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[0:00] The Lord says to Ezekiel 3, verse 17.

[0:28] ! God told Ezekiel he was going to be a watchman and to listen attentively to his message.

[0:47] Ezekiel was called to warn the people with God's message. And his God-given responsibility was to faithfully deliver this warning message. And I believe too that God wants for us to alert us, to make us alert, on red alert if you like, as his people in these days that we live in, to be as watchmen.

[1:09] And the Lord calls watchmen to watch out for spiritual dangers that they see and bring people mourning of the coming danger and destruction.

[1:22] And I believe that it is needful still today that we do have watchmen. You see, particular ministries have such a role where they speak against things that are of concern in the Christian world and things that are dangerous that we see are coming against God's people and against the Word of God and what God would have for the world.

[1:48] And so, a message of warning is needful in these darkening days and ever darkening ahead. And that, as people, we need to heed that warning that God wants to give to us.

[2:02] It seems like many people are not prepared for what is coming. You know, I don't need to be alarmist or make this exaggerated, but I do believe that we all need to be on the alert and very much vigilant about what is coming and prepare as much as we can be.

[2:23] In another reference, we see, again, Ezekiel called to be a watchman in Ezekiel chapter 33. Ezekiel chapter 33, from verses 1 through 9.

[2:34] And again the word of the Lord came unto me, Ezekiel says, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people. So Ezekiel was told, Speak to the nation.

[2:45] Speak to the nation. And say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coast and set him for their watchman, if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people.

[3:01] Now we've got a trumpet here today. It's actually what they call a shofar. And I've got a very reverend rabbi here who's going to demonstrate what that sounds like.

[3:14] So, and this is a shofar that came from behind the wall of Jerusalem. It was within the walls of Jerusalem. So, I'll hand over to you. Shalom, shalom. Okay.

[3:25] Shalom, everybody. Shalom. Okay. Shema Yisrael. Yehovah Elohim. Yehovah Ekkah. Amen.

[3:37] Oh. Oh. Oh. Sure. Okay. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. You might want to turn the sound down now. Turn your hearing aids down.

[3:49] Okay. Unless you're Jewish. All right. Thank you. Stop.

[3:59] Not lower. A bit lower. I should actually pop that up.

[4:10] Oh. Thank you. Okay. Thanks. Shalom. Thanks, Mr. Rabbi. Shalom. Shalom. So, there we go. They had a real shofar from Jerusalem. From the walls of Jerusalem.

[4:20] And that was the sound of the trumpet. I'm sure that it would sound a bit louder than that. I think he had a bit of trouble there. But he, and it says, but he heard the sound of the trumpet. If when he sent the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people.

[4:35] And then verse 4. Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet and taketh not warning if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. Verse 5.

[4:46] Verse 6.

[4:58] But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, he has taken away in his iniquity.

[5:09] But his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, the Lord says to Ezekiel, I have sent thee a watchman unto the house of Israel.

[5:21] Therefore thou shalt hear the word of my mouth at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die. If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand.

[5:41] Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

[5:53] So, the Lord is saying, Ezekiel, you're a watchman, see the danger, sound the trumpet, warn the people. And if you do that, you've fulfilled your responsibility.

[6:04] And if people heed it, all the better. But if you don't warn the people, then you're accountable for not delivering the warning.

[6:16] So there's a very strong word to Ezekiel right there. So what is the watchman and what's it all about? The watchman acts as like a guard, like a guard.

[6:27] Think of a security guard as a watchman, a night watchman. You could think, for example, about on the tops of these ships, you know, these great high sailboats. You see the crow's nest, this kind of platform that's erected really high on the mast of ships.

[6:47] And a ship's lookout was like a watchman. And they would take their post in the crow's nest, scanning the horizon for the seas all around, looking over and warning of approaching ships, storms, maybe perhaps even pirates.

[7:02] And they also got to tell some good news. They would say, land ho! As they saw the land, they would tell the ship's crew, land ho!

[7:13] We're approaching land. And that was normally glad news, unless it was, I suppose, rocky outcrops. And so we see the watchman acts like a guard, like a sailor in a ship's crow's nest, as a guard, watching out, keeping watch.

[7:29] And the ancient cities, too, had great walls. We know in different lands, this is Wales, in fact, of different cities and walls, fortresses. And they would surround their cities with these great walls.

[7:42] As we see, even in Jerusalem today, there's a wall around the city. It wasn't the original one. There's been many different times where it's been destroyed and built up and destroyed and built up.

[7:53] But there's a wall around the city. And we see how that wall was such that you could walk around the ramparts of the wall. And people were stationed there, on the wall, in these high places, in these high towers, standing on these wide walls as lookouts, scanning, watching the horizon, looking for any signs of trouble, of the approach of hostile forces.

[8:17] The enemy might attack at any time, without warning. And the watchmen had to be on their game, on the alert, vigilant, watching, watchful, in constant watchfulness.

[8:30] And the watchmen had to keep on this constant lookout for the signs of the enemy, to alert the people, always on the alert for any signs of approaching danger.

[8:42] And an entire city counted upon them to bring them this warning. You can imagine, in the times when the watchmen was at his post, largely the people in the city were sleeping, resting, counting on him to watch for them and to bring them warning.

[9:00] So the watchmen was to be in his place with his eyes open, he was to watch. You know, the famous commentator Matthew Henry said, Watchmen must keep awake, be they ever so sleepy.

[9:12] You know, there was no really switching off or resting up for the watchmen. They had to be constantly, when they were at their station, they had to be constantly awake, alert, watching.

[9:24] And from this high and lofty lookout point, the watchman could see far and wide. He could see when, perhaps, the dust was rising in the distance, perhaps a sign of marching feet, of an approaching army.

[9:36] Perhaps he could see the shining armour, the swords, the spears. And he would raise the alarm. As he saw the signs of an approaching army, his job was to warn the people, to blow the trumpet.

[9:51] But he would blow the shofar, he would sound the trumpet, he would warn the people. My dad's going to be breathless tonight, after this. But he was to warn the people of that approaching danger, of that coming danger.

[10:03] And if an enemy was approaching, he would blow the trumpet to alert the armed troops and to call out a warning to the people. And we also, too, are commanded, likewise, to watch.

[10:15] You know, I believe, brothers and sisters tonight, that truly, there is much that we need to be watchful of. Fearful things, just over the horizon. Been looking at some recent news reports and some recent stories that I'll share with you that illustrate what I'm trying to say tonight.

[10:32] These are dangerous days, rough days. The Bible says perilous times, perilous times. And we're faced with forces that are hostile to Christianity. They're advancing against us.

[10:45] And it's needful that we all are watchful and that we sound warning. So we must sound the alarm, blow the trumpet, warn the people. Isaiah 62, verse 6, it says, the Lord says, I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night.

[11:04] So it didn't matter whether it was rain or shine, whether it was good or bad weather, whether it was lightning or thunder. It didn't matter what the weather was. They had to be there day and night.

[11:14] And making a constant 24 by 7 watch. And the watchmen could never desert their post under any circumstances. The watchmen could not fall to sleep.

[11:26] They had to be on the alert at all times. And when they spotted that sign of trouble, their duty was to blow the trumpet, to alert the people, to close the gates, to call the soldiers to defend the city, to await the people, to man their posts.

[11:40] And we need men and women today, likewise, who recognise the enemy, what he is, what he's up to, what he's on about. We need fathers who will be watchmen over their families.

[11:52] You know, how we need men, women, mothers, fathers, to be watchmen over our families, over our loved ones. We need preachers who will be watchmen over churches.

[12:04] We need all of us to be acting as watchmen in these days, to see the danger of approaching judgement, of danger. Where are the watchmen?

[12:15] Where are the watchmen who see the enemy creeping ever closer to the walls of our churches, to the walls of our families, our homes, our communities?

[12:28] God puts a wall around the city. And likewise, there's a sense of protection. We're called to muster protection for our families, for our loved ones, for our brothers and sisters, to have that separation, that wall.

[12:46] And God cannot bless what is going on in his name when it's an unholy mixture. I put it to you that we see more and more these signs of an unholy mixture, an unholy mixing of wickedness and worldliness with truth.

[13:03] Isaiah 5 verse 20, you see Isaiah, he says, Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

[13:21] Now there's this kind of weird world that we're living in where people say something that's good, they say it's wicked. You know, it's wicked. When really they mean it's good.

[13:33] They're doing exactly what the Bible says they would do. Calling evil good, good evil. We see that there's some recent examples, I haven't got illustrations of this, but there's some new program called Lucifer, where the son actor who's acting as Lucifer, and he's portrayed as someone who's kind of a nice guy or a nice angel that something happened.

[13:56] You know, it sort of portrays Lucifer in a positive light. And there's other things too. I just saw another one talking about a female angel, and the same kind of thing, where she's a lesbian, and it's kind of promoting wickedness and saying that she's an angel.

[14:12] I haven't got all the story on that one, but this is quite a new story. I only just read it the last day or two. And there's weird stuff going on, people. We've seen that in cartoons, in films, where often wicked characters are portrayed in a good light.

[14:28] Harry Potter, I mean, people that mess with witchcraft. There's nothing clearer in the Bible as to what is right and what is wrong. And witchcraft is manifestly wrong. So where are the watchmen?

[14:38] Nor set the trumpet to their lips and sound the warning. Isaiah 58 verse 1. Isaiah was told, cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

[14:55] Friends, I put it to you tonight. Australia is in deep trouble. Why are there not more people here tonight? Why is that so? Australia is in deep trouble.

[15:06] Maybe we should have the meals at night so we'll bring people. We might have more of a crowd. But Australia isn't in deep trouble. The church is in trouble. We need to have our eyes open to see the direction that our country is going.

[15:20] You know, I've seen this too in my time off. I visited a number of churches and they're a very small in number. Largely the faithful Bible preaching churches, churches that I would recognise as standing fast for the faith, numbers-wise, numbers-wise, they're quite small and insignificant, as the world would reckon it, and yet we must stand fast, we must hold fast, even though we'd be few in number.

[15:49] And we need to have our eyes open to see what's going on, and for everyone to be at their station for such a time as this. Here's a recent news article I saw, and it is just an extract from some media that I saw on the internet.

[16:07] You may not be able to catch that, is it? I've got a fault again. The Almageddon. The Almageddon. This is a story that I read just yesterday, and we know the so-called Islamic State, the ISIS group.

[16:23] The latest news that is coming out is that ISIS are identifying themselves, they're calling themselves the Army of Almageddon. They are calling themselves this.

[16:35] So they've got this in their mind, in their psyche, in their intention, in their purpose, to be the army, the army of Almageddon. Now whether they will be, who knows, but certainly they've got that intent to fight to the death, to fight in the valley of Almageddon, the valley of Megiddo, which we know in the end times is very evident.

[16:56] It's very clear what they're standing for. So these are some of the signs that we're seeing today. It's quite shocking stuff really, isn't it? It's like it's all picking up pace as we're seeing these things happening all around us.

[17:11] And in many churches too, we see the preachers are preaching a fluffy, feel-good message. Instead of sounding the alarm to God's people, instead of sounding the alarm that our nation is moving away from God, we need faithful preachers who will be watchmen, who will be messengers of God's Word, who will sound the alarm.

[17:31] Here's an example here. Again, this is quite, it's not a real recent story, but it's one example of countless examples, countless examples that we could give to you to illustrate this point.

[17:48] Men like Ravi Zacharias, Zacharias, he's a Bible teacher, he says a lot of good stuff, but he's made some very grave errors. Now, I'm not saying I've got the monopoly on the truth.

[18:03] I know I acknowledged Friday night, I think it was, to say, look, I've made some mistakes. There's been some associations I've made, there's been some things that we have done as a church that in hindsight, you regret, you think, you've got wisdom in hindsight, it should never have happened.

[18:19] And so, I'm not big noting myself, and saying that I've got everything right. I'm just using this as one illustration of one preacher, who's making a very grave error, I believe, as Ravi appeared on Joyce Meyer today, and he says to Joyce Meyer, God has used you, and he called her a great Bible teacher.

[18:43] He called Joyce Meyer a great Bible teacher. Now, for anyone that knows what Joyce Meyer preaches and teaches, it's very grave error.

[18:53] It's very serious error. As Christians, we're called to test everything, and to hold fast that which is good. To hold fast that which is good. So, may we all heed the call.

[19:05] Now, Joyce Meyer, I haven't got examples specifically of what she teaches, but it's the faith, prosperity, healing, health, wealth, gospel. You know, you name it, you claim it, you've got it.

[19:17] You know, God's some great guru that, you rub your, your, what do they call them? Your crystal ball, or your, your, your, your Aladdin's lamp sort of thing, and you beckon the genie, you beckon God, you beckon God, he's your servant to you, that you beckon call, and you, and you basically demand him to do things for you.

[19:37] That's not the God of the Bible. And so, may we all heed the call today. We need the watchman's vigilance, and courage, and faithfulness, and to see these things, and expose them for what they are.

[19:49] These are signs that we see all around us. Here's another sign that we'll also face, is increasing persecution. Increasing persecution. Now, not that slide, Dab, we're witnessing the destruction of the family unit.

[20:05] There's an ever increasing intensity of apostasy, an error, that seems to be overtaking many churches. Oh, go now, sorry, Dab. Many churches are embracing the Pope, and as we inch ever closer to this one world ecumenical church.

[20:22] Yeah, stay there, Dab. I think maybe I'll take control. I'll take control, it'll be easier. Yeah. All right. Many churches are embracing the Pope, and as we inch ever closer to this one world ecumenical church.

[20:35] Now, the Pope, if you've ever seen the Pope, sometimes he wears this big pointy hat, that's got kind of two pointy ends on it. This is exactly the same kind of fashion of a hat, that the priests of Dagon, the ones who worshipped the ancient fish god, would wear.

[20:54] And so, people are inching ever closer to join hands with the Pope. Pope. And really, he's not the Pope. The Pope means father, and the Bible says, call no man father.

[21:04] Certainly not holy father, but certainly Pope, meaning father, he's not the Pope really, but that's what people call him. So, because it's the popular term, we'll call him Pope for the purpose of this session.

[21:18] So, the Pope has now released a video. This is recent times. This is an article, January the 11th. So, this is very recent. And I saw this video, you can watch it on the internet, where the Pope has numbers of people from different religions, and he released this video to stress interfaith unity.

[21:36] Not just inter-church, inter-faith. So, you've got Islamic, Jewish, you name it, all together in one kind of accord, as it were. And the Pope stresses in this video, he says, we are all children of God.

[21:53] That's a lie. That's error. Blatant, downright, absolute error. We are not all children of God. We are only children of God by faith in Christ.

[22:05] Only those who trust Christ are made children of God. To as many as received him. To them gave you the power to become the sons of God. The children of God. Even to them that believe on his name.

[22:15] So, for this man to say we are all children of God, is a lie from hell. It's wrong. It's error. It's heresy. And the New World Order and the Vatican are working hand in hand these days.

[22:28] It's like the New Age movement. There's this growing, kind of snowballing effect of the New Age movement, where we see change agents everywhere.

[22:39] Change agents. As they're spreading across education, institutions, across governments, across the business world, across the churches. And this occultic influence we're seeing, more and more spreading across movies and cartoons.

[22:54] And I know some people poo-poo this kind of talk. But there's very evident exposés you can grab on the internet, that show the manifest and repeated signs, that show the New Age signs and symbols, and symbolism in modern rock music, in the films of today, and the hidden underlying messages, even in cartoons, that have this occultic influence today.

[23:20] And in the church's tomb, we're seeing these lying signs and wonders, and the corruption that is Hillsong, and the Pentecostal movement of today.

[23:33] There's much blending going on, there's blending going on, where people are not coming out, and being separate, but they're staying in, and blending in, caving in, giving ground, giving up.

[23:46] This is evident when we're seeing people adopting, the ever popular Hillsong music, and the Hillsong brand, just to name one example. And friends today, we're called to be watchmen.

[23:58] We must not compromise. We dare not compromise. We must stand against error. And this is an evil hour, in which we live. And many will not receive the word. The hearer has the responsibility, to take warning.

[24:12] Take warning. You could disagree with me. You know, search the scriptures. See if it is so. Check out what I say. That's what we must do. And again, I'm open to being exhorted, if I'm in error.

[24:27] What will our response be, to a Bible-based warning? People can react to warnings, in lots of different ways. Some people will laugh it off.

[24:38] Ha! Conspiracy theory. Or, you know, exaggeration. Some will even get offended, at the one who is warning them.

[24:49] Now, one day, a policeman pulled over a young woman, and she'd been driving. You know, here she was, this young female driver, and the copper says, I'm only giving you a warning.

[25:02] He was a nice, nice copper, wasn't he? Yeah, yeah. There's a few of them out there. He was a nice policeman. He handed her this warning form, and she says, oh, thank you so much, officer.

[25:13] She folded up the warning ticket, and put it neatly in her purse. She says, I collect these. I collect these warnings tickets, she said. Here was this young woman, she'd been warned countless times, yet she continued to ignore the warning.

[25:29] And some Christians are like that. They hear the warning, but they take no action, zero action. Just like this young woman, as she collected these warning tickets, many of us ignore the warnings.

[25:42] The warnings, they're in your newspapers. They're on the news broadcasts, on the news media, on the internet. Everywhere, the signs are all around us, if we just open our eyes. But yet, some will ignore the warnings, and do nothing.

[25:57] The warnings that God sends us, he wants us to act on. And we are responsible, for what we do with the warning. As watchmen, we're called to bring warning, in the night.

[26:10] In Isaiah 21, verse 11. Oh, we missed that one. Isaiah 21, verse 11, it says, Watchmen, what of the night? Watchmen, what of the night? Darkness is covering the earth.

[26:24] Watchmen, what of the night? Ever since mankind, first turned to evil, a darkness has arisen, upon the earth. And it's a long time of night. You know, night has fallen, on planet earth.

[26:34] And if you like, the storm is coming. And it's in the time of night, that we as watchmen, as watch women, if you like, need to be on the alert, and vigilant, as we see, these days we live.

[26:48] Now, the Bible says, that we should be vigilant, be sober, be vigilant, because the enemy is on the prowl. And so the storm is already beginning to rise on the horizon. We can see the storm clouds gathering.

[27:00] We can see the lightning, the flashing, the hearing of the thunder roll, as the nations of the earth are preparing for battle. Here's one example right here. Again, a very recent story.

[27:11] This is just, in recent, a couple of days or so, one example, that strikes you really deep, to see this example here. It's one example, of a militant, gay movement agenda, which is causing a tidal wave, of immorality, and perversion, to sweep our land.

[27:31] This example here, we've got a private school, that is specifically, for LGBT students, in Atlanta. So, this school, is just for, students who identify, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.

[27:50] And, it's from, kindergarten level. It's from kindergarten level. It is a sad, sad, story, people.

[28:03] And, this is happening. More and more, we're seeing it, as you see it, in the way that, even our state government, is pushing this kind of agenda, on the people, of this state.

[28:17] Another, note here, is, the Christian persecution, is escalating. It's escalating. I know, we've got many, that love to pray, for the persecuted church.

[28:29] As we should, pray for those in chains, for those that are, captive. And, it's, apparently, the case, that more than, 100 million Christians, are being persecuted, globally, right now.

[28:42] 100 million, Christians, across the globe, are being persecuted, right now. And, our newspapers, our newspapers, match up, with what the word, tells us, will be happening.

[29:23] Watchmen, what of the night? These are indeed, dark times, evil times, sifting times. We see drugs, are abounding. It's going crazy, out there. You know, it just seems like, it's all over the place.

[29:37] It's saturating, this community, that we live in, the drug abuse, and the drug dealers. You know, someone was telling me, how there's apparently, some grandma around here. Now, I'm not, I don't think it's Marjorie, but there's a grandma, around here, that's growing dope, in her backyard, and peddling it, to the community.

[29:56] You know, it's shocking, it's horrific, what is going on, in even, our streets, right around us today. Here's another example, David Bowie.

[30:06] David Bowie is there. He said this one time, rock has always been, the devil's music. You can't convince me, that it isn't. I honestly believe, everything I've said.

[30:19] I believe rock and roll, is dangerous. I feel that we're only, heralding, something even darker, than ourselves. Rock has always been, the devil's music.

[30:30] I believe rock and roll, is dangerous. Here's David Bowie. This is again, a recent clip, it's a recent, screened up, of David Bowie's, legacy, for the world today.

[30:44] And, if you look on YouTube, if you look on, the internet, millions, and millions, upon millions of people, have already downloaded, and viewed this material, even though it's only days old.

[30:58] And, this last video, contains his last message, to planet earth. And, here he is, holding up, what looks like a bible, like this, but it's actually got, a pentagram on it.

[31:11] It's got a pentagram on it. I don't really want, to go into the detail, because, it just sickens me, but, if you want to see, for yourself, you can see, the evident, satanic overtones, that are in, David Bowie's, last message, to planet earth.

[31:29] Full of this, bizarre symbolism, crucifixions, a kind of, mocking, of, of, Christ, in terms of, various crucifixions, and, a kind of, praising of Satan, in, a kind of, underlying way.

[31:45] And, David Bowie, apparently, he declared, in, his last words, in this, kind of, presentation, he says, I'm, the great I am.

[31:57] I'm, the great I am. Truly, David Bowie, leaves behind, a blasphemous, legacy. And yet, people are, putting flowers, to commemorate, his death.

[32:12] Well, it's a very sad, sad end, to a man. God help him. I think he's lost, I think he's lost. I think he's beyond, God's help now, because he's left it, too late, to get right with God.

[32:27] Only God knows, but, what a sad, end to a man. Churches are drifting, into worldly ways too. And there's the whole host, of false doctrines, that just seem to be, gathering pace.

[32:39] There's this shallowness, this carelessness, a compromise, with error. And the scriptures, urge us to be watchful, brothers and sisters. Watch for me, watch me, guide me, urge me, exalt one another, encourage one another.

[32:53] Let's be watching, iron sharpening iron, reproving error, contending earnestly, for the faith. We see this leaven, increasing, this corruption, increasing, I'll put to you.

[33:06] In Galatians 5, 9 it says, a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lung. So even a little bit of leaven, is dangerous. And we all need to watch ourselves. Watch what we stand for.

[33:18] Watch what we join in. There's much call for a proper, biblical and spiritual stand. How we need to be watchmen, as Ezekiel was, as Isaiah was, as the prophets of old were, as preachers, faithful through the ages, have been, and are.

[33:35] We need to stand, stand for our families, stand for the truth, stand for godly families, and for sound churches. We need to stand, studying the word, to be truly Bible students, hungry and thirsting, after righteousness, and sound doctrine.

[33:52] To overcome these things. And so we have much need of warning. You know, it's, it would be much easier, to give you something, that was a kind of, feel good message, and kind of, pat you on the back, kind of, kind of, a cozy, comfortable, snug, kind of message.

[34:08] But we need a warning. The Bible tells us of warning, tells us of reproving. And I need that. We need that. So that we're ready, and we're readying ourselves, for the battle, that lies ahead.

[34:21] Ezekiel was called, to be such a one. To bring to the nation, God's message. His task was not an easy one. His job was to deliver, a strong word, from God. And in his, world, we see, as in our own world, and in our time, how many are rebelling, against God.

[34:39] And it calls for the same message. The same message. It hasn't changed. It's the same message, that we need, that they needed back then. Because the enemy, has entered the lives, of many people.

[34:50] In James 4, verse 4, it says, ye adulterers, and adulteresses, no you're not, that friendship, of the world, is enmity with God. He's who therefore, will be a friend, of the world, is the enemy of God.

[35:04] We can't have it both ways. We can't cozy up, to the world, in its ways, and then pretend, that we're on God's side. It's, take your, stand, on one or the other.

[35:15] That's right. We're called to be watchmen. We're called for this, responsibility, for ourselves, and for others. For the others that we can warn. For the others that, we can tell, while there's still time. For the others, in our families, in our communities, in our circle of influence.

[35:29] To be faithful, in presenting God's word, while we can, and making him known, to others. In presenting, the gospel message. And I thank God, for faithful ones, going out, giving out leaflets.

[35:41] Whatever means you can, to be a witness for Christ. To everyone here, to maintain a watch. In Nehemiah's day, as he led the people, to rebuild the walls, the broken walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah called everyone, to this task.

[35:56] He said, take the sword, and the trowel. So you've got a sword, and a trowel, you've got a spear, and you're rebuilding, and maintaining a watch, so that everybody, was on the alert. It was 24 by 7, that was someone, on watch, on guard, calling one another, to help, as they rebuilt the wall, that had been broken down.

[36:14] And everyone was called, to be in this place, of guarding. Even in, especially, in the exposed places, where they've been broken down. Now think of the exposed places, as it were.

[36:26] Where are we the weakest? There could be some broken walls, in our own individual lives. What are the weak areas, of our life, that we need to keep watch on? Whether it's a problem, with greed, or the pleasures of the world, with lust, with pride, with drink, with fear.

[36:43] Let us maintain our watch, whatever that weak point is. Maintain your guard, brother, sister, being a Christian soldier, watchful, watching, alert, vigilant, on the watch, keeping watch, and guarding, particularly those exposed places, those weak spots, those weak points.

[37:01] Keep your eyes open, spiritually, and keep alert. The world wants to know, watchmen, one of the night. Truly the night is dark. The night is dark, because we know, that Jesus, is coming back.

[37:13] The night is dark, because of the absence, of the love of God, in the hearts of men. We know the love of God, the love of many, shall grow cold. A survey found, that 90% of those surveyed, said the purpose of the church, was to meet, their spiritual needs.

[37:33] Only 10% said, the purpose of the church, was to win the lost, to Christ. That's a great indictment, isn't it? On a church, that the church would think that.

[37:43] 90% thought, the purpose of the church, was to meet their spiritual needs. As if it's all about, me, me, me. And you see lots of, as it were, spiritually fat Christians, that are fed and fed, but never reaching out.

[37:56] Never reaching out. The night is dark, brothers and sisters, as we see these things. Here's an example, of what's going on. There's many examples, you could give, of such things.

[38:07] This news article, it says, Hillsong Church, steeped in Illuminati, and New Age symbolism. We see here, a pyramid structure, on the stage.

[38:18] And this was very evident, in this particular meeting. And all these weird things, that are going on, all around us. You wonder, what on earth is going on? Why does the church, have a pyramid, on the platform, of such an event?

[38:33] The night is dark, because churches, are more concerned, with drawing crowds, than with saving souls. The night is dark, brothers and sisters, because churches, have become like night clubs, as social clubs, instead of houses of prayer.

[38:47] Amen. And folk are wanting, to be entertained, rather than, hear the word of God. Now here we have, Darlene Zeck. Darlene Zeck, of Hillsong fame. Yeah, I mean, Darlene Zeck, she's written some nice words, in some nice songs.

[39:01] But here she is, cozying up, to the Pope of Rome. Why so? Why is she doing this? And she sang, for a mass, of the Pope, at this occasion. She sang around, the mass, of the Pope.

[39:13] And for we, that are Bible believers, we know that the mass, of Rome, is an abomination. It's why our forefathers, and our foremothers, I suppose, have bled and died for, to oppose this man, and what he stands for, and what he's, what he's on about.

[39:29] And yet we see, Hillsong, and others, cozying up to this man, the man of sin, the Pope himself. Our leaders are more concerned, with pleasing man, than serving God.

[39:40] This is just one example. And the night is dark, brothers and sisters, because we're seeing this, more and more the case. It's more and more happening, as to be seeing, these, these dangerous trends, these dangerous philosophies, of men, that instead of the message, of Christ.

[39:55] Here's another bunch, of these people. Here we've got, Kenneth Copeland. Kenneth Copeland, that's Carol, and John Arnott, of Toronto, blessing fame, and James, and Betty Robinson.

[40:11] These people are, again, they're standing in, company, in agreement, in association, with this Pope. And the night is dark, friends, when we're seeing, these things happening.

[40:22] As we're seeing, Christians falling, for these lies. As we're seeing, Christians, in their home places. As they're, sitting at their, TV sets. As someone has called it, a portal to hell, is opened up, in their living rooms.

[40:36] A portal, to hell, is bringing in, these shows, at times, filled with perversion, and questionable morals, as the occult, is pouring into, their own living rooms, and into, the minds of our children.

[40:50] Truly, the night is dark, people tonight. And whenever the messenger, of God, raises warning, some Christians get, a bit uppity. And they can get offended. Especially when we name names, of particular, preachers, or movements, or issues.

[41:06] But we must make, no apology, if we're delivering, faithfully, the master's message. And as ministers of God, we're accountable to him. To give warning, we must, faithfully, obey, our master's command, and give faithful warning.

[41:21] Faithful warning. Biblical warning, I trust. And we have need, of warning today. Mark 13, 22, it says, for false, Christ, and false prophets, shall arise, and shall show, signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

[41:37] You know, some would rather perish, listening to smooth talkers, and enjoying an entertaining message, than the truth of God. The church is called to be the pillar, and ground of the truth.

[41:48] It's meant to be rock solid, grounded, sure, standing faithful, and strong. It's meant to be a Christ exalting, spiritually healthy, God glorifying, faithful church.

[42:01] That is what we seek, and pray for, in this body here. And so we must stand, resolutely, and forthrightly, against heresy. And these are things, we must all be on the watch for.

[42:12] You might discern things, different from me, but be discerning, be watchful, is my exhortation tonight. As we see the home, and the church, are both divinely, ordained institutions.

[42:24] We want this church, to glorify God, don't we? We want our families, our home places, our lives, to glorify God. Because the home, the church, are divinely, ordained institutions.

[42:37] If we face a barrage, a constant barrage, from the enemy, on all fronts, and I have to, sound the alarm, blow the trumpet, as it were. I have to make it clear, I will not tone it down.

[42:53] I don't know that he's getting, any better at that. But in 1 Corinthians 14, verse 8, it says, for if the trumpet, gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself, to the battle.

[43:04] Now you've got to work on that dad, we've got to get a better sound, than that. We need a certain sound, don't we? We need to hear that trumpet, loud and clear, so that we can take action, and prepare ourselves, for the battle.

[43:15] There is a battle ahead, saints. And we are the army of God. We are the people of God. And I have to sound the alarm. And you sound the alarm to me. Let's wake one another up, and not be a sleepy, Laodicean church.

[43:28] The Laodicean church, was the not quite church. It had the name church, but it wasn't, was a not quite church, if you like. It had one footy in the world, and the other in the church.

[43:39] And here we see, another example. Here is Rick Warren. Rick Warren, cozying up to his friend, again, our friend, the Pope. It's not my friend, but this man, the Pope, so called.

[43:52] Here we see, again, Rick Warren. Rick Warren says this, I quote, I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials, why be divisive? I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials, why be divisive?

[44:12] And we see here, this is again, a very recent story. This is from a Catholic newspaper, where it says, I'll just try to read that, that he holds a rock star status among evangelicals, and he has great admiration for the Roman Catholic Church.

[44:30] And it's saying here, that he's meeting the Pope at some occasion, and the article is talking about some new convention, some new conference that the Roman Catholic Church is holding, and Rick Warren is one of the featured speakers there.

[44:46] Now again, I'm not saying that we've got a monopoly on the truth. I've made mistakes. I've made some grave mistakes on reflection, in leading this church.

[44:56] I would have liked to have led this church better than I have done. But I do seek to faithfully warn you. That's my prayer. And you seek prayerfully what God is speaking to you, to warn you about, to wake you up about, and to be alert to the responsibility that you have too, of watching over others, of your families, of your fellow saints.

[45:16] And let's, at times, we will have to get into the so-called non-essentials, you know, and be divisive. The Lord Jesus said, I'll contemplate division. Willow Creek Community Church is another one in America.

[45:30] It's one of these mega churches. And Willow Creek Community Church says this, there is no hellfire and brimstone here. No Bible thumping. Just positive, witty messages.

[45:41] That's what they say. Positive, witty messages. Positive, fun messages. No hellfire and brimstone here. Consider modern preachers such as this man, Mark Driscoll, is another man.

[45:55] Formerly the senior pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He describes himself as this, a theologically conservative and culturally liberal. And his church hosts champagne dance parties.

[46:10] So dance parties with alcohol pouring out. He hosts beer brewing lessons in his church. He teaches his men how to brew their own beer at home.

[46:24] And it goes on to say, the men watch and discuss R-rated movies in his church. They sit and watch them in the church and talk about them. R-rated movies.

[46:36] And this church, it operates in a theatre that also hosts secular rock concerts. You know, it's their venue and they host secular rock concerts.

[46:47] It's like, you know, anything goes. This is Mark Driscoll. You know, brothers and sisters, these are things that should alarm us, alert us. We must speak the truth and see these things.

[46:59] And it's hard to think. And you know, sometimes among ancient names you think, wow, I mean, I've read some of his stuff. It's good stuff. Yeah. It's like, you know, it's being said, well, rat poison's 95% good stuff.

[47:17] You know, I mean, there's these dangers, brothers and sisters. So it says in 2 Timothy 3.13, but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. They're going to grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

[47:30] So there's, friends, there's much confusion these days in this abandonment of truth. As we're seeing this multiplicity of so-called Bible versions, as we're seeing this sweeping in of errors.

[47:40] You're seeing in the Christian bookshops. You go in the Christian bookshops and you look at what the top ten are. Have a look at the top ten. The best sellers, and often they're false teachers, even perhaps some of these that we've talked about today, who are promoting blatant errors.

[47:57] It's what people are buying, what people want to hear. And worldly culture has weakened the church such that it's in an abominable state. No wonder, as the word says, my people perish for lack of knowledge.

[48:09] We need to get around the word, around Bible study, around encouraging one another, around fellowship, around prayer. Our Lord tells us to watch out for such things as another Jesus, another gospel, another spirit.

[48:25] It sounds the same. They use the same jargon, the same terminology, but there's something wrong there. Something doesn't quite measure up. So we must stand at the gate, blowing the trumpet, rallying the troops, warning of these threats, being that lookout, as it was on the crow's nest, on the ship's mast, as it was for those centuries, on the gates and walls of Jerusalem, as watchmen on the walls, as faithful servants, as watchmen, as gatekeepers over our churches, over our fellowship, over our families, and stand against the errors that are sweeping in the compromise that threatens us.

[49:03] Now, there's this increasing carelessness about music. It's just one example about doctrine, as these things, as churches are getting overtaken. You know, open the door, just a jar, and before you know it, worldly rock music is just a dangerous mixture and a lack of separation.

[49:20] There's one time, one old watchman of old said this, when the standard of the music is lowered, then the standard of the dress is also lowered. That's right. When the standard of the dress is lowered, then the standard of the conduct is also lowered.

[49:33] That's right. Then the sense of value in God's truth is lowered. You know, one thing follows another. The music, the way people act in church, the conduct, the way they live, what they stand for, what they believe in, it's all out the window.

[49:48] Bit by bit. And so we must be on red alert and take this threat seriously. Now, some of these trends are a bit like, if you're one of these watchmen on the walls, you know, it might be like a Trojan horse.

[50:00] You know, when this legend of the Trojan horse, it all looked good. It looked nice and colourful and bright and shiny and a beautiful gift from the enemy, but inside were their armed soldiers.

[50:15] And when that Trojan horse was brought inside the gates, then it was all over Red Rover. So we see the Trojan horse, the Trojan horses, as it were, the false doctrine, the charismatic movement, this ecumenical trend, this one world religion of the end of days, as we see this declining of separation from error and adjoining hands with the enemies of biblical Christianity, compromise is a slippery slope.

[50:42] It's a slippery slope. As we're pulling down those God-ordained walls, our spiritual protection, they're for our protection, these walls that are around us, a protection, a separation from apostasy and from the world.

[50:55] But if we give in in this battle of the truth, it means death and destruction for our nation and for our churches. Just to close, friends, it says prove all things. In other words, test all things.

[51:07] Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good. May we faithfully watch for truth and error, for the interests of others, for ourselves.

[51:18] Watch yourself, lest you fall. It's a good advice, isn't it? Again, I want to get proud. I want to be prayerfully knowing that I am just as fallible and as faulty and as prone to error as the next man.

[51:36] Watching ourselves and watching for the return of our Lord. Don't we need to be watchmen? We do need to be watchmen to constantly watch and to faithfully warn.

[51:46] The Bible's filled with these warnings. It's filled from cover to cover. Important warnings for us. To take heed of. We're called to these things. We're called to Bible preaching. We're called to a watching out for our souls and for the souls of others.

[52:00] We're called to the watchman's responsibility. Not just for ourselves and what we might feel is right but what we're saying to others. We are watchmen and watching for others and people watching us too for our example.

[52:15] So let's watch for our souls and watch out for other souls. And that's that responsibility is before the Lord. We dare not be silent as the word of God is being watered down.

[52:25] It's been sugar coated and candy coated in our world today. It's been lost such that the people of God there's a famine in the land and the word of the Lord is lacking.

[52:42] And people are lacking biblical literacy. We must take hold of God. Take hold of it. A full surrender. A full surrender to him.

[52:52] To hold fast that which is good. To rightly divide his word. To hold it fast. To defend his truth. To contend earnestly for the saints. For the faith once delivered unto the saints.

[53:04]  Let us pray.