Randy Krahn teaches that every believer has a unique God-given role like instruments in an orchestra, emphasizing the importance of faithfully warning others of sin as a spiritual watchman.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing and using the gifts and callings that God has uniquely bestowed upon each individual. It warns against the dangers of falling into sin, particularly sexual immorality, and the consequences of not heeding the warnings and repenting. The story of Samson is used as a cautionary tale to illustrate the impact of sin on one's life and the need for genuine repentance and restoration.
Full Transcript
I got a text from a brother this morning and he was talking about he auditioned to be part of a choir, part of an orchestra, and he got a part. And so he said it'd be nice if your family could come at Christmas time and watch the program, which got me thinking about an orchestra and all the different parts that make up an orchestra. You have such very beautiful violins and flutes and clarinets, but you also have the trumpet and the trombones and the tubas and the drum and many other parts.
God has shown me that my part is to be a trumpet. That is a gift thing that he's given me. I wanted to read something from Ezekiel chapter 33, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.
Every one of us has a part. It's important that we don't try to play a part that we're not gifted in. We want to use the gift that we have and the call that we're given with the effectiveness and with the measure that God supplies.
Everyone doesn't have the same part. We're riding with Dan the other day, and he's like, I'm not like you. It's okay that we're different.
And I agree with that. We all have different parts. Only problem is Dan's a trumpet too.
Again, the word of the Lord, Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 1. There's first, second, and third trumpet. I played trumpet, you know, in a band. I was never the first trumpet.
I was always the third trumpet because I wasn't good enough to play the high notes. But you know what? God is able with faithfulness and diligent practice to develop those giftings with the measure of faith that we have. We use them.
I remember when I moved to second trumpet, I was so thankful that I had the opportunity. And for the last part of the last year when I graduated, I got to play some songs in the first trumpet. But Ezekiel, he's a first trumpet.
And he says here, again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, son of man, speak to the children of your people and say to them, when I bring a sword upon the land, judgment's coming upon the land. And the people of that land take a man from their territory and they make him their watchman. They say, listen, we're going to take you Ezekiel.
We're going to make you a watchman over the house of Israel. And we want you to play first trumpet. We want you to be a watchman to see if an enemy is coming.
And we want you to warn the people from God for us. And it says when this watchman sees a sword coming, in other words, judgment's going to come upon the land. Judgment's not coming for no reason.
Judgment's coming for a reason. And we're going to find out what that reason is and why the watchman is placed on the wall. He says when this watchman who's watching to see if an enemy is coming, that's what he does.
Brother David shared last week about those men who were building the wall in Nehemiah and with one hand they built and with the other hand they carried a sword. They had to be watching. And then they set other people behind the wall who were watching.
While we're working, we have to be watching because there's an enemy who seeks to destroy our families, to destroy our lives, to destroy our children's lives. And he doesn't take a day off. He doesn't Sabbath.
He's 24-7, 365. He's after us to rob, to kill from you, to steal and to destroy. And so we need to be vigilant.
And if we ourselves lack the ability to watch, then we need to listen to the watchman. He says if this watchman sees that a sword is coming upon the land and an enemy is coming against the people of God, and if he blows the trumpet and he warns the people, here's this orchestra, here's this trumpet blower blowing the first trumpet and he starts preaching against sin. He starts warning the people that they need to repent.
He says because an enemy is coming because we've let our guard down, we've not been watchful ourselves and now the watchman is on the wall blowing his trumpet saying an enemy is coming, we need to repent. And whoever hears the sound of the trumpet, but if he just ignores the warning and he just continues to persist on because it seems better to him to do according to his own wisdom rather than to listen to the warning of the watchman, then it says here that if the sword comes upon the land, it will take him away and his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, he didn't take warning.
His blood shall be on himself. But he who takes the warning will save his life. That's why it's good to have preachers who blow the trumpet, who warn against sin, who preach against sin.
Because today there's a church where there's not too many trumpets out there. We love to hear the violins. We'll go and listen to an orchestra where we listen to the soft sounds and it feels good and it's encouraging, we get encouraged by it.
But there's no greater encouragement than finding repentance on your knees when you know that you've drifted and fallen away from the faith or you've gone astray. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and he loves the people so much, he doesn't want to upset them because they're sleeping. He doesn't want to disturb them because they're watching movies and they're listening to the devil's music and they're playing around, eating and drinking and having a good time.
He doesn't want to just upset them. He wants to be popular. He wants the people to like him.
He wants to be a trumpet blower that people like. And so he doesn't blow the first trumpet. He thinks I'll blow the third trumpet.
Maybe I'll do it really gently or softly or maybe I'll just wait a while and maybe it won't be necessary. He says if the watchman sees the sword coming and he does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned and the sword comes and takes away any person from among the people there, they're taken away in their iniquity, in their sin, then it says his blood I will require of the watchman's hand. It's going to be the preacher's fault.
If you're a preacher or a pastor in a church today and you don't share the whole counsel of God, not just the good promises, you just share the good promises, but you don't share the warnings, then these people's blood are going to be on your hands and on your head on the day of judgment. It says God will require it of the watchman. If you have a desire to be an overseer, you desire a good worker or a bishop, but if you do not fulfill the task, how many of God's ministers or God's prophets were loved? It says they hate him who reproves in the gate and they despise him who speaks with integrity.
All those kings, they despise the word of the prophet. They put him in pits. Jeremiah ended up in a pit.
Ezekiel, they didn't like him neither. Isaiah, they didn't like him. He was a gentle guy too.
Jeremiah was the most gentle. He was a weeping prophet. Amos, he said, I'm not even a prophet, but he spoke God's word.
We need the prophets. Where are the prophets today? Where are the ministers who will preach against sin? We don't want that gospel. We don't want to hear that.
Oh, that's a rough word. Play gently for us. A soft answer turns away wrath.
A soft word can still break a bone. If you use a soft word and people just keep doing their own thing, and then when an enemy comes and destroys your life, then you're going to point the finger and say, you never warned me. It's important that we don't despise the trumpet.
We don't despise the one who blows the trumpet, but we embrace it and we thank God for it. Verse 7 says, so you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore, you shall hear a word from my mouth and you shall warn them for me.
This is what the watchman is who blows the trumpet, who hears the word of God, who can see an Aharit, can see the end of the matter. Years down the road, what's going to happen? And he warns and says, hey, don't go there. This is a wrong decision.
Because the end is going to lead to destruction. It might not be in one day from now or a week from now or a year from now. It's going to be when your young people are teenagers.
That's when it's going to catch up to you. We have to be careful that we lead in a right way so that we don't end up in a bad way. We have God's word and we have the prophets.
We need to take heed to the things that we hear lest we drift away. Ezekiel is made a watchman by God. I've made you a watchman over the house of Israel.
Look at verse 8. He makes it very clear what this is about. When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die. And you do not speak and warn to the wicked man about his way.
That wicked man shall die in his sin. But his blood I'm going to require of your hand, Ezekiel. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he keeps going into the direction he's going.
He says he's going to die in his sin, but you've delivered your own soul. See the seriousness of being a watchman? You have a responsibility when you see people, especially your brothers, who are sinning, a sin under death. And you warn them and say, hey, don't do that.
Then it's on that person if they continue to decide to go that way. You know, it says in 1 John that there's a sin under death and there's a sin not under death. It says if anyone sins a sin not unto death, all unrighteousness is sin.
But it says that there's some sins not unto death. It says if you pray for that brother, that sister, a sin not unto death, God will forgive them. He'll pardon that sin not unto death.
But he said there is a sin unto death. He says, don't pray about that. That sin we have to warn.
We have to blow the trumpet on that sin. Some sins lead to death. I'm going to read something from Galatians, 1 Corinthians.
Let's go to 1 Corinthians, chapter 6. 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 9. It says, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Let no one deceive you with empty words. Doesn't matter how many times you pray to prayer and ask Jesus in your heart. If you don't change and you don't turn from sin, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That is in print. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, that is people who commit sexual sin, nor idolaters, that is people who love other gods more than Jesus.
I don't care if it's your wife, she can be a god. Your husband, he can be a god. Your car, your money.
The love of money is idolatry. Covetousness, nor adulterers. These are people who are married or have been married, who sleep with other people who are married or have been married.
This is adultery. Nor homosexuals. Men with men, as Dan shared, from Sodom.
Women with women. Nor Sodomites. Nor thieves, people who steal.
Nor covetous, of which Paul said in Romans 7, he all of a sudden came under the spirit of covetousness and it brought him into bondage, where he wanted what other people had. Nor drunkards, people who practice getting drunk. That includes drugs, drugs and alcohol.
Nor revelers, people who want to party, involved with sexual sin. Nor extortioners, people who manipulate people and use authority to get money or gain an advantage. None of these people who do these things will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now the kingdom of God begins on earth, when Jesus comes into our life. And the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the temple of God. It says it's righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The kingdom of God has come upon you. When you receive Christ, this is where eternal life begins. It begins on this earth.
It's righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And when we pass from this life into the next, it says you will no longer see death. Because death of the outer man has got nothing to do with the inner man.
So when we've been made alive and we've been joined together with Christ, when this body passes away, we pass from this life seamlessly into the next, into the presence of the Lord. But what does it say? The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. It begins on this earth.
In other words, you can't be born again. That's the falling away from the faith. If you start practicing these things, let no one deceive you with empty words because the wrath of God comes on who? The sons of disobedience.
It says we should not be partakers with them. So we have to bring thoughts captive and Satan will come to entice us just like a kidnapper will come with some candy to lure little children. Satan will come with some kind of candy, something shiny and try to lure you after the flesh and he'll try and get you in a way where he can deceive you, catch you by craftiness and destroy your life.
Because he's not there just to bring you down a notch or two. He's there to destroy you completely. You might have a call of God on your life.
The apostle Paul did. But somehow he said I was alive once in Romans 7 apart from the law, but then covetousness came. Sin revived and he said, I, he died.
What kind of death was that? Sin separates us from God because he came into the power of covetousness. An evil spirit must have got a hold of him because it's the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience, not on their shoulder and he fell away from the faith and he received probably an evil spirit or an unclean spirit and it caused him to covet. All he was consumed about was things and money and things and things.
The one who knew the will of God, he knew the word of God. Sin revived and I died. He said that which is good to me is good, the law.
Has it become death to me? No, but sin became exceedingly sinful. The law showed him that he was covetous. So he started to repent.
It was over a process, I'm sure. Desire conceives in the heart. Man, I wish I could have a place like that.
Man, I wish I could have a car or truck like that. Man, I wish I could have a wife like that. Man, I wish I had a worker like that.
Discontented, you would say covetousness. Today we call that good wisdom. If you have lots of things and you're striving to attain more, beware of covetousness, brother.
Jesus said in Red Print, he says, life does not consist in the abundance of things a man possesses. We like to have things, but our heart cannot be attached to things. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
You want to be careful that we're not just constantly talking about more and more and more things. We have a work to do, but we can't live for things. He goes on from there.
Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. You're not going to be born again in this lifetime. That's a falling away from the faith.
And you sure is not going to spend eternity with Christ. He says, such were some of you, but you were what? Washed. Having been washed with the water of the word, having been washed and cleansed of our past sins.
Jesus said to the disciples, you're already clean because of the word. I've spoken to you, only your feet are dirty. The word has washed them.
We're sanctified by the blood, but the word washes us. You were washed, it says. You were cleansed from what? Sanctified.
You were justified from our past sins in the name of Jesus Christ and the spirit of our God. And he goes on from there. He says, all things are lawful for me.
God has given us all things richly to enjoy, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything. Have you been brought under the power of anything? In your liberty, have you allowed Satan to bring you into bondage again? We have to guard against these things.
Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy both it and them. Now, the body is not for sexual immorality, brothers, sisters. It's for the Lord, not just our spirit for the Lord and our body for ourselves.
The body is not for sexual immorality. It is for the Lord. We're to glorify God in our body and in our spirit.
We're to offer our whole body, spirit, soul, and body to the Lord as living sacrifices to God, which is our reasonable act of worship. Every sin is outside the body, it says. I'll get to that.
It says here, do you not know, brothers, verse 15, that you're members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and shall I make them members of a harlot? Absolutely not. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot becomes one body with her? For the two, he says, shall become one flesh. When a person commits sexual immorality, all the evil spirits that are in that person, you might be someone like David and you go and you sleep with some woman and if that woman has evil spirits, they're transferred to you.
And if you have evil spirits, you're transferring them to them because the two become one flesh. They become one body. And so all the darkness that's in them now becomes your problem.
And all the darkness that's in you becomes their problem because they're one. If it says one joins himself to a harlot, you become one body with her. For the two, he says, shall become one flesh.
He meant this for marriage. But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality.
Flee, flee, flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside his body. But he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
This is the worst kind of sin. This is a sin and a death. This thing will take you down in a big hurry because it's against the body and we have the Holy Spirit living in us.
And then we join ourselves in sexual immorality and then we become one body with her. And where's the Holy Spirit go? Out. That's why David says, cast me not away from my presence.
When did he say that? After he sinned with Bathsheba. Take not the Holy Spirit from me. Where are you, Lord? Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.
He wasn't feeling it. He wasn't sensing it. Created me a clean heart again, Lord.
God is not obligated to forgive us of sexual immorality if we're believers. You're not obligated. I remember a minister, I went to a meeting and you know what he said from the pulpit? I raised my hand.
I said, you're saying Christians can have demons and be Christians and go to heaven? He said, you can go to Vancouver right now, sleep with a prostitute and God will forgive you. That came from the pulpit. A riot broke out because we just said, that's blasphemy.
And we were crowded instantly around. Lots of Christians were pulling and grabbing and clawing at us. You think you're holier than the rest of us, huh? You can go right now to Vancouver and sleep with a prostitute and God will forgive you.
That's not in scripture. It says if we willfully go on sinning after we receive the knowledge of the truth, you know it's sin. There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins and there's only one sacrifice for sin.
It's the blood of Jesus. There are people who did these things who died, who were supposed to be stoned according to the law. God had mercy on David.
It wasn't a right to do these things and then just to be forgiven and just blow it off like nothing happened. It's a serious thing to fall into the hands of the living God. He said, vengeance is mine.
I will repay. The Lord's gonna judge his people. He says those who have once been sanctified by what? By the shed blood of Christ.
They insult the spirit of grace. It says in Hebrews 10, 28, somewhere in there, 29. We don't want to take lightly the shed blood of Christ.
We don't want to trample underfoot the son of God and put him to open shame. That's why we need the fear of the Lord. So we don't do the things we please after the flesh because the flesh is hostile against the spirit and the spirit is against the flesh and it's contrary to one another.
He goes on from there. Fleeing sexual immorality. Every sin is outside the body.
He said, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that is in you? Whom you have from God? You're not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.
Did you know there was a man who had a call of God in his life? His name is Samson. I'm gonna read a little bit about this man. The children of Israel, they kept sinning.
And the people of God today, it's a problem with sin. Sin is a problem. That's why it's necessary for there to be a trumpet blower to warn people what sin is sin.
Call sin, sin. So people know what sin is. I remember my son used to play baseball and he would go and he would talk to the kids and say about sexual immorality, sexual immorality.
They didn't know what sexual immorality was. You know, sleeping outside a marriage and some of his teammates, that's sin? We don't know what that's sin. They had no idea about sin.
We assume people know what sin is. People don't know what sin is. Their consciences become hardened.
They call bittersweet. They call darkness light. They have no concept of what the holiness and the righteousness of God is unless there'd be a preacher.
How shall they hear? The people of God did sin and then there was Gideon who was a deliverer to deliver God's people from the Midianites and then the people of God did sin and then there was another deliverer that showed up on the scene. Jephthah was there, Gideon was there and now all of a sudden in chapter 15, Samson is there. The Philistines brought the people of God into bondage.
This is a picture of the powers of darkness bringing God's people into bondage. You may have a lot of people call themselves Christians but they're slaves to whom they obey. Here the children of Israel are slaves to the Philistines.
We are subject to the Philistines. The Philistines rule over us. Are you subject to the works of the flesh of the powers of darkness taking hold of you and you can't stop sinning because you've come under the power of the evil one.
Does the devil rule over you? Are your goods in peace because Satan has control of the house? You need one stronger to come and deliver you from the power of darkness. Jesus said one stronger is here. He said you bind a strong man, you plunder his house but the house has to be filled with the things of God, the word of God and the spirit of God otherwise seven times worse will come and the last day of that man will be seven times worse than the first.
We need to have some good fear of God. Samson, he was called of God. He had a Nazarite vow.
The angel of the Lord appeared to the mom and the dad was there the second time and said what shall this be? No razor shall come on the man's head. The woman was supposed to abstain from wine and from things that come from the vine and God was going to raise up Samson to be a deliverer for the people of God because the people were crying out for a deliverer again. Just like in the days when Moses came, they wanted to deliver.
Always crying out for a deliverer because the people did sin and then they come into bondage. They're not learning from their mistakes. So God raises up Samson.
It comes in his heart. He sees a woman in the Philistines and his heart goes after her. Such a strong man.
Such a man with the call of God on his legs. Such a man with an anointing from God set apart for the purpose of God. A woman got him.
Woman got a hold of his heart and it says the Lord allowed it and he went after the Philistines and he caused problems with them. And it says he ruled Israel for 20 years. He judged them for 20 years.
And all of a sudden one day it comes in his heart he's going to go to see a harlot. What in the world is this guy thinking? It says in Judges in chapter 16 verse 1. Now Samson went to Gaza. He saw a prostitute there and he went into her.
Now what in the world is a man of God thinking? He has the power of God. He has the spirit of God. He has the favor of God.
He has the call of God. He decides he's just gonna go and spend some time with a harlot. The man of God going into the harlot.
So he goes in. The Philistines seek to destroy his life. He goes in there and he decides at midnight he's going to leave.
He just rips open the gates of the city and he just sets him up against the post there and he walks away. Seems as though he got away with it. Seems as though the man of God can practice sin and inherit the kingdom.
But he's deceiving himself. Because he does not know what's gonna cost him his life. At first it cost him his eyes and then afterward it ended up costing him his life.
When the Gazites were told Samson has come to the place, they surrounded the place. They lie in wait for the city. They were quiet all night saying in the morning we're gonna kill him.
Samson lay low till midnight. Then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gates of the city. The two gateposts pulled them up.
Bars and all. And he put them on his shoulders. He carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Afterward it happened that he loved a woman of the valley of Sorok whose name was Delilah. This guy had a problem with women. This guy loved women.
He loved God but he loved women too. You can't serve God and money. We know that.
But can I take the members of Christ and join them with a harlot? Can I do that? The word of God says in Galatians in chapter 5 those who practice such things shall not, shall not, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you but you were washed. You were cleansed from your past sin.
So we need to say no to sin. If you want to serve Christ, serve Him. If you want to go after women, go after women.
Don't do both. Makes you the worst kind of Christian. Makes you the most dangerous Christian.
You strengthen the hands of evildoers. She eats and wipes her mouth and says I've done no wickedness. That's what this harlot church does.
We cannot be this kind of church. He's coming for a bride that is holy and pure without spot or wrinkle. We want victory in our life.
We have to take heed to the things that we heard lest we drift away. Oh, he loved Delilah. Now he loves another woman.
It happened the Philistines came to Delilah and they said entice him. The first time he got enticed by that other Philistine woman who became his wife. She said entice him because they threatened the woman.
She enticed him. He gave up the riddle. Whenever you share your secrets with this kind of uncleanness, be sure your sins will be found out.
Find out where his great secret lies, his strength. By what means we may overpower him so we can destroy him. So Delilah, verse six, said to Samson, please tell me where your great strength lies and with what you may be bound so we may afflict you.
Can you imagine someone actually telling you that? What is your great strength lie? So that you can be bound and so that you can end up becoming like one of us and we can destroy you. Weak, with no power over sin. So Samson, he starts making up lies.
If they bind me with seven fresh bow strings that are not yet dried, I shall become weak like any other man. He's playing around with sin. He's playing around with sin.
So the Lord of the Philistines brought up seven fresh bow strings. They bound him and he just snapped them like nothing. And then she says, Delilah said to Samson, verse 10, look, you're mocking me.
You've told me lies. Now please tell me what you may be bound with. The man's lying.
He wants to sleep with this woman and he wants to lie and he wants to do all this kind of stuff and he wants to be a man of God. He wants to deliver Israel. You're not going to deliver yourself, let alone Israel.
You're practicing sin. You're never going to fulfill the call of God on your life if you're practicing sin. Your life will be cut short.
If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become weak like any other man. Delilah took new ropes, bound him. I mean, that would be a clue, wouldn't it? Man, this woman, she tied this stuff on me.
Now she's putting these new ropes on me. Everything I'm telling her, whoa, some good fear should come in the man's heart. But the man is deceived because his sin has blinded his eyes.
He's already lost his eyes, but his natural eyes are still in his head. Until now, you've mocked me, verse 13, and you've told me lies. If they weave seven locks in my head, now he's playing with his hair because he knows that the covenant is with his hair.
It's the covenant. God made a covenant with Samson. He kept the covenant, but now he's playing with sin.
But he's about to have a covenant broken and he's not going to know. So he gives her something a little closer. She wove tightly these battens of looms.
He just pulled them out. Then 15, it says, how can you say you love me when your heart is not with me? We're to love the Lord with all our heart. We're not to love Delilah and anything else with all our heart.
You've mocked me these three times, not told me where your great strength lies. And it came to pass that she pestered him and she wore him down because he never should have been there in the first place. He got wore down and the powers of darkness are about to overtake the man.
The man who has a call of God on his life. His soul was vexed unto death. That he told the woman all that was in his heart.
It says a fool speaks all of his heart. This man who was wise became a fool because of sin. No razor has ever come on my head.
I've been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, my strength will leave me. I shall become weak like any other man.
And Delilah saw he shared all his heart and she sent the Lord to the Philistines because she was going to get money. She lulled him to sleep, verse 19, on her knees, called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him.
This one who says, don't you love me? She's the one who torments him. His strength left him. The Philistines are upon you, she screams.
But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. That's the falling away right there. It was happening and the spirit of the Lord left.
And those distressing spirits came upon him. And they gouged his eyes and he became a grinder for the Philistines in their prison. Brother, sister, may it not happen to you.
Hear the sound of the trumpet that's blowing. Today, while it's still today, let's repent. Let's not harden our hearts.
How does it happen? We have to bring every thought captive, unclean thoughts. Oh, I'll just share Jesus with that woman. Next thing you know, you're in bed with a woman.
That can't happen. We need to have a fear of God. Satan is crafty and our flesh is crafty.
It's hostile to the things of the spirit of God. We have to take heed to the things that we hear. Samson did not know that the spirit of the Lord had left him.
Now, the good news is, is that after he'd lost his eyes, he repented. It says, I know he repented because it says in Hebrews in chapter 11, it refers to Samson as a man of faith. His hair began to grow.
God remembered his covenant with Samson. Samson said, it's not about me and my life anymore. It's about you, Lord.
Give me vengeance on my enemies one last time, even if I have to die to fulfill the purpose and call of God on my life. I've messed it up, but Lord have mercy on me. And the Lord gave him his strength back one last time.
Samson found repentance with God and God remembered his covenant with him. May the Lord have mercy on us and remember his covenant with us that we might receive grace from him to walk worthy of the calling. Brothers, sisters, we have to walk worthy of the calling with which you've been called in a manner fully pleasing unto him.
He's coming for a bride without spot or wrinkle that we would purify our souls through obeying the truth, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. David said, thy word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. Yet the man sinned.
We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but let us not sin those sins unto death. May the Lord help us to hear the things that the Spirit is saying that we would heed the sound of the trumpet, that the Lord would have mercy on us, that he would be very compassionate to us, that he would give us opportunity to repent and return because the Lord is very merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Repentance is not guaranteed when it comes to sexual sin, but God is able to forgive all sin in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Orchestra Analogy and Our Unique Roles
- Each believer has a distinct spiritual gift like instruments in an orchestra
- Importance of using the gift God has given faithfully
- Acceptance of differences within the body of Christ
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II. The Watchman’s Responsibility
- God appoints watchmen to warn the people of coming judgment
- The necessity of sounding the trumpet to call for repentance
- Consequences for both the watchman and the people if warnings are ignored
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III. The Reality of Sin and Judgment
- Scriptural warnings about unrighteous behaviors that exclude from God’s kingdom
- The danger of ignoring sin and the call to holiness
- The spiritual death caused by sin and the importance of repentance
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IV. Living as a Holy Instrument for God
- Offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God
- Fleeing sexual immorality and guarding the temple of the Holy Spirit
- The ongoing need for sanctification and cleansing by the Word
Key Quotes
“Everyone doesn't have the same part. It's important that we don't try to play a part that we're not gifted in.” — Randy Krahn
“If the watchman sees the sword coming and he does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, then their blood I will require of the watchman's hand.” — Randy Krahn
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside his body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” — Randy Krahn
Application Points
- Identify and faithfully use the spiritual gift God has given you without comparing yourself to others.
- Be vigilant in warning others about sin and the consequences of disobedience as a loving watchman.
- Flee from sin, especially sexual immorality, and seek continual cleansing through God's Word to live a holy life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be a watchman in the Christian life?
A watchman is someone God appoints to warn others of spiritual dangers and call them to repentance, bearing responsibility for delivering God's message faithfully.
Why is it important to use the spiritual gifts God has given us?
Using our God-given gifts faithfully contributes to the effectiveness of the body of Christ and fulfills God's purpose for our lives.
What happens if a watchman fails to warn the people?
If a watchman fails to warn the people of coming judgment, God holds the watchman accountable for their blood, as their warning could have saved lives.
Can believers continue in sin and still inherit the kingdom of God?
No, the Bible clearly teaches that those who persist in unrighteousness without repentance will not inherit the kingdom of God.
How should Christians respond to warnings about sin?
Christians should take warnings seriously, repent, and seek to live holy lives, embracing both the encouragement and correction from God’s Word.
