Insight for Living

Bill Meyer: The lamb was slaughtered so that you might live. That’s not a metaphor. That’s not poetry. That’s the beating heart of the Christian gospel. And it carries more weight for your life today than any headline you’ll read this morning.

Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll brings us back to the most stabilizing truth in all of scripture: that the spotless lamb of God took our place, paid our debt, and finished the work completely. Today, he draws it all to a close with four qualities shaped by the lamb himself that are worth living by.

Chuck Swindoll: Lambs, when going to slaughter, go with blind compliance regardless of the destination. They go where they're led. The servant savior, however, goes with knowing submission. He knew when he came that he came to this earth to die. Maligned, mistreated, misunderstood, we read here: like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth.

John chapter one includes the announcement of the baptizer. His forerunner, the one who leads the way before the Savior becomes that well-known, John is preparing the way for the one who is yet to come. I love his humility. Verse 26, John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you do not know. It is he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing. Now look closely. The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There he is.”

Now, let's move ahead to right around 65 AD, first Peter chapter one. I love this verse of scripture. Verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold from your futile way of life. Constantly in this culture, there’s the emphasis on money. You’re not redeemed that way. Verse 19, then how are we redeemed? From the precious blood, as of a lamb, there it is again, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

It takes the blood to wash away the sins of the world. As one man put it so well, it is the greatest detergent ever known to humanity. It continues to wash away sin. The reason you have forgiveness is because of the blood of Christ that was poured out on that cross to redeem you from a slave market from which you could never redeem yourself. Isaiah looked ahead, John looked at, Peter looks back, and his concern is that we live lives in light of that: lives of purity.

See verse 17, look here: if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. His emphasis is that we be holy as our God is holy, and that’s up in verses 15 and 16. Without the giving, the shedding, the pouring out of the blood, there is no forgiveness of our sin.

Now, this reminds me of something that Cynthia and I witnessed a number of years ago. Where we lived at the time, there was a track that went around a large football field. It was a community college in that town, and we would go there to do our early morning walks and to solve life’s problems as we went around together. On the way from our home to that track where we walked around over and over again, there was a pen of animals.

The community college had a course that they taught, and in it, there was the raising of animals. Among them was a little small flock of sheep. It was fun as we would go by there from one day to the next to look at those animals. I was sort of taken by one, and she was just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I realized this is a ewe who is heavy with young. Just as the six months ran their course, she delivered this little lamb.

I never wanted to crawl over a fence so much in all my life as when I began to see that little thing as it started to grow up. Wobbly legs and little soft... it makes you want to cuddle up with it. This little lamb. This big old ewe lamb just kind of pushing her around. I’d say, “Go easy on the lamb there. Watch out for that little lamb.”

I watched this sight, and it reminded me that the Lord knew what he was doing when he called us sheep. What you've got to know is, as cute and cuddly and soft as the little lamb was, those other sheep are really a mess. I mean, if you've ever looked at the south end of a northbound sheep, you realize right away what a mess they make of themselves. Here in the midst of all of these sheep, which is just so much like all of us, is this little lamb, this little helpless lamb.

There are lamb-like qualities that we would do well to be reminded of. Our Savior, God's lamb, gave himself for us. In light of what we have seen, I want to suggest four qualities worth emulating that stem from what I thought of as I looked at this little lamb. They do not come naturally to any of us, especially those of us who are Type A, strong-willed, determined, and independent.

The first quality is a life of dependence. You heard it right: dependence. I know I’m speaking today mainly to Americans, and I know you’ve cut your teeth on independence. I love it too, and I believe it with my whole heart, but there’s a wonderful place in all our lives for dependence. As I looked at that little lamb in that pen, I realized there's not a way in the world that little creature can survive on its own, any more than a newborn two, three, or four weeks old could make it without a mama, without somebody to care for him or her.

A life of dependence. We have no defense in ourselves spiritually. You can't even see the enemy; he’s invisible. He’s not only insidious; he’s invisible. He’s powerful, and his minions would love to do nothing more than to bring you to your end. You can't defend yourself. You can't find your way. You have no incredible power. You have no natural brilliance, spiritually speaking. The brilliance you have, you gain from this book, from the Spirit of God who guides you into truth.

So, a life of dependence. Cultivate the truth of Proverbs 3:5 and 6, which tells us not to lean on our own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, he'll make your paths straight. I spoke at the seminary, Dallas Seminary, this past week, and I told them the thing I feared for them among the most things I feared would be a ministry of quick success.

It's a danger. Young in the work of God and finding or learning and knowing the success, you become independent, self-sustaining, and even if you’re not careful, self-important. I warned them, and I today warn all of us about conceit, self-serving, a tendency to make it on our own. We are to live lives of dependence. This week, lean on him.

Instead of worrying yourself sick over the plan and what you have to do, just pause and pray and say to your Father, “I can't make it without you. Take over. Take away this draining anxiety and replace it with an assurance that you've got it in your hand, you're taking care of things.” You'll not only sleep better, you'll live better.

The second thing I see in the lamb is the assurance of approachability: approachability. Perhaps it was that which first attracted the men to their Savior when he said, “Follow me, I'll make you fishers of men.” I don't know the last time you thought about it, but these men left their careers, some of them established careers, and a few of them rather lucrative careers.

They set it aside, and they followed him who won them over by his winsomeness. He was approachable. Remember his own words telling us of his temperament: “Come to me, I am gentle and I'm humble of heart.” Little lambs, like I said earlier, just are so inviting. They are not intimidating, they're not violent, they're not going to bite you. They can't even run that fast; they stumble and fall. They’re approachable.

Let me speak to you who are, you know, pretty big deals in your circle. You’re the hotshot, okay? Don’t raise your hand; it doesn't help. But you're the boss, or you're the one who makes the most money, or you're the powerful one, or you're the one that could easily intimidate. You make a decision, and the employees are gone. So you’re the big deal.

Stay approachable. Let me say this too: if you're growing in your faith and you're learning a little about the Bible, go easy on others. Don't pull rank. To be approachable is to let people learn and invite them to learn. There's something wonderful about being very capable but not acting like it. It brings back a memory. Cynthia knows where I'm going with this.

When I was in my last year at Dallas Seminary—it’s a hard story to tell—we had come to the middle of the semester and the beginning of the last semester in the Master’s program. There was what was called the seating of the seniors. I don't know if the seminary still does that, but we did it then, and it was one of the few times that you really felt great about it. First of all, you thought, “I'm going to make it.” So that’s an encouraging thing right there.

But you also are honored in that they introduce you and you walk down the aisle at Chafer Chapel and you sit down. All at once, your class is in place. Applause! How does that sound? That's a brand-new sound. So that's all part of it. However, the previous weekend, we had a man who was drunk hit our car full-on and totaled our car. We had already lost a baby through this miscarriage that I had mentioned earlier.

So we were sad about it. Cynthia was now pregnant and carrying what would be our second child. Our oldest, the only one we had with us at that time, was our son, Curt, and he was standing up in the front seat. Remember the days when there were no seatbelts? Remember that? I mean, you’re just like rockets when you hit something. That little guy went right into the windshield and broke his jaw.

Cynthia's injured and begins to hemorrhage, and we think we're going to lose our baby. Her mother has got cancer and she’s dying with cancer and would soon be gone. It was just a terrible time. How would we ever get our son fixed? What am I going to do for a car? We didn't have any money. I had to go back to school, and I just... we were at the bottom.

I remember when I got back on campus—this is an absolutely true story—I remember thinking if I could just find one professor, just one of these guys. If I could just talk with him for 10 or 15 minutes, I could make it. It was late in the evening, and I remember walking along the hallway and looking under the door for a light because their offices were all in a row here.

I saw a light. I didn't even bother to see what name. I just knocked. What I'm now going to tell you I've rarely shared. The professor is no longer a part of the faculty, I might add, but back then he was. He opened the door a little bit. “Yes, what do you want?” That’s a nice start. I’ve got tears. I said, “Dr. So-and-so, I would like...” “What do you want?”

I said, “Well, I am...” He said, “You know, I'm very busy tonight preparing for tomorrow's class. Tell me what you want.” I said, “I don't want anything from you.” He closed the door. That was it. That was it. I remember walking away and walking out into the night. I didn't know if we were going to be able to keep our baby or lose another one. I didn't know if I’d ever get out of school. I needed somebody approachable.

There’s more to the story, but time doesn’t allow me to tell it. But let me just stop right here and say, someday you’re going to hear a knock at your door. Somebody who may not mean all that much to you or may not seem all that significant will need you. Take time. Think of yourself as a lamb, not a lion. Jesus said, “I am meek and humble in heart.” Take time. Maybe one of your own children, maybe one of your grandchildren. The assurance of approachability.

Third would be a heart of innocence: a heart of innocence. That's the absence of duplicity and deceit. A heart of innocence—really, that's a naivety toward wickedness. That's unusual in our day, isn't it? When I see a lamb, I think of innocence. Little lamb. With our little children, as they grew and started going to school, I remember thinking there are these little innocent kids going off to school.

As innocent as you could be being one of my kids, but you know what I mean. Innocence is an absence of duplicity. Let me give you another one: not familiar with a wicked lifestyle. It's kind of nice to meet up with people that are still a little naive, that just don't know all the dirty stuff. Lambs are like that.

My granddaughter, who is a junior in college right now, told me a sweet story. She said to me the other day, “Papa, I was in Chapel, and the president was speaking.” He just said, “I'm just going to open the floor to your questions.” There were 2,500 in the school. The chapel was packed. He had just a microphone and said, “Ask any question you like. I'd like to answer if I can, if I’m able.”

She said, “I only remember one of the questions, but it was a wonderful question. One of the young ladies in the school said, ‘Dr. So-and-so, what are you most concerned about regarding us as students?’” Isn’t that a good question? What keeps you awake at night? You know what his answer was? There was about a 30-second pause of quietness, and he said, “The growing absence of innocence.”

He said, “You see, students, when I was a student, you had to work hard to get into stuff that's filthy. You had to sneak around and you had to... but now it's just the punch of a key on a computer. It's just left-punch, there it is.” He says, “I know that there's no way in the world I can monitor all of you in your lifestyle.” He said, “I'm concerned that you may be involved in things that ought to be waiting until you're older, and in some cases, you ought not even be aware of it at all.”

The heart of innocence. It's wonderful if I may just add this, no extra charge: it's wonderful, and I'm going to make it both ways, when a man's going to marry a young woman to know that she's pure. What a gift. To know that she’s a virgin. And for the woman to know that her husband-to-be is a virgin. How right is that? A heart of innocence. I bring to you my life. No one else has known me intimately, and that's for you. I've saved it for you.

Fourth is a spirit of sacrifice: sacrifice. Lambs existed to be sacrificed. If you have a spirit of sacrifice, you will not always be watching out for your own good. Paul said in his life toward the end, “I am poured out as a drink offering.” Second Timothy 4:6, “I’ve fought a good fight, the course I've finished, the faith I've kept.” Poured out as a drink offering. Our goal is to have the likeness of Christ at work in us. I urge that for every one of us, regardless of your age, regardless of your status, regardless of your role, regardless of your gender: to be like Christ.

You've listened so well, now I urge you to live it well. Live it well. Let me tell you, with that kind of model, you won't have to look very far for an opportunity to speak of Christ. Your life will be like a magnet. Where are you in that list? Life of dependence, the assurance of approachability, a heart of innocence, a spirit of sacrifice. The godly Robert Murray M'Cheyne was once quoted as he had written, “It's not great talent God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.”

Let's bow together, will you please? Maybe you've never trusted in the lamb. This is such a marvelous moment for you to do that. We don't beg people or plead with people or try to manipulate you to do something you're not ready to do. We respect your right to think it through, but haven't you heard enough to learn that you have wandered far from the one who made you? The only way back is to come through the cross because the lamb was slaughtered, your opportunity for knowing God is open and available to you. Trust him now.

Lord, in this fast world and this culture, we are aware, every one of us, of the great temptation of faking it. Looking one way but living another. Talking about innocence but not experiencing it. Guard us, our Father, and cleanse us as we come to you like little lambs, dependent on you for life and for defense and for a purpose to go on. Lord, help us all in this journey from earth to heaven to see in these truths of Christ lessons to live by.

May they cause us to open our door when there's a knock and open our hearts when there's a need. May we be people who are contrite and gentle and understanding and caring and innocent. Guard us, our Father, from a phony life of duplicity and hypocrisy. Remind us that the one who paved the way for us was the perfect Lamb of God whom they slaughtered. We worship him today and now with our lives. In his precious name, we pray. Everyone said, amen.

Bill Meyer: A lamb was slaughtered so that we could be free. That’s the thread God wove through every altar, every sacrifice, every drop of blood spilled on ancient stone, all of it pointing toward one spotless, silent, willing lamb who took our place. Don’t let this truth fade. We invite you to take advantage of the resources that Insight for Living has prepared for this series. Chuck Swindoll’s 12 sermons are recorded and available on CD and MP3. Plus, there’s a Bible study workbook in the popular Searching the Scriptures format. It features meaningful questions to ponder and plenty of room to jot down your personal thoughts and observations.

The title of this 12-part series is "How Great Is Our God." Call us at 800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org/offer. You know, one of the most staggering truths we can hold on to is this: the lamb who was slaughtered is alive, and he’s preparing a place for those who belong to him. Heaven is not just a comforting idea; according to scripture, it’s a real place for real people with real bodies and a real future.

But for many of us, heaven remains more of a feeling than a fact. We know it’s there somewhere, but we couldn’t tell you much about it. Well, Insight for Living wants to change that. The Understanding Heaven Passport is a free digital download that answers the questions you’re actually asking: what heaven is really like, who will be there, and what it means for your life today.

God revealed these truths not to overwhelm us, but to anchor us in hope. You can download your free copy right now at insight.org/heaven. This guide won’t cost you anything, but it just might change the way you live because of it. So, download it today at insight.org/heaven. I’m Bill Meyer. In light of America’s 250th birthday, Chuck Swindoll explains how to help our nation survive, Friday on Insight for Living.

The preceding message, "The Lamb That Was Slaughtered," was copyrighted in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2019, and 2026, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2026 by Charles R. Swindoll Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.