Steadfast Or Intolerant?
As Christians, we often hear the world talk about intolerance and how that word applies to us as Christians. We have talked about the words tolerance and intolerance before and how the politically correct people in this country have hijacked these words and have used them against people like us, Christians, in particular for quite some time.
The main reason in my mind for the disconnect between the world and Christians like us as it relates to tolerance and intolerance is that the world doesn’t understand why we believe what we believe and why we find it so important to hold onto what we believe so strongly.
The Word of God is very plain when it tells us that we have to own what we believe and live what we believe all of the time. We as Christians believe that every word in the Bible is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
The Bible is not something that we can pick and choose what we believe. When we became Christians, belief in the Word of God was not optional nor were we given the prerogative to read through it and say “I don’t like that passage of Scripture” or give God suggestions about how if He would have asked me about this topic then I think that I could have done that better. That’s not up to us, is it?
If we believe that the Bible is 100% true then we have to hold steadfastly to the truths found in it. This is where there is a huge difference in what we believe versus what the world believes. We are to be steadfast in all that we believe as Christians but the world bases what they believe a lot of times on emotion or flat out falsehoods, shifting morals and ethics.
In 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 Paul wrote this to us: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
There has been a story that has been circulating in one form or another since 1931 and many people have told this story as true but as your Pastor it’s my job to tell yall the truth and the truth of the matter is that the following illustration is completely false! And while this tale is false, the message that it conveys is very relevant to what I’m trying to get across to all of us today. The name of the ship involved has changed many times over the years but in today’s version the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier and its battle group is being used.
The USS Abraham Lincoln was patrolling off the coast of Newfoundland in a gale that was blowing and whipping the waves into frenzy. This great ship, commanded the seas wherever she would sail. Every ship that would approach her would quickly give way for no one would dare to challenge her.
One night the ocean the ocean swells began to rise and fall as full gale winds blew. When suddenly, dead ahead a light broke through the darkness. The alarm was sounded and the captain was called to the bridge. Surely this was just a passing freighter on its way to a safe harbor.
For some time the captain tracked the movement of the light but it seemed to be heading straight for the Lincoln, not moving even 1 degree to the left or right to avoid collision and getting ever closer in the darkness. Perhaps their radar had jammed, or perhaps they just simply had not seen the lights of the Abraham Lincoln dead ahead.
The captain decided that it was prudent to send out a warning call to the approaching ship. “Approaching ship, turn 15 degrees south. You are on a collision course with USS Abraham Lincoln.” The call was answered with this message. “USS Abraham Lincoln, you are ordered to turn 45 degrees north. You are on a collision course.”
The captain of the Lincoln became very angry. The very idea that anyone would challenge his right-of-way on the open seas was appalling to him. He sent out a second message, “Approaching vessel, this is the captain of Navy Vessel, USS Abraham Lincoln. You are ordered to turn 15 degrees south and yield right of way.”
The answer came back, “US Navy vessel USS Abraham Lincoln, this is a lighthouse, your call!
The point I’m trying to get across to all of us is that there is only one steadfast and unmovable reference point for life and that is the Word of God. We must also remember that we are to be steadfast and immovable in our commitment to obeying the Word of God. The Word of God is the rock upon which we can build our beliefs on and know with certainty that it will never ever change.
The Word of God is not just the Bible that we hold in our hands and believe with all of our hearts and minds but it is also a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ. (QUOTE JOHN 1:1)
And since the Word is the Bible and the Word is also Jesus Christ, then we can trust what we believe in and that the truth of God that we hold steadfastly too is unchanging and eternal.
In Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8 we read this about the Word of God: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
The Word of God is our Rock. Jesus is our Rock! In Romans chapter 9 verse 33 we read this: As it is written:“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
And also in 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 4- 8 we read this: 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
8 and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
We as Christians have to build our belief systems, our morals, our ethics, our very lives on the Rock that is the Word of God and on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And we have to hold onto the steadfastness that the Bible and God offer to us every day! We have to cling to the Bible and to Jesus with all that we are and we have to be steadfast in defending what we believe no matter what the world says to us or about us.
The world may call us intolerant or narrow minded but they don’t understand that we have planted our lives and our beliefs on the Rock that is Jesus Christ and His Holy Word! Jesus was very clear about the differences in what we believe as opposed to what the world believes and what will happen to those who reject Him and His Word.
In Luke chapter 6 verses 47- 49 we read this: 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
The world can’t understand why we are so steadfast in what we believe. This passage of Scripture lays it out pretty plainly for them if they would ever care to read it and at least try to understand what Jesus is saying here.
And believers also get warned by Jesus what will happen to us if we are only kind of doing what the Bible says and following Jesus only part of the time. In Revelation chapter 3 verses 15-16 Jesus said this about the Christians in Laodicean church: 15 ‘I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
The word “spit” here is really translated as “vomit”. We have to be fully committed to following our Lord through His teachings in the Bible. Complete belief in Scripture what God desires from us and if we don’t have complete belief in the Scriptures then we are failing.
When we as Christians take stands against things that the world thinks are good and acceptable we are called intolerant and bigoted or whatever other adjective that they want to use against us but we have to hold fast to the truths that the Bible has in it because if we don’t then we will be no different from those whose house is built upon the sand and our “houses” will also fall just like the houses of the world.
When we as Christians stand up and go toe to toe with the world and say that marriage is between a man and a woman then we are called intolerant. When we stand up and say that sex outside of marriage is wrong then we are being narrow minded and when we stand up and say that abortion is wrong then we are told to mind our own business and stop trying to force our morals and our beliefs on the rest of society. And when we stand up and say that abstinence should be the basis for any sex education in our schools we are called old fashioned and out of touch!
Well you can call me whatever you want but I will base my life and what I believe on the Rock that is the Bible and Jesus Christ! What about you today? We cannot be like the world because they have no absolutes in their lives in general.
In Ephesians chapter 4 verses 14-15 we read this: 14 …we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…
As believers in Jesus Christ we have all that we need to believe in and our doctrines and our way of life is laid out for us in Scripture but the world on the other hand can be and usually is swayed by whatever the flavor of the day is. The latest movement or whatever makes them feel good at the time.
But what makes me feel good is knowing that if I live my life based on biblical principles then I will be pleasing the one who gave up His life for me and in the process I will be pleasing those around me because I will be living out the love that Scripture tells me that I should be showing to a lost and dying world.
The schemes of men are self serving and deceitful. They are formulated to manipulate and control people. And while the world tries to tell us that we are the ones who are being controlled and manipulated, I would challenge them to really examine whose lives are in shambles more on a regular basis and whose are not.
And while it is very true that the lives of Christians are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, we can be very glad that our lives are based on Rock rather than on sand!
No matter what the world may say to us or about us we have to always remember to stand firm and hold steadfast to the truth that is the Bible and the Truth that is Jesus Christ! If they call us intolerant, narrow minded, bigoted, stupid, or whatever then we can probably be very sure that we are standing up for the truth, for what is biblically right, and that will be an offense to the world but we have to know that Jesus said that this would be their response to us and to His truth.
We have to stand up and tell the world the truth in love! In Romans chapter 12 verses 9-11 we read this: 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…
We have to cling to what is good and denounce what is evil and what the world usually tries to say is good is almost always evil and wrong. We are called to always serve our Lord fervently in standing up for what is right and what is good! That’s our challenge, to take on the world and be the voice of biblical truth and reason no matter what the consequences to us may be. Are we up to it? With the Lord’s help I know that we all are!
