Sermon #1282 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: ZION’S WATCHMEN
Text: Psalm 127:1
Reading: Ezekiel 33:1-16
Subject: The Characteristics of Those Men Who Are
Watchmen Upon The Walls Of Zion
Date: Sunday Morning - May 25, 1997
Tape # T-74
Introduction:
I have no idea why the Lord has so
strongly impressed this message upon my heart. I studied and prepared with
another subject in mind. But everything I have read this week, almost every
conversation I have had relating to spiritual things, and the things I have
observed have all impressed upon me, in one way or another, my responsibilities
to you and to this generation as a gospel preacher, as a watchman who is
responsible for the souls of men. Therefore, I want to preach to you this
morning about Zion’s Watchmen.
I realize that I am not preaching to an assembly of
preachers. Yet, I believe my message is from the Lord and that it is a message
needed at this hour. If you are a
believer, there are some for whom you are responsible as God’s appointed
watchmen. If you are not a believer, you will be wise to hear God’s
watchman and heed the word he has from the Lord for your soul.
Proposition: Faithful
pastors and gospel preachers are God’s appointed watchmen upon the walls of
Zion.
We will begin in Psalm 127:1. I want
us o go through the Scriptures and briefly, but carefully, observe what God
says to us in his Word about Zion’s
Watchmen. I will begin and lay the foundation for my message in Psalm
127:1. Then we will look at each of the succeeding passages of Scripture
wherein God the Holy Spirit gives instruction about Zion’s Watchmen. You will have no trouble following me. We will not
be flipping back and fort through the Bible. We will begin here, at Psalm 127
and go forward. We will not go back, but straight forward through the
Scriptures. Now, hear this word from God by the mouth of his servant David.
Psalms 127:1 "A Song of
degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that
build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
I begin here because this is David’s
word to his son Solomon, the preacher to whom God gave great wisdom, the man
raised up by God to build his house and keep his city. Though he was an
instrument in the hands of God, though he was personally responsible for the
building and keeping of God’s church and kingdom, his father David, by Divine
inspiration, here informed him that the work was God’s work alone. The same
thing is true with respect to myself and to all other men who stand as watchmen
upon the walls of Zion.
I
am responsible for what I teach and preach here, and for what others teach and
preach here. I am responsible to build and build up the house of God in
this place. Yet, no matter how faithfully and diligently I labor, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor
in vain that build it.”
I
am responsible to protect the city of God in this generation, by the faithful exposition of Holy Scripture, from the
intrusions and assaults of Satan, from heresies, from strife, from worldly
influence, and from the evils that arise in our own wicked hearts. Yet, it is
written, “Except the LORD keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain.” In other words - Though God uses human instruments to do his work in this world, the
success of their labors is altogether dependent upon the Lord God himself, and
the glory is his alone.
2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have
this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of
God, and not of us."
Now, I want us to go through the
Scriptures and see what God teaches us about those men who are responsible to
serve him as watchmen upon the walls of Zion. If you are taking notes, we are
going to look at ten or eleven texts of Scripture. Obviously, I do not intend
to expound each passage. We will simply read them; and I will make some brief
comments about them. But I have culled from these passages ten words by which
all Zion’s watchmen (both the false and the true) are described.
I. Faithful
gospel preachers are GUIDING WATCHMEN.
Song of Songs 3:1-3 "By night on my
bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. (2) I will rise now, and go about the
city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth:
I sought him, but I found him not. (3) The
watchmen that go about the city found me: to
whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?"
Gospel preachers are not priests, and
must not be used as such. But they are guides to your souls. Those who seek the
Lord, when they come to the house of God, ought always to come looking for
Christ. You have every right and reason, when you come to hear me or any other
man speak for God, to expect that man to take the things of Christ and show
them to you. Whenever you come to the place of worship, it is always right to
say to God’s servant as the Gentiles did to Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”
·
In His Eternal
Deity!
·
In His
Covenant Engagements!
·
In His
Wondrous Incarnation!
·
In His
Representative Obedience!
·
In His
Substitutionary Atonement!
·
In His
Glorious Resurrection!
·
In His Royal
Exaltation!
·
In His
Priestly Intercession!
·
In His
Triumphant Return!
·
In His Mighty
Accomplishments!
·
In His
Everlasting Praise!
II. Those men who
are faithful to the souls of men are often, of necessity, REPROVING WATCHMEN.
Song of Songs 5:7 "The watchmen
that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers
of the walls took away my veil from me."
It is not the right or the
responsibility of pastors and elders to keep a check on the lives of God’s
saints and try to run their personal lives; or even to personally look them up
and confront them because of something that may be amiss in their lives. That
may, at times, be necessary. But, as your pastor, as God’s messenger to your
soul, it is my responsibility to study and prayerfully seek a message from the
Lord for you and faithfully deliver it to you. If I can get a message from God
and deliver it in the power of his Spirit, it will smite your heart, wound your
spirit, and take away the veil of excuses by which you would hide your sin.
III. Every faithful
gospel preacher is also a TEACHING WATCHMAN.
Isaiah 21:11-12 "The burden of
Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman,
what of the night? (12) The watchman
said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye:
return, come."
It is the responsibility of the
watchman to understand the times, so that he may show sinners the danger of
their ways and arouse up sleepy saints in the night of spiritual darkness,
affliction, and distress.
A. The
watchman speaks plainly and truthfully, promising that the morning will come,
but also the night.
There will be a resurrection morning,
a morning of everlasting joy, happiness, and peace. But, as long as we live in
this world, we must live as children of light in a world of darkness.
B. The
watchman invites and urges sinners to come, inquiring into the knowledge of the
Lord.
I have no time for debates and endless
questions about meaningless things. But I am delighted to spend all the time
and energy I can showing sinners the truth of God.
Faithful men are not afraid of honest inquiry. They are
always ready to answer because they study the Word faithfully.
C. God’s
watchmen constantly call those who hear them to return and come to the Lord.
·
Lost Sinners.
·
Fallen Saints.
IV. Now, look at
Isaiah 52:7-8, and understand that faithful gospel preachers are all BLESSED
WATCHMEN.
I use the term blessed here to describe them not so much
because they are happy and blessed themselves, though they are, but because
they bring happiness and blessedness to those who are blessed of God to profit
by their labors. Notice how Isaiah describes these blessed watchmen.
Isaiah 52:7-8 "How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that
publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (8) Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together
shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again
Zion."
A. They are welcome messengers to needy sinners.
B. They bring good tidings.
C. They publish peace accomplished.
D. They bring good tidings of good things.
·
Electing Love!
·
Effectual
Redemption!
·
Irresistible
Grace!
·
Immutable
Mercy!
·
Eternal
Salvation!
E. They publish salvation.
F. They say to Zion, “Thy God reigneth!”
G. They all see eye to eye and speak as one man!
V. However, not
all watchmen are faithful watchmen. Those who are not faithful to the Word and
truth of God are not faithful to the souls of men. They are BLIND,
SELF-SERVING WATCHMEN.
Isaiah 56:10-12 "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark;
sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
(11) Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one
for his gain, from his quarter. (12) Come
ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and
we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant."
A. They are blind watchmen, not just naturally blind, but
willfully blind to the truth of God.
B. They are dumb dogs, male prostitutes (Deut. 33:18), men who
prostitute the gospel and the glory of God. “Beware
of dogs!” (Phil. 3:2) - Vicious Intruders!
C. They are lazy dogs.
D. They are insatiably greedy dogs.
E. They are shepherds in name only, utterly without spiritual
knowledge or understanding.
F. They all walk in their own way and serve their own lusts.
Blessed are those people and those
churches who are not cursed with such blind, self-serving watchmen!
VI. In Isaiah
62:6-7, the Lord God describes his faithful servants as Divinely APPOINTED
WATCHMEN.
Isaiah 62:6-7 "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. (7) And give
him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the
earth."
In these two verses, the Lord tells us
four things that are true of every God called, God ordained, God sent preacher.
A. God’s watchmen are men who have been set upon the walls of
Zion by God’s own hand.
B. They are men who never hold their peace. They cannot be
bribed, or threatened, or enticed into compromise.
C. They constantly talk about one thing - They always “make
mention of the LORD.”
·
His
Attributes.
·
His
Accomplishments.
·
His Aims.
D. “They give him no rest” - They are earnest in prayer,
seeking the salvation of God’s elect, the establishment and increase of his
kingdom, for the glory of his name.
VII. Regretfully,
more often than not, it must be acknowledged that God’s servants, no matter how
faithful and earnest they are, are IGNORED WATCHMEN.
Jeremiah 6:16-17 "Thus saith the
LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and
ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (17) Also I set watchmen over
you, saying, Hearken to the sound of
the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."
John
Gill wrote, “These are the words of the Lord to the people, whom he
would have judge for themselves, and not be blindly led by the false prophets
and priests; directing them to do what men should, when they are in a place
where two or more ways meet, and know not which way to take; they should make a
short stop, and look to the way mark or way post, which points whither each
path leads, and so accordingly proceed. Now,
in religious things, the Scriptures are the way mark to direct us which way we
should take: if the inquiry is about the way of salvation, look up to
these, which are able to make a man wise unto salvation; these show unto men that the way of salvation
is not works of righteousness done by them, but Christ only: if the question is
about any doctrine whatever, search the Scriptures, examine them, they are profitable for doctrine; they
tell us what is truth, and what is error: if the doubt is about the
matter or form of worship, and the
ordinances of it, look into the Scriptures, they are the best directory
to us what we should observe and do.”
In these two verses, the Lord God
gives five solemn words to all to whom he sends faithful gospel preachers.
A. He commands us to seek and ask for the old paths, the paths
of Enoch, Noah, Job, and Abraham, the old paths of salvation and life by the
imputed righteousness of Christ.
B. He tells us to walk in the good way, the way of faith in
Christ, who is the Way.
C. He promises rest to all who walk therein. Christ is our
Sabbath. Coming to him he gives us rest. Taking his yoke upon us, we find rest
unto our souls (Matt. 11:28-30).
D. God commands all who hear the glorious blast of the gospel
trumpet to hearken to the sound of it.
E. Yet, most who hear his Word refuse to obey the gospel. - “We will not walk therein.” “We will not
hearken.” Most men and women are going about to establish their own
righteousness, and therefore will not submit to the righteousness of God.
VIII. However,
blessed be his name, God does raise up some, here an there, from time to time,
as he sees fit, to be INGATHERING WATCHMEN.
Read Jeremiah 31:3-9. The Lord God is describing this gospel
day and the sure blessings of the new covenant, the everlasting covenant of
grace. It requires no comment from me.
Jeremiah 31:3-9 "The LORD hath
appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (4)
Again I will build thee, and thou
shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy
tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. (5) Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters
shall plant, and shall eat them as
common things. (6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and
let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. (7) For thus saith the LORD; Sing
with gladness for Jacob, and shout
among the chief of the nations: publish
ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. (8) Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them
from the coasts of the earth, and with
them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with
child together: a great company shall return thither. (9) They shall come
with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way,
wherein they shall not stumble: for
I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my
firstborn."
IX. Ezekiel
3:16-21, like Ezekiel 33, describe every man who speaks for God, all who claim
to speak for God, and all who assume that they speak for God as ACCOUNTABLE
WATCHMEN.
Ezekiel 3:16-21 "And it came to
pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (17) Son of man, I have made thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and
give them warning from me. (18) When
I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning,
nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same
wicked man shall die in his iniquity;
but his blood will I require at thine hand.
(19) Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor
from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul. (20) Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness,
and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die:
because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his
righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I
require at thine hand. (21) Nevertheless
if thou warn the righteous man, that
the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is
warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."
A. God’s servants receive the Word from God’s mouth and
faithfully deliver it.
B. They warn the wicked from his way to save his life.
C. They earnestly plead with sinners in Christ’s stead to be
reconciled to God.
Ezekiel 33:11 "Say unto them,
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way
and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?"
D. By their faithful preaching of the gospel, faithful men are
freed from the blood of others.
E. By withholding the gospel of Christ from men, false prophets
bring upon themselves the blood of those who perish under their influence.
X. Now, I want
you to look at Hebrews 13:17, and hear what the Holy Spirit says with regard to
FAITHFUL WATCHMEN.
Hebrews 13:7-8 "Remember them
which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose
faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation. (8) Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Hebrews 13:17 "Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with
grief: for that is unprofitable for
you."
Some of you may sometimes wander why I
preach to you as I do, why am always so
intense in preaching to you, why I never deviate from preaching the gospel to
you. Here is the reason.—I know that one
day soon I am going to see your face before the judgment bar of God almighty,
and will give an account as to the grounds upon which and why you must either
be saved or be forever damned under the wrath of God.
Application: Perhaps
you will now understand a little more fully what is meant by “the burden of the
Word of the Lord.” Maybe this message will help you to understand the weight of
Paul’s words.
1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified."
1 Corinthians 9:16 "For though I
preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me;
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"
1 Timothy 4:16 "Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
Bear with me a moment longer, as I try to persuade those in
our midst who are yet without Christ to flee from the wrath of God.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (11) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your
consciences."
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 "Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of
God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us
the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. (20) Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
(21) For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him."