Live In The Ark Jesus Constructed For You

He walked down the sidewalk toward Pastor Hering’s Shepherd Shed.  Some of you may remember him.  His name was Kendon Williams.  He was a 83 year old Veteran from the Vietnam War.  He had met one of our members at the Target who told him to come and visit Pastor Hering at Divine Peace.  He drove into the parking lot, got out of his car, and walked down the sidewalk.  You know what Pastor Hering thought when he saw him, right?  Just like so many other people who drive here looking for some sort of hand out. Pastor Hering thought, “What does he want from me?”  Do you know what Pastor Hering wasn’t thinking?  “Jesus Lives to And Calls Me To Live For Him!”  Kendon was a feisty man and he almost got into the car and drove away.  Pastor Hering ended up talking to him for over an hour.   Then Kendon asked a question: “How can you be so positive and hopeful about the future?” You see there were many things on his heart. Maybe some of the same things on your heart, too.

1.  It is the spring season and how are we going to afford all the nice things we’d like to do to our home this year?
2.  I know so many people who are suffering from various sicknesses and diseases!  I wonder when it will be my turn and need to visit the doctor?
3.  I wonder how long the USA is going to be fighting a battle?  It sure isn’t very fun when I have to go fill up my car with gas!
4.  I keep hearing the people around me talk against what I believe. It sure isn’t any fun when people poke fun at me for what I believe!

So what is it that keeps you so positive and hopeful? Well, we’ve been celebrating the Easter season and meditating on what a difference our resurrected Savior makes in our life. That’s why the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write,

“¹³ Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do not be troubled. ¹⁵ But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Are you ready to give a reason for the hope that you have? Perhaps you already have your answer in mind. That’s great. But following the Word of God before us today Peter gives us a great outline to follow so we can give a reason for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. You noticed that Peter also made a reference to the time of Noah and the building of the ark.  Following this idea Peter was inspired to outline for us What a Difference It Makes that Jesus Lives To Call Me To Live For Him!  So, let’s take each point, almost like boards for constructing an Ark and let’s

Live In The Ark God Constructed For You

Here are “the boards” we are going to meditate on today:

1. Death, 2. Descent, 3. Rising, and 4. Reigning

Death

When you hear “death” you might be thinking of a board that is decaying and rotting.  But, the board Peter talks about is the framework for this ark as we learn about the beginning of God’s Construction Project to give us great hope:

“¹⁸ because Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Do you see? If you were going to give a reason for the hope that you have you can start right here.  In this short sentence Peter captures all of God’s promises made throughout history. You could tell the story!  Go ahead – start sawing and hammering out the Lord God’s project! ….. Adam and Eve failed, creation was ruined, death was powerful!  God chose a nation from which the Messiah would come to save the world. Jesus was born, lived and died.  Yes, “¹⁸ because Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous.” Not many times, but once. No more payment is necessary. This is a foundational board in our Ark of Salvation.  Here’s why.  Have you ever said, “What can I do to get back into God’s good graces after what I just pulled?” or “How could God still love a sinner like me?”  Then quit making yourself god!  Christ Jesus suffered once for sins. His suffering ended with his DEATH! It was “the righteous FOR the unrighteous!”  Jesus paid his holy life for our unholy life to redeem us all!  It isn’t “to show the righteous what to do to become righteous!”  It is all about being done! This board is a solid exchange between Jesus, the holy one, FOR all of us unrighteous ones. You can I can confess, “Alone and apart form Christ I am ruined because death would have sent me to hell!  However, with Christ whose DEATH was FOR me, I am declared holy!” And listen to the results: “to bring you to God!”  Jesus saved me by his DEATH and he brought me to God and made me an heir of heaven.

And that’s exactly what the Lord did for us.  Listen:

“In this ark a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹ And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God.”

So Noah built the Ark, his family entered the Ark and were saved by the water that lifted the Ark up above the destruction of The Flood. In the same way through the waters of baptism, the work that Jesus did on the cross (namely Forgiveness of sins, opening the gate of eternal life in heaven, and defeating the power of the devil), his death and his burial all became mine. These foundational boards in the Ark surround us as God’s people so that we can be so positive and hopeful in a world gone bad. Our Ark built by God through his Word and the sacrament of baptism gets us ready to give a reason for the hope that we have.  Our framing boards are awesome!  Thank you Lord!  Now lets move on to our next Board of our Ark of Salvation.   This Board is all about Jesus’

Descent into hell!

“^18…..  He was put to death in flesh but was made alive in spirit, ¹⁹ in which he also went and made an announcement to the spirits in prison. ²⁰ These spirits disobeyed long ago, when God’s patience was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.”

When Jesus was born he was as much God as he was before the creation of the universe. However, when he was born he didn’t make full use of his divine power. … sort of keeping it under wraps. In this state of humiliation even while he had complete control as true God, he allowed himself to be captured, tortured, crucified and buried.  Remember these events are happening in God’s kingdom.  How many times have scary times been turned into glorious times in God’s kingdom?  ( David and Goliath!  Gideon and 300 trumpets against the Midianites, etc).  Here Peter records another glorious event in the life of Jesus!  Sometime between Saturday night and his first appearance to the disciples on Easter morning Jesus “Descended into hell!” What is this all about?  Let’s say you and I were at war.  I have my soldiers on my ridge and you have yours over on your ridge. We could meet in the valley and fight to the death. Or, as kings of our troops, you and I could agree to meet to fight it out—winner takes all. After a brief battle you win and I lose. All my soldiers have to drop their weapons and you tie us all up to lead us back to your city. Then to show everyone that you are the winner you parade me around the city proclaiming your victory. Listen as St. Paul describes in his letter to the Colossians what Jesus did to give us the second board of our Ark Of Salvation:

“He forgave us all our sins,¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col 2:13ff).  

What????!!!!  By the cross Jesus overcame Satan?  Are you sure?  Yes, because Jesus came and defeated Satan by dying on the cross and broke the curse of sin and the power of the devil.  And how did Jesus prove it?  Jesus came alive on Easter and the very first thing he does in his state of Exultation is to go into enemy territory for his victory proclamation in his descent into hell.  He didn’t go to give them a second chance.  He went to make a proclamation, to preach victory!  And then Jesus did something no one has ever done or ever will do.  Jesus….. left…… hell…… and showed up to many witnesses on Easter morning!

Jesus’ descent into hell is another board in our Ark that we receive at our baptism. “In this ark a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹ And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you.” Now you’re ready the answer the question, “How can you Christians always be so cheerful and happy in a world gone bad?” Go ahead, give the reason for the hope that you have!  Jesus descended into hell to proclaim his victory over sin, death and the devil. This all became mine through my baptism!  On to the next board of the Ark of Our Salvation.  This Board is all about Jesus’

Rising from the dead!

Peter wrote,

“In this ark a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹ And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

For conversation’s sake, let’s say Jesus had died to pay the penalty for all our sins, but had remained in the tomb. What questions would you have? Let’s see: “Death gets its power from sin, and sin gets its power from the law.  So, if Christ is still dead, does that mean he’s still not done?” Let me us this little illustration to help see how important it is that Jesus rose from the dead.  When Jesus died he mixed the cement.  When he descended into hell he poured it around Satan’s feet.  When Jesus rose from the dead the concrete hardened around Satan’s feet and we were set free! How did this happen? Jesus died and rose and in our Baptism it all became ours!

“not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Our baptism is not a shower to clean off mud.  It’s isn’t an outward symbol, but it is an inward action.  Try this. You’re home with your brother and he breaks mom’s favorite vase. When mom and dad get home you’re not worried, right? You have the guarantee of a good conscience that you are not guilty before your parents. You wouldn’t want your innocence to be merely symbolic, would you?  You want it to be real!!!  You’d want the real deal. That’s exactly what Peter was inspired to say!  The day is coming that you will die (unless Jesus returns sooner than that).  Then imagine standing before God’s throne and he asks you why he should let you into heaven?!  Are you nervous?  No! Jesus paid the penalty of all your sins!  You have the guarantee of a good conscience before God who will welcome you to heaven!  Why? Because Jesus rose from the dead, another board in your Ark of Salvation that saves you.  You and I are saved because Jesus rose.  And the power of his resurrection saved you and me.  Now we are ready to give a reason for the hope that we have due to Jesus death, descent into hell, his rising from the dead, and now for the final board in the Ark of our Salvation

Jesus Reigns!

When Jesus ascended into the clouds of heaven 40 days after Easter he didn’t do that to sit back in his eternal recliner to watch the world spin out of control. No,

“Jesus Christ.[ ²² He] went to heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.”

How does that look in your mind? Let St. Paul help you see the picture as you listen to his letter to the Romans:

“³³ Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! ³⁵ What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?….³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^[c] through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces,³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Romans 8:33-39

Yes we can have hope in a world gone bad. Yes, we can be positive when the world is collapsing all around us?  Is it marriage, family, children, job, health, economy, politics or even death itself?  Yes – because we Live In The Ark God Constructed For Us!  This Ark of Salvation was built by Jesus Christ himself. And all of the blessings from his death, descent into hell, rising, and reigning belong to everyone who has been baptized through faith in Jesus Christ.

Now, while we rejoice in our Ark of Salvation sailing on to eternal life with Jesus in heaven.  The devil himself will be attacking us with his waves of destruction.  Is it the attacks of television and computer? Your baptism sails safely through. Is it meaning in life during difficult financial times?  Your baptism sails safely through. Is it forgiving and trusting those who have hurt you? Your baptism sails safely through. Is it living in a world that’s gone bad? Your baptism sails safely through.  Is it an 83 year old veteran who has lost all hope? Live in the Ark of God Constructed For You and be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have!  Kendon Williams heard all about that hope and his Ark of Salvation has sailed all the way to heaven where we will see him and all the saints that have gone before us. Yes, Live Confidently In The Ark of Your Baptism Constructed For You by the Grace of God!  Amen!