20. Watch

Sermon 20

Watch

(Acts 20:31)

The Apostle Paul, calling for the elders of the church, exhorted them to "watch." If it was necessary for the church members to watch in the early age of the church, it is equally as essential that all church members should watch today.

The leading question should be, who or what must I watch? I suggest first, we are to watch our worship. To worship God acceptably we must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). No man can worship God in spirit and in truth unless he worships God as His word directs. No one can worship God in spirit unless he renders spiritual worship. As no inanimate object has a spirit with which to worship God, no one can worship God by playing an organ.

I must watch my worship in partaking of the Lord's Supper; for if I eat and drink not of the flesh and blood of the Son of God I have no life in me (John 6:53). I am to continue in this worship (Acts 2:42). Continuing in it I meet upon the first day of the week to break bread and to contribute as I have been prospered (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). I grow strong from eating this spiritual food in worship to God, and I must begin to walk. As I walk I must watch my walk. Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). To walk by faith I must walk after the spirit (Romans 8:2). To walk after the spirit I must walk worthy of the vocation wherein I am called (Ephesians 4:1). Not only should I walk, but I should also run (Hebrews 12:1-2).

As soon as I begin to run I must watch my work. I must remember that God has created good works for me to walk in (Ephesians 2:10), and I must work out my salvation if heaven is to be my home (Php 2:12).

Taking up the second letter in our word "watch" I find that it is A. We use this initial for the word "aim." I should not only aim to be good, but I should aim to do good. I should erect a high moral standard, have some object in view, and strive to attain to that end. As soon as my aim is set high, and I am determined to be a useful member in the church of Christ, I must watch my actions. I must see that every move along the line of life is leading me to do the Master's will. Under the letter A, I must remember that the church of Christ is an army and every member is a soldier. Besides watching their deportment soldiers are expected to fight. No soldier can conquer his enemy and tell him all the time that he is fighting him but does not want to hit him nor do him harm.

The time has come in the church of Christ that many churches do not want a fighting soldier, or preacher, but they prefer to have some one who will please the sects. Neither Christ, Paul nor Peter pleased the sects, while here and no man in this life can please the sects by preaching what those men preached. In order to please the sects a man must preach another gospel, and Paul said if an angel should do such let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

Our third letter is T. We will let this stand for time. Let us watch our time. We are commanded to redeem the time, knowing the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). We are commanded not to be slothful in business. God requires us to give as we have been prospered. All our time is at our disposal, so we should watch, to spend it in God's service. I should watch my "talent." It was not the man with two, nor five, nor ten talents that was lost. But the man with only one, who refused to improve that one, was lost. If we have five talents and improve only two of them God will hold us responsible for the ones we do not improve. T also stands for tongue. Of all beasts, and birds, and serpents, and sea animals, James, in the third chapter of his letter says, the tongue is harder than any of them to control. With a constant guard over the tongue all the time it frequently breaksout and gets away and puts to work tales that do harm. How careful should we then be to watch the tongue!

We will let C stand for company. Should we watch our company? Yes. There are many good people led from the church by their company. We are expected to be an example to our company; yet when we associate with company who has 3 tendency to lead us from God and from His worship on the Lord's day we should watch them. Many pure girls have been lost by letting young men influence them to leave the worship on Lord's day and go to some place of worldly amusements instead.

Then we must watch our character. Our reputation is what the world thinks we are; our character is what God thinks we are. Then we should watch our character, and ever strive to have it approved of God. Some people will sacrifice their character, and openly neglect to do their duty in teaching the gospel for fear of ruining their reputation, or losing favor with the sects. They compromise the truth to have a good reputation with the sects.

C also reminds me of church—I must watch the church. I remember the church is the home of the family of God on earth, and that I am a member of that family. I remember that Jesus died for me and that I can not bring reproach upon His name, or family; that when I disobey His law not only I suffer, but the family suffers also. The family pride of this great family should be constantly before me to cause me to watch my conduct in the family of God.

The last letter in the word, "watch," is H. Bearing upon this subject we will use the word heart. I must watch my heart "with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Our Savior teaches that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. We should watch to control our hearts that we may always speak in such a manner that people will think of us as they did of the apostles. "They took knowledge of them" (from their talk which came from their hearts "that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

We must watch our hands. Paul commands us to work with our hands that we may be able to help those in need. Finally, as a reward for all our watchfulness the last letter reminds us of home. Our parental home in which we were born and associated with father, mother, sisters, and brothers was ordained of God. Our spiritual home, the church of Christ, was purchased with the blood of the Son of God. This home only gives us a foretaste of that home on the other side of death's river—a home whose builder and maker is God; where sickness and death do not come, where tears shall cease to flow, and partings are unknown. It is called a rest. Paul says it remains for the children of God.

Then how earnestly should we watch ourselves in all the departments of this life that heaven may be our eternal home!