So let me ask you this morning: what are you going through? What suffering are you enduring? What jerk of a boss is making your life miserable, so that you have a hard time submitting? What person in your life is acting so badly that you are tempted to compromise everything that you believe so that you can take your revenge?
In all of this, would a look at the example of Jesus give you any good reasons for holding up and staying faithful even when it costs? What look at Jesus do you need today so you can live faithfully even when it’s tough?
Warren Wiersbe writes: Here, then, is the wonderful truth Peter wanted to share: as we live godly lives and submit in times of suffering, we are following Christ's example and becoming more like Him. We submit and obey, not only for the sake of lost souls and for the Lord's sake, but also for our own sake, that we might grow spiritually and become more like Christ.
The unsaved world is watching us, but the Shepherd in heaven is also watching over us; so we have nothing to fear. We can submit to Him and know that He will work everything together for our good and His glory.
He came as our pattern, so we could "know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step" (The Message).
Peter tells us some things about Jesus that we need to remember.
He committed no sin.
He had no deceit in Him.
He did not retaliate against the evil done to Him.
We are to follow that example and then being like Jesus entrust ourselves during a time of suffering, unto the Lord God who will judge justly. Would that be hard for you? Why? Most probably it would be hard because most of us want immediate justice! We don’t believe justice if the punishment doesn’t come right away for the wrong doing. One of the wonderful reasons for God’s patience in judging is that some who have been the wrong doer will have time to think about his or her misdeeds and then repent and come to the Lord Jesus in faith. If we had our way those who deserve punishment would not be able to seek or find forgiveness. We are to follow the pattern, the example of Christ when we suffer unjustly.
Our text says that He “bore our sins,” literally to “bear up under an enormous weight,” the weight of our sin, the sins of the elect. Jesus our Lord has held the weight of your sin on His shoulders as His burden to carry just for you and for me.
He was to give you and me and any sinner forgiveness and freedom from sin because of his death on the cross. Being saved is dying to sin! Because our Savior went to the cross and suffered the wounds of the scourging and the nails from the cross along with the sins of the world on His shoulders, He “healed” us. There is some difference of opinion of this scripture. Some say that because Jesus suffered physically and the scripture says “by His stripes or wounds we have been healed” then all our physical trials and diseases are healed. Others, like me, believe this is a reference to the spiritual healing we received at the cross that is the forgiveness of our sin, we were healed spiritually because of His sacrifice. Please don’t get me wrong, I believe that Jesus can heal us from our diseases and has, even for many of you. But that is not exactly what this Scripture means here. He is capable and does many times heal the diseases of His people where healing could not come any other way. I praise God for that.
Theodoret comments: "A new and strange method of healing. The doctor suffered the cost, and the sick received the healing" (see Selwyn, First Epistle of Peter, p. 181). Interpreter's Bible, The - Exegesis - The Interpreter's Bible – Volume 12.
Throughout all these verses in this last thought Isaiah has spoken of already in chapter 53. If you will go back and read that chapter you will see her at the end of this chapter Peter refers to that Isiah passage when he says, “For you were like sheep going astray , but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
As I close you and I have once been like those lost sheep. We strayed away from the creator of our lives and souls and he sent Jesus to be our Shepherd and Overseer so we might know the love and forgiveness and special care of the God who made us. Blessed are we who have returned back to God and now are the sheep of God.
Friends that is what revival is about, bring lost sheep back to God our Shepherd.