When one takes their driving test, there is a section on the test that deals with road signs. There are many different kinds of road signs. Around here lately we have had our share of road signs that are warning signs. Some are on the interstates highways, some on our surface roads.
We must heed these warnings or pay the consequences. One such sign would be that a bridge is out. If one traveled the road that had this kind of sign on it, and did not heed that sign there are dire consequences that would be paid. Another sign that we are to pay close attention to is a Railroad crossing sign. These come with many different warning devices also, but some people ignore them and go ahead and cross. Some have not been heeding the warnings and have been hit by a train. What else could the Railroad Company do? They have done all that is humanly possible to keep people from crossing, yet they still do. They fail to heed the warnings.
The Bible has warnings in it as well. There are signs that God has placed before us. They are written down for us, yet I wonder if we are reading and heeding these warning signs. Are we just like some people at the Railroad Crossings and we just ignore the sign and keep on going? Let us consider some warning signs that God has placed before us. Will we read them, ignore them or put them into practice?
These warning signs are found in the book of Hebrews. The first warning sign is found in Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” “Slip” means to flow by or past, to glide by as in a boat with no anchor. The solution to slipping is to “give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard” (Heb. 2:1). Are you slipping? Are you heeding this warning sign?
Sign #2 Developing an evil, unbelieving heart (3:12). You see we can become so enamored with self, the world and the things in the world, that we develop an evil heart of unbelief. We see this sign by “taking heed” (3:12). We need to be careful and watch our heart. Are we watching to see where our love is (1 John 2:15)?
Sign #3 is Danger of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (3:13). Sin will deceive you into thinking many things: one is that this sin is good for you. Another might be that no one else will know about it or you are not hurting anyone by doing it. Name one sin that does not hurt someone, if not in this world then in the next! How do we heed this warning? By exhorting one another (3:13). This is one reason why the saints are to meet on a regular bases. If you are not here then how can I exhort you or you exhort me to be the kind of Christian I need to be and that you need to be? This goes for any service of the church, Sunday night as well as Wednesday evenings. James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Is it good to be here when the saints assemble? Yes it is. If you decide that it is not important for you to be here, then who is right? Who is being deceived? Who is hardening their heart? Who is not exhorting? This leads us to the next warning sign.
Sign #4 is Danger of coming short of God’s rest (4:1)? How many like to rest from time to time? How many of us need to rest from time to time? How many want to miss God’s final resting place for us? Jesus invites us to this rest (Matt. 11:28). He also has prepared us a resting place (John 14:1-3). Do you want to miss this resting place? What must we do then? Fear is the answer (4:1)! What must we fear? What about the power of God? What about God’s wrath? Would you like to see the power of God? Look in your Bible and study. What about the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? What about the ten plagues that the Egyptians saw for not heeding God’s warnings? What about all the warning about hell? God has given us ample warnings about it yet some people are going to bust hell wide open! They don’t fear God or anything about Him. What about us? Do we fear God? Warning signs abound, what are we doing?
There are more warning signs that God has given in the book of Hebrews and we will notice them in the next article. What are we doing with these warning signs? Are we ignoring them? Are you thinking that they apply to everyone else but me? There is danger if we do not heed these warning signs. I hope that if you are not heeding them you have seen the danger and will start.
Love, Keith
