as we go through the Old Testament, looking at these passages, various
passages. I mean, you know as we go through,
we could stop at any place and pretty much spend a lot of time
there, but this is a survey, this series of lessons, and talking
about Christ in the Old Testament. And here in Ezekiel chapter three,
we're gonna talk about Christ, our supreme watchman. Now this
Ezekiel, his name means strengthened by God. And he was, as a young
boy, he grew up in Jerusalem and he trained to be a priest
in the temple, but after the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem
destroyed and they were taken to Babylon, Ezekiel was taken
with him and while he was in Babylon, the Lord called him
to be a prophet, commissioned him and gave him the message.
You can read about that in the chapter before, in Ezekiel chapter
two. He's the only prophet who never
prophesied in the promised land in Judea. His prophecy was all
in Babylon. And so in verse 17 of this chapter,
look down at that. This is where God called Ezekiel
to be a watchman. He's his son of man. Now, this
is a common term that he uses for Ezekiel. You know, a lot
of times when you see the son of man, it's referring to Christ
in his humanity. And of course, Ezekiel, in a
lot of ways, as you go through the scripture, go through this
book, you can see him as a type of Christ, but he was God's prophet. And in verse 17, the Lord spoke
to Ezekiel. You know, he spoke to his prophets
in voices, visions, dreams. He says, son of man, I have made
thee a watchman unto the house of Israel and therefore hear
the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. Now you
know what a watchman is, it's kind of like a lookout. Isaiah
spoke of those who are watchmen, watchmen on the wall. In other
words, where the city had the wall surrounded, they put watchmen
who were guards that were responsible to warn the people if danger
is coming and to assure the people that they were safe if no danger,
no attacks or potential dangers. And so this was a common thing
back then in Israel and other nations. Now, the point of this
lesson is to show you that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord and
Savior of his people is the supreme watchman. Because think about
him as the great shepherd, the good shepherd, the chief shepherd. He's the shepherd of his people.
He watches over his sheep. He's watching over us right now.
And he never quits. He gave his life for us. The
good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. And now he lives,
ever lives to make intercession for us and to protect us and
preserve us under glory. Now there may be times in our
lives that we don't really feel protected when people attack
us or when we get sick or whatever. But rest assured that our supreme
watchman is protecting us. And even if we go through the
valley of the shadow of death, which we will, We can fear no
evil because of our supreme watchman. He watches over us, he'll never
leave us, and he uses means to watch over. He himself, now think
about this, he himself watches over us as our intercessor. We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. and we talk about it this way,
we can say he's continually presenting the merits of his blood and righteousness
on our behalf so that our sins can never be charged to us, his
righteousness is charged to us, and he's our advocate. But one
of the ways that he watches over us while we're on this earth
is by the means of under shepherds, who are put over us to guide
us in the word and warn us of danger. And that would be God's
prophets in the Old Testament. It'd be God's pastors, preachers
of the gospel. I've got a list in your lesson,
Hebrews 13, 17, when it says, God's word says, obey them that
have the rule over you. Now, obeying me, it's not that
I'm some kind of a lord over you. It's not even that I'm some
kind of a conduit of authority. What he's simply saying there
when he says obey them that have the rule over you is if a man's
preaching the word of God, we're all to obey it, even the man
preaching it. If what I'm telling you is God's
word, then that's to be obeyed. And that's our only authority.
The preacher, the pastor, the elder's only authority is God's
word. And so he says, obey them that
have the rule over you and submit yourselves, for they watch for
your souls. They're watchmen. That's what
I am as a watchman. When the other men preach here,
they're watchmen, the elders. They're watchmen on the wall,
pointing you in the right direction, warning you of dangers to come.
It says, and they must give an account that they may do it with
joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. So those
are the ministers of Christ. Now, Ezekiel was called to be
a watchman under the supreme watchman who is Christ. And let's
look at verse one of chapter three. He says, moreover, he
said unto me, this is the Lord speaking to Ezekiel. He said unto me, son of man,
eat that thou findest. Now he's talking about a scroll,
a book. that he mentioned in verse nine
of chapter two, look at that. And when I looked, behold, a
hand was sent unto me, and lo, a roll of a book was therein,
and he spread it before me, and it was written within and without,
and there was written therein lamentations and mourning and
woe. And so he says, moreover, he
said unto me, son of man, eat that thou findest, eat this roll,
that roll is a scroll, a book, and go speak unto the house of
Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he
calls me to eat that roe, and he said unto me, son of man,
calls thy belly to eat and to fill thy bowels with this roe
that I give thee. Then did I eat it, and it was
in my mouth as honey for sweetness." Now you know what this is talking
about. It's talking about the word of
God. To be a proper watchman, pastor, teacher, preacher, evangelist,
to be under the Supreme Watchman, we must know and believe the
Word of God as it's revealed to us, and as the Spirit writes
it on our hearts. And it's kind of like eating
it and digesting it, and it fills our souls, it gives us health. When the gospel comes, see, And
it's a part of us. It's like that John wrote about
in 1 John 2, 20 and on. He's talking about that which
is within you. He's talking about the word of
God. This is not just some intellectual exercise, even though the intellect
is involved. Because I'm preaching to your
mind and your heart. The heart's the mind, the affections,
and the will. And so this is the word of God,
which is our food. It's the bread of life. So to
be a proper watchman under the supreme watchman, we must know
and have digested spiritually the word of God, the gospel of
how God saves sinners by his grace through Christ. And how
everything, I think about the simplicity of Christ. That's
what we've digested, that everything that we love and know and have
in salvation, finds its be-all and end-all in Christ, the glorious
person and the finished work of Christ. That's why the gospel
is the power of God unto salvation. And so it means to, I've got
here that to eat the scroll means to possess himself fully of the
message and digest it in his mind and heart. And so what it
is, that word's a part of us. It's not just something we say.
It's really a part of us, because the Spirit has made it so in
the new birth. And that's the qualification. Somebody said the qualification
here of a watchman is that he knows, loves, and has the word
of God written on his heart, and he's able to communicate
it. That's what Ezekiel says, so I open my mouth. And he calls
me to eat that row. And when he says there at the
end of verse three, and in my mouth it was honey for sweetness,
that which we naturally find bitter and hate has now become
honey for sweetness. The gospel, the spirit has made
it sweet to our taste. And I think about what John said
in Revelation when he spoke of the bittersweet gospel. And in
that passage too, he's talking about eating the scroll, eating
the word. And it's bittersweet because
the bitterness is what he says back up here in verse 10 of chapter
two. He spread it before me, it was
written within, and there was written there, lamentations and
mourning and woe. That's the bitterness. And you
know what that's talking about. The message that we love, The
message of life, the message of the righteousness of God is
a message that the world by nature hates. We by nature hated it
until God gives us a taste for it in the power of the Spirit
in convicting us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And that's bitter,
and it reveals that all people who are not in Christ are doomed. even our nearest and dearest
loved ones. Without Christ, there's no hope for them. But it's sweet
because it relates to us that our salvation is secure because
we have a righteousness that answers the demands of God's
law and justice. So that's the bitter sweetness
of it. Look at verse four. He said unto me, son of man,
go get thee unto the house of Israel and speak with my words
unto them. For thou art not sent to a people
of a strained speech and of an hard language, but to the house
of Israel. Not to many people of a strained
speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand.
Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto
thee." Now, what's the point of that? He's telling Ezekiel,
you're not going to talk to people who've not heard this before.
Like a Gentile heathen who's never heard of Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, never heard of Moses. You're going to people who have
the word of God, they read it. And so, it's not like you're
speaking a foreign language to them when you speak those words. And yet, without being given
ears to hear and eyes to see, It's almost like a foreign language,
isn't it? I think about people today who all go around reading
Bibles, going to church, quote, unquote, and they've never heard
what we preach here. I was amazed that here I was
raised in religion, what we called Christian religion, and went
to seminary And in my second year, and then I began to hear
things that I had never heard before from a preacher. And it was kind of like a foreign
language, but most of what he said, I had heard some things
about it, but the essence of the gospel I had never heard.
And some people would take this verse six, listen to this again.
It says, not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard
language, whose words thou canst not understand. And he says,
surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto
thee. That's not talking about, that's not saying, well, if God
had put his preachers over here in this land, well, they would
have listened. What he's showing here is a couple
of things. Number one, God always has a
remnant, a remnant according to the election of grace. And
that remnant, usually when the Old Testament talks about the
remnant, it's talking about believing Jews, but they're also believing
Gentiles. But we know that no person by
nature is gonna believe the gospel, whether they're given the opportunity
to hear it or not and hear the words. Because the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. But look at verse
seven. He says, but the house of Israel will not hearken unto
thee, for they will not hearken unto me, for all the house of
Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Now that's a good description
of all of us by nature, isn't it? Sure is. And if a person Think about it
this way. If a person could say, well,
I'm saved because I believed or because I made the right choice
or the right decision, then he could boast, well, I'm better
than these Israelites. I'm not as impudent and not as
hard-hearted, but that's not the case. Ezekiel himself over
in chapter 36 and 37 makes it clear that in order For a sinner to believe the gospel,
he has to be given a new heart, new mind, new spirit. Righteousness
has to be established, isn't that right? We can't do that. Nothing we do or say or believe
can do that. Christ did that as our surety,
substitute, and redeemer. So righteousness has to be established,
and out of Christ comes life to a dead sinner. So understand
that, you know, you can't take these little sentences out of
the scripture and prove salvation by the free will of man. He's
simply bringing an indictment on people who by all practical
purposes should know better but don't. But to say they're impudent,
that means they're, I've got over my corn, sometimes I read
these little notes here. But that word impudent, it says
stiff of forehead and hard of heart. Hard-headed and hard-hearted. That's what we are by nature.
Hard-headed and hard-hearted. So in verse eight, look, he says,
behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces and
thy forehead strong against their foreheads. Whenever the Old Testament
mentions the forehead, you know what it's talking about, don't
you? It's talking about the mind. You know, repentance is a change
of mind. And that's what it's all about.
God brings us by showing us the glory of Christ in his person
as God manifests in the flesh and in the glory of his finished
work, righteousness established, the only righteousness upon which
God can be just and justify, and he changes our minds and
our hearts. That's part of the mind, that's
part of the heart. And he turns us. And so what
he's saying is your mind is against their mind. They have in mind
salvation by their works. They have in mind, as Paul described
in Romans 9, righteousness by works of the law. That's their
mind. But your mind is grace, grace,
grace, salvation by God's grace. through the Lord Jesus Christ,
his blood, his righteousness. That's your mind. So your mind
is set against their mind. In verse nine, he says, as an
adamant harder than flint. That word adamant is kind of
hard to translate, but some translations even say a diamond. And what
he's talking about is you're set as hard as a diamond. And as adamant, harder than flint,
have I made thy forehead. You can't, this couldn't be blown
out of your mind with a stick of dynamite. That's how hard
set we are when God the Holy Spirit convinces us of the gospel
truth as it is in Christ. Brother Mahan used to say, if
I can convince you, you can be unconvinced. But if the Holy
Spirit convinces you, you cannot be unconvinced. Because your
mind is set like a diamond, like a hard gem or something like
that. So he says, fear them not, neither
be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And
then he said, moreover, he said unto me, son of man, all my words
that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart and hear
with thine ears. Again, we're reminded the watchman
preaches the word of Christ, the supreme watchman, not his
own words. Verse 11, and go get thee to
them of the captivity under the children of thy people and speak
unto them and tell them thus saith the Lord whether they will
hear or whether they will forbear. In other words, he's saying watchman,
tell them the truth whether they believe it or not. The authority and the validity
of the truth that we preach and believe is not dependent upon
how they receive it. Now, they're commanded to receive
it and believe it, but if they don't, you tell them anyway.
That's what he's saying. That's an amazing thing, isn't
it? I mean, the majority doesn't rule here. Christ rules. The Supreme Watchman rules. And
so look in verse 12, then the spirit took me up and I heard
behind me a voice of great rushing. This is how the Lord in those
days revealed himself to his prophet. Dreams and visions,
they had those. Because they didn't have the
word of God brought together like we do. And it was a great
rushing. This was a powerful message now. Y'all saw the footage. of the hurricane that came through
Florida and the water surging, rushing in, how powerful that
was. I mean, knocking houses off their
foundation. And it's there, we do need to
pray for those people. But that's the picture here.
A great rushing, saying, blessed be the glory of the Lord from
his place. This is what it's all about.
It's not about you or me. It's not about our felt needs,
as some preachers say. It's about God's glory. And where
is God's glory? From his place, from his throne. His sovereign glory revealed
in the face of Jesus Christ. In the salvation that he has
provided that is so high above what man can dream up. Think about it, God, just, to
justify the ungodly, based upon Christ's righteousness imputed.
See, when I was in, I never heard those things. And that amazed
me because it saw, that's the heart of the gospel. And I never
heard them. Verse 13, he says, I heard also
the noise of wings of living creatures that touched one another
and the noise of the wheels over against them and a noise of great
rushing. That's a picture of God's preachers
going out throughout the world. The wings, you know, flying all
over, preaching the gospel. Verse 14, so the Spirit lifted
me up and took me away and I went in bitterness in the heat of
my spirit And you might see in your concordance there, hot anger,
but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. You know, sometimes
when we preach and people don't respond positively, we kind of
do get angry a little bit sometimes. But we have to remember, but
for the grace of God, that's where we are. God has given us
a spirit of faith. grace So think about that Paul
said in 2nd Corinthians 2 he said if I preach the gospel to
some it's the power of It's the power of goodness and gladness
to others its bitterness But God is glorified look at verse
15 He says, then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv
that dwelt by the river of Kibar, and I sat where they sat and
remained there astonished among them seven days. Now that word
astonished means like he sat like a stone, a stone, for seven
days. Well, what's the purpose of that?
Well, look at verse seven. 16, and it came to pass at the end
of seven days that the word of the Lord came unto me saying,
son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel. Therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning
from me. What do you think of at the end
of seven days? Well, that's the seventh day,
isn't it? And what was the seventh day? It was the Sabbath. And
what was the Sabbath? Well, that day that was given
to the children of Israel under the old covenant was a picture
of the work having been finished in six days, and the seventh
day they were to what? They were to rest. What do you
suppose that points to? Our Sabbath, which is Christ. Read it in Hebrews chapter four.
And so what he's saying, he says, now I've made you a watchman,
therefore hear the word. The word of a finished work.
That's what we preach. We're preaching the gospel that
tells sinners, not that they have a work to do, but it tells
sinners that the work's already done by somebody else. It is Finished, Christ said,
John 19, 30. He finished the transgression. He made an end of sin. He brought
in everlasting righteousness. It's all done. The finished work
of Christ. And so he says in verse 18, when
I say unto the wicked that thou shalt surely die, and thou givest
him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked
way, to save his life, The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity,
but his blood will I require thine hand. Now that tells you
something about a watchman, a preacher. Well, let's read on, verse 19.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness,
nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou
hast delivered thy soul. Verse 20. again when a righteous
man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay
a stumbling block before him, and he shall die. Because thou
hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his
righteousness," now that should be plural, righteousness says,
which he hath done shall not be remembered, but his blood
will I require thy hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the
righteous man that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin,
he shall surely live, because he's warned. Also thou hast delivered
thy soul. Now, what this is talking about
is the responsibility of the watchman. Responsibility of a
pastor, a preacher, to warn those who are in danger. and you talk
about the wicked person, if you know, put it this way, if a person
does not believe the gospel of God's grace in Christ, we're
to warn that person that they're in danger. And if we do the opposite,
if we speak peace to them, Then he says, which their blood will
be required in our hands. The responsibilities are on the
preacher. Now a preacher who will speak peace when there's
no peace is a false preacher. Now when he comes to the righteous,
he's not talking about those who are righteous in Christ,
because he says here that they'll die in their sin. A person who's
righteous in Christ cannot be condemned. So he's talking about
those who appear righteous in the eyes of men. Christ talked
about that, but I want you to turn to Isaiah 32. Christ talked about those who
claim to be righteous, who appear righteous. That's what Ezekiel's
talking about. And so we can only speak peace
to those who are brethren in Christ. We're to warn those who
are not. Look at Isaiah 32 verse 15. It
says, until the spirit be poured upon us from on high and the
wilderness be a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted
for a forest, then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness
remain in the fruitful field and the work of righteousness
shall be peace. Now, where are you going to find
righteousness? Not in our works. not in our, quote, righteousnesses,
unquote, but only in Christ. And the effect of righteousness,
quietness, and assurance forever, and my people shall dwell in
a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet
resting places. So it's the responsibility of
the witness, the watchman, to tell the truth. If you're not
looking to Christ alone, you're in danger. And if you continue
in that state and die in your sins, and I haven't warned you
when I have been given the opportunity, then your blood's on my hands.
That's what it is to be a preacher of the gospel. Think about that. Well, look at these last verses.
In verse 22, he says, and the hand of the Lord was there upon
me, and he said unto me, arise, go forth into the plain. I will
there talk with thee. Here's the prophet, the watchman,
alone with the supreme watchman, alone with Christ. And he says,
then I rose and went forth into the plain, and behold, the glory
of the Lord stood there, as the glory of which I saw by the river
of Kibar, and I fell on my face, worshiping God. Then the Spirit
entered into me and set me upon my feet and spoke with me and
said unto me, go, shut thyself within thine house. And but thou,
O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee and shall
bind thee with them and thou shalt not go out among them.
They're going to resist you. That's what he's saying. Remember
Christ said, marvel not if the world hates you. It hated me
before it hated you. Verse 26, and I will make thy
tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth. and thou shalt be
dumb, no message, and shalt not be to them a reprover, for they
are rebellious hath. In other words, there gonna come
a time when God's gonna remove his message. A famine of the
word of God. But look at verse 27. But when
I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say
unto them, thus saith the Lord, he that heareth, let him hear,
he that forbeareth, let him forbear, for they are a rebellious house.
Now God always has his remnant. Somebody's gonna hear. Somebody's
gonna believe. And who is that? Well, that's
God's chosen people, whose names are written in the Lamb's book
of life, whom God sends his spirit to give them life. to drive them
to Christ for salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, and glory. Okay.