Sheep For The Slaughter

Romans 8:36 says:

"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

What exactly does this mean?  Well, it means, if we are truly to have any impact on this world for the cause of Christ, we are to die to our fleshly desires (fame, success, wealth, health, and such) and focus on what really matters to God:

godliness, holiness, sharing the Gospel, speaking out AGAINST sin and ungodliness AND speaking FOR righteousness and holiness, no matter what the consequences, just as our Lord and Master did:

Matthew 10:25 says:

"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?"

Are you being persecuted as Christ was or as Paul was?  If not, maybe you are not being the salt and light that God would have to you be.   If we keep our mouths shut when people blaspheme our God and trample all over His commandments, are we being God's friend? are we being obedient servants? are we being thankful for our salvation?   Would you keep your mouth shut if someone treated your spouse (or child or parent or best friend) the way many people treat the holy name of Jesus Christ?

2Timothy 3:12 says:

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

Persecution is a given, not a possibility for the FAITHFUL Christian.

Read the following passage below and see how it relates to your life:

Matthew 10:32 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.  34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.  37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

You may let the Lord down, as all believers do, but if you don't even WANT TO defend God's laws and His reputation, then who do you really belong to anyway?  John 10:27 says:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"

What does it mean to follow Christ, other than to find out what he taught (by reading the Bible), and then to live as He lived.  Jesus spoke out against sin all the time and yet today's Christians seem to know only one Bible verse that Christ spoke:

"Remove the beam (log) that is in your own eye."   When we read that verse in context, we see that it is an admonition against HYPOCRISY, not a command to keep quite about sin.

Matthew 7:3 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."

People that use this verse (Matthew 7:5) when someone brings sin to their attention are often trying to make excuses for their sin and don't want anyone to "be their brother's keeper" nor do they want anyone to warn them about their sin and its consequences.  But as Christ said in Matthew 7 verse 5, the passage is saying that IF we are to cast the mote (speck) out of our brother's eye, then we should FIRST be sure that we are of good reputation and good standing before the Lord, and not some hypocrite who likes to point out other people's sin to make themselves look better.

Does a father teach his child right from wrong to make himself look better to that child OR RATHER to protect his child from the dangers and repercussions of wrongful living?  Likewise, if our motives are to be concerned about the physical and spiritual welfare of those we are correcting or challenging in their walk with the Lord, then we are indeed in the will of God and are doing exactly what the Lord would have us do... as we see here in James 5:20:

"Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

Just look at the prophets in the Old Testament and how God, in his Love, sent them to warn the people to repent because of the coming judgment if they did not repent of their sinful ways. And look at how those prophets were treated for just doing what God told them to do:

Jeremiah 7:25 "Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. 27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.  28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."

Here we read in Christ's "Sermon on the mount" about the persecution common to all true believers:

Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

We have to conclude that the persecution Jesus was speaking of above did not come as a result of just being a "good person" to those around us, but rather as a result of proclaiming Gods word:  teaching His laws, teaching about His holiness and righteousness, teaching about His HATRED for sin and His hatred towards the workers of iniquity, and warning all lawbreakers of their need to flee the wrath to come.   When people see the term "good works" in verse 16 above, they don't seem to grasp that those good works include proclaiming God's word.  How else can a person truly "glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt 5:16) unless they know the God of heaven and how can they know the God of heaven, unless the gospel is preached to them?

Jesus was not hated because of the miracles He did, yet those were surely examples of some of His "good works".  But he surely was hated for preaching God's word to people:

John 7:7 "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."

In Acts chapter 10 we read:

Acts 10:39 "And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:  40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;  41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.  42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead."

Christians are to tell the world that Judgment is coming and Christ will be that Judge.  God hates sin and there is real HELL to pay.  Do you claim to be a Christian?  Do you testify to the people around you about how God's word relates to you and to them?  Are you WILLING to be a sheep for the slaughter?