Blood on Our hands

Good morning. It's always a blessing to be able to gather with you all. Any prayer requests? Well, if that's all, can we stand up? Father in Heaven, thank you for this day that you've given us and thank you for this place to meet in and the ability to gather together and for the freedom to gather together in public and not having to hide in fear of authorities. Thank you for blessing us with all the brothers and sisters that we have here and pray for those that are alone that you would strengthen them and be with them. Help us all to be united and to work together and be a life for you. Let's pray that this day can be a day to glorify you and also that we would glorify you throughout every day of our life and we would all be faithful to the end. Pray also for all the other brethren that we know of and those that we don't that are scattered around this world. Be with them today and bless them. Pray that you would be in our midst today and give me wisdom and help me to be a representation of you and not my own wisdom. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. I just found some Scriptures over there in Ezekiel while I was planning to read some about Watchmen. I listened to some songs this week and some other things that just had me thinking about the people around us that we get in contact with. If we don't share the Gospel with them and warn them of destruction that's coming, their blood's on our hands according to the Scripture. That's just kind of what I was thinking. I didn't get a whole lot together other than I guess in Ezekiel 33 and also in Ezekiel chapter 3. I guess I'll start with Ezekiel 33. Starting in verse 1. The Lord's message came to me. Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, Suppose I bring a sword against the land and the people of the land take one from their borders and make him their watchman. He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet and warns the people. But there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for his own death. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning. So he is responsible for himself. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person's death. As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf. When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you must certainly die. And you do not warn the wicked about his behavior. The wicked man will die for his iniquity but I will hold you accountable for his death. But if you warn the wicked man to change his behavior and he refuses to change, he will die for his iniquity but you have saved your own life. And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, This is what you have said. Our rebellious acts and our sins have caught up with us and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live? Say to them, Surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds. Why should you die, O house of Israel? And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him if he rebels. As for the wicked, his wickedness will not make him stumble if he turns from it. The righteous will not be able to live by his righteousness if he sins. Suppose I tell the righteous that he will certainly live but he becomes confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous deeds will be remembered because of the iniquity he has committed, he will die. I just found that verse, I guess it kind of stuck out in me, but he becomes confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. We can't be thinking that our righteousness outweighs our iniquity or whatever. But we still have to continue being righteous. Suppose I say to the wicked, You must certainly die, but he turns from his sins and does what is just and right. He returns what was taken in pledge, pays back what he has stolen, and follows the statues that give life, committing no iniquity. He will certainly live, he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done what is just and right. He will certainly live. Yet your people say, The behavior of the Lord is not right, when it is their behavior that is not right. When a righteous man turns from his godliness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. When the wicked turns from his sin and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. Yet you say, The behavior of the Lord is not right. House of Israel, I would judge each of you according to his behavior. And I guess that's all that I'll be reading in that passage. And then also in Ezekiel 3, Ezekiel 3 starting in verse 4. He said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel, not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. I guess that it just like thinking about that, I was like, are we sent to the people that we're, like the English speaking people, I mean, not that we can't go to other languages and stuff as well, but I just kind of thought about that a little bit, like you go to another country, you can't understand them, it's just pretty difficult. But here in this nation, or I guess you can also learn another language, but in this nation, people can understand you, but like Israel, most of them do not appreciate it, do not listen to it. I have made your face adamant to match their faces, and your forehead hard to match their foreheads. I have made your forehead harder than flint like diamond. Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you, for they are a rebellious house. He said to me, Son of man, take my words that I speak to you to heart, and listen carefully. Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen, and speak to them. Say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord says, whether they pay attention or not. Then, then, see, well, I guess that's kind of where I was thinking on stopping. But I guess I just, that just kind of reminded me, like you know, we got to go out and preach anyways, like even if people, even if people don't listen, you know, they talk bad things to you, or you know, look at you with disgust or whatever, that it doesn't matter, we still have to be a watchman and warn people or, or then I guess, you know, like in Zico 33, we didn't do our part. That's about all I have. And I thought, I guess I was, one thing I was thinking like throughout this week, or maybe the earlier part more, was just like different ways, you know, how can we, how can we have a message about us that is like, especially for me personally, I guess like, should I have like sometimes, you know, a message like on my shirt or, or, or, I guess I sometimes feel I should have more boldness to, I guess that'd be something, pray for me or whatever, that I have more boldness to bring things up, you know, like to different people I meet or, you know, say you go to a store or something and talk to the cashier or, maybe at the farmer's market, which I guess being worse, there's so many people there, I guess I thought maybe like in that situation, we better have just a short readable message rather than, because there's really no time to interact with a lot of the people. There's some people that you can but, when, when it's a little slower but, so I guess I've been thinking about that and how I can be a better watchman to all the people that, that I, that are given to me, I guess, that I'm in contact with. So, feel free to add or, correct if there's anything that, that I, am erring on or that should be improved. And also I guess I thought, if brothers would have other ideas of how we can be a watchman to the people around us, that it might be a good thing to share those ideas. God bless you all. Amen. Brother Walter, you can't improve when you just read scripture. A couple of points that you mentioned, I'll comment on and maybe someone will correct me on that. Jesus, I mean the Father said, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. No pleasure in the death of the wicked. And in today's society, well, when they go to college they lose their faith. Okay, this is the world. They're taught wrong, with television, their values, they have the world sense of humor, recreation, their view of riches, their view of music, their view of beauty, their view of everything is polluted. Satan, he's got a wonderful job in blinding this world. And some of the hottest people that we try to talk to, are the ones that kind of, you know, Brother Aaron would say, the ones that profess Christians. And they are just, they are the world. Not just the way they dress, but the way they think, the way they raise their children, their whole lifestyle. And it's so sad that, I guess Ezekiel 33, Ian 3, but it would be, if I could match it up with the New Testament, I think I would throw 1 Corinthians in where, where Paul says, you're a spectacle to the world, to angels and to everyone, because you are bold in preaching what is right. You're a spectacle, a spectacle to the angels and God in heaven when you're doing this. And that means persecution. And it's not tickling your ears. Whether it's marriage and divorce, war, oaths, jewelry, head covering, modesty, everything is so upside down to the world that we have to have faces stronger than Flint to, because they're going to try to steer us down. What's the matter with Christmas? Well, what about the adult Jesus? You know, the baby Jesus? Let's give gifts on your birthday. All the world loves it. I mean, that's just one little small thing. I mean, I'm just saying, the world is so polluted that we have a great opportunity for the gospel. The Lord be magnified. Yeah, I appreciate that too, Walter. I remember when the Lord was drawing my heart and he started giving me an understanding and things. Like he said, and Jesus said, the sheep that would be on the right hand, they said, Lord, when did we see you? We gave you drink. We gave you food when you were hungry. And Jesus told him, when you've done it to the least of these, my brethren, you've done it to me. So I remember when the Lord was drawing my heart and I was thinking about that. It was like, like what came to mind at that time was telling people about Jesus, the spiritual drink, the spiritual food, the spiritual clothing. I'm sure there's a physical aspect to it, you know, but that's what came to my mind. And like how, how important the gospel is, you know, and how glorious it is. And people, I was telling Aaron or Aaron told me him and Rob went somewhere and they talked to these people. And one of the guys was just like, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, like I've heard it before, like people were dull of hearing, like, Hey, do you know about the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins? You know, and it's like, people think of it as just something normal when really like it's a glorious thing. Jesus came to die for us so we could have, we could have remission of sins, you know, and it's really a glorious thing. And like, sometimes I think, you know, why, why go out and evangelize? And it's for, it's for, it's for the other people to help people, you know, like, how can we not when it's such a glorious thing, you know, I mean, it's, I don't know any other word to use, but glorious, you know, like tell, Hey, you know, there's, there's hope in life. Learn about Jesus, but maybe some good tips on evangelism. Um, like I had an ideal of maybe, you know, you can make business cards. So, um, I had an ideal of maybe putting like a heavenly picture on one of them and putting repent. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. And then on the back, maybe putting like there's hope in life, you know, and just like ordering some of them and maybe a way to pass them out. Or when you see someone, Hey, have you heard the good news? You know, Jesus came so we can be reconciled back to God, you know, just some, some, uh, some thoughts maybe. Yeah, I just appreciated that. And I remember this last weekend, uh, when I went to see Aaron, this is pretty much the exact same topic we were discussing. Uh, when is the opportune moment to, to speak to somebody or to try to try to witness to them? And there's a, there's a few different examples. I thought of was, uh, Aaron going out to, uh, Branson going out Branson all this time. Maybe a month or two ago, he had an interaction with a guy and I asked him who he was and he said, Oh, it's just some guy lives up here. He's seen me for the last two years and he finally came up to talk to me. And so, uh, it wasn't that Aaron's message was overwhelmingly powerful or, or was, uh, speaking any differently than he had been. But, but for some reason he walked up to him that day to talk to him because he's seen him up there all that time. Um, maybe it's the sentiment of being a faithful witness, being able to be there. Consistently. And you just happen to be the one that God uses to, to bring a message into somebody's life. Um, there's also, uh, there was an email, I think Sarah, Sarah had sent it to mine and it was, it was a one of Tommy Holmes's letter and it's, it was a sentiment in there. Like if you had, if you had five minutes to discuss with one person or even a group of people, uh, about the gospel, like, do you feel like you, you talk to them about the exact right subject or, or would you, would you feel like you just blew it, blew your opportunity to, to witness to them in a correct manner? I don't know how you could really decide that or discern that, but, um, I think the sentiment of being able to just open your mouth, uh, at all to talk to them about God is at least some courage to stand for the faith that you, you wish for them to, to hear. Um, but that's, that's kind of the question. When, when is the right opportunity and, and, uh, I know, I know there's a difference in how some people will go out and they'll evangelize. And one of them is, Oh, like the hellfire preacher going out and evangelizing, catching somebody in like the act of doing something that they shouldn't be doing, like going out to the bars or drinking or whatever. Maybe, maybe they feel like it's the opportunity to speak into their lives. And some people feel like it's the time after, you know, maybe the night after they've, they've already gone out and done this. And now they're thinking about the regrets of, of the decision that they made. And I mean, there's no, I don't really know how it all works, but I'm sure there's, there's multiple ways to view it. So I'm sure there's a lot of confusion in that, but thank you for the message. One, uh, added point, whether Darren said, I just want to comment on that. you know, like you said, a different sign or a new picture or something. And the world is wild about newness. You know, Hey, Domino's is going to have a new pizza. Brubaker's make a new piece of bread, a new loaf of bread. Everyone, newness, newness. And if you read in Isaiah 45, God says, I am he, no one else besides me. Just look to me. And Paul says in Corinthians, I determined to know nothing to you people, except Christ crucified. So it is the same old, same old, it's Christ crucified, Christ crucified, Christ crucified. And that's why we're here. And so we don't have to have some new thing dangled, you know, it's Christ crucified, a hope of glory. God forbid that we glory except for anything, except him and the cross, the Lord be magnified. I just thought I'd share an acronym that I learned from a man a long time ago, uh, something that we can pray for, for evangelism. He said, we can pray for Bob. And that stands for praying for a burden, for the lost people like that, that it would even be on our mind to talk to people when we interact with them at the cash register or store or wherever. Um, so pray for a burden and then pray for opportunities through your day, um, that opportunities would arise to talk to people and then for the boldness to capitalize on those opportunities. So I really appreciate that. And the reminder made me think of this and I need to start praying for Bob more. yeah, thank you for the message, brother. Um, I just want to remind us, we just kind of talking about this yesterday morning before we left Harrison and, um, I know going out in the streets and doing things, whether whatever it be, it's easily, it's easy for us to get puffed up. And doing these things, I just want to remind us what Jesus said. Um, but at the end of the day, we're unprofitable servants only doing that, which we're supposed to do. So I know many street preachers out there and they just really get puffed up and it's easy for us to do. I mean, I see so easily. It's so very easy that it gets prideful and puffed up at the end of the day. We're unprofitable servants only doing that, what we're supposed to be doing. And we just need to be thankful that the Lord is allowing us to be such partakers of his, his will and his work and his kingdom and all this. I just want to say thank you and amen to what was shared. Um, I remember the first time I, um, set myself to reading through the entire Old Testament. Um, I was, I think I was still a teenager, 20 at the most, but I think I was still maybe 19 or something like that. Um, and there was a lot of dry reading, you know, um, just a lot of stuff I didn't understand. Maybe didn't, didn't understand the settings of the prophets and, um, um, I, I still, I still sometimes dig my way through a book of the Old Testament and just can maybe read chapters upon chapters to, to find one little nugget that really like, it's really inspiring. but, but I do remember this very passage in Ezekiel 33 was one of them like that just really jumped out. Like this is not hard to understand. It, it has implications and, um, are we not all guilty if, if we are a watchman, which I, I think at least to some degree we all are, maybe not all to the same degree, but, um, like, are we not all, have we not all failed in blowing the trumpet at one point or another? Um, uh, I think about, and I don't think this, this means just, just to a world full of unbelievers, like, in fact, I don't think, I don't think that's what God meant this for Ezekiel. I think he's, he said, he said of Ezekiel, God said of Ezekiel, I'm setting you as a watchman over, over Israel. Oh, this is Israel. Paul, Paul said to the church, I, I think somewhere in Acts or somewhere he said, I, I am free of the blood of all of you because I have not ceased. To warn you day and night. Um, the rest of that passage is, is not just coming to my mind right now, but something like that. To the church he was saying that. Um, and, anyway, I just, I just think these are good things to think about. And I, I also say that, like, it is not, it is not just to the hearers that, that it is important that we are, that we are faithful watchmen. It's, it's important for ourselves. Um, in fact, that's one of, that's probably half of the importance that, that God is bringing out here to Ezekiel is like, look at what's at stake for you. If you're not faithful, let alone all the people in the city. And like, I think, I think, like, we can see a pattern all through history. We can see it amongst people that we know. Like when this, when this thing settles in, that we, uh, that we start losing the, the conviction to speak out. Um, to speak out the things that are true, we ourselves will lose that conviction. I, I was reading an article recently that had this statement in that I copied into my notes because I liked it. It said, the first step toward losing something is losing our nerve to defend it. Once we are ashamed of what we do, teaching ceases. A weakening rot begins to spread. An unspoken code of silence settles on us. The concept of tolerance begins to replace humility. yeah, anyway, I just appreciate those thoughts and, um, all, all the thoughts that were shared. I had this, I had this thought when Aaron was sharing about street preachers and what happens with street preachers. I wasn't sure if I want to share it or not, but, um, and, and how street preachers end up sometimes, like they, they start out like, oh, oh, like really, I, I highly doubt that anybody went out street preaching for the first time and wasn't, didn't like really have to die to himself to, to get out there. Um, I could be wrong about that, but then, but then they can get puffed up and, and sometimes just like, yes, rant and rant at people. Um, and, and what really like, okay, rant at people for their sins as, as they stand on their pedestal on the street, you know, directly telling people, um, you know, about their drunkenness and their fornication and their sinfulness and, and don't get me wrong, I don't, I don't think it's wrong to, uh, to point out people's sins directly. I, I think there's an appropriate way to do it. I think there's a, an inappropriate way to do it and I don't, I don't necessarily want to be the judge of all that, but, but, but here's, here's the problem with a lot of these preachers is the very gospel that they preach does not result in, in true deliverance from, from that very sin that they're harping on. and, it kind of reminds me of this, of this story about this paper boy that, um, that, that was trying to, trying to rake up some extra sales on his, on selling these newspapers and he, he got this idea and he started, he started, shouting, extra, extra, two men swindled, two men swindled and sells a paper to a guy and he sits down on the bench and starts reading it and he gets through it and he says, hey, I don't see anything in here about two men swindled and the boy says, extra, extra, three men swindled, three men swindled and, and I just feel like that's what happens when somebody, somebody gets up and really starts raking over somebody about their sins but then offers them a gospel that doesn't even free them from sin and just makes them two-fold child of hell um, and just let us be wise and make sure we're preaching a true gospel um I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous blood to me on the proof of the cross He suffered from the curse to set me free Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer with His blood He purchased me on the proof of the cross He suffered from and again He made me free I will tell of a wondrous story how that was the Savior's day in His love, love and mercy He, Lord God, so freely gave Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer with His blood He purchased me on the proof of the cross He suffered from and again He made me free I will praise my dear Redeemer with His triumphant power of love how the victor redeemed us over sin and death and hell Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer with His blood He purchased me on the proof of the cross He sealed my power and again He made me free I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous blood to me He from death to life hath brought me Son of God with Him to be Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer with His blood He purchased me on the proof of the cross He sealed my power and again He made me free O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Glory to the Father, all the King in mercy Be joyful, all ye people, when men defy Jehovah O Glory, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah O come before His presence and glorify His name O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Glory be to Jesus, our precious Redeemer We praise Him for He loved us and brought a great salvation O Glory, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah O come before His presence and glorify His name O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Glory to the Spirit of the Holy Redeemer We praise Him with the Father and with the Son our Savior O Glory, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah O come before His presence and glorify His name Watch that all shall deny me It's late and I'm walking towards home The night is so dark and I'm lonely I'm losing my vision to the light And then the heart is in light Morning will come and it will still rhyme Carry your cross, travel with the wind The day of Christ is nigh Watch that all shall deny me This earth's not a home left to me And I am so homesick for glory The place where I'm hoping to be And when the water is refined Morning will come and it will still rhyme It's nothing more, no other than The day of Christ is nigh Watch that all shall deny me And when will the day gone at last For I am so foot sore and weary The strength that I have is waning fast And when the water gave its refine Morning will come and it will still rhyme As long as water strength and youth The day of Christ is nigh Watch that all shall deny me Do I have a farther to go Oh when will my eyes see the brightness Where God is the only thing we know And when the water gave its refine Morning will come and it will still rhyme Sorrow will fade for you will end The day of Christ is nigh Brethren of our gracious day Soon we'll leave this pleasant place Where in Christian fellowship hearts will love And faithfully serve the Lord We look now in our holy place Our God has walked in your place Now that in his heart we're planted Beyond the throes of man's woes Let us stretch our hands in vain Those with every burden claim Give our hearts a sacrifice And fulfill the law of Christ O teach us glory Goodly glory be to thy head Thy heaven and earth are come to thee And from earth thou dost come And judge us for what we have done Have mercy Lord Let us all be watch and pray May his spirit guide the way Till we congregate once more Here on the other shore Here on the other shore