We read in the Book of 2 Kings how The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers proclaiming: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” (2 Kings 17:13)
But as we read on, “…they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” ” (v.14-15)
Many do not want to view God’s Word as “warnings” rather they want to see it as a “go-to” book for uplifting messages and positive feelings. Although it does contain words that can lift one’s soul in time of distress, remove one’s worry in time of trouble, and bring peace and comfort in time of suffering, God’s Word must also be heeded as a warning to those who reject Jesus Christ and are caught up in sin and rebellion.
There are some “stiff-necked” professing Christians who oddly enough side with unbelievers, that to view God’s Word as a “warning” is to have an unloving, unmerciful God. To them, God is all-loving, all-merciful, all-graceful and would never destroy or send anyone to Hell…and if that be the case why should we perceive His words as warnings? Unfortunately, according to scripture this is nothing but a god of their own creation, far from the God of the Bible…as J.C. Ryle once stated: “Beware of manufacturing a God of your own: a God who is all mercy, but not just. Such a God is an idol of your own.”
One thing we do need to make clear though, the Almighty does not take any pleasure in punishing and even destroying the wicked, sinful, and rebellious. We find in the Book of Ezekiel 18:23 the Lord saying: “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked…rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?” He again says: “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.” (v.32)
You see, all the Lord requires of us is to TRULY repent and TURN from our sinful lifestyles. From sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thieves, greediness, drunkenness, slanderers (1 Cor.6:8-10) to…impurity, debauchery, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, orgies, and the like (Gal. 5:19-21) Paul “warns” us, “…that those who practice such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21) Basically, those who live this way will not go to Heaven to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, but be sent to Hell with Satan and his demons.
Now who in their right mind can read that and NOT warn their family and friends? Either we are so selfish with what we know, or we simply DO NOT CARE.
Peter reminds us that, “…with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to REPENTANCE.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)
If I didn’t believe in Hell then you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now, and if I had a carefree attitude towards my family and friends who are living in sin, this lesson wouldn’t even have been written. But on the contrary, I DO believe in Hell and I care deeply for the souls and eternal lives of my family and friends, and it is because of this I continually warn them! As Charles Spurgeon once proclaimed in his sermon:
“…ye may think that the fire of hell is indeed a fiction, and that the flames of the nethermost pit are but popish dreams; but if ye are believers in the Bible ye must believe that it cannot be so.”
The value of God’s warning to guard His people against temptation, sin, error, false teachers, and every other threat to their Christian walk is a major concern to God, it is not something He looks upon lightly, or brushes off as insignificant. Every Christian has their duty to warn those around them, it’s just a matter of boldly and confidently doing it!
Ezekiel 3 gives us a vivid illustration on how we are to WARN the people:
“Son of man, I have made you a WATCHMAN for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die, ’ and YOU DO NOT WARN THEM or SPEAK OUT to DISSUADE them from their evil ways in order to SAVE THEIR LIFE, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR BLOOD. But if YOU DO WARN the wicked person and they DO NOT TURN from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you WILL HAVE SAVED YOURSELF.” (Ezekial 3:17-19)
“Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since YOU DID NOT WARN THEM, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR BLOOD. But if you DO WARN the righteous person NOT TO SIN and they do not sin, they will surely LIVE because they TOOK WARNING, and you will have SAVED YOURSELF.” (Ezekial 3:20-21)
I pray we never cease to warn those we love by snatching them away from sin, falsehood and the fiery traps of Hell. But keep in mind, like Jesus and His disciples, warning people will definitely bring discord, ridicule, and even abandonment, however as long we are consistent in gently correcting those who are in opposition towards us, we can rest assure that through our Lord Jesus Christ they may find repentance that leads to All Truth (2 Timothy 2:25)
“If I thought that as a matter of course all people would go to heaven at last, I would be quiet and leave them alone. But I dare not do so. I see danger ahead, and I would sincerely warn every man to flee from the wrath to come. I see peril of shipwreck, and I would light a beacon and entreat every man to seek the harbor of safety…”
~ J.C. Ryle
I’ll leave you with an acronym I came up with a few years back that may remind you of our duty to “warn”. W.O.R.D. – “Warnings Of (His) Returning Day”
In Christ,
Marc
(Adapted from Devotional: Accountable)
1 Thess. 5:21 