We Must Move As The Spirit Leads
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you,
(The Book of Ezekiel 36: 25-27 NASB)
and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all you filthiness and from all your idols.
Moreover,
I will give you a new heart
and
put a new spirit with you;
and
I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh
and
give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you
and
cause you to walk My statutes,
and
you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
If you were awake yesterday in the great state of Kentucky, then like me, you were amazed by the power of God witnessed through something as natural as the weather. We attended church early (8:30 am) in preparation of the up-coming storm. As we sat in the sanctuary listening to the message God gave to Bro. Clay, about the Ten Commandments God sent, I found myself looking out the window—
God sent His snow.
After the service ended, we debated whether we should remain for Sunday School or scurry home. About twenty agreed to remain, so we (a variety of people of all ages & a combination of various classes) gathered, as I delivered the lesson.
Then we drove home on snow-covered roadways.
Normally, when God rains down snow, the weather pattern stays one of snow throughout the day, but that was not the case yesterday. As some of my family joined our lunch table—
God sent His rain.
The snow began to turn to slush, and my husband easily pushed the remnants of the snow from our driveway. The temperature outside fluctuated throughout the day, and last night as I spoke to my daughter on the phone—
God sent His thunderstorm.
Truly,
GOD in HIS GLORY—Revealed His Supreme Existence into all the created universe!
The following vision was given from God to a priest named Ezekiel on the fifth day of the fourth month, during the thirtieth year. The nation of Israel was living in exile; their life was in shambles and their nation was on the verge of being destroyed. The priest Ezekiel was living near “the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” (The Book of Ezekiel 1: 1b NASB)
There “in the land of the Chaldeans,” in the land of Babylon (modern day Iraq) “there the hand of the Lord came upon him.” (The Book of Ezekiel 1: 3b NASB)
There was a storm brewing. The wind was blowing out of the north, and there was much lightning.
The priest Ezekiel wrote—
“As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north,
(The Book of Ezekiel 1: 4 NASB)
a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it,
and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.”
Nonetheless, even within the brewing storm—
God displayed: He was still on the throne & He was still able to handle every situation!
This is a Promise of God.
This morning, as I studied the vision of the Lord given to his servant Ezekiel, the Spirit of the Lord reveals to us (the children of the Living God) HIS TRUTH found within the vision.
In the vision, there were Living Beings—
- There were four living beings in the vision that seemed to be like humans.
- These beings had legs and feet like calves’ hooves.
- Their bodies were bronze in color.
&
- They had wings, four wings in fact: two covered their bodies and two were spread out wide.
- They had human hands underneath their wings.
&
- They had four faces: a face of a man, a face of a lion, a face of a bull and a face of an eagle.
These “human-like” beings surely must have been quite the vision for the priest to see, but their bodies were not what caught my attention.
We are told the Movement of the Living Beings—
“And each went straight forward;
(The Book of Ezekiel 1: 12-14 NASB)
wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go,
without turning as they went.
In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire,
like torches darting back and forth among the living beings.
The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.
And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.”
- We must remember—GOD is present EVERYWHERE!
- We must never forget—GOD is ALL-KNOWING!
In the vision, we read about the Wheels & The Way the Living Beings Moved—
“Now as I looked at the living beings,
(The Book of Ezekiel 1: 15-17 NASB)
behold,
there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings,
for each of the four of them.
The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl,
and all four of them had the same form,
their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another.
Whenever they moved,
they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved.”
Just as a flash of lighting has the presence of being here, there, and everywhere, appearing without warning,
these heavenly, living beings
could move and turn in any direction,
turning as one,
as if turning was not even necessary.
Within the Wheels of the Living Beings, we Read of the Rims—
“As for their rims they were lofty and awesome,
(The Book of Ezekiel 1: 18-19 NASB)
and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.
Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them.
And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.”
Holding everything together was the outside rim—High and Awesome with many eyes.
Everything moved together as one movement.
Then, in the vision, we read about the Spirit’s Movement, the Spirit of the Living Beings—
“Wherever the spirit was about to go,
(The Book of Ezekiel 1: 20-21 NASB)
they would go in that direction.
And the wheels rose close beside them;
for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Whenever those went,
these went;
and whenever those stood still,
these stood still.
And whenever those rose from the earth,
the wheels rose close beside them;
for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
- The Spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
- The power of the Spirit of God gave direction to the wheels.
From His elevated position—GOD’S OMNISCIENCE—provides direction to His children & access to His will.
Supreme & Existing into all the created universe—GOD in HIS GLORY!
The whole revelation of God can be seen within Ezekiel’s (the priest) vision.
&
There is a lesson for us today, found deep within Ezekiel’s vision.
The apostle Paul wrote of this same lesson when he was by the Holy Spirit to write—
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 8: 28 NASB)
to those who are called according to His purpose.”
- God reveals His marvelous providence.
- God moves in the affairs of His created beings.
- God controls all the nations, working out His plan.
- God is never late & God is ALWAYS on time!
As the morning light comes today and I see how—God sends His snow.
I am reminded of God’s will for us.
As We Have Received a New Heart, As We Are Born Again, As We Are Saved—
We Must Move As The Spirit Leads.
- The majesty of God’s love for us is Truly Staggering!
- The magnitude of God’s love can only be known through the death of God’s Son.
We will never fully understand this side of heaven.
God’s Most Precious Treasure took on human flesh & came to earth.
- This is the Epiphany!
- This is what the Magi from the east came to see.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
THE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!
“Jesus answered,
(The Gospel According to John 3: 5-8 NASB)
“Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it,
but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;
so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”