Almighty Father in heaven, you are wise, strong, and good. Though our lives are often filled with turns and twists that we do not expect, and though our best efforts to direct and order our lives seem often so very unsuccessful, though our hearts are more likely to groan and murmur in our lives than to rejoice and to give thanks, We turn now our prayers to you, oh Lord. You who are perfect in wisdom, ordering our lives, unrivaled in your strength, able to direct us faithfully, lavish in your goodness toward us. Oh, that we would believe this. And you alone must our soul rest this morning and forevermore. Grant us faith this morning, then, as we receive your word preached. Grant us faith for the days ahead that we might receive and rest in your good providence for us, and that we may take these things that are set before us from your word this morning, and that we may see Christ our Savior, and we may hear his voice, and we may respond by faith. Remind us this morning of our looking to you and how feeble and weak that often feels and seems, and yet you, our strong Savior, are able to move even a mountain with a faith as small as a mustard seed. So remind us of these glorious truths this morning, and may we look to you, our God in heaven, to strengthen and to encourage us that we might live lives not of dread and feebleness, but instead of hope and strength and joy. We ask this in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Look with me at 1 Peter chapter 3. A few weeks ago, we looked together at verses 18 through 20. verses 18 through 20. Let's jump right in and I want you to notice that our verses that we will be focusing on this morning, which are 21 through 22, those last two verses there in chapter 3, are in the midst of this paragraph. So notice with me if you will. Verse 18 speaks of Christ's victory accomplished through suffering. Christ's victory accomplished through suffering. This is verse 18. Look with me if you will. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. Christ's victory accomplished through suffering. This is verse 18. If you remember a few weeks ago, I made a comment of how this paragraph really is in the shape of a U, and the idea here is on this left side, this is Christ's humiliation, where he accomplished victory through his suffering, verse 18. Verses 19 and 20 then is not just Christ's victory accomplished through suffering, but verses 19 and 20 are Christ's victory declared in his descent. Christ's victory declared in his descent. This is verses 19 and 20. Look with me if you will. In which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formally did not obey when God's patience waited in the day of Noah. while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Do you see that? Christ's victory, then, is declared in His descent, verses 19 through 20. You'll have to go back and listen to that sermon if you desire to understand those verses better. This morning, then, we're going to parachute in to the end of this passage and look together at verses 21 and 22 that wrap up our chapter. And here we're going to see Christ's victory revealed by His exaltation. Christ's victory revealed by His exaltation. And under this heading of Christ's victory being revealed this morning, I want us to notice this passage in two points with the two verses. Verse 21, point number one, baptized with Christ, baptized with Christ. And this is our symbol of victory. Point number two is in verse 22. Raised with Christ. Raised with Christ. And this is our status of victory, our status of victory. Baptized with Christ, which is our symbol of victory. Verse 21. And then raised with Christ, our status of victory. Verse 22. Look with me, if you will. Again, let's look at these verses together. Verse 21. Follow with me. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you. Not a removal of the dirt of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for good conscience. through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to Him. These are the verses we'll be looking at this morning. Let's begin with baptized with Christ, which is our symbol of victory. Verse 21. And with each one of these points, I want to ask two questions. So two questions are under each one of our points this morning. The first question I want to ask of our text in verse 21, baptized with Christ, is this question. How does baptism correspond to Noah's flood? Do you see how that's a natural question that comes right out of our verse here? How then does baptism correspond to Noah's flood? Because our passage here says in verse 21, baptism, which corresponds to this, which is speaking of Noah's flood, these judgment waters, now saves you. How then does baptism correspond to Noah's flood? This term corresponds is actually a difficult word or term to capture in the English. Different translations give it different words or terms. Some translations translate it figure, others symbolize. The better of the translations actually transliterate the word, basically meaning that they take the Greek word and they just use the letters and bring it right into English. And when you do that, this word is actually It's actually Antitupuan, and it is for the word antitype. Now, that's a very uncommon English word that we have. In the New King James, then, the New King James translation translates 1 Peter 3, verse 21, this way. There is also an antitype which now saves us baptism. That's how it reads in 1 Peter 3, 21. Now most of us are not familiar with this word antitype. Let's not overthink it. Each antitype has a type, to understand this term a little better. Each antitype needs a type. The antitype is the picture or the shadow, and the type then is the substance. Let me give you a very helpful example. Hopefully you'll understand it clearly when I mention this. When you go to a restaurant, they'll give you a menu and on that menu you'll have pictures of the different food that you can order. The menu is the type. It's the picture. It's the shadow. It's not the real food. You will order from the menu, but you do not want to keep that menu. When the meal shows up, that's the substance. The meal is the antitype. When the substance shows up, what are you going to do with the menu? Throw it to the side. You don't need it anymore. You have the substance, right? And so the point here is this. Why am I making comment on this? This idea here that Peter's bringing forward is this. He's bringing forward the idea that the flood and all of its tragedy was the type. It was the shadow. It was the thing that was being pictured. And it was actually doing something important during that time. And Peter here is saying that baptism is the antitype. It's the substance. It's the real meal that is to be understood here. It's the thing to be the testimony that is to be brought forward. And so let's look with it. Let's think about for a minute. And you can look with me if you like. I think it again is on page six of your Bibles, if you're using the chair Bibles that are provided for you. In Genesis chapter seven, many of us have heard this story many times before. And many of us have been told the story but never read it from the scriptures. But in Genesis chapter 7, I want us to notice as we consider how this flood event is the type where baptism is the anti-type or the substance of that event. I want us to hear more clearly then what exactly was taking place in Genesis chapter 7 when this tragic event, this horrifying act of the judgment of God took place upon God's people. Genesis 7 verse 11. In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened, and rain fell upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights. On the very same day, Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, They, and every beast according to its kind. Genesis 7, 15. They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh, in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female, of all flesh, went in, listen, as God had commanded him. And listen to this last verse, this last sentence. And the Lord shut him in. The Lord shut him, Noah, and all of his family and all of those animals in this ark. Is it a tomb? Is it their last place that they'll take their final breath? They're trusting the Lord in this. This catastrophic worldwide destruction had a single refuge and that single refuge for all of humanity was provided for by God. Only those, only those who were in the ark trusting the Lord's provision and being shut in by the Lord himself into that very ark, only they, only they would be saved from the judgment of God. Let me continue then and let us get a better picture of this extraordinary event as I continue to read Genesis 7. Listen with me if you will. Notice, it's not fantastic to believe why Noah was ridiculed and considered to be insane. Because the things he was saying had never happened before. Nobody had ever seen anything like this. Why in the world would you be doing this? Because it had never happened before? The logic was, there's no reason to believe it'll happen in the future. Why, Noah, are you doing this? It's interesting because in Genesis 7 verse 20, the waters prevailed above the mountains covering them 15 cubits deep and all flesh died and moved. All flesh died that moved on the earth. Birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarmed on the earth and all mankind. Everything on that day, excuse me, everything on the dry land in which nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah, only Noah was left and those who were with him, last phrase, in the ark. So how does baptism then correspond to Noah's flood? Baptism is a visible sign for us today of God's vast judgment that will one day come upon sin. Do you believe that? Or do you think that's ridiculous because it's never happened before? Do you see where we are? We're in the very same place of the people of Noah's day. We are being called to believe what God says and to cling to the salvation and refuge that the Lord has provided singularly in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in this way, we are being reminded the sign of baptism then is a sign today for us of the vast judgment of God upon sin and one's only deliverance will come from this judgment that God is going to bring about. The only refuge is this, the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism is a present, tangible, visible declaration of what God has done. and how God will save all of his who are in Christ, who take refuge in him and him alone. Now, I have to ask you this morning, if you're sitting there this morning, have you come to trust in Christ this morning as your only hope to escape your state of sin and misery in this world? Are you hoping? Are you hoping that what the word of God says and that is that God will judge sin and that he will finally bring all of this under his lordship one day and that all the evil and wickedness and horror that's in our world will one day find justice at the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ and that there is a hell and that there is a heaven and the Lord's going to judge all men. He's going to come and do that. Are you hoping that is not true for your own personal sake? where you're hoping against hope. You're in the same place that those who were outside of the ark during Noah's day, that were hoping that this fantastic, crazy message that's coming from God through Noah is not true. And yet it was. There was a day when the Lord destroyed these things. There are people even today in the church that actually deny Genesis chapter 7 and say that it never happened. We believe it because God said it. All humanity has fallen and are sinners without hope, corrupt in our nature, and so live in and we live for sin, each and every one. The damning consequences of our sin has prevailed over all the earth, and we've seen it. There is not one place from the highest mountaintop to the deepest ocean that does not feel the effects of the fallenness of this sin that is coming to the world. So our souls then experience a profound misery. All of us know of it. It presses in on us in a way that we do not feel comfortable with. It is due to our loss of communion with the God who created us. We acknowledge the horrors that we face when we think of the wrath of God. We come and experience the manifold miseries of this life as we constantly live in it and see the tragedies all around us, loss, despair, and struggle. This life constantly threatens us. And then it finally will take from us the very thing that we think is so precious, and that is our life itself. Death itself will press upon us. The pains of hell will come. To all of those who are outside of Christ, who are outside of this ark, this provision, this refuge that the Lord has provided for this, this pervasive and this prevailing sin that's on the earth. It is only through our Redeemer, the one who is God's elect, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we will find refuge. Come to him. Trust him. Hide your soul in him. So, our first question then, our first question was how does baptism correspond to Noah's flood? It corresponds to Noah's flood in that baptism, like the flood, baptism speaks of this coming judgment and it speaks of the one refuge we have in Christ. Now, the second question I want us to ask of this verse this morning is this. How is baptism then associated with salvation? How is baptism associated with salvation? Do you see here in our passage, it's a very normal question, I think, as we read this passage, it says baptism, which corresponds to this. If you remove that phrase there, that phrase right there in the middle and says baptism now saves you, now saves you. So what in what way does baptism save us? How is that so? We can see Peter wanting to explain to us how this is not true, and then how this is true, how it is not associated, baptism with salvation, and how baptism is associated with salvation. We see he's doing this in our passage right before us. We notice first then the common incorrect association. from the verses that we have here in our passage. That the act of baptism, and this is the incorrect association, that baptism actually accomplishes salvation. That being baptized will save someone. This is an incorrect association from these verses that have often been drawn out of them. A person that's placed into the waters of baptism is not saved at that point. Baptism then does not save them, does not make them saved, nor does it place them in a path, some say, place them in a path of one day being saved. Baptism doesn't do that. The actual act of baptism then doesn't accomplish this salvific work. Peter's comment is clear at this point. He says, notice in our passage, he says, baptism, which corresponds to this now saves you not, he says here, not as a removal of the dirt from the body. Do you see that? In other words, the mere act of baptism does not magically cleanse a person savingly. We're here not talking about baptism in the sense that it's something that does something outwardly to us. or accomplish something outwardly, the statement of the dirt being removed is used to make the point that baptism can't be used as a mechanical device to accomplish something that we want to accomplish. By baptizing someone, it doesn't then make them saved in some pragmatic way. Our Baptist Catechism speaks of it this way. In question 96 of our Baptist Catechism, it asks, how do baptism and Lord's Supper become effectual means of salvation? Answer, baptism and Lord's Supper become effectual means of salvation, not for any virtue in them or in him that does administer them. In other words, there's nothing in them that makes it savingly. But it says, it goes on, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of the Spirit to those who by faith receive them. So in this way, we need to understand that the baptisms that we witnessed this morning were not accomplishing salvation for those ladies, but instead it was an affirmation by them saying that we have received and trusted in the gospel. It's an affirmation by us to them saying, as far as we can tell, we've looked at your life. We've heard your testimony. We understand your understanding of the gospel. You've articulated that to us. And to our best understanding, you have placed your faith in Christ. In other words, what we're saying is that we are seeing the Spirit's work in you. And so we affirm that. That is what this baptism is doing. So, how then, our question that we're asking, how then is baptism associated? If it's not associated with actually accomplishing salvation, then how is baptism associated with salvation? Peter goes on. And we need to affirm something before we get too far here. It says, not in removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience. And notice here as well how easy it is to misunderstand this because here we see Peter doing something very important and he is placing baptism and salvation together. And I want us to make sure that we do not, in lieu of trying to make sure we're clear that baptism doesn't save people, that we push baptism so far away from salvation as if to say that someone can be saved and never bother with baptism. So there's really two dangers here that I want us to be careful with. One is that we collapse baptism and salvation together and make the error that I just spoke of, and that is that baptism is equal to salvation. Whoever is baptized is automatically saved and is equal. That's an error in understanding the scriptures here. But on the other hand, I want us to understand this other danger. And that is that it's unbiblical for us to see salvation and baptism so distinct and separate that one can go through their entire life and never see the need to affirm to a body of believers through their baptism and a body of believers affirming their salvation to them. That that's not necessary for me to be saved. In other words, it is Jesus saving me for myself and I'm out here a lone ranger doing my own thing. It doesn't require a church around me to affirm or to encourage me in any way. So you see these two dangers that can happen. One is collapsing baptism. They've become the same thing. Or so separating them that they are not seen as necessarily together. Baptism is instead an appeal to God for a good conscience. Do you see that? In other words, baptism, instead of it being a mere outward act that removes dirt and saves, Instead, it is an appeal or a trusting, a confident receiving and resting in the promises of Christ. In other words, baptism is a testimony of one who is saying, I appeal or trust or have confidence in what Christ has done for me on the cross. The singular refuge in the person of Christ and what he has done in his sacrifice. I'm trusting in him to remove my sin. I'm trusting in him to preserve me and to keep me. And in so doing then, our conscience is clear. And this is the only way our conscience can be clear. And you know, this is true because our consciences bother us all the time. Have we done enough to please the Lord? Are we really a Christian? Have we even here this morning or are we paying attention like we should? Are we doing A, B and C? Are we performing like we should? Brothers and sisters, this morning, I want you to hear this. You stand before a holy God righteous not because of your own acts, not because of your best abilities, not because of your your best efforts. No, you stand before a holy God righteous because of Christ's righteousness for you that you have received by faith in that righteousness. And so in that way, your conscience then is clear, not because you have done enough or haven't done enough. You came in here this morning excited because you've had a great week or you came in here this morning beat up and burdened because your week has just been overwhelming and your sin has been pressing on you. This morning, we all who are in Christ come this morning looking back to our baptism and remembering when I went under that water and when I was raised back up out of that water, I was buried with Christ and I've been raised, not to my best efforts, but I've been raised to Christ, with Christ, for Christ. It is Christ now that the Father sees in my stead. So in this way, we appeal to God for a good conscience in what Christ has done. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 speaks to this very issue. Hebrews 10 19 says, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places, how? Because of our good efforts? No, by the blood of Jesus. This is Hebrews 10 19. By the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain. And that is this curtain is through his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, who's this great high priest over the house of God? It is Jesus Christ himself. It says in Hebrews 10, verse 22, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Listen, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. We have a clear conscience, an appeal to a good conscience because of what Christ has done for us. Now, baptism isn't just picturing or setting before us this declaration of the gospel. It's not simply declaring that we've entered into the waters of judgment, is it? Baptism isn't just going into the waters of judgment. We're thankful that when Alex did the baptism this morning, that he didn't bring them under and then let them go and walk back up on the beach. We're glad he didn't do that. They're glad he didn't do that, right? This is a picture of one who goes into the judgment waters and then is raised up out of these judgment waters, coming to new life in Christ, knowing that this is an affirmation of what, in fact, the Lord has done in them, coming up from these judgment waters in celebration, exaltation. This is very important for us to remember every time we witness a baptism. at your own baptism. And every time we may go and witness a baptism, this is a vivid picture of the gospel that is being preached to us. The judgment of God has been set aside. The appeal has been made by this individual who's going into the water, that it is Christ and Christ alone that I will be saved. It is a visible testimony of the gospel. And what is this baptism? This visible declaration. It is our appeal. not only the person being baptized, but it's also all of those who were there this morning watching the baptism, all of those who are watching on. It's our appeal confirming that the gospel is true and salvation is in the name of the Lord. And it is only, notice in our text, it is only through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is only through the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are saved. It's only through him rising from the dead that we trust in him and what he did and then finally accomplished in his resurrection. Remember and reflect on your baptism often, brothers and sisters, when this world with all of its pain and sorrow, with all of its loss and suffering comes upon you. We are hidden. in the sure refuge of Jesus Christ. When the storms of life are raging around us, we have an ark that we've been called to by the Father himself. And he says, when you are resting in the Redeemer, you have a sure and a safe refuge. No matter what the world may do and how the world may rage, your victory from the turmoil of this world is triumphed over. There is victory. Praise the Lord. So this is baptized with Christ. This is our symbol of victory in verse 21. Turn with me now to verse 22. And let's notice in verse 22, our being raised with Christ. This is our status, our status of victory. The way our passage works, notice at the very end of verse 21, it says, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The very beginning of verse 22 begins speaking of this one, this resurrected Lord, this resurrected Redeemer, who is our only hope and refuge through the judgment that is upon this world because of sin. Verse 22 says, who has gone, this one Christ Jesus, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God. Now, we're going to have two questions that I want us to ask of this verse, verse 22. The first question is this. What is Christ doing in his session? Now, that may be a word you're not familiar with. The word session simply means a seating or a sitting. And the idea here is that Christ is seated in heaven. He has gone to heaven and is at the right hand of God. We know he is seated there from all kinds of other passages in our Bible. What is Christ doing in this going to heaven and being at the right hand of God? What is he doing there in this, what we're going to call his session? This is not his resurrection that was from the grave. This is not his ascension going into heaven. It's what Jesus is doing right now. Right now, as we're sitting here in this room, our Lord and Savior is at the right hand of the Father. And he's seating there in a very real location. I want you to know he is just as really there beside the father as he was here on earth. As hell itself is. And Christ's place that he is that he went after his resurrection is in heaven, according to our passage in heaven and is at the right hand of God. This is the preeminent place of power, a preeminent place of status. No one else is able to be in the place that Christ is. And from that glorious place then, from that glorious place of power, Christ is, what is he doing? What is he doing? First, he is our king. He is reigning there as the head over his church. He's ordering and orchestrating his church all over humanity for all time, for all of humanity's time. Christ is there reigning over his church as king. Ephesians 1.22 says, speaks of Christ's reigning as king in his session. Ephesians 1.22 says, And he put all things under his feet. The father put all things under the feet of Christ and gave him as head over all things to the church. The father gave Christ to the church, which is his body, Christ's body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Christ is reigning over and ordering his church even today from the right hand of the father. And he is causing his church to triumph in these very hard places, in the very hard places in your life, the very hard places in this city, the very hard places in the world. We think of places where the gospel seems to be so vacant and not even existent. Nobody even knows whether there's a gospel testimony there or not. The Lord knows. And we can pray for hard countries like we did this morning, that have had so much devastation and so much absence of the gospel, like Egypt. We don't pray necessarily, though it is for their good if Egypt begins ruling and having good governments and that kind of thing there. But ultimately what we pray for in Egypt is that the church will flourish, that Jesus Christ will triumph, and that the churches there will come to faith and repentance, and the gospel will be preached there. This is what they ultimately need as Christ reigns over all of humanity. for his church as he is the head. The second thing Christ does in his session is not just simply reign as king, but we see as well that Christ is our eternal priest, constantly interceding for the good of his church, constantly interceding for the good of his church. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 24 says Christ holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, He, Christ, is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him. Listen to this last phrase in Hebrews 7.25. Since He always lives to make intercession for them, that is, for Christ's church, Christ is constantly interceding for us. When we lift our prayers to Him, our prayers go to Christ, and Christ then petitions the Father with our prayers. Our prayers are received by the Father. because of the wonderful beauty and glory and preciousness of our Savior. This is a great encouragement to us, isn't it? As we pray that we can call upon the Lord, not as this meager, sinful, horrible person, but instead one who's been redeemed by the blood of Christ, lifting our prayers to our Savior, knowing that he's going to bring them to the Father. This is truly a precious thing for us to know. This should stir us in our prayers and encourage us to be more faithful in our prayers that Christ is always interceding for us, always working to intercede for us in this way. So if Christ in his session is fulfilling his office as king, that is the head of the church, and then as priest constantly interceding for his church, then where do you think I'm going to go next? Christ in his session, and I want you to understand this, this is a major section I want you to understand. Christ in his session right now, this right hand of the Father, right now in this moment is our prophet proclaiming the gospel through and to his church. He's proclaiming the gospel, Christ himself is doing this. He is proclaiming the gospel through his church by speaking through God called preachers as they faithfully preach the scriptures every Lord's day. So this morning as God's word goes forward this morning, those of you who are believers, those of you who have the spirit of God in you, do you not know that it's not simply shame that is bringing forward to you the word of God? My prayer and what is understood throughout the history of the church is that when the gospel of the word of God is being proclaimed and declared, it is Jesus Christ himself by the power of the spirit pressing upon you Himself, who He is and what He has done, convincing you of what He can and is accomplishing through our lives. It is Christ preaching to us each Lord's Day as the man of God stands up here, opens God's Word, and declares Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is proclaiming the gospel through His church by speaking through these God-called preachers. Christ, by His Spirit, is actually proclaiming His Gospel through the preaching of this Word every single Lord's Day. This is why this is so precious for us to gather as His people and hear His Word declared and set before us because it is where we are most clearly and evidently in the presence of Jesus is when His Word is being preached. Let me prove this just a minute, just by a couple of passages. Ephesians 2, verse 13. Ephesians 2, verse 13 says, Paul is speaking here, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. Paul here is saying to the church there in Ephesus, you once were Gentiles, you were separated from God, you were alienated from God, but you've been brought near by the blood of Jesus. Now, how did they learn about the blood of Jesus? How did they understand the gospel? How were they able to go forward, as it says in Ephesians 2, verse 14, for he himself is our peace? who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in the ordinances. And so he goes on, he says, how did the Lord then break down this dividing wall and bring men and women and boys and girls to himself? It says in Ephesians chapter two, verse 17, and he came, speaking of Christ, he came and preached peace to you, Paul says. who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. Now, when did Jesus in his earthly ministry go to Ephesus and preach the gospel? The answer is he didn't. So what is Paul talking about here when he says, And Christ came and preached peace to you in the Ephesus church, in the Ephesian church, you who were far off, and peace to those who were near. When did Jesus come and preach to them? What Paul is saying here is that when the men of God came and preached to this congregation, Christ himself was declaring the gospel to them. He, Christ, was preaching to them peace, that they may come and have faith. Now, how is it that Jesus does this? Why would we think Jesus would do this? Well, it's because Jesus himself promises this in John chapter 9. During Jesus' own ministry, excuse me, John chapter 10, in Jesus' own ministry, Jesus himself says, as he's speaking of himself being the shepherd of his church, He says in John chapter 10 to his apostles, I have other sheep. This is John 10, 16. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, he says. In other words, I must bring them in. I must usher them to myself. How's he going to do that? And they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd. When do we hear the voice of Jesus Christ declaring to us, come all who are weary and heavy laden? When do we hear that? We hear it by the power of the spirit, by Christ himself right now, sitting at the right hand of the father, interceding for us and speaking and declaring to us through the preaching of his word, through the declaration of the gospel, through baptism, through the declaration of the gospel, through the Lord's table. How do we know? How do we know that he does this? Well, we know throughout history, this is exactly how the church understood these things. It says in our catechism, question 94, how is the word made effectual to salvation? How is the word made effectual to salvation? The Spirit of God makes the reading. This is why we read a lot of scripture in our services on Sunday morning, because we believe that the Lord, the Spirit of God can make effectual even the reading of scripture, not just the preaching, but actually sitting and hearing the word of God being read. is effectual. So the Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially, it says in our catechism, especially the preaching of the word and effectual means of doing what? Of convincing and converting sinners. And so it's bringing people into the kingdom of Christ. And then secondly, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith and salvation. So when the word of God is being preached and read, it is not only convincing and converting sinners, but it's also building up God's people in faith, in holiness, in comfort, encouraging them. How do we know that the Lord is doing this work? How do we know that the Lord is bringing men and women, boys and girls to faith through the preaching of God's word? It's through baptism. It's through exactly what Peter's talking about here. He says, the testimony that God is working in the midst of you as I am preaching to you when the word of God is being brought before you is that you're being baptized. There are people that are being baptized. How do we know that the Lord is building up the saints in holiness and in comfort, that it's encouraging us and strengthening us in the faith? How do we know the Lord's doing that? It's the Lord's table. We gather as God's people and come down this aisle in just a moment and take of this bread and take of this cup and are saying, in Christ alone are we strengthened and encouraged. It is the baptism and it is the Lord's table that is the clear evidences that God himself, Christ, is preaching to us through the ministry of the word. So that was the first question. The first question of verse 22 is, what is Christ doing in his session? The second question and the last question that we're going to look at this morning is in verse 22. And I want to ask just simply and quickly, why does Christ's session matter? Why does Christ's session matter? Look with me, if you will, in verse 22. Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God. Why does it matter? This is why it matters. It's because he's there at the right hand of God with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him. The clearest reason I can give to you why Christ being at the right hand of the Father right now on our behalf, interceding for us, reigning over his church and even proclaiming to us his word and convincing us of the authority and veracity of his word. The very reason is this, that we live in this world with devils filled that threatens to undo us. And yet hell and devils and authorities and powers, they are in our midst. They do not have final sway over our souls. Because our Savior, who is in heaven, has all of them under His subjection, as is being spoken up here. His reigning place in heaven is such that there are none who can do anything to us or against us, for Christ reigns. Christ is interceding for us. Christ is proclaiming to us the truth of His Word when the whole world desires to bring us lies and convince us of the foolishness of this world. And all these things and all these things that are in the world, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I'm sure of I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And the reason is because all of those things are subject to him. Peter's point is to stir all of us in our day to persevere, to persevere when we think about the fact that we are indeed, many of us, as we trust in Christ, we're leaning into very difficult circumstances, many of us in our lives. We're saying, I'm going to trust the Lord, and that means I'm gonna have to make hard decisions to be faithful instead of to go off and choose the comfortable path. I'm going to be faithful to what God has called me to. I'm going to continue to persevere in the callings that the Lord has given to me. Even though they may be hard, I'm going to do this. And in so doing, you understand that as you choose to be faithful and you suffer for it, you are suffering because of Christ. But more than that, you're suffering with Christ. with Christ in the sense that when Christ suffered, he set us an example that those who follow after him will also will also suffer. First Peter, chapter two, verse 21, says that very thing. Chapter two, verse 21 says, For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. Right. So when we are suffering, we're suffering with Christ. And when we when we were saved, When we went to that baptismal water, we were declaring that we were buried with Christ. And when we rose up out of that water, we were declaring that we've been raised with Christ. And if all of those things are true, then where Christ is right now at the right hand of the Father, with all things in subjection to him, that is our promised place one day. And so we can live in this world no matter how hard or difficult it may be, no matter how many times we look and say, this is just hard having to follow after Christ and be faithful in these hard decisions that need to be made. If then you have been raised with Christ, Colossians 3, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. If you've been raised with Christ, set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. Why? For you have died. For you have died. The baptism marked that, that you're no longer yourself. You're now living for Christ. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Your life is not just out there thrown to the wolves. No, your life now, because you died with Christ, your life is hidden with Christ in God. There is no more secure place when Christ who is your life then. When Christ, who is your life, appears, and he will one day, then you also will appear with him in glory. Oh, what a promise. Oh, what a promise of victory that Peter has given to us this morning. Those who are going to face suffering by following after Christ. So this morning, as we approach the table, we're declaring this victory of Christ has been accomplished for us. And this victory of Christ is being revealed through our baptism and through our looking to Christ at the right hand of the Father and rejoicing that there we will be one day. William Cooper. William Cooper was one of the men that was in a parish with Isaac Newton. Who did Amazing Grace? John Newton, that's it. Thank you. It's great when I say something wrong and you guys go, you won't give me the answer. You say, no, try again. All right, now I've got to figure out what that is. What is it, Phil? John Newton. John Newton was a pastor in a parish. William Cooper was one of his people in his parish, and William Cooper was constantly on the verge of leaving this life because he was so depressed. He was constantly having to be drawn back out because he was just so overwhelmed with depression. He wrote a lot of hymns, and we sing some of those hymns. One of those hymns is God Moves in Mysterious Ways. And William Cooper writes in his hymn this way. You may be familiar with a portion of this. You fearful saints, you fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and they shall break. In blessings, in blessings on your head, judge not the Lord by feeble sense. But trust Him for His grace, because behind every frowning providence you will find He hides a smiling face. May the Lord encourage us as we look to our Savior as one who is victorious in our times of trouble.