“The Tree, The Tomb, The Throne”

I Peter 3:18-22

Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross for the

sins of the world………took His body down and

buried it in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea……

3 days and 3 nights He was there……3rd day, the

Lord Jesus rose again from the dead……***Chris-

tianity rises or falls……If He is still in the

grave,then nothing really matters……But,if He

is not in that grave,then nothing but that

matters……..It all hinges on the resurrection!!!

still in the grave-no hope……not in the grave-we

have hope!!!……text takes us to 3 basic places….

***title***

I-The Tree (v.18,2:24)

A-the uniqueness of the Cross (v.18a)

1-suffered physically on the cross

a-nobody ever suffered like Jesus did on the

cross

b-all the sins of the world were loaded down

on that body that day

2-suffered spiritually on the cross

a-Is.:His soul was made an offering for sin

b-word ‘death” means seperation……physical –

separation of the soul from the body

spiritual death-separation from the soul

from God

c-knew what it was to be separated from God

d-II Cor.5:21

B-the effectiveness of the cross (v.18b)

II-The Tomb (v.18b)

-experienced a physical death (really died)

-alive in His spirit

-body dies:conscious existence somewhere!!!

-heaven or hell

-3 days and 3 nights Jesus was alive with

reference to His spirit

-v.19….before the resurrection of the Lord

Jesus Christ,in the realm of the dead there

were 2 locations……wicked dead:Hades……some-

times translated “hell”……Gehenna:lake of fire

……Hades seems to have been the realm of the

wicked dead before the resurrection

-must have been a prison house (v.19)

-2 Peter 2:4 (“Tartarus”)

-I peter 3:19 “went”-took a journey(v.22)

-Paradise (saved dead:O.T. saints)

-demon spirits (“that’s Him”) thief!

-paradise…….saints:”That’s Him”**thief***

-close our eyes in death and open them in

glory***”It’s Him!!!”

-v.19 “preached”***not a second chance***

-to make an announcemet???Phil.2:10 - - - - -

-conscious existence in 3 places

-earth-“It is finished”……heaven……under the

earth…..prison house-paradise

III-The Throne (v.22)

A-the exaltation He received (v.22)

B-the salvation He achieved (v.20-21)

1-v.20 is a picture of salvation

2-v.21:a picture (thru the water by the

ark

3-Jesus Christ went thru the waters of

judgement on the cross of Calvary so that

the judgment of God’s wrath against sin

might never get to me and you

4-better get in the ark!!!

5-v.21 baptism is a picture of the reality

that saves us

6-death,burial,and resurrection of the Lord

Jesus Christ

7-saved and then baptized

close:get in the ark today!

Freedom:3-17-02 s.n.