Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm Podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located in
beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship Ministries
with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, discipleship
and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church and other sermons
from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your host for this
podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing to you and
bring you closer to God. Welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm Podcast. Today the
message I have put together is, A Watchman Named You and Will You Sound the Alarm? If you are going
to follow along in your Bible this morning, the scripture that I am going to use as a jumping off
point is Ezekiel 33, 1-8. You can go ahead and turn there if you are going to. As we jump in,
I just want to thank those that listen to the podcast and I hope that as we grow over time,
we bring more people in. If I can ask a favor that if you are listening, if you do regularly
download the podcast or listen to it, if you could share it, just so that we can get the gospel out
there as far and wide as possible. Thank you for that. An illustration I put together is I have a
story of a vigilant light keeper. This occurred in Cape de Rosaires, which is literally Rosebush
Cape. It is the easternmost tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, which was named after the abundance
of wild roses that were spotted there by Samuel de Champlain during his visit in 1632. This lighthouse
was built between 1853 and 1858 and after several major shipwrecks happened in this area. No expense
was spared building the lighthouse. It cost $115,000 and its lights could be seen up to 26 km away or
16 miles today at sea. Today, it is the only imperial tower-style lighthouse still standing
in the province of Quebec up here in Canada. Life at the lighthouse was pleasant because of its
location in the village. Unlike many others that were isolated or on islands or on points,
the proximity enabled the light keeper and his family to have a social life and attend school
and church and belong to the community. During the Second World War, Joseph Ferguson was the
light keeper at Cape de Rosaires and on September 15, 1942, while scanning the waters, he spotted
a German U-boat and the submarines that had been lurking in the estuaries for a few months. The
light keeper knew that they had sunk several ships. He sounded the alarm to the civil defense,
but was seemingly not taken seriously. Two ships were sunk that day, the SS Saturnus from Netherlands
and the SS Ingur Elizabeth from Norway. Let's jump into our text in Ezekiel 33, 1-8.
The subheading for this portion of scripture is Ezekiel is Israel's watchman. In verse 1, it says,
The word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, speak to your people and say to them,
If I bring the sword upon the land and the people of the land take a man from among them
and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet
and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning
and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of
the trumpet and did not take warning, his blood shall be upon himself, but if he had taken warning,
he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the
trumpet so that the people are not warned and the sword comes and takes any one of them,
that person is taking away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.
So you, Son of man, I am made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my
mouth, you shall give them warning from me. And if I say to the wicked, O wicked, you shall surely die.
You do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that the wicked person shall die in his
iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn away from
his way, and he does not turn away from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity,
but you will have delivered your soul. So what is a watchman? In our society today,
we are told by the world that it is wrong to judge. We're constantly being told how wrong
our beliefs are and how wrong our faith is as Christians. While we're being scolded for
upholding the word of God, they, the world, is also telling others to be on the watch for the dangers
of conservatism or religiosity or whatever kind of phobic idea that is in vogue at the moment.
They want to silence all dissent to the world's secular humanistic faith, and they place watchmen
in the media, in the government, and in our schools. This reality alone should prove the need to hold
the line to biblical truth, but unfortunately for many, it doesn't sound any alarm bells.
No warning goes off in the hearts, minds, or souls of many who call upon the name of the Lord.
Many of these people will be, you know, gladly or solemnly go along with the currents of the world,
and this is a sad situation because in Christ we are called to be bold and even at times defiant
to the ungodliness that we see in our time. This does not mean we are to take up arms against our
fellow man, not at all. It means that we are to preach the gospel with power, authority, zeal.
We are called to be watchmen, the sentries, the heralds for the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Now I put in there on purpose the fact that, you know, taking up arms because oftentimes today
what we see is some people saying it's time to rebel, it's time to take up arms, but the reality
is is that we are heralds of the kingdom of heaven, and what we should do first before anything were
to come to that level is we should be speaking the words of God. We should be standing firm with the
words of Christ. Just like Paul went before, you know, the kings and the and Caesar with the gospel
of Jesus Christ, he went all the way to Rome with the gospel of Jesus Christ in chains. We have to
be willing to stand up for the purpose of the gospel as watchmen's for the kingdom of heaven.
That is our duty, and that is what we should be looking to do as Christians today. So what are the
duties of a watchman? If you define a watchman, it's a person who keeps guard over a building at night
to protect it from fire vandals or thieves, or a person who guards or patrols the streets at night.
It could be, you know, you could use the term caretaker, custodian, patrolman, policeman, or warden.
A watchman has come to mean many things to us today, but I was able to find this job description
from a watchman position in New York. Now bear with me, it's a little lengthy, but I think it's
important for us to highlight the critical role that a watchman plays in our society today and why
it is so important for us to take this mantle onto ourselves because we deal with even higher
responsibility to Jesus Christ. So a watchman, this is the from from the job posting.
Watchman distinguishing features of the class. This position involves responsibility for
safeguarding personnel buildings, properties, supplies. Work is performed 24 hours per day,
does related work as required. Examples of work, illustration use only, check windows, doors,
entrances to the building, make certain they're secure, detour admittance of unauthorized persons
on premises, investigate unusual conditions or disturbances, prevent damage to the building,
check the conditions of fire hazards, punches watchman's time clock at regular intervals,
check elevator lights, operate elevators when required, give directions to public,
contact fire, ambulance, maintenance personnel and warranted, silence alarms when given written
instruction, identify hazards such as tripping, slipping, take corrective actions, so fix it,
check disturbances, check lobbies, building entrances, hallways for debris, required knowledge,
skills and abilities for the role, general knowledge of duties and responsibilities of a watchman,
ability to think and act quickly in emergencies, ability to write accurate reports of an incident,
willingness to work nights or on unusual shifts, integrity, reliability, courage, sobriety,
good vision and hearing, good physical condition, minimum safety,
physical condition, minimal acceptable experience and training, three months of satisfactory
experiences of watchman or labor, satisfactory completion of background check will be required
during the probationary appointment. This comes from chapter 336 of the New York state laws of
1992, requires that individuals who perform security guard duties must complete a pre-assignment
training program and must be registered with New York State Department of State. Training and
registration are required prior to the employment and employees must maintain their registered
status during the entire time of employment. So this is obviously an earthly view of the importance
of a watchman and it's kind of a funny thing for me to like read here but the reality is is when
you think about this, when you think about all those details, all those things that I just spoke
about, all the stuff that I kind of emphasize, you get the picture that as a watchman you're being
held to a higher standard and the watchman of the Lord, there's an expectation for those of us to
also know the the truth of Jesus Christ and use that in our duties day to day. So even though as
we're going around and working our jobs, we're raising families, we're going to school,
we're supposed to be watchmen for the kingdom of God. We're supposed to be doing this 24 hours a
day. Now this isn't something that you know we're saved by grace, it is not by works, but we also
understand that in salvation you have a changed heart and you desire to serve the Lord. So that's
what this purpose is all about. In service of the Lord we're going to want to you know prevent damage
to others. We're going to want to you know give people direction on how they can be saved. We're
going to want to identify hazards that are around us that might lead others astray. These are all
things that we should want to be doing as new creations in Jesus Christ because if you truly
been saved and set free and you've had that personal you know experience where where you've
come face to face with Jesus Christ in your own life and he saved you and set you free from the
bondage of your sin, why wouldn't we want to be looking for opportunities to warn others
so that they can too be saved or that we can warn them so that they won't fall into
the temptation that comes from Satan. These are all things we should want to do. So it brings me to
my next point which is God's watchman and we continue on in Ezekiel with chapter 3 verses 16
through 21 and it says at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, son of man I have
made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth you hear
from my mouth you shall give them a warning from me. If I say to the wicked you shall surely die
and you give him no warning nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way in order to save his
life. That wicked person shall die for his iniquity but his blood I will require at your hand. But if
you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way he shall die
for his iniquity but you shall be delivered or you will have delivered your soul. Again if a righteous
person turns from his righteousness it commits a justice and I lay a stumbling block before him he
shall die because you've not warned him he shall die for his sin and his righteous deeds that he
has done shall not be remembered but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the
righteous person not to sin and he does not sin he shall surely live because he took warning
and you will have delivered your soul. So even from this this text of scripture we see you know
exactly what I was talking about before. We can warn people who are living in a life of wickedness
so they hopefully turn from their wickedness but we can also warn the righteous who who might be
headed down a wrong path about the stumbling block that's placed before them so they can
you know recognize the error of their ways and turn from that and both can save their lives if they
heed the warning. So this might sound remarkably similar to that earlier text that I read and it
should since it's a basically a restating in that same message. It is the responsibility aspect of
what it means to be a watchman. We are called to be heralds of the kingdom and guardians to our
fellow believers and the results of the alarm is not the concern it's it's what we need to make
clear is it's our duty to give the alarm. If we are diligent about our duties that is the expectation
the outcome is still up to the individual. We still believe in free choice it is that pesky
thing that we call free will right so we we understand that people aren't going to listen
all the time you know sinners are going to sin people might even backslide but it's our it's
our purpose to give the warning to give the alarm so that they hopefully will turn back to or turn
to Christ or turn back to Christ. We're not absolved from our duty just because we don't think it
matters it is because we think it does not matter that we have to exercise faith and sound the alarm.
The illustration that I started with was the one of the lighthouse the purpose of the lighthouse
is to warn others of impending danger once the message has been made we know that it it has still
been received it's still up to the recipient to accept the message and act upon it or else they
might end in calamity and Jeremiah 6 17 it says I set a watchman over you saying pay attention to
the sound of the trumpet but they said we will not pay attention this is the day and age that
we're living in this piece of scripture from Jeremiah is exactly kind of you know what we're
experiencing today where you could give a warning you could sound the alarm and people are going to
say you know keep it down we don't want to hear it and amos 3 6 is a trumpet blown in the city and
the people are not afraid does disaster come to the city unless the lord has done it we have this
idea today of it's your truth is the only thing that matters right it's this relative truth idea
so we could sound the alarm and people be like I don't believe in that I believe in this I believe
in my own thing and it's so relative to each individual that people will you know wander
headlong into danger because they don't they don't want to believe what's right in front of their
face you with all the issues we have in our in our western societies today you you give people
warning and say you're heading down a path of destruction and people go no no this is not a
path of destruction this is a path to prosperity when in reality it's a path right off the cliff
but that's why we you know we have to be a diligent watchman and that's this brings me back final point
being a diligent watchman it is not only for those whom you might save that you act faithfully in
your duties it is also for your own sake that you exercise faith and perform your duties diligently
in our illustration we see that the watchman is oftentimes part of the community in ancient israel
this was also true that means the watchman was not only responsible for signal but also
signaling the alarm but he was bringing attention to the danger that will affect his life and his
love ones and we are called to diligence because it keeps us right with the lord and first timothy
416 it says keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching persist in this for by doing so
you will save both yourself and your hears we are called to persist persist in keeping the watch
to look for those who can be saved to protect others and to protect ourselves from harm as well
and hebers 1317 says obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls
and those who will have to give an account as those who will have to give an account let them
do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you this is why we
have leaders in our church this the ministry is meant to be a position of service to the brothers
and sisters in christ we expect our leaders to hold themselves to a higher standard and to fulfill
the duties of a watchman this can be difficult when people being watched are ungrateful or don't
want to understand the danger that is present we could see this with ezekiel and with jeremiah
the people of israel were in no mood to hear the ravings of these two godly watchmen this is why
jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet he felt so strongly for his people and with the knowledge
of the impending doom that was about to fall in jerusalem it was hard for him to cry out warnings
that were going to fall on deaf ears he was abused and mocked but he was right he preached the truth
let us not be like the people of israel denying the dangers of our time let us take up the mantle
of the watchman and let us also carry the message of the cross to the world it is a message of hope
but if but it is also a message of warning all who have salvation in jesus christ are now on the
lookout we are all searching for those whom we can bring into the lifeboat of salvation
our world is sinking into chaos and is moving ever closer to destruction let us band together
to get as many people as possible into the boat jeremiah 29 11 through 13 says for i know the plans
that i have for you declares the lord plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and
hope then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and i will hear you you will seek me and
find me when you seek me with all your heart matthew chapter 7 verses 7 through 8 ask and it
will be given to you seek and you will find knock and the door will be open for everyone who asks
receives the one who seeks defines and to the one who knocks the door will be open and hebers 11 6
says and without faith it is impossible to please god because anyone who comes to him must believe
that he exists that he rewards those who earnestly seek him so in closing i have to wonder
how amazingly bad were things before the flood because we know that the bible tells us in genesis
6 5 that the lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth and
that every inclination and of the thoughts of human of the human heart was only evil all the time
man had become so wicked that their that they were wicked all the time his thought life was
continually wicked no one alone was righteous only himself and his family were to be saved
the story stands as a testament to both god's righteous judgment and his mercy
i wonder if any of the souls that died in the flood repented before the end
we know then there is another judgment coming jesus refers to this in matthew and luke
and matthew 24 38 39 it says for us in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking
marrying and giving into marriage until the day when noah entered the ark and then they were
unaware until the flood came and swept them all away and so will be the coming of the son of man
and then in loop 17 26 through 27 just as it was written in the days of noah so it will be in the
days of the son of man they were eating and drinking marrying and giving into marriage until
the day when noah answered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all this picture of the
flood and the reality that noah would have been building this ark for a long time he was a watchman
and he was giving warning but nobody was willing to listen let us not let down our guard let us not
leave behind our post we need to be vigilant and sober minded we are watchmen and we are seeking
those who god means to save let us not grow weary but lord help us to continue on this path to bring
others face to face with the revelation of jesus christ so they might be saved i pray today that we
grow in our faith and our love for christ so that we will have the zeal necessary to build an ark in
our own lives even if no one else sees the purpose i pray that we believe or that we as believers
will grow in faith enough to act on god's will alone just like noah abraham moses and the apostles
i believe that we can be watchmen for jesus today in our time i believe it's our duty to do so
because we are looking to to you know bring more people into that life boat of salvation so if i
could have every head bowed every eye closed real quick as we close this this message
i just want to give an invitation that maybe you recognize from this message that you are headed
down a path that's going to lead to your destruction you're you're headed somewhere you don't want to go
and maybe this message has been effective in in in highlighting the fact that you need to turn
your course around and head to christ well you can do that you can come to christ all you have to do
is is accept him as your lord and savior and turn from your sin and it's a simple prayer you can
repeat after me and just say dear lord god i know that i'm a sinner but i know that you sent your
son jesus christ he died for my sins i turned from my sin i repent and i accept jesus to be my lord
and savior i thank you for salvation that comes through grace in jesus name we pray amen if you
send that prayer and you meant it in your heart then you've been written into the lamb's book of
life you are saved and it's and it's a powerful thing and i know that you you would have felt the
change and praying that prayer with with true you know humbleness but what's next what's next is that
you need to get a bible you need to start washing yourself in the word of god you can download
you know the u-version app it's got all sorts of different bibles and so it's free
if you need help finding a bible you know reach out to us here
be more than happy to help you out and then on top of that you want to pray to god start having
those conversations with god start crying out to him and say lord help me give me wisdom understanding
and then find a bible believing church to lock into what i mean by lock into is what i is i mean
you go there you find someone who's preaching the gospel and you become a part of that church a
and you become a part of that church a member of that church that and then you work towards seeing
others grow in their relationship with jesus christ become an active member not just a uh you
know someone who comes sits in a in a pew for a day and then they go back to their normal you know
life during the week no become a member lock in grow with the with your with the church body
both in your salvation and helping others to grow in theirs if you need help finding a church we
have 300 or 3500 plus churches worldwide i'd be more than happy to help you find a church
but if you're in the salmon arm area if you're in the seminar british columbia please you know
reach out visit us on sunday mornings we also do bible study on on wednesday evenings and we do
outreach on saturdays and so we we're constantly trying to push forward with our duties as a
watchman to bring more people into the into the boat of salvation so partner with us if you're
around i want to thank you for listening to this message and again if this message touched you
i pray that you know that god will move this message far beyond the boundaries of salmon arm
or canada or united states or the you know any you know any country i pray they would go everywhere
and that people would be able to hear the gospel message and turn to jesus christ but i i hope that
if this message did affect you that you would share it so that others can hear the message and
that the podcast can grow because the whole point of this is to get the gospel of jesus christ as far
as wide as possible so i want to thank you uh for coming back again and i can't you know i can't
wait for you to come back next time thank you god bless thank you for listening to the phsa potter's
house salmon arm podcast be sure to follow us on instagram at potter's house underscore salmon arm
to keep up to date on what we are doing join the conversation and discover how jesus christ
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