09/07/2026
Sermon for The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 18A on 09/06/2026
“The Lord’s Watchman”
Text: Ezekiel 33:7-9
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text for this morning’s sermon is the Old Testament reading. It was Ezekiel 33:7-9.
Our text for today tells us that the Lord appointed the prophet Ezekiel to be a watchman for the House of Israel. We don’t have watchmen anymore because we don’t have city walls.
You see, the leaders of a city would appoint a person, or more likely several people, to be watchmen for the city. [And] the primary responsibility of these men was to stand on the city wall looking out over the horizon to see if any enemy invaders were approaching. If an enemy army was coming, the watchman was to blow his shofar, which was a ram’s horn that was blown into like a musical horn. Upon doing this, the horn would give a loud blast which alerted everyone in the city that danger was approaching, and they were either to prepare for battle, or flee from the city in order to save their life.
However, if the watchman fell asleep or if he ran away when the enemy invaders were approaching rather than alerting everyone, he would be held responsible for the death of anyone who died. In fact, a watchman would be put to death if he failed in his duty to protect the people.
So considering this, the Lord told Ezekiel that He was appointing him to be the watchman for the House of Israel. Only, he wasn’t to warn the people about an approaching enemy army. Instead, Ezekiel was to warn the people about the consequences of their sin if they didn’t repent. If Ezekiel didn’t warn them by properly proclaiming God’s Word, and they died in their sin, those unrepentant Israelites would face the eternal consequences for their sin, but the Lord would also hold Ezekiel responsible for their sin and guilt.
On the other hand, if Ezekiel did what the Lord was actually causing him to do… if he warned the people about the eternal consequences of their sin as the Word of the Lord gave him the ability and the desire to do… if Ezekiel did this… then those who didn’t repent would be guilty of their sin, but Ezekiel would be declared innocent of their unrepentance.
Now of course, Ezekiel isn’t physically around anymore to warn us. He went to heaven a long time ago to await the resurrection to eternal life that will be given to all believers. But while Ezekiel is gone, that doesn’t mean God has stopped sending watchmen to the people of this world. In fact, our text for today is a reminder that THE LORD HAS SENT YOU A WATCHMAN. The Lord has sent someone, or more likely, several “someones”, to warn you about the eternal consequences you face if you don’t repent of your sin.
(THE LORD HAS SENT YOU A WATCHMAN.)
(I. …to speak His Word to you. [v. 7])
(II. …to turn you from your ways. [vv. 8 & 9])
I.
[And] so, this watchman hasn’t been sent to you just to give you good advice or to tell you words of human philosophy or to speak words of positive affirmation. Rather, the Lord has sent you a watchman to speak His Word to you. We see the very thing happening with Ezekiel in our text when it says, “[The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and said,] “7 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.”
Ezekiel is a prophet equal in importance to Isaiah and Jeremiah, and yet, most know very little about him. The thing most know about him is that he had the vision of “The Valley of Dry Bones”, but that’s about it.
There are probably two reasons why Ezekiel isn’t as well-known as Isaiah and Jeremiah. First, his content is very difficult to understand. Much of his book could be classified as “apocalyptic” literature. This is literature that’s associated with signs and symbols. The book of Revelation is the apocalyptic literature most people know. In fact, in order to understand the book of Revelation, you really need to understand Ezekiel. [And] so, because of Ezekiel’s writing style, he’s very difficult to understand, even though his writing is very Christological as it looks forward to the coming of the promised Messiah.
Then, the second reason Ezekiel is less known than Isaiah and Jeremiah, is because he prophesied outside of the Promised Land. In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem for the first time, and he took many of the leaders and their families into exile back to Babylon. Since Ezekiel’s father was a priest, he and his family were taken into exile because noble people were considered to be valuable to the conquering kingdom. So then, shortly after that, around 593 B.C., Ezekiel 1 tells us that the Lord called Ezekiel to be his prophet to the exiles in Babylon, as well as to the people who were still living in Judah.
Of course, Judah and Babylon weren’t near one another, so getting messages to the people in Judah wasn’t easy. Additionally, the people in exile in Babylon weren’t as free as they were when they lived in Judah because they were basically prisoners of the state. So, hearing the message God was speaking to the people through Ezekiel had its difficulties.
Nonetheless, the Lord called Ezekiel to be His prophet, and that’s what Ezekiel did. He spoke God’s Word to the people of Judah, and to anyone else who would listen.
But, how did the Lord get His messages to Ezekiel? How did Ezekiel know what to say?
This is very important because there’s a lot of misunderstanding in regards to how we hear from the Lord. You’ll hear people say something like, “Prayer is a two-way conversation. God speaks to you while you pray if you just listen.” However, nowhere in the Bible does God promise to speak to you in prayer. In fact, prayer is a one-way conversation. You speak to God, and He listens. Certainly, He responds, but He doesn’t respond to you through Your prayer. But, God does respond, so we’ll get to that in a moment.
You’ll also hear people claim that God places things upon their heart or He’ll put thoughts in your head or you can hear God talk to you if you just sit quietly and clear your mind of all your distractions. But, God hasn’t promised to speak to you in any of these ways.
In fact, rather than clearing your mind or sitting quietly, the Bible tells you to do the exact opposite. Philippians 4:8 says, “[W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” [And] then, Psalm 1:2 tells us that the blessed man, “…delight[s] … in the Law of the Lord, and on His Law he meditates day and night.”
Therefore, if you want to hear what God is saying… if you want to know His response to your prayers… you hear His Word by reading the Bible or by coming to the Divine Service to hear God’s Word preached and taught. Additionally, you hear God’s Word joined to water in Holy Baptism which drives out demons and washes away all your sin. You also hear the Word of Jesus in Holy Absolution spoken to you by the pastor. [And] finally, you hear God’s Word when the body and blood of Jesus are placed into your mouth to fill you with the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith. This is how the Lord has promised to speak His Word to you. He talks to you through His Word and Sacraments.
Therefore, when the Lord spoke His Word to Ezekiel, the Lord did so in some physical form. All throughout the book of Ezekiel, you read the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to me.” This wasn’t some abstract, indistinct coming of God’s Word. Instead, this was a very definite and distinguishable coming and speaking of the Word.
As you consider this, first, you need to remember that John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word of God from all eternity. So, this means that it’s the second Person of the Trinity Who was speaking to Ezekiel. Then second, when God’s speaks, it’s very certain and concrete. There’s no questioning the Word, and the reason there isn’t is because the Lord speaks to you through some physical form. In the Old Testament, the Son of God would take on some visible form to speak directly to the prophets.
The best example of this might be when the Lord called Samuel when he was still a boy while he was sleeping in the Tabernacle. 1 Samuel 3:10 says, “And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
[And] so, when the Lord spoke to the prophets, it was always audible, very definite, and physical. No doubt, the Lord would appear through visions or dreams. But again, He would appear to the person. He took on some physical and visible form.
Now certainly, the Lord can appear to you physically or even in a dream or as a burning bush or looking like an angel (Judges 13:15-23) or appearing as a bright light (Acts 9:3-7) or in some other chosen form. That’s completely His decision. However, He’s never made anyone a promise to do such a thing.
Instead, what your Lord has promised to do is speak to you through Baptism, Holy Absolution, preaching & teaching, and the Lord’s Supper. [And] He’s promised to send you pastors to administer these gifts to you. In fact, the primary watchmen that God sends to you today are pastors. This is why Jesus says in Luke 10:16, to those who would become the first pastors, “The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me…”
This is why your pastor has the incredibly impossible task to fulfill in being the Lord’s watchman. Pastors are to preach God’s Word, only God’s Word, and all of God’s Word, at all times. This pulpit isn’t for sharing opinions or for story time or to support the preferred candidate in the upcoming election. The pulpit is for proclaiming God’s Word in all of its truth, purity, and authority.
In fact, this is why the pulpit is highly preferred and strongly encouraged for preaching a sermon. Anyone can stand in front of the congregation and give a speech, or conduct a Voters’ Meeting, or discuss the upcoming fundraiser, or give instructions for next week’s pot luck. But when the called and ordained servant of God’s Word stands in the pulpit, it signifies that he’s not preaching and proclaiming his own words, but rather, He’s preaching and proclaiming the very Word of God.
II.
[And] there’s nothing more important than this because it’s the Word of God that saves. It’s the Word of the Lord that breaks the stubborn sinful heart and then calms the terrified conscience with the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. [And] so, the Lord has sent you a watchman to turn you from your ways… to bring you to repentance. This is what the Lord told us was the purpose of Ezekiel in the second half of our text when He said, “8 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. 9 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.”
We often talk about repentance, but we don’t always know what it means. Or, we think we know what it means, but we end up making it something we do.
The Small Catechism explains it very simply in the section under “Confession”. It tells us that confession or repentance has two parts, “First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.”
Now, you don’t confess your sins all on your own. Rather, God’s law must be proclaimed to you so that you see your inability to earn your salvation and fix your broken relationship with God. So, as a result of the proclamation of the law, you confess, as you did today, that you are “by nature, sinful and unclean” and that you’ve “sinned against [God] in thought, word, and deed by what [you’ve] done and by what [you’ve] left undone”.
But then, in the midst of your despair, the Lord tells you, through His watchman, the pastor, that all your sins are forgiven on account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for you. [And] so, repentance is actually something that’s done to you. The Holy Spirit comes upon you through God’s Word, and He causes you to repent… to confess your sins and receive Christ’s forgiveness.
This, then, is the purpose of the Church. In fact, Jesus tells us this very thing in Luke 24:47 where He says, “…repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [My] name to all nations…”
Of course, even though this is the task of the Church and her pastors, it’s not an easy task because people don’t like to hear about their sins. It makes us uncomfortable. It’s makes us question our ability to be a good person. Preaching God’s law and Gospel to get people to turn from their evil and sinful ways will commit the ultimate sin as determined by our culture. God’s Word, preached and proclaimed in all its fullness, makes people feel bad about themselves. It can make us feel ashamed, and that’s unacceptable and offensive in our society. As 2 Timothy 4:3 & 4 says, “3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” This is happening now… in our world, in our country, in our state, in our churches, and sometimes, even in this congregation.
But even if God’s Word isn’t appreciated, or received with open hearts and ears, it must be proclaimed… because look at the consequences if it isn’t. The Lord tells Ezekiel, and pastors, and even entire congregations what will happen to them if they aren’t faithful as His watchmen… if they don’t proclaim God’s Word as Jesus has directed them. The Lord says that, those who have His Word and don’t proclaim it… they will be guilty of the wicked person dying in his sin. That’s a pretty stiff warning.
The apostle James agrees with this. He says in James 3:1, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” There’s not a lot of comfort in those words. So, what this tells you is that preaching and teaching God’s Word is very serious business. The salvation of souls rests upon the proper proclamation of God’s Word.
But since this is so important, and since our sinful hearts would always choose the comforts of this world over the peace and joy of eternal life, as foolish as that may sound, the Good News is that the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave this task up to us to bring up enough strength and will-power within yourself to do this.
Instead, the Lord places his Word within the hearts and mouths of pastors and congregation members so that He causes us to desire and to do this work of proclaiming His law in all its sternness and His Gospel in all its sweetness.
In fact, in verses 8 & 9 in our text, the verb tense of the word “warn” in both verses could be translated as the Lord saying, “I will cause you to warn the wicked.” This is one of the reasons why it’s such an offense to the Lord when His Word isn’t spoken as it should be. It’s not the pastor who’s doing it. Instead, it’s the Holy Spirit speaking through him. [And] amazingly, this is true regardless of whether you’re a pastor, or a parent, or a grandparent, or an employee to your employer, or during any other situation in which God has given you the vocation to speak His Word. The Lord has placed His Word into your mouth and into your heart to speak it to those who need to hear it.
In fact, while pastors are the watchmen in the Church, it’s also true that you’re the watchmen in your homes. You’re the one that God has placed there to speak His Word to your children and grandchildren, or even in the opposite direction to your parents and grandparents.
No doubt, this isn’t easy. In many situations, it will cause friction and strained relationships. But of course, Jesus warned us about this. He said in Matthew 10:34–36, “34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
Certainly, this isn’t a pleasant thought. No one wants to be rejected by their children or parents or other family members. But even worse, no one wants to see their parents or children or other family members condemned to hell.
But, this is why the ability and the desire to be the Lord’s watchmen in the Church or in the home doesn’t come from within yourself. Instead, it comes from the Lord filling you with His Word. This, then, is why the Lord continuously calls you and leads you here to the Divine Service… because this is where that ability and desire is given to you and strengthened within you as Jesus fills you with His forgiving Word in Holy Absolution, preaching & teaching, and the Lord’s Supper. It’s through these means of grace that the Son of God comes to you, just as He came to Ezekiel, and He speaks to you the assurance of the forgiveness of His cross. [And] as a result, He strengthens you to be His watchman, but then, Jesus also forgives you for the times you’ve failed to be His watchman so that you can try again tomorrow.
[And] so, the Lord has sent you watchmen, primarily through His Church, in the pastors who have proclaimed God’s Word to you throughout your life. But, He’s also provided you with other watchmen in your life: your parents, your grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins & friends, and others who taught you God’s Word so that you could be enabled to live a life of repentance.
[And] the Lord has done this because He desires, more than anything else in the whole universe, for you to be saved. Therefore, you are the blessèd one in our Introit for today from Psalm 32 “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”. [And] you’re this person because you’ve heard God’s Word, and you continue to hear God’s Word, because through that Word Jesus has delivered your soul. Amen.
Now the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
