Suffering In His Steps - 1 Peter 2:20-21 Series

1 Peter 2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Introduction: Benefits of Suffering

One of the most common mistakes Christians make is to think of suffering as their enemy. Their biggest goal is to find a way to reduce their suffering. Suffering is not our enemy. It is our friend. It is a gift from God, and the Bible explains exactly why. We always tend to say, “Why? Why is this happening?” – and so often the answer comes back, “We just don’t know – God is a mysterious God.” And in one sense that is true – we do not know why a particular trial happens to a particular person at a particular time. However when it comes to the question why God sends suffering our way in general, we do know the answer to that question. In fact, at least twenty-three answers that I have found in God’s Word. There are twenty-three different reasons in Scripture why we should rejoice when suffering comes. (And I won’t comment on each of these. If you would like to study them further, I have a paragraph of explanation for each of them in the document on TreasuringGod.com on the articles page titled “Benefits of Suffering.” )

1. Suffering accomplishes God’s perfect purposes in your life (Ro. 8:28, Deut. 32:4).

2. Suffering is God’s tool for the advance of the gospel (Phil. 1:12-14, 2 Tim. 1:8-12).

3. Suffering purifies sin out of your heart (Job 23:10, Ps. 119:67, Heb.5:8, Jas.1:2-3, Ro.5:3-4, 2 Cor.12:7, Heb.12:7, 11).

4. When you go through suffering it increases power from God in your life (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

5. Suffering exposes faith and unbelief so you find out what is really in your heart (Lk. 8:13, 1 Pt. 1:6-7, Jas. 1:2-3).

6. Suffering gives you the ability to glorify God through faith (1 Pt. 1:6-7, Job 1:20-22, 2:10).

7. Hardship increases your ability to experience various attributes of God (1 Pt. 4:13).

8. It increases your understanding of the goodness of the presence of God (Ps. 13:1).

9. It increases thirst for God’s presence (Ps. 63).

10. Suffering drives us to God, intensifies prayer (Lk. 22:44).

11. Suffering makes us long for heaven (2 Cor. 5:8).

12. It increases your hope for the Second Coming (Rev. 21:4).

13. It snaps you out of the fog of trivia (Ps. 102:4).

14. It teaches you to understand God’s Word (Ps. 119:71).

15. It teaches you the horror of sin (Ro. 8:19-22).

16. Suffering gives you the privilege of participation in the very sufferings of Christ (1 Pt. 4:12-13, Phil. 3:10, Acts 5:41, Phil. 1:29).

17. Suffering increases our reward (Lk. 6:22-23).

18. Suffering motivates us to change (Ps. 119:67, 71).

19. Suffering enables compassion (Heb. 2:18).

20. Suffering enables us to help others (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

21. Suffering increases our glory in heaven (2 Cor. 4:17).

22. Suffering enables sacrificial giving and deeper expressions of love (2 Cor. 1:6, 1 Jn. 4:9). Even if you are a poor person, you can always give a gift of great value by being willing to suffer for someone.

Those are twenty-two answers to the question “Why?” But in today’s text we see a twenty-third reason why suffering is our friend. And this one might be the most marvelous one of all, and yet it is probably the one we think about the least. Suffering is a great gift from God because it enables us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:20 …if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.