UNJUST SUFFERING 1 PETER 2:18-25

Steve Shepherdhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?

SermonID=138371

1 Peter 2:18 NET Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. 19 For this finds God's

favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin

and are mistreated and endure it?

But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for

you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin nor was

deceit found in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9) 23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no

retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4,12) in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. (Isaiah 53:5) 25 For you were going astray like sheep

(Isaiah 53:6) but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

An 84 year old man went to the doctor for a physical. A few days later the doctor saw

him walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm. The

next time the doctor saw him he asked how he was doing.

"Great," said the old guy. "I did just what you told me. ’Get a hot momma and be

cheerful.’"

"I didn’t say that," said the doctor. "I said, ’You’ve got a heart murmur. Be

careful.’"

What is the good life? It all depends on who you are talking to. It could be someone with

a beautiful date or mate. It could be someone with great looks or good health or

someone with great wealth.

There was an article about Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was entitled, “Arnold’s

Toys.” Arnold is not only worth around $800 million dollars, he also loves his toys and he has plenty. He smokes $4000 cigars, wears shoes that cost as much as $5000 a pair, wears $3000 Italian suits and has a $38

million Gulfstream Jet.

Arnold and family cruise in style on a $4.5 million 88 foot yacht. He also has a great

fondness for Hummers which run anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. He has nine of

them, estimated to be worth $1 million. The first one he purchased at a cost of $117,000.

(Another article said that because of the environmental problems that California has

he has given up all of his Hummers). No telling what he drives now.

Schwarzenegger does not accept his governor’s salary of $175,000 per year, and instead donates it to charities. That’s to his

credit. However, if we all had the money that Arnold has we, too, might be willing to donate some to the church or to different

charities.

Does it sound like Arnold has it made? Well, it certainly sounds like he has it made financially but none of us know what is

happening behind the scenes. After all, he’s the governor of California. DO YOU THINK

HE HAS A PLEASANT JOB? I wouldn’t want any politicians job! I wouldn’t trade

jobs with any of them, including the President of the US.

Especially, the President!

WHO DOES HAVE IT MADE IN LIFE, ANYBODY?

Honestly, I’m not sure anybody has it made perfectly in this life. No matter how good a person has it in this life there will always be something to throw a wrench in the works: the economy, our health, family members,

etc., etc.

A man went to see his doctor because he was suffering from a miserable cold. His

doctor prescribed some pills, but they didn’t help. On his next visit the doctor gave him a

shot, but that didn’t do any good.

On his third visit the doctor told the man, "Go home and take a hot bath. As soon as

you finish bathing throw open all the windows and stand in the draft."

"But doc," protested the patient, "if I do that, I’ll get pneumonia."

"I know," said the doctor, "But I can cure pneumonia."

The sad truth everybody gets something or some illness they don’t like. And often, there is

no way to figure out how you got it.

Unjust suffering. Doesn’t sound good, does it? Did that ever happen to you?

In our text, Peter spells out the good and the bad of unjust suffering.

1- Unjust suffering is conferred on all2- Unjust suffering finds God’s favor3- Unjust suffering is Christ-likeness

UNJUST SUFFERING IS CONFERRED ON ALL

1 Peter 2:18 NET Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are

perverse. 19 For this finds God's favor, if because of conscience toward God someone

endures hardships in suffering unjustly.Suffering.

It is conferred, given or bestowed on all people. It happens to everybody.

A lady said: I was sitting in the waiting room of my new dentist. It was my first

appointment. I noticed his diploma on the wall, which had his full name.

Suddenly, I recalled a tall, dark haired, handsome boy with the same name had been in my high school class nearly 50 years ago. Could this be the same boy I had a secret crush on, way back then?

When I saw him, however, I quickly discarded that thought. This gray haired, balding man with

the deeply wrinkled face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm! Or could he?After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he

had attended Northampton High School. "Yes, I did!" he said. "I’m a Konkrete Kid." He gleamed

with pride."What year did you graduate?" I asked. "In 1959," he said. "Why do you ask?" "I was in

your class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, wrinkled, old, fat, bald, gray, decrepit man

asked, "What did you teach?"

Anybody ever say anything that cruel to you?

THAT’S UNJUST AND YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUFFERED FROM IT.

There was a deacon in one church who never smoked a day in his life and yet he

got emphysema, which really did a number on him all of his life. He always struggled with that disease, which limited what he could do in life. In a sense, it was very

unjust. He was a very good man, a very Godly man. But it can happen to anybody.

A preacher and his wife were driving their little VW Beetle (probably 40 to 50 years ago) and got hit head on by a drunken

driver. It killed both the preacher and his wife and they left behind four small children.

TALK ABOUT UNJUST SUFFERING!Once when Bob Hope received a major

award he responded, "I don’t deserve this, but then I have arthritis and I don’t deserve

that either."

Job 14:1 NET "Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble.

There is no doubt in our minds that Job of old suffered unjustly when he lost

everything: his wealth, his health, and all 10 of his children. And Satan was behind it all. Could it be that the godly suffer the most?

1 Peter 2:18 NET Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those

who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. 19 For this finds God's favor, if because of conscience toward God someone

endures hardships in suffering unjustly.Why would Peter mention submitting to an

earthly master in one sentence and then unjust suffering in the next? Because in his day the

servant or slave often suffered unjustly from his master.

The same idea could be applied to the employee/employer relationship today. Did

you ever suffer unjustly from a boss, a manager, an employer?

Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?"

"Why not?" he replied. "They’re the only ones who can take it."

We can take suffering better than most people because we know something better

is coming.

Romans 8:18 NET For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be

compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NET Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being

renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot

be seen is eternal.

1 Corinthians 2:9 NET But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear

heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love

him.” (Isaiah 64:4)

UNJUST SUFFERING FINDS GOD’S FAVOR

19 For this finds God's favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and

so endure, this finds favor with God.

On Veterans Day a Boulder, Colorado, man parked his car in a metered area. Noting a

sign saying “Sundays and Holidays Excepted,” he didn’t put in a coin. But his

car was ticketed, and he went to city hall to ask why. It was closed for the holiday

except for the police department, where an officer told him Veterans Day wasn’t a

holiday as far as parking was concerned. So the man said he’d pay the fine.

But the officer refused his money. “You can’t pay your fine today,” he said. “This is a

holiday.” TALK ABOUT INJUSTICE!

Wouldn’t that just burn you? That’s not fair.

If you live in this world (and you do) you will experience some unjust suffering.

In the 1960’s Steve Shepherd, the author of this lesson, carried a key to the back door of the Foodtown grocery store in Webb City. The

manager also carried a key, as did the Asst. Manager, and the produce manager. Delivery

people would ring the doorbell and deliver milk, soda, bread, or produce. Someone had to let

them in and check them in. He felt privileged to carry a key and do that. Apparently, the manager trusted him with the key & the

responsibility it carried.

One day the doorbell rang so he went to the back door and let a produce man bring in his produce. Then he went back into the

store and starting stocking shelves. Sometime later, the assistant manager

came to him and said, “Give me your key. You’re fired!” “I’m what?” He could hardly

believe it.

That assistant manager gave him little explanation, except that he said Steve

wasn’t supposed to let that produce man in the back door. Well, how was he to know

that he wasn’t supposed to let that particular produce man in the back door?

No one said to him, “You can’t let that guy in the back door.”

He was floored and frustrated and a few other things. He had no idea that He’d done anything wrong but was fired, nevertheless!

TO HIM, IT WAS AS UNJUST AS IT COULD BE.

Steve personally thought that the assistant manager just didn’t like him for some

reason.

In today’s world, he probably could have filed a grievance against that assistant manager

and got his job back but he didn’t do that. He just went looking for another job and got hired

a week or so later at Safeway in Joplin.

Brothers and sisters, what happened to him, happens to many people. It was unjust but there are far worse injustices in this world.

What about poor people suffering from starvation and/or disease just because they were born in a country where they have little

food and no doctors? Whew! Talk about unjust!

19 For this finds God's favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and

endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.

When we suffer for doing wrong, we deserve that suffering, but when we suffer for doing wrong when we’ve done right, we are commended by God. I think I’d much

rather have God commend me than anybody in this world!

One year, Ken Griffey, Jr. chose not to attend "The Players Choice Awards" to

receive the "Player of the Decade" award. Junior beat out three time MVP winner

Barry Bonds and four time Cy Young Award winner, Greg Maddux for the honor. The

award is a big deal. Why didn’t he go? Trey, his 5-year-old son had a baseball game that night--his first, and Griffey Jr. didn’t want to

miss it.

I suspect that some people probably thought Ken Griffey Jr. was dumb for not attending and

receiving his award. However, he considered his child as being more important. Bless him for that. There is always something better than the awards

of this world. Man’s accolades are nothing in comparison to God’s praise or commendation. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant...”

(Matthew 25:21) Unjust suffering is commended by God. Have you

been commended lately?

UNJUST SUFFERING IS CHRIST-LIKENESS

21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example

for you to follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9) 23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but

committed himself to God who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4,12) in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. (Isaiah 53:5) 25 For you were going astray like sheep

(Isaiah 53:6) but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Unjust suffering is Christian in the sense that it is Christ-like.

A judge in a western mining town once presided at a murder trial at which the

defendant was absent. The evidence was presented and the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty. The judge shook his

head and said, “Well, I’m going to have to send you back to reconsider your verdict.”

The jurors weren’t dumb and they got the message. Shortly thereafter they came back

with a verdict of guilty. The judge said, “That’s more like it. After all, we hanged the defendant

earlier this morning.”

That kind of sounds like unjust suffering to me. And it’s very possible that some people have

been imprisoned or put to death and they weren’t guilty.

THAT FITS JESUS TO A T!

21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example

for you to follow in his steps.

What a powerful thought! IN HIS STEPS

Are you following in his steps? In what way or ways?

What is the most Christ-like thing you do or have done in life? Think about it. Pray?

Read God’s Word? Worship? Give to the poor? Bring healing into someone’s life? Or perhaps demonstrate love to someone who

didn’t deserve to be loved? Jesus did all these things and more. And probably the

greatest thing He did was to suffer unjustly for us on the cross!

Christ, who never once sinned, died on the cross for the sins

of the whole world! THAT’S EXTREME INJUSTICE!

And yet, that’s what He did for us. He took our pain and punishment

on Himself. He was separated from God for us!

He suffered the torment and agony of hell for us!

22 He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9) 23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back;

when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God

who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4,12) in his body on the tree,

that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were

healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Any time we suffer unjustly, any time we suffer pain for doing something right, we are walking in His steps. That’s when we may

well be the most Christ-like in life.

Adoniram Judson, the renowned missionary to Burma, endured untold hardships trying

to reach the lost for Christ. For 7 heartbreaking years he suffered hunger and

privation. During this time he was thrown into Ava Prison, and for 17 months was

subjected to almost incredible mistreatment. As a result, for the rest of his life he carried the ugly marks made by the chains and iron

shackles which had cruelly bound him.

Undaunted, upon his release he asked for permission to enter another province where

he might resume preaching the Gospel.

The godless ruler indignantly denied his request, saying, “My people are not fools enough to listen to anything a missionary

might SAY, but I fear they might be impressed by your SCARS and turn to your

religion!”

That is true, Christ-like suffering! And it’s something that we American

Christians know nothing about! We have definitely not suffered for Christ

while witnessing for Him.Perhaps if we’d do more, preach more, witness more, we’d suffer more for His

sake!

Galatians 6:17 NET From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of

Jesus on my body.

The finest marks anyone can carry on their body are the marks of Jesus. Unjust

suffering is Christ-like.

God, as I sit here, suffering from shingles,

They hurt so badly that my body twinges.

God, be near others that suffer.Father, I have time to think

of those that are hurting.Some cannot walk. Others cannot talk.

Why should I whine through this pain?What do I have to gain?

God, be near others.

There have been days I cried, in agony,Praying, with tears

flowing down my cheeks.God, be near others that are crying.

Some are so burdened by their pain and grief,

Material losses and even their vanity.God, be near others.I did not ask you to

take the shingles away.It was for your purpose,

to teach me to say,

"God, be near others that suffer this day."

Our world is in turmoil, with confusion and war.

Help us, in our faith, to soar;

Lifting up others that you so adore.

God, be near others that have suffered more.

The next time someone causes you grief, penalized you, cusses you out, but you

know what you did was right & correct don’t snap back, cuss at them, & go tell

everybody you come across that so-n-so did you wrong. No, continue doing what is proper. You don’t need to get even here on earth. You have already found favor from

God!

Matthew 5:43 NET "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' (Leviticus

19:18) and 'hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those

who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and

sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.