WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.600 Well, tonight we're beginning a new series on, it's a short series on the book of Ezekiel. 00:00:06.600 --> 00:00:11.080 Now Ezekiel, as many of you will know, is a massive book. 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:16.320 It's actually the fourth longest book of the Bible, if you count up all the words. 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:24.460 And it's a fascinating book, full of remarkable and unusual narrative and imagery. 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:29.519 But despite that, it's also maybe a bit of a neglected book, perhaps one that we don't 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:31.320 read that often. 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:38.119 And it's possibly fair to say that at first sight, it's not the most straightforward book 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:41.039 of the Bible to read. 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:48.799 Over the next six weeks, we're going to look at what we're entitling as six epic images 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.879 that are contained in this book. 00:00:51.879 --> 00:00:56.399 So tonight's title is Wheels and Wings, which is focusing on chapter one. 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:00.679 And we're going to look at the image of an abandoned baby in chapter 16, then the Watchman, 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:05.560 which is a theme running through the whole book, the Shepherd in chapter 34, the Valley 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:11.480 of Dry Bones, chapter 37, and then the last chunk from 40 to 48, the last eight or nine 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:16.799 chapters, look at this amazing image of a new temple. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:20.640 So rather than go through it sort of chapter by chapter, it's just a short study picking 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:27.319 out these six epic images that Ezekiel presents before us. 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:29.439 Tonight we're in chapter one. 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:31.760 Let's read again the first verse. 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:37.000 In the 30th year, in the fourth month, on the 50th of the month, as I was among the 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:46.400 exiles by the Hebar Canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:53.000 Now as we embark on this study in Ezekiel, it's important to begin by getting our bearings 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:54.240 a wee bit. 00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:59.000 And so approaching the book, it's maybe helpful just to ask three very simple questions, when, 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:05.040 where, and what as we approach this book. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:09.400 So when was Ezekiel written? 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:14.120 So if you look at an Old Testament timeline, you can see various key dates there. 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:20.719 So Abraham about 2000, 2100 BC, Moses 1400 BC, David is an easy one to remember, always 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:26.039 remember David 1000 BC, that's kind of a good one to remember. 00:02:26.039 --> 00:02:33.080 Follow the northern kingdom, Easter is in 722 BC, and follow the southern kingdom is 586, 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:38.800 and the return from exile is 535-ish. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:44.480 Where's Ezekiel? 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:47.120 It's about there. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:53.240 Ezekiel was a prophet between five, probably between 59, well definitely between 593 and 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.840 571 BC. 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:01.080 So it's at that time where the southern kingdom fell, when Jerusalem was destroyed and the 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:04.760 people were taken away to Babylon in exile. 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:11.039 When it says in verse one, the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiakene, that's 593 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:12.539 BC. 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:17.879 The reference to the 30th year, the very first clause of verse one is probably a reference 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:24.919 to Ezekiel's age, although we're not 100% sure that, but it's pretty likely. 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:29.959 What I want to emphasize is that this is a massively important time, both in world history 00:03:29.959 --> 00:03:33.159 and in terms of the Old Testament narrative. 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:35.639 You'll see there's some dates at the bottom of the slide there. 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:39.120 605 BC, the battle of Karchimish. 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:45.759 That was like, well if we talk about World War I, this was like World War Zero. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.280 This was a massive, massive battle. 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:53.639 It was between the Assyrians and the Babylonians, which was basically the two superpowers of 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:54.639 the day. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.599 Today it would be like the USA against China. 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:06.960 And at that battle, the old established power, the Assyrians who had dominated the world 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:14.000 for the last couple of hundred years, were defeated by the new rising power, the Babylonians, 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.000 under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.680 So there's a huge turning point in world history. 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:25.680 And Nebuchadnezzar and the rest of the Babylonian Empire began to spread their dominance across 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:28.519 the known world. 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:37.799 And bit by bit they conquered the land surrounding Jerusalem where God's people remained. 00:04:37.799 --> 00:04:44.959 In three stages, the Israelites were shifted from the promised land to Babylon. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:50.039 603, Nebuchadnezzar comes for the first time and he takes some people away, particularly 00:04:50.039 --> 00:04:54.479 the leading individuals in society among them would have been Daniel. 00:04:54.480 --> 00:05:00.560 597, there's a second deportation, the king gets taken and a bunch of other people including 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:01.879 Ezekiel. 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:09.560 And then the final stage is 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar returns to Jerusalem and this time he doesn't 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:18.680 just take people out, he destroys the city and the temple and the people go into exile. 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:25.879 And so Ezekiel is a prophet across this key stage both before and after that pivotal moment 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:27.720 when Jerusalem fell. 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:32.439 Later in the book you read in chapter 33 verse 21, in the 12th year of exile, in the 10th 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:39.199 month on the fifth day of the month, so this is now in 586, a fugitive came from Jerusalem, 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:44.720 came to him and said, the city has been struck down. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:53.680 Now we really have to try and grasp the magnitude of what is being said there. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:58.880 Imagine maybe today, if you turned on the news when you got home just now and it said 00:05:58.880 --> 00:06:04.440 the White House has been overrun and demolished. 00:06:04.440 --> 00:06:07.840 That would seem almost unthinkable to us. 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:15.399 But the Jews, Jerusalem and the temple being crushed and destroyed was unthinkable. 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.639 But here in the lifetime of Ezekiel it happens. 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:21.719 There's two other big prophets at this time. 00:06:21.719 --> 00:06:25.599 We mentioned Daniel already, the other one is Jeremiah. 00:06:25.599 --> 00:06:31.559 So when you think Ezekiel, think Daniel, think Jeremiah, they're all prophesying at the same 00:06:31.559 --> 00:06:33.519 time. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:34.519 So that's the when. 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:35.519 What about the where? 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:38.000 Well, the where is pretty straightforward. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:44.279 It's in the land of the Chaldeans, which is another word for the Babylonian Empire. 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:49.120 And that's an area in sort of southern area of modern Iraq. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:54.439 We're not 100% sure where the Habar Canal is, but it's probably about there, just slightly 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:56.039 south of Babylon. 00:06:56.039 --> 00:07:01.799 The key point is that it's not Jerusalem. 00:07:01.799 --> 00:07:04.039 It's not in the Promised Land. 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:12.640 It's a foreign land, a completely different geographical location for God's people. 00:07:12.640 --> 00:07:17.600 So the what, the where, and finally the when, the where, and finally the what. 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:19.160 And that's again pretty straightforward. 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.160 This is a book of prophecy. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:25.160 Ezekiel's called to be a prophet, and that basically means that he's here to be God's 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:26.160 spokesperson. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:27.520 That's what prophets did. 00:07:27.520 --> 00:07:30.640 They communicated God's word to the people. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:34.159 And throughout the Old Testament, you had different prophets speaking at different times 00:07:34.159 --> 00:07:35.560 and in different contexts. 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:39.680 But across all these prophets, they had one thing in common. 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:45.439 They all delivered a message of judgment and salvation. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:49.560 So whenever you read one of the prophets in the Bible, always have these two things in 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:53.719 mind, judgment and salvation. 00:07:53.719 --> 00:07:58.120 Another way of saying that is that Ezekiel and other prophets always delivered a message 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.480 of warning and of hope. 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:07.000 They warned the people of the dangers of abandoning God and turning away from their relationship 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:08.000 with him. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:15.840 But they also gave a message of hope that no matter how bleak things looked, there was 00:08:15.840 --> 00:08:20.840 God's offer and promise of salvation. 00:08:20.840 --> 00:08:28.100 And I suppose if you think about it, all the best and most important messengers that communicate 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:32.519 with us give us messages of warning and of hope. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:41.720 So if you are maybe heading into the sunset of your life and you had a very unhealthy diet 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:47.440 and a very inactive lifestyle and you went to your doctor, they would give you a message 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:51.440 of warning and of hope. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:56.000 They would say you can't carry on with that diet and lifestyle. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.919 But if you do address it, then you'll recover. 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:03.360 Same if your car is running badly, a good mechanic will give you a message of warning 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:04.360 and hope. 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:10.279 You'll say your car is going to conk out completely if you don't fix it, but I can fix it. 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.840 Same if you're not pulling your weight at work, a good boss would give you a message 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.120 of warning and of hope. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:20.679 Ezekiel as a prophet is presenting a warning of God's judgment against the wrongdoing of 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:21.679 the people. 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:28.479 But at the same time, he presents us with an amazing message of hope and salvation. 00:09:28.479 --> 00:09:32.479 So when you approach Ezekiel, when you think Ezekiel, you need to think in terms of the 00:09:32.479 --> 00:09:33.679 fall of Jerusalem. 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:37.279 You need to think in terms of the people going into exile. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.299 You need to think of judgment and salvation. 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:46.120 You need to recognize that this is a really, really low point in the history of the Old 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:47.120 Testament. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:54.279 In the midst of all of that mess, Ezekiel was called to be a prophet. 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:58.799 And his prophecy begins with this remarkable vision of chapter one. 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:04.759 And we can come to a chapter like this and we can think to ourselves, how do we read 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:09.440 a passage like chapter one? 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:15.000 We're told that Ezekiel sees a vision of God. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:18.480 And then the rest of the chapter tells us what he saw. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:24.960 And we're given this really quite astounding description of this vision that was presented 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:25.960 before him. 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:30.879 And we need to ask ourselves, how do you go about explaining and understanding a passage 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:31.879 like this? 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:37.879 What are all these wheels and wings and faces and fire about? 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:43.080 Well, coming to a passage like this, there's two mistakes that we can make. 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.840 The first mistake is that we can underanalyze it. 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:50.600 And we can think to ourselves, well, there's no way I can make any sense of this. 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:52.160 I can't get my head around it. 00:10:52.160 --> 00:10:53.800 That's not true. 00:10:53.800 --> 00:10:58.160 The Bible is never inaccessibly complicated. 00:10:58.160 --> 00:11:01.160 Even a passage like this most definitely can be understood. 00:11:01.160 --> 00:11:04.960 So we mustn't just underanalyze and think, oh, well, we've got no chance. 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:09.200 But at the same time, we must not overanalyze a passage like this. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:10.680 That's another mistake we can make. 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.959 We can look for too much in all of these details. 00:11:14.959 --> 00:11:18.919 There's a risk that we can read too many things into this passage. 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:20.279 And that's been done throughout history. 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:26.959 So for example, in verse six, I think, it speaks about four living creatures with four 00:11:26.959 --> 00:11:28.479 faces. 00:11:28.479 --> 00:11:32.839 Way, way, way back about 1500 years ago, there were some theologians who said that these 00:11:32.839 --> 00:11:37.639 four faces represented the four gospel writers. 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:41.759 So in the New Testament, you've got Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and so you've got four 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:42.759 of them. 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:43.759 You've got four faces. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:47.519 That's what these four faces are representing. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:55.679 But it wasn't just way back 1500 years ago that people were creative in their interpretations. 00:11:55.679 --> 00:12:01.039 One week ago, just one week ago, I read an article on the BBC News website, which was 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:05.720 a fascinating article about Christians with disabilities. 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:15.560 And they interviewed one person who said that passages in the Old Testament like this one, 00:12:15.560 --> 00:12:23.000 which talk about God's throne and which talk about wheels, lead us to the conclusion that 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.720 God has a wheelchair. 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:32.600 And therefore, he can identify with disabled people. 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:36.480 And now the points behind those interpretations are true. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.120 There were four gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:45.600 And God is deeply compassionate towards people who are disabled, and he understands what 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.159 they're going through. 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:54.800 But these conclusions are reading too much into a passage like Ezekiel 1. 00:12:54.800 --> 00:12:56.120 So how do we get it right? 00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:59.879 How do you read a passage like Ezekiel 1 and figure out what's this saying? 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:00.879 How should you approach it? 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:07.000 So you do need to ask questions, but we need to make sure it's the right questions. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:13.840 And I would maybe like to suggest that it's important to avoid the tiny questions. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:17.399 So sometimes you can come to a passage like this and ask tiny questions. 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:22.519 So you could say, why is the lion listed before the ox? 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:28.799 Or why is it that the lion's face is on the right and the ox's face is on the left? 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.159 Do the wheels have spokes, if so, how many of them? 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:36.799 And if there's a wheel within the wheel, how do the spokes not hit each other? 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:40.839 We can get bogged down into all sorts of little questions like these. 00:13:40.839 --> 00:13:45.559 And I'd like to say that these questions are completely unnecessary and are really quite 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:47.799 unhelpful. 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:52.120 Because we have to remember that this vision that Ezekiel saw is exactly that. 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:53.199 It's a vision. 00:13:53.199 --> 00:13:55.439 It's not to be taken literally. 00:13:55.439 --> 00:13:56.439 It's a picture. 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.360 It's not telling us that God literally has four faces. 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:04.120 It's not telling us that God is literally on fire all the time. 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:08.920 And the reason we know that is because as you, as Billy read through this chapter, he kept 00:14:08.920 --> 00:14:16.000 on repeating phrases like, as it were, and appearance, and like. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:22.160 So he saw a vision containing elements like fire, like human appearance, as it were gleaming 00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:23.160 metal. 00:14:23.160 --> 00:14:24.160 It's all a likeness. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:29.360 It's not literal, the tiny details are not the important point. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.799 And so instead of asking these tiny questions, we need to think about the big questions. 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:38.399 In other words, we need to ask, what is this imagery pointing us towards? 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.600 What should it make us think about? 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:45.199 And that's, it's with that in mind that we have to approach this passage. 00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:47.000 So if you want, you can close your eyes. 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:51.199 You don't have to, but I want you to either, with your eyes open or your eyes shut, use 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:55.280 your imagination and think, what's Ezekiel wanting us to think about? 00:14:55.280 --> 00:14:56.480 What do we see in this vision? 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:02.720 Well, you can imagine you're going to see clouds, big, big, big clouds. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:07.280 You're going to feel the wind, feel a really, really strong wind blowing against you. 00:15:07.280 --> 00:15:09.040 You see flashes of lightning. 00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:10.280 You see fire. 00:15:10.280 --> 00:15:11.720 You can feel heat. 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:15.120 It's really hot, like molten metal hot. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.920 You can hear noise rumbling, thundering. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:21.319 It's like a deafening waterfall, really, really loud. 00:15:21.319 --> 00:15:25.000 You can see these four living creatures, their wings are outstretched. 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.479 They're on some kind of platform and there's wheels. 00:15:27.479 --> 00:15:31.000 And the wheels have got wheels that go forwards and then they've got wheels that are probably 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:35.240 at 90 degrees going the other way, like a kind of gyroscope sort of shape. 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:40.519 And this chariot platform with wheels thing is constantly moving and it's moving fast 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:41.519 here, there. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.399 Quick, quick, quick, quick, it's darting. 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:44.399 It's bright. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:45.399 It's gleaming. 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:46.399 It's sparkling. 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:47.399 And it's big. 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.959 The wheels are very, very, very, very big. 00:15:50.959 --> 00:15:57.679 And above that chariot, there's a throne gleaming with fire, brightness all around. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:15:58.679 It's hot. 00:15:58.679 --> 00:15:59.679 It's loud. 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:00.679 It's bright. 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:01.679 It's windy. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:02.679 It's fast. 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:07.079 It is an epic image. 00:16:07.079 --> 00:16:13.399 And all of that imagery is showing us loads of important things about God. 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:18.799 And I'm going to list 10 of them very quickly. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.360 Number one, energy. 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:23.279 There is light, heat, noise, movement. 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:26.399 This is a God who's powerful and active. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:29.039 There's motion, constant movement in this chapter. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:30.360 It's not a static image. 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:31.639 It's not a static God. 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:33.000 He's not confined. 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:34.000 He's not restricted. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.000 He's not stuck. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:36.720 There is speed. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:37.720 Everything is fast. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:39.360 Now, often we think of God. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:43.360 We think of God as kind of slow. 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:48.480 But here we've been told to think of God as fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:49.560 There's brilliance. 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:51.240 Everything is gleaming, sparkling. 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:53.759 There's a majestic, stunning beauty in it all. 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.519 God's glory is shining really, really powerfully in this image. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:59.159 There's holiness. 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.000 So this imagery of fire is not just speaking of energy. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.759 It's also speaking of purity. 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:05.480 God is our holy God. 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.559 He's pure, undefiled. 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:09.960 Fire has that refining effect. 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:11.799 There's an unapproachableness to the whole thing. 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:13.639 You can't just waltz into the middle of a fire. 00:17:13.639 --> 00:17:15.279 You have to keep back. 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:18.079 These winged creatures express the same idea. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.879 You'll remember from other parts of scripture at Eden and in the temple, the winged creatures 00:17:22.879 --> 00:17:27.519 were almost like a kind of guard saying, no entry, keep back. 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:29.519 There's sovereignty. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:31.839 And so we have a throne. 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:34.240 We have that image of God's absolute authority. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.240 He's ruler. 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:36.240 He is judge. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:38.799 That's why we have a lion, an ox, and an eagle. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.879 You think of wild animals, who's the biggest, strongest wild animal? 00:17:41.879 --> 00:17:43.279 It's a lion. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:45.639 You think of domestic animals, who's chief among them? 00:17:45.639 --> 00:17:47.079 It's an ox. 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:48.240 You think of the birds. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.720 What's the biggest, strongest bird? 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:52.440 It's an eagle. 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:57.680 These are the ones who are rulers of their respective realms. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:00.000 And all the movement we're seeing is under complete control. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:02.240 Although God is fast, it's not chaotic. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:03.480 It's very, very precise. 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:08.279 The wheels, they can go in any direction, but it's always under the guidance of the spirit. 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:11.480 It's moving carefully. 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:14.160 There's complete control. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:20.240 And these four creatures, the fact that it's four probably corresponds to the imagery of 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:21.799 the four corners of the world. 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:26.480 That's a kind of colloquial expression to refer to the whole of the earth. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.480 In other words, there's total authority. 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.680 There's knowledge. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.920 So when you see a pastor that's talking about eyes, so you see the rims of the big wheels. 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:40.600 They've got eyes all over them. 00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:45.240 We can kind of think, that sounds a bit strange, but it's pointing us towards the fact that 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:52.480 God can see everything and knows all things. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:56.320 We're being presented with the image of a warrior. 00:18:56.320 --> 00:18:58.800 These wheels are chariot wheels. 00:18:58.800 --> 00:19:02.600 That's confirmed by the fact that it's the noise of an army that Ezekiel can hear. 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:10.000 It's a military image speaking of God's might and strength and courage in the face of enemies. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.000 Then there's life. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:13.039 The whole image is one of abundant life. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:14.519 They are living creatures. 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:20.439 The natural world is displaying all its power, clouds and wind and light, electricity, fire. 00:19:20.439 --> 00:19:23.319 There's movement, energy, activity, life. 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:25.599 God here is not dead. 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:26.839 He's not a statue. 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:29.480 He's not a lifeless idol. 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:39.799 He is alive, powerful, and he's the giver of life and energy and movement. 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:47.200 And then there's one more thing that I'm not going to tell you what it is yet. 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:50.360 So when you read this passage, please don't think, I can't understand this. 00:19:50.360 --> 00:19:51.360 You can. 00:19:51.360 --> 00:19:52.720 It's not impossible. 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:55.160 But just don't get bogged down in the details. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:59.160 You're not meant to ask every tiny detail of a passage like this. 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:03.720 You're meant to focus on the big picture because in terms of that big picture, we are being 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.800 told some amazing things about God. 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:09.080 We've been told that He is powerful, full of energy. 00:20:09.080 --> 00:20:10.720 We've been told that God is moving. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:11.720 God is fast. 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:13.640 God is bright and brilliant. 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:15.000 God is holy and pure. 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:16.000 He's sovereign. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:17.000 He is all-knowing. 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:21.560 He is a mighty warrior and He is alive. 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:30.639 People really did see an image of the glory of God. 00:20:30.639 --> 00:20:33.519 But why is all that important? 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:35.159 And what difference does any of that make? 00:20:35.159 --> 00:20:37.679 What difference did it make to these exiles? 00:20:37.679 --> 00:20:40.639 Why did these exiles need this epic image? 00:20:40.639 --> 00:20:44.679 Why do you need to see this epic image? 00:20:44.679 --> 00:20:51.000 Well, part of the reason why this is so important is because of the when and the where and the 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.839 what that we spoke about. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:59.240 Because in terms of the when, this was a time when everything looked doomed for God's people. 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:02.240 Jerusalem, their city is about to fall. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.799 Half the people are already in exile. 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:06.279 The rest of them are just about to join them. 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:11.480 The temple, that great symbol of God's presence on earth is about to be destroyed. 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:14.359 At a glance, God's people look crushed. 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:15.960 God's city is crumbling. 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:17.720 God's presence is departing. 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:20.319 God's plans seem to be failing. 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:25.319 And the only people who look strong at the moment are the Babylonians. 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:30.599 The God of the Israelites looks finished. 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:36.000 But this epic image says no way. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:40.279 And this, yes, might be the lowest point in Israel's history, but God is still God. 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:42.079 The when is so important. 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:43.159 And so is the where. 00:21:43.159 --> 00:21:44.960 It is crucial as well. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:52.319 Back in these days, everybody associated their God with a location. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:56.920 So God, the God of the Bible was associated with Jerusalem and with the temple. 00:21:56.920 --> 00:21:58.279 Other nations did the same thing. 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:01.680 So your God would be in a particular temple in a particular city. 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:11.000 And there was this sort of like idea that a God was confined to a particular location. 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.120 So that was very often the view. 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:16.159 Nations are different gods, each in their own specific place. 00:22:16.159 --> 00:22:23.599 So the cultural thinking is if Jerusalem falls, then the God of the Bible falls with 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:25.919 her. 00:22:25.919 --> 00:22:29.359 Ezekiel's vision says no. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:33.799 And that's why the fact that we're here at the Hebar Canal is so crucial. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:37.799 It's emphasizing that God is not confined to Jerusalem. 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:42.679 And in fact, he reigns over the whole earth and over the whole of creation. 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:48.920 And as the God who reigns over all, he is the one that these Israelites have to listen 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:50.039 to. 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:51.920 And that's why the what is so important. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:52.920 This is prophecy. 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.440 This is the word of the Lord. 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:58.560 That's why I wanted to read into chapter two where God says Ezekiel, stand up because 00:22:58.560 --> 00:23:02.600 I'm going to speak to you. 00:23:02.600 --> 00:23:06.799 God wants to speak to Ezekiel because he's got a message for his people. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:10.960 And yes, that is a message of judgment. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.600 Jerusalem is about to fall because the people have rebelled against God again and again 00:23:15.600 --> 00:23:17.640 and again. 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:22.759 But it's also a message of hope. 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:29.840 God is talking to Ezekiel to say it's not over. 00:23:29.840 --> 00:23:37.559 And in all of that, I think there's two crucial lessons for all of us in this. 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:49.639 Number one, when it comes to judgment, you must not mess about with God. 00:23:49.639 --> 00:23:54.720 Reading Ezekiel chapter one reminds me in many ways of my former job as an engineer. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:24:00.720 Before I became a minister, I worked as an engineer and we worked in an engineering workshop. 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:04.200 And in many ways, Ezekiel one is like an engineer's dream. 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:09.080 There's wheels and there's metal and there's fire and electricity and movement. 00:24:09.080 --> 00:24:13.880 It's all so cool when you think about it all. 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:21.640 But at the same time, this is all stuff that you do not mess with. 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:26.600 When Ezekiel speaks about a wheel, it reminds me of a lathe spinning. 00:24:26.600 --> 00:24:30.840 So a lathe, as I'm sure you know, is that tool that functions by a chuck that spins 00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:35.240 very, very quickly holding a piece of metal or plastic or whatever you're working on. 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:40.000 Very, very fast, very, very powerful machine in terms of its spins. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.759 And you watch that wheel spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning. 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:54.519 One key rule if you ever use a lathe is that you never, ever touch it when it's turning. 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:57.480 Ever. 00:24:57.480 --> 00:25:02.160 Same with hot metal, you do not mess with it. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:06.200 Likewise electricity, you don't go and play on a pylon. 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:09.559 And all these things in this image are the same. 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:14.079 You don't mess with a lion, you don't muck about with an ox, you don't go and play with 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.400 an eagle. 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:16.960 You don't mess about with precious jewels. 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:20.360 If you go down into one of the jewelers on Princess Street, if they take out something, 00:25:20.360 --> 00:25:22.680 they put gloves on and they're incredibly careful. 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:24.160 They do not mess about. 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:26.640 You don't mess with a wind or a storm. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:31.680 So when you hear of storm, force winds in the Karengoms, you don't go out. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:33.960 You don't mess with mighty rushing water. 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:38.520 So if you think of the Atlantic Ocean battering the West Coast in the middle of winter, or 00:25:38.520 --> 00:25:42.840 if you think of a river in spate after days and days and days of heavy rain, you don't 00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:43.840 jump into that. 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:45.640 You don't mess about with it. 00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:48.160 And you most definitely don't mess with an army. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:50.120 You think of the noise of a mighty army. 00:25:50.120 --> 00:25:52.280 You do not mess about with that. 00:25:52.280 --> 00:25:54.440 All of these things, they are awesome. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:55.440 We admire them. 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:56.440 We value them. 00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:01.600 We hate them, but we do not mess about with them. 00:26:01.600 --> 00:26:13.480 And if that is true of lathes and lions and rivers, then surely it's true of God. 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:18.759 And yet these people, the Israelites, had majorly messed with God. 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:22.400 That was why they were in this situation and they're being judged. 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:27.200 Not because God's a cold, hard, merciless God, but because they had repeatedly, repeatedly 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:28.200 rejected him. 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:32.000 They had tossed him aside, thinking that they could do fine without him. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:33.160 They'd forgotten about him. 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:34.440 They'd provoked him. 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:35.600 They'd rejected him. 00:26:35.600 --> 00:26:36.600 They'd abandoned him. 00:26:36.600 --> 00:26:46.280 And if Ezekiel 1 teaches us anything, it should teach us that that is absolutely crazy. 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:54.519 And yet we live in the midst of a city and a nation that's doing exactly the same thing. 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:59.039 So we think we're smarter and stronger and wiser and better than God. 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:00.920 We think we don't need him. 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:02.000 We don't want to listen to him. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:11.160 We do not most definitely do not want to accept any kind of accountability towards him. 00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:15.680 And instead, we replace God with other things. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:16.799 We worship money. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:20.519 We worship possessions, pleasures, attention. 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:24.759 We put all our energy into trivialities that ultimately aren't that important. 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:28.680 We invest our time in stuff that will ultimately leave us empty. 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:33.920 And all the time, people mess about with God. 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:44.600 So he's just a swear word or an irrelevance or a joke. 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:52.839 And you and I have got to ask ourselves, are we messing about with God? 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:58.199 Now I hope that there's nobody in here who treats God as a swear or a joke or an irrelevance. 00:27:58.199 --> 00:28:06.240 But you need to ask, is God just a wee thing in your life? 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:08.079 Is he a maybe in your life? 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:11.959 So you think, well, maybe I'll live for God. 00:28:11.959 --> 00:28:13.119 Maybe I'll trust him. 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:14.159 Maybe I'll follow him. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:18.040 Is God sometimes in your life? 00:28:18.040 --> 00:28:20.680 So sometimes he comes into my life. 00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:24.279 Sometimes he doesn't. 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:34.519 An absolutely crucial lesson from this chapter for us all is don't mess about with God. 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:44.759 But the second lesson is that when it comes to salvation, God will not mess about with 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:50.240 you. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:56.759 This vision that Ezekiel saw is showing both him and the people in exile that the fall of 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:01.879 Jerusalem is not going to mean the fall of God. 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:07.640 God is not confined, God is not beaten, he is not weak, he is not finished. 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:14.320 Here God comes before Ezekiel and he presents his massive, massive energy. 00:29:14.320 --> 00:29:18.680 But what is God going to use that energy for? 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:20.080 How is he going to deploy it? 00:29:20.080 --> 00:29:21.840 What's he doing with that energy? 00:29:21.840 --> 00:29:28.680 Well, that takes us to item 10 on our list because in this vision we see energy, motion, 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:31.120 speed, brilliance, holiness, sovereignty, knowledge. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:43.719 We see a warrior, we see life and we see a rainbow. 00:29:43.719 --> 00:29:48.599 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain. 00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:52.079 So was the appearance of the brightness all around. 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:55.279 Such was the appearance of the likeness, the glory of the Lord. 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:59.199 When I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard the voice of one speaking and he said to me, 00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:03.720 Son of Man, stand on your feet and I will speak with you. 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.039 Now you might be thinking, what a rainbow? 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:11.400 It kind of seems a bit soft in amongst all of this energy and power. 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:14.600 We often associate a rainbow with tranquility. 00:30:14.600 --> 00:30:17.400 I don't know why this is the case but for some reason whenever I think of a rainbow, 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:22.240 I think of Postman Pat because you watch these programs and it's all idyllic and there's 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:24.640 a rainbow. 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:28.920 Of course today rainbow colours are used as a symbol for equality in a different sense 00:30:28.920 --> 00:30:30.360 altogether. 00:30:30.360 --> 00:30:35.440 In the Bible, the rainbow was a very specific sign. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:38.880 It's a sign of God's promise. 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:44.120 He gave that rainbow the significance of this sign after the flood with Noah. 00:30:44.120 --> 00:30:48.160 It was a sign of God's covenant commitment. 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:53.720 And so when we see this rainbow in the midst of the epic image of Ezekiel chapter one, 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:59.240 it is telling us that God has not given up on his people. 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:03.759 So yes, there is going to be judgment there right in the midst of it but alongside that 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:09.880 warning and reality of judgment, there is a message, an amazing message of hope. 00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:15.480 And the rest of Ezekiel and the rest of these epic images are pointing us towards the fact 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:22.160 that God's promises are actually way, way bigger than what these Israelites were expecting. 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:25.759 They went into exile and what they wanted more than anything else was to get back to 00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:27.640 their land and to get back to their city. 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:33.480 They wanted to get their old life back but Ezekiel is going to show us that God's plans 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:34.800 are way bigger. 00:31:34.800 --> 00:31:37.880 God's not really bothered about getting back to the old life. 00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:42.960 God wants to offer them and the whole world new life. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:48.720 And Ezekiel is that key turning point where the Old Testament really powerfully recognises 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:52.120 that something way bigger is coming. 00:31:52.119 --> 00:31:56.679 And that's why the image in Ezekiel one and all the epic images that we're going to look 00:31:56.679 --> 00:32:02.119 at are pointing us forward to Jesus Christ. 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:07.559 It's in Jesus that God's promise, the promise that the rainbow reminds us of, that all the 00:32:07.559 --> 00:32:11.879 promises that he made in the Old Testament, it's in Jesus that these are fulfilled. 00:32:11.879 --> 00:32:15.159 He's the one who's come to deliver us from judgment. 00:32:15.159 --> 00:32:19.319 He's the one who's come to take that judgment in her place, who deals with the consequence 00:32:19.319 --> 00:32:23.119 of her sin, he's the one who's come to give us eternal salvation. 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:29.039 That prophetic message of judgment and salvation is pointing us towards Jesus. 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:31.919 That's why it's really interesting if you go home tonight and read the very last book 00:32:31.919 --> 00:32:37.359 of the Bible, especially probably Revelation chapter four, but also other places in Revelation, 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:42.939 you'll see that the description of God with Jesus exalted at his side is using exactly 00:32:42.939 --> 00:32:48.439 the same language that Ezekiel uses. 00:32:48.440 --> 00:33:01.000 This God of massive energy is accomplishing his purposes in and through Jesus Christ. 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:06.400 Ezekiel saw that vision of the glory of God that's pointing us forwards. 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:09.680 What did we read at the very start of the service? 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.200 That the word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:19.000 You've seen his glory, glorious of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:26.240 All of that energy is being pointed, is pointing us towards the Persian and work of Jesus Christ. 00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:35.039 That is telling us that all of this power and speed and strength and energy set before 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:46.000 us in Ezekiel chapter one, all of that is being channeled into saving you. 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:53.920 God does not mess about when it comes to saving you. 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:56.639 You are not some casual plaything in God's eyes. 00:33:56.639 --> 00:33:59.119 You're not some irrelevance that he does not need. 00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:01.200 You are the goal that he's aiming for. 00:34:01.200 --> 00:34:03.200 You're the target that he's focused on. 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:06.039 You're the people that he has come to reach. 00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:13.559 This glory of God that Ezekiel shows us and that's fully revealed in Jesus Christ is a 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:17.639 glory that is full of grace and truth. 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:22.320 It's full of grace, meaning that God wants to pour out his salvation on everyone who 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:23.559 needs it. 00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:28.599 It's full of truth in that God will require everything that is needed. 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:32.400 God is not messing about with your salvation. 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:42.480 He is absolutely committed, absolutely committed to being gracious to you and to bring you 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:48.800 hope, to be true to his promise, to save you. 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:53.480 And so when we see a God full of energy in Ezekiel one, that energy means he will never 00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:55.599 give up on you. 00:34:55.599 --> 00:35:01.559 He'll never run out of energy for you. 00:35:01.559 --> 00:35:09.039 His motion means that he's always active, always alert, always ready for you. 00:35:09.039 --> 00:35:12.960 His speed means that if you need him, he's there. 00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:16.799 God is fast, so he is fast for you. 00:35:16.799 --> 00:35:20.279 If you call out to God, it's not like, oh, well, I'll be there in a few minutes. 00:35:20.279 --> 00:35:25.480 He's fast, fast, fast, fast, ready to be there for you, using that speed for you. 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:30.880 His brilliance is for us to enjoy and marvel at and to share. 00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:35.720 His holiness is reminding us that he wants to take us out of this broken creation and 00:35:35.720 --> 00:35:41.920 into a new realm where all the rubbishness and muck of life has gone. 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:46.440 His sovereignty tells us that he's completely in control and he's exercising all his authority 00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:47.960 to make you his own. 00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:51.840 His knowledge tells us that he knows you. 00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:57.079 The eyes and the faces are reminding us that he's always, always, always watching over 00:35:57.079 --> 00:35:59.440 you. 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:03.960 The image of a warrior is telling us that God is ready to defend you from every enemy 00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:10.320 and that nothing can penetrate his defense of you. 00:36:10.320 --> 00:36:16.679 And the life that's bursting forth before us in Ezekiel 1 is a life that we will enjoy 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:20.480 in him for all eternity. 00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:30.960 All of this is telling us that when it comes to saving you, God never, ever, ever messes 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:35.039 about. 00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:42.519 This powerhouse God of Ezekiel, this God of massive energy is saying, I want you. 00:36:42.519 --> 00:36:44.559 I want to save you. 00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:50.719 Trust me and with my inexhaustible energy, I will never let you go. 00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:53.480 I will never give up on you. 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:56.320 I will never stop loving you. 00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:02.840 My wheels will never stop turning for you. 00:37:02.840 --> 00:37:09.960 And that's how no matter how abandoned, lost, vulnerable you might be, Jesus will reach 00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:12.440 you. 00:37:12.440 --> 00:37:16.559 Never a moment when he won't be watching over you. 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:20.599 He will shepherd you forever. 00:37:20.599 --> 00:37:25.280 He brings life to the dead. 00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:32.000 And his great goal is to bring us to dwell with him forever in his temple. 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:38.639 The massive inexhaustible energy movement, speed, authority and power of God is being 00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:46.639 poured into saving you because as far as God is concerned, you are far, far too precious 00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:52.199 for any messing about. 00:37:52.199 --> 00:37:55.879 And if that's not enough reason for you to put your trust in Jesus, then I don't know 00:37:55.879 --> 00:38:00.679 what is. 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:09.199 God still gives us an epic image because we have an epic God. 00:38:09.199 --> 00:38:19.440 Let's pray. 00:38:19.440 --> 00:38:28.960 Dear God of all glory and power and majesty and also the God who is our amazing Father 00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:38.199 We almost don't know what to say when we think of the imagery that Ezekiel presents before 00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:40.400 us. 00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:48.000 But how we thank you that because of Jesus we can say you are our God. 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:50.720 We are your people. 00:38:50.720 --> 00:38:53.320 Please may that be true of us all. 00:38:53.320 --> 00:39:05.160 Amen.