Author: NBibens

Love is not static. Just because we love something or someone today does not mean we will love that same thing or person in the future. Love can change. Now, this process of change is not outside of our control. I’m not talking about falling in and out of love. But our choices might change who and how we love over time. The same is true spiritually and is demonstrated by Solomon.

First Kings 3:3 says, “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father…” But in 1 Kings 11, we read that Solomon “loved many foreign women,” that he “clung to these in love,” and that they turned his heart away from God. Solomon genuinely loved the Lord in his younger years. But bad choices and evil influences changed his love over time. If you love the Lord today, ensure you continue to love Him. Protect your heart against evil influence and choose to persist and grow in love each day.

While driving sometime back, I noticed the tires of the car in front of me. It looked to me like their tires were worn down and nearly bald. But as the car came to a stop at a light, I realized I was mistaken. Once the tires weren’t spinning, it was clear there was plenty of tread. Once the light turned green and the car began moving, the tread quickly disappeared, and the tires looked smooth again. It’s obvious what was happening. The faster the tires spun, the less detail I could observe.

You know, the same is true in life. Sometimes, we get so busy and move so fast through our day that we miss out on important details. Maybe we overlook a family member’s need for an encouraging word. Perhaps we miss an opportunity to encourage the downtrodden. Maybe we breeze past an opportunity to share the gospel. Try slowing down today and see what details you pick up on and what service you can render.

In this sermon, Nate Bibens considers the first of David’s three confessions in Psalm 23—”I shall not want.” This remarkable statement reminds us that Psalm 23 is not just a psalm of comfort but a reminder of contentment. But why can we trust the Lord so much that we can say with David, “I shall not want?”

One of the most frustrating experiences as a parent is buying groceries only to find them left out and gone bad. Maybe it’s a gallon of milk that wasn’t put back in the fridge, or a cereal box left open, so the cereal is stale. We want to keep groceries fresh because they are valuable! But there are some things that we should not keep fresh.

Jeremiah 6:7 says of Jerusalem, “As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are ever before me.” What a word picture! Jerusalem treated evil like a precious resource. Evil was something they clung to and relied on. It was something they valued.

Could the same be said of you? Do you do all you can to purge evil from your life, or is it something you cling to and value? Has evil been put away, or is it kept fresh in your heart?

Some doctrines claim the Holy Spirit acts upon a lost individual so that they might be saved. This process is described as a miraculous working upon the heart or as illumination. The idea is that the Holy Spirit works upon or is given to an individual so that they can obey God. But In Peter’s defense before the Jewish Sanhedrin, he said, “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”[1] Peter didn’t say the Spirit was given so that people would obey God, but that the Spirit was given to those who had obeyed God.

The Spirit has revealed God’s will in Scripture. We need not wait on a miraculous operation to obey the Lord. We have His Word and His commands. The promise of the Spirit is not for those who need to obey the Lord—it is for those who have humbled themselves, placed their faith in Christ, and obeyed His commands.

[1] Acts 5:32

Jeremiah warned Judah of God’s judgment should they refuse to repent. It should have been an easy job. Judah’s cousins—the Israelites, had already suffered God’s wrath for idolatry and wickedness. That should have warned Judah to be faithful. But instead of learning from Israel’s mistakes, Judah imitated them. In Jeremiah 3:11, God says, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.”

How could Judah be considered worse than Israel? How could we be considered worse than the faithless? Perhaps verse ten provides the answer. There, God says, “…Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense…” Faithlessness will incur God’s wrath. But it seems that pretense is even worse. To pretend to serve God—to serve Him without whole-hearted devotion—God considers that treachery. It’s easy to point the finger at unbelievers, but perhaps we should examine our own hearts and ensure that pretense does not render us even less righteous than the faithless.

It has become increasingly common to hear about “misinformation.” News outlets are accused (or accuse competing outlets) of “fake news.” Political pundits proclaim their opponents are waging misinformation campaigns. And social media platforms have implemented fact-checkers, many of which require fact-checking themselves. “Misinformation,” “fake news,” and “fact-checking” might be new buzzwords, but the situation is nothing new. Deception has been practiced for a long, long time.

In Jesus’ day, He was often the target of vicious claims aimed to undermine  His influence. In perhaps the most egregious form of misinformation in history, the Pharisees claimed of Jesus, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”[1]Such a claim was not just fake news—it was blasphemous. But it reminds us of an important truth. There always have been, and always will be, people who hate the truth and are willing to tell the darkest lies to fight the light. Don’t be a victim of spiritual misinformation. Trust in God and the truth of His Word.

[1] Matthew 12:24

Modern religion often disparages any concept of Biblical law or command. This is typically the result of misinterpretation of Scripture and a healthy dose of manmade theology. It is true that the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and replaced with a new, better covenant. But that does not mean Christians are under no law whatsoever. Christians now abide by the Law of Grace and Truth—the law of Christ. It is not “legalism” to adhere to Jesus’ commands.

Those who refuse to obey the King of Kings should listen to the words of an old prophet. In Zephaniah 3:4, Zephaniah condemns Jerusalem’s leaders, saying, “Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.” Could the same be said of you or me? If we neglect God’s law and teach others they need not obey the Lord, we act violently against God’s Word! Such is unabashed rebellion. Don’t do violence to God’s Law—submit to His Word and regard Him as holy.

Perhaps you’ve heard of someone who suffered from “delusions of grandeur.” But greatness is not the only thing in which we can suffer delusion. In his introduction to the book of Ezekiel, commentator Daniel Block says, “Ezekiel’s overriding purpose is to transform his audience’s perception of their relationship with Yahweh, exposing delusions of innocence and offering a divine understanding of reality.”[1] What a sad and terrifying condition. Many of Ezekiel’s countrymen felt righteous and innocent even as exiles in a foreign land. God’s prophet provided a reality check.

Today, it is undoubtedly true that we can still suffer from “delusions of innocence.” Perhaps, like ancient Judah, we cling to our idolatry, selfishness, or man-made religion, all the while imagining we are God’s people. If so, we drastically need a divine understanding of reality. Where can we get that? God’s Word. Read God’s Word. Does it support your faith and your life, or does it reveal your righteousness is nothing more than a delusion?

[1] Block, Daniel Isaac. The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 1–24. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997.