Nephi was well aware that Jesus would come down—the condescension of God—and that he would suffer and die. We take our knowledge of Christ’s ministry on earth for granted because we have hindsight. We know what happened. He lived, he died, and he was resurrected. But Nephi was living before all of this occurred.
Nephi knew that Christ was going to suffer much throughout his life. Nephi understood suffering. He had a difficult life—leaving the comforts of his childhood home in Jerusalem, facing exposure in the wilderness and the risk at sea. Nephi knew that Christ was willing to endure extreme pain and suffering for all mankind because of love. I think Nephi probably took great comfort in the fact that he was being Christ-like as he suffered and endured to the end.
When Christ appeared to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 27:27, he stated, "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." There is no principle of ethics or morals that is stronger than following the best example that you can find. Christ showed us, by example, how to best live our life. Following him will make it a reality that we can become Christ-like.