Author: NBibens

Luke 7:11-17 records one of the three miracles in which Jesus raised someone from the dead. Luke intriguingly frames this miracle by drawing attention to two different crowds. Verse twelve says that Jesus went into the town of Nain, and “…his disciples and a great crowd went with him.” As they entered the town, this crowd with Jesus met another crowd. Verse twelve says that a man had died, and his widowed mother and a “considerable crowd” were carrying him out. In some ways, these two crowds could not be more different. One crowd followed the Author of Life; the other was a funeral procession.

But the beauty of the story is that there doesn’t have to be two crowds. Jesus had compassion on the bereaved widow and raised her son from the dead! The funeral procession surely transformed and joined the jubilant crowd that followed Jesus. What crowd are you in? Are you following the path that leads to death or following the life-giving Savior?

In our post-modern world, people often speak of “my truth” and “your truth.” The idea is that what might be true to me may or may not seem true to you. Now, many people decry this view of truth. But did you know that the concept of “your truth” is not a new thing? It isn’t even a post-modern thing. People have always had their view of truth, and folks have always debated whose truth was greater. Even in the Bible, a man is lauded for “his truth.” That’s right!

Third John 3 begins, “For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth…” Wow! The Apostle John praised someone for their “truth.” Of course, we need to read the rest of the verse. It continues, “…as indeed you are walking in the truth.” John didn’t extoll personal truth—he lauded a man who aligned his truth with God’s Word. What is your truth? Is it based on your ideas and feelings or the Word of God?

Jonah’s story opens with God’s command, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” What made Nineveh “great?” I’m sure by normal standards, Nineveh was a great city. It was the capital of the world super-power. The flow of commerce and wealth was likely staggering. Even God acknowledged Nineveh was a “great city.” But great doesn’t mean good or righteous. Nineveh was a great city, filled with great evil. We should remember this. The world uses many standards and metrics to gauge value, but the standards that matter are God’s. Many cities, people, companies, and so on may be considered great. But are they godly? Are they holy? Greatness is wasted when it promotes evil.

Thankfully, Nineveh was also a city of great potential. When they heard Jonah’s preaching, they humbled themselves and repented. If we seek true greatness, we must humble ourselves, repent, and follow God.

Thousands of years ago, the prophet Malachi asked a penetrating question that could aptly be asked of us. “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?” Malachi’s question had a specific context, but the question has far-reaching applications.

We all have the same Father—God. We have all been created by Him and in His image. Further, those who have obeyed the gospel have also been adopted by the Father into His family and kingdom. These truths mean our relationships with one another are critically important. As children of God, we must be faithful to one another. We owe each other kindness and respect. We should be faithful enough to rebuke an erring brother instead of talking behind his back. We should be faithful to forgive and restore. We should serve, love, and help one another. If Malachi spoke to us today, could he ask, “Why are you faithless to one another?”

God’s mercy is unfathomable. God is more merciful than we can comprehend and certainly more merciful than we deserve. But God’s mercy does not negate His righteous judgment. And God’s mercy in no way excuses sinful rebellion. Nahum 1:3 says, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.” Lest we think God overlooks sin because He is longsuffering, Nahum underscores God’s judgment on unrepentant sinners. Nahum doesn’t just say the guilty will be held accountable; he exclaims “by no means” will the guilty be cleared.

God’s mercy is a tremendous gift, but it is not a gift we should presume upon. It also is not an unconditional gift. God’s mercy extends to those who trust Him, repent of their sin, and faithfully follow Him. For those who persist in their rebellion (like the Ninevites Nahum addressed), their guilt will by no means be cleared, and they will face God’s wrathful judgment.

Ephesus was a city steeped in paganism and superstition. Many of the citizens participated in forms of magic. But when the gospel came, they learned the error of their dark practices, and they made the choice to change their ways. And their change was not half-hearted. In Acts 19:19 the Bible tells us that, “…a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

This action shows the repentance and devotion of the Ephesians. First, their repentance was absolute. They didn’t just stop looking at their books or hide them away—they burned them! They removed the evil influence from their lives. And this was no light thing—the possessions they parted with were valuable, but not as valuable as their souls. We can all learn lessons of repentance from the Ephesian Christians.

Christians are supposed to live holy lives. When we obey the gospel, it is as if we have put the old man of sin to death and we are made into a new creature by God’s power—a creature that pursues holiness and righteousness. And yet, anyone who has been a Christian for very long knows that we still are not perfect. There are still times we make mistakes. There are still times that we commit sin. How can this be?

Becoming a Christian does not mean we are perfect. But it does mean a change of allegiance to Christ and a constant effort to avoid sin. Romans 6:12 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.”[1] The Christian does not let sin reign—that is, we don’t persist and abide in sin. Instead, Christ reigns. Thus, when we do sin, we repent and return to obeying King Jesus who reigns over our life.

[1] CSB

Acts 18 introduces us to one of the great preachers of the first-century church. Apollos was eloquent and competent when it came to using Scriptures. Not only was he talented, he was committed. He is described as a man “fervent in spirit” and willing to teach others. But there was one problem—he didn’t know everything he needed to know. Somehow, he only knew about John’s baptism, so his preaching did not include the essential message of baptism in the name of Jesus. When two Christians, Aquila and Priscilla, heard Apollos, they were kind enough to speak to him and they “explained the way of God to him more accurately.”

Even if we are talented, knowledgeable, and committed, it could be that we need to learn God’s Word more accurately. If we are truly committed to following God, then we will always be willing to learn and even change if it turns out our understanding is incomplete.

Priorities are important. Too often, we focus on worldly things that seem so demanding and important, but neglect the things that truly matter. When we focus on selfish, earthly things, we anger God. And further, such focus is fruitless and hopeless. The only true fulfillment we can find is when we serve the Lord whole-heartedly. Haggai 1:9 says, “You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”

The Jews were rebuked because they focused on building their homes instead of the temple. But are we any different? We do the same when we focus on our career and leave the Lord’s work undone, or whenever we put our desires before the Lord’s will. Don’t let the Lord’s House lie in ruins because you are focused on your own concerns.