POINT MAN ON PATROL

Text:          Ezekiel 22:30

By:             Kaine, Marvis

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“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Introduction

In military language, the Point Man is the soldier who walks at the front of a patrol.

• He is the first to:
• detect danger
• observe suspicious movement
• protect those coming behind him.

The entire patrol depends on the alertness, courage, and awareness of the point man.

If the point man is careless, the whole group can fall into danger.

Today our families are moving through enemy territory.

The enemy is not always visible, but he is active. The Bible reminds us that our battle is not merely physical.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers…” — Ephesians 6:12. 

Homes today are under attack through:

• Moral confusion
• spiritual neglect
• cultural pressure
• destructive influences.

In the midst of such conditions, God made a painful statement in our text. “I sought for a man… who would stand in the gap… but I found no one.” 

God was not searching for:

• the strongest man
• the richest man
• the most educated man.

He was searching for someone willing to stand. Today we will consider what it means to be a Point Man on Patrol, leading our families through enemy territory.

And though the message speaks strongly to men, it also challenges every believer—men and women—to stand in the gap for their families.

1. The Point Man Must Recognize the Enemy

A soldier cannot defend against an enemy he refuses to acknowledge.

Many homes today are suffering because the enemy entered unnoticed.

Jesus warned in John 10:10:

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.” 

The enemy attacks families in many subtle ways.

• Spiritual Neglect
• When prayer disappears from the home…
• When Scripture is rarely opened…
• When God becomes a Sunday-only experience…
• The enemy finds open doors.
• Cultural Pressure

The world constantly reshapes values. What God calls sin, society calls freedom. What God calls holy, society calls old-fashioned.

Romans 12:2 warns us:

“Do not be conformed to this world.”

Digital Influence

Today many people are discipled more by screens than by Scripture. Phones, social media, and entertainment now shape thinking, attitudes, and beliefs.

If the Point Man is not spiritually alert, the enemy will train the family.

Illustration: The Sleeping Watchman.

There is an old story about a watchman whose duty was to guard a city wall during the night. One night he became tired and fell asleep. While he slept, enemies quietly entered the city gates.

By the time the alarm was raised, the damage had already been done.

• The watchman did not attack the city.
• He did not invite the enemy.
• But his sleep allowed the enemy to enter.

Many homes today are suffering not because parents are evil, but because they are spiritually asleep.

Jesus said:

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” — Matthew 26:41

A Point Man must stay awake.

2. The Point Man Must Walk Ahead Spiritually

• The point man is not pushed forward by others.
• He walks ahead.
• In the same way, spiritual leadership in the home begins with personal example.

Joshua declared boldly:

• “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” — Joshua 24:15
• Notice Joshua did not say:
• “As for my wife and children…”
• He said:
• “As for me first.”
• Leadership begins with personal obedience.

Children learn more from what they see than from what they hear.

If the father prays, studies the Word, and lives faithfully, the family sees a living example of faith.

Illustration: The Umbrella

• Imagine a father walking in the rain with his children.
• If he carries a large umbrella and walks ahead of them, the children remain covered.
• But if he drops the umbrella, everyone behind him becomes wet.
• Spiritual leadership works the same way.

When the leader walks with God, the family receives protection.

But when the leader neglects his spiritual life, the family becomes exposed.

3. The Point Man Must Protect the Family

The responsibility of the point man is protection.

Protection today is not only physical.

It is also:

• spiritual
• moral
• A wise leader protects the atmosphere of the home.
• Protecting Time with God
• Life is busy.
• But when schedules remove God from the home, spiritual strength begins to fade.

Protecting Moral Boundaries

• What enters the home matters.
• Books, conversations, media, and influences can either build faith or weaken it.
• A leader must guard what shapes the minds of the family.
• Protecting Unity
• The enemy often attacks homes through division, bitterness, and unresolved conflict.
• A wise leader works to maintain peace and reconciliation.

Jesus said:

“Blessed are the peacemakers.” — Matthew 5:9.

4. The Point Man Must Stand in the Gap Through Prayer

• In ancient cities, the wall protected the people from enemies.
• But when the wall was broken, there was a gap.
• If enemies entered through that opening, the entire city could fall.
• Sometimes a soldier would step into that broken place to stop the enemy from advancing.
• That is the picture God used in Ezekiel 22:30.
• God was searching for someone willing to stand between destruction and the people.
• Prayer is where we stand in that gap.
• When parents pray for their children…
• When believers intercede for their homes…
• When someone cries to God on behalf of their family…
• They are standing in the gap.

Illustration: The Broken Wall

When a wall had a breach, one soldier sometimes stood inside the opening to stop enemies from entering.

• He risked his life to protect everyone behind him.
• That is what prayer does.
• Prayer places us between the enemy and the people we love.

A man once shared the story of his childhood.

• He said his father was not rich, famous, or highly educated.
• But every night the children would wake up and hear a sound from their parents’ room.
• It was their father praying.
• Sometimes they heard him mention each child’s name:
• “Lord protect my son… guide my daughter… keep them from evil.”
• Years later when the children were grown, one of them said:
• “We never understood it then, but now we realize something—our father was fighting battles for us that we never even saw.”

That man said:

“My father was the Point Man for our family.”

Many of us are standing today because someone prayed for us.

Perhaps it was:

• a mother
• a father
• a grandmother
• a faithful believer.
• Someone stood in the gap.
• Now it is our turn.

Conclusion

God’s question still echoes today:

“I sought for a man who would stand in the gap…”

But this call is not only for men.

It is for:

• fathers
• mothers
• grandparents
• young believers.

Our families are walking through enemy territory.

But God is not looking for perfect people.

He is looking for faithful people willing to stand.

Final Appeal

• Who is standing in the gap for your home?
• Who is praying for your children?
• Who is guarding the spiritual walls of your family?
• God is still searching.
• May He not say again:
• “I found no one.”
• Instead may He find people who will say:
• “Lord, I will stand in the gap.”
• And may every home here have a Point Man on Patrol.

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