Good evening.
Open your Bibles, if you will, to 1 Peter.
We're down to right about the end of chapter three, the beginning of chapter four.
Let's begin with a word of prayer.
Our gracious Father in heaven, we bow before your throne, grateful for the day that you've blessed us with, the day that you've given to us.
We pray that we might be diligent to open your word, to encourage one another, to provoke one another to love and the good works, and to serve one another and to serve you each and
every day.
Lord, we pray that you be with us as we go throughout.
our days.
We pray that we might strive to grow in wisdom and knowledge and understanding, and we might grow in grace and mercy with you.
We thank you for your Son who came and died on the cross for our sins.
and pray for this nation, we pray for its leaders, we pray for the leaders locally and the leaders nationally.
We pray that they might make choices that are wise, that they might open your word and seek your guidance and your will as they strive to deal with difficult issues.
We pray for this congregation and we pray for those whom she knows that are lost and we pray that we might reach those lost individuals with the gospel that they might
willing and open hearts and attentive ears to be able to hear the Word and obey it.
Lord, we pray that you be with us as we strive to evangelize this community, to reach the lost, and bring the salvation and the hope that is found in your Son to Collierville.
We pray that you be with us as we go throughout this evening, all as we ask and pray in Jesus' name, amen.
1 Peter chapter 3 verse 21, Peter writes, there is also an antitype which now saves us.
Baptism.
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now there's a reason why I left out the parenthetical statement in there.
The parenthetical statement is there to help us understand what baptism is.
and what baptism is about, what aspect of our lives it has application to and how it affects us.
But the statement that is connected to the example of Noah is there is also an anti-type which now saves us baptism through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There's a reason why we need to appreciate that statement.
One aspect of that reason is because many individuals in the religious world believe that the baptism of the new covenant is Holy Spirit baptism.
For instance, when you turn over to Ephesians and you read in the book of Ephesians that there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
The Pentecostals would have you believe that the baptism that is the one baptism of the new covenant isn't water baptism, it's baptism by the Holy Spirit.
except the baptism of the Holy Spirit doesn't have anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So the baptism that saves is the baptism connected to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not the baptism connected to the Holy Spirit.
So if we're going to then understand what baptism has to do with salvation, we are going to have to understand what baptism is connected to the resurrection.
Now, in addition to that, that's kind of one aspect of why this is so significant, then there's another set of false doctrines from those who would hold that Paul
preached a different gospel than Peter did.
And that we are now saved under the gospel of Paul, which is a salvation by faith alone, and we are not saved by the gospel that was preached to the Jews, which was preached by
Peter on the day of Pentecost, which was a gospel of obedience through baptism.
Okay?
except Peter is writing here saying that the baptism which saves us is the one connected to what?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Turn over to Romans chapter 6.
Romans chapter 6, Paul begins, what shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Certainly not.
How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his what?
death.
Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism.
So he just said that the baptism is connected to his death.
It's connected to his
burial, he's not done, therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this that our old man was crucified with him,
and that the body of sin was done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who
died has been freed from sin.
The salvation that Paul describes is one that comes where you were the dead man in your sins.
You died with Christ in that watery grave of baptism.
You were buried with Christ in that watery grave of baptism and you were resurrected in newness of life in His resurrection.
So the baptism that Peter says saves you is the baptism through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And the baptism which Paul says frees you from your sins is the baptism through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now did Paul and Peter preach a different gospel or the same gospel?
Same one.
As you look at these two passages, Romans chapter 6 and 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 21, you find two passages that are two of the absolute clearest and strongest arguments and texts
to help a person understand that right now, today,
just as in the days of Peter in the first century after the resurrection, after the old law had been done away with, and after Jesus had come, died, and left the earth, that
baptism is the means of salvation, obviously connected to...
the answer of a good conscience towards God.
Notice the rest of the passage.
Therefore, there is also now an anti-type which now saves us, baptism, not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God.
What?
removal of the filth of the flesh is Peter considering in that statement?
Is he talking about the fleshly desires and sins or is he talking about the dirt on a person's body?
All right, he's not.
dealing with the flesh in the sense of fleshly desires and lusts.
He's not saying, you know what, baptism doesn't save you from the fleshly desires and lusts and sin.
It just happens to be the act of a good conscience.
No, no, no.
That's not what he's saying.
What he is saying is you're going to be buried in water.
But you're not buried in water so that you can get washed and come out a clean, fleshly human.
You're being buried in water because it is the answer, it is the reply of a good conscience toward God, someone who has heard the word of God, they have believed the word
of God, and they're being obedient to the word of God.
Can you hear, believe, and be obedient if your conscience is evil?
No.
The idea of an evil conscience.
pervades Scripture.
It is the idea of an individual, and we see it time and time again, who no matter what God puts in front of them, they will not be obedient.
Name some examples.
Bunch in the Old Testament.
Pharaoh, all right?
Here's Pharaoh.
He watches his magicians tell him, nobody could do this but God.
This is God.
This is not us.
He watches his nation decimated.
He watches his people come to him begging him to let these Israelites go.
and all the way up until the death of his own son, he refuses and not only refuses but actively opposes the demands of God.
And the moment that the people actually leave, he reverses direction and goes to chase them down.
What is that?
That, in biblical terms, is an evil conscience.
That is someone who is so hardened by sin, by their own self-interest, their own pride, their own desires, their own fleshly lust, that they simply will not hear and obey the
Word of God.
There's another example, one that's coming to my mind, and that's from the book of Numbers, and it's Balaam.
Here's Balaam.
He's approached by Balak, king of Moab, and the king of Moab tells him, I'll give you riches and great reward if you will come curse these Israelites for me.
And Balaam very much would like to be rich.
He very much would like to do this.
But he tells him, I can't, I can only speak the words that come from God, and God had told him, don't go.
So then Balak sends another round of messengers, and this time he's beginning to go.
What meets him as he is going to follow and do what these messengers would have him to do in cursing Israel?
An angel.
There's an angel standing in the way preparing to kill Balaam.
What saves Balaam from the execution by the angel?
His donkey.
What does Balaam then do to the donkey?
He starts beating it.
What does the donkey do to Balaam?
He speaks to him.
And through all of that, does Balaam turn around and go back home?
Nope.
So Balaam gets to the place where Balak is and he's standing over Israel that he can observe them from where he's standing and Balak says, you go out and you curse this
people.
And Balaam says, now the only thing that's going to come out of my mouth is whatever the Lord puts in my mouth.
So he goes out with every intent and every desire to curse Israel.
And out of his mouth comes what?
A blessing.
Do you think any good conscience individual who was a prophet of God would have turned around and went home right there?
Yeah.
Well, Balak says, eh you bless them instead of cursing them.
Let's try again.
So again he takes Balaam out and says, curse the people.
And Balaam says, the only thing that's going to come out of my mouth is whatever the Lord puts in my mouth.
So Balaam goes out at the request of Balak and again a blessing comes out of his mouth.
Well, I mean, if we weren't convinced from the first time, surely he's convinced by the second time, right?
No.
So, Balak, you've got one more try.
Or else.
And he takes Balaam, he says, now you go out and curse the people.
Balaam goes out, having told Balak, the only thing that's gonna come out of my mouth is whatever the Lord puts in my mouth.
And the third time he blesses Israel.
Bailack is quite upset.
So Balaam says, I can't curse Israel, but I can tell you how to get them to curse themselves.
So Balaam teaches Balak how to convince and use the women from the Moabites to get the Israelites to come down and commit fornication and idolatry with the Moabite women so that
Israel will be cursed.
And this is a prophet of God?
Yes, with an evil conscience.
So, when Peter says, you can line up example after example, you could take Ahab, how many proofs did Ahab or Jezebel have that God was the Lord and that the gods that they served
were nothing?
How many examples did they have?
How many did they need?
Were any of them enough?
No.
So, you can line up these examples and what are they?
They're examples of an evil conscience.
a conscience that no matter what they witness they will not submit to God.
And then you come to the New Testament and what is the picture of an evil conscience?
Turn to Romans.
Romans chapter 10.
Sorry, Romans chapter 9.
Romans chapter 9 verse 1, I tell the truth, I am not lying.
My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for
my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh who are Israelites.
to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, of whom are the fathers, and from whom, according to the flesh,
Christ came, who is overall the eternal blessed God.
Amen.
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel.
Paul says, am willing and God is a witness to this, that if I could be accursed from Christ, if I could spend an eternity in hell so that my nation would be saved, I'd do it.
And then he lists the blessings that his nation had experienced.
He says, from whom pertain the adoption, the glory,
the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, and the fathers who were faithful.
not to mention from whom the Messiah came.
What's Paul saying?
Like, if none of these things will convince my countrymen to hear the word of God, believe it and obey it.
then there's nothing that will.
You go to chapter 10, he says, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge, for they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
home.
will point out in statement after statement after statement.
that there was a problem in Israel.
Go back to Romans chapter two, because he tells you what the problem is.
Chapter 2 verse 1, "'Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself.
For you who judge, practice the same things.'"
but we know that judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
Or do you think, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
but in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who
will render to each one, according to his deeds, eternal life to those by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but to those who are
self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation,
and tribulation and anguish, and on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek.
But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there is no partiality with God." Chapter 1, he condemns the Gentiles,
the Greeks.
He says, this is what you're guilty of.
Chapter 2,
as if Paul can picture Jews in the assembly shouting, yeah, yeah, look at those Gentiles, they're so bad.
He turns to the Jews and said, you judge those who do that which is wrong, and then you turn around and you do the same thing.
And he says it is because of their hard heart, their impenitent heart.
What is that?
An evil conscience.
He says this is why you won't hear.
This is why you refuse to obey.
So baptism is the answer of a good conscience, true or false, a good conscience is one that always obeys God.
Hold on.
Paul said, as he stood on trial,
I attest before God, God is my witness, I have lived before God in a good conscience to this day." Did Paul have a good conscience when he was persecuting and killing the
Christians?
Yes, he did.
He did it because he believed he was doing what God would have him to do.
He didn't do it out of self-serving self-righteousness.
He did it because that's what he thought he was supposed to be doing.
according to God.
The problem with a good conscience is if it is trained to obey God the wrong way.
Are there a lot of people with good consciences that have been taught to obey God the wrong way?
There's some devout Muslims with great consciences.
Unfortunately, they've been taught to obey God the wrong way.
There's some very sincere people who spent their entire life in denominations that have spent their entire life being taught to obey God the wrong way.
and they are sincere in their desire to please God.
They're not like Israel.
The problem is their conscience, while good, has been taught wrong.
So what do they do?
They do wrong, believing it's right.
All right, now, yes.
It is, but there's a caveat there that is important with what Paul says.
Paul says, because Paul's point is, if Israel's only issue was their zealousness for God and they lacked knowledge, when they were given knowledge, they would have changed.
But out of their ignorance, they went about instead of submitting to God's righteousness to establish their own.
What Paul points out concerning Israel is that the transition from being willing to hear God to rejecting God occurs when someone goes about to establish their own righteousness
instead of submitting to his.
Paul, in great contrast to Israel, when he had a good conscience but was doing wrong, when faced by Christ on the road to Damascus, immediately said,
What will you have me to do?
But the nation of Israel, when faced by the Messiah, doing miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle.
rejected and crucified him.
What's the difference between a good conscience and an evil conscience?
That right there.
One was ignorant and when they learned the truth and when it was apparent they were wrong, they changed.
And one was so embedded in their own self-righteousness that they would kill the righteous person standing in front of
to avoid admitting they were wrong.
What did Pilate come out and say concerning Jesus after he had scourged him, after he had questioned him, after he had sent him out to uh Herod and then Herod had sent him back?
What did Pilate say?
I find no fault in him.
What did the crowd reply?
Don't care if you find him guilty or not, kill him.
That's an evil conscience.
Now, Peter says, there is also an anti-type which now saves us, baptism.
For those who maybe were not here last week or it's been long enough, he's saying Noah and those eight souls were saved by the flood from a world
that was bound up in sin.
and they were saved not from the flood by the boat, they were saved by the flood from the iniquity and the sin of their world.
baptism now saves us.
It is the answer of a good conscience toward God.
It is the removal of sin, not physical filth and dirt.
It is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Verse 22 he says, who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him."
Who did Jesus say was under his authority as of Matthew chapter 28 verse 18?
All All authority, all power has been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
At the moment that Jesus is standing there, from that moment forward, Jesus has declared, and Peter continues to assert, that there is no one outside of Jesus' authority.
The Hebrew writer will provide us the one exception.
Who does the Hebrew writer say is not under the authority of Christ?
God the Father, okay?
The Hebrew writer points out that it is obvious by the statement that God was going to place all authority under Christ that the exception is the one who places the authority
under Christ.
And so Jesus is pictured here sitting at what position?
The right hand.
of God.
Jesus is pictured in Acts chapter 8, sorry, Acts chapter 6 when Stephen is stoned.
Acts chapter 7, I'll get it right eventually.
Acts chapter 7 when Stephen is stoned and Stephen looks up and where is Jesus standing?
The right hand of the throne of God.
Turn to Hebrews chapter 12.
Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1, "'Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us.
And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.
For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons
My son, not despise the chasing of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him, for whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.
as the Hebrew writer says, you're surrounded by so many Old Testament examples of faithful people.
That's chapter 11.
being surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses that you can be faithful, set aside the sin and run the race.
always looking to Jesus because he's the originator and finisher of our faith.
That's what the word author in that text means.
The author and finisher.
He's the originator and the finisher.
The book of Revelation says it this way, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
The Hebrew writer says, author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
throne of God.
And then the Hebrew writer calls to mind, he says, consider him.
Don't just look at him.
Don't just follow him.
Consider him who endured such hostility.
All right, turn back over to Peter.
1 Peter chapter 4 verse 1, therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind.
What's the Hebrew writer calling upon them to do as they consider Christ who endured such hostility in the flesh?
He says, you think like him.
You apply his mind to you.
He says, therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.
Does Peter mean?
that if you've suffered enough, your sins are no longer held against you.
You know, there's people who believe that,
There's people who go about in religious ceremonies flogging their own backs.
as a sign of the fact that they too can suffer just the way Jesus did.
Is that what Peter is trying to tell us to do?
No.
What is the suffering that Peter has been discussing from chapter one all the way to this point?
Suffering at the hands of who?
Alright, suffering as a result of sin because you choose wrong, you do wrong, and therefore you suffer for doing wrong.
What other kind of suffering?
I think I heard somebody say it, but I didn't catch what they said.
All right?
The suffering for men who are in opposition to God.
Peter is trying to tell the church, when you suffer for doing good, not when you go around and beat yourself for doing evil, you deserve that, but when you suffer for doing good,
Christ is your example.
Christ is the one you should look to.
Christ is the one you should arm yourself with His mind.
He says, who suffered in the flesh, he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.
when a Christian does what is right, suffers for doing what is right, and does not allow that suffering to convince him to change direction, but allows the suffering to reinforce
that he will never change direction.
He lives out the life exemplified by Christ and by the apostles.
Turn back to the book of Acts.
In Acts chapter 5, we read in verse 22, but when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, Indeed, we found the prison shut
securely and the guards standing outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.
Now, when the high priest, the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.
So one came and told them, saying, Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.
Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name, and look,
you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood on us?
But Peter,
And the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging him on a tree.
Him God has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins, and we are his witnesses to these things.
And so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.
When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.
But then one of the councils stood, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little
while.
By the way...
Who was the teacher of Saul of Tarsus?
Gamaliel.
We read, He said to them, men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these things, these men.
For some time ago, Thetios rose up, claiming to be somebody.
A number of men, about four hundred, joined him.
He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
After this man, Judas of Galilee, rose up in the days of the census and drew away many people after him.
He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.
Now I say to you, keep away from these men.
and let them alone for if this plan or this work is of men it will come to nothing but if it is of God you cannot overthrow it lest you even be found to fight against God and they
agreed with him and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go so they departed from the
presence of the council
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
And daily in the temple and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as Christ." You want to see an example of those who arm themselves with the mind of
Christ, who endure the suffering like Christ endured?
have ceased from sin?
There it is.
There's your example.
They were unwilling to give sin, that would be refusing to obey God.
They were unwilling to give it any moment of time in their lives.
They were unwilling to give it any moment of hold over them so that they would even withdraw just a little bit just to avoid the pain and the anguish and the suffering at the
hands of the council.
Rather, when they suffered, they didn't moan and groan and wonder, woe is us, and they didn't become unfaithful.
What did they do instead?
They rejoiced.
They rejoiced that they were worthy to share in the suffering of Christ.
We read back in verse two that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Peter is saying when you realize, when you adjust your thinking, when you position yourself so as to understand
that when you draw the fire of the world as a result of your faithfulness to God.
You don't change.
You don't turn around.
You don't reconsider.
You don't say, well, this is a good time to reevaluate our position.
You rejoice and keep on.
And then you examine your life and you go, where can I get sin out of my
so that I all the more can do the will of God.
Peter, before he's done, will speak concerning the fact that these tests of their Christianity are those that are intended to produce a stronger Christian, not a destroyed
one.
A more perfect example of Christ, not a lesser one.
And so they need to be focused on faithfulness.
to God.
Thank you for your attention and we'll be dismissed right there.