Be A Watchman

The world trains us to react fast, pick sides, and stay angry. We want something better: clear eyes, steady hearts, and faithful words. Pastor Carl walks us through the biblical picture of the “watchman” and why it’s not a niche role for intense people, but a normal calling for Christians who want to live by faith and not by sight. Anchored in Ezekiel 33, we unpack what it looks like to see danger coming, tell the truth without panic, and leave the results with God.

We move through practical watchman basics: paying attention to what God is doing while also recognizing the enemy’s tactics, especially in a media-saturated, technology-driven culture. We talk about warning and witnessing with wisdom, because the goal isn’t to “blurt” or become an alarmist. It’s to speak like Proverbs 25:11 describes, with words fitly spoken, so people are drawn toward Jesus Christ. The gospel is honest about sin and urgent about hope, and we want our tone to match that mix of truth and love.

Then the message gets personal. Watchmen sacrifice, and that includes how we give, what we prioritize, and whether our spending reveals a kingdom heart. Watchmen also endure, because faith is a long-distance race that requires prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and real rest. Pastor Carl closes with Isaiah’s burden against Arabia and a sobering reminder that national “glory” is only safe when it’s founded on righteousness and obedience to God, followed by a prayer for renewal. 

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Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

I'm gonna live by faith and not by sight, not by my emotion, my desire, but my desire to please him, to follow him, to know him more, and to be a tool used by him to touch others. Well, the fifth point that Gary brings up as what watchmen should do in these days, the modern watchman also endures. We endure. We're not promised an easy life here on this earth, are we?

SPEAKER_01 0:52

It's easy to assume that walking faithfully with God is a breeze, right? So, really, how often does it end up being a breeze? When your faith starts to rise, the enemy will pull out all the stops to try to bring you down. What that really means is he throws challenges your way, aiming to shake your faith and trust in God. Today, Pastor Carl shares a heartfelt reminder to keep your faith strong, especially when life throws trials your way. You'll find the strength you need to tackle everything that comes your way. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

The Edomites really weren't asking at all. But what what is it that we're called to do as Christians then in times like these? I mean, we are to submit to the government authorities, um, but we're to bring some clarity to what's going on. We're to be declaring the word of the Lord to the world that desperately needs a savior, but doesn't recognize it or fights against it. And with the uh the uh the mention of this word watchman so many times, I wanted to share something with you. The the same author that wrote the book that we're going through on the story of Jesus, he's actually the president of a ministry that I've been working with and we produce a radio program for called I Am a Watchman. I am a Watchman. And they're a ministry that encourages uh Christians to be watchmen. And what are watchmen? Watchmen are ones that go out on a spiritual tower and they recognize the evil that's that's coming their way, the enemy that's coming, how he's at work. And we apply scripture to the situation and declare the truth of the gospel to the world that needs to hear it, and warning the world that says Jesus is coming back to judge an unbelieving world, but that same judge is the savior of the world. Would you accept that savior and be saved and have your life changed and be at peace? The author Gary Ray also wrote this article on how to be a watchman in today's world. And I want to just share with you five little things from this article as it ties to being a watchman. The first thing that watchmen need to do in today's world, they're to watch for signs that God or Satan is moving. Sometimes Christians can be, can actually ignore God and just look at the work of the devil. He's always doing something, a demon under every bush. And then we totally miss Jesus. The other side of it is looking at Jesus and praising him, and which is good, wonderful. We need to do that. Our focus needs to be on the Lord. But we totally ignore that the enemy is at work. And before we know it, the lion comes and eats us up. So we need to be aware that the enemy is working as well as the Lord is working. In Ezekiel 33, verses 3 and 4, it says, if the watchman sees the sword coming upon the land and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, then the sword comes and takes him away. His blood shall be upon his own head. So a watchman actually warns people in the world as to what is coming. And then if they don't take heed, it's not on the watchman's fault. It's on the head of those who didn't listen. Watchmen are to know the word and to prayerfully watch for the rise of evil and signs that God's moving is imminent. Remember, these signs can be subtle. Only a few noticed a baby boy born in a stable and laid in a manger 2,000 years ago. And today few are aware of how the enemy moves to desensitize the masses to the evil embedded in media and the internet. Watchmen must pray to see with eyes of faith and be able to discern what God and the enemy are doing or are about to do. Can you sense how the enemy is using all this technology today? Can you join with the Lord in using the technology to promote the kingdom? And can you see the enemy working against that? That's the first thing watchmen do. They watch because they're watchmen. The second thing is that watchmen are to warn. It's not enough to watch or to see or to have a special insight into what God or the enemy is doing or about to do. When an extraordinary movement of God is near, such as the rapture, watchmen are to sound the alarm and to work to ensure as many as possible are spiritually prepared. Watchmen are to be bold and wisely persuasive. Verse 8 of Ezekiel 33 notes that watchmen are to speak out to dissuade sinners from their ways. Watchmen carefully and prayerfully confront. Watchmen warn and witness. There are no exceptions. So the job of a watchman is to warn after they watched. And part of that is witnessing to the people, declaring, you know, this is sin. But not slamming the Bible on their heads, but with a compassion. Isaiah, in these words, his heart is breaking, he feels the pain, his loins are hurting. Because he sees the sin. And they don't recognize it. The third thing that a watchman does is they sound the alarm without being an alarmist. Now, how do we do that? Watchmen understand the value of discretion and timing. The verse, like apples of gold in settings of silver, so is a word skillfully spoken. It's from Proverbs 25, 11, that guides their discussions. Watchmen know that the directive to witness is not a directive to blurt. The goal is not to sound the alarm, the goal is to draw people to faith in Christ. Sounding the alarm is part of what a watchman must do, but watchmen must do this in truth and in love. Pray, seek counsel when possible, and ask the Lord to help you discern which happenings profiled in the news have prophetic significance. And then you share that prophetic signs indicate that we are living in the last days. But don't set dates for the return of Jesus or sound the alarm at every earthquake or volcanic eruption. Encourage vigilance, implore sinners to turn to Christ and believers to be active in their walk with the Lord. That's one reason we we need to encourage one another. And it I get it, it's really hard when we're not together. But this is where we are right now. What is God telling you to do? To watch, to warn, to witness to other people, uh to declare what needs to be declared. The gospel has good news and bad news. The gospel declares sin, but it declares freedom from sin. Jesus Christ paid for the sin of the world, and it's it's a gift to you if you take it. But we have to be wise in how we share that message and when and who. The fourth thing that watchmen are to do today is they sacrifice. They sacrifice. Watchmen are cheerful givers, as Paul describes in Corinthians. Watchmen have a passion for investing in the kingdom and its work, in efforts designed to evangelize and disciple. Watchmen are quick to defer personal, temporal gratification for that which yield eternal reward. Watchmen see beyond self and sacrificially give to fulfill the call to build the kingdom. And I'm sure we all know that giving is not just monetarily. Which I had a question about. How are we going to give tithes? Whether I'll just say this real quick, because I very rarely talk about giving, but this question came up. If you'd like to give to Calvary Chapel Waynesville, you can do so by clicking on the donate button on this page that you're listening to up at the top. Or you can write out a check and you can mail it to the P.O. box that's at the bottom of the page. It's P.O. Box 1365 in Waynesville 28786. Or, as I said at the beginning, you can call Lorraine and me to come and bring some groceries to your house, and you can give us a check and we'll put it in the offering box and make sure it gets deposited into the bank. So I've said that and I'll move on from there. But the idea is our lives are not our own. When we came to faith in Jesus Christ, we gave our whole life to him. And yet in this world today, we're so blessed with prosperity. We have great food, we have great inventions, we have neat toys, don't we? But what is our life about? The late Larry Briquette used to say, and I think even Billy Graham said this: if you want to know the spiritual state of somebody, look at their checkbook. And today, of course, we have checkbooks and we have debit cards and we have Apple Pay and all these different things. The point is, look at where you spend your money. Where you spend your money is where your heart is. If you look at the things that you're spending money on, uh are you happy with that? Does that show what number four says here? That watchman's sacrifice? Are you a sacrificial giver? Are what the things that you're spending on building up the kingdom? Or are they building up your own kingdom, your own self? And that's a hard message, isn't it? Because our flesh is strong. And I want this, I want that, and I earned this and I could spend it the way I want to. I could build my life the way I want to, but is that the heart of God? And if we're honest with ourselves, we recognize that when we're walking in God's ways, when we're investing into his kingdom, when we're we're sacrificing what our flesh wants for something that's greater, it is so much greater. It's abundant, it's the abundant life. And when you're actually involved in seeing God moving and you recognize that he allowed you to be part of it, it's like a feeling you don't get anywhere else. Amen. I hope you've all experienced that. And that's just one of the things that a watchman today does. He sacrifices. A follower of Jesus Christ is about following Jesus, not my flesh. I'm gonna live by the Spirit and not by my flesh. I'm gonna live by faith and not by sight, not by my emotion, my desire, but my desire to please him, to follow him, to know him more, and to be a tool used by him to touch others. Well, the fifth point that Gary brings up as what watchmen should do in these days, the modern watchman also endures. We endure. We're not promised an easy life here on this earth, are we? The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians in Corinth, he said, Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. It's from 1 Corinthians 16, 13. Watchmen are not sprinters, they are long distance runners. Watchmen know that in order to complete the long-distance race and finish well, they must be committed to prayer, the study of the word, participation in Christian fellowship in person or on the web, and scheduling periods of rest. It's important for us to rest, not only physically, but it gives us a chance to pull back and to pray for a change, to say, Lord, the world's crazy today. I know it's been crazy, but now it's really crazy. What do you want me to see? What do you want me to learn? What do you want me to do? I I'm scared because I've been laid off and I have rent to pay. What am I gonna do? Lord, it's not my job that provides. It's you that provides. It's not the government that provides, but you will provide through the government sometimes. Lord, I recognize the times that we're in are difficult and are hard and are confusing and it's and it's causing me to worry, and my heart is torn. But I want to trust you. And you promise that when I'm in you, you will help me to overcome. You've overcome the world, and in you I can overcome the world no matter what comes my way. Loss of income, sickness, even death has no power over me. Boy, do I want to finish well. I hope you want to finish well too. I think about Samson, I mean uh Solomon, King Solomon, the wisest king ever, who didn't use his wisdom a lot of the time. He sowed to his flesh, didn't he? He started out really well and strong in the Lord, but he finished very poorly. I don't want to finish that way. I want to finish strong. I want to finish, even if everything is taken away from me, I want to be able to say, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Like Job. That's hard, isn't it? That's not an easy read, the book of Job. Everything was taken away from him. And he even had arguments with God, but God set him straight, and God rewarded him. Early on, Job says, you know, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And the watchman recognizes that, that has that same heart. No matter what happens, in you I will endure. Because you promised it. Not because of my agenda, not because of my plans and dreams, but because of yours and for those around me. So I just thought that would hopefully be an encouragement to you, for sure, a challenge to you, that in in these days we are definitely to be watchmen. And there are few out there declaring the truth of the situation. That God is in control. He loves the world. He gave his only son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. But to believe in him, you've got to turn from the ways of the world. You've got to turn from yourself and you've got to give it all to him. Lay it down. Give your life to him and give him total control. You can uh do remember the ways of a watchman. Remember four words, which is actually five. Uh watch, warn, witness, and finish well. Four W's with finish in there. Watch, warn, witness, and finish well. That should be our goal as Christians. Another name for Christians is a watchman. You're out there, you're warning, warning the church, warning your family, and warning the world of what's to come. But giving the good news of the gospel that with the warning there is hope. Because the same one who's coming to judge is the same one who has come to save the world. If you will accept, if you will follow. Well, one more burden, and then we'll finish up. Verse 13 the burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia, you will lodge. O you traveling companies of the uh Dawnites. Now the Dawnites were Arabians in that area of Arabia, and you can see that on the map that's below as well. And they did a lot of trading. They were very rich, they were very powerful. When the king of Assyria came in and conquered Arabia in 688, these folks they went off like when you hit an ant hill and the ants just scatter everywhere. Well, they scattered everywhere. And the Lord here is saying, You're going to have to scatter. You're going to have to scatter. And where are you going to scatter? The next verse tells him, O inhabitants of the land of Timah, bring water to him who is thirsty. With their bread they meet him who fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the distress of war. These people of Timah, uh, the Timah are actually the sons of Ishmael. Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, but not of faith. If you remember, Hagar was the servant of Sarah, and Sarah had the bright idea, oh, the promise of God is through me, but through her. And why don't you go into her and have a baby by her? And when she gives birth, she'll do it on my knees, so it'll be my baby, and then the promise will be done. And of course, that's we're trying to fulfill God's promises in our scheme, in our way, and that doesn't work, does it? And that didn't work, and immediately there is this clash between Hagar and Sarah. And Timah here were the group of people that came from the offspring of Ishmael, that the Lord said would be a strong group of people, but they would be crazy, I forget the actual words. Uh he would be a wild man, right? But here they were called to watch out for the folks that the Dennonites that would be scattered, and they were just south enough where Assyria missed them in when they took over Arabia. And we wrap up with verse 16 and 17. For thus the Lord has said to me, Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kadar will fail, and the remainder of the number of the archers, the mighty man of the people of Kadar, will be diminished, for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it. Cadar was the clan of northern Arabia. They would be the first ones that would be taken over, and it was within a year. They didn't heed the warning. About this group, the Cadars. They were a nomadic group, but they were very strong, and they were very proud, and nothing was going to take them but they were taken by the tide of Assyria. And commentator Keith Lannon says, We have here a prophecy of the fall of a nation which had held a proud position by reason of proudness and skill in war and in commerce. But glory is safe only when it is founded upon righteousness and obedience to God. Cador uh was the first of Arabia that would be taken away. And Arabia was this strong trading Mecca, this is this place of trade and strength, and they had an army and uh they had commerce and they had it all together. America is strong. We have an army. We have commerce. We have deals with other nations around the world. But our glory is only safe if it's founded upon the righteousness and obedience to God. And we have, as a nation, drifted away from God. Billy Graham has said years ago, if God doesn't judge America, he's going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. May this be a time where we individually and as a church wake up, and our nation wakes up. And likewise the world. Their eyes would be opened to the fact that we have drifted away from the Lord. May this be a time where we rededicate our lives to the Lord. Where we lay down our lives for the Lord. Where we'd say, Not my will, but yours be done. Let's pray. And Lord, this is our heart today. We want to serve you. We want to know you more. We want to be used by you in mighty ways. We want to see our nation come back to you. We want to see our nation blessed by you. We want to be a light to the rest of the world. To declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. And he loves you. He loves me. He loves the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. Oh Lord, would you move in our hearts? Would you move in our nation? Would you give wisdom to our leaders? Would you accomplish your purposes? And we thank you and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Thanks for joining us for Come On Up. We've been hearing from Pastor Carl, the pastor at the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina, as he teaches us about the book of Isaiah. Toward the beginning of this book, the prophet Isaiah receives a vision of God's glory, and he is certain that he and the entire nation of Israel will be destroyed in the presence of a perfect creator. But God chose mercy on Isaiah and purifies him of his sin. This is an illustration of how God had mercy on us by sending his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. We don't have to be afraid to enter into the Lord's presence because the blood of Jesus has already paid the debt of our sin. We are made righteous and holy because of his sacrifice, which was prophesied to us all the way back in the book of Genesis and reaffirmed in the book of Isaiah. We're called to spread this message of hope to all who will hear it. And that is why this program that you're listening to is on the air. If you'd like to hear more from Pastor Carl, you can do so by visiting us online at themountaincross.com. If you're local to Waynesville, we'd also love to invite you to join us in person at the Mountain Cross. We meet every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Smoky Mountain Cinema. You'll find more information about our services and our monthly faith film nights on our website. Pastor Carl has plenty more to share from the book of Isaiah, so be sure to come on up to the mountain with us again next time as we seek to learn more from the Lord through his word. Come on up is sponsored by the Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.