Message summary: Let your message to the world be filled with both warning and hope!

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“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest” (Isaiah 62:6). “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (Ezekiel 6:10). “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 33:7).

Yesterday I visited with Richard, a thoughtful follower of Christ, we've visited in our chaplaincy role for over 15 years. We briefly discussed the state of our country and the church. Although we don’t attend the same local church we both attend churches that would be labeled as “evangelical”. Sadly, many evangelical churches and ministers, in a quest for numbers and social acceptance in an increasing post-Christian culture, have remained silent or in too many cases have acquiesced to the radical changes in our culture.

Richard, with a smile on his face quizzed me, “Do you know what they call those folks?” I shook my head and he responded, “evanjellycal”, in the sense that too many leader’s convictions to uphold truth are like jellyfish, no backbone!

Today’s texts are powerful portions of Holy Scripture about a watchman who was called to give warnings from God. We still very much need these types of obedient watchmen who faithfully proclaim God’s Word.

It’s much easier to comfort and encourage than to confront and warn. But we all need warnings! We need preachers who will faithfully confront sin and warn of its consequences.

However when we hear spiritual warnings we can either give attention, grow annoyed or be offended at the message directed to us. We can either respond and make needed changes or we can react by rejecting the warning. That’s what the second verse teaches that we can easily see in our own time: “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (Ezekiel 6:10).

The watchman, Ezekiel, served our Lord during a time of great transition. God’s people had been taken captive to Babylon but He hadn’t forgotten them and still had a plan for their lives (corporately and individually).

A fellow prophet, Jeremiah, had already pointed this out in a very familiar passage, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jeremiah served just prior to the Babylonian exile and Ezekiel spoke God’s truth to the people in Babylon during the exile. His prophecies are sometimes quite figurative, and can be hard to understand, but he had a powerful message for all who would listen!  It’s for those who will read and listen to his message today as well.

The very heart of Ezekiel’s mission from God is expressed in the third verse, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me". The word “watchman” is used both literally and figuratively in the Old Testament. Literally it has the sense of a lookout, often on the city wall. It means to “lean forward, to peer into the distance.”

In the figurative sense it conveys one who has the bigger picture, a bigger perspective (particularly God’s). God had called Ezekiel to be a watchman and a part of the watchman’s message was to give warning.

There are many circumstances in which people do not like warnings. That's still true today. (An ancient Jewish tradition asserts that Ezekiel was slain by his own people.) The essence of the message of the false prophets that Ezekiel confronted was their message of “peace, when there is no peace” (see Ezekiel 13:10). According to the apostle Paul this will also be a message of end time error preceding the coming of our Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Today I call on each of you to live as "watchmen" in our day. Make known to those around you the perspective God provides through His Holy Word, which will certainly include a serious warning of His impending judgment. But it will also include a message of hope for those who turn to God (Ezekiel chapters 37-48). Hear the voice of the Lord and be His “faithful watchman”. Let your message to the world be filled with both warning and hope!

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, it is through devout godly people that You repair, restore and rebuild lives as they raise up the unchanging, ever relevant ancient words of Scripture. It takes faithful watchmen who serve with great vigilance, untiring in presenting the unchanging truths of the Holy Scriptures to a world that is continuously and increasingly desecrating that which was once sacred. Father, help us to be watchmen for our families, co-workers, and friends as we carefully measure the changing principles of this world by the eternal principles established in Scripture. Grant us courage to speak out when the foundations are being shaken just as the watchmen were not silent night or day. We do not stand in the gap alone but You, our Father, are with us and we stand in Your courage and strength!  Amen.

"Preacher, Tell It Like It Is"   Watch on YouTube    Greater Vision  As a chaplain I am no longer a pastor of a local church but rather have a pastoral role out in the highways and byways of life where many are weary and sad. Now, as far as congregational life, I do more listening than preaching and can state as a listener that sermons that convict and challenge are welcomed and appreciated. This song, "Preacher Tell It Like It Is" reflects the truth that other people of faith feel this way as well.