Watch

One verse from 1st Corinthians chapter 16. 1st Corinthians 16, reading verse 13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

The Lord has promised to bless to us the reading from his good word. I don't know about you but I marvel that such a verse is found at the end of 1st Corinthians. Watch ye, be alert, be awake, stand fast in the faith, be steadfast, quit you like men, be mature, be strong and be charitable.

A message in a nutshell. Let me say two things about the Corinthian epistle and we're going to notice five things, we're going to mention five things this afternoon that you and I have to watch. I believe the first nine verses of 1st Corinthians is what that church was positionally.

I believe this, what Ezekiel does in Ezekiel 43, Paul does in the first nine verses of 1st Corinthians 1. What does Ezekiel do in Ezekiel 43? He shows them the pattern of the house. He shows them the fashion of the house, the form of the house. He speaks about the going in and the coming out and he's doing it in order that they might be ashamed.

Now watch the first nine verses of 1st Corinthians. Church of God, saints, sanctified, coming behind in no gift and verse 9 says this, God is faithful who has called us into the fellowship of his Son. And in the first nine verses of 1st Corinthians it's what the Corinthians are positionally.

But I'm going to go through the epistle very quickly and I want you to notice the word among you. Go through the epistle. Chapter 1, there was contention among them.

Chapter 3, there was envy, there was strife, there was division among them. Chapter 5, there was fornication among them. Chapter 6, there was a fault among them.

Chapter 11, there was heresies among them. And I come to chapter 15 and I read a verse like this, how say some among you there is no resurrection from the dead. Now get the picture.

There was friction, there was fornication, there was a fault, there was false teaching amongst the church of God at Corinth. And then I come to my verse, watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I'm going to do a thing I very seldom do.

I'm going to give you an acrostic on the word watch. And we're going to consider five things that the Spirit of God wants you and I to watch. And I'm going to watch that time.

And I'll be down before four o'clock at least. Now what's the five things that we've to watch? Ever notice in the Bible things are presented in fives? You remember there was five kings of Midian? You remember David had five smooth stones? You remember there are five garments that every Christian ought to wear? The breastplate of faith, the girdle of humility, the robe of righteousness, the garment of holiness, and the great overcoat of love. Five garments that every Christian ought to wear.

Ever notice before you read in 1 Peter chapter 2, before you read about growing up and being built up and offering up and showing forth? There are five things that have to be laid aside. Malice, guile, hypocrisy, envies, and all evil speaking. Those five things have to be laid aside.

And I want to warn the saints today, there are five things that every Christian ought to watch. Let me give you the five and perhaps we'll talk about three. First of all, watch your words.

Secondly, watch your actions. Thirdly, watch your thoughts. Fourthly, watch your company.

And last of all, watch your heart. Now let me say this before I consider the first one. Why have I to watch my words? I can be evil in my words.

I can be evil in my actions. I could be evil in my thoughts. I could be evil in my company.

And I could be evil in my heart. And that's why we've to watch those five things. Let's think of the first thing.

Watch your words. This came to my mind yesterday when our brother Stan was speaking. There are three persons in the Old Testament and they were smitten with leprosy.

You might say to me this afternoon, who are the three people that were smitten with leprosy? First of all, there was Gehazi. And remember, he was a servant. And then we were reminded of Uzziah.

He was a sovereign. And then Miriam, she was a sister. And the servant and the sovereign and the sister was smitten with leprosy.

Let's think of those three very quickly. Why was Gehazi smitten with leprosy? He told lies. He lied to Naaman.

He lied to Elisha. And he lied to God. Let's stop for one moment.

Do Christians tell lies? Let it sink. Do Christians tell lies? You remember the old prophet in 1 Kings 13? He lied to the young prophet. You remember what was said to Ananias and Sapphira? Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have not lied unto men, but unto God.

Six things God hates. Seven are an abomination unto Him. What are two of those things? A lying tongue.

A false witness that uttereth lies. And we're exhorted from Paul in the Ephesian epistle, put away lying. Let me say three things about those seven things that God hates.

First of all, they're hateful. And that's towards God. And they're hurtful.

That's towards others. And they are harmful. That is towards yourself.

But here was a man smitten with leprosy and he was smitten with leprosy because he told lies. Come now to Uzziah. Why was Uzziah smitten with leprosy? That man moved out of his sphere.

That man was a king, but that man wanted to be a priest. And that man was told this, it pertaineth not unto thee Uzziah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Uzziah was a man that moved out of his sphere.

And because of that, God smote him with leprosy. Come now to Miriam. Not now lying, not now moving out of her sphere, but she speaks evil.

She speaks evil of a man of God as seen in Moses. And she's smitten with leprosy. Let me give you, listen to, we remember about James epistle yesterday.

Listen to one verse from James epistle. Speak not evil one of another brethren. You know, my father used to have a text with two texts on it on the wall.

And the two texts verses were this, speak not evil one of another brethren, James four and verse 11. She speak of him to all Luke two and 38. So I leave it with you.

Watch your words. I'm going to jump down very quickly and I'm going to watch your thoughts. We're delighted to see young people here this afternoon.

And if you forget all I see, will you remember this? Your thought life has more to do with the formation of your character than any other member of your body. Now you mark my words. We are not what we think we are, but what we think we are.

Bible says this, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. I want to point out the mind in Romans chapter 12. Now remember Romans chapter 12 is that chapter of consecration where we have to present our body a living sacrifice.

Notice the mention of the mind. Paul says this, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And then Paul says in that chapter, not to think more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly.

And then Paul says in that chapter, be of the same mind, one towards another. Mind not high things, but condescending to things that are lowly. You mark my words this afternoon.

Loose thinking leads to loose living and loose living lives to loose speaking. But sober thinking and sober speaking leads to sober living. Watch your thoughts.

Come again. We've to watch our company. And I'm going to start where I finished yesterday.

But you mark my words. Our company either makes us or it mars us. Listen to what the Bible says.

Walk with wise men and thou shalt be wise. But a companion of fools shall be destroyed. You remember what I read yesterday in Psalm 106.

They mingled themselves with the nation. They learned their works, they served their God. And they were brought low in their iniquity.

Let me ask you a question today. Are you flirting with this world? Are you floating with this world? Are you following this world? Or are you fighting this world? Come again. Are you cruising with this world? Are you conquering this world? Are you compromising with this world? Listen to what Paul says.

Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. You know, when I was a young Christian, I was taught that we should be separated from the world in every shape and form. The Egyptian world, the Moabitish world, the Babylonish world, and the Sodom world.

Come out from amongst them and be ye separate, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember, the Bible says this, evil company doth corrupt good manner. Now finally, very quickly, and your brother Jonathan has stressed it, I'm going to stress it again.

Watch your heart. You know what the Scottish poet said, and it's scriptural to quote the Scottish or the poems of our people. Listen to what Robert Burns said.

He said this, I won't say it in Scotch, I'll say it in English. The heart is the part that makes us right or wrong. The heart's the part that makes you right or wrong.

So the heart is the part that makes you right or wrong. What did my brother quote? Listen to it again. Keep your heart with all diligence.

I checked that verse just before coming to the meeting. The margin of my Bible says this, above all that you guard, guard your heart. Above all that you guard, guard your heart.

Let me say three things before I sit down. If our prayer is going to be acceptable, it must come from the heart. You remember Paul? My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

If our worship is going to be acceptable, it must come from the heart. My heart overfloweth with goodly matter. I will speak of those things which I have made, touching the King.

You remember the words of Nehemiah? Neither told I any man what my God put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There's two things the devil loves. He loves the Christian to be lukewarm and he loves the Christian to be half-hearted.

Watch your words. Watch your actions. Watch your thoughts.

Watch your company. And above all, watch your heart.