Encouragement: A Calling to Endure Suffering: Following After the Perfect Example of Jesus

1 Pt. 2:18-25

Encouragement: Message Six

Title: A Calling to Endure Suffering: Following After the Perfect Example of Jesus

ETS: Peter encouraged his readers to endure suffering, following after the perfect example of Jesus.

ESS: We should closely follow Jesus’ perfect example, acknowledging suffering as a part of our calling.

OSS: [Supportive] I want the hearers to be encouraged in the midst of their Christian calling to suffer.

PQ: What implications can be drawn from this passage?

UW: Implications

Intro.: Tim Keller, the author of “Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering,” wrote, “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.” (31) Christianity not only acknowledges suffering, it welcomes it understanding that suffering is one of God’s tools to reveal Himself to us and to the world through us. Thus, for the Christian, the occasion of suffering is not something that should be a matter of avoidance, but something that should be a matter of rejoicing and endurance. As Keller pointed out, other worldviews often avoid the cold-hard truth of life desiring to only experience the happy parts of life, but Christianity welcomes the hard times acknowledging that we have a greater joy within us, equipping us to joyfully endure even the hardest parts of life. This passage recorded Peter’s encouragement to his audience amidst their suffering. It has great implications for our lives as we, like the original audience, encounter suffering because of our faith. Let us examine together the implications that can be drawn from this passage:

Suffering in the world invokes favor with God (vv. 18-20)

Verse 19b is key: “because of a consciousness (or awareness) of God”

Submission is done only through obedience, and for the Christian, the submission should be done as an act of obedience- which comes from an awareness of God.

However, sometimes, as in the case of the readers, this obedience that comes as a result of an awareness of God, displayed through our faith, causes us to suffer. When we suffer for this sake, though, it brings favor with God.

Application: Though the actions that ensue from an awareness of God in our lives may cause suffering in the world, these actions, or acts of faith, cause us to have favor with God.

Suffering is a part of our calling as believers (v. 21a)

The demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο (this) has as its antecedent both suffering and endurance from the previous verses. Thus, you (believers) were called to endure suffering.

Suffering is endured only through following Jesus’ example (vv. 21b-25)

Christ also suffered- on our behalf. He did so in a manner that laid for us a foundation- an example to follow after His footsteps.

His example of suffering is spelled out in these verses:

Sinless with no deceit found in his mouth (v. 22)

Did not return insults for insults (v. 23a)

Did not threaten amidst suffering (v. 23b)

Trusted His whole being to God, the just Judge (V. 23c)

Sacrificially gave His life for others (v. 24)

William Barclay wrote about His example and the Greek word translated as example:

He included in his definition that this word was primarily a word regarding education in the Greek world, specifically regarding young children learning to write. He stated that this word usually referred to the stencils of the letters provided to help the children learn to write the letters. However, more deeply he wrote that the stencils provided a perfect pattern helping the children write the letters perfectly, just as the stencil provided. Connecting this idea to Peter’s use of this word, Barlcay wrote,

Jesus does not give us an example and leave it at that; an example can be the most discouraging thing on earth. For centuries men watched the birds flying and got no nearer to being able to do the same. A man may watch a champion golfer and be left with nothing but the desire to burn his own clubs! A pianist may hear and see a aster executant and be left with nothing but the resolution never to touch a piano again! But Jesus does more than give us an example. As the master’s hand guided the scholar’s first fumbling efforts, so he guides us; as the grooves kept the scholar’s pen within the boundary, so his grace directs us. He left us not only a dauntingly perfect hupogrammos; he constantly helps us to follow it. [1]

CONCLUSION: We are called to suffer. It is a part of life. Christianity, though, unlike other worldviews, calls us to do so in a special way- with an awareness of God. This Suffering because of this awareness causes us to have favor with God. We endure suffering, as God intended, when we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, after His example. How are you suffering, today? Do you trust your whole being to God? Jesus did.

[1] Barclay, 138-140.