Suffering for Jesus

(Hebrews 2:10-13 – Suffering for Jesus)

If there is one certainty Christians must remember is that they will be suffering for Jesus. To be a Christian means that there will be suffering.

But don’t let that put you off. Suffering without a purpose is painful. But suffering for Christ has both a purpose and a reward.

All over the scriptures we are told that we will suffer. Christ suffered, even unto death. But He had a purpose in His suffering. He suffered death and degradation for our sake. His suffering was to give us life. That is the reward that we are to receive for following and suffering for Jesus. But we need to gain a perspective on the suffering we go through here and now so we can hold fast until His glory is revealed.

Suffering for Jesus as He suffered for us

The scripture is very interesting that we are looking at today. In it we see the purpose of His suffering, which helps us gain a perspective.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying, “I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” (Hebrews 2:10-13

Jesus was the pioneer and perfecter of our salvation. And He was perfect Himself.

What we see in these words however, is the purpose for Jesus suffering. He suffered to make Him perfect. The offer of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ came because He suffered.

His suffering ended with a most heinous death. The pain and suffering he went through cannot be compared to any other form of suffering.

Add to this the way that He suffered at the hands of lawless men. Then there was the suffering He felt at the perceived rejection of His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed.

55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. (Matthew 26:55-56)

And again when He was in the throes of death, nailed up and hanging limp. He suffered a perceived rejection by God the Father. I say perceived because I am sure the Father was with Jesus every step of His journey and especially as He was put to death.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, la’ma sabach-tha’ni?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

So, as He suffered and He understood suffering, we too must suffer for Christ.

Why are we suffering for Jesus?

Recently I was working on my car headlights. They had become faded and dim because the plastic lenses were sun damaged. To restore them to a new state required sanding with fine grade emery paper and some chemical cleaning and restorative compounds. When the job was done, the headlights were like brand new.

It occurred to me that as a Christian I was a lot like those headlights. When I came to Christ I had all manner of imperfections, sins, passions, lusts and the desires of humanity. But if I was to be like Christ, all of these had to be removed.

The Lord applied His “spiritual sandpaper” to my life to cut away and smooth the imperfections. One by one He worked on me through the Holy Spirit to transform my life. And the job isn’t finished yet.

But any transformation is a painful process. As rough edges are knocked off and cut away, it causes us to suffer. We are suffering for Jesus, as He suffered, so that we could become perfect as He is perfect. And perfection is not just something “nice to have.” It is required, as the scripture says:

”You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Perfection is a requirement in Christ. To achieve perfection we are going to suffer just as Jesus was made perfect through suffering. So, this is the first key reason why we are suffering for Jesus

Be sure you are suffering for Jesus

There are many people who I have heard say that they are suffering for Jesus. However, in some instances that is not true. They may well be suffering, but not for Christ.

People suffer for many reasons, and not all of them are to do with their walk with Christ.

People make bad decisions. They do the wrong thing and suffer. They believe what is false and they suffer. Some don’t seek the truth and they suffer, blindly accepting what they are told without checking. This is what the scripture says.

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing. 19 For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:18-21)

If you have done the wrong thing, or made a bad decision, or gone astray in some way and are suffering, it is not for the sake of Christ. This is not suffering for Jesus. It is suffering for your own errors, faults, mistakes, foolishness, and so on.

But as the scripture here also says, if we suffer for doing what is right and take it patiently, we are rewarded by God. We receive God’s approval because we did what was right and suffered for it. This is one good example of suffering for Jesus.

Suffering is a good thing

We must also remember that as we were called to suffer, then suffering for Jesus is a good thing in some ways. Consider this scripture for a moment:

1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Another of the key points about suffering is that it produces growth. When we are suffering for Jesus, we are learning and growing.

As we suffer and place our suffering in the hands of the Lord through prayer, supplication and walking in the Spirit, we are learning to endure. That is why it says, “…suffering produces endurance…”

The process continues on as we grow because from the root of suffering we eventually grow the other things mention. We start with suffering for Jesus to produce endurance. Then endurance leads to character, which leads to hope. And hope never disappoints us.

Through suffering for Jesus we receive the hope of salvation knowing that better things lay ahead. Look at the wonder that is clear in Paul’s words as he describes the outcome of our sufferings.

18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21)

So, any time you feel depressed because you are suffering for Christ, look up and remember the joy that is set before us. Your salvation awaits and suffering is a necessary part of the plan of salvation.

Other points regarding suffering for Christ

There are other ways that we can and do suffer for the Lord. The devil is always on the lookout for ways that he can trap us and cause us suffering. He will put obstacles and problems in our way. The devil will throw up temptations to lead us away from the Lord and cause us to suffer.

But the Lord is aware of these things as He has said:

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

With every suffering that befalls us, God provides the means of escape. But this means of escape is not so that we can bypass the suffering. It enables us to endure it. As we saw above, endurance is important and it is the output of suffering. As we rely on the Lord when we suffer, we grow stronger and more able to stand against the causes of suffering.

God does not leave us alone in our suffering

I mentioned that I believe God was with Jesus even when He thought He was forsaken. Well, in the same way the Lord is with us too. We see in this next verse how we share not just in suffering for Jesus, we also share in His comfort too.

5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Corinthians 1:5)

If we add to that this next verse that shows how the Father Himself steps in to help us as we go through suffering, then it is a powerful reason not to become downhearted. Sufferings will come, but the help and strength of the Lord is always at hand too.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. 7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. (1 Peter 5:6-10)

Suffering for Jesus leads us to humility. We need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

Here, we see that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour Christians. His desire is the destruction of the people of God, and he wants us to suffer. But the devil wants us to suffer for his purposes, not suffering for Jesus.

But when we humble ourselves under the hand of God as we go through suffering, we resist the devil. By turning to God we are turning away from the devil. We are seeking the power of God to overcome and remove the suffering.

The great promise in this scripture is that after we have suffered for a short while, God steps in. We must suffer. It is necessary for our growth in Christ. But God steps in after we have suffered a while to, “…restore, establish, and strengthen you.”

What a great promise this is. Suffering for Jesus for a while, then to be comforted and restored by the Father Himself.

So, when you go through suffering for Jesus, remember that there is a purpose for it. Suffering as a Christian wins the approval of God. It leads to endurance and hope. Through suffering we are made strong and God provides a means of escape as well as comfort in our sufferings until we are perfected in Jesus Christ and receive the promised salvation.

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