a few times where in 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:46.700 Peter's letter, he reminds his readers that in the past, they were pagan. They didn't have a Christian 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:53.039 background. They lived a wildlife, but God had saved them. And when God saved them, they were baptized. 00:23:54.860 --> 00:23:59.480 Now, why does he go to their baptism? Well, let's read verse 21. 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:10.559 This water, the water of the flood, this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:17.740 not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience towards God. 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:24.079 Now, what's going on here? Maybe it'll be helpful for you to think about a baptism that you have 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:31.539 seen, or perhaps your own baptism here or in another church of an infant or of a believer. 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:35.819 When we think about baptism, we think about what that means in the life of a church. It's always a 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:43.619 really joyful sign. Now, why does baptism bring joy in the life of a church, in the life of a believer? 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:50.319 How can it encourage us to persevere in our faith? Well, think about what's going on. There is 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:57.859 the symbolism, the symbol of washing. As Peter says, it's not about removing dirt. It's not a physical 00:24:57.859 --> 00:25:06.579 washing. The symbol is of washing from sin. It's a promise that in Christ, the judgment of God against 00:25:06.579 --> 00:25:14.919 sin will not consume us, but we will be saved. Baptism is joyful also because it reminds us 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:21.720 that as Christians, by faith, we are united to the Lord Jesus. We think about the story of Jesus. 00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:29.060 Jesus, in love for us, went under the flood of God's judgment. He died on the cross. He was buried. 00:25:29.060 --> 00:25:36.840 But then he rose again in new resurrection life, and baptism speaks to that reality. And by faith, 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:46.599 we too have died to sin, and we are alive in Christ. When a person is baptized, they're baptized, 00:25:46.679 --> 00:25:52.199 aren't they, into Trinity, into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It's a sign 00:25:52.199 --> 00:26:00.919 of entering into relationship, into covenant with the Lord God. And when we think of covenant, 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:08.220 it's then interesting that Peter talks about a pledge. Verse 21, not the removal of dirt from the 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:16.480 body, but the pledge of a clear conscience towards God. Now, if we shift from baptism to a wedding, 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:23.140 think about a wedding that you've been to, or your own wedding, what does a pledge look like at a wedding? 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:30.320 It's the ring, isn't it? The ring stands as a pledge of a husband and a wife towards love and towards 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:36.520 loyalty. Now, what does Peter say? Baptism is the pledge of a clear conscience towards God. 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:46.920 Now, here is where I think we could go wrong. We could think principally that baptism is my pledge 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:55.019 to God. This is all about my commitment to God. I will follow faithfully. God, I will do my best for 00:26:55.019 --> 00:27:00.779 you. And if we think about baptism and we think back to our baptism experience, well, that might 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:07.160 encourage us. I remember I promised to do that, and today I'm doing that, but it may just add guilt and 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:14.160 make us feel terrible if we feel that on any given day we're not living up to our best hopes and plans. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:26.240 It's better to think that baptism isn't about our pledge to God. Baptism is God's pledge to His church, 00:27:26.580 --> 00:27:37.279 to His people, to say, I have chosen you. I have paid the price to redeem you. You are mine. I will be 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:45.819 faithful to you. And here is my sign of that. Baptism. So, baptism is God's pledge to us, and we plead on the 00:27:45.819 --> 00:27:53.639 basis of that pledge of God's faithfulness. And we plead on the basis of what Jesus has done for us 00:27:53.639 --> 00:28:04.200 through His dying in our place and then rising. Baptism again says God acts to save His people. 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:11.259 And since God has saved you and has committed Himself to you, keep following Him. 00:28:13.340 --> 00:28:21.220 If we feel isolated, you can look back on your own baptism. You can look back on what baptism points 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:30.720 to and appeal to God's faithful love. Trust in that washing from sin that He has provided. Rest in that 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:35.660 union and relationship that you have entered into because of God's faithfulness. 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:45.319 If you feel tempted to turn your back on Jesus, think about baptism and think about His pledge to 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:49.339 love you and be loyal to you. And don't turn your back on Jesus. 00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:58.720 Don't prove disloyal to Him. And again, if you're wondering, is following Jesus worth it? Think about 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:04.819 the picture of baptism. Here is what Jesus in love would do for you. Jesus would wash you of your sin 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:14.299 and your guilt. Jesus would face judgment to rescue you. Jesus would commit Himself to be with you forever. 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:28.399 forever. Take Jesus as your Savior and keep following. One last event, and that's the event of the 00:29:28.399 --> 00:29:37.940 resurrection and the ascension to glory, the return to glory of Jesus. In verse 22, Peter began, 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:43.980 verse 18, with the suffering. It will be suffering of the church, but especially the suffering of Jesus. 00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:48.320 And it's important for us when we suffer, when we feel discouraged, that we remember that. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:55.000 This is the pathway that Jesus Himself walked. Suffering first, glory to follow. But it's so 00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:01.400 important that Peter ends with the glory and the victory of Christ. The water saves you by the 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:07.519 resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand with angels 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:12.879 authorities and powers in submission to Him. We need this message. The whole good news, 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:18.680 the whole story of the good news, must include the resurrection, the return to glory, the rule and 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:27.599 reign of the Lord Jesus. So here is the last event that Peter goes to, to try and encourage isolated 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:33.279 Christians, perhaps Christians tempted to give up, perhaps for us wondering, is suffering for doing good 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:38.480 worth it? Here is the final part of that inner dialogue. Here is how we are to talk the gospel 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:46.940 to ourselves. We can remind ourselves, first of all, of the pattern of Jesus. We are saved, 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:53.019 end of verse 21, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can look back to Easter Sunday, to the empty tomb, 00:30:53.099 --> 00:31:01.420 to recognize the resurrection is the proof of God's victory over Satan and sin and death, to recognize 00:31:01.420 --> 00:31:10.800 that death had no claim on Jesus, that by faith our salvation is secure in Him. In that sense, Jesus is 00:31:10.800 --> 00:31:19.440 our champion. He fights for us. The victory that He wins, we get to enjoy by virtue of being His. 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:28.680 Think too of the position of Jesus. Look at verse 22. Where is Jesus now? Jesus has gone into heaven 00:31:28.680 --> 00:31:34.500 and is at God's right hand. Where is Jesus now? He's at God's right hand. He's in the place of power 00:31:34.500 --> 00:31:43.920 and authority. And speaking of the power and the honor of Jesus, look at the end of the section. 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:52.860 He has angels, authorities, and powers in submission to Him. How complete is the power of Jesus? It's 00:31:52.859 --> 00:31:59.979 absolute. Here is a picture of the total victory of Jesus. And this, this is the Jesus we need. 00:32:00.719 --> 00:32:06.439 This is the Jesus who is with us and for us. We talk about having friends in high places. Here is the 00:32:06.439 --> 00:32:13.599 one friend in the highest place who would be with us now and forever, who will keep us as we suffer. 00:32:13.599 --> 00:32:19.699 He is in a position to keep His promises, to be faithful to us. 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:27.160 So Peter has used these four events really to make one big point for us. 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:39.039 That God saves and God can be trusted. We can trust in His faithfulness, His love, His salvation through 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:49.299 Jesus. He writes to say to us, suffering for doing good, suffering for following Jesus is 00:32:49.299 --> 00:33:02.180 absolutely worth it. I read a story this week of a man called Paul from Kenya, who was with a group of 00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:10.980 workmen traveling from Kenya to Somalia, where they were ambushed by a group known as Al-Shabaab. 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:20.720 And Paul's friends recorded his words as he was threatened by that terror organization. He said, 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:32.200 if you kill me, I will remain with Jesus. If you let me live, I will still remain with Jesus. 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:42.000 That man was shot and killed for his faith. But he understood that suffering for Jesus absolutely is 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:51.960 worth it because right now he's enjoying glory with Jesus forever. When we find it hard to exercise our 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:59.860 faith, and there are times when it is hard and where we have to suffer for doing good, 00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:09.380 Peter says to us, let the gospel, let the good news of Jesus be your inner dialogue. Talk the gospel to 00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:18.239 yourself and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. The Jesus who suffered for you, who has now risen and 00:34:18.239 --> 00:34:26.759 ascended into heaven for you. Christ who is our hope in life and day. Focus on the God who will never fail 00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:34.640 to keep his promises, who never fails to keep his people. Look at the story of Noah. Look at what baptism 00:34:34.640 --> 00:34:46.320 speaks to, so that we would recognize suffering for doing good is worth it. Now at this point we always pray, 00:34:47.140 --> 00:34:56.400 and what I want to do is to invite us all to stand and to use these words from 2 Corinthians chapter 4 00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:04.059 as our prayer as our prayer as a way to affirm these truths that we've just been reflecting on. So will you stand 00:35:04.059 --> 00:35:12.500 with me and let's read these words together. And if you're at home, read them also. They are good for us to 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:17.460 speak to ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4 at verse 16. 00:35:17.460 --> 00:35:28.420 Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:38.000 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:50.619 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 00:35:51.579 --> 00:36:00.980 Please have a seat. And our closing hymn reminds us of the victory of Jesus. We'll sing together, 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:03.559 crown him with many crowns. 00:36:03.559 --> 00:36:04.559 Amen. 00:36:30.980 --> 00:36:44.260 The Lamb upon his throne, while heaven's eternal anthem drowns all music but its own. 00:36:45.260 --> 00:37:00.960 Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died to be your Savior and your matchless King through all eternity. 00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:26.760 crown him the Lord of life, triumph from the grave, who rose victorious from the strife for those he gave to save. 00:37:26.760 --> 00:37:30.760 His glories now we sing. 00:37:30.760 --> 00:37:35.760 Who died and reigns on high. 00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:44.760 Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die. 00:37:44.760 --> 00:37:59.760 crown him the Lord of love, who shows his hands and sight. 00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:08.760 Those wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified. 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:17.760 No angel in the sky can't fully bear the sight. 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:22.760 But downward bends his burning eye. 00:38:22.760 --> 00:38:24.760 That mystery so bright. 00:38:24.760 --> 00:38:26.760 That mystery so bright. 00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:29.760 Crowned him the Lord of peace. 00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:31.760 His kingdom is at hand. 00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:32.760 From pole to pole let warfare cease. 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:33.760 And Christ rule every land. 00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:38.760 A city stands on high. 00:38:38.760 --> 00:38:39.760 His glory it displays. 00:38:39.760 --> 00:38:40.760 And there the nations holy cry. 00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:41.760 In joyful hymns of praise. 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:42.760 His kingdom is at hand. 00:38:42.760 --> 00:38:43.760 From pole to pole let warfare cease. 00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:44.760 To pole to pole let warfare cease. 00:38:44.760 --> 00:38:46.760 To pole to pole let warfare cease. 00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:47.760 To pole to pole let warfare cease. 00:38:47.760 --> 00:38:50.760 And Christ rule every land. 00:38:50.760 --> 00:38:52.760 A city stands on high. 00:38:52.760 --> 00:38:56.760 His glory it displays. 00:38:56.760 --> 00:38:59.760 And there the nations holy cry. 00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:01.760 In joyful hymns of praise. 00:39:01.760 --> 00:39:04.760 And there the nations holy cry. 00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:07.760 In joyful hymns of praise. 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:09.760 Crowned in the Lord of fears. 00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:11.760 The bosend sate of time. 00:39:11.760 --> 00:39:15.760 Creator, the Lord of fear. 00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:17.760 The bosend sate of time. 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:28.760 Creator of the rolling spheres. 00:39:28.760 --> 00:39:32.760 In majesty sublime. 00:39:32.760 --> 00:39:37.760 All hail, Redeemer, hail. 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:41.760 For you have died for me. 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:46.760 Your praise shall never, never fail. 00:39:46.760 --> 00:39:50.760 Through all eternity. 00:39:50.760 --> 00:39:55.760 All hail, Redeemer, hail. 00:39:55.760 --> 00:39:59.760 For you have died for me. 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:04.760 Your praise shall never, never fail. 00:40:04.760 --> 00:40:09.760 Through all eternity. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:21.760 Let's stand to close our time in prayer. 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:25.760 This prayer is based on the end of Psalm 33. 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:28.760 We wait in hope for you, Lord. 00:40:28.760 --> 00:40:31.760 You are our help and our shield. 00:40:31.760 --> 00:40:34.760 In you our hearts rejoice. 00:40:34.760 --> 00:40:37.760 For we trust in your holy name. 00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:41.760 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord. 00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:44.760 Even as we put our hope in you. 00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:45.760 Amen. 00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:46.760 Amen. 00:40:46.760 --> 00:40:47.760 Amen.