Don’t ask me why, but while working on a sermon for a recent Sunday I got to thinking about various kinds of warnings. That got me to thinking how warning-conscious   manufacturing companies have become. For example, it seems television ads for various medicines now mention every possible side-affect that a particular product can cause. By the time the announcer has finished it one gets the impression that the cure could cause more problems than the ailment. It’s easy to say right now, but I think if I had to take something to get rid of a serious problem, I am not sure I want to know what all I have 1 in 1,000 chances of having happen to me– just a thought. However (as usually is the case when it is time to write a Pastor’s Pen), my thoughts began to wander a bit, and I got to thinking that I had read something one time about ridiculous warning labels. Sure enough with a quick Google search I found some of them. 
     These are said to be actual warnings issued for certain items.
On a Tesco's Tiramisu dessert: Do not turn upside down. Printed on bottom of the box. (Oops, sorry, didn’t see that one!)
            On Nytol sleep aid: Warning: may cause drowsiness. (You would hope!)
            On a Japanese food processor: Not to be used for the other use. (Now I’m curious.)
            On Hair Color: Do not use as an ice cream topping (But it looked so yummy.)
Christmas lights: Warning: For indoor or outdoor use only (uhh! Now I’m confused.)
            On a Chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain with hands (Well, duh!)
On a Hair Dryer: Do not use in shower (Do you think they really had a problem with this?)
      As I said, these are suppose to be actual labels, but they remind me in a way of some of my mother’s warning. The first one that pops into my mind is “Don’t you dare go near the water until you learn how to swim.”  I have to admit, embarrassingly, that I took four years of swimming classes at the YMCA and was finally told not to come back (They also advised me not to go near the water until I learned how to swim). Another warning my mother gave me was never to eat fish and drink milk together. I understand that is an old wives tale and there is no danger in it, but I still can’t do it. I’m taking no chances. My mother was a fanatic about making sure we were up and fully dressed when a storm threatened. We were not to get blown away by a tornado while we were in our PJ’s.
         Please don’t get me wrong, I am not poking fun at my mother. She was a very wise and caring woman. Like her various quaint  “sayings,” all of the warnings she gave had a purpose and a reason behind them. She just had her own way of phrasing them. Because I never doubted my mother’s wisdom, I tried my best to heed her warnings. So at the age of #$, I still do not know how to swim although I fudge a little and sometimes go near the water (I just don’t get too close without a life preserver). I still don’t drink milk with my fish. Now the getting fully dressed when a storm threatens is another matter.
         Warnings are intended to offer protection. I suppose all loving parents give their children warnings and caution them about dangers, or at least they should. Our heavenly Father is no exception. He has given us a book of warnings designed not only to keep us from going to hell but also to keep us from ruining our lives.  
            Consider some of God’s warnings.
# 1. . .

REPENT
        Jokes, snide remarks and even misleading teachings are directed toward the subject of repentance, but Jesus did not find the subject amusing or worthy of cynical remarks. Rather, He considered the subject serious. He said, “ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). The apostle Paul testified that his message to all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, was “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Repentance first and then faith.
# 2. . .
BEING BORN AGAIN IS A NECESSITY
     Jesus said, “repent.” Paul preached repentance and then faith in Jesus Christ. The faith of which he wrote is the faith that produces the new birth. Jesus warned Nicodemus that without the new birth he would not see the kingdom of God. Salvation is not the product of good works. It is a free gift. The “new birth” does not refer to a physical birth but rather literally is a birth from above. It comes as a result of repentance and faith. Without it a person will never see Heaven.

# 3. . .

DON’T HIDE YOUR LIGHT
     The apostle Paul wrote to the members of the church at Philipi and encouraged them to “be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” and to “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 3:15).  Jesus said churches and individual believers are to let their light shine before others. So, the warning is for believers not to hide their light but let the presence of God in their lives shine out for all the world to see.

# 4. . .

DON’T NEGLECT ATTENDING CHURCH
      There are many who feel church is not important. Oh, they may tell you something different but check the Sunday morning attendance at most churches. If people considered church as important as Paul did our churches would be filled every Sunday. He warned believes not to forsake (give up) attending church like some do (Heb. 10:25).

# 5. . .

DON’T NEGLECT TO WATCH FOR HIS COMING
         Jesus never told His followers when He would return, but He did warn them not to be caught unawares but to be watching (Matt. 24:24,44). Paul said to the Thessalonians “ watch and be sober.”  Paul mentioned a special reward for those who watch for the Lord’s return (1 Tim. 4:8).
  Some warning labels can be comical, but God’s warning are always serious and should never be ignored.