Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are going to get to look at one of my favorite passages in all of Scriptures.

The Scripture we are going to study this morning is from 1 Kings chapter 18.

This chapter reveals to us one of the greatest showdowns in all of the Bible and probably all of the world.

18 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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

When you think of showdowns what or who do you think of?

I think of Wyatt Earp and the old gang the Cowboys.

Wyatt and his brothers were appointed as sheriff and deputies so that they might gain control of a town from these bad dudes that called themselves the cowboys.

You may think of Batman and the Joker or someone else.

But any of these earthly stories pale in comparison to this showdown we are going to read about today.

We are going to read about the One true God of heaven and earth and his prophet Elijah challenging the false god Baal and all of his false prophets.

This is a showdown that will reveal to Elijah, the people of Israel, and the enemies of God just how powerful God is.

You want to hear about it?

First let’s look at the setting,

A. The Word Proclaimed to the Imprisoned.

I.

The Setting

Now, before we get into these next few verses I want us to understand the importance of not getting so bogged down in the difficult portion of the passage that we steer off of the main point of the paragraph.

Remember, Peter did not write this letter to confuse us but to encourage us to stand strong in Christ in midst of suffering and seek to grow in sanctification in light of the glorious gospel.Scot Mcknight explains,

1 Kings 18:

A. A time of great faith in Elijah

​The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Peter Bridging Contexts

IN INTERPRETING THIS passage, one needs to recognize how easy it is to drift into the problem verses (3:19, 21) and lose sight of the way in which these particularly disputable passages fit into the general theme of persecution and suffering.

That is, focusing on these verses tips the balance against the weight of the passage—how the example of Jesus becomes a source of encouragement for those who are facing suffering.

While I would not want to minimize the significance of this passage for formulating special ideas (though I doubt debate about the location of Jesus after his death and before his exaltation advances theology much), it is fundamentally important to interpret these problem verses in light of their overall context.

And as usual Spurgeon humbles us regarding this passage,

First we need to consider when this was, was shortly after Elijah by the power of God had raised the widow’s son from the dead.

God had just a few days before this event done something miraculous through the prophet.

So you imagine Elijah’s faith was strong at this point.

He was probably ready for whatever God had called him to accomplish.

B. A time of great famine in the land of Samaria.

​Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter Exposition Charles Spurgeon writes, This passage nobody understands, though some think they do.

It is for our good to be made to feel that we do not know everything.

The point that is clear is that as Jesus suffered though innocent, we also must be willing to suffer at the hands of the ungodly.

Let’s dive in,Verse 19 reads,19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,because they formerly did not obey,Verse 19 connects to verse 18 where Peter closes writing,being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed.

As Pastor David laid out in his study guide there are two primary positions to this passage.

Both of which are held by men we all respect.

Both of these positions have merit, but one of the positions seems to fit the overall context and theme of first Peter which we believe is the most viable and accurate position.

Pastor David explains the two positions well.

Position One: Noah Preaching by the Spirit of God Made alive by the Spirit: By this same Spirit, the Holy Spirit, Noah preached to his generation during the time of the arks construction.Because of their unbelief, they perished in their sins and though physically downed, their spirits are in prison awaiting final judgment.

Position Two: The Resurrected Christ Declares VictoryThe resurrected Christ proclaimed victory over those demons who were under bondage because of their unique offenses preceding and contributing to the worldwide judgment experienced at the flood.

This position does not lend support to Christ descending into hell and making a general declaration of victory between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

This is an event that followed the Resurrection.

Position two is the position which I believe is the correct position.

This is the position Pastor David holds, along with many other men who are faithful expositors, like Tom Schriener, Scot Mcknight, Dan Doriani, and John MacArthur.

Upon studying the passage and looking at many commentaries these men though they may vary in some spots hold to the position that the Resurrected Christ proclaimed victory over those demons who were in bondage due to their disobedience in the days of Noah.

First, Peter is communicating that Christ went and proclaimed in the spirit in which he was made alive.

Even though this death was brutal, bodily death Jesus was still victorious and went and proclaimed this message in the power of the Spirit, while alive in the spirit.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is what proved he was who he said he was.

He was the Son of God, the Second person of the Trinity who had himself preached prior to His death, that he must by crucified but would be raised from the dead.This would have been what I would call, “Jesus’ I told you so” sermon.

He had prophesied of his own death and resurrection to His disciples, He had told the Pharisees that he would rebuild the temple in three days and now even though he had been put to death in the flesh he had been resurrected by the Spirit in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.We obviously now are left with a couple questions where did Jesus go, and who are these spirits in prison.

Here is my short answer then I will explain.I hold the view that Jesus when made alive by the Spirit proclaimed victory over those who have formerly experienced judgment because of their disobedience and rebellion against God.

Now this was not a second chance gospel proclamation, to those who were already judged for theirs sin, but a proclamation proving that Jesus had defeated sin, Satan, and all of these fallen angels who had rebelled against God pre-cross.

​1 Peter The Gospel Proclaimed to the “Spirits in Prison”So, then, Peter states that Jesus “preached” (NIV) or “proclaimed” (ESV, NASB) something.

The Greek verb is not euaggelizomai, “to preach the gospel or good news,” but kērussō, “to make a proclamation.”

Like other words, kērussō has a range of meanings, and it can be used for evangelistic proclamations (e.g., ; ), but it typically means “to make an official announcement or public declaration,” not “to evangelize” (e.g., ; ; ).

So we need not think that Jesus evangelized the spirits in prison.

Although Elijah was ready to more than ready to fill God’s call on his life.

This was a time of great hunger and desperation in the land.

There was drought and famine in the land.

There had been no rain for three years.

The land was parched, crops would not grow and there was a severe shortage of food.

F.B. Meyer noted, The music of the brooklets was still.

No green pastures carpeted the hills or vales.

There was neither blossom on the fig-tree nor fruit in the vines; and the labour of the olive failed.

The ground was chapt and barren.…

And, probably, the roads in the neighbourhood of the villages and towns were dotted by the stiffened corpses of the abject poor, who had succumbed to the severity of their privations.

Ryken, P. G. (2011). 1 Kings.

(R. D. Phillips, I. M. Duguid, & P. G. Ryken, Eds.) (p.

467).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Ryken, P. G. (2011). 1 Kings.

(R. D. Phillips, I. M. Duguid, & P. G. Ryken, Eds.) (p.

467).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

People were in a desperate situation.

What happens when folks are hungry, when folks don’t know where there next meal is coming from.

When crops are dying because of a lack of rain.

One of two things,

1.

You trust in the power, provision, and providence of God.

Or

2, you turn to human wisdom and seek ways to fill your belly in ungodly ways, giving yourself over to idolatry.

The people during this time had put their trust in Baal, the good of rain, who was a false god, and was no help at all!

This was also,

Here are a couple reasons why I believe this view is most plausible.

We see that Jesus went in the spirit by which He was made alive.

In other words, he went somewhere to proclaim his victory.

He went somewhere to preach the consummation of this spiritual victory.The context of the passage best fits this view.

Remember, this is in the middle of Peter’s continued explanation of Christian suffering and how we are to look to Christ as he suffered.

Therefore, Christ rising from his death in the flesh and being made alive in the Spirit, vindicated him through all of His suffering and death.

​The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Peter Original MeaningI would emphasize at this point the need to see this passage in light of its context: the overall theme of vindication.

Jesus was righteous and suffered for the unrighteous; God vindicated him by exalting him to his right hand.

The churches of Peter need to know that if they remain faithful, like Jesus they too will be vindicated.

That is the hope that ought to sustain them as they endure suffering, the hope of which they are to be ready to speak, and the hope that Peter urges them to embrace.

3. A time of a faithful few who feared the LORD.

3. The audience of Jesus’ proclamation also gives us a clue.

Jesus, proclaimed to the spirits in prison.Who are these spirits and where is this prison?The most accepted view is that these “spirits” are fallen angels, possible the angels for from

1 Kings 18:1L

​ ESVWhen man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive.

And they took as their wives any they chose.

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.