1. Foretold. 1:11. Old Testament spokesmen did not understand the identity of the Person who was the Messiah, or the time of His appearance.
2. Our example. 2:21. He suffered unjustly and patiently. We are to be as close to Christ as possible, like a copybook with flawless penmanship. The farther one moves away, the more the copy worsens.
3. His patience. 2:23. He was patient under provocation. His silence was not weakness but supernatural strength.
4. His endurance. 3:18. His sufferings were: expiatory – freeing us from punishment; effectual – forever; substitutionary; reconciling.
5. Our aim. 4:1. We have choices – sin or suffering. To avoid persecution would be a sin. To maintain purity and godliness, the reproach of Christ means suffering. If we do this, sin loses its power.
6. Partakers of His sufferings. 4:13. We share in the same kind of sufferings: rejection and reproach. Those who suffer for Him now will rejoice with Him in the future.
7. Our testimony of His sufferings. 5:1. Peter was a witness. He saw the Shepherd die for the sheep.