Sermonette for Saturday
And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. Luke 19:39
For once, the Pharisees were not upset at something the Lord Jesus had said, but at something that He had not said. The crowd, made up mostly of Jesus’ followers, were cheering and rejoicing as their Lord was making His way into Jerusalem. And what they were saying made it clear that they recognized this One as the Messiah, the promised Redeemer of Israel. In the previous verse, they were recorded as saying ‘Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest.’ The Pharisees rightfully observed that those words should be reserved for the Messiah alone. And to hear those words being proclaimed for One they rejected as the Messiah was unthinkable to them. They could do nothing to silence the crowd, so they turned their vitriol on the Lord Jesus, insisting that He set the people straight. But the disciples had it straight, it was the Pharisees who were off base on this one. Just as the opponents of the Lord Jesus remain off base today in their criticism of His followers.
The evolutionists and the atheists – often the same people – do not like to hear of creation as presented by those who believe and teach what the Bible has to say on the subject. It galls them to no end that they cannot disprove one word of the Genesis account, and that they cannot prove one word of their foolish evolutionary theories. Just as the Pharisees rejected the Lord Jesus without checking out His claims, so the evolutionists and the atheists dismiss the solid evidence of the creation scientists, and mock anyone who dares to accept it. Just like the Pharisees were, these fools (Psalm 14:1) are so sure they are right that they dismiss the truth totally. And like the Pharisees, they want to silence everyone who disagrees with them. They have succeeded remarkably well, too. The Bible’s account of creation is no longer an option for consideration in public schools.
The homosexual community bitterly opposes the Bible and all who acknowledge its teachings that homosexuality is a sin. This opposition has led to a growing attack on the truth, so that any who speak it are considered the evildoers, and any who refuse to condone and promote homosexuality are considered violators of human rights. Just like the Pharisees, the homosexuality movement wants to silence everybody and everything that stands in their way. For example, there is already a growing movement to have the Bible banned from the public.
As Christians, we will encounter enemies of the Lord Jesus, especially if we, like His disciples, proclaim Him for Who He is. Will we allow them to silence us? – Jim MacIntosh