A dog can be taught to obey almost every command by conditioning it with rewards and punishment. However, as every parent soon becomes aware, children are not so easily taught. Humans, unlike animals, have wills and must choose to follow the instructions and commands given to them by their parents and teachers. Therefore, discipline is a necessary part of teaching our children to obey those in authority. Once they become aware of the rules and the consequences of their disobedience, they should be held accountable for their actions and the choices they make. As the children of God, we also have been given the rules and regulations of God’s household. They are plainly and simply stated between the pages of the Scriptures. They are taught and preached every Sunday from most church pulpits. They are presented across the airways of our television and radio stations everyday of the week. Therefore, according to Ezekiel 33:20, we shall be held accountable for the choices, we make and the actions we take. With God, ignorance shall not be accepted as an excuse.
However, knowing the rules and regulation is not enough as a child of God. We must also do what we have been called to do. Since we chose to confess our faith in Christ, we now stand in the midst of this dark, cruel world as watchmen and women. Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 has commissioned us to declare the unadulterated, uncompromising, and all-powerful word of God for all to hear. Moreover, just like the great prophets of the past generations stood against all odds as God’s special messengers, we, too, must stand confidently, boldly, faithfully, and forcefully in the position of God’s watchmen. We must call for the people of our communities to turn from their sins. We must warn them of the coming judgement of God. Repent, return, and be renewed should be our constant message. Onward, Christian soldier should be our marching song. Christ has come and He is on His way back should be our motivation to do our job.
As watchmen appointed by God, we must answer the question when asked with all truthfulness. When the world demands to know, “Watchmen, what of the night?” We must reveal to those waiting to hear our response everything God told us because their lives depend upon it. We must tell them the true condition of the night. In our position as watchmen, we have no choice but to answer with all truthfulness, “ The night is dark but Jesus is coming back.” The night is dark because of the absence of the love of God in the hearts of men. The night is dark because we have put out trust in money, power, possessions, and influence. The night is dark because we have turn to the stars, the moon, and psychic hotlines for our answers and our help. The night is dark because we have turned to drugs, violence, deceit, lies, and treachery to solve our problems. The night is dark because we have allowed our educated thinkers to explain and convince us that God does not even exist.
The night is dark because the world has rejected God and His ways. We no longer look at the things God call sin as sin. In our messed up society, adultery is now just an extramarital affair. Homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle and idol worship is greatly encouraged. We no longer strive to be like God. Our children want to be like Mike. Our preachers try to imitate Rev. Ike and everyone wants to be in everyone else business but their own. The night is dark because our church buildings have become social clubs instead of houses of prayer. Our church members are more concern with being entertained than hearing the word of God. Our leaders are more concerned with pleasing man than serving God. We have more sin running rampart in the church than in the worst parts of our cities. The night is dark because we are more interested in the philosophies and ideologies of men than the message of Christ. The night is dark because our denominations and church buildings are more concern with making money than saving souls.
The night is dark, but there is hope. This hope is not in our man made peace treaties or clever inventions. For man made peace will never last and we will never invent a way to get eternal life. Our hope does not lie in the knowledge of man because our knowledge is stupidity compared to God’s. Our hope is only found in the marvelous risen Son of God named Jesus, the Christ. Our hope lies in the fact that he died for our sins and made us more than conquerors. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus, the Christ blood and righteousness. We should not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean upon Jesus name. Upon Christ, the solid rock we stand because all other ground is sinking sand. This must be our response when the world asks the question, “Watchmen, what of the night?” We must answer “The night is dark but help is on the way. The night is dark but we can still stand. The night is dark but the Son of God is on His way to bear our souls away.
