For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, 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; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 1 Peter 3:18-20

The Apostle Peter today gives us deep lessons that could only be revealed by the Holy Spirit. First we see the gospel message, Christ the sinless lamb of God, died for the sins of the world, so that we can be reconciled back to God. As the Apostle Paul said “ He who knew no sin, to be our sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him (Christ) ( 2 Corinthians 5:21) We need to understand that we are saved only by Christ alone and not of anything we have done

The next thing I want to point out is that statement Peter makes “But quickened or made alive by the Spirit” Many people will use this verse to disprove a physically bodily resurrection of Christ. I believe Peter is saying exactly what Paul said in Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in You” We worship the Triune God, and the Holy Spirit has also raised Jesus from the dead, as well as the Father and Son. The Apostles are not saying Jesus Christ became a spirit, but that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead

Now there is alot of questions about where did Jesus go when he died on the cross? The Apostle Peter reveals Jesus went and preached “unto the spirits in prison”. Now many theologians go into different directions when interpreting this text. Did Jesus descend to Hell and preach to those who rejected Noah’s preaching? Is this referring to the Holy Spirit being in Noah while he preached? Is the text referring to the Nephilim , the fallen angels of Genesis 6? I think there is definitely some mystery that we don’t know all the details until we go home, however I think the core of the message is many rejected Noah’s warning of judgment coming, Jesus Christ descended into the realm of the dead and revealed what he accomplished at the cross, the gospel message

Lastly Peter brings up the “Days of Noah” a term Jesus Christ used himself that his return would be like the Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37) The event of Noah was not only a historic event, but it was also a foreshadow of what is to come, when Christ returns , judgment is coming for the whole Earth. Jesus Christ is the Ark, the only means of salvation that anyone can be saved.

Notice what the Apostle Peter emphasizes “eight souls were saved by water” The Bible calls Noah a preacher of righteousness (Hebrews 11:7) despite all his preaching and being led by the Holy Spirit, only 8 people were saved, his family. Let’s remember Noah during our ministries, as we can become weary and frustrated from lack of fruit, its only Christ who can save, not us. We are just vessels for God doing his work, but only God can save!

Just as in the days of Noah, the world will continue to go about their business rejecting the gospel message and warning, however one day the trumpet will sound and The Lord will descend, Lord come quickly! Amen!

But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. 1 Peter 3:14-17

The motto of the Boy Scouts is “Always Be Prepared” this principle was probably adopted from the Bible , as the Apostle Peter teaches us to “always be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks” The question or challenge for today is are you ready to give an answer about your faith in Jesus Christ?

Many Christians have this mentality its only the Pastors job to know the Bible or the Youth Pastor to teach our children, but according to the Bible we are all responsible for knowing our Bible. Part of your calling as a Christian is to be able to go out into the world and evangelize. I was talking to a Pastor who was leading multiple Churches at the time and he told me he’s not an evangelist just a Pastor. I believe the “Great Commision” (Matthew 28:19) was commanded by Christ for all of us, make disciples of everyone and baptize in the name of the Triune God

Now if you are a Christian, and someone challenges your faith, do you have an answer or reason for your faith in Christ? As the Apostle Peter says “that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” Why are you a Christian? Why does Christ give you hope? Why should an Atheist believe? These are basic fundamental questions, however you should know how to share your faith. This is why the gospel message should be central to our teaching and preaching, because the gospel is the foundation of our hope and faith.

So how can you be prepared to always give an answer? Read your Bible daily, sounds simple but many Christians lack discipline in daily study of the Word. You can’t give an answer if you don’t know the answer, and the answers are in your Bible. Next, learn under mature Christians. Find a good Bible based Church, learn from their Pastor or elders, fellowship with other Christians, start of join a Bible study, ask alot of questions to reliable mature Christians. As the Bible says “Iron sharpens Iron” (Proverbs 27:17)

Make sure to have a strong prayer life, if we want to know more about God, we need to draw closer to God by prayer. Make prayer an essential part of your life,  not only having a personal prayer life but also praying with other Born Again believers. Another thing that is essential is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, so many Christian have “quenched the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30) Remember that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and guide (John 14:26) To neglect the Holy Spirit is to neglect the wisdom of God, lean on the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth (John 15:26)

If an Atheist asks you why you believe in God, can you give an answer? Always be prepared to share your testimony, to share the good news of Jesus Christ, to give an honest reason why you are a disciple of Christ, Amen!

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:10-12

The Apostle Peter here is quoting Psalm 34, and one thing we should notice here is there is alot of practical information that we can apply today to our daily lives. Peter is giving us wisdom from the Holy Spirit. While we as Christians may suffer in this fallen world, we can still make the best of our temporary situations by applying these Godly principles

1. Keep your mouth shut– Ouch, right? Sounds like a simple suggestion, but is it really that simple? Alot of our turmoil and conflicts are caused by ourselves, we need to know when to speak and when to “hold our peace”. As Peter says here “refrain his tongue from evil” Now I also believe this means to refrain from saying inappropriate things also, that wouldn’t be honoring God. Let’s be honest Christians who go around cursing and saying inappropriate things, look foolish and unconverted. As the Apostle James said “Can fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? (James 3:11) To bless God and curse people with the same mouth is a contradiction, ask the Holy Spirit for help with this!
2. Do Good- The Apostle Peter says “Turn away from evil and do good” again sounds like another simple concept, but are we doing this? Do we turn away from all that is evil whenever possible? Do we avoid getting involved in confrontations or “hanging out at the bar”, if we hang around evil, evil things bound to happen. The law of mathematics, if you avoid evil places, typically you avoid evil. Now does this mean we become a monk and avoid society, sounds tempting some days, but I don’t think that’s the will God has for our life. Use common sense by the Holy Spirit, if you don’t think you should be in this place or hanging around these people, then stay away
3. Seek Peace and pursue it– If you notice in todays world, most people are always looking for a fight or argument, this never ends well for anyone. Do the opposite, seek peace with all people. Again another application that sounds easy, but really isn’t . However this should be our goal, turn the other cheek (Matthew 5) By winning an argument, often you lose much more, your peace. Now there are times when we need to stand up for Jesus, stand up for our families or Church, however in most cases were letting the battle up to The Lord. If you pursue peace, you would be surprised how non confrontational your life really becomes. As the old saying goes “it take two to tango” often when your not receptive to someones aggression, it defuses the situation. It’s typically only when you retaliate that things get heated up. Again we need to really rely on the Holy Spirit for this one.
4. The Lord is against them that do evil- Understand that we are in a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) Often when people are attacking you, they are actually attacking God, they are at war with God. The Lord is against all who do evil, because evil is an act of war against God. We don’t have to win the battle, the battle was already won by Christ on the cross, understand this. So we people are coming after you, take a step back and give them over to The Lord (Romans 1:24) Understand God is for you, and anyone against you is battling God, this never ends well. The victory is already ours in Jesus, keep your peace knowing this truth!