Jump Start # 1689

Psalms 19:11 “Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

  This week we have been looking at the concept of warnings from the Bible. Our verse today reminds us that this is one of the purposes of God’s word. It warns “Thy servant.” The young preacher Timothy was told to preach the word. That included reproving and rebuking. Young preachers, like Timothy and Titus, were to “point these things out to the brethren.” Peter “reminded” his readers of truths that would help them on their journey with the Lord.

It’s hard for some folks to accept the idea that the Bible warns. They see the Bible as a green light to just about anything and everything. These same folks are surprised that the Bible doesn’t read like “Heaven’s Chicken Soup for the soul.” The Bible is not a daily devotional. The Bible isn’t quick tips for busy people. Such thinking waters down and dilutes the powerful message of God. All of the Bible needs to be read. All of the Bible needs to be understood. We all have our favorite sections of the Bible. It is easy to reduce the Bible to only our favorite parts, while ignoring the rest of it. Because Ezekiel is difficult does not mean that I can or should avoid it. It’s in the Bible. God wants me to read it and know it. The same goes for Revelation. The same goes for Leviticus and Numbers. Picking and choosing only certain books to read while never reading the others will not give me the full picture nor the complete understanding of God’s will.

God’s word warns us. That simple expression tells us several things:

First, it reveals that God loves and cares about you. He doesn’t want you to be harmed. He doesn’t delight in seeing you ruin yourself spiritually. He warns us so that we will be safe. God cares. How odd this is for some people to grasp. In their twisted thinking, they think that if God really cared, then He would step out of the way and allow us to do what we want. They hate rules and restrictions. A growing segment of the younger generation refers to themselves as spiritual but not religious. They love God but they do not want to be a part of organized religion and they definitely do not want to be defined by any doctrines. These free thinkers do not have room in their theology for warnings. If God didn’t care, He would sit back and watch us crash. The fact that He does care, moves Him to warn us about coming dangers.

Second, God’s warnings are declared, but it is up to us to do something about them. We see this with weather warnings. Sirens blowing loudly, the TV weatherman telling listeners to take cover, and some adventure seeker will go out in his backyard to film a passing tornado. Many of those folks get seriously injured by flying debris. God warns us. Do we pay attention? Do we do anything about it? Do we make adjustments? Or, do we go on our way believing that we can stand in the middle of a spiritual storm and be ok? Evil companions corrupt good morals—plainly stated to the Corinthians. The context tells us that those evil companions were fellow Christians who did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Do we continue to hang out with co-workers, family members and neighbors whose language, attitudes and behavior is offensive to Christ? Do we excuse it because, “it’s my cousin.” Does that matter? Do we continue to be influenced by weak Christians? God warns. Do we pay attention or not?

Third, as our passage states, when we listen and obey God’s word, there is great reward. The reward is not just Heaven, but now. The reward of a life well lived. The reward of pleasing the Lord. The best life is what God has shown us in His word. The reward of a great marriage. The reward of a family that loves and accepts each other. The reward of friendships among the people of God. The reward of having done things right and well. The reward of a safe life. There is great reward in worshipping God. There is great reward in walking through this world with confidence and hope. There is great reward in knowing that you will someday see the face of God.

Fourth, God knows us the best. He knows what we are likely to do. He knows what we need. He knows that these warnings are just the thing that will keep us safe and close to Him. We may not always understand why God says some things are off limits, but our trust in Him makes us realize that He knows what is best. He always does. God warns us ahead of time. He doesn’t make up rules as the game is being played. We know in advance what is right and what is wrong.

Warnings. They are a part of life. They are a part of our life with God. When we are warned by God, we can make the adjustments in our path that will keep us safe with Him.

Avoid…flee…beware…be alert…be warned! They’re all there in the Bible. Red lights flashing on the dashboard of life. Ignore them and it leads to trouble and misery. Make adjustments and life is good.

Roger

Jump Start # 989

Psalms 19:11 “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

Living in Indiana presents weather warnings throughout the year. In the spring, it’s tornado warnings. In the winter, there are ice and snow warnings. The forecast for this weekend is looking ugly. Warnings are already being posted. Rain, ice, snow—it’s coming. Smart folks know how to live with these warnings. There will be a rush on at gas stations and grocery stores today. Stock up and hunker down is what Hoosiers are accustomed to in the winter. Smart drivers will leave earlier so they can have plenty of time. They will drive slower than the speed limit. Dumb drivers act like it’s a sunny June day and they are the ones who are usually off the road in a ditch. Paying attention to warnings is vital to safety. Friends that live in Florida understand the seriousness of hurricane warnings.

The Bible also has warnings. These are not about weather but the things that can damage our souls. Multiple times in the Gospels Jesus used the expression, “Beware,” or “Watch,” or, “Take heed.” Those warnings are serious. The wise will pay attention to those warnings. Jesus cares for His people. As a shepherd watching out for the sheep, so Jesus is watching out for us. The careless and the proud will ignore these warnings. They will rush into things that are dangerous, thinking that they can handle anything. So many who do that become affected and often ruined because of the dangers they ignored.  God knows what He is talking about. We must trust Him, believe Him, and listen to Him.

Satan is out to get us. He will disguise things and present things as innocent when they are not. It doesn’t take much poison to ruin a soul. Just a twist of the truth here, just a little toe over the line there and those who are not paying attention are caught in his trap and they never saw it coming. That very idea is used in Proverbs 7 of the naïve young man walking down the wrong street at the wrong time of the day and talking to the wrong person. An immoral woman catches him, persuades him, and like a bird that is caught in a trap, so this young man is snared in the clutches of sin. It happens so fast. It happens without a person seeing it coming, so it seems. But all along, there are warning signs. Each step closer to the edge is a step away from God and a step that has ignored warnings.

Consider a couple of thoughts here:

1. Be careful what you read. Because a book is sold in a religious bookstore does not mean it is good, helpful or even accurate. Read everything with a critical eye. Read with a knowledge of God’s word in your background. Know something about the author. Where is he on the map of things? What does he believe? A book recommended by a friend still must be read carefully. Too many buy into things that modern man has written and by doing so they have tossed out what the Bible says. Can’t do that. Heed the warnings.

2. Be careful how you conduct yourself around those of the opposite sex. Too many married people flirt around with others, thinking it’s just innocent teasing and fun. Don’t be so naïve. Heed the warnings. The first steps that lead to adultery begin with co-workers and friends being too friendly and sharing too much information with each other. Some things are no one else’s business. Some things belong to our mate and no one else. So you appear as dull to others. So you come across as being a stick in the mud to others. You are protecting your marriage and your soul. Being alone with someone you are not married to can be extremely dangerous. Every spring in Indiana, while the tornado warnings are blaring through the neighborhoods, and most sane people are rushing to their basements for cover, there is always some fool who goes outside to see if he can see the tornado. Dumb. Dangerous. Most can understand that. Why is it that they can’t see the danger of texting, facebooking and sharing private info about feelings, sex, desires with someone they are not married to? Dumb. Dangerous.

Warnings are there to help us. When the red light on your dashboard comes on, or your gas light comes on, you can ignore it—but if you do, you’ll be walking instead of driving. Your car will be sitting along side of the road dead. Pay attention to warnings. Look at them with careful eyes. Understand them.

If you have never done this before, it would be good to go through the N.T. and list the “beware” passages and the “watch” verses, and the “take heed” verses. List them on a piece of paper. Look at them. Understand why God is warning us.

Those that pay attention to warnings will do fine. Those that don’t, usually are in a mess. That is true of winter weather warnings and spiritual warnings.

Roger