"Toxic Tolerance" | Pastor Steve Gaines

take your Bibles and turn with me please to Revelation chapter 2 Revelation chapter 2 in just a moment begin reading in verse 18 Revelation chapter 2 verse 18 what the devil can get you to tolerate you will soon embrace I want to say that again what the devil can get you to tolerate you will soon embrace we live in a day when one of the highest values in American culture is tolerance we're told that to be tolerant of anything and everything is good we're told that tolerance is to be open-minded unprejudiced unbiased charitable easygoing but let me ask you a question is it wise to be tolerant of anything and everything should you tolerate ladies somebody's stealing your purse I just ask a question it'd be nice to somebody answer I'll ask you again should you tolerate ladies somebody's stealing your purse when you go out to eat today should you tolerate somebody's spitting in your plate should you tolerate somebody speaking ugly about your child should you tolerate somebody walking up to you and smacking you in the face for no reason you're the most intolerant bunch of people I've ever been around in my life when you talk about tolerance or intolerance you're in the realm of ethics nowadays the main thing that is not tolerant is to be intolerant but when you tolerate what God does not tolerate in Scripture you engage in what I call toxic tolerance like it or not some things are innately right and some things are innately wrong how many of you have ever traveled abroad you've gone to another country when you entered that country how many of you had to have legal documentation like a passport to get in how many of you have gone to a country that if you had not had a passport they would not have let you in anybody so that nation had boundaries right you see it's right for somebody to be able to get into a nation with legal documentation it is wrong for somebody to enter a nation without legal documentation whatever nation it is you try to go and get into Russia without passport you try to go to get in Russia with a passport yeah you try to go to China without a passport so should we tolerate just anybody coming into America without I want anybody to come to America that wants to come to America to do right as long as they do it legally as long as they do it legally I'm fine with people coming to America that's great come on but do it legally don't be an undocumented illegal person trying to enter any country not just America any country don't do that you say well I don't believe in boundaries okay let's take it - how many of you own a cell phone anybody how many of you have a code to get in it you believe in a boundary how many of you lock your doors at night anybody you better you believe in boundaries how many of you have a computer anybody out there not as big as they used to be are there how many of you have an ID that you have to enter in to get into that computer anybody you believe in boundaries okay let's get off of that we all believe in boundaries whether we like it or not and you know what a lot of the people that are saying that our nation and other nations should not have boundaries they have cell phones with IDs they have locks on their doors it's hypocritical to tell other people you shouldn't have boundaries but I've got them all right just a thought you think about that one a good long time because anything you tolerate you'll give in to after a while what about a baby there's a little baby in the womb didn't ask to be you can't speak for himself or herself believes that he or she is in the safest place in the world a mother's womb should anybody have the right to kill that little baby should anybody tolerate the killing of that baby is that wrong sure it's wrong say there's right and there's wrong does anybody remember that is it right for a man to marry a man is it right for a woman to marry a woman is it right for a man to marry a woman see there's just some things that are right something's wrong and when you tolerate what is wrong you're engaging in what I call toxic tolerance the church at Thyatira was engaging in toxic tolerance they were tolerating things that God did not tolerate and when you tolerate things that God doesn't tolerate God won't tolerate it notice what the Bible says there in Revelation chapter 2 verse 18 and to the Angel of the church in Thyatira write the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet are like burnished bronze says this I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and perseverance and that your deeds of late are great at first but I have this against you you what said I allow you tolerate what did they tolerate the woman Jezebel oh when you say the word jet you wouldn't name a dog Jezebel amen I mean a jet when you say Jezebel a unit just that's evil Amen you tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and she teaches and leads my bondservants astray so that they do two things they commit acts of immorality and they eat things sacrificed to idols they cheat on their spouse and they cheat on God I have given her time to repent but she does not want to repent of her immorality the old I'm going to throw her in a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation unless they repent of her deeds and I will kill her children with pestilence and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and the hearts and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds but I say to you the rest that is the remnant who are in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching who have not known the deep things of Satan as they are called as they call them I place no other burden on you nevertheless what you have hold fast until I come he who overcomes and he who keeps my deeds until the end to him I will give authority over the nation's and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the Potter are broken to pieces as I also have received authority from my father and I will give him the morning star he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches this is the word of the Lord let's talk about toxic tolerance and how Jesus confronts it Jesus first of all judges everyone perfectly Hey look at me the judge of all the earth will do right when it's time to judge you the judge of all the earth will do right when you stand before him in judgment look at verse 18 and to the angel the Angelus the messenger the senior pastor of the church in Thyatira right the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet are like burnished bronze says this Jesus was telling them to do something and he introduces himself with three characteristics and he says this is why I have the right to tell you what to do I hear some people out they say well why does Jesus have the right to tell me what to do well here you go first of all he's the son of God the only time that phrase is used in the entire book of Revelation is right here in verse 18 and when he says he's the son of God he's saying I am God in the flesh I am God the Son he's talking about his deity he is God when Jesus asked his disciples who do you say that I am Peter answered in Matthew 16:16 you are the Christ the Son of the Living God and that means you are God in the flesh you are the anointed God you are the eternal divine son of God you're just as much God as God the Father just as much God as God the Holy Spirit Jesus was saying I am God's Son I have the right to tell you what to do then he says I'm not only the son of God I have eyes like a flame of fire stressing his omniscience I see everything and I know everything he is the all-knowing son of God he sees it all nothing is hidden from his sight he said oh no but that guy wrote the song no one knows what goes on behind closed doors Jesus is behind closed doors amen there was nothing at the Church of Thyatira that was going on that Jesus didn't know about it was his church he was walking through the church with eyes like a flame of fire he saw everything he knows everything and then he says there's a third thing I have feet that are like burnished bronze I am omnipotent I am the strong stable standing Jesus Christ no one is stronger than me jesus said not the devil not the demons not the world not sin not death not the grave not even hell is stronger than me I am omnipotent therefore since I am God since I know everything because I see everything and because I am standing with a firm foundation I have the right to tell you what to do Church of Thyatira I can judge you perfectly and Jesus is still saying that he's saying the Bellevue Baptist Church Bellevue Baptist Church I have the right to judge you yeah I know about you I know about how many you run in Sunday school I know about how I know about your offerings I know about the baptisms I know about it all but I see everything I see you when you're not at church I see you at home I see you when you're out doing your thing I see it all I've got eyes like a burning fire and I am strong you're not stronger than me Bellevue Baptist Church you may be strong you may think you're strong but I got news for you I'm Way stronger than you and I am the son of God and I have the right to tell you what to do you don't tell me what to do Jesus is saying to Bellevue Baptist Church I'm telling you what to do and for some of you you ought to thank God you're discouraged right now you're hurting you need that weigh maker that miracle worker that promise keeper that light in the darkness God is God and God can work in your behalf amen he can work in your behalf I'm telling you you keep crying out to God even when you don't feel it he's working in even when you don't see it he is working he never stops even when you go to bed he is working our God is working amen but on the other side you better beware if you're living in sin be sure your sins will find you out and God is not coming to bless you he loves sinners but don't you mistake it he hates sin and this judge will call you out if you don't seek him and try to do right with all of your heart and you'd better not tolerate what he doesn't tolerate or he's going to judge you God judges everyone perfectly secondly Jesus commends Christian obedience look at verse 19 I know you deeds he says your love faith service perseverance your deeds are of late or greater than those at first Jesus comes in he said now guys it's it's not like everything's wrong you you've got some good things going on I see your service I know your deeds and your service you're actively helping other people you're a busily working church you're diligently sharing the gospel you're preachers preach you're deacons are working hard they're servants people are being saved people are being baptized people are being helped as they grow in grace and Christ's likeness you're taking care of my widows you're taking care of my orphans you're taking care of my elderly my sick my poor my needy you're engaging in prayer you got a lot of good deeds going on and I appreciate your love II said I I appreciate its the word agape I appreciate you have in John 3:16 Jesus kind of love that kind of love that Paul said in first Corinthians is patient love is kind it's not jealous it doesn't brag it's not arrogant it doesn't act unbecomingly it does not seek its own it is it's not selfish it's not provoked it does not take into account a wrong suffered it does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth it bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all thing that kind of love that you've got it never fails oh I'm grateful that you're baptized in the love of God diet IRA and I know your faith I know that you are a believing congregation faith one of the greatest spiritual attributes you've got it you you can't even be saved without faith Ephesians 2:8 for by grace you've been saved through faith you can't even pray effectively without faith jesus said in mark 11:23 he said all things for which you pray and ask believe that you have received them and they will be grant you you can't just pray and expect God to do anything you've got to pray in faith jesus said you can't just read the Bible you've got to read the Bible and believe the Bible you can't just preach about God you've got to believe in God you got to walk in faith and oh I see it and I know that Hebrews 11:6 is right you you can't please God without faith he says without faith it's impossible to please him he who comes to God must believe in that He is God and that he is a rewarder of those who seek Him so five times I commend you you have faith and also I know your perseverance I know that some of you have been arrested some of you have had your property confiscated some of you have gone before Roman trials and you have been absolutely persecuted and I even see that all of these things your deeds of late are greater than those at first so I commend you on those areas now that's kind of strange no it's not if you've ever been a parent or have been around a parent a good parent you know that they do both they don't just condemn the bad behavior they commend the good behavior if all you ever do is point out your children's faults you're gonna miss your children up in fact they're just gonna quit one of these days because they can't live up to it if all you ever do is criticize and if that's what they get it home they're just going to give up you've got to commend them too you've got to lovingly say man you're really good at that or I appreciate what the I appreciate this attribute of you you need to constantly compliment your but you do need to correct them but you don't just need to correct them by belittling them and berating them I want to say this to you harshness can get fast results but it will always leave permanent damage harshness can get you quick results in relationships but it will always leave permanent damage so when you as a parent are bringing up your children commend their good parts and then help correct what's wrong in their lives that's what Jesus does that's how Jesus leads us and Jesus refuses to tolerate anything that is not scriptural but he commends things that are scriptural Jesus commends Christian obedience thirdly Jesus despises sinful instruction now we're going to get down to it even though Jesus commended the Christians at Thyatira for these areas he had something negative to point out he said but negative conjunction their contrasting conjunction but I have this against you that you do what said out loud strong you what tolerate you tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess she teaches leads my bondservants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols the diet tyrant Christians were sinning in the area of Tolerance they had toxic tolerance they were tolerating things that were not scriptural they were Toliver tolerating a sinful woman whom Jesus called Jezebel how many of you women would like Jesus to come up to you and say hello Jezebel that would not make your day would it she taught abominable immoral things in the church that Jezebel was probably not her real name it was just a nickname that Jesus gave her you wouldn't name a child Jezebel I hope if your name is Jezebel I'm so sorry I don't know what to say but please don't write me a letter all right Drew's been here 10 years send him one all right when you think Jezebel you aligned somebody up with evil that's the Old Testament which that had all the prophets of bail killed all the prophets of God and she was the one that killed that guy out there in the field that dr. Lee used to talk about and pay day Sunday she killed that guy because he wouldn't give her husband a have his property neighbor knew what Jezebel could do the Church of Thyatira had a Jezebel teaching a life group and whatever she was teaching was causing the people to embrace immorality and idolatry and the Church of Thyatira was so loving and so accommodating they tolerated her so how can they do that same thing we the same reason we tolerate things and whatever you tolerate you just keep on tolerant after a while you give in to now right just finally give in to it yes it's just the way it is I was trying to turn on something less I just wanted I'd studied all day long I just wanted to see something I just wanted to stare into something and just see something halfway normal and halfway wholesome and I finally just turned the television off I told my wife I said it's like finding a dozen roses in a cat litter box amen you can't find anything good on television it's just nasty if that's too much of an image for you just forget I said it all right I'm telling you we live in a day when we are being tempted to tolerate she teaches and leads my bondservants astray verse 20 so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols I gave her time to repent she doesn't want to repent of her immorality and that shows you something right there does it not God wanted her to repent Jesus gave her time to repent she chose not to repent nowadays we've got people saying oh no God predestined all of that well Jesus wanted her to repent but she wouldn't it didn't say she couldn't it said she wouldn't she had the will to do it 2nd Peter 3:9 Lord wanted her to do it the Lord's not slow about his promise as some count slowness he's patient toward you he's not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance and then Jesus here's what I'm gonna do with her verse 22 I'm gonna throw her on a bed of sickness I want to tell you something Jesus judges you appropriately she had been immoral and she had been unfaithful to her marriage bed and she was teaching other people to be unfaithful to their marriage bed and so God's gonna make her sick on a sick bed God knows how to judge amen and those who commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation unless they repent of their deeds and I'll kill her children that is her followers with pestilence and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and the hearts God doesn't look as we look God doesn't see just the outside God looks at the heart he searches the minds and hearts and he said and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds if you're immoral I'll give it I'll give you according to your deeds if you're idolatrous I'll give you according to your day if you tolerate Jezebel I'll give you according to your deeds I gave her time to repent I gave you time to repent but you won't and the Bible says in Luke 13:3 Jesus said unless you repent you will all likewise perish you know repent means to not just admit your sin but to ask God to help you quit your sin you got to stop it you got to stop it you don't just say it you got to stop it because if you don't God is obligated to punish you said what are you talking about Nahum 1:3 the Lord is slow to anger get angry but his power is great and he never lets the guilty go unpunished aren't you glad that Jesus bore our punishment on the cross but you look at me when God tells you don't do this and you do it God will discipline you God will punish you when you tolerate what God does not tolerate in Scripture you engage in toxic tolerance Jesus despises sinful instruction Jesus judges everyone perfectly Jesus commends Christian obedience Jesus despises sinful instruction and Jesus encourages faithful believers now Jesus is going to address at first he addressed the whole church then the problem and then he's gonna address the remnant in the church look at verse 24 but I say to you the rest everybody say the rest that's the remnant that's the good bunch they hadn't given in to Jezebel or her teachings the rest who are in Thyatira who don't hold this teaching who have not known the quote deep things of Satan as they called him no wonder I called her a witch while ago she was teach things that were satanic I place no other burden on you - the rest of you guys you're doing right you got it you didn't get in on this lady's teachings you didn't go to her Sunday School class you didn't follow her abominable teachings you didn't follow what she called the deep things of Satan you didn't follow Satan you followed me I I get to the rest of you I love you you're my remnant stay faithful I place no other burden on you but then he says in verse 25 nevertheless what you have hold fast until I come man you stay he's saying it don't you give in don't you go the way of Balaam he says if you'll do that I'm gonna reward you look at verse 26 he who overcomes how many of you want to be an overcomer anybody out there I sure do he who overcomes and he who keeps my deeds until in the end to him I will give authority over the nation's I will rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the Potter are broken to pieces as I also have received authority from my father what in the world is he talking I'm a little guy from Dyersburg Tennessee what are you saying I'm gonna rule I'm with Jesus I'm gonna rule ya one of these days we're gonna rule he that signs kind of like the Mormons and what they believe no I'm not talking about that stuff I'm talking about what Jesus talked about in Revelation chapter 20 that when he comes back he's gonna set up a kingdom on this earth and all of his children are going to rule with him it's called the millennial reign or rule of Jesus Christ a thousand years here's what we read about it in Revelation chapter 20 verse 6 blessed in fact it's so good read it with me alright just read the verse with me blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection for them the second death that's hell the second death holds no power read it with me now but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years now what part of priests and reign do we not understand you're gonna be a priest and you're gonna reign with Jesus for a thousand years and then he's gonna burn this world up he's gonna burn the heavens up and there's gonna be a new heaven and a new earth and a new Jerusalem and we shall always be with the Lord look at your neighbor said I'm gonna reign with Jesus go into it come on I'm gonna reign with Jesus amen get some of this favor off of me amen yeah I'll get some of this favor often you may not look like much now but for a thousand years you're gonna reign with Jesus amen we're not raining right now are we this world is in a mess we've lost our minds we have lost our minds but one of these days we're going to reign with Jesus and one of these days everything's going to be alright it's going to be better than Mayberry better than Mayberry some of y'all won't Mayberry I don't want that there's a drunk guy in that I don't want that I want better than that and we're gonna be overcomers Romans 12:21 don't be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good first John 4:4 you are from God little children and you have overcome them because greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world and then he says in verse 28 and I will give you the Morningstar who is the Morningstar Jesus revelation 22 verse 16 I Jesus have given sent my angel to give you the message for the churches I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne I am the bright morning star when you get saved all you get is Jesus and all you need is Jesus he's the morning star and he's coming after you if you're his child amen and then he just says okay here it is I just talked to you he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches now let me translate that for you to Dyersburg 22 42 Tatom Road that's Edgar coming in say you heard what I said son when he says he who has ears to hear he is saying you heard what I said stop tolerating sin stop tolerating what I don't tolerate tolerance in and of itself is good when it's secondary tertiary issues we shouldn't demand that everybody agree with us on everything but when it is a biblical principle look at me we have no choice but to say if you violate the Word of God we will not tolerate it kill us arrest us throw us away whatever you want to but we not tolerate sin and we won't just not tolerate it out there we won't tolerate it in here and we won't tolerate it in here not gonna tolerate it oh you're intolerant yep when it comes to sin I'm intolerant my wife texted me something last night is it okay - it was a tweet some of y'all don't even know what I'm talking about give thanks from Diane Lane Bert PhD godly woman speaking truth is often considered a threat to the church a mind blogging boggling reaction when God makes it very clear that the true church is to be a light in darkness that means seeing what things really look like and calling them by their right name amen does anybody remember right and wrong anybody remember right and wrong nowadays is I want you to be tolerant of me but I'm not gonna be tolerant of you what we need to find out is not what you tolerate and what I tolerate what does God tolerate and what does God not tolerate and let's go with Jesus amen let's be as tolerant as Jesus but let's be as intolerant as Jesus and let's do what the Bible says and not listen to the world amen amen amen let's thank God for his word today father I pray in the name of Jesus that we will tolerate what you tolerate we will not tolerate what you don't tolerate and you would give us the discernment to know the difference in Jesus name and if that's your prayer say Amen

Channel: Bellevue Baptist Church

Views: 3,737

Rating: 4.875 out of 5

Keywords: toxic tolerance, book of revelation, end times sermon, pastor Steve gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, bellview, bellvue, Steve gains, bellevue church, bellevue memphis, southern baptist sermon

Id: 8KfGSnyOyQs

Length: 36min 1sec (2161 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 17 2020