You Are A Watchman

You Are A Watchman

Scripture: Ezekiel 33:1-16; Luke 10:25-29; First Timothy 2:1-4

“(1) Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (2) ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, (3) when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, (4) then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. (6) But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. (7) So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.” (Ezekiel 33:1-7)

The title of my message this morning is “You Are A Watchman.” If you take the time and look up the definition of watchman, you’d likely find this meaning: “a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves. A person who guards or patrols the streets at night.” In this definition, why do you think a watchman is needed primarily at night? It’s because attacks come when people are not looking for them – when they are resting, sleeping or simply when it is dark and few people are moving about. Spiritually, God will return with His judgment when people are least expecting Him! Jesus says in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”

While we are not traditional watchmen by this definition, as a pastor, my responsibility before God is to sound the alarm whenever I believe you are in danger from the temptations of the world, and from what some Christians say about how we are to live as Christians. I will explain this in more detail shortly. But for right now, what I want you to know is that although the responsibility of a watchman is not limited to the pastor or persons in leadership positions, but most of the responsibility of the watchman, as it relates to the Church, falls on the pastor and his leadership team. If you are a leader in any position in this Church, you will want to listen closely to this message. If you are not a leader, please understand that you too are a watchman, but it’s more on a personal level versus what we will see with Church leaders. However, as a child of God, all of us are called to be watchmen, looking out and raising the alarm when someone is living in a way that endangers their eternal destination. So why do I say that we are all called to be watchmen, especially Church leaders?

In the past, I have heard teachings about how we are our brother’s keeper. Some take the stance that everyone has the right to live as they choose and this is absolutely true. After all, God has given us free will and we can use it to serve Him or not serve Him. But, even with this being true, a child of God has the responsibility to love others as Jesus does and through that love to do their utmost to sustain, protect and encourage those around them. Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? In Luke chapter ten, the following is recorded starting with verse twenty-five: “(25) And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ (26) He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ (27) So he answered and said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND,’ and ‘YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ (28) And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ (29) But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (Luke 10:25-29)

When the lawyer answered Jesus correctly, he knew that he had not done everything that he had just quoted in his answer, especially about loving his neighbor. So, to “justify himself” he asked Jesus to clarify who his neighbor was. This is when Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan. Let’s continue reading the story. “(30) Then Jesus answered and said: ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. (31) Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (32) Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. (33) But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. (34) So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (35) On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’” (Luke 10:30-35)