Tolerance: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Matthew 7:1The new religion of the day is tolerance. What used to be a beautiful concept of recognizing and respecting others’ beliefs without sharing them, is now a toxic practice.Tolerance was once a good virtue, an entitlement to your own opinion. Now, tolerance is an unreasonable thought that all opinions are correct.In Matthew 7:1, Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged…” In order to understand the true context of this command, we must take a hard look at today’s tolerance: the good, the bad, and the ugly.First, we must understand the concept of discrimination: to see what is good and what is bad. Before it became such a heated word, at its core, discrimination simply meant evaluation. Once we evaluate the difference between good and bad, we must eliminate what is bad, and appropriate what is good.The Bible urges us to use this critical thought process to discern what is good and bad. Judgment based on Scripture is considered righteous, but judgment measured out of our own heart and mind is wrong.Second, we must acknowledge the time for toleration. In Matthew 7, Jesus commands us to tolerate each other’s faults. This doesn’t mean we deny others’ faults, it simply forbids us from exercising unmerciful, self-righteous condemnation.Luke 6:36-37 instructs, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”We have no right to judge others this way, yet we tend to execute merciless judgment over each other. This is rooted in our own iniquities, insecurities, and ignorance.Adrian Rogers says, “There is no one big enough, no one just enough, no one loving enough to judge us but God Himself; and surely the judge of all Heaven and Earth will do right.”Finally, there must be a time for serious self-examination.Matthew 7:3 says, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”In examining our own hearts and standing with God, we must be hard on our own sins and merciful with others.Apply it to your lifeAdrian Rogers says, “There are people who are hurting, in the church and out of the church. They don’t need your condemnation; they need your mercy.”