@ LibertyGal

This title came from a statement from R.C. Sproul in his sermon entitled “How Does Truth Command Me?” that was the inspiration of this post. We have all been taught to blindly follow either the crowd or the so-called authority figures. We are not taught to seek the truth. We are not taught to seek what is right. We are taught to follow the crowd. ### All Like Sheep Have Gone Astray Unfortunately, following the crowd almost always leads us astray. > **All of us like sheep have gone astray**,\ > Each of us has turned to his own way;\ > But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all\ > To fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6) {emphasis mine} If you are a student, have you been trained to blindly follow the teacher or your peers rather than actively seeking the truth? If you are working in a career, have you been trained to fit in with your peers or do whatever management says even if those actions are foolish or immoral? Does your church follow the culture or the word of God as explicitly stated in the Bible? Who or what are you following? Are you following the media? the culture? authority figures? your heart? or are you following the word of God? Do you even know the Bible to know if you are following the word of God or not? > “**My people have become lost sheep;\ > Their shepherds have led them astray**.\ > They have made them turn aside on the mountains;\ > They have gone along from mountain to hill\ > And have forgotten their resting place.\ > All who came upon them have devoured them;\ > And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,\ > Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord\ > who is the habitation of righteousness,\ > Even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’ (Jeremiah 50:6-7) {emphasis mine} There is a reason that people are frequently referred to as sheep in the Bible. Sheep aren’t very smart. They don’t think things through. They tend to blindly follow the flock or the shepherd without thinking about where that may lead them. ### Follow the Good Shepherd > For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, **leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps**, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For **you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls**. (1 Peter 2:21-25) {emphasis mine} Following the herd or flock will lead us astray. Following the many self-proclaimed shepherds will lead us astray. Following the true “*Shepherd and Guardian of your souls*” will lead you in the path of righteousness and lead you to obedience to God. One sign that we truly are Christians is that we can recognize what is from Jesus and what is from the Devil. Reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible will help us determine truth, but the Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers, also guides us. > “I am the good shepherd, and **I know My own and My own know Me**, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16) {emphasis mine} Those who have truly trusted in Jesus as Savior should recognize the voice of the “*Good Shepherd*” and follow Him. > But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. **My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me**; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:26-29) {emphasis mine} Are you following the Good Shepherd (Jesus) or are you following false shepherds or lost flocks? ### Standing Alone When we surround ourselves with a group of godly believers (friends, family, or church), standing firm on the word of God tends to not feel too burdensome. We have others to lean on and to help us stay on the path. When we feel like we are standing alone, it is really hard to stay faithful. It is easy to follow the herd instead of standing firm on the foundation set for us by the Creator, Jesus. There are many people in the Bible who felt the same way, and yet they stayed faithful till the end. > God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and **I alone am left, and they are seeking my life**.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. (Romans 11:2-5) {emphasis mine} In reality, you are never alone. God is with all believers, but there are also other believers around. Some believers are good at standing firm in the face of adversity. Sadly, most are not and will try to hide in the crowd to keep from standing out or being attacked. We are called to obey God even if nobody else will. We are called to obey God even if it costs us our life. Being that faithful believer who stands up even when he feels all alone can make an amazing difference. One stands up against the godless culture. Another, with less courage, sees the faithful stand and grows in courage and decides to stand alongside the first. Others, seeing the faith of the two, gain courage and decide to join in for what is right. Pretty soon even unbelievers start to notice and become interested in what makes them different and courageous. ### Jesus died for you. What would you do for Him? On the other hand, when none choose to stand for what is right, things can get pretty bad fast. This poem written during the reign of Adolf Hitler is a sad reminder of what happens when nobody speaks up against evil. > First they came for the socialists,\ > and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. > > Then they came for the trade unionists,\ > and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. > > Then they came for the Jews,\ > and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. > > Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. > > —Martin Niemöller There were many Christians and churches in Germany at this time, but they chose to keep silent in order to not inconvenience their lives. The result was great evil and the loss of many lives and souls. This quote, often wrongly attributed to Edmund Burke, succinctly states a great truth: > The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Although Burke did have a much longer similar quote, it is unknown who gave this exact quote. Still it is true. So often we worry so much about “Thou shalt not …” that we miss the “Thou Shalt …” Sometimes what we fail to do is as bad or worse than the bad thing we do. When evil (as defined in the Bible) prevails, we are called to stand up for the truth and for God’s standard. We are called to battle evil, even when it is inconvenient, and even when it is dangerous to our very lives. These are not necessarily Christians standing up for their faith, but they are people standing up for what is right despite the fact that everyone else is cowering in fear and going along to get along. This picture is a solitary college student standing up to tanks in Tiananmen Square in China to protest tyranny and silencing of speech. This young man lost his life, but he made a difference in China and beyond and has been a hero and an encouragement to many. Look closely to this one man in the crowd at a rally for Hitler. The whole crowd is enthusiastically giving the Nazi salute to Hitler. I’m sure some don’t like Hitler, the Nazis, or the salute, but they are going along to get along. One brave soul out of hundreds is taking a stand. He refuses to give the salute. We all know what the Nazis represented. They murdered disfavored groups like the Jews. They silenced opponents. They did medical experimentation on undesirables. When the modern world thinks of evil, this is what they think of, but most of the people went along with the crowd. This was herd morality. Even most churches went along with the Nazi regime. Only a few brave souls stood up and said, “No, this is wrong.” Only a few risked their lives to either speak up or to try to rescue those who were being destroyed. Is your faith strong enough that you would be the one man in the crowd refusing to give the salute? Would you be like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and risk your life to sneak Jewish children out of Germany to rescue their lives? He did the right thing, but ultimately lost his life. Are you willing to stand up against the evil in our culture today and say, “That is wrong!”? What Biblical truths are dear enough that you would risk your livelihood or your life to defend? If your life was threatened, but you would be left alone if you denied Jesus, would you deny Him? ### Will You Follow the Herd or the Shepherd? We learned that following herd morals is a bad idea and that we should follow the commands of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Whom will you follow? Will you stand firm? What will you endure for the one who died for you? > **By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments**. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: **the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked**. (1 John 2:3-6) {emphasis mine} The God and Creator of the universe came down to Earth as a man and lived the perfect life that we couldn’t, died on the cross to be a sacrifice for our sins, and was raised on the third day proving He had conquered sin and death. Jesus is our example, and “*the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked*.” In addition to living sinless life as an example, God gave us His word so we would know His commandments. > **All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable** for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) {emphasis mine} God gave us everything we needed to live the life He has set before us. He gave us access to the truth. He gave us access to who He is. He gave us access to what He requires of us. We need to follow Him and not the herd. > And **do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed** **by the renewing of your mind**, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) {emphasis mine} We are commanded to “*not be conformed to this world*.” We are not to have herd morals. We are called to be “*transformed by the renewing of your mind*.” How will our mind be renewed? Our minds are renewed by faith in Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the studying of the inspired word of God. Do not be conformed, but trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated