The Savior is Victorious

You may be seated and turn with me this morning in your Bibles.

Does everyone have a worship guide this morning?

And for you that are online, the outline should be on there for you.

I know several people have really appreciated that.

I don't know about you, but I take my outline home and file it and actually keep them in my Bible sometimes for a week or two.

Just to review the truths that the Lord teaches us.

One thing about this church, CCW, and that is one of our key core values is the unadulterated truth of the Word of God.

It really is, and we really believe that.

Fulfilling the truth of the Word of God verse by verse, chapter by chapter, topic by topic from the Word of God.

This morning we're going to be looking at the Savior is victorious.

In fact, we'll be finishing up chapter 3, and then next Sunday, we'll be looking at 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 1 through 11.

1 Peter 4:1–11

Living for eternity.

You don't want to miss that.

That's going to be good next week.

Living for eternity.

Folks, we're not just here passing through.

We are here for a purpose.

Amen?

Each and every one of us Christians have a purpose.

Have a calling.

In fact, in my quiet time this week, I was dealing with where Paul told the church at Corinth, he says, all of us have a special calling, a unique calling.

Do you realize each and every one of us have a calling that's unique to you, yourself?

And that's so exciting to me.

Guess what?

I can't do your calling and you can't do my calling, but together we can do God's calling.

Amen?

As a body.

That's why we have a church body.

I have people all the time, every, well, not all the time, but sometimes say, I don't have to go to church to worship God.

That's true, you don't.

But you have to come to church to fulfill your calling.

Hello, uh-uh.

Don't look at me like you do.

Because you're the body.

If you're a Christian, you're part of the body, and God's church is his body.

So you do have to come to church to fulfill your calling.

You really do.

To be a part of the body, to help the body fulfill its purpose.

So that's exciting.

That's exciting.

But I do.

Hey, everybody needs vacation, so I'm not getting on to you that you're not here.

So amen.

I'm not le you're not.

Hey, I started out a very pretty strong legalistic young preacher, but I learned real quick, hey, the law kills liberty, sets you free.

Amen.

Now watch this.

Verses 18 through 22.

1 Peter 3.

Here we go.

Oh, this oh, this is gonna be fun this morning because we're gonna deal with something that's pretty controversial, or maybe not controversial, but everybody's got their own opinion, and nobody really knows what the answer is.

But we'll see that in a minute.

Verse 18.

Chapter 3.

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins.

That word once very important.

The just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.

Put a big star by that verse.

Probably the most misunderstood verse in the Bible.

Or let me put it another way, one of the most talked about conversed verses in the Bible.

Different opinions, but we're gonna look at it.

Oh, I love that.

Now watch this.

Then verse 20, which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, that's gonna be a good typology we're gonna look at.

While the ark was preparing, was being built, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.

That's Noah and his family.

The light figure, the word figure there, put a circle around it.

That's very important.

Whereinto even baptism doth also now save us.

Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

What we see here is the heart of the gospel is the fact that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, died for sinners.

In fact, Peter closes this section on the unjust suffering of believers with the example of Christ being the greatest example of unjustly suffering for the purpose of redeeming the lost world.

Now that's important.

I meant so important that I think Peter then goes on and describes four things about Christ's example of suffering.

And the first thing we're gonna look at is the suffering he demonstrated.

Verse 18 again.

Powerful.

Now, if you remember last week, the previous verse in verse 17 declared that it could be the will of God, and is the will of God, that we suffer for well-doing.

So it's not the issue of suffering, but why we suffer.

Because a lot of times we suffer for wrongdoing, but it's exciting when you know you're suffering for well-doing.

And so then he goes on and he gives us the greatest example of suffering and how Christ suffered so that he could redeem you and me from our sins.

Look at A.

First of all, look at the reach.

How far did this reach of suffering go?

Look at the phrase, for Christ also hath once suffered for sins.

Never before had there been a sacrifice like this one.

Thousands upon thousands of sacrifices had been made in the Old Testament for sins.

It was called the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.

In fact, we know over a quarter of a million, sometimes a year, hey, had been sacrificed for sins, that they would bring the unblemished Lamb to the temple, and the priest would sacrifice them as a really a symbol of the foreshadow of what was going to be coming in the New Testament.

But never before had there been a sacrifice like Jesus' sacrifice, because with Jesus it would only be one sacrifice and it would be final.

There would not have to be any more sacrifices by the priests with lambs ever again.

And that's the difference from the Old Testament and the New Testament.

And we'll see that.

Right here, these sacrifices that we see in the Old Testament could not accomplish that which man needed most.

And that was a sacrifice that would fully and finally cover his sin and make an atonement for his soul.

Peter said that Jesus Christ, look, once suffered for sins.

His atoning death forever eliminated the need for any other or further sacrifices.

When he died, the price for sin was fully paid.

And for all by his shed blood, Paul drives this home.

I want you to look at it.

Look at Hebrews chapter 7, verse 26 through 27.

Hebrews 7:26–27

It's powerful.

And there it is.

Separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens.

And then look at verse 27.

Who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices like they were doing in the Old Testament.

First for his own sins and then for the other people.

For this he did once for all when he offered up himself.

Wow.

In other words, no longer would there have to be sacrifices offered up continuously and ritually all the time for sins, not after Jesus.

In fact, go to Hebrews 10.

Look at verses 10 through 14.

Powerful statement here.

And it says, by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.

Watch.

Again, the key, once for all.

And every, I love this, and every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

In other words, the Old Testament way of sacrifice could never take away our sins.

But this man, who Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

And watch this.

From that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool.

Woo! Now, when is his enemies made the footstool is a key here.

This is powerful.

And you're going to see the contextual proof of it here today.

In other words, until Jesus would enter into the lower parts of hell and declaim his victory over sin and Satan.

And you're going to see that in a man.

In a minute.

Man, that's good.

That's good stuff.

Now, watch.

The word once here comes from a Greek word hapax.

And according to Vine's Greek dictionary, speaks of what's this?

A perpetual of validity.

In other words, not requiring repetition.

In other words, it carries the idea of once for all.

This was a new concept now.

Remember to the Jews.

They had slaughtered millions of animals over the years.

But the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ ended all of that sacrificial system.

In fact, in Jesus' final moment on the cross, remember what he said in John 19, 30?

He said, It is finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

When he said it is finished, he meant that sin was paid for fully and finally.

Can I get an amen?

It is over.

Totalist die.

It's done.

Romans 6.10, listen to what it says.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once.

That's very important.

See that again, once.

But in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Jesus defeated all sin for all sinners for all time.

Is that not good?

Somebody say that's good, preacher.

He defeated all sin for all people for all time.

Woo! Now that's a Memorial Day honor.

Amen.

What a gift.

What a death.

Hebrews 1:3, listen to what it says.

Hebrews 1:3

Oh, don't you love the book?

Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.

Wow.

After he finished all that God had sent him to do, to finish his father's will, he went and he sat down on the right hand of God the Father.

And guess what?

He's right there right now, making intercession for me and you.

He's our mediator.

But one day he's going to stand up.

And he's going to say, Boys, blow the trumpet.

I'm going to get my bride.

I'm going to get my bride.

So we see right here, oh man, I've got show.

Blow it, Lord.

Blow it, angels.

Blow it.

Gabriel.

We see the wreaths, but notice the second thing of this example of suffering for Jesus.

We see the representation.

Look at the verse again, the second phrase.

The just for the unjust.

He was representing us, the sinner.

Jesus Christ died in our place.

We deserve to die, not him.

He's the just and righteous God of heaven.

We are the wicked sinners.

He never sinned.

We sin continually.

Look at what he says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.

Well, that's good.

Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus Christ took the sinner's place.

He died instead of me.

He died to pay my sins.

Think about that.

Not his.

Just as those soldiers died to grant us freedom.

Jesus Christ died 2,000 years ago on a place called Calvary so that we could be set free.

Listen, church, from sin.

And Satan.

Man, that's good.

Boy, that's good.

But when Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.

Hey, hello! Every man.

Hebrews 2.9.

Notice it says that he died for every man, not just the Calvin's elect, but every man.

The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3.9.

God does not want anyone to go to hell.

Can I get an amen?

He wants all men to be saved.

There are no exceptions.

Christ died for all.

He is the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world.

John 1.29.

I believe that with all my heart.

In his death, he were represented every man, woman, child to enter the world, past, present, and future.

It brings me to the third tremendous point about his exemplary death.

Look at the reconciliation.

Next phrase.

That he might bring us to God.

The words bring us means to lead before, to bring into the presence.

To bring to.

It carries the idea of being led into the presence of a king.

At the court of kings in the Bible's day, there's was what they called a doorkeeper.

And he was the only one that could grant entrance to people to go to see the king.

Or to talk to the king.

He decided who would be admitted into the king's presence.

In other words, he held the power to the access of the king's presence.

And I thought to myself, Jesus Christ is our doorkeeper.

Jesus Christ is the door.

If any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find Pastor John 10, 9.

Oh, he's our doorkeeper.

He's the one that allows access to heaven and God the Father.

Oh, my friends.

Ephesians 2.18 puts it this way: He alone holds the power and access into the Father's presence.

Listen to what he said in Ephesians 2.18.

For through him, Jesus, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Romans 5.2 also.

But there's a third, I mean, there's a fourth thing.

Watch.

We see the reach of this suffering.

We see the representation of the suffering.

We see the reconciliation for all people, past, present, and future.

And then we see the resurrection.

Look at the next phrase.

Put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit.

Ooh, I love that.

His physical body died.

He quit breathing.

His heart quit beating.

He physically died.

Now, infidels and critics have uh attacked the resurrection of Christ for 2,000 years.

They said that he fainted on the cross, and when they took him down and put him in the tomb, that he then, after the coolness and the and being able to, you know, be calm or whatever, but because of the coolness and anyway, he came back, not that he came back alive, but that he had fainted, so he was awakened, and so he walked out of the tomb.

Now that's pretty stupid.

First of all, he couldn't, he couldn't move that two-ton rock in front of the tomb.

By the way, he didn't have to move it.

In fact, he didn't move it.

He could have just walked through it, kidney.

But then we couldn't see, so he did move it.

So that we could see in and see that it wasn't wasn't there.

Because they would have made a bunch of other lies if they, hey, if he hadn't opened it up so they could see whatn't there, they would have never told the truth.

Imagine that, the government never telling the truth.

Just a thought.

Oh Lord help us.

Jesus was put to death.

Look at it, in the flesh.

In fact, in order to hasten the deaths back during that time, if you remember, the executioners broke the legs of the two thieves next to Jesus.

But when they got to Jesus ready to break his legs, they saw that he was dead.

So they didn't break his legs.

There was a reason.

He was dead.

But also the second reason that there would be prophecy, because in Psalms 23 it says, not one bone would be broken.

So, hey, they were fulfilling prophecy.

Don't tell me the word's not true.

Wow.

So we see John 19, 33, but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead, not breathing, heart not beating, already, they break not his legs.

His physical body had died.

But praise God, look at the phrase, he was quickened by the Spirit.

Powerful word there.

The word quicken means to make alive.

In fact, when you and I get saved, that's what happens to us.

Do you realize that you and I are dead in our trespasses and sins?

But when we get saved, we are now made alive.

In fact, he says in John 6.63, it is the Spirit that quickens.

The flesh profits nothing.

These things that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

He quickens us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We really call that the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into Christ.

1 Corinthians 12.13.

The Holy Spirit immerses us in the Christ.

And we're made alive.

But it means to bring and to bring life to a person, to make a lie.

Acts 2 24 says, whom God hath raised up.

Now watch.

God Himself raised Christ up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible.

That he should behold an event.

It was not possible that Jesus Christ was gonna stay dead.

Can I get an amen?

Because if he did, we would not have Christianity.

The resurrection means everything.

I was when I was researching this message, I ran across a tremendous example here.

While visiting Egypt, there was a Christian apologist named Dr.

Reimer, actually, and I've read a couple of his uh articles.

Harry Reimer, R-I-M-M-E-R.

He had an interesting conversation with his tour guide that was taking him to different excavation things, and he was a Muslim.

And listen to the discussion.

They discussed their faith.

Dr.

Reimer said, My faith believes that God has revealed himself in three persons.

My faith, the Muslim said, believes that God has revealed himself in three persons.

Reimer, Dr.

Reimer said, we believe that, well, should I say the jit said we believe that too.

But then Dr.

Reimer continued and he said, we believe that God has revealed himself in creation.

The Muslim guide said, we believe that.

Then Dr.

Reimer said, we believe that God has revealed himself in a book called the Bible.

The Muslim tour guide said, we believe that too.

We believe that God has revealed himself in a book called the Quran.

Dr.

Reimer said, we believe that God has revealed himself in a man, Jesus Christ, said Reimer.

The Muslim guide said, we believe he has revealed himself in a man.

His name is Muhammad.

Then Reimer said, We believe that our Savior rose from the dead.

There was a pause.

And the Egyptian Muslim said timidly, We honor Muhammad's tomb in Midan.

There lies the difference between Christianity and any and every other religion.

You can go to every of the other false religion leaders and you'll find their body there.

But when you go to, and I've been there three or three times, but when you go to the tomb, he is not here, for he is risen, as he said.

He's not here.

He's not there.

That's the difference.

Some sixty years, listen to this, after his resurrection, Jesus would proclaim to John on the island of Palapas.

Here's what he said.

Revelations 1.18.

I am he that liveth and was dead.

Behold, I'm alive forevermore.

And behold, I hold the keys of death.

Now hang on to that phrase, the keys of death, because that's what he did when he went to the lower parts and went into Hades and preached total victoria.

Hey, victory and hey, not only did he lead the captivity free from the Old Testament, but he announced to those demons and those false angels that he had broken the curse of Satan by overcoming death.

And he was taking the keys of death with him.

That no one ever would die again.

Hey, that to be absent from the body absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

I have my own spell on Memorial Day.

Wow.

What?

A Savior.

Christians are the only people who can sing this song.

I serve a risen Savior.

Sing it, honey.

I'll serve a risen Savior.

I'll serve a risen Savior.

We're the only ones that can say that.

All other religions.

Their founders are still dead.

Not mine.

He's sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

He's finished his work.

Jesus, life, was restored at the resurrection.

Jesus restores our physical life for eternity when we come to him for salvation.

Listen to Romans 8:11.

Romans 8:11

Do we have that up there?

Not, but listen.

But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential to the Christian life.

If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and also our faith is vain.

I'm preaching for nothing.

If he has not risen.

But I got good news, he is risen.

Which brings me to the second point.

Not only do we see the suffering he demonstrated, but look, number two, look at the sermon he delivered.

By which also, verse 19, he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.

Woo-hoo! I love it.

I've been setting you up and giving you a little preview.

Preaching.

This is a great deal of debate surrounding this verse.

The debate centers around who these spirits are.

That's the key.

Some interpret them as men.

However, in the Bible, men are not seen as spirits.

It seems more reasonable to me to believe that these spirits in prison, now watch this, are fallen angels.

Throughout Scripture, angels are referred to as spirits all through the scriptures.

Okay?

Now with that said, according to the scriptures, there's a place where evil spirits are confined.

It is a place where they are held awaiting the judgment of God.

Peter also refers to this place in the second letter in chapter 2, if you remember, verse 4, which says, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, watch, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved into judgment.

That's pretty plain and simple, isn't it?

Now listen to what Jude says about it.

I'm going to take you step by step.

Look at Jude 1, 6.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, that's those two words, first estate is very important, but left their own habitation.

He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day.

Now the first estate, those two words, here's what it means.

They speak of a place, they speak of a rank or position.

These are angels that did not stay with God or did not stay where God put them.

In other words, these are the angels that initially sided with Satan and rebelled against God.

In fact, I want you to see that.

Isaiah.

I needed to start at verse 12, though.

Isaiah chapter 14, verse 12.

Isaiah 14:12

Let's look at it.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?

How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations?

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven.

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.

Now look at verse 14.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

I will be like the Most High.

In other words, he's wanting to kick God out and take over God's position.

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit.

So God kicked Satan out, put him in, hey, where he ought to be, sent his angels, and then kicked a third of the angels out with him when you go over to Revelation chapter 12, which we saw that when we were going through the book of Revelation.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

So a third of the angels were kicked out of heaven that sided with Satan.

And now we see in chapter 9, also Revelation, when the fifth trumpet sounds, these demons will be released, if you remember, from their prison as a judgment upon the wicked, Christ-rejecting sinners of the great tribulation period.

So right now they're bound.

They're bound.

They're chained.

So what exactly does Peter mean when he says, went and preached into the spirits in prison?

Well, if you're following the textual insight of what we've been looking at, I think it would mean pretty simply, after his resurrection and before his ascension into heaven, Jesus descended into the heart of the earth and proclaimed victory.

He heralded the herald of Christ's triumphant victory was heard throughout the halls of hell as Jesus proclaimed his defeat of Satan.

Now you're talking about having a spell.

And you cannot punish by death anymore.

He grabbed the keys and said, Oh, by the way, over here in paradise, I got a lot of Old Testament saints that have believed in me, waiting for me to come pay the ultimate price for their salvation.

Oh, they're going with me.

Wow.

Now, how do you know that?

I'm just reading the scriptures.

What's this?

Once the proclamation of victory was made, Jesus gathered the saved of the Old Testament from paradise and ascended to heaven.

Now look at Ephesians 4, 8 and 10.

Let me show you that.

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.

Now that he ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first, now watch, into the lower parts of the earth, Sheol, he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

Now, Paul's using an illustration here of a king who has been victorious in battle.

In fact, you see this battle that he's referring to in Psalm 68, 18.

The king is riding upon his white stag and following in his army, his faithful soldiers.

Behind them comes the enemy, shackled in chains, defeated and helpless.

And this is one of David's victories as an illustration in this verse.

We have a reference to his victory where he liberated a number of captives who had been taken out of Israel.

David brought those captives back in triumphant and in victory to reunite them to the people and their homeland.

David captured those who were in captivity and brought them home.

And that was a historical count and used by Paul as an illustration of Christ's victorious ascension.

He uses the same illustration in Colossians.

Watch this.

Speaking of Christ's victory over the principalities and powers of darkness, Satan.

Watch what he says.

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, like bringing them, parading them in front of everybody, triumphant over them in it.

When Christ ascended up on high, he did so as a mighty and victorious king.

Now watch this.

Notice that Jesus also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.

What does that mean?

A lot of folks seem to stumble over this, but here's what I believe the Bible gives us the answer.

During these New Testament times, watch this.

When a believer dies, he goes straight into the presence of God.

Do you believe that?

Do you believe that?

Alright, well, let me prove that.

Philippians 1 23.

Paul says, for I am struggling between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.

In other words, Paul says, I need to stay here, but I want to go to be with Christ because it's far better.

In other words, he's saying, if I die, I'm going to be with Christ.

Then Paul also makes that same statement in 2 Corinthians 5.8, where he says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

That's New Testament saints.

Do you believe that?

Amen.

Hey, hey, I promise you that's what I believe.

And that's what the Bible teaches.

Okay?

But now watch.

This is good.

And I hope I'm explaining it.

I'm trying to be very careful.

However, in the Old Testament, that was not the case.

We see this clearly in Jesus' teaching on the rich man in Lazarus.

I want you to see this.

Do we?

Luke 16.

Do we have that?

Luke 16.

I think we do.

If not, you're going to have to turn there with me.

You got to see it.

In Luke 16, there we go.

There it is.

Luke 16, verse 22.

Luke 16:22

Through 26.

Well, it's more than 26.

We're going, well, through 26.

All right.

And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.

The rich man also died and was buried.

And in hail, that is the rich man.

He lifted up his eyes, being in torments.

Hail's real, folks, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

And he cried and he said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I'm tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest these good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.

But now he is comforted and thou tormented.

Now verse 26.

And beside all this, between us and you there's a great guff fix, so that they which should pass from hence to you cannot come.

They cannot cross over.

Now he's talking about a place called Sheol.

Sheol was a safe place before Jesus in the New Testament.

And it was a divided place.

Paradise and Hades.

And those in the Old Testament that died would go to paradise.

Those that were lost would go to where they are today.

To hell.

Hades.

And then ultimately Gehenna, a lake of fire.

But now I want you to see something.

So this is so good.

Here we see Lazarus and the rich man could see one another.

That's why we know it's not heaven, not the final heaven.

We see that one place was a place of comfort while the other was a place of torment.

The rich man could speak to Abraham, and Abraham could speak to him, verses 24 and 25.

These two places were in close intimate to each other.

And the only thing that separated the two was a great impassable gough.

Now watch.

There was Abraham's bosom, that was paradise, where the saved went, and we see in Lazarus' case, and then there was hell's side where lost people, like the rich men, went.

After Jesus, now watch, paid the price for sin by dying on the cross, the saved people in paradise were given access directly into heaven.

They could now be in the very presence of God.

Many asked, why?

Why did they do that?

Why couldn't they just go to heaven when they died in the Old Testament like we do in the New Testament?

Here it is.

Because the price of their redemption, listen to me, this is so good, had not been paid.

It had been promised.

And they by faith believed God and were saved, believed, even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3, 6.

People in the Old Testament were saved by believing, now listen to me, in the coming of the Messiah, but until the Messiah came and paid the price of redemption, they could be, hey, there could be no entrance into heaven.

No one can stand in the presence of God without his sin being fully paid for.

That's good.

In the New Testament, we have cash.

In the Old Testament, we have credit.

That's pretty good, honey.

But the leading of the captivity had to have taken place sometime after the resurrection.

Because we know at the point when Mary discovered Jesus in the garden, remember what he said?

Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brothers and say unto them, I ascended to my father and your father and to my God and your God.

It was sometimes after the resurrection that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, made the glorious announcement that sin dead had been paid for.

The Savior is victorious.

And I wrote this down and put a star by it.

What a time of shouting that must have been when Jesus pronounced Satan's defeat and gathered his saved out of the paradise side of Sheol, and like the mighty victorious king who had just defeated the enemy and liberated his captives, led them into the presence of God.

Woo! How to make a Presbyterian shout.

Is that good or is that good?

It makes sense.

Scripture answers scripture every time.

Some have been worked, been through, had all that, didn't understand it.

It's not really hard.

When you think about it, and put it all together.

In the Old Testament, they believed that the Messiah was coming.

And that's what it took to believe that the Messiah's coming.

They believed and they were saved.

And they went to paradise.

But when the Messiah did come and pay the price, they had the same exact access into the presence of God that you and I have.

When I get to heaven, I want to say, come here, Lazarus.

I was thinking about this all week.

Explain what I just preached to me.

Was that the way it really happened?

I think it is.

I really did.

But you know what?

I really want to know.

What kind of spell and hallelujah pep rally that all those in paradise have when all of a sudden they're in the presence of God.

Can you imagine?

Hey, you know what I got to thinking?

I can't show you this scripturally, but here's what I think.

That was their rapture.

That was their parade.

Coming into the presence of God.

Going to see the king.

Going to see the king.

Woo! What a day that will be.

When my Jesus I shall see.

When he takes me by the hand and leads me into the promised land.

What a day, glorious day that will be, church.

Can I get an amen?

Is that not good?

Don't avoid the hard scriptures.

Dig into it.

Look at the truths we've learned.

Oh, and wait, it's gonna get better.

You ready?

I'm ready.

Wanna learn some more deep stuff?

Watch this.

Number three, the salvation he describes.

Last two verses.

And I've already read them, so I want to get right into it.

Now he describes an unbelievable picture.

There are at least three thoughts in these verses about Noah, the days of Noah, while the art was being built, wherein few that is eight souls were saved, and the light figure whereinto even baptism does also now save us.

Now, baptism regeneration people love this verse.

And they use it for their main verse to preach that you got to be baptized to be saved.

Problem with that, that's not true.

And that's not what it's saying.

And I'm going to show you.

Because if you had to do something, and baptism would be an act of obedience, but it's you doing something, then it would be a work, salvation.

For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself.

It is a what?

Gift of God, not of what?

Works, lest any man should bow.

So, so baptism, and by the way, the greatest example of that just settles that with me, and I don't even have to think twice, don't need to listen to them try to explain away the thief being saved on the cross.

Hello?

Well, that's an exception.

No, if that's an exception, every other principle in the Word of God could be an exception.

Now, watch this.

So here, three, there's at least three thoughts in this verse.

Number one, a God's patience.

What's this?

Long suffering, the long suffering of God waited.

Longsuffering is one of God's greatest attributes here.

Listen to what Psalms 86, verse 15 says.

Psalms 86:15

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Longsuffering carries the idea of being patient and slow to anger.

Remember, God could have summoned twelve legions of angels, Matthew 26, 53, to his side.

Instead, Hebrews 12, 2, he endured the cross.

In fact, what's great about that, by the way, the cross never took Jesus by surprise.

Looking under Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the what's it?

Joy set before him.

It was a joy for him to go to the cross because he was fulfilling the ultimate will of God.

And it was a joy for him to go because if he hadn't gone to the cross, you and I would not, hey, be liberated from sin in Satan.

We could not be saved.

So that it was a joy for him.

It was a powerful, powerful, powerful joy.

So then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

Luke 23, 24.

God was so long-suffering, while they're crucifying him and had beaten him beyond almost to death, he was asking God to forgive them.

That's long-suffering, folks.

Which brings me to me and you.

I got to thinking about when he could rightfully judge and cast each and every one of us into hell.

He waited patiently for us to repent.

Can I get a hallelujah?

Isn't that beautiful?

Isn't that beautiful?

Just said I fail.

I'm okay.

No, I'm not okay.

I'm excited.

Brings me to be.

God's provision.

We see God's patience and watch.

While the ark was being prepared.

Woo! Peter says that God waited while the ark was being prepared.

You know what God did?

He told Noah to build an ark.

It's gonna rain.

I'm gonna destroy the earth.

You know how long it took Noah to build that ark?

How many?

Yeah.

A hundred and twenty years.

Hello.

If a man got up every day and was preaching repentance because it's gonna rain, but it's never rained, and it still didn't rain for over a hundred years, would you think he was crazy?

Would you think he was on something?

Huh?

Wickedness was running rampant.

And he's preaching.

They said, Oh, there's that guy on the corner.

Turn a burn, turn a burn.

God had pronounced judgment upon the wickedness of man, even to destruction of the world.

Look at verse 5 and 7 in Genesis 6.

And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Folks, you think it's bad now?

It's always, hey, it gets bad every gener every so many generations.

And it repented the Lord that he had made man on this earth.

I wonder about that right now.

You think it's grieved God about America that he allowed America to be born birthed?

I don't know.

That's just a thought.

And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart, and the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

There would be no reprieve.

Judgment was coming.

But God made provisions for those who would repent.

The same is true for us today.

I don't care how bad it is.

God's still waiting.

He's still long-suffering.

He's still waiting for people to be saved.

The only thing that's keeping God from coming back for his bride right now, he wants more people to be saved.

Wants more people to be saved.

We are living under imminent judgment.

However, God has provided a way of escape from his judgment.

Now watch this.

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3, 17 and 18.

The only thing that holds God judgment back is his desire for more people to be saved, which brings me to God's picture.

Ready?

Verse 20 and 21.

Peter says, Wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water, the like figure.

The word figure there is what we call.

Now, this is important you understand this word.

Very important.

Especially in refuting baptismal regeneration.

The word figure right here is antitopas.

Antitopas, which literally means a type.

Or it could mean a picture.

That's what it means.

Okay?

Now watch this.

Boy, this is so, so good.

Those who teach, again, baptismal regeneration, get excited, but watch what this passage really proves.

Notice that Peter says that baptism is a figure.

In other words, it is not that baptism saves, but baptism is a type of salvation.

In other words, baptism gives us a picture of salvation.

Watch Romans 6, 3 and 4.

I think we got that.

That's very important.

Paul says, Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.

Therefore, we're buried with him by baptism into death, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Now watch this.

Baptism pictures the death of the old man before he was saved, the bearer of the old life and the resurrection of the new life in Christ.

Here it is.

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality.

It really is.

It identifies the person being baptized with Christ and says that a change has taken place.

In fact, every time you hear me quote those verses before I baptize someone right here, I'm saying that you're burying your old way of living and you're being raised to walk a new life, a life like Jesus Christ.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation.

Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

You are now living through the power of the Holy Spirit that's in you a life like Christ.

Man, that's good.

And that's exactly what he's talking about.

Now, with that said, the place of safety, now watch, was not, hey, with Noah and the eight that were saved, the place of safety was not in the water.

Where was it?

It was in the ark.

You got it.

Noah's ark was a type, a picture of Christ and his salvation.

Number one, watch this.

That's when I say that, thoughts that I have.

The ark was provided by God through grace.

Look at Genesis 6, 13 and 14.

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me.

For the earth is filled with violets through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Make thee an ark or gopher wood, rooms that shall make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 6, 13 and 14.

God was sending judgment, but in his mercy he provided a way of escape for any who would believe.

This was an act of his grace.

Verse 8 in Genesis 6, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Notice the second thing, verse 16 in chapter 6 of Genesis.

The ark had three stories.

God said, with lower, second and third stories, thou shalt make it.

The three stories could be a typical or a type of the Trinity.

All three were involved and are involved in salvation.

God the Father provided provided the Son.

God the Son paid the sin debt.

Holy Spirit draws the loss to Christ.

Then look at verse 16, Genesis 6.

The ark had a window way above, a window that shall make to the ark, and in a cubic shall finish it above.

Noah's look was to be upward.

His focus was not to be on the judgment around him, but to be on God who delivers him.

My eyes are fixed on thee, O God, in thee is my trust.

Psalms 141, verse 8.

Psalms 141:8

And then look at Genesis 16 again.

The ark had only one door, and the door of the ark shall thou set in the side thereof.

There was only one way into the ark.

And that was through the door.

This is the type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There's only one way.

And Jesus says, I'm the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh in the Father except by me.

John 14, 6.

And then look at Genesis chapter 7, verse 1.

Genesis 7:1

Now God gives Noah the invitation.

There was the invitation given.

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come, thou and all thy house into the ark.

Jesus is God.

Hey, just as God invited Noah into the ark, Jesus invites us.

He says in Matthew 11, 28, come unto me all you that labor and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.

Then the last thing, Genesis 7, verse 16.

Genesis 7:16

They were secure in the ark.

Look, and they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in.

The Lord shut him in.

The Lord shut Noah in the ark, and he kept him secure.

We too are shut in when we get saved.

Listen to what he says in Ephesians 1:13 and 14.

Ephesians 1:13

In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed.

Just like, hey, the pitch that sealed the cracks.

We're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.

Peter simply goes back to Noah's day and uses it as an illustration of God's longsuffering and grace in saving the lost.

The Ark and Noah's family serves as a type of those who are in Christ.

Wow.

What a picture! What a beautiful picture.

Have you ever thought about that, heard that about Noah's Ark?

I told you it's gonna be good.

Is that not good?

Come on, church, is that not good?

You'll look at the ark a whole different enlightenment now.

Because it is.

And then the last thing, and there's no interpretation, don't have to say a word, but what it is.

Then we see the supremacy he deserves.

You know what that means?

1 Peter 3 22.

The Lord Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father.

The right hand of God is the place of supreme honor, power, and authority.

All powers are subject unto him.

Angels, demons, even Satan himself is subject unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

Almighty.

Aren't you glad you came to church today?

What truth.

What truth.