Series: Reflections from Sabbatical
Sermon 3: The Fog
Thesis: The eerie spiritual fog has rolled in over the Western church and Christian culture, it has descended on us because, “There is no fear of God before people’s eyes today.” This created the right atmosphere for the fog to roll in and engulf our nation in deception and deceit.”
Main Scriptures: Romans 3:18, and Psalms 36:1
Romans 3:18: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Psalm 36:1: “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.”
What I discovered was when sin is running wild in a nation or community it is because people have no fear of God – the no fear of God gives them no wisdom or discernment and they act as evil fools.
But Scripture warns us what happens without the fear of God – evil spreads -s in abounds – sin becomes more and corrupt – people are abused, and people die!
Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
The problem in our society today: Therefore the “no fear of God” has created a whirlwind of foolishness, evil ways and a world without wisdom! A world without wisdom produces fools (those who do evil) in accordance with the Bible – this lack of wisdom is the inability to use knowledge rightly and correctly! When this fog is unleashed, it creates division and dissension in a society, mayhem spreads and evil fools start forcing their God forsaken beliefs onto others. They even say their beliefs are good for people and Godly beliefs are bad for people.
An example of deception and deceit today:
Patricia Tolson – Epoch Times – “What began as drag queen story hour evolved into drag shows for children. Now, naked men peddle bikes in front of children at pride parades in Seattle while LGBT activists in New York City marched through the streets chanting: “We're here. We're queer. We’re coming for your children.” As previously reported by The Epoch Times, the tide is turning on tolerance for transgender ideology. Biological science has been replaced by internal feelings and chosen identities. The clarity of one's sex has been blurred by the ambiguity of "gender." There are now an infinite number of pronouns. Failure to use the correct pronoun can result in losing your job. Men are claiming titles, trophies, scholarships, and accolades in women’s sports. Men are named Woman of the Year and crowned in women's pageants. The backlash started when Anheuser-Busch chose a transgender influence to become a spokesperson for Bud Light. It became a revolt when Target took aim at children. Now, recent surveys confirm that Americans have had their fill of harmful transgender indoctrination and "woke" corporate pride campaigns…
She continues …According to a recent survey conducted by Summit.org, in partnership with McLaughlin and Associates, 61 percent of likely voters believe that "introducing young children to ideas like transgenderism, drag shows, and LGBTQ+ themes hurts their emotional and psychological development." Still more, 63 percent believe that the activists pushing transgenderism, drag shows, and LGBT themes to children have an ulterior motive. Conversely, the survey also found that 50.3 percent of TikTok users believe introducing children to transgenderism, drag shows, and LGBT themes is helpful for their emotional and psychological development. Only 33.8 of Facebook users feel the same. In addition, 44.9 percent of TikTok users say introducing children to transgenderism, drag shows, and LGBT themes is "motivated by a desire to help children." Only 31.4 percent of Facebook users believe the effort has altruistic intentions…”
From https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/analysis-americans-reject-trans-indoctrination-of-children-and-corporate-pride-campaigns-5360706
Illustration: Protests over LGBT pushing to put porn and teach contrary teaching to children over same sex matters or they can be another sex – a parents right group is fighting this in LA.
Scripture Texts:
Romans 1-3; Psalm 32-36 see sections of Scripture!
So, what are we to do as Christian’s? Tolerate it all – remain silent on the lies and the twisted value system of the world? So they can destroy our families, kids and society?
I believe throughout the Bible when a society drifts more and more toward evil we see a model of how God followers are to respond – let’s look at one such example from the Old Testament:
Ezekiel 33:1-20 (NIV)
1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ 7“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
I hear the Lord telling Ezekeil that he is to speak up – warn the people – He must listen to God’s voice over others and give them the warning of the impending judgment for sin and turning from the Lord!
I also read in Isaiah this term watchman used again:
Isaiah 62:6: I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest.
In other words The Lord has placed watchman on the wall to warn people of their sin filled ways and they cannot be sleeping but warning the people. This is their God given responsibility!
I believe just like in Israel’s days of the falling away from the Lord – God placed watchman on the spiritual walls to sound the alarm of the evil fog rolling in which carried with it the promotion of evil ways. So, God had placed watchmen on the walls of Israel to warn them and He has done the same today and it’s us Christians! We need to sound the warning to those around us – as parents - as grandparents – as spiritual God parents – as Christians - to society and even to politicians!
Jesus spoke of the importance of Watchman just read the Gospels:
Jesus said in Matthew 5:
13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Jesus once again said in Revelation 3:
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
I can share other verses and Jesus words, but Jesus spoke of watchman – the gate keeper – the idea of being alert – and of the Great commission to tell others the truth.
Introduction:
I have been sharing with you my reflections from my Sabbatical and about being in fog and the dangers of natural fog, but I have compared natural fog to the eerie dense spiritual fog of deception which has invaded the landscape of western culture and even churches in the last 50 years. We have been engulfed – saturated with this evil fog today in our society – it has invaded the news media, companies, schools, politics, government, tv, movies, books and social media.
The eerie spiritual fog (comes to a society because of this decision - “They have no respect, awe or fear of God”) – Remember this when the evil fog engulfs a life it will always bring the 3d’s of spiritual death to a person’s spiritual life:
• Deception – leads to denial of God’s truth and to reality.
• Denial – rejects what is reality or true and denial leads right into deceit and the promotion of evil ways as being good.
• Deceit – deceit is authored by Satan, and it seeks to distort your view of God, your view of the Bible, your view of the true church and your view of truth in general. Deceit will twist your mind and heart to that which is good and have you call it evil.
Opening Illustration:
We are called to be God’s watchman – all who claim to be Born Again Christians – are called to be salt and light in this world note Jesus’ own words. We are called by God to warn others of danger of the eerie fog – It’s just like the story I shared last week when I warned my kids and grandkids at the ocean of the manatee coming their way, which I originally thought was a shark! I love my family so I ran off the beach into the water to warn them of the perceived danger – I could see the object in the water which they could not see so I needed to warn them. I was higher up on the beach with a better angle than they had.
This week I was reading a message called: “The Duties of a Watchman” on sermoncentral.com by Michael Erickson and he shared the following illustration to describe the mission of a watchman in today’s world.
March 23, 1983, Ronald Reagan gave a speech in which he outlined a national plan of defense that became known as “Star Wars”. In the speech, he said, “What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that we could intercept and destroy any strategic ballistic missiles before they reached our own soil?” The plan was that instead of retaliation, any incoming missiles would be detected and shot down before they could cause damage. President Clinton tried to sell the National Missile Defense System to fend off missiles from Rogue states. The truth is OUR NATIONAL SECURITY DEPENDS ON OUR ALERTNESS. At this moment in time, every satellite, airplane and all objects of flight are being tracked before they ever enter our airspace. Watchmen Teams stand at the ready to launch defensive maneuvers and counterattacks. But what if after all the money and time which has been spent on developing these systems they failed because of apathy. What if those given the duty and responsibility for watching out for our welfare for some reason decided not to pay attention? What if they decided not to alert the president or military of impending attacks? Yet, all the systems are working correctly, radars are tracking, satellites are sending correct information, computers are functioning properly, lights are flashing and warning sirens are going off but those responsible for passing along the warnings were too afraid of causing panic, or were sleeping because they stayed up too late, or were engrossed in some recreational activity with others and didn’t want to tend to their duties, in other words the responsible people are too busy on the phone or just simply didn’t take the threat seriously? What would happen to all those under their watch, those they were hired – even sworn to protect? How does the old saying go? An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure. As watchmen on the wall, we are here to serve as an alert system to those around us, we are the protection for others of early warning. But we must be watching diligently for the danger and call it out. We cannot allow the enemy to distract us from our God given duties. We can get so busy doing stuff that we miss out on the primary things God wants us to do. When our focus is diverted, and we miss the advancing enemy we cost others their life and freedom. Not only are many today so often distracted, but many are complacent, apathetic and lethargic when it comes to the things of God and spiritual dangers.
Case in point watchmen who failed in their duties to protect our country:
Illustration of a failure to warn others: The failure a few weeks ago to sound the alarms for the fire in Lahaina cost 100’s their lives because the keeper of the alarm siren did not think it should be turned on. There are still 155 children missing!
Illustration: The three early warning signs at Pearl Harbor that could have reduced the death and destruction of Pearl Harbor. See article by Richard Frank.
We see the result of what happens when watchmen fail to do their duty! People die – kids die! Families are devastated with injury and loss of life.
We see that a watchman warns others of danger – and their failure to do so results in great loss, tragedy, death, destruction and severe grief.
T.S.- So back to my first point about watchman from last week – as God’s watchman – as light and salt put here on this earth for such a time as this – it is our God given duty to warn others of spiritual danger?
I. So, what are we to do as we see the fog invading our families, schools, society, churches, cities, and national politics?
a. I believe we are called today to be His watchmen on the wall to warn people of the evil fog, the danger in the evil fog and the destruction the evil fog will cause – the lies should compel us to speak up.
b. I found 23 verses about watchmen in the Bible which highlight what we should be doing to warn others from the eternal destruction from this evil fog.
i. Who is the Watchman?
1. Jesus commissioned his followers to be watchman proclaiming the truth and the good news!
a. The Great Commission appears in Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15–18; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; and Acts 1:8.
i. Matthew 28: 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
2. Peter tells us we all have the responsibility to tell people the truth: 1 Peter 2:5, 9: You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
a. John hints at this in Revelation 1:6: He has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
3. Ezekiel 3:17-19: and 20-27
a. Warning to Israel
b. 16At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:
c. 17“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
i. A watchman warns people of danger!
ii. The watchman hears God’s voice and shares it with others to warn them of danger and lies.
d. 18When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
i. A watchman needs to do their God given job – which is to warn others of danger – or you are held accountable by the Lord for remaining silent.
ii. Matthew 12:36-37: Jesus said:
1. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
e. 19But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
f. 21But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
i. We will be held accountable if we just kept silent and let a spiritual holocaust happen to our nation and especially our young people!
4. We are to listen to God-hear His voice so as to share His message for His people because they are in danger today and we have to communicate God’s message:
a. 22The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”
i. We need to put ourselves in the position to hear from God so we can help others with His words.
b. 23So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
i. When we go and meet with God we bow to Him in reverent fear and humility.
c. 24Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
i. We need to do and say what God directs us even if it seems a bit odd. But make sure you hear God’s voice!
ii. Yes, God still speaks to us today – contrary to what some preachers and others are saying today.
iii. Quote “Hearing God’s Voice” Henry and Richard Blackaby
d. I believe Jonathan Cahn book “The Return of the God’s” is a watchman’s voice being used by God to open our eyes to the demise of our nation if we do not turn from our wicked ways!
i. Jonathan Cahn in his book “Return of the Gods” has also addressed this deceptive spiritual fog which has come over the western church – its origin is demonic – he even looks at Old Testament examples of specific demonic spirits and aspects of idol worship from Israels past sins and falling away as an example. Cahn says these same demonic spirits have been unleased on the western church and society. Blinding people to truth – to common sense – to biological science – to what is natural – to God – to the truth of Jesus.
ii. One editor reviewed the book this way, “Summed up in a sentence, this book describes how the United States, is kicking God out of the schools and public life since the 1960s, and they have replaced the one True God with three ancient deities (Baal, Ishtar, and Molech), each of whom has wreaked havoc upon our culture and morality.” (Just like it did Israel) … It’s a book meant to open our eyes to the “principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:10-13) see https://thelittlemanreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/07/book-review-the-return-of-the-gods-by-jonathan-cahn-2022/
iii. Then I read the book “Irresistible” by Andy Stanley who in the middle of his book tells us Christians we need to unhitch our faith from the OT. No, he seriously said it in the book and in other sermons – I love to read and I have read some of Stanley’s other books - great reads – but I cannot agree that Christians need to unhitch their faith from the OT – It’s God’s Word – Jesus quoted from it! History teaches us valuable lessons to learn spiritually, and Stanley is saying using these lessons is dangerous to our faith - we should only be in the New Testament. I am like what happened to you Stanley. Then it dawned on me the fog is spreading to churches and pastors too – do you see it? I then thought about Andy, “I learned from your dad! I grew spiritually from his ministry! I have read his books; I have listened to him on the radio for years. Andy’s dad Charles Stanley would not approve of this statement. I thought to myself “What is going on – Lord?” – then I saw the fog again – no not the literal fog – the spiritual fog of deception over our society and churches. Over some clergy, pastors, and politicians!
iv. Then I reflected back to Jonathan Cahn’s book “Return of the Gods” He wrote this book – inspired by the Lord – it was written by him because he is a messianic rabbi - it is a prophetic book to clarify what’s happening in America today and how we need to open our eyes – we wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers – we need to learn from the failures of Israel – we need to see through the fog of deception with the help of the Holy Spirit! The warning: I want to shout to Christians and Un-Christians: “Stop” “Slow down” “Wake up” “The hurry up sickness will kill you!” “Look and see you are about to have a fatal crash!” – “Warning the evil fog is blinding you to the danger ahead!” “Danger – Danger - the fog is hindering your vision and perception!” “They are after your children to confuse them and twist their minds to their God given identities.” I wish I could say it in a way that caused a spiritual urgency and people really slowed down, opened their spiritual eyes, opened their Bibles, connected with Jesus, and saw through the fog- why? Because this fog is really the enemy of your soul, your spirit, and your body! It’s out to destroy the Biblical family. So please stop, become aware of the danger of the eerie fog, and go to the higher ground to get out of the fog!” So that you can see clearly! Rise up – get out of the valleys – climb out of the lowlands! Ascend to the top so you see the Son shining!
v. Question – Do you see the fog? Do you see how it obscures your spiritual vision? Are you aware of it hindering your view of the Bible and truth? Have you noticed how the fog has washed out Jesus from your life? Do you see how the toxic fog is rewriting truth? Biological truth, scientific truth, social truth, the truth about addictions? Do you see how -evil is called good and good is called evil?
5. Isaiah 62:6
a. 6I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest.
i. God has placed us here as watchmen on the wall as Christians – as parents - as grandparents – spiritual God parents!
6. Psalm 127:1-5
a. 1Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
b. 2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
c. 3Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
d. 4Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.
e. 5Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
i. Watchmen on God’s wall of truth have to be in connection with Him. The Lord must be with the watchman or what they do is in vain – they cannot stop the enemy without Him in their lives.
ii. They must listen to His voice and obey what He says!
7. Habakkuk 2:1
a. 1I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.
b. The Lord’s Answer: 2Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
i. Sometimes we need to write down what the Lord is telling us to do – to share with others – I think about John Bevere’s book and Jonathan Cahn’s book “Return of Gods.”
8. Quote: “God’s charge to Ezekiel and Hosea is also a charge to every Christian. Christ warned His followers to “watch” for His return and to keep their lamps burning and trimmed. Servants of the Lord, who are found watching (gregoreo in Greek), will be given special favor for being ready (Luke 12:35–40). Jesus, the faithful watchman of His sheep, has instructed us to follow Him (John 10:3, thuroros in Greek). In so doing, believers keep themselves focused on the Lord, constantly growing in their relationship with Him.”
a. From Eugene E. Carpenter and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 204.
ii. What do watchman do on the wall?
1. Ezekiel 33:1-33
a. A watchman has to be alert – listening and looking for the attacks of the enemy on their city and nation:
i. Erickson states: Watchman played a very important part in a cities defense. They had to always stay alert to see any impending danger and report it immediately. Their eyes were always on the horizon, looking for the slightest bit of danger. They had to be constantly on the alert.
ii. Romans 13:11-12: And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
iii. Peter says in Peter 5:8: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
b. A watchman warns the people of danger and of enemy attacks – points out the danger which is just over the horizon. They see things where others on the ground may not see. They warn of marauders lurking off in the distance. They alert of raiding parties!
i. Remember - They are placed in their position to call out the dangers! To the people who cannot see it.
ii. This is also what scouts do in the army – alert the main force to the enemy’s position and tactics.
c. In the Bible days they would blow trumpets to warn the people of the impending danger.
i. Show the shofar – blow it!
ii. If he/she does their job and blows it as directed by the Lord, and the people pay no attention and are slain or kidnapped it’s on them for not listening.
1. The watchman has done his job and God will reward Him for doing it.
iii. But if the watchman ignores the threat or falls asleep on duty or becomes apathetic then the death and damage by the invaders is on their heads. They will be held accountable!
1. Those who become apathetic and fall asleep will be judged by the Lord for not doing their divine tasks of warning others to save their souls.
2. “But they will have to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).
3. 2 Corinthians 5:10: (NASB) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.”
d. Illustration: A man was killed at a railroad crossing one summer evening in 1891. His relatives sued the railroad, claiming negligence on the part of the watchman. During the ensuing trial, the watchman was called to the witness stand. The prosecuting attorney asked him several questions. “Were you on duty at the crossing at the time of the accident?” “Yes sir, I was.” “Did you have a lantern?” “Yes sir, I did.” “Did you wave your lantern in warning?” “Yes sir, several times.” Having answered in the affirmative to every question, the watchman helped the railroad win its case. An officer of the railroad came to see the watchman later to thank him for giving evidence in favor of the railroad. The officer inquired, “Tell me, Mr. Jarvis, were you nervous during the questioning at the trial?” The watchman replied, “Yes, I feared every moment that he would ask, ‘Was the lantern lit?’” Anyone can go through the motions of outward religiosity. We can wave our lanterns wildly, but it accomplishes nothing if we do not light them! The night is dark. Many lost souls have no hope but us. Are our lights shining?
i. AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).
2. Psalm 130: 5-6-7
a. 5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word, I put my hope.
b. 6My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
c. 7O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
3. Isa 56:10
a. 10Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
i. This description back in Isaiah’s time reflects what is happening today with many church people and even leaders.
4. Nehemiah 4:6-9 – Nehemiah and rebuilding the wall.
a. 6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
b. 7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
c. 8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
d. 9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
i. The same threat to the people of God is happening today and we must pray and post guards to warn the people of danger.
5. John 10:3 – doorkeeper
a. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
b. Jesus speaks of the watchmen even in the New Testament – they are watchman over the sheep – spiritually we are watchman over God’s flock and must protect them and warn them of danger.
iii. Why we should be the watchman God called us to be?
1. Ezekiel 33:1-7
a. Because the Lord commissioned us to do this today just like He did Ezekiel!
i. 1The word of the LORD came to me:
ii. 2“Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,
iii. 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people,
iv. 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head.
v. 5Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.
vi. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
vii. 7“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
viii. Who else would sound the alarm to the people?
2. Luke 21:33-36 – Jesus said to us to stay alert!
a. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
b. 34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
c. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
d. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
3. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to be His watchman and speak His truth to others:
a. Matthew 28:16-20: The Great Commission
i. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Mt 28:16–20.
4. 2 Cor. 2: 9-11- Paul exhorts us in Scripture to do this follow God’s Words so Satan does not outwit us all.
a. 9The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.
b. 10If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,
c. 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
5. Ephesians 6: 10-12- we need to put God’s armor on as watchman and warn others and be involved in the war for the souls of this nation and community.
a. 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
b. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
c. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
6. 1 John 4:1- John tells us to be aware check out the spirits and beware of deception and deceit.
a. 1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: Many have no fear of God, or respect and or awe for God today. This is what causes the evil fog to roll in and saturate people with deception and blindness to truth and even to the order of natural things.
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: We need to have that healthy and holy fear of God, so the fog of deception does not engulf us and cause us to crash and burn with our life. We also must accept the responsibility to be the watchmen on the wall for others to warn them of the dangers of the evil fog and destruction of the evil fog. We must make others aware of the lies of the enemy, especially our children and family and share with them the truth.
What do we need to do?
Answer: We need to have a healthy respect, awe, and fear of God. We need to be aware of the evil fog and not ignore it. We need to warn people of the deceptions, denial and deceit that comes with the evil fog. We need to tell the truth even if others hate us for it or get mad at us for it. If we do what God instructed us to do, He will bless us for being faithful if we ignore his word to speak up, we will be judged for our silence.
Jesus said in Matthew 5: That we are the Salt and Light to this earth.
13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Why do we need to do this?
Answer: So, we keep ourselves from crashing and burning with our life and helping prevent our families from crashing and burning. We also need to speak up about what is truth and what is lies. We need to not be lazy or apathetic but be speaking the truth in love to others to save our communities and nation.
We cannot be like the Church in Sardis from Revelation 3:
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Proverbs 10:27: “The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.”
Hebrews 12:28-29: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
