SCRIPTURE: Luke 9:49-56
49 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”
50 But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”
51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival.
53 But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56 So they went on to another village.
INTRODUCTION
Tolerance is not my favorite word, the liberals have corrupted the meaning of the word. When I was a child it meant to put up with something, to bear it the best you could. Webster says tolerance is the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with. It is the ability to accept, experience, or survive something harmful or unpleasant. I don’t like pain, it is very unpleasant and I don’t agree with it but I tolerate it.
The problem with tolerance is not only in its definition but also in its motivation. We tolerate certain things and people because [1] we love them or [2] because we don’t give a flip. Most tolerance is perpetuated by our indifference. There is a time to be tolerant and a time to be intolerant. Our forefathers became intolerant of a despotic king who was taxing them unfairly and about to seize their fire arms. He had already seized private property. King George took everything John Hancock owed except for a few things which Hancock had hidden.
Sometimes it is bad to be tolerant and at times it is evil to be intolerant.
I. THOSE WHO HAVE COMMON GOALS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS.
“Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”
Jesus response–“Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.” {Luke 9:50}
In Luke 11:23, Jesus says–“Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.
Matthew 12:30– “Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.”
When it comes to Jesus there is no neutral ground. This is one of many reasons liberals don’t like Jesus. You are either for Him or you are against Him. Most folks would disagree because they have no opinion…”They don’t care one way or the other.” With Jesus, no decision is a decision. John 3:18 clearly states Jesus intolerance..There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. Our default setting is that of unbelief, if we never repent of our unbelief, we will go to hell. Those who refuse to believe will be condemned.
Technically, what do you have to do to go to hell? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Just remain as you are.
II. WE ARE NOT TO COMPROMISE OUR CONVICTIONS FOR THE SAKE OF TOLERANCE.
- Jesus did not tolerate the abuse of His Father’s House—John 2:13-16… It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
- Jesus didn’t tolerate the abuse of women-John 8:1-11… Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives…teaching in the temple… as He was speaking…the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
- Jesus did not tolerate child abuse–Matthew 19:13-15… One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.
Liberals are hypocrites: they preach tolerance while they are the most intolerant people on the earth. They don’t tolerate Christianity, they are intolerant of scripture. They make no effort to work with us in stopping abortions, crime, pornography and yet they are constantly reminding us that we are intolerant, which we profess to be. I have never professed to be tolerant, not of everything. No, I do not practice indiscriminant tolerance.
The Sanhedrin threated Peter and John, no more preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus…we will not tolerate it! The Christian response, “We cannot tolerate your intolerance.” The apostolic reply: But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
III. TOLERANCE CAN BE MOTIVATED BY GOOD OR EVIL
Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to nuke the Samaritans. Their intolerance will motivated by evil. The same is true with tolerance. Only and evil people would tolerate the murder of unborn babies.
IV. JESUS HAS DIVIDED THE WORLD INTO TWO GROUPS
Matthew 10:32-34… “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword [division].”
Jesus is the great divider: He has divided the world into two groups–Saved and lost, believers and unbelievers, repentant and unrepentant. I can’t change what Jesus has done and neither can anyone else. Jesus said clearly….“Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.”
Two distinct groups: Pro-Jesus or Antichrist. I will tell you exactly how a liberal will respond: “No one puts me in a group, I am neither for Jesus or against Him. The world is fifty shades of gray.” This is not what Jesus said and I think I will go with Jesus.
Perhaps you think this view is narrow. Jesus said He was bringing a sword and they are narrow. Only a narrow edge can cut. This is why liberals can’t grow a church, their social gospel has no cutting edge.
Sermons 