WATCH MAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Youtube: Wade Hughes)
Text: Isaiah 21:11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
WE ARE FREE MORAL AGENTS… WE HAVE MANY CHOICES SET BEFORE US.
Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
GOD CALLS PEOPLE TO WATCH AND WARN OTHERS ABOUT THE CHOICES THEY MAKE.
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Ezekiel 22:30 (MSG) "I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one.
Ezekiel 22:30 (NLT2) “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.
TO BECOME A SPIRITUAL WATCHMAN REQUIRES MUCH BOLDINESS AND COURAGE. LET US MAKE NOTES OF GOD CALLED WATCHMEN:
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
ALL OF THESE ARE WATCH MEN: NOAH: ARE YOU CRAZY? DON’T TELL JEZEBEL: NO! JEZEBEL PROMSES TO KILL ELIJAH! JEREMIAH THE WEEPING PROPHET. ISAIAH; EZEKIEL; NATHAN TO DAVID. JESUS. PASTORS, TEACHERS.
THERE ARE WATCHMEN THAT FAILED --- ELI, HOHNI, PHINEAS ALL DIE THE SAME DAY.
WE HAVE A METAPHOR, IT’S MEANING IN MORE THAN WATCH? MEN?
WATCHMAN: guard, keeper, security, to keep guard, to protect from thieves, vandals, fires; a person employed to look after something, to keep watch, to be responsible for security and safety, to monitor, TO CHALLENGE to walk in the truth
Ezekiel 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
In the Bible watchmen function is they are entrusted to guard and warn others of impending dangers. Spiritual leaders responsible to communicate and warn of spiritual dangers.
WATCHMEN MUST: HAVETELESCOPIC VISION- SEE A FAR; DISCERNMENT --- THOSE CAPABLE TO SEE AND RECOGNIZE DANGER. Watchmen need TO BE PREPARED, TRAIN people. TO PREACH; STAY ALERT, TO BE OBSERVANT; BE RESPONSIBLE; ACCOUNTABLE. MONITOR, REPORT. WARN
WATCHMEN HAVE GOD GIVEN ASSIGNMENTS… WATCHMEN NORMALLY STOOD ON WATCH TOWERS, HIGH ABOVE THE SURROUNDING AREAS. THEY WERE TO KEEP THEIR EYES AND EARS OPEN TO SOUND THE ALARMS TO REPORT ANY THREATS OF DANGER.
SOUND THE ALARM: We were in Haiti there were no communication system. If the were any dangers someone would blow a horn. The neighbor then would relay the sound until it was reported to the authorities. Then they would trace the sound back to the alerted area. WE LIKEN WATCHMEN TO THE PREACHER, PROPHET THAT WERE CALLED OF GOD TO REPORT SIN AND DISOBEDIENCE. DO WE HEAR THE CALL? DO WE STAND IN THE GAP?
WATCHMEN NEED TO VOLUNTEER AND MUST KNOW INTERCESSION
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
A GOOD WATCHMAN MUST KEEP HIS EARS TO THE GROUND AND LISTEN TO GOD AND PEOPLE.
WATCHMEN MUST SOUND THE ALARM OF REVEILE, a French word that is a signal by sounding wake up.
EUTYCHUS: listening to Paul’s preaching, goes to sleep sitting in the window.
SISERA: THE TIRED, MIGHTY GENERAL sleeping in Jael’s tent.
SAUL: while Saul sleeps loses his cruise water: essentials, piece of garment: covering; sword: his power.
THE THREE SPIRITUAL ELITE, THE BEST: Wake up? Wake up? Third time: SLEEP ON.
WATCHMAN: DO WE STAND ON THE WALL AND SOUND THE ALARM: CHARGE!
We must be willing to take the offensive. Quit giving our enemy a saddle to ride on our back!
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
WATCHMEN MUST STAND ON THE WALL AND BOLDLY PROCLAIM GOD CALLS US TO ASSEMBLE, LET US GO.
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 (MSG) not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
Psalm 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
HEY WATCHMAN SOUND THE ALARM: RETREAT, NOW THE DAY IS OVER, YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT GOD’S ORDERS, REST MY FRIEND… COME BACK TOMORROW. COME BACK TO BASICS. TO ESCAPE FROM DANGER. FIND A SAFE PLACE IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS.
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
CONCLUSION: GENERAL DOUGLAS MacArthur: The USA troops are tired--- they retreat to Austria for R&R, rest-relax, regroup, the General promise: I SHALL RETURN. The USA will return in great power and victory. Douglas says the POWs were human skeletons. Stood and saluted their General.
HERE THE CALL OF THE AGES: GENERAL JESUS WILL SPLIT THE SKIES AND TAKE US HOME. WE SHALL BE FACE TO FACE WITH THE KING OF KINGS. WATCHMEN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT? WATCHMEN WARN THE CHURCH, THE BIBLE IS TRUTH.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfinger@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
