“So
you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore
you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.” (Ezekiel 33:7)
Pray for your pastor!
He has a task assigned to him by God which carries a great
responsibility with a grave accountability.
I have copied these words from Matthew Simpson into the front of my
Bible:
His throne is the pulpit;
he stands in Christ’s stead; his message is the Word of God; around him are immortal
souls; the Savior, unseen, is beside him; the Holy Spirit broods over the
congregation; angels gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the issue.
What associations and what vast responsibility!
God spoke of his messenger as being a watchman on the wall—a sentry
posted to sound a warning to the people when an enemy was approaching. This is the thrust of Ezekiel 33.
God appointed Ezekiel to this duty (v.7a). He didn’t have a choice in vocation. This was not one job possibility among
several. His only choice was to respond
to the call with obedience, or to disobey and face the consequences. The pastor is not a volunteer; he was
drafted! This is his appointment.
The prophet was to hear the Word and share what he heard (v.7b). As his position was not self-motivated, his
preaching was not self-originated. The
pastor must prayerfully immerse himself in studying the Scriptures to
comprehend what God says and then fearlessly and faithfully expound that
message to the congregation—without deletion or addition. This is his authority.
It is a job too big for a mere man, so the Spirit of God empowers the
preacher. Ezekiel had experienced
this. In a parallel passage in the third
chapter, several times it is mentioned, “the
Spirit lifted me up,” (v.12, 14, 24) and says, “the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” (v.14) This is his anointing. What folly it is for a man to rely on his
feeble intellect and ability to futilely try to accomplish a supernatural work!
The eternal destinies of men and women are at stake. There is a day of judgment coming and the
preacher must sound the warning. Heaven
is a happy place and hell is a horrible place.
The man of God raises the alarm, “Prepare
to meet your God.” (Amos 4:12) People must be called to repentance and
faith. When the pastor discharges his
duty, then the sinner is responsible with how he or she responds to the message
(v.4-5). The blood is then on their
heads and off the preacher’s hands (v.6-8).
Sadly, many will not heed the warning.
Some, however, will (v.5b, 11). The blood off our hands and on their
heads, then becomes the blood on their hearts that saves from sin! The Lamb’s blood—the sacrifice of Jesus—is sufficient
to cleanse the vilest sinner! God wants
us to be saved. That’s why He sent His
Son into this world. Everybody ought to
know!
While we have focused on the pastor’s call as a watchman, with a view of
you praying for and supporting him in this burden, we must also come to grips
with the reality that there are not enough preachers in the world to reach all
the lost. Every child of God has been
called to be a watchman in the sense of being a Gospel witness. Are you helping to sound the warning—or is
there blood on your hands?
2 comments:
Absolutly AWESOME!!!!
Thank you for the encouraging words!
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