The Four Faces of A Spiritual Man / Ezekiel 1:1-10 NIV
INTRO: I want to you for a subject this morning - “The Four Faces of a Spiritual Man”.
In doing so, I want to turn your attention to a portion of the Scriptures that were term as Apocolyptic Literature – It is God Almighty speaking of the future from the life and spiritual experience of the speaker. In this case, we are hearing prophetically from the Prophet Ezekiel.
As you turn to this OT prophet, let me draw your attention to the fact that this section of verses is under the heading “The Living Creatures and the Glory of the Lord”. The glory of the Lord has always represented the epitome of spirituality. ** HOLD YOUR PLACE IN EZEKIEL 1 right now and let me say a couple of things about the glory of the Lord…..MARK YOUR PLACE in Ezekiel 1.
The glory of the Lord demands a response! Look with me at II Chronicles 7:1-3.
1) It was the glory of the Lord that filled the house when Sollomon dedicated the temple. The Book of II Chronicles tells us that when the temple of God was dedicated, “fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” It goes on to tell us that this glorious presence of God was so powerful that the “priests could not enter the temple”. In addition to that, the glory of the Lord caused the Israelites to “kneel with their faces to the ground worshipping and giving thanks unto the Lord”.
The glory of the Lord demands a spiritual response!
It was the glory of the Lord again in the NT, when John the Apostle was exiled to the rocky island of Patmos and shown a vision of the glorified Christ. Look with me at Revelation 1:14-17—
2) Verse 14 has the head and the hair of the Lord white like wool and his eyes blazing like fire. Verse 15 states that his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Verse 16 pictures Him with the church in his hand and the Word of God coming out from his mouth. And this glory of the Lord results in Verse 17….John says, “I fell at his feet as though dead.”
The glory of the Lord demands a spiritual response. You and I must respond to the glory of the Lord. Spiritual encounters demand a response.
Let’s go back to Ezekiel 1:1-10 --
1:1
In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
1:2
On the fifth of the month--it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin--
1:3
the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was upon him.
1:4
I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,
1:5
and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man,
1:6
but each of them had four faces and four wings.
1:7
Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.
1:8
Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings,
1:9
and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
1:10
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
I want to share with you what the life a spiritual man will be like. This prophet has unfolded for us the characteristics of the glory of the Lord in our lives. He has proclaimed for us what our “face” should look like if you will.
Look again at verse 10 - 1:10
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel’s vision has some striking imagery in it. It’s enough to make anyone take notice. But there is a message in this picture of a being with four faces.
That’s right – each being had four faces. (Pause) Don’t be surprised. Some of us have had two faces. Some of us have a face for one group of friends and a face for the others. Can I get an amen?
Four faces! The four faces of a spiritual man/woman.
The four faces that reflect the character of Christ in our lives.
The four faces that imitate His face.
The four faces that we will have if we allow the Holy Spirit to make us
Into disciples that reflect the very image of Jesus.
The first is …..
1)THE FACE OF AN OX
Under the Law of Moses, the sins of Israel could only be atoned for by the sacrificial shedding of blood of an innocent animal. (While you and I understand as NT believers that Hebrews tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission/forgiveness of sin”) We realize and enjoy the benefit of Jesus Christ, God’s supreme sacrifice, fulfilling the very purpose of his life – He shed his blood on the cross of Calvary for your sins and mine.
The life that Christ lived was a SACRIFICIAL LIFE. Somebody say “sacrifice”.
The OX, among others was that animal of sacrifice in the OT. So in Ezekeil’s vision, the OX represents sacrifice. The Spiritual man, touch and renewed, on fire for the Lord will recognize that his life is to be a life of SACRIFICE. We willingly lay down our lives and take up the cross and follow JESUS. No more do we live our lives according to our plans, but HIS PLAN for our lives. We sacrifice our life. We, as Paul reminds us in the 12th chapter of Romans, become “living sacrifices” as a reasonable act of worship….a reasonable service to the Lord.
The OX, was also a beast of burden. He represents SERVANTHOOD. Somebody say “servant”. Our lives are not only to be sacrificial lives, but lives of SERVANTHOOD to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus gave us the very best example of SERVANTHOOD. He washed the feet of the disciples. When the conversation around the table of fellowship was “Who is the greatest among the disciples Lord?” …Jesus said, “the Greatest is He who is servant”. He took a towel and a basin of water and washed the disciples feet. After all, when you walked the dusty roads of Israel, your feet became very dirty. It was fitting to wash the feet when you arrived at someone’s home or at a special event.
And after Jesus washed the feet of his disciples he said in John 13:14-17
13:14
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
13:15
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
13:16
I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
13:17
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus was our example of a SERVANT. He was our example of SACRIFICE. And if we are truly the SPIRITUALLY renewed people that God has called us to be, we will have the face of an OX, the face of sacrifice.
The 2nd face that Ezekeiel’s vision speaks of is ….
2)THE FACE OF A MAN
This face represents RELATIONSHIP, and again, we find the perfect example in Jesus. Jesus did not live a solitary life. He was part of an earthly FAMILY with extended family ties. He lived in a COMMUNITY with Jewish friends and neighbors.
When he began public ministry he chose to share it in RELATIONSHIP
With 12 handpicked men. With these 12, he shared his life, his ministry, his suffering. This life of service to the Lord is meant to be shared in every RELATIONSHIP that you have – in the family, in the community, on the job, in public – in every relationship you have, you are called to share your relationship with Christ. The SPIRIT-RENEWED life will do that.
When Saul, who later became the great Apostle Paul….became a believer, the very first thing that happened to him was that he was blinded by the Lord and when he opened his eyes as a Christian….the first thing he saw was the FACE OF A MAN --- Ananias was his name. That special relationship that Saul had with Ananias was powerful. Ananias was used to bring healing to Saul, to baptize him, and to lead him to the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
You and I need RELATIONSHIPS. The face of a man shows us our need for valuable, life-affirming relationships. And if we are the Spiritual people that God has called us to be….if our lives are going to represent the GLORY OF GOD, we will constantly be on the look for such relationships.
The 3rd face that Ezekiel saw was ……
3)THE FACE OF AN EAGLE
The EAGLE represents TRAINING/DISCIPLESHIP as you increase in Christian maturity and godliness.
Psalms 103:5 says…
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Psalmist used this language because the Eagle’s life speaks much about the learning process; the process of discipleship. Eagle’s carefully and methodically train their young to SOAR, to FLY, and to HUNT.
They watch over them as they mature, encircling them, caring for them, and guarding them as the apple of their eye.
We all need the EAGLES in our lives as Christians. We need those individuals who can MENTOR us, TRAIN us, DEVELOP us into all that God has called us to be.
And if you and I are to live the lives that glorify God, one of the faces that we will have is the face of an EAGLE.
Eagles are aware that it’s the wind currents that bring them to the higher places. That’s what we need to know as DISCIPLES of the Lord. The “winds of adversity” are opportunities to grow stronger in the Lord…to SOAR HIGHER in the things of God.
Our lives will represent the glory of God when we grow and mature to the place where we have the FACE OF AN EAGLE to assist the younger in maturity and development in the things of God.
The 4th and final face that Ezekiel saw in his vision was …..
4) THE FACE OF A LION
This is the glorious face of a child of God; the face of a lion. This face represents our position as an OVERCOMER. It is the culmination of all the other faces.
1st we live SACRIFICIAL LIVES.
2nd we build RELATIONSHIPS and share that live of servanthood.
3rd we grow and mature and help others in discipleship.
And then we reach the culmination of all of that life --- we OVERCOME….we CONQUER the plans that the devil had for our lives.
We started our in COMPASSION and ended up with CONQUEST!
The enemy tried to stop us! He pulled out his greatest weapon to use against us – the weapon of FEAR. But FAITH kills FEAR. And Paul reminds us that….2 Timothy 1:7…For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (FEAR), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
And once we have that assurance…that spirit of power… the Bible says in Proverbs 28:1… that “the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
Lions hunt in packs. They work in conjunction with other lions in order to surround their enemies and cut off their escape.
They exemplify a TEAM EFFORT and this way they succeed where if they were ALONE they could possibly FAIL.
That’s what Jesus did. He formed excellent, discipled teams to go into cities and shake them up for the Kingdom of God. He gave them specific instructions. Look at Luke 10:1-3….
10:1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
10:2
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
10:3
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
In fact the Bible says that God continued to send out. Acts 17:6 says….”these men turned the world upside down”.
That’s what God has called you and I to do.
We have the face of an OX – the face of SACRIFICE.
We have the face of a MAN – the face of RELATIONSHIPS.
We have the face of an EAGLE – the face of TRAINING/MATURITY.
We have the face of a LION – we serve together and experience VICTORY.
That’s the face of a SPIRITUAL MAN/WOMAN.
That’s the face of a believer who is manifesting the GLORY OF GOD in their life.
That’s the face that God wants to see on every one of us.
It’s the face that Ezekiel saw. It’s the face that Daniel saw. And it’s the face that John saw in REVELATION.
Sir….Do you have the face of a SPIRITUAL MAN? Ma’am…Do you have the face of a woman who manifests the glory of God?
What about it young person? Do you have the hunger and desire to see your life bring glory to the Lord?
The glory of God brings a spiritual response. Let’s let our lives cause others to see the glory of the Lord.
