WIXLIB

Watchmen“I have made you a watchman for thehouse of Israel”Ezekiel 3:17Presented by: Mark LaRoseDate: 11/08/18 DraftFile: Watchmen

Relationship with Christ The Most Important Understanding about ourSalvation:– We believe eternal life is a gift from God in Christ Jesus andwe are justified by His grace and His faith who paid theprice; death, for our transgressionsRomans 3:21-26; 4:4-5,25; 6:23; Ephesians 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-7(Is 53; Eze 36:25-27;John 3:3-8,16; 16:8; Rom 5:6-10; 8:1-4, 14-17; 1Cor 15:3-4,20-22; 2Cor 5:14-15,19-21; Gal 1:4; 3:13-14,26;4:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:13-14; Heb 8:7-12; 1Pet 1:23; 2Pet 1:3-4; 1John 2:2; 4:10) God “sent his angel to show his servants” thefuture (Rev 22:6) “Do not despise prophecies.” 1Thess 5:20– Purpose: To share the vital necessity of a charactertransforming relationship with Christ, namely the Gospel ofHis sacrifice for all who call Him Lord and Savior (Ps 1:1-2; Matt20:25-28; Luke 19:17-20; John 20:21; Rom 12:2; 2Cor 3:17-18; Gal 5:22-25; Eph 5:19-21; 6:12-18; Phil3:7-14; Col 2:6; 1Thess 5:16-23; Heb 10:25; 2Pet 2:9; 3:18; 1John 4:4)11/2/182

Principles of Bible Study Paul’s counsel to Timothy:All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for everygood work. 2Tim 3:16-17 (Ps 119:105; Prov 30:5-6; Is 8:20; John 17:17; 1Thess 2:13; Heb 4:12)– for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spokeas they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2Pet 1:21–16 Bible versions:– Use versions with the closest translation to the original language Recommend comparing NKJV (used here), NASB95, KJV, and ESV– Concordance sources: www.abibleconcordance.com; www.blueletterbible.org Use of Expository study methods (versus Thematic study)– This method explores the literal meaning of each word in Scripture and itsrelationship to other words in its context (exegesis)11/2/183

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke yourneighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, norbear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love yourneighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. ‘You shall keep My statutes.’” Leviticus19:17-19– “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and withall your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang allthe Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40! “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, theycannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber, Yes, they are greedy dogsWhich never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand;They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his ownterritory. “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, And we will fill ourselves withintoxicating drink; Tomorrow will be as today, And much more abundant.” Isaiah56:10-1211/2/184

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people theirtransgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1! “Also I set watchmen over you, saying, hearken to the sound of the trumpet.But they said, we will not hearken.” Jeremiah 6:17! "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never holdtheir peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep notsilence.” Isaiah 62:6! “But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen toMe; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I havemade your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong againsttheir foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made yourforehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, thoughthey are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 3:7-911/2/185

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; thereforehear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say tothe wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak towarn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked manshall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if youwarn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from hiswicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again,when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and Ilay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give himwarning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shallnot be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless ifyou warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does notsin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have deliveredyour soul.” Ezekiel 3:17-2111/2/186

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man fromtheir territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword comingupon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hearsthe sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takeshim away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet,but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takeswarning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does notblow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takesany person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I willrequire at the watchman’s hand.’ “So you, son of man: I have made you awatchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouthand warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surelydie!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shalldie in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warnthe wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die inhis iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. “Therefore you, O son of man, say tothe house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us,and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says theLord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turnfrom his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, Ohouse of Israel?’” Ezekiel 33:2-1111/2/187

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see whatHe will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.” Habakkuk 2:1! “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless theLord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1! “Woe to you who put for off the day of doom.” Amos 6:3! “ The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.” Amos 9:10b! “In vision I have been pointed to many instances where the displeasure of Godhas been incurred by a neglect on the part of His servants to deal with thewrongs and sins existing among them. Those who have excused these wrongshave been thought by the people to be very amiable and lovely in disposition,simply because they shunned to discharge a plain Scriptural duty. The taskwas not agreeable to their feelings; therefore they avoided it.” {3T 265.2}11/2/188

Watchmen: What the Bible says! “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will belovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers,disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness butdenying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are thosewho creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded downwith sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come tothe knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so dothese also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning thefaith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, astheirs also was. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse,deceiving and being deceived. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, andis profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction inrighteousness” 2Timothy 3:1-8,13,1611/2/189

Watchmen: What Ellen White Says! “I shrank from offending my brethren, and in this allowed the fear of man tobreak up that uninterrupted communion with God which had blessed my heartfor so many months.” {1T 44.2}! “Brethren in the ministry say that our arrows hit them; will they please standaside from between us and the people, and let us reach the hearts ofsinners? If they make themselves a target for our aim, they have no reasonto complain of the wounds they receive. Stand aside, brethren, and you willnot get hit!” {1T 50.1}! “God has given His church eyes which He requires them to anoint withwisdom, that they may see clearly; but many would put out the eyes of thechurch if they could; for they would not have their deeds come to the light, lestthey should be reproved. The divine eyesalve will impart clearness to theunderstanding. Christ is the depositary of all graces. He says: “Buy of Me.” {4T88.2}11/2/1810

Watchmen: What Ellen White Says! “According to the light that God has given me in vision, wickedness anddeception are increasing among God’s people who profess to keep Hiscommandments. Spiritual discernment to see sin as it exists, and then to put itout of the camp, is decreasing among God’s people; and spiritual blindness isfast coming upon them. The straight testimony must be revived, and it willseparate those from Israel who have ever been at war with the means thatGod has ordained to keep corruptions out of the church. Wrongs must becalled wrongs. Grievous sins must be called by their right name. All of God’speople should come nearer to Him and wash their robes of character in theblood of the Lamb. Then will they see sin in the true light and will realize howoffensive it is in the sight of God.” {3T 324.1}11/2/1811

Watchmen: What Ellen White Says! “Never was there greater need of faithful warnings and reproofs, and close,straight dealing, than at this very time. Satan has come down with greatpower, knowing that his time is short. He is flooding the world with pleasingfables, and the people of God love to have smooth things spoken to them. Sinand iniquity are not abhorred. I was shown that God’s people must makemore firm, determined efforts to press back the incoming darkness. The closework of the Spirit of God is needed now as never before. Stupidity must beshaken off. We must arouse from the lethargy that will prove our destructionunless we resist it. Satan has a powerful, controlling influence upon minds.Preachers and people are in danger of being found upon the side of thepowers of darkness. There is no such thing now as a neutral position. We areall decidedly for the right or decidedly with the wrong. Said Christ: “He that isnot with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scatterethabroad.” {3T 327.3}11/2/1812