1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,880 Hello and welcome to the Arise Church Podcast. 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,000 We are so glad you're here and want to thank you for joining us 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,040 today for the audio version of our Sunday morning message. 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,480 We want to invite you to join us in person at our Sunday morning 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,880 celebration every Sunday at 10 AM. 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,560 We are located on Old Jenks Rd. in Apex, NC. 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,080 Well, if you have your Bible, why don't you grab it and go to 8 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,000 the book of Ezekiel, The book of Ezekiel. 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,960 And as I've been preparing for today's message, I felt like the 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:36,440 Lord kept drawing me back to something that I just felt like 11 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:40,120 he was teaching me and walking me through that I believe is 12 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,800 very important for us as a church. 13 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,000 I've really have been praying and I believe it's going to 14 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,880 confirm some things or in Bible language, bear witness, confirm 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,120 some things that are in you that God's called you to. 16 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,600 So if you're taking notes this morning, you can just title it 17 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,840 this, The Call of a Watchman, the call of a watchman. 18 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,200 And we're going to let scripture detail some of these things. 19 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:08,000 Also some other materials that I studied as preparing for this, 20 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,480 that all really just confirm what the Scripture says as well. 21 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,120 But I want to start in Ezekiel chapter 3. 22 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:20,320 Ezekiel chapter 3, verse 17 says this Son of Man, I have made you 23 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,480 a watchman for the House of Israel. 24 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:27,920 Therefore hear a word from my mouth and give them warning from 25 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,280 me. Let's read it again. 26 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,400 Son of man, God speaking directly to Ezekiel. 27 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:38,440 I have made you past tense A watchman for the House of 28 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,120 Israel. Therefore hear a word from my 29 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,600 mouth, present tense, and give them warning from me. 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,320 And give them warning from me. I have made you a watchman. 31 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,360 I have made you a watchman. This picture of Watchmen, which 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:59,680 was a very real role that would take place within ancient cities 33 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,680 that would even go through Roman times. 34 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,240 And I think we have different versions of that even today, 35 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,080 even in our police force. But this version of a watchman 36 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,400 was very interesting because Watchmen would be perched up in 37 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,960 a high point of a city. They would be placed there and 38 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,320 their idea was guess what was to watch. 39 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:21,920 Very easy, right? This is good. 40 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:23,760 This is good. You learn something today. 41 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,000 The watchman's role was to watch. 42 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,640 His role was to watch to watch. And then we could say to warn, 43 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:34,560 to watch and to warn, to watch and to warn. 44 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,240 But listen how God phrases this with Ezekiel. 45 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,880 I have made you a watchman. So don't keep a lookout for the 46 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,840 House of Israel. Therefore here, therefore here 47 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,320 notice how God said that Ezekiel would be able to fulfill his 48 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,400 role as a watchman was to hear was to hear. 49 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,920 That speaks to us today because probably none of you perch 50 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:00,920 yourself on top of your house at night time. 51 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:06,560 If you do, let's have a conversation after church, but 52 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,640 none of us probably appoint other people. 53 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:11,320 You know, I know at the church we don't appoint people to just 54 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,280 walk the grounds or perch themselves on top of the 55 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,280 building physically to keep a lookout for things. 56 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,560 So I think we would relate to more to how God's talking to 57 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,600 Ezekiel right now. He says, I've made you a 58 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,840 watchman, therefore here. I've made you a watchman, 59 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,040 therefore here. In other words, how to Watchmen 60 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,080 nowadays perform their duties. First of all, you have to hear 61 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,320 from God. What is he saying? 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,800 Because the warnings that he's talking about here, they came 63 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,720 from him. He was saying a thing. 64 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,040 He was speaking a thing. He was trying to get a message 65 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,680 out wide and clear to who the assignment for Ezekiel was the 66 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,040 House of Israel, the people of God. 67 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,480 These were covenant people. But yet through this time 68 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,240 already, God described his own people as stiff necked. 69 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:02,760 You know what stiff necked means? 70 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,000 This is picture. I always get a stiff necked. 71 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,080 In fact, how many of you currently have young kids, about 72 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:09,600 3-4, five years old? Raise your hand. 73 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:12,840 OK, Cross the room. How many of you have had kids 74 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,040 who are about that age as well? Yeah. 75 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:16,519 All right. Have you ever tried to put an 76 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:20,200 unwilling 3 year old into a high chair? 77 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:27,800 What happens? They get as about as stiff as a 78 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,120 board. I'm not going to do it. 79 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,000 I'm not going in that seat. And then you have to show them 80 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,640 who's boss. But we'll talk about that on a, 81 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:37,600 that's a for a parenting class we'll do one day. 82 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,080 But that's the picture where God would try to work a thing with 83 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:45,920 his people, tell them what to do, and they would stiffen up. 84 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,640 I don't want to do that later. He would call that rebellious. 85 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,480 They were rebellious. And so those, that same group of 86 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,280 people is who Ezekiel's called to minister to. 87 00:04:57,280 --> 00:04:59,880 Can you imagine? I've called you a watchman, 88 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:04,480 Ezekiel, and I want you to hear a word from me and warn the 89 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,120 people. Well, thanks a lot. 90 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,720 Could you at least have sent me to people who are willing to 91 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:10,600 hear? Nope. 92 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:19,440 He was called to be a watchman to rebellious people, an unkind 93 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,360 people. By this time, the Israelites 94 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,680 were not really known for being super nice to prophets. 95 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:32,200 Nowadays, if you, oh, it's the man of God and you know well, 96 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,360 everyone loves the man of God until they start telling them 97 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:35,760 something they don't want to hear. 98 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,520 That was very true in the Old Testament. 99 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,000 As long as they would speak good words to them and tickle their 100 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,240 ears, everything was good. As soon as you start to bring 101 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,600 correction, they got stiff necked. 102 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,120 So it was in that environment. I think that's important because 103 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,800 as we start to unpack what God's saying to us, if you're not 104 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,040 careful, you think that God always speaks to us in 105 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:03,160 idealistic situations. In fact, it's the same Ezekiel 106 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,760 that God by the Spirit took him up to a valley of dry bones and 107 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,400 told him to start prophesying to dead things, dry bones. 108 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,000 And I've heard many people, many ministers, many believers, they 109 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,040 will preach a good word until God by the Spirit takes them to 110 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,920 a dead place. And it's like that's where you 111 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:27,680 really find out if you are made of some steel inside, some 112 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,880 faith, some real faith is can God put you in a dead place and 113 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,400 trust you to prophesied to the dead things or do you have to 114 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,200 have just it all posh and cush? It's like Lord calling me hooked 115 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,840 to Hawaii. Ki Ha was last here last week. 116 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:43,640 Oh, how tempting to be like Ki Ha. 117 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,440 You got any positions in Hawaii? I'm just kidding. 118 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,800 But in a way, you know, maybe not physically Hawaii, but I 119 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,440 mean, you got anything that's just like perfectly set up. 120 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,000 It's just all the finances are great. 121 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,680 You know, some of you with your jobs, you might think that where 122 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,680 the grass is always greener over there. 123 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,320 And it's like, Lord, couldn't you have called me to that 124 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:04,840 business? Couldn't you have called me to 125 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:06,320 that school? Couldn't you have called me to 126 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:08,800 that church? They got it so made. 127 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:12,240 It's so easy over there. So no, he didn't call you there. 128 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:16,760 He said you all Watchmen over here where they need somebody 129 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,400 who will speak even when it's unpopular. 130 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:22,480 Oh, I'm going to preach good this morning. 131 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,160 If it's just you and me, Mom, we're going to preach this 132 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:32,320 thing. Therefore here, therefore here. 133 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:37,400 HEAR, therefore here. Some of us, we are not 134 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:39,920 fulfilling our role because we're not hearing. 135 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:47,080 We're not hearing what blocks us from hearing distractions. 136 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,280 The cares of this world choke out. 137 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,760 The word is what God's Jesus taught in Mark chapter 4. 138 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,640 He said the word is sown. The word is sown. 139 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:58,160 Therefore hear. What do you hear? 140 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,960 The word? The word is sown, but there are 141 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,480 different kinds of soil that the word is sown on. 142 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,800 And one of the soils that the word can't work in is distracted 143 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,840 soil, Choked out soil where weeds come in and they just 144 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:13,760 choke it out, choke it out, choke it out, choke it out. 145 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,480 Many of us were distracted. We're distracted with our own 146 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,720 needs. God, I need a new car. 147 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,560 God, I need a new house. God, I got to pay those bills. 148 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,640 And God cares about all of those things. 149 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,480 Matthew chapter 633 says Beseek. First the Kingdom of God. 150 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:33,720 And all these things will be added unto you. 151 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,360 You know, of course, after all these things, the Gentiles seek 152 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:39,600 that your heavenly Father knows what you need. 153 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,600 I mean, this it's, it's provided for in Scripture, but you got to 154 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:47,440 seek first the Kingdom of God. So when was the last time you 155 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:53,840 heard what is God saying about his Kingdom, the work he's 156 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,480 wanting to do? When was the last time God spoke 157 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:01,320 to you about what's going on in your business, in your area of 158 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:05,680 influence? And I'm not talking about you 159 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:08,920 just griping and complaining about where God chose to put you 160 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,960 or your boss that you have. I mean, what if God set you as a 161 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,880 watchman in that place to see, to be a blessing to your 162 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,640 leaders, to your bosses, to your managers? 163 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:25,120 What if He sent you there to aid them and to be a part of what 164 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,760 God wants to do in that Kingdom? But if you're distracted by all 165 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,840 the nonsense, all the water cooler talk, then how can you 166 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,240 fulfill your assignment to be a watchman? 167 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:44,080 Have your ears open, God, what are you saying regarding this? 168 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,200 Regarding my business, regarding my school, regarding my job? 169 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,520 Oh, this is so important. I believe that God set more 170 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:54,640 Watchmen to be in place than are actually fulfilling their 171 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:59,040 assignment. I think we have many Watchmen 172 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:07,760 who fell asleep. They're asleep on the job, and 173 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,480 this is a crucial hour. Can you imagine? 174 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,440 It's just all the Watchmen of this age and this time where we 175 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,920 need to hear from God. We need truth spoken. 176 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:20,760 We need to know what it is, what's happening. 177 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:22,880 We need to discern the signs of the times. 178 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,120 What if all the Watchmen just decided to take a nap? 179 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,400 We would be in darkness. We wouldn't be hearing. 180 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:32,600 It's time to hear. Amen. 181 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,200 Well, let's turn over to Ezekiel 33. 182 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,080 God speaks more to to him about this assignment. 183 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:47,240 Ezekiel chapter 33 again, the word of the Lord came listen to 184 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:48,920 this. This is very important because 185 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:57,040 if you over make it literal when it comes to being a watchman, 186 00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:59,960 you'll think, well, I didn't see anything but most of the current 187 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,800 ways that we're a watchman is we hear things God speaks to us. 188 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,440 So listen to this. This is Ezekiel, and again the 189 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,360 word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, speak to the 190 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,760 children of of your people, and say to them, When I bring the 191 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,480 sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man 192 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:21,320 from their territory, and make him their Watchmen, When he sees 193 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:25,040 the sword coming upon land, if he blows the trumpet and warns 194 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:29,440 the people, verse 4, then whoever hears the sound of the 195 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,320 trumpet, and does not take warning, if the sword comes and 196 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,880 takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 197 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:38,960 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take 198 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,240 warning. His blood shall be upon himself, 199 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,640 but he who takes warning will save his life. 200 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,880 But watch verse 6. But what if the watchman sees 201 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,800 the sword coming, and does not blow the trumpet, and the people 202 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,440 are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from 203 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,800 among them? He is taken away in his 204 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,840 iniquity, but His blood I will require the watchman's hand. 205 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,560 So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the House of 206 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:10,000 Israel. He repeats himself. 207 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,400 Therefore you shall hear a word from my mouth and warn them for 208 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,680 me. Underline that if you have a 209 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:19,400 physical Bible, or maybe highlight it in your app, and 210 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,880 warn them for me. Warn them for me, warn them for 211 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,120 me. Well, if I'm going to be warned, 212 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,480 God has to speak to me. Then you are very susceptible to 213 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,560 missing the warning because God will use other people to warn 214 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,360 you. No one wants to say Amen to 215 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:41,880 that, but it's true. Many times warnings will come 216 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,240 through other people. In fact, most times things you 217 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,840 didn't see or didn't hear, you don't have the position that 218 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,560 they have. You don't have the perspective 219 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:52,200 they have. You're not hearing what they 220 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,400 hear. So thank God he's speaking to 221 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,000 some other people who He's placed in a different position 222 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:02,920 than you to warn you. Hello, This is very important 223 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:07,040 because we live in an age where everyone wants to be same, same. 224 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,440 You know, I watch it, I watch it in church life where everybody 225 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,000 wants to come and be buddy, buddy, buddy buddy with each 226 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:14,680 other. And sometimes they want to be 227 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:16,560 buddy buddy with me. And I want to be friends and 228 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:19,040 friendly. But I also don't want to usurp 229 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:24,000 my role by sometimes having to hold a different position just 230 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,400 within this context, within the body of a rise church. 231 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,880 So there are times where for me as senior pastor, I'm going to 232 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,760 see things that you don't see. But if you think we're just 233 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,360 same, same, same, you're going to miss sometimes when I warn 234 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,320 you and I speak things that you need to hear, but if you're 235 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,640 like, well, I didn't hear that from him myself, then you'll 236 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,200 miss the warning. Pride will blind us. 237 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:48,720 I've had to watch this over the years. 238 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:50,800 You know that we had a senior pastor. 239 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,160 I was there for 18 years. I worked with every single one 240 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,560 of his family members. I worked up close and personal 241 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:01,040 with many of them. I mean literally his brothers, 242 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,520 his wife, his son, his daughter was my assistant first season. 243 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:07,600 His son-in-law was my assistant first season. 244 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,680 When we moved to the East Coast, I thought, OK, I got a break. 245 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,000 No, I loved them. But you know, you're just like, 246 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,120 I know this whole family and you know, family has family stuff. 247 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,000 So every once in awhile it would be like, I feel like I'm in the 248 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,120 middle of a family conflict. So I thought, oh, I'm going to 249 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,440 come to the East Coast and I get on this staff with our our 250 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:26,960 denomination and the district. And guess who joins our staff? 251 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,760 His brother, you know, but that level of comfortability, 252 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,400 sometimes I could see it even in California, if I wasn't careful, 253 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:39,080 I wouldn't hear when I was supposed to be hearing through 254 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,160 him. And I had to hear even if there 255 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,120 was a warning that in that moment, he's not buddy, buddy, 256 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:48,280 buddy. He's he's a watchman set up and 257 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,240 he's warning us as a body. Usually it wasn't to me 258 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,520 directly. Usually it was just to the 259 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:58,040 church, and that's very important that we all understand 260 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:00,840 and respect. There are different roles, there 261 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,520 are different perspectives, there are different places that 262 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:06,200 each of us hold. And if you'll respect it and 263 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,160 receive from it, it'll help you. It'll help you. 264 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,840 That's why we have a pastoral team, because you know what? 265 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,080 I can't see everything we need to help. 266 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:18,880 I need help. I need help seeing stuff that I 267 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,160 don't necessarily from my background or my culture or 268 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:22,880 whatever. I may not see it from the same 269 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,080 angle. So guess what? 270 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,960 I will appoint Watchmen. And in our church there are no 271 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,640 self appointed Watchmen. Well I'm going to preach this 272 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,920 real good in a second. Like self appointed 273 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,400 intercessors. Well God sent me here to 274 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,200 intercede for a rise church. Well I don't even know your name 275 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:43,480 so how could you be appointed at our church? 276 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:48,200 And a significant role, well, is that to direct mom, just give me 277 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,960 a no, this is this is important. You know why? 278 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:52,880 Because stuff gets weird when it gets out of order. 279 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,360 And so people come in and they self appoint themselves as an 280 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:58,640 apostle. It's like, how are you an 281 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,520 apostle? Or they come in and they self 282 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,440 appoint themselves as as a prophet. 283 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,120 We had someone to come in the church one time here and they 284 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:07,480 thought they were a prophet here. 285 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,160 And so they thought it was OK that in the middle of their our 286 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,840 service, they'd come and they just lie down on their side in 287 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,360 the front row like they were Isaiah the prophet. 288 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,880 And we had to tell them, stand up and please go back to your 289 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:19,400 seat. They didn't want to hear what we 290 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:20,560 had to say. So they left. 291 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,040 And you know what? I was OK with that. 292 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,560 Because if you can't be in order here, if you don't understand 293 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:28,360 there's order here, then you can't stay here. 294 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,920 And guess what? The rest of the church feels 295 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:37,480 safe that there's finally somebody who will set boundaries 296 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,680 and not let kookaboo people. That's a word. 297 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:41,920 Kookaboo. You can just say it. 298 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,960 Kookaboo, people. It's a word, right? 299 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:49,480 Thank you. It's a softer word than crazy. 300 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,200 Crazy people. Take over what God wants to do. 301 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:57,680 Come on, wave your hand. If you're listening to me this 302 00:16:57,680 --> 00:16:59,280 morning. This is important. 303 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,440 And people who don't like that, they will leave and that's OK. 304 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,480 So for me, there are appointed places. 305 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,599 There are people who are appointed to intercede here. 306 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:11,880 There are people who are appointed to be Watchmen here. 307 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,240 We need all of that. And there's an order to it. 308 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,000 There's an order to it, and there's an order to it. 309 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,160 And God set this order here with Ezekiel and God's telling 310 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:25,319 Ezekiel, you can take this role, but just be warned, This is what 311 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:29,360 this role means to you, that if I speak to you and you stay 312 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:31,680 silent, their blood is on your hands. 313 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:37,080 Now this is important that we understand that lest the New 314 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:41,840 Testament, it says, let not many among you desire to be teachers 315 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,640 because then on them is a greater judgement because 316 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,680 sometimes, especially when you do have very strange or, you 317 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,600 know, fleshly structures of human power and there's all 318 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,120 these dynamics. And so you do have people vying 319 00:17:56,120 --> 00:17:59,240 for positions and could sometimes be in church, it could 320 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,720 sometimes be in denominations. And everyone thinks that if you 321 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,520 have more power that there's, you know, it's more cush for 322 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:06,200 you. But God has a way of setting 323 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,720 that straight. He says, oh, no, I'll put you in 324 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,480 an influential place. But if you go in that 325 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,120 influential place and you don't do what I tell you to do, you 326 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:17,240 got blood on your hands. Just a healthy fear. 327 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:18,960 God just starts to take root again. 328 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:23,440 And you're like, oh, OK, lest you get misunderstood about what 329 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,280 pastoral ministry looks like, just remember, if you don't 330 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,240 obey, there's blood. That's real talk. 331 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,720 That's Bible. So I'm painting this context 332 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,720 because I feel the Lord has been pressing me and I believe He'll 333 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,720 press our church into situations where we have to remember who we 334 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,920 answer to. Because culture will press 335 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:50,120 against this assignment. What's popular will press 336 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:54,560 against this assignment. Public opinion polls will press 337 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,920 against this assignment, and if you forget that if God tells you 338 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,240 to warn of a thing and you don't warn of a thing, you answer to 339 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:07,680 Him, and that will be greatly more important to you than 340 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,160 whether public opinion has turned against you. 341 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:13,600 I'll give you an example just of every time. 342 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,760 Recently I preached on Israel, people leave the church. 343 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:21,040 That's true. And I and I and I don't like it. 344 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,040 As a pastor, you want to to protect people. 345 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:29,400 In fact, someone sent me a message who you know, I think is 346 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:34,760 in my view is either misunderstood what I said or is 347 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,160 deceived themselves, but just sent me two word message free 348 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:41,880 Palestine. And but that's not unusual. 349 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:47,920 That's that's popular out there. But I had no my assignment and I 350 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,480 have to stick to my assignment real time. 351 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,840 Every time I stand up in the pulpit, I have to remember who I 352 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,400 answer to. And if I genuinely believe that 353 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:02,600 God says a thing about a thing and I don't warn you the people 354 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,920 that God's entrusted to me and those who watch us online and I 355 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:11,000 cower to that kind of pressure. Then there is not just not just 356 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,760 am I relinquishing my responsibility. 357 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,600 It's it's graver than that I have blood on my hands. 358 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,680 This is important, this is important. 359 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:25,440 I think it's important that you know that I take it that 360 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,680 seriously. And that's just one of many 361 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:32,160 topics, one of many things that the Bible says that is very 362 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:38,080 unpopular today. Just to update a family member 363 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,240 that I talked to you about recently that go to a very 364 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,480 popular church in North Carolina who has very popular worship, 365 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,760 who has a very popular preacher goes to that church. 366 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:51,440 The church followed up with this person who's a family member of 367 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,360 mine who is in a homosexual marriage, told them that, you 368 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:58,560 know, we don't recognize your marriage, but we don't believe 369 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,280 this very popular evangelical church says, but we don't 370 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,680 believe that your lifestyle impacts your salvation. 371 00:21:12,450 --> 00:21:17,650 So guess what's on their hands. And lest you think I just sat 372 00:21:17,650 --> 00:21:20,720 there, I made a phone call and have yet to receive a phone call 373 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,400 back. And I will follow up with them 374 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,440 again because I'm more concerned, concerned about this 375 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,720 family member soul than I am with that church's feelings. 376 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,720 And there at least hear from one person. 377 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,240 You're wrong. Well, first of all, I will seek 378 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:38,440 to understand. Did you say that? 379 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:43,480 And do you mean that? If you do, then you then then we 380 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,320 have a problem. And I feel the the necessity to 381 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,840 correct that. This is called being a watchman. 382 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,640 This is called doing our responsibility. 383 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:01,480 When it feels very tense, you can, I can feel the tension in a 384 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:02,840 room right now. Everybody just breathe. 385 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,160 For me, it's not as tense because I already decided this 386 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,840 stuff a long time ago. I already gave myself over to 387 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,480 this type of leadership, this type of pastoring, this type of 388 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,880 of commitment long time ago. But now I'm experiencing it real 389 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,920 time. What I prepared for years ago, I 390 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:25,760 prepared years ago, but now I have to live it out. 391 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,720 And so yes, I made a phone call to this very popular church and 392 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,080 we'll see how they respond. And if they don't respond, then 393 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:40,200 Lord lead me to what I do next because I have very big 394 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,200 concerns. Because the Bible says that in 395 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,080 the last days that there will be great deception among people, 396 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:54,080 that many will fall away, that even some of the elect will fall 397 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:58,640 away. Put that into your eternal 398 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:02,320 security Calvinism and smoke it. You know what I'm saying? 399 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:07,280 Like the Bible says that even some of the elect will be 400 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:13,800 deceived and fall away. So what becomes the job of 401 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,440 people, ministers, preachers, Watchmen in the last days? 402 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:22,640 Well, you better not do anything that causes people to fall away, 403 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,880 to turn against God, to be deceived, to go to go into 404 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:31,160 doctrines of demons, to go into fables. 405 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,400 All of this is New Testament. This is all warnings within the 406 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,880 the New Testament. Apostle Paul would write about 407 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,840 it and others where it was warning us. 408 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,280 This was this will be the time that you will live in. 409 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:45,160 And I'm telling you right now, we are in those times be do not 410 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:47,440 be deceived. We are in those times right now. 411 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,320 We're in the time where they call what's right, wrong, What's 412 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:56,960 wrong, right? I mean, when you look at the 413 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:01,600 fact that someone could be shot in the neck in front of 3000 414 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,640 young adults and on social media across the world, and then we 415 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,680 debate about it. Unbelievable. 416 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,000 Hello. I mean, I hope there's more 417 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:21,400 agreement here than online, Yes. So who will stand in these days? 418 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:27,200 Who will guard their post? Who will hear what it is the 419 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:32,760 Lord is saying and say that this is an assignment on a Rice 420 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:40,080 church and it's costly. It'll be costly to be associated 421 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:45,000 here. It'll be costly because we put 422 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,360 it all online, shut the camera off. 423 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:54,080 I'm just kidding. No, I've had many times where 424 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:58,720 real time, I'm remembering this is live streamed and internally 425 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:03,240 I cannot be swayed. I cannot be swayed. 426 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,400 I have to process real time. And I'm using myself an example 427 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,200 because I want to fortify your own commitment to what would you 428 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,200 do if you were the person. I've had to fortify my own 429 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,760 commitment when I'm preaching that someone would stand up real 430 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:16,480 time and leave because they don't like what's being 431 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,960 preached. Will you cower when it's 432 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,840 unpopular? Will you draw back because it's 433 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,600 no longer drawing a crowd? Will you draw back because the 434 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,080 family no longer wants to do Thanksgiving at your house? 435 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:34,360 Will you draw back because not only do they not want to do it 436 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:35,840 at your house, you're not invited? 437 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,040 Is this to relate to anybody? Some of y'all probably lived 438 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:47,960 this before people you used to be very close to didn't want to 439 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:49,720 hear it. But the Bible says that will 440 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:53,920 happen when you do your role. He's giving not just this 441 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,120 clarity so that Ezekiel would understand you better blow the 442 00:25:57,120 --> 00:25:59,280 trumpet because the blood will be on your hands. 443 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:03,320 He's giving Ezekiel example that there will be times when you do 444 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,800 your job and they don't listen, and you need to know what to do 445 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,000 with your conscience in those moments so that you know it 446 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:14,520 wasn't on you. And you're going to need to 447 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,080 choose to stand again and do your job again in the midst of 448 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:24,400 people who choose not to hear. That takes fortification, that 449 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,560 takes strength, that takes faith. 450 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:32,040 And we're in the days, we're not just me, but every person who 451 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,600 calls Jesus Lord of their life will have to stand and give 452 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:39,800 account for this type of stuff. This is where it gets very real. 453 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:46,920 Very, very real is Isaiah chapter 62, verse 6. 454 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,160 I have set Watchmen on your walls, old Jerusalem. 455 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:52,920 They shall never hold their peace, day or night. 456 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,440 You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent and 457 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,160 give him no rest till he establishes, until he makes 458 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,040 Jerusalem a praise and the earth. 459 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,680 I have set Watchmen on your walls, old Jerusalem, they shall 460 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:07,480 never, never, never hold their peace. 461 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,240 Listen day or night. You who make mention of the 462 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,400 Lord, do not keep silent. I have a message for something 463 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,520 else. Silence is no longer an option, 464 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:25,480 and somehow we've gotten lulled into an HR mentality that the 465 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:32,040 thing that with consumes more than a third of our life about 8 466 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,960 hours of the day. About a third of our life we 467 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:38,880 give away to HR departments that tell us what you can and cannot 468 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:45,040 say. There's a problem because will 469 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,840 you speak when God says to speak, even if it's not in the 470 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:54,160 manual? This is easy questions, by the 471 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,720 way, so far because you're not even, they're not even a test 472 00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:58,560 yet. This is just thinking about it. 473 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,440 You can feel, you can feel how hard that is. 474 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,840 But this is important. I remember in California one 475 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,840 time, lady came after I was preaching one day she came up to 476 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:09,520 me. I'm probably preaching a message 477 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,040 similar to this because I've been in Watchmen for a few years 478 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:14,480 preaching messages like this for a few years. 479 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:16,840 So she came up to me and she was working in the Correctional 480 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:18,280 Facility for the state of California. 481 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,080 She wanted to come up and she was wrestling through the fact 482 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,120 that part of her job as a nurse in this Correctional Facility 483 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:31,680 was to use taxpayer dollars to facilitate transition surgeries 484 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,560 for inmates. Welcome to California, but 485 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,440 that's California is just one place. 486 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:40,920 This happens all over. So she's coming and she's 487 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,280 asking, what do I do? What do I do? 488 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,960 What do I do? You need to hear what God is 489 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,280 saying for you to do. I mean, I could tell her what I 490 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,160 would do, but I told her you need to hear what God's telling 491 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:58,800 you to do because that's wicked. So will you partner with 492 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,920 wickedness? And she, she understood like she 493 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,400 was coming in a very humble way, but she knew what was in front 494 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,200 of her. Lose your job or do what you're 495 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,880 told. Lose your job or do what you're 496 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:17,080 told. Later she came and told me that 497 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:21,800 she she chose to do do what God told her to do and she walked 498 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:23,960 away from the job on her own accord and she got a better job. 499 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:26,720 Why? Because I've never seen the 500 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,200 righteous for second forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 501 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:34,560 This is where the rubber meets the road y'all. 502 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,920 This is where God starts to hold to account those of us who have 503 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,640 sang all the right worship songs and quoted all the right 504 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,480 scriptures. It's like, OK well now let's do 505 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,840 it. You make mention to the Lord. 506 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:49,840 Do not keep silent. Do not keep silent. 507 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,080 Do not keep silent. Do not keep silent. 508 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:58,200 Do not keep silent. Do not keep silent, Do not keep 509 00:29:58,200 --> 00:29:59,640 silent. You don't need to wait for your 510 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,720 Co worker to bring up religion for you to share your faith. 511 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,360 Do not keep silent. If we really believe that 512 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:11,880 Jesus's turn is return is imminent, how could we not just 513 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:14,920 make sure that those around us have had a chance to make Jesus 514 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,600 Lord of their life? I'll give you an example of how 515 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,280 we're adjusting things. Even our own church. 516 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,160 I talked to Mary Beth. She's a preschool director. 517 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:26,200 We have a part time preschool that we that we we're in charge 518 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,360 of. It's called rise preschool. 519 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:33,000 It's on our EIN. We hire all the staff, and Mary 520 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,680 Beth, who's on our church staff, is the director of it. 521 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,280 But you know, we have more than half of the people who come are 522 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:44,960 of Indian descent. And so most of them from our 523 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:46,240 vantage point are probably Hindu. 524 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,640 But I told Mary Beth, yes, in the classrooms, we teach the 525 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:51,400 kids about Jesus and all that's good. 526 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:52,800 We're planting seeds, all that's good. 527 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,520 But when we do family presentations, guess what we're 528 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:57,680 going to do now? We're going to preach the 529 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:01,600 Gospel. And could it mean that they may 530 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,640 not want to come to the preschool? 531 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:10,480 Yes, but I fear God, like God forbid that we as a church go to 532 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:15,560 the great white throne room and we realized we had hundreds of 533 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:18,840 families come through over the years through our preschool in 534 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:20,200 our care. Literally sit in the seat you're 535 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,000 sitting and to watch a presentation from their children 536 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,400 on the stage that I'm using right now and they never hear 537 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,880 the gospel directly in an invitation to respond to that 538 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:30,200 gospel. God forbid. 539 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,960 Hello, God forbid it's at risk of our own enrollment, our 540 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:37,760 finances. There's risk, but you know what 541 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:41,320 I, I believe the Lord will see to it that all of that is 542 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,400 covered when we do his mission and we do his assignment. 543 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:46,520 And I believe he'll do that for you. 544 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,520 I believe when you step out of faith, he will cover you. 545 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:53,960 This is where Psalm 91 comes into great view. 1000 will fall 546 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,320 at your side and 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come 547 00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:01,760 near you. Hello, Many, many, many 548 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,880 testimonies of people that I've seen over the years. 549 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,360 I've watched it with my own mom in her in the business that 550 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:10,360 she's a part of, a national conglomerative business. 551 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,760 And I watched the Lord just maneuver her through these 552 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,960 different policies and how she's had to navigate those time after 553 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,720 time after time. And God would just many times 554 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,440 just hide her under his wings. But it came at risk because 555 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:29,760 usually the hiding came from her obedience, stepping out and 556 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:33,120 doing a thing that seemed risky at the time against some of the 557 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:36,480 policies, against some of the HR things, not in rebellion, but as 558 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,320 righteousness and righteousness. I cannot do that thing. 559 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,360 I cannot put my pronouns on my e-mail signature. 560 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:48,080 Because if I put the pronouns on my e-mail signature, then you'll 561 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,240 think that I think there are more than one there. 562 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,960 There are more than two genders. Or you'll think that I think you 563 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:58,680 can change your gender. So God forbid that I enable your 564 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:05,320 deception by giving place to that, Oh God, this is real this 565 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:06,840 morning. I love this kind of preaching. 566 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:11,880 This is important because when you're under the sway, that's 567 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:15,200 again where the Bible says that there would be many under the 568 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:18,240 sway, Many under the sway of the spirit of this age. 569 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:21,200 That's how it looks. If it were obvious to us you 570 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,720 would reject it from the beginning, but it creeps in. 571 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:25,240 It creeps in. It's like, oh, I just want to be 572 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:27,880 a good employee. It creeps in by miss applying 573 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:29,680 scripture. The Bible says obey those who 574 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:30,800 rule over you and be a submissive. 575 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,080 So therefore I just do whatever I told even if it's ungodly. 576 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,800 That's that is not right that miss applies scripture and it 577 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,840 ignores many other scriptures like Daniel who was told don't 578 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,760 pray, open his windows wide and prayed 3 times a day. 579 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,960 Was he ungodly? No, he was standing for 580 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,120 righteousness. He was doing what God told him 581 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:55,040 to do more than what the authorities told him to do. 582 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,040 That's what it takes to be a watchman. 583 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:01,240 Isaiah chapter 21, verse 6 For thus says the Lord said to me, 584 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,640 go set a watchman, let him declare what he sees. 585 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,719 Go set a watchman, let him declare what he sees. 586 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:19,239 I want to read a basically a condensed version of a passage 587 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:20,920 that I felt like it was really good. 588 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:24,880 Synopsis of the role of a watchman. 589 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,040 Listen to this. The watchman, stationed on high 590 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,159 vantage points like city walls or towers, observed and alerted 591 00:34:31,159 --> 00:34:34,440 the inhabitants of approaching dangers, including enemy forces, 592 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:36,719 natural disasters, or other threats. 593 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,159 By the way, as I talk, I want you to listen through the lens. 594 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:42,600 What is God saying to you? What? 595 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:44,719 How would He have you apply this to your own life? 596 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,880 So they're perched high, they observe, and they alert the 597 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,960 inhabitants of approaching dangers, enemy forces, natural 598 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:56,760 disasters, or other threats. Their primary duty was as an 599 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,560 early warning sign and system with a clearview of the 600 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:04,000 surrounding landscape, including roads, approaching armies, and 601 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,160 potential dangers. Constant vigilance. 602 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:11,200 Catch that constant vigilance allowed them to promptly 603 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,560 identify and report any signs of trouble. 604 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:16,920 In case of a threat, they sounded alarms or signals to 605 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:20,560 alert the city's inhabitants, enabling them to take defensive 606 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:24,480 measures or seek refuge. Watchmen also facilitated 607 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:28,080 communication and coordination within the city, relaying 608 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,040 information about threats to military commanders and other 609 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:34,040 relevant personnel for informed decision making and strategic 610 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:36,880 responses. Preventing surprise attacks was 611 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:39,240 crucial. Watchmen detected enemy 612 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,560 movements at a distance, giving defenders time to prepare. 613 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:48,320 Time to prepare Beyond security, They meant monitored trade and 614 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,760 commerce, observing caravans, traders, and travelers, ensuring 615 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,480 legitimate business while keeping an eye out for 616 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,040 suspicious activities. Suspicious activities. 617 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:01,520 Watchmen monitored military threats and natural disasters, 618 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:04,640 alerting city dwellers to take precautions or evacuate. 619 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:08,080 Their presence on city walls. Symbolize authority and 620 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,440 preparedness, conveying the city's vigilance and readiness 621 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:14,560 to defend itself. The demanding role of Watchmen 622 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:18,280 required constant attention, especially during heightened 623 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:22,280 tension or conflict. They were chosen for their sharp 624 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:26,280 eyesight, keen observation, observation skills, and ability 625 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:29,400 to remain alert for extended periods. 626 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:34,720 This is very important because some of us, where God has placed 627 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:36,800 you, you have dropped your vigilance. 628 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:41,040 And one of the key responsibilities of why even God 629 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:45,280 put you where he's placed you is for you to stay vigilant, to 630 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:49,640 case, to stay constantly aware. And so some of us, I think where 631 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,600 the Lord would be pressing on you is to up your consistency. 632 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,920 Maybe you come in waves. Maybe it's like you have a 633 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:00,840 couple seasons a year, or if you go to a good conference or if 634 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:03,840 you hear a good message or if you have a great conversation, 635 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:07,520 now all of a sudden you're aware or maybe something breached your 636 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,840 house or breached your own life and maybe it startled you and it 637 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:15,080 got you paying attention again. That's not good enough for 638 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,440 Watchmen. For Watchmen, we need to be 639 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:23,280 consistent, constantly alert, knowing constantly what is 640 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:27,040 happening on the landscape, where are we, what's coming up 641 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:29,960 ahead? In fact, there are a few 642 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:33,680 examples that I won't take the time to read, but where literal 643 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:37,400 Watchmen came and they would warn or they would tell of who's 644 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,000 coming up ahead on the road. And sometimes they would, they 645 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,120 would yell out. They said is it peace? 646 00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:47,040 And they, their job was to discern is the, is the person or 647 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:50,720 the group coming towards us of peace or the enemies? 648 00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:55,720 Well, that's part of our role as well, paying attention, paying 649 00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:58,400 attention to who's coming into proximity to your family. 650 00:37:59,720 --> 00:38:02,280 Not everybody who seems to be good is good. 651 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,240 Hello. Some people are wolves in. 652 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,680 So who looks out for that? Who watches? 653 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:19,120 Who makes sure that we're not being lulled into something that 654 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:20,440 we're not supposed to be lulled into? 655 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:24,120 A family relationship, a family partnership, a business 656 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:26,880 partnership. There's a way that seems right 657 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,720 to a man, but in the end, it leads to destruction. 658 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,160 We need to have watchfulness. We need to be consistent about 659 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:37,320 that because you know the enemy, he's watchful and he will wait 660 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,600 until you fall asleep. In fact, he will help you fall 661 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:43,360 asleep. Some of the distractions that 662 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:46,240 come toward you, they're not from you and they're not just 663 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,080 life. Well, that's just life. 664 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,880 No, not all of that. Just like some of that's demonic 665 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,040 and it was sent to distract you, sent to divert your attention. 666 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,880 If you could look that way, you'll miss that He's actually 667 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:05,040 coming in another way. This is very important. 668 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,200 You know, as a pastor, there's been many times where I have 669 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:11,600 felt the clarity that there would be something of a tussle 670 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,880 going on over in the area. But I'll know just by the Holy 671 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:19,040 Spirit, even more Ezekiel, you know, he said hear a word, hear 672 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:20,600 a word. So I'll hear the Lord said me. 673 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,520 That's not the real issue. Don't pay attention to that 674 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,280 because my inclination is want to go over there and run and fix 675 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:28,680 it. Don't want that to happen here. 676 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:31,520 We need to fix. But I'll know if I look that way 677 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,440 and spend my time over there. He's really working on this 678 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:42,540 thing over here. Very, very important for us to 679 00:39:42,540 --> 00:39:46,380 know the difference, to hear from Him, to know what our role 680 00:39:46,380 --> 00:39:48,800 is. You know, one of the things that 681 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,960 I was studying about Watchmen, their role wasn't to then slide 682 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,720 over and then to be king of the city. 683 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:56,240 Their job was just to relay the message. 684 00:39:56,760 --> 00:40:01,120 And what the king or the leaders of that area did with it was not 685 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,080 their job anymore. You say what you need to say and 686 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,480 then you'd go back about your business to do your job up top. 687 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:11,400 And if you get your rolls twisted, you're going to 688 00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:15,640 disqualify yourself. Because your job isn't to go to 689 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,840 the business tomorrow and be like, God spoke to me and you 690 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:20,960 know, you're unrighteous. You know what I'm saying? 691 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:29,480 But you could go and you could warn of them, say, hey, boss, I 692 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:31,720 see some things that could make our business vulnerable. 693 00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:36,360 Can I share them with you? And he may or she may say, yes, 694 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,480 please share them with me. And then once you share them, 695 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:40,960 your job is not to follow up a week later and say, did you 696 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:45,800 implement what I told you to come on, Some of you, some of 697 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:47,720 you control freaks, that's going to be a little tough for you. 698 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:50,160 You want to do it, You want to do it all. 699 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:53,440 But you know what? Do your job, deliver the message 700 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:58,600 and then roll out. It's their job. 701 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:02,200 Because if you're not careful, you'll get yourself in trouble 702 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,640 by stepping in areas that weren't yours to step into. 703 00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,240 I know even within church life, within our denomination, there's 704 00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:11,440 been times through the gods given me instruction to deliver 705 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:13,960 a hard word to some of the leaders within the denomination. 706 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:18,560 But where I overstep is if I start to try to make them do 707 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:23,080 what I told them instead of just deliver the word and butt out. 708 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,800 That's good right there. I encourage myself because I 709 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:32,840 have the temptation just like anybody to overstep the 710 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:34,880 overstep. And so it's good to clarify the 711 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,120 lanes. Listen to what Ellen White said. 712 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,000 And I, I wrestled whether to share this this because she was 713 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,960 the Co founder of the 7th day Adventist. 714 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:47,560 By the way, in researching this, she's the most translated author 715 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:52,920 in the world and she has some really, I think interesting 716 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:54,760 points of view. And especially on this. 717 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,560 I thought it was worthy of us talking about because 1 of it is 718 00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,960 about the role of pastors being a watchman. 719 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:01,760 Listen to this. It is the privilege of the 720 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:06,440 Watchmen on the walls of Zion to live so near to God and to be 721 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:10,400 susceptible to the impressions of His Spirit that He can work 722 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,800 through them to tell men and women of their peril and point 723 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:18,000 them to the place of safety. Faithfully are they to warn them 724 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:21,360 of the sure result of transgression, and faithfully 725 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:23,800 are they to safeguard the interests of the Church. 726 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:27,000 At no time may they relax their vigilance. 727 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:31,600 Theirs is a work requiring the exercise of every faculty of the 728 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:34,600 being. In trumpet tones their voices 729 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:38,520 are to be lifted, and never are they to sound one wavering, 730 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:42,800 uncertain note. Not for wages are they to labor, 731 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,760 but because they cannot do otherwise, because they realize 732 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:49,720 that there is a woe upon them if they fail to preach the gospel 733 00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:53,560 chosen of God, sealed with the blood of consecration, they are 734 00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:57,440 to rescue men and women from impending destruction. 735 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:02,240 Listen to what she wrote about the church and our role as a 736 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:05,480 whole as the watchman. God has appointed the church as 737 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:09,240 a watchman to have a jealous care over the youth and 738 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:13,360 children, and as a Sentinel to see the approach of the enemy 739 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:17,040 and give warning of danger. But the church does not realize 740 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:21,360 the situation. She is sleeping on guard in this 741 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:23,400 time of peril. She was writing this in the late 742 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:27,120 1800s. In this time of peril, fathers 743 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:31,960 and mothers must arouse and work As for life, or many of the 744 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,920 youth will be forever lost. She saw that the role of the 745 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:39,720 watchman was for the sake of the next generation. 746 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,840 She saw that the role of the church being a watchman was to 747 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:46,640 make sure the next generation stayed the track of the Lord. 748 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:51,840 And she was calling the church even at this time to arise, to 749 00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:55,920 arise, arise, wake up. And about two months ago in 750 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,920 prayer and a Wednesday night, just like the Spirit of the Lord 751 00:43:59,880 --> 00:44:03,240 took me and it was like all I could pray was wake up, wake up, 752 00:44:03,240 --> 00:44:04,720 wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up. 753 00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:08,840 We're in the in the spirit, just praying that the alarm bells 754 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:10,680 would go off, that the alarms would go off. 755 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:12,960 So when I read this, I'm like, oh, that's what it was. 756 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,280 It was a call of Watchmen. It was a call of being awake in 757 00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:18,000 the hour where it's easy to be asleep. 758 00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:21,480 And here she's calling for the why I didn't put two and two 759 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:25,840 together, but yet here we are. Even on a day where we're 760 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:28,480 celebrating some things going on our kids ministry and the Lord 761 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:30,960 would be saying, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up. 762 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:34,760 Last week on Sunday night, during the same time as our 763 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,360 youth service, we gather the parents together. 764 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,600 And as parents, what are we? What were we doing? 765 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:43,000 We're sitting around talking about different ways that we 766 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,120 need to be vigilant, ways that we need to be alert, ways that 767 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:47,800 we can encourage one another. Why? 768 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:49,680 Because we're Watchmen for our house. 769 00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:53,240 The church isn't a watchman for my children. 770 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:54,680 I'm the watchman for my children. 771 00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:57,960 And the church could partner with me and the church can help 772 00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:00,200 me. But the primary watchman for my 773 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:03,880 kids is me and Lilia. And if you have children, you're 774 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:05,880 the primary watchman for them as well. 775 00:45:06,720 --> 00:45:09,560 So we just, we've seen this. The responsibility of Watchmen 776 00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:13,200 is to warn of attacks, discern between threat and peace, to 777 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:17,240 know the appropriate sounds for the moments to blow the trumpet 778 00:45:17,240 --> 00:45:19,880 when there is a threat, to stay awake through the night when 779 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,520 others are asleep, and it is to not be distracted. 780 00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:28,760 I believe prophetically God is setting up Watchmen and families 781 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:34,640 and businesses and churches, including right here as at 782 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:38,960 Arise, that our church is a watchman in cities and states in 783 00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:44,520 the United States of America. Interestingly, part of the 784 00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:47,600 assignment on my life has been this and will continue to be 785 00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:50,600 this. But when I was a youth, you know 786 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:53,600 what I played as an instrument, a trumpet. 787 00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:57,800 And I took on playing trumpet when I was in 6th grade. 788 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:02,000 God wasn't, I mean, he probably was speaking to me, but I was. 789 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:04,240 I don't know why I picked trumpet at the time, honestly. 790 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:07,240 Maybe you remember why I picked. I just, she said, no, I don't 791 00:46:07,240 --> 00:46:10,480 remember. I just remember I picked up 792 00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,080 trumpet and then from 6th to 12th grade I played trumpet. 793 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:17,160 It wasn't till many years later that I realized, Oh my goodness, 794 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:21,560 God was literally putting in front of me what my spiritual 795 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:23,720 role would be throughout the rest of my life. 796 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:28,720 I didn't know that even my propensity towards this 797 00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:31,840 instrument and my propensity to be a part of learning how to 798 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:34,520 play and how to make these certain sounds and what that 799 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:37,120 would take. I had no clue that that would 800 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:40,320 one day translate over where God would say I've sent you a 801 00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:43,120 watchman. You need to know when to blow 802 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,880 the trumpet, You need to know how to make certain sounds. 803 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:48,280 You need to know how to be confident in it. 804 00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:53,880 Had no idea that for six years he would be training me of how 805 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:57,760 to do that in his Kingdom. Some of you I pray that the Lord 806 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:01,920 connect dots of even how he is used other things to train you 807 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:04,840 prepare you that you would know that it was for this hour. 808 00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:07,880 It's not wasted. It's not like something that 809 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:09,840 well that was cool. I just you know, I don't know 810 00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:11,680 why I did that. I pray you do know why you did 811 00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:13,360 that. I pray that he connects those 812 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:17,120 dots for you in Jesus name. I wrote this down and I believe 813 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:18,560 it was under the unction of the Holy Spirit. 814 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:21,480 God is called Arise Church. Rob, will you come as well? 815 00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:27,400 God is called Arise church as a watchman in our city state and 816 00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:31,200 for the country for this time. Let me say that again, God has 817 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:37,000 called, God has called Arise Church as a watchman in Apex 818 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:41,280 and, and, and I would say the triangle, but specifically Apex, 819 00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:45,360 a watchman in Apex and in North Carolina. 820 00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:48,800 I believe that the Lord is calling us and we'll place us in 821 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:51,520 positions where we're to be a watchman for this state. 822 00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:55,160 Many things come through the legislature. 823 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:58,600 That's just 15 minutes down the road that we need to be a 824 00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:00,880 watchman about. Who's paying attention to this? 825 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:04,360 Who's watchful of it? Who's seeing what's being 826 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:08,400 pressed in, even through demonic spirits, to try to infiltrate 827 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:12,320 their way into our state? Who's paying attention of what's 828 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:15,240 happening in the Board of Education, both for our state 829 00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:21,080 but also for Wake County? Who's watchful of the curriculum 830 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:24,640 that our children is being taught day in, day out? 831 00:48:26,480 --> 00:48:29,000 God's called us to do that. That's why He placed us here. 832 00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:30,840 That's why he called us a Rice church. 833 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:33,120 That's why He's caused some of you to move from other parts of 834 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:34,600 the country. And you're like, I don't really 835 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:36,160 know why I'm here. I'm telling you why you're here 836 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:40,080 right now. Clarity received. 837 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:42,720 Remember, I throw it, you catch it. 838 00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:44,600 Some of you, you need to be catching right now because 839 00:48:44,600 --> 00:48:46,320 you've been asking why am I here? 840 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:49,440 Why am I at a rise church? I'm giving you clarity right now 841 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:51,640 because our church is called as a watchman. 842 00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:54,360 As some of you, you already have this propensity, you're 843 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,680 watchful. I love, you know, it's so funny. 844 00:48:57,680 --> 00:49:00,440 Mary Beth, our preschool director, she is like an 845 00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:03,920 investigator and anybody who knows about her, if you need to 846 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,320 know anything about anything, she will find it out. 847 00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:10,280 She will research it, she will look it up and she will let us 848 00:49:10,280 --> 00:49:11,680 know what's going on. You know why? 849 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:17,800 Because God put the spirit of a watchman inside of her, that 850 00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:20,560 propensity towards it, and because you could just dismiss 851 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:22,680 it as well, that's just who she is. 852 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:26,560 But God chose that. He put that and He placed it 853 00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:28,880 right here. I think about Francesca, that 854 00:49:28,880 --> 00:49:31,360 there were many times at the Rock in California, in our 855 00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:34,880 previous church where someone would walk in the door and we 856 00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:37,360 would know they ain't right. And we don't know everything 857 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:38,600 about them. We just know they ain't right. 858 00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:40,880 And we just catch eyes. And then just a few of us, Yoli 859 00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:44,360 was part of that and we were Watchmen and we just would go to 860 00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:47,440 prayer. And then somehow, you know, 861 00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:49,640 either that person got ministered to or they had to go. 862 00:49:52,720 --> 00:49:55,680 So there's a reason why we're all here at this time and in 863 00:49:55,680 --> 00:49:58,640 this place. So I am prophesying over us, 864 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:03,200 Arise Church, that God will be setting us up together and 865 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:07,920 unique individuals as Watchmen, which will at the appointed time 866 00:50:08,200 --> 00:50:14,200 speak up and speak out for all to hear, elected leaders, policy 867 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:19,960 makers and others from the Apex City Hall to the Raleigh 868 00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:23,960 Legislature and the Governor's House to the White House. 869 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:27,600 I will prophecy it today. You can mark it in the calendar 870 00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:29,800 on October, whatever it is today. 871 00:50:30,040 --> 00:50:33,600 Is it 11th, 12th. Praise the Lord, October the 872 00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:36,960 12th, 2025. This is the day where we 873 00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:40,520 acknowledge it and we say, yes, Lord, we will play our part in 874 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,840 this and the way we may at this moment be small. 875 00:50:43,920 --> 00:50:46,440 We are mighty and we are obedient. 876 00:50:46,720 --> 00:50:50,240 And I believe that He will use obedience more than size every 877 00:50:50,240 --> 00:50:52,720 day of the week. And so He will use even your 878 00:50:52,720 --> 00:50:54,840 obedience. You may say, you know what? 879 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:57,760 I'm I'm just a stay at home mom. I don't do that much. 880 00:50:57,840 --> 00:50:59,720 I don't have that much blah, blah, blah. 881 00:50:59,720 --> 00:51:02,800 And all these excuses that might make you feel like you discount 882 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,800 yourself. And yet God will choose all of 883 00:51:05,800 --> 00:51:10,440 that and he'll set you in a high place because you were obedient. 884 00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:13,720 You obeyed Him when he told you how to parent those children. 885 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:17,720 You obeyed him when he told you what to do in your workplace or 886 00:51:17,720 --> 00:51:21,080 in your job or in your career. And because you obeyed him, he 887 00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:23,840 will set you high above all the others around you. 888 00:51:23,960 --> 00:51:25,440 Are you all hearing me this morning? 889 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:31,000 I feel this so strongly. I feel this so strongly. 890 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,640 Like the Lord is calling people up and he's saying who will 891 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:37,200 watch for me? Who will watch over their 892 00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:39,320 family? Who will watch over this city? 893 00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:42,520 Who will watch over Apex? Who will do the research? 894 00:51:42,680 --> 00:51:44,960 Who will look it up? Who will find out what laws are 895 00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:47,240 they pressing? What are they allowing down into 896 00:51:47,240 --> 00:51:49,200 Main Street? What events are they allowing? 897 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:51,840 Are they going to allow these drag Queens to go and teach our 898 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:53,640 preschoolers in the middle of our city? 899 00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:56,320 No. And just for it to slide under 900 00:51:56,320 --> 00:51:57,600 our watch? No. 901 00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:01,640 Will they allow this craziness to be taught into our schools? 902 00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:04,600 Will they allow the the the laws to be passed without prayers 903 00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:08,280 being lifted or legislators being confronted? 904 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:11,000 No. If it if it's in our sphere that 905 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,800 God's called us to, it'll be addressed in Jesus name. 906 00:52:14,480 --> 00:52:16,320 It will be addressed in Jesus name. 907 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:20,520 It'll be addressed in prayer. It'll be addressed in phone 908 00:52:20,520 --> 00:52:24,480 calls or emails. But you will hear what thus 909 00:52:24,480 --> 00:52:33,400 saith the Lord to this region in Jesus name, some of you whom God 910 00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:36,240 is sending out. And maybe this isn't your 911 00:52:36,240 --> 00:52:38,720 forever landing place. Maybe he'll send you somewhere 912 00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:40,560 else. Remember this message when 913 00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:44,600 you're sent there, that with that assignment comes this 914 00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:48,720 message. He's sending you with clarity. 915 00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:52,480 He's sending you with his word. He's sending you with this 916 00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:57,600 assignment in Jesus name. We're in the times where this 917 00:52:57,600 --> 00:53:03,000 matters more than ever. We're in the times where you 918 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:06,680 can't go anymore off of someone to saying that this a Christian 919 00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:11,640 Church, you better go and if you're listening to people 920 00:53:11,640 --> 00:53:14,840 online, you better understand. Are they saying what the Bible 921 00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:20,280 says or they saying what's culturally appropriate or they 922 00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:25,280 saying what will get them more views or who knows the motives, 923 00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:27,240 but what are what are they saying? 924 00:53:30,320 --> 00:53:33,560 This is an important hour. So will you please stand to your 925 00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:39,600 feet and if this resonates with you and you're willing to yet 926 00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:42,600 again commit yourself to the Lord to be the watchman for 927 00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:45,680 where he's called you to. Would you lift your hands, lift 928 00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:48,600 your hands and as you lift them, just begin to tell the Lord 929 00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:50,960 Lord, here I am. Send me. 930 00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:57,480 We want to thank you again for joining us for the Arise Church 931 00:53:57,480 --> 00:53:59,560 podcast. We hope you were encouraged by 932 00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:01,400 what you heard today. You can find 933 00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:06,160 us.online@arisechurchn-c.com and on Instagram at Arise Church NC. 934 00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:09,560 If you need prayer or support or are interested in learning more 935 00:54:09,560 --> 00:54:13,240 about Arise Church, we encourage you to connect with us online or 936 00:54:13,240 --> 00:54:15,320 in person at our Sunday morning service. 937 00:54:15,560 --> 00:54:16,840 Thank you and God bless.