Aaron Salisbury preaches on the four faces of godly fatherhood from Ezekiel chapter 1
A Father's Day sermon by Aaron Salisbury of Rivers Apostolic Centre, drawing on the vision of the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1 as a type and likeness of godly fatherhood.
Summary
Aaron Salisbury delivers a Father's Day message at Rivers Apostolic Centre, taking his text from Ezekiel chapter 1 and the vision of the four living creatures, each bearing four faces. He argues that these four faces — the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle — represent four essential dimensions of godly fatherhood: governance and identity-giving, guardianship, provision, and spiritual guidance. Drawing on passages from Genesis, Malachi, Luke, Ephesians, and the Gospels, he makes the case that the restoration of fathers to their children is the key to national healing in Australia. The sermon closes with a corporate prayer over all the fathers present, with the congregation laying hands on them.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Opening and Introduction
Aaron Salisbury: Hallelujah. He is worthy of all our praise — all our praise, every single day, when we're feeling like it and when we're not feeling like it. He is worthy. Amen. He is always, always worthy of our praise.
Well, it's wonderful to see you all here today. I've had the privilege of being a pastor and being someone who's had the honour of taking different Father's Day services over the years. And Father's Day is always an interesting one, because you can tell some fathers stay away because they think to themselves, "I'm doing a really bad job as a father, so I'm going to stay away from church." And then — I don't know about you — but I've been to many Father's Day services where the preacher gets up and reads a whole lot of statistics about what's going on with fathering in the country. And it's always bleak and it's always bad. And you notice the fathers — every father suddenly has a fascination with their shoelaces and their shoes. Every father's head is down because, oh my gosh, we're doing so badly.
Well, here's the good news, everyone. I'm not going to do that today. I'm not going to quote a whole lot of statistics about how rotten fathers are. And can I just share something with you? I really am having a problem with Hollywood right now. Anyone else having a problem with Hollywood right now? The problem I have is every movie that you watch — not one movie depicts a healthy father. I want you to listen to me. Every movie you watch nowadays, the father is either a workaholic, he's an alcoholic, or a sexaholic. He's some kind of a -holic. He's not functional. He's not even-keeled. He's not healthy. But the Word of God paints a very different picture and shares a very different image of what fathers are meant to be.
So how many fathers want some good news this morning? Any fathers feel like they need a bit of a boost? Or some of your fathers are looking at me saying, "I got this. I'm a great father. My family's blessed. In fact, this morning when I woke up, there was bacon and eggs cooking. I could smell it. The coffee aromas wafted through the bedroom. My children were dressed smart and they lined my bed and out into the passageway and they sang 'How Great Thou Art.'" Some of you are looking at me like that — like you're good with this fathering thing. Well, God bless you. But I want to encourage fathers that are maybe doing it a bit tough. Fathers that need a little bit of encouragement. Any fathers out there need encouragement? There's one. Hallelujah. One honest man over there. I'll just preach to you this morning, okay?
Ezekiel's Vision and the Four Living Creatures
If you have your Bibles with you, please turn to Ezekiel chapter 1. Yep, I said that right — Ezekiel. And while you're turning to chapter 1, I don't know if any of you were at the Connections Conference that we had a couple of weeks ago. Anyone here for the Connections Conference? How many know that Prophet Failene Sparks was in fine form? She was prophesying over everybody and giving great words. And she gave me this unusual word. She said, "Aaron, you're going to be one who is going to delve into the book of Ezekiel and the book of Daniel, and you're going to be pouring out fresh revelation from those books of the Bible." And I respect Failene. She's been a prophet that I've been watching for many, many years. I've watched her ministry and many of the words that she's spoken over my life have actually come to pass. And that's always a good indication that a prophet's on the money — if what they say actually happens, then you know that they're good. Amen? So I'm going into the book of Ezekiel right now.
Ezekiel chapter 1. It says:
"Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
"Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself, and brightness was all around it, radiating out of its midst like the color of amber out of the midst of fire. Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.
"As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle."
Ezekiel: Called in Captivity
Ezekiel's name actually means "strengthened by God." Now, Ezekiel grew up in Jerusalem, where he was trained to be a priest in the temple. He was among the second group of captives taken to Babylon, along with King Jehoiachin, around 597 BC. While in Babylon, Ezekiel became a prophet of God. Isn't that interesting? His calling came out of captivity. That's a word for somebody this morning. Sometimes we want our calling to manifest when things are going well. We think that our calling is going to show up when everything is going just swimmingly. But actually, for Ezekiel, his calling manifested in the worst place possible — right there in captivity. And Ezekiel, of course, is the author of this Old Testament book that bears his name.
I've often thought to myself, imagine sitting down with Ezekiel. Of all the prophets, I would have loved to have hung with Ezekiel probably more than any of the others. Imagine saying to him, "So tell me, Ezekiel, what did you see on the 5th of April in the thirtieth year?" And there's Zeke saying, "Well, actually, I saw flying things." You saw flying things? "No, no, I saw wheels within wheels. I saw creatures flying through the air." Wow, Zeke, have you seen a doctor lately? How's that medication going? What kind of water have you been drinking?
Ezekiel was one of those prophets who gets all these visions, and then in Ezekiel chapter 2, God says, "I want you to share them." And Ezekiel's like, "Oh my gosh, you want me to talk about all this stuff? It's crazy enough that I've been given these visions, and now you want me to share them?"
So why was Ezekiel told to speak out what he was seeing? Well, occasionally I have the odd dream and I think to myself, "Praise God, I had that dream, and it was for me only. That one's staying with me. I'm not sharing that one." But Ezekiel was told after these visions: actually, this imagery and what you were seeing is not just for you — it's for the people of Israel. And not only for the people of Israel, but the visions are actually for us.
What am I talking about? In Romans chapter 15, verse 4, write this one down. And the Apostle Paul picks up on this theme in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, where he says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How many know the Word of God is not a buffet? The Word of God is not an expensive restaurant where you say, "I'll take some of that, or I'll take some of that. Ooh, I like that. I'll go back for seconds of that." The Word of God is given wholesomely — as a whole. Every part of the Word of God is given. All of it, it says, for doctrine, for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
The Old Testament is full of types, likenesses, and imagery that point to Christ. So when Jesus walked this earth in the New Testament, he would often talk about the Old Testament and show it as a type and likeness of what he was going to be doing. In John chapter 3, verse 14, it says, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up." Moses raised up the image of the serpent on a stick and all who looked at it were healed. This was a type, likeness, and image of Christ who was to be lifted up on the cross, and all who believed in him were to receive everlasting life.
The Four Faces as a Type of Godly Fatherhood
So let's look at these living creatures, because these living creatures have a message for us. I believe that they are a type and a likeness of what godly fatherhood looks like. It says in verse 10: "As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle."
I want to suggest to you this morning that the living creatures are a type and likeness of earthly men and fathers. The four faces speak to us of different aspects of what makes up a godly father.
Now, what's a father meant to do? What does a father actually do? Well, a father's role is massive. There are so many things a man is meant to be doing, and particularly a father. But there are four things I want to draw your attention to this morning. What does a father do? A father governs, he guards, he provides, and he guides.
The First Face: The Face of a Man — Governance, Identity, and Blessing
So let's look at the first face — the face of the man. The living creature was given the face of a man, and that speaks to us of identity and blessing, or governance. Every father is made in the image of God. I want to make that very clear this morning. In Genesis chapter 1, verse 26, the Godhead — that's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — spoke together and said, "Let us make man in our own image." Every father is made in the image of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is the face of man.
And God made only two genders. I want to make that very clear. There are two genders. Everyone say: two genders. There are male and female. Men were created to be fathers. Women were created to be mothers. Now, I love women, by the way. But today is Father's Day. Women, you get a Women's Day, and maybe I'll have the privilege of doing a Women's Day. But today I'm talking about dads. Is that okay, women? Can we do that just for one day? Just one? Okay, great. Fantastic.
Men were created to be fathers and women mothers. Every father is a son who has come from a father, and this has been God's order since creation. In the Garden of Eden, God created male and female. And God is so passionate about this. He actually says to the psalmist David in Psalm chapter 68, verse 5: "God is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. This is God in His holy habitation." Verse 6 says: "God sets the solitary in families. He brings out those who are bound into prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."
I want to really emphasise this. When God spoke to His Son in the Gospels, God spoke audibly so everyone could hear — to His Son Jesus — three times. The references, if you're taking notes, are Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, and John chapter 12, verse 28. And the first two times, Father God declared two things — and I know I've preached about this some time ago — God the Father declared two things: identity and blessing.
Every father's role is to speak over their children identity and blessing. What did Father God say those first two times that He spoke audibly so everyone could hear? He said, "This is my beloved Son" — identity, there is my beloved Son — and then He went on to say, "in whom I am well pleased." So there we have identity and blessing. There He is, He's my Son. Oh, but by the way, I am well pleased with Him. And this is the thing: a father's approval is something every son longs for.
Years ago, before we left New Zealand, there was a documentary on New Zealand television called Finding Fathers. And it astonished me how men would grow up and contact the TV station and say, "I need to find my father." The expense that some of these sons would go through — sons who had been separated for whatever reason from their fathers — to try and source their fathers was extraordinary. The expense, the time, the research they went to in order to try and find their earthly father. And then some of these sons, when the reporters would ask, "Why are you going through all this expense to try and find your father? What's going on here?" — the son would say, "I'm about to get married, and I don't want to walk down that aisle. I don't want to make covenants with my wife unless I have my father's blessing."
There's something about a father's blessing that makes a son just blossom, that makes a son realise, "Yes, that's my identity."
And let me emphasise this. In Malachi chapter 4, verses 5 and 6, the Old Testament closes with a statement. The statement is this — I'll just read it to you: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of their children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse."
That's profound. How is the land going to be healed? How is the land going to be restored? It's when fathers' hearts are turned to their children. And listen to me, dads — the impetus is on you. You may have a wayward son, a wayward child. The restoration is up to you as dads. Too often we say, "Well, my son's this, or my kid's that." But the point is, the restoration is up to us. And if we don't believe that, go to Luke chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. The angel Gabriel, who is in the presence of God, comes and visits the Virgin Mary and says these words. Luke chapter 1, verses 16 and 17: "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God." Look at verse 17: "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
How profound is it that the Old Testament closes with that declaration — "I'm going to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children" — and the New Testament opens up with the very same thing? It's like bookends to the two covenants. What is the bookend of the covenants? The Lord says, "I want my people to know: fathers must be restored to their children."
And I'm glad this has been recorded — I believe that is the key to the healing of the nation of Australia. Fathers restored to their children. So dads, you want to see the nation healed? That's your mandate today.
You see, every father has the face of man because he has a unique role in raising a man. Fathers uniquely bestow the face of the man to their sons. That's the unique role of the father.
The Second Face: The Face of the Lion — Guardianship
Well, there's the face of the man. The second face is the face of the lion. This is the face on the right side. This is the role of guardianship. Every father will discover from time to time — in fact, most of the time — he needs the face of a lion. Lions are majestic and they carry themselves with regal authority. The Lord Himself calls Himself the Lion of the tribe of Judah — Revelation chapter 5, verse 5. In fact, a while ago we actually sang the song called "Lion," which is talking about the Lord.
Now, you may have been to a zoo — Australia Zoo. I know they've got lions. And you look at these guys behind the cage and they're great. They look majestic. They look regal. But it's quite something when the lion is behind a cage and in captivity. It's quite something else when they're not.
Years ago when I used to do mission work in Zimbabwe, in Central Africa, we were based in South Africa, Johannesburg. We would travel through Zimbabwe and then to Zambia. But because the journey was 3,000 kilometres, we would overnight in Zimbabwe. There were no hotels or motels that you would want to stay in, so we would camp. We would just drive off the main road, go into the bush a bit, set up our camp chairs, light a fire, and so on.
I'll never forget one time we were going through Zimbabwe. It was late at night. We were tired. We drove off the side of the road, found a clearing in the bush, and started to set up camp. And we heard this noise that was — it was like supernatural. You see, when a lion roars in the wild, the noise is like standing in front of one of those subwoofers. It actually grabs your spirit. It grabs your soul and shakes it. Your whole body vibrates.
The interesting thing was, after that lion roared and we were shaken to the core, Dad looked at me and I looked at Dad, and we looked around at the group that we had with us. None of us said, "We should fast and pray as to whether we should stay here tonight. Let's consult the Lord." There was none of that. We all very quickly picked up our stuff, loaded it into the van, and drove off. Because the lion was saying, "Hey guys, you are on my territory. This is my turf. I am the guardian of this particular area."
And that's what fathers were created to do as they bear the face of the lion. They are created to protect the vulnerable, to protect what is precious. A father's role is to guard the door of the house. Your role is to make sure that your house is not defiled.
How many fathers know when you're sleeping next to your wife and there's a noise at night? And you both hear it. And as a dad, you're so hoping your wife didn't hear the noise. But she's wide awake. "Did you hear that?" And I've got some bruises on this side of my rib cage because Wendy's — "Did you hear that? Yeah. Go see." And you're like, "Really? It's nothing. It was just a noise. It was probably a possum or something like that." But the thing is, Wendy says, "You are the lion of the house. Why don't you go see what's lying around?" So up you get and you wander around. Why? Because as the man of the house, as the father, your role is to protect the house.
As that lion roared in Zimbabwe and freaked us all out, what was he saying? "I'm not going to attack you, but hey, this is my turf. You come in here, look out. I'm giving you a warning. Stay away from my threshold. Stay away from my house."
In fact, in Zephaniah chapter 1, verse 9, it says: "In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and deceit." That's what a father does — sometimes things come to the door and you as the father say, "No, not in here." Sometimes things come to your door and the excuse is, "Well, everyone's doing it. All the kids in school are doing this. It's fine, it's okay." And as the father, as the lion, you say, "No, that's not coming into my house. That will not defile my house."
The Third Face: The Face of the Ox — Provision
The living creatures also had the face of an ox. This is on the left side. This is the value of provision. This is what else a father needs to do.
Now, here's the thing. Every father was created for work. Turn to a father and say: "You're meant to work." In Genesis, God created man. But man's purpose was not to sit under palm trees and sunbathe all day. No, God gave Adam a job. What was his job? Tend to and take care of the Garden of Eden. Now, in the process of taking care of and tending the Garden of Eden, it was discovered that man was alone and a companion was not found for him. We know the story. God took the rib and caused a deep sleep to come upon the man, and while he slept, Eve was formed.
But here's the thing, men. Here's the thing, fathers. Some of you men want to get married one day. And some of you men are just about to get married, which is very exciting. But here's the thing. I've had the privilege of doing a lot of premarital counselling, and I look at every guy who wants to get married and I say, "This is how it works. First a job, then a wife. That's the pattern of God. No job, no wife." That's God's pattern. That's how it works.
And the thing is, men are intrinsically knitted into their work — it's in their DNA. Men are very connected to work in a way that God has designed. And you look at men — it's quite funny on a Sunday. You can see which men are doing well at work by the way they walk in. They walk in like, "Hey, how are you going? Good to see you, man. Gosh, you're looking good. You've been working out. Give us a hug, man. Cool, man. Can I pray for you? Yeah." They're just kind of upbeat. You can see it in their faces. Why? Because work is going well.
If a man's job is going really badly, well, he is studying his shoelaces. And even if a man has all the material wealth, a great wife and great kids — if the job isn't going well, he is down. So this is important to understand with fathers. They are so connected to their work.
And this is an important principle, because if you look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 10, the Apostle Paul picks up on this theme and says: "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." And he picks up on this again in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8, and he says: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
The Apostle Paul had no place, no space, and no time for laziness. And fathers have the face of an ox. What is the face of an ox? A father needs to work. A father will work. And a part of a father being a person who works is that they do that so that they can provide.
The Fourth Face: The Face of the Eagle — Spiritual Guidance
The fourth face is the face of an eagle. This is a fascinating one, because every father has been given the face of an eagle because every father needs to have atmosphere awareness. They need to be aware of atmosphere. And the face of an eagle is there so the father knows he needs to be a guide. Fathers set the spiritual atmosphere in the home. Dads are thermostats, not thermometers. And fathers, we need to set the temperature in the home, or we'll regret the temperature in the home.
It says in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Eagles are amazing birds. And eagles have a very interesting way that they engage in combat. Eagles take the fight upwards. If an eagle is engaging with a snake, what it does is it grabs the snake and takes it up — higher and higher. It takes it up to a certain altitude. And if the snake is still wriggling and wants to bite, it takes it up higher still. What is the eagle actually doing? It's taking away the oxygen that sustains the snake. The snake is only able to fight when it has oxygen. So what does the eagle do? It takes it up. And if the snake is still writhing, well, let's go up. This is where the fight is meant to be.
The eagle doesn't fight the snake on the ground, because the snake can manoeuvre on the ground. The snake can strike. The snake can do what the snake does well on the ground because that's its turf. The eagle says, "I'm not going to fight you on your turf. I'm taking you up into the heavenlies."
This is what it says in Ephesians chapter 6 — we fight in heavenly places. Men, stop fighting the enemy on the ground. Take the enemy up. How do we know this? Because it says in Ephesians 6 that we wrestle in heavenly places. That's where the wrestle needs to be. And too often we're trying to fight the snake on the ground.
You see, if you go hiking in the mountains in snake areas, there's a line called the snake line, where snakes no longer live because the air is too thin. The snake gets to a certain altitude and it's like, "Okay, no, we can't operate anymore above this line. We actually have to exist and habitat below the line." Go above the line and you get into the place where the snakes no longer exist. And that is where we need to fight. We need to fight in the heavenly places.
And fathers, this is the challenge. Don't fight the enemy on his turf. Take your prayers, take your fight into the heavenly places. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Why is that? Because that's where you win. That's where you get the victory — in the heavenly places.
Summary of the Four Faces
So what's a father meant to do? A father has been given by the grace of God the face of a man. What does the face of a man do? The face of a man means he's got to govern. What does a father do? He gives blessing and identity to his family.
A father is also given the face of a lion. The father's role is to guard the house, to make sure that nothing comes into his house that is going to defile or destroy. This is the challenge for us as fathers — to make sure our homes are protected.
What else does a father do? Well, there's the face of provision, which is the face of the ox. A father's role is to provide. And I want to encourage all the kids and all the wives in this place — understand that your man is connected to his work. If work is going well, you'll be able to tell. But if work is going badly, well, you'll know that too. Why? Because he sets the temperature of the home. It's interesting — when dad is unwell, the kids don't go around and say, "Mum, do you think dad's unhappy? Do you think dad's okay?" Kids know exactly what's going on with dad. And what's going on with dad sets the temperature in the house.
What else do fathers do? Well, they guide. They guide when it comes to the battle. They guide when it comes to the war and the wrestle that we have, not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. Hallelujah.
Closing Prayer Over the Fathers
We're going to end up this morning right there, because I know some of you are off to have Father's lunches and Father's celebrations. But I'm going to do something a bit different. I want all the dads to stand. If you're a father in this house, could you please stand to your feet? All the dads — awesome.
Now dads, this is a bit complicated, but I'm going to try and see how we go. This could go very well or go very badly. Can you get into groups of four men? Find another — each man find another three men. Everyone find four. Let's see how this goes. How's our maths going? Okay, we got four. Yep. Okay, we can have a token five. Fantastic.
Now men, I want you to stand around each other and put your arms on each other's shoulders. Just put an arm on the shoulder of the man next to you. Hopefully everyone showered, so that's going to work out for our men folk. And what we're going to do now is I'm going to pray for the men. And I'm going to invite all the younger guys, all the unmarried men who are in here, all the wives, all the children, all the women in this place — can you just reach out your hands to these men? Let's bear them up. Let's pray for them right now in the name of Jesus.
Lord, I thank you for each of these groups of men. And Lord, as they're standing together, Lord, we recognise that on our own we can't do everything. Father, as each man in this place, we are a son. And as each man in this place, we too have a father. And Lord, I pray over each man, identity and blessing — the face of a man. Lord, give each man the capacity and ability to govern their family in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah.
Folk, just begin to pray. Let's begin to pray for each of these men. Let's build them up. These guys are the key to the transformation of this nation.
Lord, I pray for each of these men that they will have the face of the lion. They will know what it is to guard their families. Lord, I pray that each one, Father God, will not be conscious of their failures or their shortcomings, but rather understand, Lord, that you have raised them to be the guardian of their family.
Lord, we pray over the face of an ox, Father God. Lord, we thank you that each one here has been given the mandate to provide. Lord, I speak provision into every group of men that are standing here right now. Lord, I just thank you, Father God, that you would draw each of the men first to you, Lord. And as they draw closer to you, open up work opportunities. Open up finance, Lord. Open up the provision that every man desperately wants to be able to give to his family.
And Lord, lastly, I pray for the face of an eagle. Lord, give every father here atmosphere awareness. May they have the ability and the capacity to guide their families. Lord, we know that we're in a wicked world, a world that is very broken, a world that is full of misinformation, a world that is full of confusion. Lord, let each father be a guide to their family, Father.
I pray, Lord, that each man would strengthen themselves as King David did in the Lord. When things are looking bleak, when things are looking shocking, when things are looking bad, let each man strengthen themselves as a father in the Lord. This we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.