Watchman Depend on Jesus
Watchman • Sermon • Submitted
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Nine-year-old Jeremy’s mother asked the boy what he had learned in Sunday school.
“Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he and his engineers built a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio broadcast headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge, and all the Israelites were saved.”
“Now, Jeremy, is that really what your teacher taught you?” his mother asked.
“Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it.”
I like this joke, because it reminds us that God operates in the SUPERNATURAL. When we read how God delivered the children of Israel from the land of Egypt by sending plagues, parting the red sea, and providing food from heaven it’s hard to imagine that God can’t do anything. He is not bound by the rules of the world. God can do whatever, whenever, and however He wants or sees fit.
We need to remember that through Jesus we have been brought into the family of God. We are God’s chosen people. When we accept Christ, the greatest miracle that could ever happened takes place. We are transformed.
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
If God can take sinful men and women and change them into Christ glorious image then I would say there is nothing too big for Him.
No circumstances can stop Him.
As we live our lives as watchman we need to remember that our strength comes from our Lord Jesus. He’s the one who provides the daily transformation. He’s the one who paid the price for our salvation. He’s our hope for our eternal home. He’s the only one who can sustain us in our time of need or crisis.
We need to depend on Jesus.
I want to tell you my three point right up front today. I don’t want any guessing about what the message is about today.
These three points can change your life if you believe they are true. If we depend on Jesus then we can know these three things:
Jesus RESTORES
Jesus DELIVERS
Jesus SECURES
What I pray that you hear in the message today is that we have HOPE. Hope that comes from placing our trust in Jesus. He is the one who restores, delivers, and secures us through everything life can throw our way.
I don’t think God is done working in this world.
Don’t lose hope that God is able and willing to do great things to Restore humanity to Himself.
Don’t lose hope that God is able and willing to Deliver us and others from snares of the enemy.
Don’t lose hope because God has made our salvation and victory Secure through His Son Jesus.
We don’t need to be afraid in times of trouble. We can stand in faith knowing that God is our ever present help in time of need.
We have this good news in our hearts and minds which is why we have been talking about being a watchman for God in this world.
God, throughout history, has called on His people to be Watchmen.
We are to keep watch, to peer into the distance, to observe, and we are called to stand for what is true.
As we move more and more into the future, I believe that true believers in Christ will have to do their part to accomplish what the Lord wants to do at this time in history.
God has always used people who are ready and willing to rise up and do something great in the kingdom. People who are willing to take a stand against the darkness of this world and proclaim the gospel of Jesus.
Those are the people who are going to make a difference. The time for complacency is at an end for Christians.
Those who are not willing to stand up for Christ, I believe are in danger of walking backwards in their faith. The bible talks about people who once believed, but then fall away. People who are lukewarm in their faith.
People who choose to sit on the sidelines while others do the work of the kingdom. Christians must be warned that the enemy is using time to cultivate doubt and atrophy in the hearts of those who are not active in their relationship with Christ and with other believers.
I like what Jesus said in
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Followers of Christ must hear and listen to His voice. We must have a relationship with Him. As believers we must be very careful of what we put into our brains…
I was talking to my daughter Katie about being in middle school and all the influences that are trying to bombard her. She was telling me things that almost made me melt in my seat because I didn’t think she had been exposed to such immorality at age 11.
I had to carefully explain to her that she is set apart by God to live a life different from the world, that she didn’t have to listen to the things her friends do, or do the things her friends do…please don’t do the things they do...
As adults we are no different. This world is trying to catch our ears and hearts and turn us away from the voice of Christ.
Be careful. Don’t be deceived. Christ is calling us to a higher purpose.
We must depend on Jesus to Restore, Deliver, and Secure us and the world for His glory!
I love what Jesus told us in John 10. He said that if we listen to His voice and follow Him that we will have eternal life and that NO ONE can snatch us from His hand.
Isn’t that amazing? When we are committed to Christ then NOTHING can take us away from Him.
Oh, yes, we can still walk away, but if we are in fellowship with Jesus our love will only grow deeper.
This is an encouraging truth from the Word of God. Let’s stand on the promise that nothing this world can do will remove us from the family of God.
If that’s absolutely true then we have nothing to hold us back. No sickness, no persecution, nothing can stop a true believer who understands and depends on Christ for eternal life.
28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Not that we should be afraid of God, but that we should hold Him in high reverence because He is the one who determines true life and death.
When we depend on Christ as watchmen stand in faith…not fear.
We start believing for and expecting Revival!
I’m going to say it right here and now. Revival is coming. It may not look like we’ve see in the past, but I am trusting the same God who restored, delivered, and secured our salvation will do the same for those who are lost in a hurting world.
We must get ready. Our hearts and heads need to be in the right place.
The problem is that sometimes we allow our past failures, our previous hurts, and our current troubles to stop us dead in our tracks.
Most of us have insecurities, inner battles that no one else sees, and sometimes we even can find it hard to understand how God can love or allow someone like us to be a part of His glorious plans.
Well, let me tell you, God is more interested in a willing heart than a perfect heart. We can believe that if we stand in faith that the miraculous can and will happen.
First you must realize that...
Jesus Restores
Jesus Restores
The bible refers to Jesus as a good shepherd. One of the best known scriptures in the Word of God says it this way:
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
When we surrender our life to Christ we are connected with a loving and caring shepherd. Which means that He will take care of us.
Jesus loves us.
The past hurts, pains, struggles you have felt can be laid on His shoulders. He is beckoning us to lie down in green pastures. To allow Him to restore those broken parts in our life. To breathe life into our very soul.
If you’ve ever been on the edge and all you needed was a warm hug from someone you KNOW loves you unconditionally…then you know what it feels like when Christ wraps you up in His loving arms as you call on His name.
So many people come to church, say a prayer at the end of the service and hope that will fix all their problems. This is really not how it works. It’s good to prayer at the end of a service…don’t get me wrong. There’s value in that special time.
My hope is that when we hear the Word preached or taught it pushes us closer to Christ when no one else is around. When you are alone is when you find out if you really had an encounter with Christ in a service.
It’s called your quiet time with the Lord. Time you spend opening your Bible and sitting in quiet prayer listening to the Holy Spirit speak to you and restore those portions of your life that seem so broken.
This is where He does His best Restoration.
My father in law always tells the story of a time when he really understood who the Holy Spirit is in his life. He had been a believer since he was a teenager, went to church on a regular basis, served on the worship team, and as an adult he was on the financial board of his church. But he never really understood the intimate relationship that God wanted to have with him until on a business trip he decided to open the Bible and ask God to speak to him.
His heart wanted something deeper from the Lord. He told me that he started to read and pray and meditate on the word. As he did he said it was like the words on the page came to life, and he was able to understand and apply those words to his life.
He was never the same after that business trip because he understood that the Lord wanted to have a deep relationship with him that could only happen if he had that special, quality, private time alone with the Lord. Even to this day he will send me pictures of his journal and what the Lord spoke to him that day. I absolutely love it!
The Lord will restore our soul as we spend time with Him on a daily basis. We would be wise to never neglect our private time with Him. We as watchmen must grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord.
I must remind you that there is an enemy who would love for you to only have a superficial understanding of who you are in Christ. He would love for you to allow your past to dictate your future.
NOT THIS CHURCH. We are going to remember what Paul told us to do:
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
We must allow the Lord to restore us so that we can take our place in the kingdom. The truth is that if we don’t depend on Christ to give us new life each and every day then we won’t be able to stand against the enemy. We aren’t fighting flesh and blood…we can’t hope to stand strong if we aren’t restoring our spirit each and every day.
We must be able to stand strong in our faith and in our knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus.
When I read Ephesians 3:20 I can’t help but wonder about the potential we all have in Christ.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
God’s power working in and through believers is unlimited and far beyond our comprehension.
This power in us is the Holy Spirit, who is constantly at work in our lives, seeking to produce the fruit of a Christlike character, rebuking us because of sin, guiding us in prayer, inspiring us in worship, directing us in service. The more we are yielded to Him, the greater will be His effectiveness in conforming us to Christ.
When we understand that we are the “US” Paul is talking about when we says “according to the power that works in us” we can understand that the burden is lifted off our shoulders. Because that verse says “Now to Him who is able to do...”
That GOD is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask of think through US!
That is restoration. Nothing should hold us back. Jesus has restored all those who call on His name.
Jesus will restore you and...
Jesus Delivers
Jesus Delivers
Exodus 12-14 tells us how the Israelites were delivered from the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Over 600,000 Israelites were in captivity for 430 years and the Lord sent the most unlikely guy in the world, a murderer named Moses, to speak to the pharaoh which resulted in plagues and finally the pharaoh allowed the children of Israel to go free.
Now, listen to me... I don’t care what your past looks like - more importantly GOD does not care what your past looks like.
If God chose Moses who had a speech impediment, who had committed murder, and was even reluctant to trust God. Guess what?
He can use you!
Here’s an important truth that can and should change lives here today...When you trust in Jesus as your Savior, not only are you restored as a Son or Daughter, you are DELIVERED. You don’t have to remain captive to sin. You can be set free from those habits, hurts, and hangups that have kept you down.
You see, in our lives we are no different than those people in Egypt. We are all being “enslaved” by something.
I know this is true because according to 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says ...are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
This verse describes progressive sanctification. The more we grow in our knowledge of Christ, the more He is revealed in our lives. It shows us that we are all dealing with something that we should surrender to Christ.
There could be something holding you back right now that you know you need to surrender today. Maybe you need to walk in the deliverance that is provided by Christ. Chains of bondage can fall off your life today.
It could be something that you’re dealing with which is hindering you from living the life that Jesus promised we can have as believers.
Jesus said in chapter of John 10:10
10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
The problem with a lot of Christians is that we still live in the mentality of our old life and we allow the thief to come in and steal, kill, and destroy us NOW. This should never be allowed!
Oh, we may have trouble, in fact we are promised troubles, but in our heart, and mind we have been given the victory over this thief.
Jesus has brought to us a new life and we are to have it in full!
We are delivered from darkness and translated into the light. Don’t live in deception and in the past of the old life. Look to the future and live in the now...of abundant life that Christ has purchased for us.
After 400+ years those Israelites were set free. They were delivered. So are we! We can be restored and delivered through Christ Jesus.
If you don’t hear anything else today, this is very important and really is the key to being restored and delivered....
You must CHOOSE to be restored and delivered!
That’s right, it’s already been done.
What you are struggling with now could be laid at the altar. Christ has promised you that victory.
Think again about those Israelites who had been set free... They had been in captivity for so long - for 400 years! It’s all they knew. Their family history was tied up into that land. They had homes and lives. They never knew anything different.
They didn’t know that life could be better. They didn’t know that God had something better from them. In their past all they knew was pain, hurt, abuse, anger, and suffering.
Then one day they are told that they are free, but with one catch...they had to walk away from everything they knew.
They had to CHOOSE to be delivered.
You and I are no different. Today we are given that same choice.
I am asking you to make some decisions. To lay down your old life and all that is associated there and to choose to take a step into deliverance.
It may be hard because it’s all you’ve ever known.
Here’s a promise from God:
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
We can be set free! Forgiven! Restored! Delivered!
This is part of the hope we have today. We can live a life that is delivered from sin and destruction. We can choose to be set free.
It’s 100% up to us. The sin we struggle with is that sin we WANT to struggle with. When we get serious with God and humble ourselves in His presence He will deliver us.
What a great message to give to the whole world! If we proclaimed this truth wouldn’t we see a great revival.
People desperately need to be delivered. We are the watchman called to bring this good news, but we must first be sure that we are walking in that deliverance too.
My good news for you today is that Jesus Restores, Jesus Delivers, and
Jesus Secures
Jesus Secures
We are released. We don’t have to stay in that land of captivity.
The things that we have struggled with don’t have to stay the same.
We can look at the world with a new perspective.
It doesn’t matter how others have labeled us.
It doesn’t matter if we’ve failed 100 times before
It doesn’t matter what happened in the past.
When we give our life and heart to God we can walk out of what has held us captive.
Those who want a life change will declare today that this is the day of change. This can be the day you exit your past disappointments and failures. You can and will be set free if you trust the Lord.
We can walk in faith instead of fear. Knowing that Christ is holding us in His mighty hand.
He is the one who paid our debt and secured our freedom.
But we have to choose to take that step of faith. We must choose to dedicate our life to Christ. Surrender to His will.
Here’s the most simple and basic truth of how to be Restored and Delivered…this is our message as Watchman to the world:
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
You see, the Lord has already paid it all for you.
There’s no more sacrifice to be made. Jesus secured our Salvation with His own Blood and proved God accepted His sacrifice by the fact that He was raised from the dead.
We have a Hope for the future. We don’t have to be down and out or worried about what comes next because our hope is fixed on Christ who has secured our salvation for all of eternity!
I know you may be down today. We all know people who are struggling. Some of our loved ones are physically sick. We know people who are lost and have not accepted Christ. You might even be here today and you could say you haven’t trusted in Christ.
Well, the reason to have hope, even joy today is rooted in the fact that Jesus has made a way where there was no way.
He loves you just as you are this morning. This is what He is calling to your heart today:
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
He absolutely loves us. He wants to restore you this morning. You can be delivered this morning. He has secured us by His own sacrifice.
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
What an amazing thought…He made each and every one of us, He loves us, and in Christ He sees us without fault.
Doesn’t that give you hope today?
You might be here this morning realizing that you need to be restored, delivered, and secured. Maybe your life has been self focused and not focused on the great calling Christ gave to all believers to take their place as watchman.
It all comes down to a choice from you. A choice that can change the trajectory of your life.
We have HOPE. Hope that comes from placing our trust in Jesus. He is the one who restores, delivers, and secures us through everything life can throw our way.
Who wants to be restored, delivered, and secured today?