Watch

I'd like to read in Mark's Gospel, chapter 13. The Gospel according to Mark, chapter 13. Mark's Gospel 13, verse 37.

And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch. Let's read it again. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch.

The Lord has promised to bless to us a reading from his good word. No doubt you've noticed in your Bible that things are presented in five. You remember David had five smooth stones.

You remember Paul came to the Corinthians. Listen to what he said. He said this, I would rather speak five words with the understanding than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue.

And you know Paul went to Corinth with five words. You might say to me this morning, what was the five words that Paul went to Corinth? Listen to what he said. I'm determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

And Paul went to Corinth with five words. Ever noticed in your Bible that there are five garments that every Christian ought to wear? You might say to me this morning, what's the five garments that every Christian ought to wear? One is the breastplate of faith. The other is the girdle of humility.

The other is the robe of righteousness. The other is the garment of holiness. And the other is the great overcoat of love.

And that's five garments that every Christian ought to wear. Have you ever noticed in 1 Peter chapter 2, before we grow up and before we are built up and before we offer up and before we show forth, have you ever noticed there's five things that has to be laid aside? Malice and guile and hypocrisy and envy and evil speaking. Those five things have to be laid aside.

Now I'm the example this morning, the first speaker. There are five things that every Christian ought to watch. And I'm going to do something this morning I don't usually do in ministry, but I'm going to make it easy for you and I'm going to make it easy for me.

I'm going to give you an acrostic this morning of the word watch. Now there are five things that every Christian ought to watch. First of all, we have to watch our words.

Secondly, we've to watch our actions. Thirdly, we have to watch our thoughts. Fourthly, we have to watch our company.

And fifthly, we've to watch our hearts. And that's four, five things that every Christian ought to watch. Now very quickly, why have we to watch our words? Remember our words could be evil.

Listen to what the Bible says. Brethren, speak not evil one of another. And you and I have to watch our words because our words could be evil.

Secondly, we've to watch our actions for remember our actions could be evil. Bible says this, he that doeth evil hateth the light. And you and I have to watch our actions for remember our actions could be evil.

Thirdly, you and I have to watch our thoughts for remember our thoughts can be evil. Listen to what the Bible says. The imagination of the thoughts of their heart was evil continually.

Fourthly, you and I have to watch our company for remember our company can be evil. The revised reading of first Corinthians 15 says this, evil company doth corrupt good manners. And you and I can be evil in our company.

And fifthly, we can be evil in our hearts. Take heed, lest there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. And you and I have those five things.

Now let's think of them very briefly this morning. We've to watch our words. You remember in the Old Testament, there were three individuals smitten with leprosy.

Now, who are the three individuals smitten with leprosy in the Old Testament? There was Gehazi, there was Uzziah, and there was Miriam. And those three individuals in the Old Testament, they were smitten with leprosy. Now the question might be asked this morning, why were those three individuals smitten with leprosy? Let's think of the first man, Gehazi.

Why was Gehazi smitten with leprosy? Now listen with both ears. That man was a liar. Will I say that again? That man was a liar.

Now the question might be asked, who did that man lie to? He told a lie to Naaman. He told a lie to Elisha. And he told a lie to God.

You remember Proverbs chapter 6? Listen to a verse in Proverbs 6. There are six things that God hates. Seven are an abomination unto him. Now let me say three things about those seven and it's this.

Those things are hateful Godward. Those things are hurtful manward. And those things are harmful selfward.

I want you this morning to notice two of those seven things God hates. Listen to the first thing that God hates. God hates a lying tongue.

And God hates a false witness that uttereth lies. Was it Scrooge that put it good he said this? Gehazi the liar became Gehazi the leper. And that man was smitten with leprosy because of lying.

Go through the Bible this morning. What was the sin of the old prophet of 1 Kings 13? He lied to the young prophet. What was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5? Why has Satan filled thine heart? To lie to the Holy Spirit? Thou hast not lied unto men but thou hast lied unto God.

Listen to what the Bible says this morning. Put away lying. Speak truth everyone with his neighbor.

And Gehazi was smitten with leprosy because he lied. But come now to the second man and it's Uzziah the king. Remember Uzziah the king was a man that moved out of his sphere.

His job was to do the job of a king. But Uzziah wanted to be a priest. And priestly men told Uzziah something like this.

It pertaineth not to thee to burn incense unto the Lord. It was the office of the priest, not the office of the king. And because Uzziah moved out of his sphere, Uzziah was a leper unto the day of his death.

Smitten with leprosy because he moved out of his sphere. I want to come to the third one this morning. I want you to think about Miriam this morning.

And the question might be asked, what was the sin of Miriam? Listen to it this morning. Miriam was a sister that spoke evil of a man of God. And because she spoke evil of a man of God for seven days, Miriam was smitten with leprosy.

Now I want to challenge this audience this morning. I wonder is it possible that there is evil speaking amongst us? Watch your words. I remember in our home in Scotland when I was raised, we used to have a text on the wall.

And you know there were two verses on that text. The first verse was this, James 4 and verse 11, speak not evil one of another brethren. Second verse was Luke 2 and 38.

She spake of him to all. But what I want to emphasize this morning, you and I should watch our words. But remember, we can be vain, vicious, and vulgar in our speech.

So we have to watch our words. Secondly, but before I touch that, how did the Lord speak? Listen to it this morning. His speech was always with grace, seasoned with salt.

You remember Isaiah chapter 50? The Lord God hath given me the tongue of them that were taught that I might be able to sustain with words him that is weary. The Lord Jesus always said the right thing at the right time to the right people. Sometimes he said, weep not.

Other times he said, fear not. Other times he said, be not afraid, it is I. But then secondly, very quickly, let us come to our second thought. What about our actions? I want to remind this audience this morning, remember, in our actions we can be evil.

If I read my Bible correctly, I discover this. I read about dead works. I read about wicked works.

And I read about good works. When I think of dead works, I think of the self-righteous. When I think of wicked works, I think of the unrighteous.

When I think of good works, I think of those that are righteous. But I want to emphasize this morning one thing. You and I can be evil in our works, or you and I can be righteous in our works.

Let me give you one illustration, one example before I pass on. You remember Cain and Abel? You go through the Bible, you can contrast them in their worship. You can contrast them in their works.

You can contrast them in their works. Now let me give you one verse very quickly. Cain, his works were evil, but his brothers were righteous.

Now let me give you Christ as an example. When I think of works, you remember how the Lord Jesus is presented? In contrast to Moses. You remember Moses in Egypt? You read about his words first and then his works.

But when you and I consider the Lord Jesus this morning, he was the prophet who was mighty in his deed and in his words. Watch your works. Thirdly, very quickly, and this is the most important one, watch your thoughts.

Someone said this, we're not what we think we are, but what we think we are. The most important member of our body is our thought life. And you and I should be great thinkers.

Young Christian today get this, loose thinking leads to loose speaking. And loose speaking leads to loose living. Sober thinking leads to sober speaking.

And sober speaking leads to sober living. And every Christian should be a great thinker. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

I was reading Romans 12 this morning. Ever notice the thought of the mind in Romans chapter 12? In that chapter where we've to present our body a living sacrifice? Have you ever noticed the mind in Romans 12? Listen to three verses very quickly. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Listen to another verse. We've not to think of ourself more highly than we ought to think, but we've to think soberly. Listen to another verse in Romans chapter 12.

Mind not high things, but condescend to things that are lowly. And I tell you today, young Christian, older Christians, you and I should be great thinkers. Listen to one verse.

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, if there be any praise, you and I have to think on those things. You and I should be great thinkers. Fourthly, very quickly, we've to watch our company.

We've to watch our company. You read the Thessalonian epistle and you'll discover Paul writing to that young church, he brings before them three different ways in which they should be different from this world. First of all, the sleep that marks the world should not mark you and I as the people of God.

The sorrow that marks this world should not mark you and I as the people of God. And then, of course, the sin that marks this world should not mark you and I as the people of God. Think of those three verses very quickly.

Chapter 5, I read a verse like this. Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. The sleep that marks this world should not mark you and I as the people of God.

Secondly, chapter 4, the sorrow that marks this world, we sorrow not as others which have no hope, and the sorrow that marks this world should not mark you and I as the people of God. And then thirdly, the sin that marks this world, not in evil concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God. Now let me stop today for one moment.

Are we cruising with this world? Are we courting this world? Or are we conquering this world? Are we flirting with this world? Are we floating with this world? Or are we fighting this world? You know, when I was a young Christian, we were taught and taught and taught these words. Every Christian ought to be separated from the world in every shape and form. And we heard about the Egyptian world.

And we heard about the Moabitish world. And we heard about the Babylonish world. And we heard about the Sodomitish world.

And the cry today is this, come out from among them and be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing. Now finally, watch your heart. Well, I quote Robert Burns this morning.

I won't give you in Scotch, I'll give you in English. The heart is the part that makes us right or wrong. Let me ask you one question this morning.

What does the devil love? Two things. The devil loves a Christian to be half-hearted. A brother last night read from Deuteronomy.

You read through Deuteronomy and you'll discover this. The people of God, they had to seek Him. And they had to love Him.

And they had to serve Him. And they had to do it with all their heart. And with all their soul.

And with all their strength. Watch your words. Watch your actions.

Watch your thoughts. Watch your company. And watch your heart.

Keep your heart with all diligence. For out of it is the issue of life.