Confident In Christ

For Christ also suffered once for sins.

He's wanting us to put in the unjust suffering we experience underneath the unjust suffering that Christ experienced. Christ, He also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous. Now, here's the fun contrast. While we're doing good, we're going to receive unjust suffering. Jesus, who's perfectly good and righteous, suffered for us, who are truly unrighteous and not good. That is the key full declaration of what the gospel is at the most basic level in that Christ came to be our substitute. The perfectly righteous one suffering for those who are bringing about his own suffering. We need to meditate on the cross here because this is where we see our suffering most helpfully in view. Jesus, the perfect human, Almighty God who came to be like us in every way, yet without sin, lived a perfectly righteous life, never sinned, and yet was put before a false trial with false accusations, mocked, beaten, spat upon, put on the cross, which is the most cruel way to have someone suffer death. And he endured it all being perfectly, not just innocent, but perfectly righteous. Christ suffered once for sin. The righteous and the unrighteous. That's a passage worthy of your memorization. That is a gospel passage that is important to memorize. Not just to understand the gospel, but the context. when we're suffering. Christ suffered. It's a necessary part of the gospel. And we see there the substitution aspect. The righteous one in place of the unrighteous. He suffered for sin, the righteous in the place of the unrighteous. He is the one who removes our guilt. Once is what it declares. He suffered once for sin. Hebrews will go a little further and say it's once for all. There's a, a, an absolute declaration that Christ one time suffering. Put an end to all the old Testament sacrifices. Put an end to all our guilt brought about an absolute declaration that, that all of God's promise in the, in the old pointing to how forgiveness would bring about will come about. It's now true. We see it in Jesus' own words on the cross.

It is finished.

And at that moment, the curtain is torn in two. At that moment, all the Old Testament sacrifices are now, they're coming to light as all pointing to when Christ, the true atonement, the one who truly satisfies the wrath of God, all of those lambs that caused God's judgment to pass over Israel, now the true lamb who takes away the sin has come so that we can be brought near God. We can be brought into his very presence. God's wrath is satisfied because of Christ, the righteous one who died for the unrighteous. If you're gonna believe this morning, this is the most basic truth of the gospel. If you're in the midst of suffering, we'd love to talk to you, meet you afterwards, we'd love to be able to walk alongside of you, but the most significant help we can give you is first helping you see the true comfort you need in that Christ died for sinners, just like everyone in this room. and that the only hope we have for true forgiveness is believing in Jesus who died the death he did not deserve but we deserve so that he can take away our sin by taking it upon himself. I encourage you not to leave until you hear more about that gospel and so you will believe in him. Jesus isn't just an example of suffering. He's leading the way for us Christians. And we're being a disciple, we have to deny ourselves, carry a cross and follow Him. He's leading the way to glory, which for Christ went suffering and for us means suffering. To understand suffering in light of the gospel helps us know how to cry out to God. To know that if God is able to use that suffering for our good, He can use all suffering for His glory and our good. There's no meaningless suffering for a Christian who's trusting God. There's such great comfort in that. It protects us from despair. Christ suffered once for sin. He died in our place for our salvation. He's our example for how to suffer trusting fully in the God's will, his own will as to how he's gonna bring out salvation. He suffered to give us confidence in the victory we need. And every time we're in the midst of suffering, it's an opportunity to reflect back on the cross, which is the greatest, the most unjust suffering that brought about the greatest good. Christian, as I mentioned last week, we looked at the unique Christian ethic, love your enemy. This week we're looking at something also unique to Christianity and that is a theology of suffering. That helps us put it in light of the whole truth of the gospel that brings about a different kind of meaning and comfort. God has an answer and purpose for suffering. Islam, they can simply say God allows suffering and it's a task for you to have a reward afterwards, but God is not near you in that suffering. Buddhism can say suffering is all there is, and there's a cycle of suffering until you finally get to Nirvana, which is not suffering. Fatalism either leads you to Stoicism, which wants you to deny everything you feel, or Epicurus, where you just try to overcome your pain by numbing circumstances. The prosperity gospel says if you only believe enough, you'll have the happy life without suffering. Let's be honest, we all tend to believe at least one of those laws. We all tend to believe one of those lies at some level in the midst of suffering. We need to lean in and that Jesus taught his own disciples over and over again. The Messiah, the new Adam, who's bringing about the new creation and the new life and the new birth, he must suffer, die, and then he will rise again. And the disciples never got it. They had a hard time understanding how suffering must be part of God's will and God's plan and God's plan of salvation. Until they finally got it after he rose again. And they then walk through that suffering. And Peter, who's writing this letter, is the one who denies Jesus directly that he can't really go through that suffering. It's interesting, most religions, and I believe the prosperity gospel buys into this, true righteousness doesn't mean suffering. It's interesting, Islam, they don't believe Jesus could have died on the cross because such a holy prophet could not suffer that way. Whereas the true gospel says, no, the Savior must suffer that way for us. Jesus, God's only son, the creator, submitted himself to that suffering. for the joy set before him. The gospel is built upon his suffering. That is helpful for us to know how to think about our own suffering. The most helpful thing you can do if you want to really think about a theology of suffering is to meditate upon the cross. On the cross is where you see some of God's greatest truths all come together in the most absolute way. God's power, God's justice, God's love, God's mercy. All perfectly revealed there on the cross. Perfect justice. God will make someone pay for every sin. Every sin must be punished. God is just. We see God's love in that he sent his only begotten son whom he loved. as a demonstration of his love for us to die so that Christ would die for our sin. Christ chose his love and that he laid down his life for us. We see the power of God and that he's able to change everything about us by becoming like us. It's Christmas, it's coming up. Dying for us, rising again for us, and he will come back. We see his mercy. We see his mercy in that he was willing, Christ was willing to suffer so that we might be saved. If you want to know the true God, he suffered with us. He suffered for us. Notice the outcome in verse 18, that he might bring us to God. That's what it means to be elect. The only way to be elect is for Christ to have died for you, forgiven you, and brought you to God. There's a way in which now there's a renewed relationship that we live in because Christ has died, he has risen, and now we have this new life with God. In the midst of suffering, it's important to remember the most basic truths of the gospel. God is with us. God is for us. we can turn to him. Those are three basic truths I encourage you to memorize. The simple little phrases, God is with us, you are not alone in suffering if you are in Christ. God is for us, he has shown his commitment to save us and he will complete what he began. God is for you, do not interpret God through your circumstances. Interpret Him from His own word. The third one, we can turn to God. He sees us and He hears us. Those three little phrases, what I call easy lit ammunition, because when you're in a trial, when you're suffering, you need something simple and easy to grasp onto. And to be able to unpack, God is with us. God is for us. We can turn to Him. Those are important truths we must have to know how to endure suffering. I want to give you that simplicity of those gospel truths, because now we're about to enter into some rougher waters by way of interpretation. So we've got some decisions to make upcoming. The first one is in 18 still under this heading.

being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

Well, one of the questions is, is it in the spirit, his human spirit, or is it the Holy Spirit? I believe this one is one of the easier decisions that we're going to have to make as we walk our way through this passage. He was put to death in the flesh. He died a true, fully human death. But made alive, I believe this should be in the Holy Spirit. We're gonna walk through this and and and what's less clear. We're gonna try to make more clear from the passage of other texts, but Romans 1 and 1st may 3 Cooperate that the Holy Spirit plays this significant role in the resurrection Romans 1 4 says the Spirit revealed Jesus as a son of God by the resurrection 1st Timothy 3 15 vindicated by the Holy Spirit in the resurrection and I believe here it's important to see Christ is, He died the full human death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. The significance being Christ died for us. He's been made alive by the Spirit who gives us His life. The very resurrection life of Christ is what the Holy Spirit is now sealed with us so that we're made alive with Him. That one was not that complicated. I hope if you have questions afterwards, ask your neighbor. The second section, we're going to dive a little deeper into some troubling or some, some, some choppy waters, uh, here, confidence in salvation, confidence in Christ salvation. And this is, uh, versus 19 and 20.

in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formally did not obey when God's patients waited in the days of Noah. Well, the ark was being prepared in which a few that is eight persons were brought safely through the water.

So here we are verse 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison. We, we, we have lots of decisions. We've got lots of phrases in which, all right, is that referring back to the spirit? Is that referring back to the death and the made alive in the spirit? Went and proclaimed where? Hades? Heavenly places? Days of Noah? Spirits in prison. Are these men before the flood or the angels that are kept somewhere? There's lots of different, there's lots of writing been spent on these passages and these verses. I want to give you two basic options and you can arm wrestle as to who has the right option at the end. I'll give you my interpretation opinion, but I want to give you some relief. There's no major doctrine hinging upon how you're going to interpret this passage, praise God. This is why we spent so much time focused on what's so clear and so true Christ suffered for you. Christ suffered for you here. We're going to get into a passage that has lots of options and well, we can be comfortable in this too. Peter says at the end of second, Peter, that Paul says hard things. I just say at two Petros. All right. Your first option. And there's like 20 options. I'm giving you two. He's referring to Christ going and proclaiming to wicked humans through Noah. There's many reasons to understand how this is a good option. The Holy Spirit is by whom he's been raised, and it is by the Holy Spirit that he would go and proclaim to those wicked men in the times of Noah. And that was great wickedness. In Genesis, it tells us very clearly there was such great wickedness. God was grieved over his creation. And it makes sense. If you go back to 1 Peter 1.12, well, the gospel is always proclaimed by the Holy Spirit. The only way to ever hear the truth of God is by the Holy Spirit. And Noah is called in 2 Peter, the herald of righteousness. So there's many reasons we could see how Jesus, by way of his spirit, proclaiming through Noah at the time of the flood a declaration against those humans who were wild in disobedience to God. The two difficulties is spirits would be an unusual way to refer to humans. And secondly, it, it seems to take away a bit of Jesus's movement in went. It's not impossible, but Jesus went is, is, is, well, really it's the Holy Spirit proclaiming these, these truths through, through Noah. That, that, that one is not impossible. The more significant one is the word spirit being a reference to humans. The other option, Jesus proclaimed judgment against the angels. Now, Genesis 6 is one of the more wicked and also still confusing texts in scripture where angels who refused to stay within the boundaries of God went and had relations with women. And they were kept in judgment. We see a reference to angels like these, angels that refused to stay within the boundaries that God gave them in 2 Peter 2 and Jude. This one is referred to oftentimes and associated with Jesus descending into hell. While that is not a necessary interpretation, That's oftentimes where we go, where a passage we would go for that particular truth or that particular teaching. Jesus having been, uh, having died and been raised, he's proclaiming victoriously over the fallen angels that are rebelling against God. The spirits here would be angels as spirits would oftentimes or more, uh, regularly be interpreted. Jesus went isn't he's going by the Spirit, but truly as he is ascending into heaven after the resurrection, he is going and proclaiming a declaration to the fallen angels. And this fits the context because in verse 22, we're going to see angels are subject to him. Verse 13 began with a question, who can harm you? We have to believe in the spiritual realm, the heavenly places, angels, demons. We need to get away from like our comical figures of what that looks like from either Hallmark or Halloween. They're beings greater than us, apart from Christ. A great enemy of ours is Satan and demonic angels that are seeking to attack God in his created order with lies, accusation, murder. In either case, I want you to see whatever your interpretation is, the proclamation is not one of hope for those hearing it. It's a proclamation of victory and judgment because he's proclaiming a word. He's proclaiming a victory from his death and his resurrection that the judgment of God is sure. And the promises of God have come true. I prefer the interpretation of Jesus in ascending after the resurrection, proclaiming to those angels, it is finished. Your judgment is sealed. In the midst of suffering and persecution in this world where Satan is the ruler and he's leading that rebellion, We understand how this would be comforting. Christ and his death has forgiven us. Christ and his resurrection ascension has secured a salvation in the midst of trouble and trial and persecution. As already stated, we wanna let scripture interpret scripture. We want God to be his own interpreter. Let's just back away from those two options and let's state what is really clear. Christ suffered for us and rose victorious to proclaim a message to the disobedient. And that is good news for us because back in 16, he said, those who are fighting against you, those who are attacking you, they will be put to shame. The judgment for those persecuting the church is sure. And so is his salvation. Let's continue on with what is clear. 20, because they firmly did not obey. That is that declaration. That declaration of judgment is sure. Now notice, we get a characteristic of God. God's patience. He proclaimed their disobedience when God's patience waited in the days of Noah. All right, while Noah's building the ark, There's a wonderful truth here of God is patient. We don't like this teaching when we're suffering, do we? When we're the oppressed, we do not want a patient God. When someone is pressing in, bringing about suffering, we do not want God to be patient. We want him to hurry with justice. But when we realize we're the offender and that we are the one who is going astray and that we're the one going after our own way, we praise God for his patience. His patience is tied to his mercy. God's patience was with us in the disobedience until the ark was complete. Now he continues, while the ark was being complete, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely to the water. Why does he mention this? I think if you're the elect to exile, you feel the fewness, you feel the pressing in. The whole world is against you and your God, and your strength is not in your numbers. Your strength is in your God who made you promises. The strength is in your unity to gather, holding firm to those promises. The elect to exiles are few, and I believe that's why he mentions this specifically, there's eight. Notice God brought them safely. The judgment is sure, and the salvation is sure. In the midst of that time of patience, while the world is raging against God and his elect, God is patient, and the people that God promised to save, their salvation is sure. Now, I wanna keep going here in verse 21 for a moment, because we're gonna continue to think about what that patience means in relation to the flood and, well, baptism. Verse 21, baptism, which corresponds to this, referring to that salvation. The salvation of Noah was a type, there's a pattern, there's a picture of what God is doing there that carries over to baptism.

Baptism now saves you. Not as removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience.

Now we need to be very clear that we have a baptismal behind me and we do not believe that Saving power is found when you hit the water. You're saved when you believe in Jesus. But baptism pictures what that salvation is. The judgment all around us, the danger all around us, God plucks out his people, his elect, he brings them to himself, and baptism is this picture of salvation. Because when we're baptized in the name of Christ, we're united with him. The fact that we've been united with him means we've died to sin in him. We've been given new life in him. Baptism is a shorthand way of declaring the many graces that we sing together, we pray for one another, we listen together. It's an order of Christ that shows us the salvation God has given us. We've died with Christ, we've been raised with Christ. There's a washing, but notice, even the qualifier he gives, it's not the water removing dirt from the body that saves you. It's the appeal to God for a good conscience. It's the washing away of guilt. It's the washing away of shame. It's not the physical activity that saves you, it's the belief in the God who cleanses us. who allows us to know his will and who he is and what he's done for us, and that we can now be brought to him. Again, it's Christ's suffering. It's our faith in that suffering that brings us to God. I believe here salvation as it corresponds to that judgment against the nations, but more importantly, the salvation of his people that are sure, it brings about a good conscience. There's something important here for those who are elect exiles. God's judgment of evil is certain. God's patient is true. God's salvation is certain. The last point confidence in Christ's resurrection and Ascension Christ suffered. And there we also see having suffered. He rose again, which proves his suffering was what he said it was. It was for our sin. We can have confidence in Christ's salvation. He brought the eight safely through and that judgment was proclaimed in the resurrection. In baptism, it gives us that clean conscience. Notice we see through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we go back to the made alive, we go back to that central declaration of the gospel truth. But I want us to linger here in verse 22,

who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers having been subject to them.

There's five kind of ways in which we confess the gospel together when we recite a creed. He became like us in every way. The virgin birth. He died for our sins. He rose again. Those are all past tense. Those are done. Those are completed. He is presently at the right hand of the Father. He is ascended. That's where we are today. Christ, having done, having come to be with us, die for us, rise again for us, He is ascended and it's for us. And the future is He will come back again. We too often just think of those three past tense, but we must understand that fourth stage of Christ's gospel ministry and movement. He's ascended. He's the right hand of the Father. Baptism is assurance for us and where Christ is now, it gives us a conscience that we can go before him because Christ died to bring us to God. So Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. It is important for us to see where Jesus is now because of all it confirms and what he's doing there. The right hand of the Father is the place of authority. Christ has all authority and power. All the other angels and all the other powers and authorities, they're now subject to him. We've seen this word subject over and over again between two humans who had different stations in life. Now the subject is because there's different kinds of beings. Jesus, God's own son, has authority over angels, not just because he created them, but because he is the authority over them at the right hand of the Father. The significance is the angels that rebelled against him, their reign, their punishment, the reign will end and their punishment is sure. I want us to see Christ ascending after suffering and resurrection. There's places in Peter where he says it's an example. I don't believe this is an example for us. I believe this is the way. Christ's suffering is the way to the glory. Our suffering is the way to the glory. He is the way, the truth, the life. we are to deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow him. I believe this mood of Jesus is showing us the way of God. Yes, he's an example, but here it's the way of God that we follow. He is at the right hand of the Father, so that we can, with a good conscience, now be brought to him and come to him. Being, you know, the Christ, we know God hears us. He hears us because we now get to call him Father and only in the name of the Son. The only way we get to call God Father and the way he hears us with that kind of relationship, with that kind of love is because Christ has given us the opportunity to come to him as his own children in his Sonship. Christ has accomplished all of the salvation in those past tense actions and now being at the right hand of the Father means we get to come into the real personal presence of God. Christ, who's at the right hand, is our ongoing mediator and sustainer. We pray to Him, to the Father in His name. We seek grace to do His will. We seek the power that He's given us by His Holy Spirit, being at the right hand of the Father, whom He now sends from the right hand of the Father, to know how to put off sin and to put on Christ. Christ has been raised to glory where we now should long to be as elect exiles. The glory he secured for us, the glory that helps us see the things that we see as glorious, it really does glitter. They're fleeting, they're futile. Christ is the right hand of the Father. He's the head of the church. He rules over the church and commissions her We need to remember what comes before and after the Great Commission.

All authority, heaven and earth, has been given to me.

He now is exercising that authority from the right hand of the Father for us. He is the head who gives us a Great Commission. And in that Great Commission, he ends it with,

I am with you always.

Oh, we must go back and hold firm to verse 18. Christ suffered once for sin. That is the beginning point, that is the foundation point of the gospel. What we must believe and cling to and know constantly, just to know how to be brought before God. And then as the head of the church, at the right hand of the Father, think about this. He has all authority. And he's with us always. He is not distant. He is with us in comforting us in the midst of suffering. He's with us to empower us to fulfill that great commission to make disciples. As we think about that great commission, how daunting it is. He has all authorities with us. That's why the gates of hell stand no chance. Church, we can be confident in going on the mission Because he who has all authority is with the church, the gates of hell. That's why Christ's proclamation against the demons is so important. They don't stand a chance. The battle is fierce with evil spirits. The governing authority is the harsh unjust masters. But the victory's won. Jesus is greater than our greatest enemy. It takes us back to verse 13. is there to harm you, there are people there to harm you. But he who has all authority, who's died for you, who's risen again, who's at the right hand of the Father, he is greater. Church in the midst of suffering, We see the suffering and the frightening things all around us. We can get tunnel vision and only see, we only see the pain of the suffering. We forget the things of God. We can become blind. We can become nearsighted. We only see what's going on right here in front of our face. Encouragement for you this morning, in the midst of suffering, you have somewhere else to look. Up. Up. Where Christ is. We can look up where Christ is, at the right hand of the Father, and let the promises of God all come into view that he who is with us, who is for us, who sees us and hears us, he seeks to care for us. He gives us endurance. He gives us comfort. In the midst of suffering, look up where Christ is seated and gives us rest. In the midst of suffering, look up where Christ is seated, his earthly work accomplished, our salvation secure. In the midst of suffering, we look up to Christ, the reign of the Father, and we pray and we ask for help, which the scriptures say is wisdom. In the midst of suffering, we look also forward to a new day. Because remember, as we look up to Christ, who's the reign of the Father, We're looking for the day he will return. And so we say, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you that you have not left us alone in the misery of our sin to figure out this world full of evils and suffering on our own. You've given promises to overcome the suffering we have even caused with our own sin. Lord, now as your people, your elect exiles, we pray for the grace to trust you, that we have been brought near to the suffering of Christ, that we can enter boldly into your presence because of his once for all death. because of his resurrection, because of the ascension, we can now come boldly into your presence to know you more so that we also might know how to make you known. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.