The Watchman on the Wall

        Ezekiel 33:7–11 ““Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?” ’ “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”  

    Tell the people of the judgment to come, if you do not then you are a poor watchman 

The Watchman on The Wall 

Introduction 

Illustration- A man in a lighthouse fell asleep while watching after ship. Their goal is to guide ships in port and warn them of any dangers that they might encounter. 

Ezekiel has been placed in a very special position. 

Ezekiel was a priest during the Babylonian captivity in 597 BC 

Important V2 God sends the sword which is judgment 

 Verse 2-6 is “job description” of a watchman 

1) The Responsibility of the Watchman     7  Brown

A. The Watchman is Appointed

“I have appointed you…”

Joke about Shane and deligating duties as someone in leadership

I didn't appoint myself.

God has called His people to take His message to others.

We aren't called to give people our opinions.

2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

We're called to give them His Word.

B. The Watchman is Attentive

“You will hear a message from My mouth…”

The watchman's first responsibility isn't to speak — it's to listen.

We need God's Word before we open our mouths.

Don't give people what you think they need to hear.

Give them what God has said.

C. The Watchman is Accountable

“…give them warning from Me.”

Ezekiel 3:18–19 ““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. “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.”

Acts 20:26–27 ““Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

Romans 1:14–16 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Watchman- tsafá in Hebrew meaning the lookout or the watcher 

Watchmen were often stationed around cities to warn them of danger 

“You will hear a message from my mouth” We have already been given the warning from God Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Illustration 

On the evening of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren summoned Paul Revere and gave him the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with the news that British soldiers stationed in Boston were about to march into the countryside northwest of the town. According to Warren, these troops planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two leaders of the Sons of Liberty, who were staying at a house in Lexington. It was thought they would then continue on to the town of Concord, to capture or destroy military stores — gunpowder, ammunition, and several cannon — that had been stockpiled there. In fact, the British troops had no orders to arrest anyone — Dr. Warren’s intelligence on this point was faulty- but they were very much on a major mission out of Boston. Revere contacted an unidentified friend (probably Robert Newman, the sexton of Christ Church in Boston’s North End) and instructed him to hold two lit lanterns in the tower of Christ Church (now called the Old North Church) as a signal to fellow Sons of Liberty across the Charles River in case Revere was unable to leave town.The two lanterns were a predetermined signal stating that the British troops planned to row “by sea” across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than march “by land” out Boston Neck.At about eleven o’clock Revere set off on horseback. After narrowly avoiding capture just outside of Charlestown, Revere changed his planned route and rode through Medford, where he alarmed/ warned Isaac Hall, the captain of the local militia, of the British movements. He then shared the message to almost all the houses from Medford, through Menotomy (today’s Arlington) — carefully avoiding the Royall Mansion whose property he rode through (Isaac Royall was a well-known Loyalist) — and arrived in Lexington sometime after midnight. 

2) The Severity of the Situation 8-9

Green 

A. The Danger is Certain

“You will surely die…”

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

B. The Warning is Urgent The sword is coming, and the watchman cannot afford to remain silent.

Jeremiah 20:9 “But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”

A true watchman sees the danger and sounds the alarm

If we really believe judgment is coming, why would we remain silent?

We don't warn people because we hate them.

We warn them because we love them.

C. The Watchman is Responsible If he fails to warn, God holds him accountable.

A true watchman cannot help but to warn the people and relay Gods message. 

The wicked are certain to die and we have only a small amount of time to warn them before the sword is Apon them 

Jeremiah 20:9  Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” 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. 

If a watchman fails to do his job those affected are on his hands. 

Acts 20:25-27 

25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [o]testify to you this day that I am [p]innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 

Failing to do our job causes others to die into their wickedness.  

Illustration 

Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee where the watchers on the crows nest of the titanic on April 14th, 1912. These men failed to warn of the danger ahead in time for the crew to react.  at 11:40 pm it struck that iceburg and at 2:20 am on April 15th it finally finished sinking

 The ship never made it from South hampton England to New York

Application 

Preach the word, warn people of the time to come, plea with the wicked. 

The time for Israel did come go to verse 21 

3) The Promise of the watchman 10-11

Blue 

 A. The Problem of Sin

“Our transgressions and our sins are upon us…”

People recognize their condition

Sin is the problem not just a Problem

“Upon us” → carrying the weight/consequences of sin

“We are rotting away” → decay, wasting away

Sin brings death

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” — all have sinned

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — wages of sin is death

Before you can appreciate the good news, you have to understand the bad news.

The problem isn't just that we're making mistakes.

The problem is sin.

Sin separates us from God.

Sin brings judgment.

Sin leaves us with a condition we cannot fix ourselves.

Gospel connection:

The Gospel begins with a problem — man is a sinner.

B. The Provision of God

“…how then can we survive?”

Jesus is the provision - “The safety for us”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The people recognize their hopeless condition, but God provides an answer.

C. The Plea for Repentance

“Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!”

Acts 3:19 ““Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””

D. The Promise of Redemption

“Turn Back and Live”

Isaiah 1:18 ““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

There is a hope for men.   

Sin is compared to a decay-rotting meaning waste away. 

God commands Ezekiel to tell the people where there only hope lies. 

God knew that the sword was coming upon Israel and he knows that sword is coming to each and every man, women, boy, and girl and it is the job of the watchman to tell them of the danger that is coming. 

V11) Turn Back-Turn Back is a emphasis on the importance of that command. 

 Illustration

Edward Kimball.

Kimball, born in 1823 in Massachusetts, became a Sunday School teacher in Boston while working in the carpet business. At the Mount Vernon Congregational Church, he taught a class of teenage boys, one of whom was Dwight L. Moody. Moody, unfamiliar with the Bible, was often teased for not knowing where to find certain books. Kimball, instead of scolding him, patiently guided him to the correct passage in John and encouraged him to read it. Over time, Kimball’s kindness and personal interest in each student’s spiritual life led him to visit Moody at his shoe store job. In the stockroom, Kimball shared the gospel and Moody was converted in 1855.

Moody went on to become one of the most influential evangelists of the 19th century, founding the Moody Bible Institute and preaching worldwide. Under Moody’s ministry, another man, J. Wilbur Chapman, was converted. Chapman’s preaching inspired Billy Sunday, who later became a major 20th-century evangelist. Sunday’s crusades drew Mordecai Ham, a scholar and evangelist, who held meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina TravisAgnew.org. In 1932, a 16-year-old boy, Billy Graham, attended one of Ham’s meetings, was deeply moved, and was led to Christ.

Application 

 Warn the people of the dangers to come but also tell them where safety is. Because you never know the impact it is going to have.

The watchman would be in a tower and could also direct people to safer places. 

Conclusion  

Be a watchman!!!

God has called you to be the watchman, do not fail at doing the job he has called you to do, don’t be ashamed of the word he has given. This is a very urgent matter that must be addressed. 

Jeremiah 20:9  Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” 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.