A Watchman in Prayer

Last night (30.12.09) I had the opportunity to teach once again in our church. it is always a blessing! I started to teach a message that is actually going to be a two-part message that is entitled "The Call of a Watchman." Last night we focused on the point of a Watchman in Prayer. The main text for this message is Ezekiel 33:1-11.
So here are some of the thoughts that I shared...

What is a watchman?
Watchman - One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; It is a serious thing to be a watchman, for the destiny of precious souls are at stake

A Watchman in Prayer

• I believe that it is so important for us to start with this topic of Prayer!
• Before we talk about evangelism
• Before we talk about actually bringing the Gospel to the lost
• We must start in this topic of PRAYER!
• Why?

Hosea 10:12 “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”

“Ground that hasn’t been plowed for more than a year is a ground that is hard and stubborn, resistant to the seed. It does little good to sow seed on fallow ground; it must be broken up first. Sometimes when the word of God goes forth and seems to have little effect, it is because it falls on fallow ground - the hard ground that will not allow the seed of the word to penetrate and become fruitful. Since fallow ground is hard, it probably doesn’t “want” to be broken up. It is hard and compact, and the blade of the plow hurts as it cuts through. ..Yet it is useless as ground as long as it is fallow.”
David Guzik – Near & True - Commentary on Minor Prophets

• I believe that the most powerful way we can break up the fallow ground for the sake of Herborn, is to labor for it in PRAYER!!!
As we continue to talk about a Watchman in Prayer, let’s talk about some statistics of our local area – our JERUSALEM…
• Herborn 20, 873 people
• Dillenburg 24,107 people
• Haiger 19,750 people
• Sinn 6,567 people
• Breitscheid 5, 022 people = 76,319 people

Would you please turn in your Bibles with me to…

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

• Do you believe this?
• When we have the mindset of …”What can we do? We are just a small group of people in the midst of so many”… this is the wrong mindset!
• The correct view or mindset of what we need to have is…”We may only be a small group of people in the midst of so many, but we serve the Great God who is able to do all things…”

Can I ask you a question? When you hear the following verses, what do you think?

Matthew 21:22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Mark 9:23 “Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

• Do you think they are true?
• Do you believe it will happen in our day?
• Or was this for just something in the past?

Let’s turn to…

Matthew 9:35-38 “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

• What did Jesus see? – He saw a people that were weary (harassed) and scattered. He saw a people like sheep without a shepherd.
• What did Jesus say? – the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few
• What did Jesus command them to do? – to PRAY

• When you look out over the city of Herborn (put your city here), what do you see?
• Do you see people that are weary (harassed) and scattered? Do you see them as sheep without a shepherd?
• What do you do about it?
• What can you do about it?
• Let’s do what Jesus said to do about it!

PRAY

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Ezekiel 22:30 “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

• I believe that the LORD is still looking for ONE who will make a wall
• ONE who will stand in the gap on behalf of the land
• May He find all of us being those people!

Next week we are going to be getting into part two of this message and looking at
a Watchman & Evangelism