Goering, Jeremy: Studies In 1 Peter-07 ~ 1 Peter 3:9-4:8

We are hot today. Wow. New batteries or something. Let's go ahead and pray again. Our Father in heaven, we thank you once again for your word. We thank you that you've reached down to us through your word. We thank you that you've come down to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. And we just ask that now, as we look into your word, as we try to understand your truths, you would help us. You would lead us through your spirit. You just help us to see clearly and understand clearly your truths, and then you would apply them to our hearts. You would change our thinking where it's wrong. You would change our lives where we're wrong. We just ask that you would work in our hearts right now. Ask that you would work through me right now. Lead me through your spirit. In Christ's name, amen. This morning, I tied my tie into a bow. Is that nice? I liked it. Here we go. Can you tell it's a bow? Point of the tie is to show, not so much disrespect, but just to show that we're relaxed. We're going through the working class book of the Bible. We're looking at the things that don't take pretense. We don't have to come with a lot of show. We don't have to come with a master's degree in theology or a doctorate in anything or a lot of deep understandings, although we're going to get a lot of deep understandings. We're going to look today into some really deep things in the Word of God, but we're going to look through the eyes and through the words of an old ex-fisherman, now turned grandpa. I don't know what else to call him, who's just saying, this is, this is what it's all about, guys, and he's going to share his wisdom with us, and we're going to learn. It's been a few weeks since we were in First Peter. I was trying to remember, I could have looked it up, but I think it's been at least four since we've gone over something in First Peter. She's got the name. Anyway, um, the passage we're looking at is all about suffering, and we need a reminder of where we're at. The passage we went over last time was about suffering as well, and if you remember, I had a little PowerPoint presentation of how it kind of works in a cycle as we have a clear conscience and we make Christ our Lord as we suffer, no matter what the suffering is, whether it's something that's just incidental, that the world just walks, someone in the world just walks over us on their way to looking out for number one, or whether it's something that's really aimed at us, if Christ is our Lord, if that's what our life is about, then our response is going to be the same either way, and it all works out. In the end, we make a complete cycle, and we're sure we're suffering for right, and that just, that little bit of confidence makes it possible to go ahead and face the next thing and know we're being pleasing to our Lord and Savior. Turn to First Peter chapter three. The passage we went over last time, we're going to look at again really quickly, starting in verse thirteen. Started with the question, who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? And it's a real question. It's not a rhetorical question, although at first you think it is, and you think the answer is, oh yeah, easy, okay, rhetorical question, go on. But the question, the answer and the question are real, and the answer is that there's still plenty out there who will try to harm us, but they can't take anything that matters. They can try, and they're gonna, it's gonna be their goal, it's gonna be their ambition, and they're going to harm us, but the ways in which they harm us are not gonna be hitting us where it really hurts. Okay? Then looking on at verse fourteen, but even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed, and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled. The point we're supposed to carry away from this verse was simple. We're blessed. We are blessed. Even in what might seem to be the worst case scenario, when the world's all against us and they finally got us on the rope, got us on the ropes, we remember, oh, I'm blessed. Y- you can't get anything that matters. This is truth. This can't be taken away. Verse fifteen, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. Whatever else is in our hearts, Christ is to be set apart as something more special. Christ is to be set apart as Lord, as master, higher than whatever else is in our hearts. And Peter doesn't make any comments about the priorities in our hearts other than that. He doesn't say, set your hearts on just this, or, you know, you need to take all those things out. He says, no, no, go ahead. Whatever is important to you, have it. Whatever your heart's set on, that's okay. Christ is over it. In your heart, the most important thing to Peter and what he's trying to say as this loving grandpa, saying, this is what's best for you, and we don't see it yet. We're still looking through the eyes of... of those who are in the middle of it, and we don't see that it all works out. But Peter's saying one who's been through the fire, the one who's on the other side almost, looking back and saying, no, no, it, it works, this is better. You know, sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, put him as number one, it will make it all work. And then Peter says to be ready to give an a a defense when they only ask for an account of our hope. Why? Why a defense? What what why are we defensive? They only ask, hey, why hope? Why do you have hope? Why do we need to be ready for it with a defense? The answer is because to the world, at this point, we're going to look really irrational. To the world, it's going to look like we're totally out of touch with reality because they know if they went through what we are going through or what we just gone through, they'd be crushed. They know that people just don't make it through that and not be scaved. You must, you, you, you're, you flipped. You, clearly you're not in touch with reality. You're not, you're not facing up to the facts and how bad your situation really is. If you did, you'd be crushed because I would be crushed. And at that point, we make a defense and we say, no, I have a real hope. My hope stands up to scrutiny. The fact that we aren't crushed is evidence to them that we're not facing up to the truth of how things are, and there has to be a disconnect somewhere. But we're ready to make a defense of the hope that's in us. It's rational. It is defensible, and actually the evidence is on our side. Their psychology and their philosophy, and we looked at examples of this last time, and I know it was a month ago, but we looked at examples how their psychology, their philosophy leads only to despair, logically and inevitably it leads to despair, and it has to. And so when they see, they they know that we ought to be in despair anywhere, or there's a disconnect, but since our philosophy, since our hope is set so in a such a different place, when they see us and we can make this presentation, we can make a defense. And that's the quick re- quick review of what we went over. A little bit more in sixteen through eighteen. And keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. And we're to make sure our conscience is clear. We're to make sure our conduct is right, and this is key to the plan that God has laid out. We're to follow Christ's example because of Christ, because of what Christ has done for us. Just as he suffered when he didn't deserve it for our benefit, he would like us to do the same for the benefit of others, and that's kind of the quick review. But there's so much more, and especially at the end when he tells us to keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. And we looked last time at how there was two tracks all these verses run on. There's the track where we're, that we're all really used to, where we're just going through our life, and those in the world just kind of walk on us. And it's not because they have anything against us, it's just that we were in between them and the top, and we were a stepping stone. And so we just get stepped on, and the world beats us down, and they steal from us, and they take our money, and they get us in debt, and then they sue us, and then they do more and more, and it's, they don't care that we're Christians. No, that it's nothing personal. That's just the way they treat everyone. And we know at that time that this little bit of suffering we, we can take, and we look to Christ in that, and our point is to keep a clear conscience even in that, and we'll be a testimony. But then there's that other track, and that's what we're going to look at a little bit more today as we go into these new verses. But there's the other track where at times they're actually against us. There's times when it's because we're a believer that they turn against us, and that's a totally different scenario. I'm inclined to think at this point that I really haven't ever suffered much, and the reason why it kind of, it all, it came in a little bit of a backdoor way, but Peter compares suffering that we go through, or the kind of suffering he's talking about that he calls suffering, is what happens to evildoers when they're caught. And so he says, you know, when you suffer, and it's like when an evildoer is caught, and I see what happens to terrorists or criminals when they're caught. That's what I was asking Roxanne. What's the guy in the news now? Abud al-Masari? I can't ever remember how to pronounce it. Masawi, something like that. And you read the court cases and the people who are screaming for his death and the way that everybody's so excited that something bad's going to happen to him, and everybody wants to mock him and how odd his behavior is, and the whole world's against him. No, I've never experienced that. If that's what suffering is, you know, that stuff that happens as if when you do something really terrible and you're caught, I guess I don't have any clue. I mean, I, I know what it's like to stay up too late, and the next day I can't think real well, and that's, I guess, brought on by my own misconduct, and so is, is, if that's the kind of suffering, yeah, but Peter says, no, no, it's like criminals when they're caught. Suffering for wrong. And okay, well, then I don't know what suffering was, but the Holy Spirit knew who he was writing to. And Peter knows that he, you know, just like Paul writes, he says the Holy Spirit says things are going to go from bad to worse. And Peter's writing in a time of Nero, and it didn't break loose yet, but it's about to. And these people who are going to get this letter, and it's not going to be bound as a book, they're going to get it on the run, rolled up as a little scroll, as people are searching for them, to drag them before a coliseum full of people, where people are going to be screaming for them to face their death, where people are going to be screaming for them to be tortured, to be beaten, to be killed. And he says, make sure that when you suffer, even though it's, it's for the right, not for the, it's going to look the same. Just like they scream to kill the criminals, they're going to scream that at you. And I find out, well, I guess I, I don't really know what suffering's about. And it's, you know, it's no credit at all, back off a little bit and bring it back home to me. It's no credit at all when the world sees me or sees any of us get something good and we say, praise the Lord. There's no credit. The world doesn't... So they're, they're like, oh yeah, and they just say, I thank my lucky stars. Or there's the guy who drives the Corvette, Corvette around town, the bright red one with the license plate that says, thanks God. You know, then, and the world just says, yeah, that's a funny thing. And it means nothing. I have people I work with that say, you know, when I say, hey, this went well for me today, they'll say, praise the Lord. Because that's what I'm supposed to say. They're filling in the blank. That doesn't mean anything bad, but the world can't put a handle on it when it all goes wrong and I say, praise the Lord anyways. That's something they have no concept of, and that's what I found out looking through this, that really isn't all that much in my vocabulary. You know, that anyways part, I can do praise the Lord, but praise the Lord anyway. I tend to come immediately, bring it to God, and I set it in front of him, and I say, this is your problem. This is your responsibility to fix it. And I forgot the whole, oh yeah, and praise you, praise the Lord anyways for... No, I'm, I'm just so caught up in my problem. And Peter, and this is, this is kind of a little bit of a, of a sidebar, but Peter, in what he's going to show us today, this is key to see, has learned that no matter what the situation is, from the very beginning, Christ has taught him over and over, I can take care of your situation. I want you to look at me. And I want to s- I'm going to develop this in Peter's life because I really like seeing it develop. Turn to Luke chapter five. This is not going to hold on. Luke chapter five, verse one. One. We'll actually start in verse three. And Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land, and he sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out in the deeper water and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered and said, Master, we caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets. When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they both began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. So Jesus comes up and says, after Peter tries all night, gets nothing, so he gets Peter kind of on the ropes, you know, and then comes up and teaches all day out of Peter's boat. Hey, Peter, there's something better to use your boat for. I got a, I got a good use of your boat. Okay. Peter says, yeah, you know, I'm not using it now anyway. I've been out all night. And then the mo- and then after he's done, Jesus says, why don't you go out and catch some things? And Peter says, I'm a fisherman all my life I've been on this water, and no one, no one fishes during the day. The fish go down too low. And Jesus says, no, put up your nets for a catch. So Peter does it, and they get a whole lot. And Peter looks at him and says, I've done this all my life. That's impossible, your God. And he falls down before him, and he says, you know, you've got to go away. I, I see my own inadequacy in light of you. And so asks him to go away. Amazement had seized him and his companions because of the large catch of fish which they had taken. And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, do not fear, from now on you'll be catching men. When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. So, kind of the way I see the story is Jesus is in the boat with them because Peter falls at his feet, and then they bring the boats to land. So they're out there, and Jesus says, first, I got something better for you to do with your boats. And Peter's initial thought, like all of us, well, my boat is my livelihood. This is my life. This is how I support myself and my family. And Jesus says, um, well, okay, well, about that. Throw the nets down. Okay, then there's more. There, there you go. Ten seconds worth or ten minutes worth, more than you would have caught all night long, no matter how well, and a lot more than you did last night. So let me tell you what it's like. From now on, I've proven I can take care of you. Catch men. I've got a good use for you and your boat. We're going to catch men. Forget about this fish thing. And Peter says, when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. You, Jesus, we just learned a lesson, so they think. Turn to Matthew chapter nineteen, A little bit later in the story. There's this time when this man, young man, comes up to Jesus and says, I want to be saved, I want to be your disciple, I want to follow you. And Jesus says to him, oh, give up all the extra stuff. Kind of what Peter already learned. Remember that lesson when just a few minutes ago we saw Peter says, okay, if you can provide for me, I'll give it all up. And Jesus says to this guy, give it all up and come follow me. You'll have treasure in heaven. And the guy is like, too hard, and walks away. So Peter, real quick, he's doing the math, and he's like, well, I, I, I did good. Here, I want the little pat on the back. And he says to him, behold, we've left everything and followed you. And he did, literally. He left everything behind. He has no livelihood. We left everything and followed you. What then will be there be for us? Jesus said to him, truly I say to you, you who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sister or father or mother or children or farms for my sake will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life. So he gives him the thing, yeah, you're going to have everything. And then he says, oh, by the way, many who are first will be last, and the last first. Now, what does that mean? For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hyber- hire laborers for his vineyard, and when he had agreed with the laborers for denarius for the day, he sent them into the vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to those, you also go to the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And so they went, and he went out about the sixth and the ninth and did the same thing, and about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, what have you been, why have you been standing here idle all day long? And they said, because no one hired us. And he said to them, you go into the vineyard too. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them for their wages, beginning with the last group to the first. When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius, and when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden in the scorching heat of the day. But he answered and said to him, to one of them, Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for denarius? Take what is yours and go. But if I wish to give to this last man the same as to you, is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I'm generous? So, here's the explanation. This is what I was teaching you, Peter. The last will be first, and the first last. Because Peter said, I gave it up all for you, so I'm going to get a lot, right? And Jesus says, well, actually, yeah, you're, you'll one day be sitting on a throne, you'll be judging, but let me take you back in a step. Basically, then he says, so will everybody else. But you agreed at the beginning to follow me for eternal life, for abundant life. Is that enough, Peter? And Peter kind of has to process all this, and he's got to go on the go, but he's learning. Christ keeps on working on him. Turn to Ma- John chapter twenty one. Jesus had taught Peter that you can give up everything, and I'll take care of you. And Jesus had fed five thousand and fed four thousand in front of you. I don't need, I don't need the boat even, Peter, and no matter what you do, I'm going to take care of you. And then things get rough, and Jesus is crucified, but then Jesus rises again and shows himself to Peter, and Peter's like, well, okay, but everything's changed now. Jesus isn't walking around. He's probably not going to feed five thousand again, and so there comes a point in time... in chapter twenty one, verse three, Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. What did you just say? This Jesus thing's not working out. I- I- I- I better go fishing. I- I got to go get, I got to go provide for my family again because Jesus now, you know, before we walked with him and he kind of took care of us, but now it's kind of hit and miss. He's here one day and he's gone the next, and then he appears to us, and he's gone, and it's like he wants us to trust him or something, but he's not really regular about it, so I've got to go fishing. And they say, we're going to go with you. That night they went, got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Then when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Jesus says to them, children, do you have any fish? You do not have any fish, do you? And they answer, no. And he said to them, cast the net on the right hand side of the boat, you'll find a catch. So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord. So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment on, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. So Peter says, I, you know, it's not working out. I got to get back to work. Before he said to Jesus, I left everything for you. What is there for me? Jesus says, well, I'm going to take care of you, basically, and you you'll get the same as everybody else, but I'm going to totally take care of you. Now he says, I'm, I got to guess I got to go back. You're not going to take care of me. And Jesus, when he's out there, he catches nothing. Jesus says, you don't think I can take care of you? There's your net full of fish. And Peter's so excited, and he dives in the sea and gets up there, and they bring the net full of fish, and Jesus says, I don't need that fish. I got breakfast. He didn't even use the fish they caught. He's, they've already got a fire laid out. They've already got bread on it. They've already got fish. But Jesus says, why don't you go drag that up and get a few more fish? So Peter brings it up, and there's a huge catch of fish. So Jesus said, bring up some of the fish which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of large fish, one hundred and although there there, although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said, come, have breakfast. None of the disciples mentioned the quest- ventured to question him, who are you, knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. Now, this is the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Now, when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, stop fishing, then tend my lambs. I've showed you this already, remember? We're, we're going to use you to catch people. We're going to use your boat to catch people. Quit worrying about these things. I'm going to take care of you. And he said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said, shepherd my sheep. He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, tend my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you that when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands. Someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. Now this he said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this to him, he said, so follow me. Peter turning around saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following him, the one whom also had leaned back on the bosom at the supper and said, Lord, is this the one who betrays you? So Peter said to him, said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me. So Peter has learned something, and Jesus took years to teach. Starts off, Peter, follow me, I can take care of your needs. Peter thinks he learns it along the way and then proves he doesn't. The very end, the last lesson is, Peter, even if it's bad, here's the promise. You're going to die an ugly way. It's going to be torture. Are you willing to follow me? Do you believe I'm going to take care of you? Peter takes that, and now we have the shepherd in First Peter. Turn back to First Peter chapter three— writing to us. And the shepherd says, who's there to harm you if you prove zealous for what's good? Well, Peter knows they're gonna kill me. I- I've got it on good authority that this is what's gonna happen to me, but that's okay. Jesus is gonna take care of me, and he said to trust him. He said, shepherd my sheep, and here I am. It occurred to me, as I was going through this studying this week, that the reason why this passage has never really seemed striking to me before is that I don't really believe it. I don't believe it's true, absolutely true, inherently true. I'm going to give an example real quick. And when the passage says in verse seventeen, for it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. Do I believe it, or do I got to modify it? And I add the little thing in my mind really quick. I kind of give a hesitant assent, and I add, well, but it'd be better yet not to suffer at all. Or maybe the question's better than what? So let's just stop and read the shocking statement. We're going to start in verse sixteen. and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for what is do- for doing what is right. Do I believe that? That it is better if God should will it so that I suffer. Am I willing to take it, or am I w- do I have to add my modifier, but it'd be better yet not to suffer at all? And the point of this, it's better if God should will it so. If God wills, if I'm within the will of God, do I really believe that if God wills it, it's better that I suffer for doing what is right? Do I believe it's true? In verse fourteen, when it says, but even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Do I really believe that my Savior offers such rewards and offers such comfort to me, offers such spiritual joy, that when verse fourteen says, if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed, do I believe it? I came across, my wife was reading this week, and so I picked it up as well, a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called The Cost of Discipleship, and he has a quote that very well applies to this passage. To follow Jesus means self-renunciation and absolute adherence to him, and thus a wi- thus a will dominated by lust can never be allowed to do what it likes. Even momentary desire is a barrier to the following of Jesus, making us sell our heavenly birthright and showing that we lack faith in him who will reward putting our flesh to death with joy a hundredfold. Instead of trusting to the unseen, we prefer the tangible fruits of desire so that we fall from the path of discipleship and lose touch with Jesus. Here's what happened to Peter. This is what ties it together. Peter lost touch with Jesus, and he thought, I need to eat. And so he started taking care of himself. And we, I do that daily because this passage keeps saying it's better for you to suffer for doing what is right. And I think, well, better than suffering for doing what is wrong, it's better not to be a criminal, so I'll, I'll take it that far. And Jesus is saying, no, I'm going to take care of you. It's better for you to be in touch with me. And then I say, but I want these pleasures. And Jesus says, no, you're lacking faith that I'm going to reward you for a life of serving me. Let's look starting in verse, chapter three, verse eighteen. For Christ, we'll start in verse seventeen. For it, for it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now imprisoned, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons were brought safely through water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to him. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. This is a really difficult passage, no matter how you take it. There's almost no way to look at this and say, all right, that makes sense. And I'm not going to yet solve all the difficulties. What we're going to do, try to attempt to focus on, is not the difficulties, but on the truths. In three seventeen through eighteen, there's this theme of suffer for what is right, because Christ suffered according to the will of God, and look at the good things that happened to you. So he says, and then four one and two, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose. And it seems like everything between then, he could just drop. Why, why did he put it in there? There is a point wh- why they're there. Remember the context in verse seventeen is that I was told it's better to suffer if that's what God wills. Not that it's just better to suffer for what doing what is right than for doing what is wrong, but if God wills it, the best thing for my life is to suffer because Jesus himself is going to take care of me. And then he gives the example. He starts giving examples. Well, you know, you're not the only one to suffer. Jesus suffered. Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh. Christ suffered when it was what God willed, even when he was righteous and those he was suffering for weren't. Even when it meant suffering all the way to death, he suffered when it was what God willed, and it resulted in good. In which, and he he talks, makes this reference, which is also a, a transition to the next point. He says, but made alive in the spirit, in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark. And so he makes this transmit transition. What's the proclamation? Well, we don't know. And there's a lot of people with lots of different views that he went forward in time, back in time. He talked to people who weren't believers yet, but will be, that he went, and it doesn't really matter, we're not told. But Jesus was able to proclaim. He was able to preach. That's what he came for. He said, I came to preach the gospel to the lost sheep. And Jesus, because he submitted to God's will, gets the desire of his heart, which was the bride he ends up with. And God even suffered. Verse twenty, and this is what the transition leads to. Who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah. You ever thought of that? God had to keep on putting up with the vileness when he had decided, you know, they're gone, but he put up with the vileness for a hundred years while Noah built an ark. And he, he, he just keeps on doing his patience is tested, but I'll wait for Noah to get that ark done. And he lets Noah get the ark done, and he gets eight people on. And then, starting in verse twenty, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water, corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that this all of a sudden gets really confusing because I thought we didn't believe that baptism was what saved us. I thought it was faith in Christ. What is Peter teaching? And pretty simply, the first question we need to ask is, he says, corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Corresponding to what? The last thing Peter mentioned, and what he's clearly referring to is the phrase, the ark in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water. And corresponding to that, baptism now, and we start thinking, so, so the ark brought them safely through the water, and corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. But the problem we have is understanding the metaphor of water, because we always think of water as I'm thirsty, water's good, and or I'm dirty, water's good, it cleans me. And that's not what Peter's saying at all. I'll change the metaphor a little bit. What if we said a few persons were brought safely through the fire? What does that bring to our mind? It brings the idea that they were brought through a trial, that they were brought through suffering, that they were bought- brought through judgment. What was the water? The trial, the suffering, the judgment. It was God's judgment on the whole world, and then he promised I'll never use water again. Next time it'll be fire. So we always think of fire as a bad thing and water as a good thing. But at that time, the water was the judgment. The water was the suffering. The water is what killed the world. And so this water that killed the world, in verse twenty, the people were brought safely through it, not around it. They didn't skip it, they were brought through it. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Then Peter says as explicitly and clearly as he can that he's not talking about a washing with water or a dunking. He's talking about baptism in the same way that Paul talks about a picture of passing through death, through the judgment that fell on Christ, passing through that and coming out on the other side. He says, corresponding to that, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the fo- not this washing thing, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a picture of death, resurrection. Corresponding to that, baptism saves you. Get through the suffering. Just like the ark was what carried the people through judgment. He says, this is Christ. He's going to carry you through your suffering, and he's going to bring you out on the other side. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to him. And Christ is now exalted. He's at the right hand of God. All authority is handed over to him. He's, he's got it all. And this is the one that had already taught Peter, I'm going to take care of you, and you're going to suffer, but you're going to also ju- be a judge after that, and you're going to get an inheritance, just like everyone else who trusts me. But trust me, I'm gonna take care of you. Then he picks up in chapter four, verse one. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. And we already showed that four one picks up where three eighteen left off. We're talking about suffering, the Christ suffering. But now truly is, Peter's truly showing the concept he began, because in three sixteen through eighteen, he told us to do something very difficult. He told us to keep our consciences and our actions clean, and as we do this, we're doing it for the sake of those in the world, even though they're slandering us and mistreating us as, as we do it. So they're slandering us, and I'm keeping my conscience clean for their sake. That's really hard because I don't like the people that mistreat me. So he says, now look at Christ and get your focus on him. He did the same thing for you. Can you suck it up for Christ? And I get it all in order, and I think I got it all sucked up for Christ, and okay, I'm gonna do it. Uh, forgive my bad attitude. I'm gonna suffer for them. And then I find out the real difficulty, that it wasn't just difficult, it was impossible. I find out at that point that the thing he told me to do was keep a clear conscience and always live righteously. And I can't do it because I just can't. And I try and I fail, and I try and I fail. And it gets back to the quote. It gets back to everything we've been looking at, tying it back together. That my lust, my desire for sin is, when I get right down to it, not taking God at his word, that what he offers is a greater joy than whatever it is I think I'm missing. I just don't trust God. But if I really trusted him, that he's going to give me joy a hundredfold if I can clean it up. If I can get my life right, if I can leave behind whatever the things and whatever it is that I think I want. And I've, you know, as I've gone through this this week, it's been a pretty convicting week, and I, I start seeing these things that God's, and there's one, and there's one. Hey, pray about that. Hey, can you clean that up too? And I start saying, but this is impossible, but sometimes, but I want that one too bad. Then, you know, I, I've been working really hard just to get that one. And God says, you're just getting that because you think it's going to make you happy. How about I just make you happy? And then when you look at that, maybe you'll just have joy and love in your heart for me, as you think, I don't need that anymore. And we can go on through our lives trusting God, and what's in the way is our doubt that God's really going to take care of me. I think I need to fill my own pleasures, and this is what Peter's talking about. And he says here in verses one and two, therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, Christ suffered in his flesh. He, he died, it's to the point of death. He died for you. And just like Paul, Paul does a great explanation of baptism. You died with Christ. You're really dead. You don't need to sin anymore. That whole sin nature thing died. You've been raised again, alive to Christ. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose. He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the less rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Right here, I find out that I'm set free. I've learned it's okay through Christ to let my flesh suffer. I don't have to give in to its lusts and cravings. I can let my flesh starve to death. I can just let it starve to death, and it'll, it, it's going to be better. I, instead of feeding my flesh, can look to Christ. And I used to think the reason I tried to keep my flesh alive was it was the only thing that made me happy. And when I, when I fed it, it got joyful, and it put this little euphoria feeling for a little bit all the way through me. But now Jesus is saying, how about you let it die, and I'll just give you happiness. I'll just take care of you, and the joy that I offer is outside of your flesh. So let's let it die. Let your flesh suffer and starve to death, or in the words of Peter, suffer in the flesh and cease from sin. I don't have to be a slave anymore. Verses one through six of chapter four, Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he is, he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles. Having pursued a course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries and all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissip- dissipation, and they malign you. I'm going to stop there. Never think that it doesn't matter to the world what becomes of your life and how you live. Never think that. You know, we always think that it doesn't matter to the world what hap- the world doesn't care what happens to me. They care. They don't care for your sake. They don't care on the surface, not because they're concerned of what happens to you, but because they're watching, and you are how they're going to see the truth. This is what Peter's trying to show us. He's, I've heard it said that there's five gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you, and most of the world's never going to read the first four. Better way of saying this, same truth, is that the four accounts we call gospels are really available to us because men took the time to put down their experiences with Jesus Christ and how he changed them. Are we willing to do the same? Some men put down a guy who wrote something called Matthew, another guy wrote something called Mark, another guy wrote something called Luke, probably Luke wrote Luke, another guy wrote something called John, probably John wrote John. We don't know who wrote those, it doesn't really matter, we just can't be certain, it was probably Matthew, but someone who knew Jesus wrote that Jesus changed my life, and now it got to change my life as I studied it. Well, is there someone who knew Jeremy who's heard the message that Jesus changed my life, and they're reading that? Am I, am I willing to do that? Am I willing to step out and be different? The world is watching us live, and we need to share the same truth to, through our lives so they can live. That's what Peter is doing. That's, remember Peter learned it, step one with Jesus, step two with Jesus, step three. and Jesus says, even to the end, and Peter says, I finally learned it, and now he's an old man writing back and saying, it really works. Verses three and four. For the time already passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In all this, they're surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you. We were told over and over again to be righteous, have a clear conscience, and then we were given the power in verses 1 and two. We see through Christ that we don't have to feed our flesh. We can be free from it. Here we're given a list of those things to avoid, and the world thinks, once again, it's the same thing before, you're crazy. You know, before they thought we were crazy because they say, if what happened to you happened to me, I'd be crushed. Now they say, that's all I got to live for, and you don't do it? You must be fill in the blank. You must be, you hear it all the time, you m- you you don't live for the sex party, you must be a homosexual. You don't live for, interesting thing came up, you don't live for sin, you must be homeschooled. You don't live for, you know, whatever else, you're just weird. Okay? The world looks down on us and says, you're out of your mind. That's the only pleasure we got. And as the world does that, in all this, they're surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess- excesses of dissipation, and they malign you, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Step one, they're going to give an account. No matter which side they fall on, they're going to give an account. You are living your life consistency- consistently. You're giving them an option that they wouldn't have otherwise, because they'd be still the slave to it. But you're the, you're the road marker. You're the thing that says, hey, there's a Y in the road here, and I'm taking this one, and you can follow me because I don't have to do those things, and it works out, and I still have hope, and I don't have to be a slave to my flesh. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the word of God. The gospel is preached even to those who are dead. This is why even the lost, and even those among the lost that the lost call lost, hear the gospel through us. Because there's those that the world would even say, man, he is, he's the sinner of sinners, don't even waste your time with him. And guess what? Those are the guys that always get saved, isn't it? It's interesting where you walk up to someone that Dwayne and I always enjoy the stories where you meet someone that you see him from eighty feet away, and you think, that's got to be the scariest guy I've ever seen in my entire life. He must be a believer. And you get up to him, and he's got the ear to ear grin and the joy just overflowing, and you think, yep, but all the world is staying back, man, that's a freak, you know, that's the scary one. Jesus, even the lost. This is why the gospel's been preached even to those who are dead, that though they're