Watch Out!

I want to learn from my mistakes.

I want to learn from others’ mistakes. I want to help my children learn from the world around them so that they can live with minimal regret. I often find myself asking why. Why did this happen? I want to single out that one primary cause that led to some calamitous effect. That unseen thing that gave birth to the seen. If I’m following someone on a rocky path, I want to avoid the specific stone that made that person stumble.

Pointing out stumbling blocks, so to speak, is what burdens my heart; I am grieved to see others lose their footing. I am beyond grateful to those who have guided me away from cliffs and out of danger. And I cannot, in any good conscience, turn a blind eye to others struggling. This is the primary motivation for this whole blog!

Ezekiel 33:6 says, “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.”

Although I am clearly not Israel’s watchman, I have never been able to ignore the implications of this verse. How can I see danger coming and not warn, especially those I love?

So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 33:7–9)

Have we been given a word from the mouth of God? Absolutely!

There must be a foundational, absolute, truth that is used to show the way. God’s Word. It isn’t the watcher’s guess or opinion given as a warning to the people; it is from the Lord, absolutely omniscient and absolutely good.

Consider what an amazing time it is to live right now with the complete Word of God always at our finger tips. We are not Israel relying on the prophets. We have been given more. We are not 1st Century Christians with limited access to the Scriptures and teachings of the apostles. We have been given more. We are not Christians in the Middle Ages without translations in our own language. We have been given more! And yet so many Christians continue to walk such rocky, dangerous paths without any real regard for the Word of God.

Why?

Again, here I go…. What is the cause for shallow, clumsy Christian lives in such a rich time of resources? We not only have the very sufficient Scriptures, we have the experiences and teachings of those who have faithfully lived and studied and preached the Word of God. What is our excuse? Why do we turn a blind eye to the innumerable warnings along the path? Why do so many Christians seem to be so complacent?

Why sin, of course! More specifically, though, I think that it is the modern church’s perspective of sin that is causing calamity in the lives of believers. We seem to be mostly okay with it. Mostly okay with Sin.

Sadly, I have heard many friends and even family members make comments regarding sin like, “You can’t escape it, so why try,” or “God doesn’t care about the little things.” This attitude regarding sin and God is simply not biblical and is truly detrimental. (Even the hairs on your head are numbered, Luke 12:7. Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth, Revelation 3:16. The complacency of fools destroys them, Proverbs 1:32. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, Colossians 3:17.)

Surely our whole lives are the sum of “little things.” When we ignore God in the little things, we ignore God in most of our life. Likewise, when we consider God in the little things, we consider God in most of our lives. And if we ignore the sin in the little things of life, we ignore most of the sin in our lives.

Let’s correct our view of sin. It is first and foremost right and good to know that the punishment of sin is death and to know that Christ has redeemed His people - He has paid the debt for believers’ sin and through Him we can live eternally. Let us praise God and truly have peace with this knowledge. But let our understanding of sin not die at the cross also. The effects of sin are still felt on this side of death. Sin brings destruction in our lives. It destroys our relationships with our families, our friends, our church and strains our relationship with God. The very nature of sin is against God and therefore every act of sin is against God’s perfect design for life.

The modern American church has a very weak view of sin. Most preachers do not properly warn believers of the harm sin produces in a Christian’s life. And once again, I am asking, “Why?” Why aren’t we warned? Why are we no longer exhorted to put to death the sin in our lives in a way that compels us to act? And again the answer must be sin. We like it. It’s comfortable. People who tell us not to sin make us uncomfortable. Sermons that call us to a life of repentance are unpopular. And even when we hear the truth, sin itself blinds us to the warnings! Sin deceives - even believers.

Sin’s deception is the reason we must take an active role in the mortification of our sin. Passively, we will be complacent. We will get cozy and comfortable with the sin in our lives and not realize the danger coming. We will set our children up for pain and destruction in their lives as we raise them. We will be ineffective in discipling one another, failing to guide others along the right path and keep them from stumbling. From falling. From strife. From divorce. From drunkenness. From disobedience. From destruction. From sin.

The Call of Wisdom

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:20–33)