Message summary: Today, we pray that each of us will hear the One who speaks not as an annoying chirp but would truly receive, listen, and heed God who is speaking. Herein lies the source of assurance and security in these times of turmoil.

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“See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?” (Hebrews 12:25).

Over the weekend there was a deadly fire in our area killing five people, ages 1,4,17, 23 & 73, and seriously injuring others. It was caused by a faulty electrical outlet. What was a joyous occasion when family members gathered to celebrate the child's one year birthday turned into a tragedy that will scar them for life. The news reports stated it was not known whether smoke detectors were in use. It was a three story row house dwelling in Lebanon, PA.

We are thankful for smoke detectors and in the 80's we had our own experience to prove their worth (see below for that story).

I was visiting a friend and saw the smoke detector had the battery removed. I inquired and he told me he had removed it because it kept going off when his wife cooked (it was in the kitchen) and the chirping was annoying. Well, I gave him a mild scolding and told him to place it elsewhere or get a better smoke detector! They have types for the kitchen that you can temporarily silence.*²

There are a lot of chirps and beeps in life but we must have discerning ears, open hearts and knowledgeable minds to sort them out. Today let us consider a steady “chirping” that annoys many and is largely ignored; the warnings from God who is speaking and warning us from heaven.

Our text today, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking ... and turn away from Him who warns us from heaven.” This is a powerful passage that is well worth memorizing.  In fact I suggest making it personal such as “I must see to it that I do not refuse Him who is speaking and turn away from Him who warns me from heaven.”

God is speaking today.  Perhaps Francis Schaeffer was paraphrasing this passage when he titled his book, “He Is There and He Is Not Silent".

Let’s consider some ways that God speaks to us today:

The latter portion of Hebrews 12 speaks of receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Our focus must be on this Kingdom not on the kingdoms of this world, which most certainly are shaking and indeed rise and fall. But God’s Kingdom is steadfast and abides forever!

Consider how vitally important our daily text is to the human race. God is speaking, He is not silent. In fact the book of Hebrews is all about God speaking; through the prophets, through His Word, through His Son and through the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 11. Since He is always speaking we must “see to it that [we] do not refuse Him who is speaking.”

The majority refuse to listen to God who is speaking through His word, through other believers and often He speaks personally to our conscience. But we, as His followers, must keep our eyes open and our ears tuned to His warnings. The Amplified version expands the challenge even more: “See to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him who is speaking to you now.”

Today, we pray that each of us will hear the One who speaks not as an annoying chirp but would truly listen and heed God's messages, for our benefit and for His glory. Herein lies the source of assurance and security in these times of turmoil.

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13