You are a watchman to warn the next generation about sin pointing them to the Lord’s forgiveness!

A pan on the stovetop may pose a threat to an unsuspecting child’s hand searching the countertop for tasty treats. If the stove is off, then a child can grab a cool pan from the top of the stove without getting burned. On the other hand, if the stove is on, then the child will be grabbing a hot pan and suffer a temporary, permanent or even mortal injury. As a parent or someone watching over kids, it is your job to warn kids about the dangers of a hot pan and many other dangers in life and point them to safe activities.

Speaking of someone looking for something to eat in a dangerous way, Peter was turned back from danger by Paul in our New Testament reading from Galatians 2. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul recounted a time when Cephas, better known as Peter, came to visit him in Antioch where there was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians. At first when the congregation gathered, Peter ate with everyone. Then, some men came to the city who kept to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament about what and with whom you could eat. Peter did not warn them against living by the law and not by faith in Christ but joined them and separated himself from the Gentile Christians. This threatened the faith of both the Jewish and Gentile Christians, and we hear what Paul did in Galatians 2, 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. Paul had to warn Peter about his sin, and in doing so Peter repented and turned back to the freedom and forgiveness we have in Christ.

Paul acted like a watchman to Peter, like Ezekiel was called to be over Israel. In our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel 33, we hear the Lord speak to the prophet Ezekiel, 7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” It was God’s will for Ezekiel to serve as a watchman to share God’s warning. In Ezekiel’s time, lives depended on the role of a watchman. The watchmen stood on the high city walls constantly watching the horizon for signs of an enemy attack. When an enemy was spotted, the watchmen sounded the alarm so the many people who worked outside the city walls could run inside for safety, lock the city gate and wait protected while soldiers fought with the advantage from the high city walls.

Ezekiel was called to warn Israel of their spiritual enemy. He along with King Jehoiachin and many others were taken as captives from Judah to Babylon in 597 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar. His whole time as a prophet occurred while in exile away from his homeland. In exile, he prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the Lord’s Temple because of the people’s sins. Our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel 33, happened right before the exiles found out Jerusalem and the Lord’s Temple were destroyed in 586 BC. Learning of the destruction would send the people into despair, but the Lord also promised deliverance providing consolation and encouragement for the people. This was also meant to keep Israel from becoming too comfortable in Babylon. God had directed them to start business and raise their families there, but spiritually they were not to adopt the heathen gods of Babylon. They would be lost if they fully conformed to Babylonian life rather than see themselves as aliens, foreigners waiting to return home. The Lord’s message was summarized in Ezekiel 33,

8 “When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.”

As a watchman alerted people to enemy attacks, so Ezekiel was called to warn Israel of their sins. God made it clear that if Ezekiel did not warn them, the people would be lost, and he would be held accountable for them. On the other hand, if Ezekiel warned the people, but they did not listen, then they would die for their wickedness and unbelief, while Ezekiel would be saved.

Parents serve as watchmen over their children. Other forms of watchmen today include government officials, pastors and teachers. In God’s eyes, watchmen serve in positions of responsibility to do the best for those under one’s care, not to push personal, self-serving or harmful agendas. God has given all parents the responsibility to care for their children. This responsibility over the next generation certainly extends to any who are entrusted with children, but the primary responsibility rests with parents.

Your greatest responsibility as a parent is the spiritual care of your child. Now you cannot believe for your child, but you can neglect your calling to tell them about their sins and point them to Jesus. This time of year, hours and hours of football tempt fathers to shirk their responsibilities, relive the glory years, overindulge in unhealthy foods and beverages and fuel anger and cursing. Now, football can be a great time of bonding and tradition with your family, but if the altar you bring your family to worship at becomes your television and your gods to whom you dedicate your time, money and learning wear jerseys, and the next generation does not hear about their sins or their Savior, then the enemy is winning. At the same time, hours and hours of time on social media tempts mothers to compare their fitness, routine, home décor, outfits, make up, parenting style, etc. to others driving them to prideful achievement and goal chasing or to despair at failure after failure to measure up. Now, you can learn a lot of great things on social media and get some great laughs from it, but modeling to your children attachment to a screen rather to them and constant comparisons to others, and not influencing the next generation through daily Bible reading and pointing out the daily blessings of God, results in the enemy ‘liking’ the footage of your life. Often, we sit cozy in Adirondack chairs sipping chamomile tea, rather than caffeinating ourselves with Christ standing at our post as watchmen. The next generation faces an overwhelming enemy and will be held accountable for their sins without Jesus, and we too are accountable when we do not warn them about sin and point them to Christ.

God does not want anyone lost to the enemy. When you have not carried out your responsibility as a parent to tell your children about Jesus, then you know the guilty burden felt by Israel in their exile. In our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel 33, we hear Israel’s despair over their sins of putting up altars to false gods and watching Judah’s army fail in comparison and outcome against the army of Babylon,

10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

When the people were weighed down by their sins and feared death, God was there to call out to them, forgive and give life. God emphatically called his people back to him. His great desire is to rescue; he desires to remove all despair and the weight of sin. The Holy Spirit worked through Ezekiel and turned some back to God. Those who believed, waited patiently for God to keep his promise to return a remnant to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, which happened after 70 years in exile under Ezra and then Nehemiah. From those who returned, a few hundred years later Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, descendants from the tribe of Judah and King David. Also, the believers in Babylon had a meaningful impact on some in Babylon so that there were some watching for the Savior to be born and Magi from the East came to honor Jesus in Bethlehem.

The heritage of warning the next generation about sin and pointing them to the Savior has continued to us by the grace of God. God’s desire to forgive and give life remains true for you, so that when you have not carried out your responsibility as a parent to tell your children about Jesus, you are forgiven. You are forgiven because Jesus died on the cross for all sins. And Jesus has given you the gift of his righteousness, which is the gift of his record of doing all things right, good and loving. You get the credit for Jesus’ desire and follow through on telling the next generation about his kingdom as we hear him do in Matthew 19, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Any guilt you have, died with Jesus on the cross. Do not dwell on it by the power of Jesus. This comforting truth was shared by Paul in our New Testament reading from Galatians 2, 16 … a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. God desired to call you not guilty and give you eternal life, not by what you have done or left undone, but through Jesus Christ. And he has done it for you and for every generation.

As watchmen, you have a meaningful impact on the next generation by sharing Jesus. In our Gospel reading, Jesus addressed one of the situations where we get to have a meaningful impact on the next generation. It is when someone sins. In Matthew 18, Jesus said,

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Here Jesus teaches that our hearts are filled with love as watchmen. We desire what is spiritually and eternally best for others. When someone else sins, our desire is not to embarrass, not to be superior and not to publicly shame. Instead, in love our desire is to be clear about sin, call to repentance and point to God’s forgiveness. When we do this with our children, we carry out our greatest responsibility toward them and care for their spiritual and eternal wellbeing. After our kids have seen us arguing with our spouse, we get to model this by telling one another, “I am sorry” and “I forgive you” in front of our children and telling them that through Jesus all our sins are forgiven. We get to do this when teaching our children how to act with others and what to look for and encourage in their future or current spouse. As watchmen, you have this encouragement from Jesus from Matthew 18, 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” When the enemy attacks you and your family with temptation and sin, go to your Father in heaven in prayer filled with God’s Word and promises, and Jesus will stand as your wall of protection.

A pan on the stovetop may pose a threat to an unsuspecting child’s hand searching the countertop for tasty treats. Warning a child helps prevent temporary, permanent or even mortal consequences. The next generation faces spiritual dangers. You are a watchman to warn the next generation about sin pointing them to the Lord’s forgiveness. Amen.