To The One On The Throne

INTRO

If you have your Bible you can turn, once again, to Ezekiel 1. We have been in Ezekiel 1 for a month now and I figured it would be good to wrap it up today and move forward since there are 47 other chapters to look at in this book. Even though, we could and stay in this chapter longer. However, before we finish Ezekiel’s vision I thought it would be good to do one more short review to remind ourselves of what we have learned about Ezekiel, his world, and the vision that he is having.

SHORT REVIEW

-Ezekiel is by the Chebar Canal in the land of the Chaldeans. He is there because of the exile from Israel not walking in the commands of God. It is his 30th birthday and that is important because he is also supposed to be a priest, who are installed/commissioned on their 30th birthday. But he is 800-900 miles away from the temple, the place that he should be serving. But God shows up in a crazy way.

He first comes in a wind/storm with thundering and lightening. This is something Ezekiel would have been familiar with since he is a student of the scriptures and heard stories about God’s glory coming with a wind/storm. Then from the storm there are these living beings that have four faces, a body like a man, and feet like a calves foot. These are cherubim/seraphim that would have been influential for Ezekiel because they were what he grew up knowing for the temple. They were on the curtain to the Holy ofHolies, they were on top of the Ark and protecting the garden in Eden. They were temple imagery.

Underneath we have, does anyone remember? Ya the Eyeball wheels that were tall and awesome dude! there were wheels within a wheel and were unified by the Spirit.

Then Ezekiel tells us it was a really loud experience, like a sound of rushing water, the sound of the Almighty, the sound of tumult, and the sound of an army. But once these living beings stopped flying with the “godmobile” it got really quite so the one above them would speak. And above these living creatures there was someone above them.

That is what we are going to look at today, nice and slowly so we get too overwhelmed with who God is but, also can comprehend the significance of every detail that Ezekiel felt like he needed to share. So you ready? I’m excited, so much we better pray.

BODY

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire;

Okay, so Ezekiel finally turns his attention and our attention to the top of this vision. There is a throne like thing and it is like sapphire. So let’s talk about this sapphire and why Ezekiel felt like he had to add that detail. Because he could have just said there was a beautiful or a marvelous throne. Why the need to tell us that it was like sapphire?

SAPPHIRE SIGNIFICANCE

Share about how people are chasing after crystals today, it is just a highjacking of what God created to be good and point us to him, not to be worshipped.

Sapphire, also known as Lapis lazuli, was in Eden (Ezek 28:13) and on the breastpiece/ephod of the high priest (Ex 28:18) for remembrance, mediation, and can bring judgment

PICTURE

So this precious rock/jewel was in the garden in Eden and also used in the temple. Hmm, go figure, right? So while the priests had a shadow of the things in the temple, the substance is the actual throne of God being this beautiful jewel/stone. Ezekiel would have been used to knowing about this jewel but to see it in this amount and for God’s throne must have rocked him (pun intended) to the core. Because God’s throne was to remind him of Eden, the covenant, mediation, and judgment. This is why he had to put in this detail, it would have caused any jewish reader hearing/ reading this to be in awe of a God who sat on this throne.

Now this might feel out of place or strange that I’m going to mention this now because, as far as I know, not many of you struggle with what I am talking about. Who knows, maybe someone listening is and the Lord wanted me to share it just for you. But I think it is important to bring up the deception that people are buying into for buying crystals and stones for energy and to get healing. I will confess and say I did not know about this, and still feel pretty new to it, until I was listening to a podcast about a woman who was a witch for 25 years became a christian. And she was talking about how she was dabbling in a lot of things, one of them being crystals and stones. And she was saying that Christians are actually buying in to this stuff thinking that they should have a little bit of Jesus and a little bit of some crystal energy. Not a great idea.

Because here is the point that we need to see, anything God created, the enemy will distort. Anything good, such as crystals, or sex, or even food, when it starts to become something that we worship, bow down, think that it is going to bring about healing even, it can be dangerous. So this obviously could be a much longer conversation, but my two cents if you are dabbling in stones, get rid of them. Spend more time in the Bible and see the one true source of life.

Alright, with that let’s keep reading and see who is seated on this beautiful throne.

and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.

When I was growing up there was a hymn that we sang called “I want to walk as a child of the light. And the chorus has always stuck in my mind and come randomly at times, but I think it encapsulates this picture of what Ezekiel is describing here. The chorus goes

“In Him there is no darkness and all, the light and the day are both alike. The lamb is the light in the city of God. Shine in my heart Lord Jesus.”

John tells us in 1 John that this is the message that Jesus told us, that God is light. There is no shadow in him. He is an all consuming fire. And Ezekile is trying to help us understand the brightness of this vision and of the one on the throne. He like gleaming metal, he is like fire that has brightness all around him. What a picture of brilliance, light, and beauty.

28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

So not only was God like gleaming metal and fire, but the whole appearance of this vision was like the rainbow in the sky. Colors everywhere! And this connection of God’s throne, and the rainbow colors that Ezekiel was trying to show us and connect the dots for everyone who was reading this.

APPEARANCE OF THE BOW SIGNIFICANCE

God was showing Ezekiel that he is still full of mercy while in Exile

1. How do we know this? Well if you know the story of Noah and the ark, you know that after the flood God made a covenant with all mankind and animals that he would never flood the earth again. Even though the evil in their hearts would not get better, God would not wipe people out like that ever again and the sign of this covenant would be the bow in the sky. A sign of mercy. So Ezekiel knew that story like the back of his hand. And he also knew about the Ark of the covenant where the cherubim were covering with their wings the mercy seat. That is what God labeled it, not Moses. God calls it, where his presence is, the mercy seat. And here we see that it is all consuming for God to be full of mercy. What an incredible reminder!

a. This makes me want to pause and remind us of something that I shared when we first started Ezekiel that I think could be encouraging to someone today.

God is full of mercy in your exile seasons of life

I wish I could communicate how powerful this can be fore us here today. Maybe you might feel like you are in an exile like season. Where everything in your life has been flipped upside down. Where the familiar is no longer and you don’t even know up from down some days.

-The thing the enemy will try to do in these times is creep in and distort your view of God. He will tell you that God does not love you anymore, doesn’t care about you, is punishing you for something. When those are all anti-Gospel. Nothing can separate you from the love of God Romans 8 says, Peter tells us in his letter that we should cast all our cares on him, why? Because he cares for you. And he is not punishing you for some sin because that would mean that Jesus didn’t get that sin when you were on the cross. Could there be a disciplining happening? Possibly, but he discipline those he loves Hebrews 12 tells us. So today I pray if you are going through a exile like season of your life, there would be a refreshing wind hitting your soul with the presence of God who is full of mercy.

Okay, lets read how Ezekiel summarizes this incredible moment/vision that he has.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Such was the appearance of the glory of the Lord and I fell on my face. This was Moses’ response when he was in God’s glory, this was Joshua’s response when the angle showed up, Elijah’s response when the fire of God came down, and John in the book of revelation when he saw the resurrected Jesus, he fell on his face as dead. So that is appropriate response for Ezekiel, yes? Because that was the same glory that would fill the temple that could kill people if they were not right with God. This was the same glory that Isaiah saw and said “Woe is me! A man of unclean lips in a land of unclean people”

And yet, here is the crazy part. Are you ready. We have seen this glory.

APPLICATION

You don’t have to turn there but I want to show you a couple of verses and then show you a crazier vision than Ezekiel’s, if you can believe that to be possible.

Hebrews 1:3-4 says 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Jesus, the one you and I follow and worship, is the exact imprint, the radiance of the glory of God. The Glory in the highest as the Christmas story tells us in Luke 2.

Colossians 1 tells us this:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Jesus is God. He is one with the father. And with this understanding, we need to read about a crazier vision than Ezekiel found in Philippians 2. So if you have your Bible please turn there so you can see this for yourself this morning.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I have wrestled with this most of the week and I found myself asking some questions that I though may be helpful for all of us today.

With this vision of God’s glory seen in Jesus, what is the response that I am having? Is there adoration? Is there reverence? Is there a reality of God being big and me being small? A bowing down? An understanding that my body is not my own and it was bought at a price. I don’t want to put a specific action to this because it is easy to do an action and then check it off. But thinking about how Jesus brought us into this throne room through his cross and resurrection. When we are singing about these things, thinking on these things, is there any king of response in our hearts? Which made me dig deep and say well, why would we (myself included) not be responsive to this? Why is there any kind of apathy in my life with knowing about what Jesus has done?

REASONS FOR AN UNRESPONSIVE HEART TO THE GLORY OF JESUS

Distracted-too busy, too much phone time. Not able to slow down and spend a moment realizing the breath I have in my lungs is given to me by the creator of the universe. Why did Ezekiel have this vision and not someone else? He was sitting by a river. He was not busing himself.

Unfamiliar- Maybe you did not grow up “this way” or may feel like it is “not you.” But as believers didn’t we put aside all of that when we followed Jesus? Didn’t he say, If any man comes after me he must deny himself pick up his cross and follow me? That seems like my preferences and desires are not king anymore and Jesus and His ways are.

Entitlement- I grew up in church. I know this, Jesus loves me this I know. I’m good, I got my ticket to heaven I don’t need to do anything else. Isn’t that grace? No, grace empowers you to love God with everything. Heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Not changing our perspective- Colossians 3 tells me that I should be setting my mind on things above, not on things below, but where Christ is, seated at the right hand of the glory of God. I have a choice to look at Jesus, reflect on Jesus, look to Jesus, or to ignore him. Maybe I am more focused on the Ted talks and the “how to get a better life” messages and forget to fix my eyes on Jesus. To set aside every weight and sin that clings so closely and run the race with perseverance and endurance. Maybe I am seeing God as small rather than seeing him as glorious, powerful, majestic, beautiful, and holy. Reverence is not found in our clothing, or if we sing hymns or if we do liturgy or even if we raise our hands or whatever we picture when we hear about a person that is reverent. But is our faith growing? Is there a desire to get into the word? Into christian community? A desire to worship him with everything we have?

So these are some thoughts, some reflections on us as new believer Christians seeing the glory of God in Jesus and why is our response so blah? Not saying this is all the time, but it can happen. So what do we do if we realize that this is our response?

WAYS TO HAVE A RESPONSIVE HEART

Ask for more of the Holy Spirit in your life

If there is something dead that needs to come alive, it needs breath in it. The ruach of God, the Spirit wants to breathe on our cold, lackluster hearts, so that we can be passionate and responsive to the Glory of God. Ask for the Holy Spirit to come fill, breath, move in your life in a way that wakes you up. It could surprise you what happens.

Focus on Jesus

Maybe take these scriptures that I mentioned today and just focus on them for a while. Meditate on them, look at them not as another verse but as a way to know Jesus deeper. There is something profound about meditation, looking at a text over and over, talking it on walks or runs. Reading it out loud. Praying it. Just putting yourself in a crock pot with it (not literally) with God’s word so that you can just know God, nothing else than that.

Get uncomfortable.

If you want to grow a muscle, you get uncomfortable by putting new pressure on it with weights or an exercise that you usually don’t do. If you want to learn something new, you pick up books or different videos that you usually don’t view or read. You get out of your comfort zone because you realize that you won’t grow in a place of comfort. Maybe say no to that thing that you know you don’t need to do but keep doing and spend time with the Lord. Maybe it is shutting off the T.V or phone for a while and spending time worshipping. Maybe it is getting in a life group. Maybe it is something that you know you are supposed to be doing but just haven’t.

END WITH COMMUNION