Beware the 20th Century Watchmenscrip

Introduction: The 20th century watchman are false prophets. A warning to the modern preacher that seems to be so obvious, and yet at the same time so dangerous. The devices used by the devil have not changed. We must constantly remind ourselves of the dangers inherent in the flesh. Everything described by Isaiah is a lurking danger that we must be constantly be on the watch against.

I. False prophets are blind. “His watchman are blind . . .” (Isaiah 56:10)

1. “They are all ignorant,” Isaiah 56:10.

a. False prophets are ignorant, then you do not know the truth

b. The truth is not elusive, it is simply a matter of seeking the truth

c. A watchman is responsible for seeking and knowing the truth.

Isa 62:6 “6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, Which shall never hold their peace day nor night: Ye that make mention of the Lord, Keep not silence,”

Jer 6:17 “17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”

2. “Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.” Isaiah 56:10,

a. False prophets love to sleep

b. Further, the reason the watchman is ignorant, is they love sleep

c. Conclusion: laziness will result in a lack of knowledge

3. They are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark;” (Isaiah 56:10) If you lack the truth – you have nothing to say!

Phil 3:2 “2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”

a. False prophets lack truth, you are lazy, then you are nothing more than a dumb dog, (The definition of dumb here is silent, withholding speech.).

b. Further, it is not just that they will not speak, being dumb, they “cannot bark!”

c. If you have no truth and you are lazy, God will silence you – A dire warning.

II. False prophets are greedy dogs. “Yea, they are greedy dogs” (Isaiah 56:11)

1. They are dogs because they “can never have enough.” (Isaiah 56:11).

a. False prophets will eat themselves to death if given the opportunity.

b. Again, the warning is that they desire slumber, vs 10, not truth

c. The problem with sin, is that it is never enough!

2. “They are shepherds that cannot understand: They all look to their own way” (Isaiah 56:11)

Eze 34.2 “2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”

Jer 23.1 “1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.”

a. False prophets are still called shepherd – this means they have responsibility.

b. However, they all lean to their own way, which means they are neglecting the sheep.

c. These are all the elements of identifying false teacher, blind, ignorant, lazy, and self-centered.

3. “Every one for his gain, from his quarter.” (Isaiah 56:11)

a. False prophets seek their own gain.

b. They are trying to build their own house at the cost of others.

c. I, it is all about them, I want gain, I want to be rich!

III. False prophets seek to corrupt. “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine,” (Isaiah 56:12)

1. “We will fill ourselves with strong drink;” (Isaiah 56:12)

a. False prophets seek strong drink

b. Notice, “we will fill”, they seek to corrupt you

c. They seek strong drink – they will corrupt you with the worst possible sin, beware!

2. “And tomorrow shall be as this day.” (Isaiah 56:12)

a. False prophets rarely change

b. They “can never have enough” (Isaiah 56:11)

c. They “all look their own way.” (Isaiah 56:11)

3. “And much more abundant.” (Isaiah 56:12)

a. False prophets never have enough

b. When you seek after sin – it will never be enough

c. Sin will leave you worse than how it found you.

Conclusion: This is a brilliant three verses. It says so much and so succinctly. Isiah is calling out false prophets and the characteristics that are seen with them. They are ignorant and lack the truth, they are greedy, drinking and never satisfied. They are called shepherds, which mean they have been given responsibility, but they forsake the calling. However, it would be a mistake to think this is about calling out other “false prophets.” This is a warning to everyone called to preach. Beware of when you lack doctrine and are blind. Beware of when it becomes more about the money and fame than about preaching. Beware, of when you may have crossed the line to corruption, you may not make it back.