Watch Out For Each Other
– Ezekiel 33:7-11
Dear Christian friends. Do I get involved? Or should I stay out of it? Those are some tough questions aren’t they? Sometimes circumstances warrant that you do need to get involved immediately. Other times it’s “let’s just give it some time and see what happens.” Am I my brother’s keeper?” That was Cain’s answer when God asked him about his brother Abel. Whether it was sarcasm, or a weak and foolish attempt to cover up what he had done, we don’t know. What we do know is that God wanted to call Cain to repentance, But Cain did not want to admit that he did anything wrong. The answer to Cain’s question though whether we think we should get involved or not is… yes! We are! Jesus points that out to us when he said, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault just between the two of you.” And the Christian way to do that is not to approach it with a “better-than-thou” attitude, but with genuine LOVE and CONCERN.
That was the job of Ezekiel the prophet. God had called Ezekiel to be concerned about the spiritual life of his chosen people. As God’s people we also should be concerned watch out for each other.
To set up the context here things had really changed dramatically since the last time this message came to Ezekiel. The impossible had happened: Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The people were being taken away into exile. There was a deep sense of sadness and despair. It would seem that all of their hope was gone. Yet now this gave Ezekiel the opportunity to focus God’s people on what the real problem was. Not Babylon or Egypt or anyone else. The real enemy was their sinful idolatry.
And like many of us Ezekiel doubted that he could do that job. So God reminds Ezekiel saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” Ezekiel’s primary job was to be a watchman, that is, to make people aware of a coming danger. God reminds him however that his first priority was to listen. To hear clearly what God had to say, and then to announce God’s warning to his people. And from God’s perspective Ezekiel was successful as he carried out his role.
Most of us at some point in our lives have wondered with Ezekiel, “What am I supposed to do now?” We got to the upper grades in grade school, started high school, went away to college, got married, had kids, the kids grew up and moved out, we retired or lost a spouse. The feeling may be, “My situation isn’t the same as it used to be. My responsibilities have changed.” And sometimes we might tend to think that changed circumstances in our lives mean changes in our service and responsibility to God. But if we listen closely to his Word we learn that’s not the case. God tells us, “CONTINUE to witness to me by talking about Jesus the Savior. CONTINUE to witness to me by living your life in a God-pleasing manner. CONTINUE to apply my law when it’s needed to point out sin. CONTINUE to apply the message of my love, the gospel, when it’s needed to comfort the repentant sinner.” We might sometimes say, “I’ve tried that already.” Then God comes back to us as he came to Ezekiel and says, “You’re still my watchman. Circumstances don’t change my message, nor do they change your use of it. Keep listening to me.”
Yes, we all have to admit that one of the toughest parts about watching out for one another is pointing out sin. No one likes to do that because they feel that it is none of their business. Also, by pointing out one’s sin they might immediately point back at you for your sin. But isn’t that one of the purposes of God’s watchmen, to warn one another. And as Ezekiel did that, he didn’t make up his own standard of morality. He simply proclaimed God’s message. Throughout the book of Ezekiel God sent him to proclaim warnings against sins like injustice, sexual immorality, and idolatry.
Being a spiritual watchman isn’t always a pleasant job. It’s important for us to call a sin a sin. We shouldn’t minimize it in any way. We need to point out injustice and unfairness whether it comes in the form of shady political dealings, to unfairness on the playground. We also need to point out sins of idolatry. Many times, that sin of idolatry can come in the form using most of our time and resources to make ourselves better, and smarter and not prioritizing what is important.
Many of you have heard Chris Driesbach perform but perhaps others of you have not. He talks in most of his performances about his past. Before he became a Christian he was an unbeliever. He wanted nothing to do with God. He also liked to argue with pastors. So when one of our WELS pastors talked to him of course he was geared up to argue. But this pastor didn’t argue back. Instead he would say, “Let’s see what God’s Word says about that.” This way it wasn’t the pastor’s word vs. Chris’ word. It wasn’t his knowledge vs. the pastor in the game show “Are your smarter than a WELS Pastor.” It was God’s Word. And ultimately it won him over. Again, switching priorities from depending on our knowledge and education to what God teaches us about ourselves.
So how do we react when someone points out our sins? It puts us on the defensive doesn’t it? We prefer to see other’s sins rather than our own, or use the excuse that everybody’s doing it. The devil works hard in us to do that. What we really need is for God to help us feel that full seriousness of our sins, and respond, “How then can I live?” Then that warning work of the watchman has achieved its purpose.
But if we’re really concerned about being our brother’s keeper, our work doesn’t end here. We also want to rescue one another with the gospel. God didn’t want his people to live separated from him, only to die and remain separated for all eternity. That’s why he sent his watchman with this message, “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, O house of Israel?’”
People whose circumstances in life are good and whose futures looks bright often can easily excuse or ignore God’s promise when he says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” Why?? Well because they don’t think this promise applies to them. On the other hand, to people whose lives are filled with sadness and misery or even death, God’s promise, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” sounds hollow and accusatory. They, or others they love, are dying so they conclude those difficulties are a sign they’re being punished by God.
But this promise is gospel. It’s good news. To human beings, all of whom are by nature wicked, God says, “I have no pleasure in your death.” He doesn’t want us to be cut off from him for eternity. Through water and the Word he has called us to be his children, and wants us in his family. God’s attitude towards us, which we call his grace, is so comforting even though we, the objects of his grace, are so wicked. And this is also a wonderful truth to share as God’s watchmen.
Simply put when we warn each other with God’s law, it is with the purpose to bring home the point of how desperately we need a rescue. A person who doesn’t think he’s drowning doesn’t think he needs a life jacket. But that rescue is still needed and it’s a reality. Jesus took care of our sins and the sins of the whole world through his perfect life, death and resurrection. We can take that message to heart for ourselves, and then throw a spiritual lifeline to others who see their sins in the mirror of God’s law. We can assure them of God’s love for them in Christ, a love that placed their sins on Jesus. God will help us to do that.
After proclaiming God’s Word with seemingly little result, Ezekiel may have been tempted to ask, “Am I still my brother’s keeper?”. The answer still would have been “Yes.” And we have been called to do the same. And it’s is a task that remains the same for all time. So, listen to the Lord, warn one another, and rescue one another. God help us to take this message to heart and gladly carry out our responsibilities with the confidence that our work will be blessed. Amen.
Welcome: The family of Zion welcomes you as we worship the Lord today. We encourage children to worship with us. However, if you need to leave with your child, there is a nursery room to the right as you exit the sanctuary. The rest rooms are located in the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Visitors, please sign our guest book to the right, just outside the sanctuary. We’re glad that you are here and pray that through our worship the Lord grants you peace.
W h a t T h i s S u n d a y i s A b o u t
A CHURCH WILLING TO SAY HARD THINGS
Imagine, late one night, you notice the house across the street is on fire. You see no activity inside. You say to yourself, “Pounding on the door in the middle of the night might scare the family. I’m sure they’ll realize what’s going on eventually.” Ridiculous! You would never do that! To let a family sleep while flames surround them would be cruel. Your inaction would make you a killer. The truth is you would pound on their door at 3:00 AM, screaming. You would throw a brick through their front window if that was what it took to warn them. You would not care if it startled the family. This is a matter of life and death! Love compels you to do whatever it takes.
God wants the people of his church to be willing to say hard things to people when that is what is necessary to save them from an even worse type of fire. Warning against sin is not easy. It upsets people, even offends them. But saying hard things is the loving thing to do when it is a matter of eternal life and death.
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ORDER OF WORSHIP……………………………………………….……………p. 266
HYMNS: 654(1-3) – 559 – 560 – 654(4-7)
PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, preserve the congregation of believers with your never-failing mercy. Help us avoid whatever is wicked and harmful, and guide us in the way that leads to our salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST LESSON – Ezekiel 33:7-11 (pew Bible p. 611) – The responsibility of waking our neighbor asleep in a burning house becomes a joyful privilege when he emerges safely from the smoke. May our task of being our brother’s keeper always be one done with such responsibility and joy.
SECOND LESSON – Galatians 2:11-16 (pew Bible p. 824) – Paul is put into the uncomfortable position of having to confront Cephas. In doing so, Paul wins him over to the truth of the gospel.
GOSPEL LESSON – Matthew 18:15-20 (pew Bible p. 695) – Only love could lead the Christian and the Church to go to a fallen brother. Only love led our Savior to command it. Even the manner Jesus prescribes shows great love for the fallen.
SERMON……………………………………………………………….Ezekiel 33:7-11
“WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER”
Lessons for Proper 18
FIRST LESSON – Ezekiel 33:7-11
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. 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.
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?’
SECOND LESSON – Galatians 2:11-16
Paul Opposes Cephas
11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that 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.
GOSPEL LESSON – Matthew 18:15-20
Dealing With Sin in the Church
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.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
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.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FELLOWSHIP AND BIBLE STUDY AFTER THE SERVICE – Please stick around for fellowship and Bible Study after the service today.
CHURCH DIRECTORY AND PHOTOS Angela and Dee Bruck will be taking photos to update our member photo board on September 20 and 27, and October 18 & 25. They will also be updating our church directory, so please check the copy we have provided in the narthex and make corrections if necessary. Please check the box next to your name after reviewing your information.
NEXT SUNDAY – Next Sunday we will celebrate Proper 19 at 9:00 with fellowship at 10:15. The readings will be: Genesis 50:15-21 / Ephesians 4:29-5:2 / Matthew 18:21-35.
COMMUNION SWITCH – This month we’ll be offering communion on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month (13th and 20th).
ELS-WELS MEN’S RETREAT – The 2026 Men’s Retreat will be held on Saturday, September 19, at Redeemer Lutheran Church’s Family Life Center in Rolla, MO. The theme of the retreat is “Life As The Lord’s Man.” Our area pastors will lead as we look at how the Lord raised up and employed Nehemiah to be a blessing to others in his time and to consider his inspiring example for how we live our lives. The retreat begins with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. and ends with farewells at 3:00 p.m. The cost is $25/person and includes Saturday lunch. Guests are welcome. Men should bring a Bible, and any special refreshments and snacks. Redeemer Lutheran is located at 1701 Highway 72 East, Rolla, MO 65401. The church phone number is 573-364-7071. Please let Pastor Krueger know that you will be coming by September 15. If you have questions about the retreat, you can direct them to Pastor Jim Witt at 314-501-4924 or jgwitt3@yahoo.com.
AUGUST FORWARD IN CHRIST AND MEDITATIONS – These are available in the Narthex.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW– Last Week’s Worship Attendance: Members-24; Guests-6 / Fellowship-Bible Class – 21 / Sunday’s Offerings-$1,530.00
THOSE WE REMEMBER IN OUR PRAYERS – Barbara & Larry Long; Liz & Roger Lisenby; Greg Miller; Russ Perry, Deb Hunt’s father, in hospice care at home; Patsy Mickelson (Jane’s mother); Khendra Murdock; Norine Richardson.