Jump Start # 720

Matthew 24:38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

Our passage today contains a warning from Jesus about the coming of the Lord. He compares that to the days of Noah. There were warnings there as well. Some say this passage is about the second coming of Jesus, others say, it’s about the destruction of Jerusalem. I’ll leave the technical stuff for other studies. It’s the coming warning that I want to consider in this study.

We have all kinds of warnings, from the labels on products, such as, medicines we take, to the dashboard of our cars. Weather warnings are the most serious that affects large populations. A few times the elements come together that causes the weather forecasters to send out serious warnings several days in advance. That happened last year in my area when the tornados struck Henryville, Indiana. Now, forecasters are warning about a huge storm that is headed for the northeast on Halloween. They have named this storm, “Frankenstorm.”

• There will be some who take heed. They will be preparing for the storm. Some will leave the area for safer places.

• There will be some who mock the forecasters. They will talk about all the hype and excitement and nothing comes about. So, for some, they will go about business as usual.

• There will be a few curious ones who want to witness such a storm. There will be some traveling to the storm area just so they can experience “Frankenstorm.”
• Then there will be a segment that never gets the warning. They won’t be watching the TV channels that tell residents to take cover. They won’t have their radios on. They don’t read newspapers. They will be busy caught up in their world, clueless to what is happening until they are caught in it unprepared. Some may get injured because they were not prepared.

It seems every major storm finds those same groups of people. Our passage tells us that it was that way before the flood. Noah warned. He preached while he built the ark. He preached for over 100 years. People didn’t listen. They ignored. They made plans showing that they didn’t not believe Noah.

If indeed someone believed that there would be a massive flood and blinding rain, why would they get married? That shows that they didn’t believe, until it was too late. Some probably never knew why the flood was happening.

Peter encountered people who denied the Lord was coming. Everyday is the same they said. It’s always been that way. Warnings have been issued. Jesus is coming. Some will be ready. Some will ignore the warnings. Some will mock the passages. Some will never get the warning. They don’t go to church. They don’t read their Bible. They will be clueless to what will happen until it’s too late.

God has other warnings. The coming of Jesus is not the only warning. God warns about behavior. The Galatians were told about the works of the flesh. The warning attached proclaimed that those who do such things cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Serious warnings! How do we take such warnings?

God warns about harboring hatred and an unforgiving spirit. Jesus said if we won’t forgive, God won’t forgive us. Serious warnings. How do we take such things?

It’s easy to see the mistakes people made surrounding the flood. It’s easy to see how folks ignore the warnings about Christ’s coming. But attitude and behavioral warnings are just as serious.

Warnings are given to protect us and keep us safe. Warnings interrupt our routine and make us take things seriously. Warnings are good. We need them. We especially need them from God.

Living clueless to what the Bible says is certain to get a person caught in the spiritual storms of life. It’s bad when they happens. It’s worse when a person realizes that it doesn’t have to be that way. If they had only heeded the warnings!

Take God seriously…listen to what He says. Unlike the weathermen, God is always right!

Roger