International Sunday School November 23, 2025
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. 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.
10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
12 “And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. 13 Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. 14 Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
(Ezekiel 33:7–16, ESV)
Text To YouTube Video
Hi, I’m Donnie Bryson. Welcome to another edition of the International Sunday School Lesson. Today’s lesson is for November 23, 2025. It’s taken from Ezekiel 33:7-16. The title of today’s lesson is, “Ezekiel’s Responsibility.” The lesson focuses on Ezekiel as God’s watchman. This is the same imagery that God used when Ezekiel was called as a prophet in Ezekiel 3:16-21. That FIRST time God used the imagery in the personal calling of Ezekiel. The second time Ezekiel is proclaimed a watchman to the people. This second time is during the twelfth year of the exile. That’s right before Jerusalem was utterly destroyed.
A Watchman
Every preacher, every Sunday School Teacher, every parent, every school teacher should pay close attention to this section of scripture. We are all setup as watchman to the folks we serve.
Ezekiel 33:7 ESV
“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.
Watchmen were very common in the ancient world. They were usually stationed in a tower. Their job was to be a lookout for danger and warn the city when an enemy approached. God proclaimed Ezekiel to hold this office spiritually for the people.
Warn
Sin is all around us. We’re all confronted with people in danger from the consequences of those sins. Be the faithful watchman.
Ezekiel 33:8–9 ESV
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.
Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13–16 (ESV) “13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” We must proclaim the truth to this lost and dying world.
How Can We Live?
It is often folks feel helpless when they realize the depth of their sin. That’s how some of the folks felt at the impending destruction of Jerusalem. God wanted them to know that they could repent. God would accept them if they repented. We MUST proclaim that same message in the day we live. God will accept the repentant.
Ezekiel 33:10–11 ESV
“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
James says in James 4:6–10 (ESV) “6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
“Sicut vita finis ita mors” (As is the end of life, so is the death).
We all have different phases in our lives. I’ve had periods in my life when I was an ungodly sinner without any concern for the things of God. I’ve had periods of time when I was fervently working and living for God. Here’s a section of scripture that teaches an extremely important concept. The state we are in when we die is the state we will be judged for ALL eternity. Friends, we don’t know when we are going to die. Keep that lamp trimmed and burning.
Ezekiel 33:12–13 ESV
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
Jesus said in Luke 12:37–40 (ESV) “ 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Restoration
God will accept the repentant. Confessing and fleeing our sins will give us life.
Ezekiel 33:14–15 ESV
Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
God will take us back if we seek Him.
Forgiveness
Thank God He will forgive us!
Ezekiel 33:16 ESV
None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
John said in 1 John 1:9 (ESV) “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Concluding Thoughts
Let me leave you with these concluding thoughts. First, the state you are in when you leave this world is the state you will be judged in. Be careful and vigilant because you don’t know when that moment will occur. Second, you can come back to God no matter how bad you have been. God doesn’t want to destroy us. He loves us. He’ll take us back. Third, make sure you speak the message that God would have you relay to the folks around you. God will hold us accountable for what we say or DO NOT say. Well friends, good Lord willing, I will be back with you next weekend.
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