The First Sunday of Advent (NT)

Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, 

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; 

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

God sent repeated messengers to the people of Israel, even though he knew that they would face persecution and even death.  God sends his messengers into the harvest field knowing they will face persecution and possible death.  The servants sent to the tenants were beaten, mistreated, and killed.  The heir was sent and he was killed as well.

Remember Jesus Christ the only Son of God was sent into the mission field.  He was mistreated.  He was beaten.  He was killed.  He has sent us into the world so that we might also be killed.  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."  God continues to slaughter his people.

It has been said, "The Church is grown on the blood of the martyrs."  The church grows in times of persecution.  I pray that God would continue to persecute his Church.  The Disciples of God need a little more discipline.  We could all use a little better instruction and persecution.

God sends us out into the world to suffer, be beaten, be mistreated, and be killed.  But we go with a certain hope.  We know that because the heir has been slaughtered like a lamb, we have the promise of everlasting life.  There is nothing that the enemy can do to separate us from the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World.