Learning from Noah, 17 January 2016
Learning from Noah
Series: What in the World is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 3:18-22
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: Noah was saved in the ark, the waters of baptism symbolize death and resurrection, and Jesus understands suffering and is now in heaven praying for us until He returns.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What in the World is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering. We’ve looked at hope, holiness, and harmony. Then we looked at the unpopular word of submission, first at the marketplace, then at home, and in the church.
One of the advantages of going verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible is we are able to hopefully get a glimpse of the context. We also avoid the temptation to skip difficult passages. Today’s text is one of the most challenging in the New Testament to understand. If you’ve been with us in the series you know Peter presents a variety of topics to his readers, sometimes in what may appear to be random order. We do know Peter is trying to encourage who are experiencing difficult days.
Peter begins by reminding them again of the sufferings of Jesus.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
Jesus was and is the perfect example. He not only died for our sins and reconciled us to God, He showed us how to live, how to glorify God, how to surrender, how to let go, and even how to die. He came to die for the unjust, the unrighteous, the sinners…us! He did was not punished for what He did, He was punished for what we did, for what we do. He did nothing wrong.
Jesus is what we’re about at First Alliance. Not organized religion. Not programs and church services. Not even the Bible as literature. We’re about a Person, about Jesus. My greatest desire for our church is we would follow Jesus…24/7. I pray people would confuse us with Jesus! It’s amazing how many people have left the Church but respect Jesus. There are countless people who will never walk into our building who are curious about Jesus. The same Holy Spirit that was alive in Jesus is available to us.
But we must choose to intentionally follow Jesus, to do life differently than our neighbors, to spend our time differently, to spend our money differently, to surrender our safety and convenience and comfort, perhaps.
Peter’s message here to early Christians who were suffering is Jesus understands, Jesus knows suffering, Jesus suffered for THEM…and for us!
Jesus suffered without sinning. He did not complain.
He came to bring us to God, a technical term that means “gain audience at court.” We can be reconciled with our good, good Father because of what Jesus—the Man of sorrows—did on the cross for us. We can enter the holy of holies, the throne of the Almighty. This is a very big deal! We can also experience the presence of God, the power of God, the mercy and grace of God each day.
We are accepted by the Father. We don’t need the world’s acceptance.
The righteous Jesus died for us unrighteous…to bring us to God. We can know the Almighty. We can know our Father, our Daddy. God wants to know us. God wants to love us. The Father sent Jesus who came, lived, died, and rose from the dead for us.
Do you know Jesus? I don’t mean do you know about Jesus like you know about George Washington or LeBron James. Do you know Jesus, like you know your best friend? I admit it’s different knowing someone you can’t see, but He speaks primarily through the Bible and we can speak with Him through prayer—anytime. He’s alive. He’s with us through the Spirit.
Now we come to a rather interesting section.
After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, (1Pet. 3:19-20)
The body of Jesus died.
The spirit of Jesus died when He was made sin.
Who were these spirits? What did He proclaim to them?
Who were these spirits? Humans are never called spirits. If the reference was to lost sinners in Hell, they would probably be called souls.
We are never told Jesus went to Hell. He went to hades, the realm of the unbelieving dead, a temporary place where they wait for the resurrection (Acts 2:31).
Hell is the final, permanent place of judgment for unrepentant sinners. Hades is a temporary place.
When followers of Jesus die, they go to heaven to be with Jesus (Phil. 1:20-24)
Jesus likely visited fallen angels—imprisoned spirits—who existed before the flood. We don’t know what Jesus proclaimed to them, but since angels cannot be saved, it was probably a declaration of victory over satan and his hosts (Col. 2:15; 1 Peter 3:22).
These spirits may be “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4. Many things were different prior to the flood.
What is clear in the midst of this difficult passage is God saving humanity through Noah and his family in the ark. Eight people survived the flood. Noah became quite the hero. Granted, he built a huge boat on dry land which had never experienced rain! We are told
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)
In the very next chapter of Genesis it says…
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (Genesis 7:5)
And let’s not forget this one small detail:
Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. (Genesis 7:6)
That is not a typo! He was 600 years old when he finished building the ark and the rain began.
Noah is mentioned in Genesis, of course, but also in the books of Numbers, Joshua, 1 Chronicles, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, 2 Peter, and of course here in 1 Peter.
But he wasn’t perfect. After the flood he gets drunk and naked! One thing I love about the Bible is it’s so real. Even the heroes have flaws. Nearly every biblical character is presented as a screw-up…like me!
But the point is eight people were saved from water in the ark and then Peter speaks of a different water…
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21)
Death occurs when the spirit leaves the body (James 2:26).
Resurrection occurs when the spirit returns to the body (Luke 8:55).
So much of our faith is based upon the resurrection of Jesus. We have a “living hope.” Jesus proved He is God. Salvation has been accomplished for us. Death has been conquered.
A dead God cannot save.
A dead God cannot heal.
A dead God cannot forgive, love, serve, bless, guide, encourage, or challenge.
We just celebrated Jesus’ birthday—which is great— but in my opinion it’s nothing compared to Resurrection Sunday!
I mentioned last week how baptism is symbolic of our death in a water grave, dying to ourselves, and coming up out of the water, resurrected in new life in Christ.
Our text concludes speaking of Jesus…
who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (1 Peter 3:22)
Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of exaltation (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34–36; Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 12:1–3).
Jesus is in heaven at God’s right hand. He has angels, authorities and powers at His command.
Listen to what Warren Wiersbe concludes:
Believers are seated with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:4–6), and through Him we are able to “reign in life” (Rom. 5:17). He is ministering to the church as High Priest (Heb. 4:14–16; 7:25) and Advocate (1 John 1:9–2:2). He is preparing a place for His people (John 14:1–6) and will one day come to receive them to Himself. But the main point Peter wanted to emphasize was Christ’s complete victory over all “angels and authorities and powers” (1 Peter 3:22), referring to the evil hosts of Satan (Eph. 6:10–12; Col. 2:15). The unfallen angels were always subject to Him. As Christians, we do not fight for victory, but from victory—the mighty victory that our Lord Jesus Christ won for us in His death, resurrection, and ascension.
So What?
Noah was saved in the ark, the waters of baptism symbolize death and resurrection, and Jesus is in heaven. So what?
There’s a message of vindication here. As Peter writes to the persecuted, he reminds them of Jesus’ suffering, of Jesus’ position in heaven, and implies Jesus’ return. He promised to return…soon!
When you suffer, you can empathize with Jesus who suffered…for you and me.
One of my professors, Scot McKnight, has said of Peter…
He knows how difficult it is to fight off pressures for acceptance and conformity; he knows that Christians seek to live holy and good lives and so refrain from sinful behaviors; and he knows that you will need to have special faith and courage to endure. My contention is that Peter wants you to focus on the final day when God will bring about ultimate justice. He wants you to say: (1) I will not conform to the sinful habits of my peers and friends; (2) I will remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus by living faithfully and obediently; (3) I will endure lonely nights and few friends; (4) I will find my friends in those who seek, with me, to be obedient; and (5) I will look forward to the day when God shows that faithfulness rather than acceptance is the truer virtue.
We need to learn, with Jesus, to be just; we need to listen to Peter and seek to be obedient. And we especially need to get our eyes off the problems of acceptance and get them focused squarely on God’s final day of vindication, when all will be made right and all true virtues will appear for what they are: the will of God, now done on earth as it is heaven.
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series: What in the World is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 3:18-22
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: Noah was saved in the ark, the waters of baptism symbolize death and resurrection, and Jesus understands suffering and is now in heaven praying for us until He returns.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What in the World is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering. We’ve looked at hope, holiness, and harmony. Then we looked at the unpopular word of submission, first at the marketplace, then at home, and in the church.
One of the advantages of going verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible is we are able to hopefully get a glimpse of the context. We also avoid the temptation to skip difficult passages. Today’s text is one of the most challenging in the New Testament to understand. If you’ve been with us in the series you know Peter presents a variety of topics to his readers, sometimes in what may appear to be random order. We do know Peter is trying to encourage who are experiencing difficult days.
Peter begins by reminding them again of the sufferings of Jesus.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
Jesus was and is the perfect example. He not only died for our sins and reconciled us to God, He showed us how to live, how to glorify God, how to surrender, how to let go, and even how to die. He came to die for the unjust, the unrighteous, the sinners…us! He did was not punished for what He did, He was punished for what we did, for what we do. He did nothing wrong.
Jesus is what we’re about at First Alliance. Not organized religion. Not programs and church services. Not even the Bible as literature. We’re about a Person, about Jesus. My greatest desire for our church is we would follow Jesus…24/7. I pray people would confuse us with Jesus! It’s amazing how many people have left the Church but respect Jesus. There are countless people who will never walk into our building who are curious about Jesus. The same Holy Spirit that was alive in Jesus is available to us.
But we must choose to intentionally follow Jesus, to do life differently than our neighbors, to spend our time differently, to spend our money differently, to surrender our safety and convenience and comfort, perhaps.
Peter’s message here to early Christians who were suffering is Jesus understands, Jesus knows suffering, Jesus suffered for THEM…and for us!
Jesus suffered without sinning. He did not complain.
He came to bring us to God, a technical term that means “gain audience at court.” We can be reconciled with our good, good Father because of what Jesus—the Man of sorrows—did on the cross for us. We can enter the holy of holies, the throne of the Almighty. This is a very big deal! We can also experience the presence of God, the power of God, the mercy and grace of God each day.
We are accepted by the Father. We don’t need the world’s acceptance.
The righteous Jesus died for us unrighteous…to bring us to God. We can know the Almighty. We can know our Father, our Daddy. God wants to know us. God wants to love us. The Father sent Jesus who came, lived, died, and rose from the dead for us.
Do you know Jesus? I don’t mean do you know about Jesus like you know about George Washington or LeBron James. Do you know Jesus, like you know your best friend? I admit it’s different knowing someone you can’t see, but He speaks primarily through the Bible and we can speak with Him through prayer—anytime. He’s alive. He’s with us through the Spirit.
Now we come to a rather interesting section.
After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, (1Pet. 3:19-20)
The body of Jesus died.
The spirit of Jesus died when He was made sin.
Who were these spirits? What did He proclaim to them?
Who were these spirits? Humans are never called spirits. If the reference was to lost sinners in Hell, they would probably be called souls.
We are never told Jesus went to Hell. He went to hades, the realm of the unbelieving dead, a temporary place where they wait for the resurrection (Acts 2:31).
Hell is the final, permanent place of judgment for unrepentant sinners. Hades is a temporary place.
When followers of Jesus die, they go to heaven to be with Jesus (Phil. 1:20-24)
Jesus likely visited fallen angels—imprisoned spirits—who existed before the flood. We don’t know what Jesus proclaimed to them, but since angels cannot be saved, it was probably a declaration of victory over satan and his hosts (Col. 2:15; 1 Peter 3:22).
These spirits may be “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4. Many things were different prior to the flood.
What is clear in the midst of this difficult passage is God saving humanity through Noah and his family in the ark. Eight people survived the flood. Noah became quite the hero. Granted, he built a huge boat on dry land which had never experienced rain! We are told
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)
In the very next chapter of Genesis it says…
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (Genesis 7:5)
And let’s not forget this one small detail:
Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. (Genesis 7:6)
That is not a typo! He was 600 years old when he finished building the ark and the rain began.
Noah is mentioned in Genesis, of course, but also in the books of Numbers, Joshua, 1 Chronicles, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, 2 Peter, and of course here in 1 Peter.
But he wasn’t perfect. After the flood he gets drunk and naked! One thing I love about the Bible is it’s so real. Even the heroes have flaws. Nearly every biblical character is presented as a screw-up…like me!
But the point is eight people were saved from water in the ark and then Peter speaks of a different water…
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21)
Death occurs when the spirit leaves the body (James 2:26).
Resurrection occurs when the spirit returns to the body (Luke 8:55).
So much of our faith is based upon the resurrection of Jesus. We have a “living hope.” Jesus proved He is God. Salvation has been accomplished for us. Death has been conquered.
A dead God cannot save.
A dead God cannot heal.
A dead God cannot forgive, love, serve, bless, guide, encourage, or challenge.
We just celebrated Jesus’ birthday—which is great— but in my opinion it’s nothing compared to Resurrection Sunday!
I mentioned last week how baptism is symbolic of our death in a water grave, dying to ourselves, and coming up out of the water, resurrected in new life in Christ.
Our text concludes speaking of Jesus…
who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (1 Peter 3:22)
Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of exaltation (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34–36; Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 12:1–3).
Jesus is in heaven at God’s right hand. He has angels, authorities and powers at His command.
Listen to what Warren Wiersbe concludes:
Believers are seated with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:4–6), and through Him we are able to “reign in life” (Rom. 5:17). He is ministering to the church as High Priest (Heb. 4:14–16; 7:25) and Advocate (1 John 1:9–2:2). He is preparing a place for His people (John 14:1–6) and will one day come to receive them to Himself. But the main point Peter wanted to emphasize was Christ’s complete victory over all “angels and authorities and powers” (1 Peter 3:22), referring to the evil hosts of Satan (Eph. 6:10–12; Col. 2:15). The unfallen angels were always subject to Him. As Christians, we do not fight for victory, but from victory—the mighty victory that our Lord Jesus Christ won for us in His death, resurrection, and ascension.
So What?
Noah was saved in the ark, the waters of baptism symbolize death and resurrection, and Jesus is in heaven. So what?
There’s a message of vindication here. As Peter writes to the persecuted, he reminds them of Jesus’ suffering, of Jesus’ position in heaven, and implies Jesus’ return. He promised to return…soon!
When you suffer, you can empathize with Jesus who suffered…for you and me.
One of my professors, Scot McKnight, has said of Peter…
He knows how difficult it is to fight off pressures for acceptance and conformity; he knows that Christians seek to live holy and good lives and so refrain from sinful behaviors; and he knows that you will need to have special faith and courage to endure. My contention is that Peter wants you to focus on the final day when God will bring about ultimate justice. He wants you to say: (1) I will not conform to the sinful habits of my peers and friends; (2) I will remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus by living faithfully and obediently; (3) I will endure lonely nights and few friends; (4) I will find my friends in those who seek, with me, to be obedient; and (5) I will look forward to the day when God shows that faithfulness rather than acceptance is the truer virtue.
We need to learn, with Jesus, to be just; we need to listen to Peter and seek to be obedient. And we especially need to get our eyes off the problems of acceptance and get them focused squarely on God’s final day of vindication, when all will be made right and all true virtues will appear for what they are: the will of God, now done on earth as it is heaven.
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.