Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21-22)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-21-04

 

My Worship Time                     Focus: Resurrection & Ascension of Jesus Christ

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 3:21-22

 

            Message of the verse:  “21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”  (NKJV)

            I have chosen the NKJV because it seems to me that it is the best version to understand this very difficult passage.  The word translated “antitype” in this verse has this meaning form the Greek:  “something in the Messianic times which answers to the type, as baptism corresponds to the deluge (#1Pe 3:21).” (Newsflash!  Last night at 1^st Baptist Church in Elyria our Pastor, Patrick Odle preached on verses 18-22 and stated that the ESV was the best translation to understand this passage and so I am going to put into this SD the ESV for verses 21-22.  “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.”  6/4/2012 10:52:53 AM)

            Peter is not saying in this verse that water baptism saves a sinner, for this does not keep with the teachings of the Bible on how a person is saved from their sins.  When a person is baptized they are identified with whom they are baptized.  An example of this would be those who went through the Red Sea with Moses were said to have been baptized with Moses, or they went through the same experience as Moses did.  Christian baptism is the identification of believers with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Water baptism is one of the two ordinances of the Church, with the other being the “Lords Supper.”  When a new believer is baptized he is first asked to give his testimony as to how he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and this word is used in verse 21, when Peter writes “the ‘answer’ of a good conscience.”  After giving their testimony, the believer is then plunged under the water and then taken up out of the water, which symbolizes Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead.  Now the question still remains as to how this relates to the ark that Noah and his families were in.  In both cases the water represents death or judgment and the salvation from the judgment of the flood was the ark, and it is a picture of Jesus Christ, for all believers are in Christ, and will be delivered safely to heaven by Him just as Noah and his family were delivered safely from the judgment of the flood.

            Peter goes on in verse 22 to tell his readers that after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, He now sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and that angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to Him.  This may relate back to verse 19, which is the verse that was written about yesterday, and in the commentary on that verse I said that when Christ died that He may well have gone and spoken to the spirits of fallen angels proclaiming to them His victory and thus their defeat.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have learned a lot more about baptism as I studied this passage this morning.  I was again reminded of my identification with the Lord Jesus Christ when he died for my sins, and when He was buried, and when He arose from the dead.  I believe that the Bible teaches that somehow I was with Him when all of this happened, and I certainly do not know how to explain that, but it surely makes me closer to Him because of that teaching. 

 

The Word of God was very refreshing to my soul as I studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to work things out today in the heart of Andrew Lech, so that his eyes will be opened to the sinful way that he is conducting his business, that he would then repent of this sinful action, and then that he would do what is right to do and tell those who need to know where he has our money so it can be returned to us.  All of these things are the correct way to end this trial that God has seen fit to lead many of His children into.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 119:11, and 1Peter 3:15

 

Your Word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

 

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.  

    

The Preaching of Noah (1 Peter 3:19-20)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-20-04

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Preaching of Noah

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:19-20

 

            Message of the verse:  “19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”  (NASB95)  “19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,” (NIV)

            As I stated in yesterday’s “Spiritual Diary,” this section from verses 18-22 is difficult to understand so what is given in this diary is only one viewpoint, and may not be the perfect interpretation of the verses.  Between the death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead He visited spirits who were in prison, and these spirits were disobedient to God at the time before the flood that Noah and his family went through.  This was an extremely wicked time on planet earth, for the Bible says that Noah preached for 120 years, and no one believed his message except the seven other people in his family.  The word for preached does not mean that Jesus preached the gospel, but the word means to proclaim.  It could be that Jesus was proclaiming His victory over Satan to these evil spirits who may be the ones spoken about in Revelations who come up out of the pit as one of the judgments during the tribulation period.  These could also be the angels that Jude was writing about in verse 6 of his letter where he states, “And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God judges sin is the message that I get out of these two verses, for in them I see that God judged my sin on the cross where Jesus paid it all for me, and I also see that God will judge all sin one day and make every wrong right, just as He will do during the time of trouble that will come upon the earth, and also when He justly sends people to hell for not accepting the payment for their sins that was paid for by Christ on the cross.

 

The Word of God is a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to continue to trust the Lord with our investments, and pray that He will work in the heart of His servant Andrew Lech to confess his sins and to reveal where the money is so that this trial will be over.  I want to continue to trust the Lord with the trial that is going on at our church, and ask Him what I personally am to do about this, and what our Bible Study group is to do about this sin that has been revealed to all of us.  I want to trust the Lord to bring back Jessica from her rebellion. 

Christ the Just Died for Us the Unjust (1 Peter 3:18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-19-04

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Christ died for the unjust

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:18

 

            Message of the verse:  “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”  (NASB) 

            The verse is referring back to verse 17, where Peter has written that if God willed it to suffer for doing right was better than for suffering for doing wrong.  In this same way Jesus Christ died for doing what was right, for it was the will of His Father that He do this, for the just to die for the unjust, so that the unjust could be saved.  Most Bibles that I have read refer to the spirit as the Holy Spirit in this passage, but I believe that Peter is referring to the spirit of Jesus Christ and not the Holy Spirit.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote that the spirit of Christ probably died when He was made sin for us.  The verse goes on to say, “made alive in the spirit,” in the NASB.  This probably does not refer to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because the resurrection has to do with the body.  These passages that are in this paragraph are very difficult to understand.

            One point that I do not want to miss in this verse is that Jesus Christ died, the just for the unjust, so that He would bring us to God.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The truth of the Gospel is in this verse, and it is a truth that I never want to forget, but I want to be reminded of it each day of my life, that Jesus Christ, the just died for me, the unjust, so that He would bring me to God.

 

The Word of God was so very refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I trust the Lord to give me the words that He would have me to speak tonight at our prayer meeting, and I trust the Lord to bring to this prayer meeting those whose He wants there.

Maintain a Good Conscience (1 Peter 3:16-17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-15-04

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Maintain a good conscience

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 3:16-17

 

            Message of the verse:  “16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.  17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”  (NASB95)  “16 But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.  17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!”  (NLT)

            In order for believers to have an affective wittiness to the lost they must maintain a good conscience.  The word conscience means to “know with,” and it can be described as a window that lets in the light of God.  Windows can become dirty and not let in the light as well as when they are clean, and this can happen to the conscience.  The Bible describes different types of consciences, a defiled conscience is described in Titus 1:15, and a seared conscience is described in 1Timothy 4:2, Hebrews 10:22 describes an evil conscience and Acts 24:16 describes a good conscience.  “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”  1Corinthians 8 describes a weak conscience.

            Having a good conscience is helpful when believers are persecuted for the cause of Christ because they know full well that what they are doing is right.  Our great example, of course, is Jesus Christ who was crucified because of doing what was right.  Peter tells his readers that it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is good to be reminded that I need to maintain a good conscience in order to be effective wittiness for the cause of Christ, and that I am to be gentle and not abrasive with my witness for the Lord.  It could be said that “spiritual Windex” is keeping a short list with the Holy Spirit.

 

The Word of God was challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Maintain a good conscience.

Doing What is Right (1 Pet. 3:13-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-14-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Doing what is right

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 3:13-15 

 

Message of the verse:  “13 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 15  but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

           

            Peter is saying in these verses that believers are to do good and right things in their lives and not to fear the consequences, but to fear the Lord.  In verse 13 Peter writes that if we do good we will probably not be harmed for it, but even if we are then we should do good anyway, and again it is because we desire to fear the Lord and to follow what He wants us to do, and to trust Him in these situations for He knows best.

            Another reason for doing good in tough situations is that it is a good wittiness to the unbelieving world, as Peter states we can give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but if you do not fear the Lord and give into temptation, then you will miss the opportunity to wittiness for the Lord.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I know that there have been to many times in my life where I have not followed the principles in these passages, and yet there have been times when I have and the Lord has indeed blessed my life because of it.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to me and it was also very challenging to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to give me the ability to finish up the work that Sharlotte and I have started at Beth’s house.  To trust the Lord to speak to Mary as to what college He wants her to attend.

 

Memory verse for the week:  1Peter 3:15

 

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

       

 

Love Life (1 Peter 3:10-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-13-04

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Love Life

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:10-12

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 For "He who would love life And see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.  11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.  12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."  (NKJV)  “10 For the Scriptures say, "If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies.  11 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.  12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."  (NLT) 

            The word “for” at the beginning of verse 10 is there to show that he views the quotation as giving reasons for obeying the exhortation of verse 9.  Peter goes on to tell his readers that they are to love life, (these verses are mostly a quote from Psalm 34:12-16).  The people that Peter was writing to were at the beginnings of being persecuted for their faith and now Peter writes to them that they should have an attitude of loving life, this may seem strange, yet if you truly look at life as a gift from God, and as believers we can be assured that God it truly in control of all things then we can love life.  Peter goes on to tell his readers that they need to refrain their tongues, and this is a problem for many people to do.  James had much to say about the tongue, both good and bad, in his letter.  Next Peter tells his readers that they must do what is good and hate evil.  Dr. Wiersbe says that it is not good enough to avoid sin because it is wrong; we ought to shun it because we hate it.  Next Peter tells us that we are to pursue peace.  The Life Application Bible has this to say about this verse:  “To often we see peace as merely the absence of conflict, we think of peacemaking as a passive role.  But an effective peacemaker actively pursues peace by building good relationships, knowing that peace is a by-product of commitment.  The peacemaker anticipates problems and deals with them before they occur.  When conflicts arise, they are brought into the open and dealt with before they grow unmanageable.  Making peace can be harder work than waging war, but it results in life and happiness.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  I was really impressed by this quote from the Life Application Bible, and it seemed to me that the Lord really wanted me to read it this morning.  When my tongue gets me into trouble it is hard to have peace, so I need to continually allow God to control my tongue.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to me this morning as I read it, and it was also convicting and a challenge to me.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To be a peacemaker in its truest way.  To trust the Lord with giving me the wisdom to be a peacemaker, and to trust the Lord to remind me of this important lesson He is teaching me.

A Conclusion (1 Peter 3:8-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-12-04

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  A Conclusion

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:8-9

 

            Message of the verses:  “8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9  not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”  (NASB95)  “8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.  9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.”  (NLT)

            When Peter writes “to sum it all up,” at the beginning of this verse he goes all the way back to chapter two and verse eleven where he began to address all readers, and then followed this up by talking to slaves in 2:18-25, and then wives in 3:1-6, and finally husbands in 3:7.  In Peter’s conclusion he says that believers should be of one mind, and that is unity.  A good description of unity is, “cooperation in the midst of diversity.”  Peter also tells the believer that he should sympathise with others, and one definition of that is to walk in another person’s shoes and to feel what he is feeling.  Peter then says that we are to love one another, and in the last part of Romans 5:5 Paul says that the love of the Holy Spirit has been poured out into the believer; so much so that it means it is overflowing.  Now because it has overflowed this love can be given or directed to others who are in need of it.  We are not only to love our Christian brothers and sisters, but also our enemies.  We are also to be tender hearted and humble to others.  Just because we know the truth does not mean that we are to lord it over someone who does not know it.

            There are three ways that a person can handle a situation when evil is done towards them:  1. You can handle it like the Devil and repay evil for good; 2. You can handle it like a typical human being are repay evil for evil and good for good: or 3. You can handle it like Christ did for us and repay evil with doing good.  Romans 5:6-8 speaks about this very wonderfully. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the things that the Lord has impressed upon my heart through these verses is that when the Lord has opened my eyes to see the wonderful things from His Word that I am not to be so proud of that, for it is the Lord who is showing me these truths, so I am not to think less of others who have not seen the light of God’s truth the way He has shown it to me. 

 

The Word of God has bee a big challenge to me this morning along with being a blessing and convictive.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord in working out those problems that are in our church.  To trust Him that He will do in our church the things that will be good for us and bring glory to Him.  To trust the Lord to work in my heart to be humble and loving even to those who are not seeing things the same way that I see them. 

A Word for Husbands from 1 Peter 3:7

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-08-04

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Consideration

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:7

 

            Message of the verse:  “7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.  (NASB95)  “7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. If you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.”  (NLT)

            Peter finishes this section with this verse by writing to husbands about how they are to treat their wives, and for some incentive to do a good job he says that your prayers can be hindered if you don’t follow these instructions.  Husbands are to live with their wives in and understanding way.  They are not just to dwell with them, but understand them; they are to know them, to study them so that they do know them better.  Husbands are to realize that their wives are fragile, Peter is writing about their physical strength.  Showing honor to the wife is speaking about their emotional needs, and when Peter is speaking about not having your prayers hindered he is writing about their spiritual life and needs. 

            Dr. Wiersbe makes a good statement in his commentary on 1Peter where he writes, “Speaking the truth in love is a solution to the communications problem (Eph 4:15).  It has well been said that love without truth is hypocrisy, and truth without love is brutality.  We need both truth and love if we are to grow in our understanding of one another.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must admit that I have fallen in many of these things that Peter has written about, and I must also admit that I have pretty much lost hope that any of these things will ever be done.  I have prayed about them and asked God to make me a better husband, yet it does not seem to ever happen.

 

The Word of God is convicting to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  It would be good to say that I trust the Lord to make this a happier and better home, but I must be doing something wrong, for that prayer has never seemed to be answered in a continual way.

True Children of Sarah (1 Pet. 3:5-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-07-04

                                                                                 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  True children of Sarah 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 3:5, 6

 

            Message of the verses:  “5  For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6  just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”  (NASB95)

            Peter continues to describe this character that women should have in verse five where he reminds his readers of the OT women of faith who had the kind of character that God desires all women of faith to have.  The adorning that these women had is being submissive to their own husbands.  In verse six Peter gets more specific in describing the character of Sarah.  Sarah knew the order that God has set up for being submissive, and that is Jesus Christ was submissive to God the Father in His plan for salvation, and the Holy Spirit is submissive to Christ in the work of His Church, and then man is submissive to Jesus Christ, and the wife is submissive to her husband.  Again this dose not talk of being inferior to the one you are in submission to in the case of the wife to the Husband or Christ to His Father. Peter then says that NT believers are daughters of Sarah when they “do what is right without fear of what you husbands might do.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To live my life in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ seeking each day to prove what His will is for me to do, and by His grace to do it.

 

The Word of God was challenging to my heart as I read it this morning. 

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to give me the grace that I surely need today to get along well with my wife.

 

True Beauty (1 Peter 3:3-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-06-04

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  True Beauty

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 3:3-4

 

            Message of the verse:  “3  Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4  but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”  (NASB95)  “3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  4 You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”  (NLT)

            In the first two verses of this chapter Peter is addressing submission, and now in these next two verses he is showing something of what true submission is all about, and when it is done in a godly manner the wife will have a good wittiness for her husband.  The godly wife is not to be into looking beautiful in a worldly manner, but in a manner where true beauty can really be seen, and that involves her Christian character.  When women only focus on their outward appearance and forget what their inward appearance is like then there will come a time when their outward appearance will fade away. 

            Part of this Christian character is described in verse four as beauty that comes from within, a gentle and quiet spirit.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can thankfully say that my wife has a beauty likened unto what Peter is writing about.  She always looks nice, but never looks out of place.  I am thankful for that. 

 

The Word of God was refreshing to me as I read it this day.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord with the attendance of our Bible Study this evening and also with the outcome.  May He be lifted up and glorified.  May the Lord give me the courage and strength and the right words to apologize to Mary and Sandy. 

Submissive Wives (1 Pet. 3:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-05-04

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Submissive wives

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 3:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1  In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2  as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.”  (NASB95)  “1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over 2  by watching your pure, godly behavior.”  (NLT) 

            As been noted before there were no chapter breaks in the original versions of the Bible, and there were not even any verse breaks.  With that in mind it is easier to see the flow of what Peter’s message in these verses if one looks back into the previous section where Peter was writing about submission of people to governments, to masters, and also gave the example of the Lord Jesus Christ submission.  Peter says that in this same way wives should be in submission to their husbands in order that if their husband is not saved they will be able to see the example of the wife’s behavior and because of this new behavior trust the Lord as their Savior. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the notes from my study Bible says that just because there is submission to another person does not mean that the one doing the submission is inferior to the one that they are submitting too.  The case in point is that of Jesus Christ who submitted to His Father’s will when He came to earth to die for my sins on the cross.  This is one thing that I need to be aware of in my relationship with my wife.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to me and it has also challenged my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to make sure that before I do things with the people that the Lord has entrusted me to disciple that I talk to Him about it.  I would like to send Beth the chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s book that I am studying, and also to give a copy to Sandy Catalusci, and talk to her about something that I do not even want to write about.