
The topic for our lesson this morning is The Suffering Savior. We want to talk about this idea of a suffering Savior.
- 1 Peter 2:21
We've been talking quite a bit in our adult Bible classes in the book of 1st Peter.
Suffering Has a Purpose
We want to show, through this lesson and others, that suffering has a purpose. Throughout the five chapters in 1 Peter, there are various statements made about suffering not only that we will endure and how we can endure appropriately, but that Jesus endured. And what we're going to look at are our instances of Jesus's suffering.
And we do that for a reason, and Peter did that for a reason. Go back to chapter one, verses six and seven, Peter is addressing his book to saints, to Christians, who were suffering tribulation. There was persecution that was taking place and he wanted to encourage them in their persecution and he highlighted several instances of Jesus suffering as well.
And that's what we want to do this morning by tracing those inspired statements. Hopefully it will get us to do three things. First of all, love the savior as Lord and therefore serve him faithfully. If we can understand about His suffering, then also, we can hopefully see that the sufferings of the Savior had a purpose, that He didn't suffer in vain. And finally, encourage one another as saints to identify with the sufferings of Christ to the point that we will pay any price, pay any price to be a Christian.
So there's several things that we're going to look at.
- Suffering Predicted
- Personal Aspect of Suffering
- Purpose of Suffering
- Suffering as a Person
- Suffering: Personal Application
His Suffering was Predicted
" Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." — 1 Peter 1:10-11
The prophets predicted Old Testament prophecy predicted that Jesus would suffer. The suffering of Jesus was not done accidentally. It wasn't done a mistake in being brought out. It wasn't done in vain to say that this suffering was going to happen. But it happened for a reason and it was foretold and it was not faked as some would have us to believe.
David has vividly described the suffering of the Messiah
- Psalm 22:14-18
Isaiah confidently spoke of the suffering of Jesus that he used the “past tense” to describe future events.
- Isaiah 53:3-6
Notice, Isaiah talks about several things and, and he does so in a very specific way. Isaiah mentions them in the past tense. How confident was Isaiah that Jesus was going to suffer? He mentions events in the future as having already happened. Three times in those verses, it says, He was despised, He was wounded, He was bruised.
It was foretold that Jesus would suffer certain things.
The Personal Aspect of His Suffering
Secondly, we look at the personal aspect of suffering.
- 1 Peter 2:21
Jesus suffered for you and he suffered for me who in himself was completely innocent of all sin
Innocent of All Sin!
- Hebrews 4:15
"He took my sins and my sorrows and made them his very own." — I Stand Amazed in the Presence, Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932)
“There the debt for my sins by the Savior was paid, in His suffering on Calvary…” — O the Depths and the Riches, Tillit S. Teddlie
See the Reason Behind the Cross
He did it for you, and He did it for me. He made suffering personal to each and every one of us, and we need to understand it that way. You see, the, the crucifixion of Jesus is a historical event. You can go back and you can read about it in history, but what we want to be able to do, if you will allow, is to understand the reason why Jesus had to suffer in the first place.
- Romans 5:6-10
We shall be saved by His life. You want to internalize what Jesus did all of the times.
You have the second person pronouns that were there. In that context, put a first person pronoun, or your name in that space. And Jesus did those things for you, and notice the descriptions, for you and me.
The pull of the cross comes when we see that He died for you and me.
- John 12:32-33
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” — John 12:32-33
Jesus knew ahead of time that He would be suspended between heaven and earth, hung on a cross, a tree, and He knew why. He was doing it for you, and he was doing it for me. The suffering of Jesus should be personal to us because it was personal to Him.
His Suffering Had a Purpose
Thirdly, the suffering of Jesus had a purpose.
- 1 Peter 3:18
He suffered for sins. Or in another way to put it, to save people from the sins that they had committed. You and I did not have the ability to remove our own sins. We've committed them, but we don't have anything that we can do to take them away.
- Galatians 1:4
- Titus 2:14
Many of us, I would imagine, have, have experienced the pain of hitting the wrong nail when using a hammer. Right? Doesn't feel very good. Many of us have, have probably dropped some heavy things, whether it is on our fingers, on our toes, some other part of the body, and we suffer because of that. And the moment is very painful.
But none of us have yielded ourselves to somebody driving a stake through our wrists or through our ankles and attaching us to a cross and putting it in a hole in the ground.
Joy Follows Suffering
Jesus could endure the suffering because there was a purpose for the suffering and a joy to be found on the other side.
- 1 Peter 1:11
The suffering wasn't the end for Jesus. It wasn't the pain. It wasn't the death. It wasn't the end. Notice there is joy.
- Hebrews 12:2
Look at the words describing the way that Jesus was able to stay on the cross. "The author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him." There wasn't a single thing pleasurable about what Jesus went through. But He didn't go to the cross because He enjoyed going to the cross. He didn't go to the cross because it felt good to be scourged or have a braided strand of thorns woven and put upon His head, to be spit upon, to be beat upon, to be mocked. He didn't enjoy those things. No, not at all. But He did it.
The joy was found in providing a way of salvation for you and for me. The suffering of Jesus had a purpose.
The Suffering of a Person
In the fourth place, the suffering of a person.
- 1 Peter 4:1
Notice the idea of Jesus suffering as a person. He is identifying with you and I as human beings.
- Hebrews 2:14
- Hebrews 2:9
- Hebrews 1:2
He suffered these things for you and me. He understood what you and I go through, otherwise Jesus would not make a very good High Priest if He can't relate to the ones He's being the High Priest for. He suffered as a man. He suffered just like we are able to suffer.
- Philippians 2:5-9
Jesus Knows!
He identified with you and he identified with me because he knows what it's like to be verbally attacked.
- Verbally Attacked: Luke 23:1-5, 9-10
- Mocked & Ridiculed: Matthew 27:29-31
- Physically Tortured:
- Scourged - Matthew 27:26
- Spat On - Matthew 27:30
- Thorn Crown - Mark 15:17,19
- Nailed to the Cross - John 19:17-18
After they put Jesus there on the cross, you know what they did? They sat down and they watched Him, Matthew says. They sat down and they watched him.
The suffering of Jesus has a purpose.
Those Who Suffer For Christ Suffer With Christ
But finally this morning, some application from the suffering of Jesus.
- 1 Peter 4:13
Those who suffer for Jesus, suffer with Jesus
- Romans 8:17
We may never, and we pray that none of us do, have to suffer the same things that Jesus ever had to suffer in the body. We don't wish that upon anybody. But the things that we do suffer, Peter, and Paul, the rest of the inspired writers tell us if we suffer as a Christian, we are suffering to some degree the same things that Jesus suffered. And there's glory for us when we suffer the same way Jesus did.
What an honor it should be when we suffer.
- Acts 5:41
You and I don't like to suffer. We really don't. We don't like to be put through trials and tribulations or to be caused to feel negatively about things that we believe in very strongly. Here, Peter and John, after being beaten and told not to preach in the name of Jesus any longer, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.
Finally, suffering for the Savior means you and I have God's approval.
- 1 Peter 4:14
On their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. The suffering Savior. Peter talks about it over and over, alludes to it in every chapter of 1 Peter.
Many lessons that we could learn first and foremost, Christ suffered and there's no other way for man to be saved than to be a part of Jesus's body. The suffering of our Savior had a purpose. The suffering that you and I go through has a purpose as well. It will help our faith to grow and to be stronger.
Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed
"Alas, and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head to such a one as I?" — Isaac Watts
Maybe you're here this morning a member of the body of Christ but the suffering of this world has left you discouraged and your faith is wavering because you have not founded it or grounded it at this particular moment and lost sight of the suffering of the Savior who made your salvation possible. Hopefully, you're not as those that we read about that have forgotten all of the things that Jesus has done for us because Peter would say in 2nd Peter after going through the list of the Christian graces that if we forget to add those things, we are blind and we cannot see afar off forgetting the things that we have had done for us.
Maybe you're one who's never obeyed the gospel before. Having heard the Word, are you willing to believe it? You understand the suffering that Jesus endured on your behalf. Are you willing to repent of your sins, confess Him as your Savior, and be baptized in water to have your sins forgiven? If we can assist you in any way, we encourage you to contact us.
Sermon outline from Bro. Tom Holland