1 Peter chapter 3. As we continue our study of 1 Peter, encouraging words for discouraging times. Just to give you an overview, to bring you up to speed, and if you're listening over the Internet, give you an opportunity to catch up as well. but we have been looking in first Peter and we have seen that there is an overall purpose that we as Christians have. And that is we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who has saved us. God has called us in order that we might proclaim his greatness to others. And that is the particular purpose. Now, the principle is we do that by keeping our behavior excellent among unbelievers. Our living witness is more powerful than our verbal witness. There's a place to give the verbal witness, but you need to live the life of Christ before people first. This gives authenticity to your verbal witness. And particularly in our day, people are looking for an authenticity in the message. They want to see if you really believe it, and they want to see if you are living it. That's a way of determining whether you really believe it. They want genuineness. And so how we live is so important. And then Peter gives us some very close particulars on how we are to live our life before unbelievers. And he tells us, first of all, in the area of submission to ungodly authorities. He talks about submission to ungodly government. He talks about submission to bad bosses. He talks about submission in the home. And he tells us how we can live in these arenas in the way that would be excellent and proclaim the greatness of God. And now we're moving in the part of the book that we're in at this time to the second aspect of the particular, and that is our willingness to suffer for doing what is right. That's another way that we proclaim His excellencies before unbelievers. When they see us willing to suffer for doing what is right. This boldly speaks of the authenticity of our faith and walk with Christ. Now, last week we saw that there are two promises and one command that we need to keep before us as we suffer for doing what's right. First, God promised that there would be no ultimate harm that would come to us. They may hurt our body, they may even kill us, but they cannot destroy our soul and spirit. God will preserve it. Secondly, we even saw that God said He will bless us through our suffering for doing what is right. There is a spiritual prosperity that will come to us we undergo righteous suffering and then the command he gave us was to use our righteous suffering as that opportunity to proclaim his excellencies to be ready to make a defense to give a reason why we are willing to undergo suffering for doing what it's right with a confident expectation that God is going to use it now as we saw in In the case of submission to ungodly authorities, Peter gave us the example of the Lord Jesus. Do you remember that? He talks about submission to ungodly authorities, and then right in the middle of that discussion, he says, look at Jesus. Though he was reviled, he did not revile in return. Though he was insulted, he did not return insults, but he had kept entrusting himself to God who judges righteously. So Jesus was our example. of what it meant to suffer by submission to ungodly authorities. Peter also gives Jesus as the example of what it means to suffer for doing what is right. In fact, I've entitled the message, Suffering for Good and Good for Suffering. That is the hope that we have that God will bring good from our suffering for doing good. Our passage today is in 1 Peter chapter 3 and we will begin reading in verse 17 and we shall read through the end of the chapter. In respect for the Word of God let me ask you to stand. 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 proclaimed 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 in which a few that is eight persons were brought safely through the 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 had been subjected to him. You may be seated. And may God bless the reading and the hearing, and most of all, the obeying of his word. Today we've broken up the message into two parts. First Christ suffering for good and then his good for suffering. And when we look at Christ suffering for good, we will look first of all in his suffering for good in his death. And then secondly, in his suffering for good in his preaching through Noah in Noah's time. First. His suffering for good in His death. We see this in the verse before us where it says verse 18, 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. There are several things I want us to see about the death of Christ as He suffered for good. Christ's death was unique. It says He died for sins. It was unique because His death was in reference to sins. This preposition for is the Greek word peri, which means in reference to. You see, Jesus' death was not primarily an expression of His self-giving love, that He was willing to die for us, But rather, it was in reference to man's sins. If there had not been a sin problem, then there would not have been a need for Jesus to die. Also, the word peri means around. We use the word in English, perimeter. That's the distance around something. You see the prefix peri. And so in the Greek, it also meant to circle around. And what I think Peter's saying is that Jesus drew a circle around sin, enclosing it, and he dealt with it in his death. He dealt with sin, that moral failure that we all find, that falling short of the mark, that missing the target, which is God's perfect righteousness, which we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. that sin in which the holy wrath of God is poured out. Jesus died for sins. That made his death unique. Who else could die for our sins? You couldn't die for my sins because you have to die for your own sins. I couldn't die for your sins because I've got to die for my own sins. Only Jesus could die for sins. Therefore, His death was unique. Secondly, His death was totally sufficient. Notice the phrase, once and for all. Jesus' death was total payment for the sins of His chosen ones. Every sin imaginable. His death was the ultimate final sacrifice needed. You remember when Jesus was on the cross and his last words John records for us. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now, when Jesus said it is finished, he didn't simply mean that his crucifixion was finished or that his life was finished here on earth. Oh, no. This word finished was used in two primary ways in Jesus's day. First, there was a financial way in which it was used. When someone paid off a loan, had completed the payment, they would write across the loan payment, it is finished. Paid in full. It's what they write on our notes. There it was, it is finished. The debt has been paid in full. But it was also used in the legal sense. When a person would go to prison, it was common to take a piece of parchment and they would write on that parchment the offense that the person had committed and his sentence. It might be robbery, six years. And when he had finished serving his sentence, they would write across that parchment, it is finished. It is paid in full. So when John wrote the words of Jesus, when Jesus cried out, it is finished, Jesus was saying the payment for the sins of my people is completed. I've fulfilled it, absolutely. It's been paid in full. The punishment has been paid. It is totally sufficient. Nothing left is needed. The writer of Hebrews picks up the same truth in Hebrews chapter 10, when he compares and contrast Jesus to the Old Testament priest. He says, every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. The priests in the Old Testament used to daily offer sacrifices and they had to do it over and over again. Why? Because those sacrifices really could not take away sins. They were a shadow of the coming sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says in verse 12, but he having offered one sacrifice for sins of all time, sat down at the right hand of God. Why does he say sat down? Because that's the position of completed activity. When you finish the job, you sit down. Jesus, once and for all, offered the one sacrifice for the sins of His people and no more sacrifice is ever needed. It was totally, absolutely, completely sufficient. All the sins that His people will ever commit have been covered in His blood. No additional sacrifice could be given. Now that's why we do not observe Mass in our church. Now you may not realize it, but According to the Catholic Information Service, mass is thus same as a sacrifice of the cross. No matter how many times it is offered, nor in how many places at one time, it is the same sacrifice of Christ. Christ is forever offering himself in the mass. Now that's why the Catholic cross has Jesus still on the cross, the crucifix. They believe in mass. He's being crucified all over again. But I want you to know my Bible says that his sacrifice was once and for all totally, absolutely sufficient. And you and I cannot add anything to it. Not at all. Not my good works. Not even my confession of sin. You see, there are people that think, well, if you don't confess the sin, it won't be forgiven. So if you die and you haven't confessed a certain sin before you die, you aren't going to heaven. And that's not what my Bible teaches. When you confess your sin, do you think you're telling God something he doesn't already know? You confess because you need to bring it out to God. He already knows it. His sacrifice is totally sufficient. You don't add a thing to it by your confession. So His death is unique. It is totally sufficient. Thirdly, Christ's death was undeserved. The word just. The just for the unjust. That Greek word just is the same word that's translated righteous. It carries the idea of thoughtless, guiltless, one who is in absolute right relationship with the Father. And the Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus was one who was without sin. The writer of Hebrews says, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. He was tempted. He knows what it is to experience temptation, yet he never ever sinned. He is absolutely just. He was innocent of any sin when he was crucified. And it was because of his innocence that he could be that sacrifice for my sin. He didn't have to die for his own sin. Therefore, he could die for my sin. He had to be absolutely sinless for a holy man to die for sins. It was totally undeserved. The wages of sin is death. But Jesus didn't sin. So he did not deserve death. Also, his death was for us. The just for the unjust. That's us, the unjust. Now that word for is different than the four we saw earlier. This word for carries the idea of on behalf of. Christ died the just on behalf of the unjust. His death was a vicarious death. He took our place. He was our substitute. Now we don't understand how someone could die 2000 years ago and be my substitute, but God says it is so. He says it is true. And so his death was for us. He became a curse for us. Paul expresses it so beautifully in 2 Corinthians 5 when he said, He, that is God the Father, made Him, that is Jesus, who knew no sin, remember He was sinless, to be sin on our behalf. He took my sin upon Himself. To become sin on our behalf in order that with the purpose that we might have the righteousness of God in Him. He took my sin upon Himself and He gave me His righteousness. You've heard me give this illustration before but I think it really puts it out there. It's like we have two ledger pages and one page is mine and it is covered back and forth many pages with all my sins. It's got my name at the top. And then the other ledger page is completely empty. No sin at all. And it has Jesus's name on the top of the ledger sheet. Well, what God does is he peels off my name off my sheet and he sticks it over on Jesus's perfectly clean sheet. And then he peels off Jesus' name off his perfectly clean sheet, and he puts it on my sheet with all those sins. That's what that verse says. He who knew no sin had the perfect sheet, was made to become sin, put his name on my sheet filled with sins. He paid the price for them. He died for them. He was punished for them. He experienced God's wrath over my sins. that I might have his righteousness, put my name on the perfectly clean sheet, that I might have his righteousness. Hallelujah. It was on my behalf that he died. It was on the behalf of Christians that he died. Fifth, Christ's death was purposeful. So that, it says, so that he might bring us to God. You see, it was a sin problem that kept us from God. Again, it's if this was not the Bible, but a book listing all my sins, all right? And here's God, here's me. All right, God and I can never get together because my sins are in the way, right? God says your sins is called a separation between me and you. Well, when Jesus took my sin upon himself and removed it, then I can get near to God. With sin out of the way, so that we might be brought near to God. His death was purposeful. Now you see the word bring, that is a rich word in the New Testament Greek. It was a word used to talk about a person who had a certain job. This person was appointed to serve in the royal court. And it was his job when somebody wanted to see the king, he would go out and he would check the qualifications of this person to see if he was worthy or eligible to be in the presence of the king. And once he had checked out this person's credentials, and if they were indeed valid, then he would usher this person into the presence of the king. Now that's a word. that Peter uses, that Jesus makes us qualified through his death for us. The fact that he's taken our sin upon himself and we have his perfect righteousness. He's made us qualified to be in the father's presence, but not only that, but he ushers us in to the presence of God. that he might bring us to God. Christ is our access to God. Again, Paul speaks about this in Ephesians chapter 2. He says, for through him, that is through Jesus, we both have our access One spirit to the father and that word access is the same word root same Greek root word that bring in first Peter Again, it is through Jesus that we have access to God the father and I might add only through Jesus. I Am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father, but through me but through Jesus we go into the presence of Holy God and His death was purposeful. Next, Jesus' death was physical. Having been put to death in the flesh, Jesus' death was no sham. It wasn't that he just fainted on the cross and then they put him in the coolness of the tomb and he revived in the coolness of the tomb and he managed to roll away that stone and defeat those Roman soldiers and wandered off somewhere in the desert and died. And the disciples came and said, oh, he's resurrected, he's not here. No, he actually physically died on that cross, having been put to death in the flesh. He not only tasted death, but he drunk the whole cup. Seventh Christ's death was victorious, but made alive in the spirit. He died victoriously over death and Satan. He broke the power of death and the Holy Spirit brought him back to life. The Holy Spirit brought about the resurrection power and life of Jesus. That same resurrection power that brings new life to us. That brings us out of our spiritual death and brings us into spiritual life. the same resurrection power that will raise up our bodies one day gloriously and perfected after the glory of Jesus death could not hold him he defeated it as he was made alive in the Holy Spirit now this next section may have baffled you if you've read it in the past but I'm going to make it clear and simple to you Jesus also suffered for doing good not only through his death but back in the times of Noah when Jesus preached through Noah Jesus preached through Noah while Noah was building the ark. You remember, Peter says he was a preacher of righteousness. Well, it was the Spirit of Christ through the Holy Spirit preaching through Noah to those people. And the people would not turn to God. They would not repent. They continued to ridicule Noah, to make fun of him. And in so doing, this broke the heart of Jesus. even as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, who would not repent. You remember, I believe He wept over these unrepentant people in Noah's day. And He was suffering for doing what was good. So verse 19, in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison. Those people who died in Noah's day, are now in torment, suffering, awaiting the final day of judgment. Who once were disobedient, he's talking about them when they were living in Noah's day, 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, Noah's family, were brought safely through the water. And so, as these people in Noah's day stubbornly refused and remained unrepentant, Jesus suffered heartache. He suffered for doing what was good. Now we move to the second part. I told you the first part was Jesus is suffering for good. The next part is the good he received from suffering. What good came out of his suffering? And this is our hope that when we're enduring suffering for what's right, and we might not be able to see how any good can come out of it, we need to trust and believe that God will bring good out of it because He said He would. First, Christ's death brought us near to God, as we've already seen in verse 18. If he'd not died, you and I would not be near God. So he brought us near to God. Secondly, by Jesus' preaching through Noah, eight persons were saved. Verse 20, it says eight people were brought safely through the water. Now, did the water save the people? Or did God save them? God saved them. The water was just a symbol of God's grace. He used the water to lift them up above it. But it was the ark through God's power that saved them. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Is he saying that when we get baptized, we're saved? No. How do you know? Because look what he says next. Not the removal of dirt from the flesh. It's not the water that saves you anymore than the water saved Noah. It's God who saves. The water is just a symbol. Baptism is a symbol of the death and resurrection of Christ and our experience of spiritual death and spiritual resurrection in Christ. It's not the removal of the dirt. He makes it clear. He's not speaking of water baptism, but it's God who saves. It's a resurrection of Jesus that shows his death was sufficient. See what he says? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And how can you read that and think that the baptism, the water of baptism saves you? When he says it's through the resurrection of Jesus, It's His resurrection power that the Holy Spirit applies to our lives that brings about salvation, the new birth. Fourthly, the good. Through Jesus' suffering, all powers have been subjected to Him. Jesus brought all spiritual powers into subjection to him. Paul talks about this again over in Ephesians chapter one, when he says, which he brought about in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection unto His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church. You see, Jesus brought all spiritual powers in subjection to Him through His death and resurrection. He defeated Satan and all of his imps when He died on the cross. And He ascended into heaven. And that was another stage of His victory. Another aspect of the good that came from his suffering, because as he ascended into heaven, God gave him a name which is above every name. God exalted him above all, as Philippians tells us. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, for this reason also. for his suffering for good. For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name which is above every name." Jesus is above all. To the depth of his humiliation, to the height of his exaltation. Because he was willing to suffer for good, he has experienced being seated at the right hand of God, the position of ultimate honor and glory and exaltation. Now this work should be an encouragement to us. If you're willing to walk in obedience to God's word, you're going to suffer for doing what is right. And when you do, Remember the example of Jesus He suffered for good, and he received good for his suffering If you will continue trusting God walking in obedience during your time of suffering He will bring good He'll bring good to your life, and I believe he will use it to bring good to other people's lives as well. Let's pray Lord, we do look to you to. Take your word and just drive it into our lives. Drive it into our spirit. Encourage those here today that are going through some difficulty and hardship because their desire to walk in obedience to your word, be it at work. Or at home. Or maybe in a relationship. Father, encourage him in this word, encourage him in the example of the Lord Jesus. And may they look to him for everything that they need to get through this in Jesus name. Amen.