Take a Ride on the Ark

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1 Peter 3:18-22

Introduction

1:1-2:12 Hope is Displayed in our Salvation

2:13-3:12 Hope is Displayed in our Submission

To Government 2:13-17

To Employers 2:18-20

Like Christ 2:21-25

To Husbands 3:1-7

To Everyone 3:8-12

3:13-5:14 Hope is Displayed in Our Suffering

3:13-17 For Doing Right

3:18-22 As Christ Suffered

As an example of good suffering according to God's plan, look at what the suffering of Jesus achieved.

I. It Saved Us (18)

A. His Work was Costly

B. His Work was Effective

C. His Work was Substitutional

D. His Work was Reconciling

E. His Work was Painful

F. His Work was Life Giving

II. It Confirmed Judgment (19-20)

A. By Way of Proclamation

B. To the Antediluvians

III. It Protected Us From Death (21)

A. In the Same Way the Ark Did

982 Noah’s Flood

Population statistics indicate that nearly 3 billion people may have lived on the earth at the time of Noah’s Flood. This means that 3 billion were killed by God’s judgment at the Flood.

Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.

5234 Ark’s One Door

In the morning, when the ark-door was opened, an observer might see a pair of golden eagles in the sky. But glancing downward, one might see creeping along, a pair of snails, a pair of snakes, a pair of worms. There were pairs of creeping creatures as well as pairs of flying creatures. But there was only one entrance for them all. The eagle must come down to enter it, and the worm must crawl up to it.

Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.

B. Pictured in Baptism

  • Not Water Baptism
  • Spirit Baptism

How to Deaden the Conscience

The Still, Small Voice

In Focus on the Family, Rolf Zettersten wrote, “A good friend in North Carolina bought a new car with a voice-warning system.… At first Edwin was amused to hear the soft female voice gently remind him that his seat belt wasn’t fastened.… He affectionately called this voice the ‘little woman.’

“He soon discovered his little woman was programmed to warn him about his gasoline. ‘Your fuel level is low,’ she said one time in her sweet voice. Edwin nodded his head and thanked her. He figured he still had enough gas to go another fifty miles, so he kept on driving. But a few minutes later, her voice interrupted again with the same warning. And so it went over and over. Although he knew it was the same recording, Edwin thought her voice sounded harsher each time.

“Finally, he stopped his car and crawled under the dashboard. After a quick search, he found the appropriate wires and gave them a good yank. So much for the little woman.

“He was still smiling to himself a few miles later when his car began sputtering and coughing. He ran out of gas! Somewhere inside the dashboard, Edwin was sure he could hear the little woman laughing.”

People like Edwin learn before long that the little voice inside, although ignored or even disconnected, often tells them exactly what they need to know.*

* William J. Gestal, Jr. in “Conscience,” Leadership Journal, Winter, 1991, 48.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (144). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The Example

Christians are always on display, whether they realize it or not. In his book, Ten Mistakes Parents Make With Teenagers, Jay Kesler describes a conversation he had with a young lady at a Youth for Christ summer camp.

This particular camp was in Ohio, and after one of the services some kids had come forward to the altar. One young woman was having a difficult time, so the counselors asked me if I would speak to her.

We sat down in the front row of the chapel, and through many tears her heartbreaking story began to unfold. She’d been molested by her own father about three times a week since she was four years old. She’d never told anyone about this and carried a great sense of guilt, as though she were to blame for her father’s actions.

As she told me the story, I noticed that both of her wrists were scarred. (If you work with youth today, you see those marks often.) “Tell me about your wrists,” I said.

“Well, I tried to kill myself.”

“Why didn’t you do it?” I asked. Killing yourself is a relatively simple thing if you really want to do it. If it is just a bid for attention, the attempt is usually feeble.

She said, “Well, I got to thinking … we have a youth pastor at our church—”

Oh no, I thought, now I’m going to hear an ugly story about her getting involved with some youth pastor. But that wasn’t it at all. She said, “He’d just gotten married before he came to our church, and I’ve been watching him. When he’s standing in line in church behind his wife, he squeezes her right in church. They look at each other, and they hug each other right in our church. One day I was standing in the pastor’s study, looking out the window, and the youth pastor walked his wife out into the parking lot. Now there was only one car in the parking lot; nobody was around; nobody was looking. And that guy walked all the way around the car and opened the door and let her in. Then he walked all the way around and got in himself. And there was nobody even looking.”

That was a nice story, but I couldn’t make a connection between that and her problem of incest or attempted suicide. So I asked why this seemed so significant to her. She said, “Well, I just got to thinking that all men must not be like my dad, huh?”

I said, “You’re right. All men are not like your father.”

“Jay, do you suppose our youth pastor’s a Christian?”

“Yes,” I said, “I think he probably is.”

“Well, that’s why I came tonight. I want to be a Christian, too.”

Why did she want to be a Christian? Because she saw a man being affectionate and respectful to his wife—when he thought nobody was looking. That’s the power of a consistent life.*

* Jay Kesler, Ten Mistakes Parents Make With Teenagers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers, Inc., 1988), 29–30.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (275). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (144). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

IV. It Elevated Him (22)

A. To the Place of Honor

B. To the Place of Authority

Ruler of the Universe

One of England’s most enduring legends involves the Danish King Canute who ruled Britain from 1016 to 1035. He was such an imposing and successful king that never-ending praise was rendered to him. His courtiers were afraid to mutter anything to him but flatteries, and Canute grew tired of it. One day in the year 1032, taking them down to the coast at Northhampton, he placed his throne in the sand as the tide was coming in. As his advisors stood around, he asked them, “You think I am the mightiest of the mighty?”

“Oh, yes, your majesty,” they replied.

“You think I can stop the tide?” he asked.

“Oh, yes, your majesty,” they again replied, a little doubtfully.

Looking at the ocean breakers, he said, “O sea! Stay! Come no further! I, Canute, ruler of the universe, command you.”

But despite his commands, the tide continued to roll in until it was lapping at the feet of the men. It came to their knees, then, as the waves engulfed them, the king and all his men ran for safety.

“You see,” said Canute, “how little I am obeyed. There is only one Lord over land and water, the Lord of the universe. It is to Him and to Him alone you should offer your praise.”

Slowly the king and his couriers walked back into town where, at the cathedral, King Canute removed his crown and hung it in the church.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (816). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The phrase “bring us to God” is a technical term that means “gain audience at court.” Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we now have an open access to God (Eph. 2:18; 3:12). We may come boldly to His throne! (Heb. 10:19ff) We also have access to His marvelous grace to meet our daily needs (Rom. 5:2). Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. (1 Pe 3:18). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

The Lord Jesus Christ not only arose from among the dead, but He ascended to heaven from where He had originally come. He is there today, not as an invisible, intangible spirit-being, but as a living Man in a glorified body of flesh and bones. In that body He bears eternally the wounds He received at Calvary—eloquent and everlasting tokens of His love for us.

Our Lord is at the right hand of God, the place of:

Power: Since the right hand is generally stronger than the left, it has come to be associated with power (Matt. 26:64).

Honor: Christ is “exalted to the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33; 5:31).

Rest: In virtue of His finished work Christ “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3; see also 8:1; 10:12). This rest is the rest of satisfaction and complacency, not the rest that conquers weariness.

Intercession: Paul speaks of Christ being at the right hand of God where He intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34).

Preeminence: “At His right hand in the heavenly places, (He is) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come . . .” (Eph. 1:20, 21).

Dominion: In Hebrews 1:13, God the Father says to the Son, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Dominion is emphasized in 1 Peter 3:22: “ ... at the right hand of God, with angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (1 Pe 3:22). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Seeing His Face

One day missionary Amy Carmichael, who devoted her life to rescuing girls who had been dedicated to a life of slavery and shame in Indian Hindu Temples, took some of her children to see a goldsmith refining gold in the ancient manner of the Orient. The man sat beside a small charcoal fire. On top of the coals lay a common red curved roof-tile, and another tile over it like a lid. This was his homemade crucible. The man had a mixture of salt, tamarind fruit, and burnt brick dust which he called his “medicine” for the purifying of the gold. He dropped a lump of ore into the blistering mixture and let the fire “eat it.” After awhile, the man lifted the gold out with a pair of tongs, let it cool, and studied it. Then he replaced the gold in the crucible and blew the fire hotter than it was before. This process went on and on, the fire growing hotter and hotter. “[The gold] could not bear it so hot at first,” explained the goldsmith, “but it can bear it now; what would have destroyed it helped it.”

As the children watched the gold being purified in the fire, someone asked the man, “How do you know when the gold is purified?”

The man’s answer: “When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible], then it is pure.”

When the Great Refiner sees his own image reflected in us, He has brought us to purity and maturity.*

* Adapted from Elizabeth Skoglund, More Than Coping (Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1987), 48.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (106). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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