The Watchman
Ezekiel 3:16-21
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18 "When I say to the wicked, ’You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself." [NASB]
INTRODUCTION
When I was a young boy I enjoyed watching westerns and war movies. Now many of these movies would have a scene involving a campsite. At each campsite there would be sentries posted on the outer edges of the camp.
Now, the primary duty of a sentry was to act as a guard -
> He was to watch carefully for any signs of approaching danger.
> He was to warn those secure in the camp to get ready.
> He was to take up a defensive position to defend the camp.
Now, in ancient Israel, sentries were called “watchmen.” Who were usually placed at the highest point in a city and would inform the inhabitants –
> Of the progress of a battle (1 Samuel 14:16).
> Of approaching messengers (2 Samuel 18:24-27).
> Of the danger of an oncoming army (2 Kings 9:17-20).
Just as these civil watchmen are to primarily act as a guard by watching carefully for danger and to warn of its eventuality, so too has God, His own, watchmen to watch out for spiritual dangers and warn of its coming destruction.
In our text, Ezekiel, by God’s appointment, is one of those watchmen.
> His duty was to “listen” attentively to God’s message.
> His duty was to “warn” concerning the message.
> His duty was to “accept” responsibility and share in the message.
OBJECTIVE & PURPOSE
Object
Just as God has appointed His prophets, like Ezekiel, to be watchmen over Israel, so too has the Lord appointed ministers today to be watchmen over His flocks.
Purpose
> So what does God expect of us today, His “watchmen?”
> Does He expect any less of us today than he did in the OT times concerning His prophets?
Matthew Henry – Calls the office of the “Watchman”
> A Toilsome Office –
“Watchmen must keep awake, be they ever so sleepy, and keep abroad, be it ever so cold; they must stand all weathers upon the watch-tower …
Watchmen have to be alert – aware of the enemy’s tactics.
> A Dangerous Office -
“Sometimes they cannot keep their post, but are in peril of death from the enemy, who gain their point it they kill the sentinel; and yet they dare not quit their post upon pain of death from their general. Such a dilemma are the church’s watchmen in; men will curse them if they be faithful, and God will curse them if they be false.”
Watchmen have to be fearless – not afraid to declare: “Thus saith the Lord.”
> A Needful Office -
“The house of Israel cannot be safe without watchmen, and yet, except the Lord keep it, the watchman waketh but in vain.” - [Isaiah to Malachi, Vol. 4 of, A Commentary on the Whole Bible, 767.]
Churches need watchmen (!) – for their well being.
Let us examine the text and see what God expects of us His servants and apply it to our lives.
Let us also, see that God expects His servants today, as His prophets of old, to still fulfill the “watchman’s” purpose -
> Listen – to His Word
> Warn – to Warn with His Message
> Accept – to accept the responsibility of its consequences
TEXT
LISTEN
3:16 “And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came to me saying,”
3:17 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
A. Son of man, I made thee a watchman -
Serving God -
> Ministers are “not” angels – they only have a heavenly message.
> Ministers are “not” supreme beings – they only speak of the Supreme Being.
> Ministers are “fallen” men of Adam’s race – they speak of a merciful God.
1 Timothy 1:12-14
I [Paul] thank Christ Jesus our Lord who enable me, because He counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent (violently arrogant) man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
> Ministers are Men, whom God has been pleased to send -
John 20:21
So Jesus said to them [His disciples] . . . as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
Romans 10:14-15a
How shall they call on Him [The Lord Jesus – v. 9] in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
Whether we go forth witnessing for our Lord through personal evangelism or through the corporate means of the church – let us always be ambassadors of our Lord because He has appointed us to that work (Ephesians 2:10).
B. Therefore hear the word at my mouth –
Thus saith the Lord -
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
We should make it our business to know what the word of God says and the message that God has for our lives. –
“[Let us] study the Word not to prove our positions, but to see what [it] actually says,” (Elvis Gregory, 1933-1981) and then, make application of it to our lives as pastors and to our Lord’s churches.
WARN
A. And give them warning from me
The work of the preacher -
2 Timothy 4:2-3a
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.
God’s message must be proclaimed -
Jeremiah 20:7-9
O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily. Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, Violence and plunder! Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and derision daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. –
IF GOD CALLS A MAN TO PREACH, HE CANNOT QUIT
- But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.
Warning must not stop -
Paul to the Ephesian Elders -
Acts 20:28-29 & 31
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. . . . Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
How long must we preach -
Isaiah 6:8-9a 11
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then, I said, Here am I. Send me! He said, Go, and tell this people . . . Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate.
The work of Christ’s servant is only finished when he succumbs to death or the Lord returns to call him home. Therefore, let us labor and warn until the end of our days having “fought the good fight of faith” [2 Timothy 4:7].
B. When I say to the -
Wicked and Righteous
3:18 "When I say to the wicked, ’You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
3:19 “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.
3:20 "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
3:21 "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself."
Know all men are sinners; none righteous in themselves.
Romans 3:23
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life to all who believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.
Ephesians 2:1 & 5
You He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Psalm 14:1-3
The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works . . . There is none who does good, No not one.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
My friends - “The purpose of preaching is to raise the dead” and warn the living! -
[C. L. Bartow, “Delivery of Sermons,” Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching, Willimon and Lischer, ed., Louisville: Westminister John Knox Pub., 1995, 102].
Luke 10:10-11
But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, the very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.
James 5:20
Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Therefore - may we be found faithful in our calling and declare to all men just as Paul did to the elders at Ephesus –
Acts 20:26
I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
Know full well my friends --- We will have to give an accounting to Christ concerning our ministry to others --- will our fruit be gold, silver and precious stones – earning a reward (?) --- or --- will it be wood, hay, and straw – suffering loss (?) – [1 Corinthians 3:10-15].
2 Timothy 4:2a
THEREFORE: PREACH THE WORD; BE READY IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON!!!!!
ACCEPT
The watchman’s role is significant; we have to be faithful servants of God –
We are God’s witnesses -
We need to accept the fact that God has called us to be His witnesses [Acts 1:8] and we as servants of the Lord are to be obedient to God and proclaim forth His word and let it accomplish His bidding not ours –
Isaiah 55:6-11
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
We are to warn of the wrath to come -
We must tell men to flee the wrath to come, to repent of their sins, and believe the gospel of Christ for God’s kingdom is at hand – [Mark 1:15].
Matthew 3:7-8
But when he [John the Baptist – v. 1] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
We are to accept our responsibility –
Upon the watchman’s shoulders ride the lives of everyone found within the camp! The day is coming that we will be face to face with our creator giving an account for what has been done.
Philippians 2:10a-11
At the name of Jesus every knee will bow . . . and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
CLOSING THOTS
Where do you stand today as a watchman in regards to your understanding of God’s Word? Are you taking His message to all and warning them of the coming judgment to come?
Are you as a watchman being found in your post performing your duties today – do you as the prophets of old -
> Listen attentively to God’s message.
> Warn concerning the message.
> Accept responsibility and share in the message.
May God bless you as you labor in His calling.
Bruce Allen
Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
bea0210@hotmail.com
September 28, 2003
