Welcome to episode 106 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we begin our study in the Book of 1 Peter, covering chapter 3:18-22.  The series is called “Hope in the Midst of Suffering.”  Today, we will cover:

·      The Christ – His Death (v. 18)

·      The Christ – His Journey to the Spirit World (vv. 19-20)

·      The Christ – His Resurrection (v. 21)

·      The Christ – His Ascension and Exaltation (v. 22)

Key takeaways:

·      Suffering is not a sign of divine displeasure. Precisely the opposite. Those who suffer for the Christ will be glorified as he was.

·      Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, went and proclaimed victory over the imprisoned spirits (the fallen angels of Gen. 6:1-4).

·      Noah’s ‘salvation’ was brought about by the same act of judgment that destroyed the wicked.… The way God rescues the righteous is by destroying their enemies.  

·      Just as the chaotic waters of the flood were the agent of destruction, so too the waters of baptism are waters of destruction. Believers survive the death-dealing baptismal waters because they are baptized with Christ. They are rescued from death through his resurrection.

·      Christ died for believers, the righteous for the unrighteous, and hence believers enter into God’s presence on the basis of God’s grace alone.

Quotable:

·      Believers have no need to fear that suffering is the last word, for they share the same destiny as their Lord, whose suffering has secured victory over all hostile powers.

Application:

·      If God preserved Noah when he stood in opposition to the whole world, He will also save his people, even though they are now being persecuted.

·      Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.

·      The resurrection and ascension of Christ gives us a certain hope that our own victory has been secured.

·      Peter wants to encourage us by saying, “Take heart, you too shall one day win!”

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