Ezekiel (Program #10) – The Man on the Throne

After the revelation of the four living creatures and the great wheel of the move of God in Ezekiel chapter 1, we are presented with the striking description of the spiritual sky above these four living creatures. In 1:22, Ezekiel writes, “And over the heads of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the sight of awesome crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.” This vivid picture conveys that when God’s people are fully experiencing Him in Christ and are connected to one another in a way that expresses and glorifies Him, then they have a clear sky above them – so clear that they can see without limitation into the very third heavens where our dear Lord Jesus sits so preeminently on the throne. Verse 26, “And above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man, above it.”

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Mark (Program #1) – A Word of Introduction (1)

It’s very interesting to pay attention to how each of the four gospels begin.  Matthew, a gospel that focuses on the kingdom, begins with the long genealogy of Christ, demonstrating that He is the bonafide heir of David the king.  Luke, on the other hand also shows us the genealogy but not that of a king, rather it’s a genealogy of a proper and upright man.  The gospel of John begins in a much different way – “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”  John is the gospel that reveals Christ’s divinity.

But what about the gospel of Mark?   Mark has no genealogy what so ever. Because Mark is the gospel revealing not just the humanity of Jesus, but that in His humanity Jesus Christ took the position of a slave. And He came to us a Slave-Savior.

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Ezekiel (Program #9) – The Throne Above the Clear Sky

The book of Ezekiel opens this way – “Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, while I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). Included in these visions of Ezekiel are many things from the natural realm that were used to describe things in the spiritual realm. These things are deep but we can understand them through the natural things that Ezekiel gives us as pictures. Today we come again to the clear expanding firmament that is over the heads of the four living creatures. This awesome crystal as it’s referred to in the Bible is actually a picture of the spiritual sky that all of us as believers desire and are capable of being under. How to stay under the clear sky in our fellowship with God is our topic today.

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Ezekiel (Program #8) – A Sky as Clear as the Terrible Crystal

The final few verses of Ezekiel chapter 1 are very deep and very profound. They speak of the sky or the expanse above the heads of the four living creatures being so clear and limitless that the Bible itself uses the term “awesome crystal” to describe it. Now the Biblical usage of the term or word “awesome” is nothing like today’s common vernacular especially among the young people. The spiritual application of this clear crystalline expanse above us truly is awesome. And it portrays a spiritual condition that God would have us all experience day by day.

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Matthew (Program #75) – Wrap-up

Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

All believers would like to know when the Lord Jesus will come again. Even many who do not profess to believe are intrigued by this question as well. The gospel of Matthew, more than any other book in scripture, gives us clear and definite signs. The chief among all its prophecies is one contained in this verse. The preaching not of the general common gospel, but rather the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.

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Ezekiel (Program #7) – The High and Dreadful Wheels

Ezekiel chapter 1 with its detailed description of the four living creatures is arranged marvelously. Once we begin to see the spiritual application of all of the details associated with the four living creatures, we realize how significant this sequence is. For example, it begins with the wind, the cloud, the fire and the electrum – all figures or pictures of our progressive experience of God. Then out of these four come the four living creatures, each with four faces depicting aspects of Christ from His humanity, to His kingship, to His being a slave to come to serve God and man, and finally, to His divine transcendency. From this point, we progress to the coordination between and among the four living creatures. A coordination very much necessary if we are to enter into the next main point of God’s move on the earth for the accomplishment of His purpose.

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Matthew (Program #74) -The King’s Victory

For a Christian, no other event recorded in scripture can compare with the resurrection of Christ. It uniquely embodies the critical component of our faith. To many, it demonstrates God’s ultimate power. But if our eyes are open, even I would say “blessed”, we see not God’s power manifested in the raising of Christ Jesus from the dead so much as we see His righteousness.

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Ezekiel (Program #6) – The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures (1)

The spiritual application of the mysterious vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four living creatures is marvelous on many levels. First, it portrays Christ in various aspects; but more than just revealing aspects of Christ in this vision, we can see ourselves in God’s economy and how the various aspects of Christ become the genuine aspects of our experience of Him. Ultimately, God’s purpose and His move on earth are revealed in this vision. A vital key in our entering into God’s move is revealed in Ezekiel is the matter of the coordination typified by the four living creatures.

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Matthew (Program #73) – Man’s Unrighteousness and God’s Righteousness

The Crucifixion of Christ – probably no other deed in human history manifested so completely the depths of unrighteousness that mankind is capable of. Yet at the same time, no other event afforded God such an opportunity to manifest His Righteousness so perfectly.

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Ezekiel (Program #5) – Eagle’s Wings, Man’s Hands, and Calf’s Hoofs

Ezekiel, like the books of Daniel which is also in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament, is a book of signs and figures typifying important spiritual realities. It begins with a storm wind and a cloud with a fire out from which is a golden silver glowing called the electrum. And out of these four comes an indelible image – an image of four living creatures joined together to produce one corporate expression. The details of these four living creatures occupy much of Ezekiel chapter 1; and each of the details is worth our examination because each aspect of this mysterious image reveals much about God’s purpose as well as about our genuine experience of Him in the Christian walk and life. Let’s remember from our previous program that in each of these four living creatures itself has four faces – here’s Ezekiel 1:10 “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle.”

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