September 1, 2002

Service Theme – "Our God is Hope"

Ezekiel 33:1-20

We Are God’s Chosen Watchmen

1. Introduction

1. Illustration – Byron Sherman (on SermonCentral.com) writes, The Smith’s were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. Their line had included Senators, Pastors, & Wall Street wizards. Now they decided to compile a family history, a legacy for the children. They hired a well known author. Only one problem arose: how to handle that great-uncle George who was executed in the electric chair. But the author said not to worry, he could handle that section of history tactfully. When the book appeared, the family turned to the section on Uncle George. There, they read "George Smith occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution, was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, & his death came as a real shock."
2. Context – We like the truth, don’t we? Well, maybe not, because how much we like the truth depends on the spin we can put on it. If we can make ourselves or the cause we’re defending look good, we’re content with twisting the truth a little bit and forgetting about holiness and integrity. But then we look at God’s word and find that we’re not supposed to spin the truth to suit ourselves and our causes. We’re supposed to tell it like God sees it. That’s a struggle for any man, but that’s exactly what God is telling Ezekiel in today’s passage. "Tell it like I see it, Ezekiel. No spin, no hot air, no blowing smoke. Tell it like I see it, and this is how you’re going to do it." And in the process of telling Ezekiel, God is giving us an important message too.

1. Scripture Passage

1. Ezekiel 33:1-20 (from the New Living Translation) – Once again a message came to me from the Lord: ² "Son of man, give your people this message: When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose a watchman. ³ When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. ⁴ Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action—well, it is their own fault if they die. ⁵ They heard the warning but wouldn’t listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman accountable. ⁷ "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. ⁸ If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to warn them about changing their ways, then they will die in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ⁹ But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will not be held responsible. ¹⁰ "Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ ¹¹ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? ¹² "Son of man, give your people this message: The good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. ¹³ When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their good deeds will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. ¹⁴ And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. ¹⁵ For instance, they might give back a borrower’s pledge, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. ¹⁶ None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live. ¹⁷ "Your people are saying, ‘The Lord is not just,’ but it is they who are not just. ¹⁸ For again I say, when righteous people turn to evil, they will die. ¹⁹ But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. ²⁰ O people of Israel, you are saying, ‘The Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your deeds."
2. God gives Ezekiel a message that can be broken down into two sections: the characteristics of the watchman making the proclamation, and the proclamation itself. So let’s start out by looking at the characteristics of God’s watchman.

1. The Characteristics of a Watchman

1. First, a watchman is appointed by God. In verse seven, God tells Ezekiel, "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel." Ezekiel is receiving a direct commission to be the spiritual watchman for the nation of Israel. It’s his job to look out for the spiritual interests of the people. Likewise, God has appointed us to be watchmen for our families, our church, our communities, and our nation. It’s our job to look out for the spiritual interests of the people we interact with every day and of those who are in positions of leadership over us. It’s our job to be God’s representative to them. It’s our job to proclaim God’s message to them. Just as He appointed Ezekiel as watchman over Israel, so God has appointed us as watchmen over our nation. A watchman is appointed by God.
2. Second, a watchman announces God’s messages. Verse two: "Son of man, give your people this message." And again in verse seven: "Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me." God gave Ezekiel as His appointed watchman the exact message he was to give to the nation of Israel. A watchman was told by the king what he was to say and when he was to say it. Kind of like the legend of Paul Revere – "one if by land, two if by sea." The king told the watchman how to react to different situations and what to say about each one to alert the king the dangers that were coming. Just as He appointed Ezekiel to be His watchman and to announce His message, so God appoints us and gives us His message to announce to the people. A watchman announces God’s message.
3. Third, a watchman is attentive to his duties. In Bible times, watchmen were those who stood at critical points on top of the wall surrounding a city. They were responsible for keeping watch over a certain section of the wall and none other. If they lost sight even for a minute of that section, an enemy could sneak up to the wall and climb it and compromise the safety of the city. Verse three: "When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people." God appointed Ezekiel to be the watchman over Israel so he could sound the spiritual warning that God gave him. In order to do that, he had to pay attention. Likewise, God has appointed us as watchmen over our nation to announce His message by being attentive to His leading in our lives and then doing what He tells us to do. A watchman is attentive to his duties.
4. Fourth, a watchman is accountable to God. Starting in verse three: "When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. ⁴ Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action—well, it is their own fault if they die. ⁵ They heard the warning but wouldn’t listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman accountable. ⁷ "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. ⁸ If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to warn them about changing their ways, then they will die in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ⁹ But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will not be held responsible." God goes from the general to the specific; from talking about a generic watchman to talking about Ezekiel’s responsibilities as watchman over Israel. Basically, what God is telling Ezekiel is this: if I tell you to give this message and you don’t, I will hold you accountable. If people ignore you, I will hold them accountable. Your responsibility is to announce the message I give you when I tell you to give it. You are My watchman. That’s what God is telling us too! We are His watchmen appointed to proclaim His message when He tells us because He is holding us accountable. A watchman is accountable to God.
5. Illustration – I’ve used this story before, but it really brings the point home. The Great Wall of China was built to keep out invaders from the north that would regularly attack and plunder the countryside. The builders thought it would stop all attacks. Yet in the first hundred years of the Wall’s existence, China was invaded and conquered three times. The invaders never climbed over or tunneled under or through the Great Wall. They simply bribed a doorkeeper and passed right in. The Great Wall of China didn’t fail – the watchmen did. And their people paid for it. I would submit to you that our people will pay for it if we don’t do the job God is calling us to. If we aren’t the watchmen He is calling us to be. But if we choose to answer God’s call to be His watchmen, we’ll be spiritual life-givers, just like 1 John taught us. So we’ve been told what we’re supposed to be. Now let’s look at the message we’re supposed to bring.

1. The Watchman’s Message

1. First, God’s message for His watchman to proclaim is that His people should repent. Verse 11: "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?" God doesn’t want anyone to be condemned to spiritual death because of their wickedness! So we can safely say this message is not just for God’s people, although they need to hear and obey it before they can effectively proclaim God’s message. Our message to our entire world as God’s watchmen is that all people should turn from their wickedness and turn to God. We as God’s appointed watchmen must repent ourselves and proclaim this message of hope to those we meet every day.
2. Second, God’s message for His watchman to proclaim is that the past is in the past. Verse 12: "Son of man, give your people this message: The good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins." John Alvin likes to say that God has no spiritual grandchildren. We can’t rest on what we’ve done for God in the past and expect that it will get us into heaven. Likewise, we can’t get into heaven if we don’t repent from the evil we’ve done and turn to God. The current state of our relationship with God is what matters most to Him. As God’s appointed watchmen, that’s what we’re supposed to proclaim. We struggle with this. Many of us have sins in our past that we can’t seem to get past even though we’ve repented and asked God for forgiveness many times. God knows the state of our hearts. If we truly repent and ask Him for forgiveness from a humble heart, we are forgiven. We just have to learn to forgive ourselves. God can forgive anyone, because sin is sin in His sight. The Jews of Ezekiel’s time were guilty of sacrifice their children in the fire to demons. God was willing to forgive them. You know something else? If Ward Weaver was to turn wholeheartedly to God, repent sincerely of his sin, and ask Jesus into his heart and life, Ward Weaver would be forgiven. If God can forgive murderous people like the Jews of Ezekiel’s time and like Ward Weaver, God can forgive you! That’s the message of hope we proclaim – forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for us! The past is in the past. Don’t rest on the laurels of your past relationship with Jesus and don’t refuse to forgive what He is willing to forgive. As God’s appointed watchmen, this is our message to proclaim to our world.
3. Third, God’s message for His watchman to proclaim is that obedience is everything! In verses thirteen through sixteen, God drives this point home. If people obey Him in the present, He will take care of their future. That’s a powerful promise, isn’t it? Jonathan Edwards, the man God used to spark the Great Awakening revival that swept our nation, said, "Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life" (as cited on SermonCentral.com). That’s both a profound and a frightening thought! Think about it – what if we died in the middle of doing something we knew was wrong. Imagine the embarrassment of appearing before our God and Judge who has caught us red-handed. If we had a relationship with Jesus Christ and the pattern of our life was one of obedience, we’d make it into heaven anyway, but who wants to go like that? I like Edwards’ statement. He got it. He understood that if we want to have a personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ, obedience is everything. As God’s appointed watchmen, we must proclaim radical obedience to Him to all we meet.
4. Fourth, God’s message for His watchman to proclaim is that God is the final Judge. Look at verses 17-20 with me: "Your people are saying, ‘The Lord is not just,’ but it is they who are not just. ¹⁸ For again I say, when righteous people turn to evil, they will die. ¹⁹ But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. ²⁰ O people of Israel, you are saying, ‘The Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your deeds." How many times have we ever heard or said that God is not fair? That’s the same thing the Jews were saying in Ezekiel’s time! God’s reply – I am the Just and True Judge, and it’s people who won’t follow me who are messing things up! The primary indication of whether or not anyone is involved in a love relationship with Jesus Christ is what they do. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And God alone decides if our hearts and our actions match up, and He acts accordingly. People in our world need to know that God isn’t just sitting there waiting to zap them – He loves them and wants them to repent and turn from their wickedness so that when He judges them, He can be merciful. As God’s appointed watchmen, we’ve got to proclaim this message of repentance, leaving the past in the past, radical obedience, and judgment. If we don’t, God will hold us responsible for their spiritual deaths. We are called as God’s appointed watchmen to be spiritually alive and to so give spiritual life. The question is: will we answer the call?
5. Illustration – Jerry Falwell (SermonCentral.com) said, We usually face more than one intersection in our lifetime. Life is choice, we will always have to make good choices, in the first quarter and in the last quarter. We can choose to be the watchmen God has appointed us to be and give the message He has appointed us to give. Or we can choose to hide our in the shadows, hoping and praying the truth of what we claim to believe never comes to light. I want to be a watchman and a spiritual life-giver. How about you?

1. Conclusion

1. Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Let’s spend a few minutes quietly thinking about the truth God has brought to us today through His Holy Spirit and how we’re going to respond.
2. Let me ask you a question: do you have a personal love relationship with Jesus Christ? If you don’t and you would like to begin one today, please come forward and kneel at the altars. If you do have a personal love relationship with Jesus and you would like to commit to God today that you will be His watchman and proclaim His message in what you say and how you live daily, please come forward also and kneel at the altars. If you’d like someone to pray with you when you reach the altars, please raise your hand. Come forward now.