|
|
Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 17th June 2007 AMA HOLY PRIESTHOOD Pastor Linton Smith
What picture comes to mind when you hear the word, ‘priest’? A certain form of dress.. a special class of religious people? There was a time when the word, ‘privilege’ may have come to mind. In recent weeks.. we have been looking at the different ways the New Testament describes the Church. We have seen it described as the people of God, the flock of God, the family of God, the temple of God, the vine, and the body of Christ. Today.. we think about the church described as a holy priesthood. The Bible abounds with references to priests. Before the coming of Jesus they were a very privileged group of people. They alone could enter the innermost parts of the great temple in Jerusalem. Jesus changed that.. and so radically.. that the New Testament describes the church as a priesthood and all believers as priests. Peter says.. 1 Peter 2:5.. you.. are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.. And in Revelation 1:6.. John reminds us that Jesus has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father. All who believe in Jesus are described as priests. They are very privileged people. And if we believe in Jesus.. if we have been born again.. we are very privileged people. AS PRIESTS, IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE TO.. HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO GOD. Zechariah was a priest before Jesus was born. Luke 1:8-10.. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Zechariah the priest went into the temple.. the assembled worshippers were praying outside! The temple in Jerusalem had two inner rooms.. Holy Place & Most Holy Place. Only priests could go into the Holy Place and only one priest, the High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. Ordinary people.. well.. they had to stay outside! Jesus has changed all that.. and radically! The New Testament teaches that the temple in Jerusalem was only a shadow of the temple in heaven. It tells us that Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven and entered not just the Holy Place but the Most Holy Place of the temple in heaven, into the very presence of God the Father. And then it says something absolutely amazing. It says that each and every believer now has access.. through Jesus.. not just to the Holy Place but to the Most Holy Place.. the Most Holy Place in heaven! Listen to what the Bible says in Hebrews 10:19.. We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. We have access to the Most Holy Place in heaven itself.. into the very presence of God.. by the blood of Jesus.. by His perfect atoning sacrifice on the cross! We are privileged beyond our wildest dreams! We have a greater privilege than the priests in Jerusalem.. and a privilege greater than the privilege of the High Priest. We have direct access to God! Quite recently one business manager gave me the name and number of another business manager and suggested I call him. He answered the phone and quickly said, How did you get my number? His attitude was.. don’t bother me.. go through all the hoops.. starting with the receptionist! How different when we approach God. There are no hoops to go through.. no people.. no priests.. we are invited to go direct to Him! What a privilege! Because of Jesus we all have direct access to God! HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO GOD. There are no first and second-class citizens among believers. 1 Peter 2:4,5.. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.. A holy priesthood! These words describe not a special class of people.. but all believers! We are all priests. We all have access to God. We all have equal access to God. The Apostle Paul puts this another way in.. Galatians 3:28.. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. There is no difference. We all come to God on exactly the same basis. We all come as sinners.. as guilty people.. as people headed for the judgment of God.. as people powerless to do anything about it. No amount of money.. no cultural advantage.. can do anything about it. There is only one way to come to God.. through Jesus! It is the same for all of us. We are all equal here! In some churches the believers are divided into the priests and the laity. The priests have privileges and powers that the laity do not have. Only the priests can baptise people, serve communion, and do this and that. Baptists, on the other hand, have always stressed the priesthood of all believers! We are all priests with direct and equal access to God. There are no first and second-class citizens in the church. I believe this is New Testament teaching and we must uphold it! I like the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:8-11.. You are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. There are no first and second-class citizens here. We are all brothers! We have equal access to God through Jesus! What a privilege.. but with this privilege comes responsibility! We cannot ‘pass the buck’ to a special class of people! Our responsibility is spelled out in.. Hebrews 10:22,24,25.. Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together.. Our first responsibility is to draw near to God ourselves. No one else can do that for us. They can pray for us.. encourage us.. but they cannot draw near to God in our place. We must do that for ourselves. We can do that alone by making time each day to read the Bible.. and to pray.. and we can do that with others.. with fellow priests.. by meeting together in small groups to study the Bible together and to pray.. and by meeting together as we have met today. We have a responsibility to draw near to God ourselves and our second responsibility is to help each other. We do not need a priest to stand between us and God.. but we do need help. We need the encouragement of our fellow priests. And so the Letter to the Hebrews urges us to meet together and to spur one another on toward love and good deeds! Let’s do it! SERVE GOD. As John begins The Revelation he writes about Jesus, is deeply moved and says.. Revelation 1:5,6.. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. To serve.. simply.. priests to God.. but that is what priests do. They serve God. That is now our privilege. Peter is more specific. He reminds his readers how they heard about Jesus and came to Him in faith.. and says.. 1 Peter 2:4,5.. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Spiritual sacrifices.. not material ones of animals and birds. Jesus has put an end to that! Spiritual and acceptable sacrifices.. what are they? The New Testament doesn’t give a systematic list but it does give some examples. It shows us we are to.. SERVE GOD BY.. OFFERING OURSELVESRomans 12:1.. I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Offer your bodies.. in Hebrew thinking.. offer your whole self.. body and soul. Jesus, You gave all for me.. I offer myself to You.. as a living sacrifice.. to live totally for You! PRAISING GODHebrews 13:15.. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. It is not easy to praise God when troubles multiply around us. How can we do it? We can make the effort to count our blessings.. count the positives.. ponder how deeply God loves us.. ponder the sacrifice Jesus made. PRAYING TO GODRevelation 8:4.. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Let’s do it.. all our own issues.. the needs of others.. God’s work! DOING GOODHebrews 13:16.. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Be aware of others. Listen to them. Respond to their need TELLING THE GOOD NEWSPaul: Romans 15:15,16.. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. His priestly duty was to tell the good news. The result? People believe are born again.. and Paul offers them to God. They are his offering. Our priestly duty, too.. to tell the good news. When people believe.. they become part of our offering to God! What picture comes into your mind when you hear the word, ‘priest’?Let this picture come to mind from now on.. privileged people.. privileged to have direct and equal access to God.. privileged to serve Him.. offering themselves.. praising Him.. praying to Him.. doing good.. telling the good news.If we believe in Jesus.. if we have been born again.. let’s see ourselves like this.. and make the most of the privilege! If we have not yet believed.. not yet been born again.. consider Jesus.. the Son of God.. died for you.. rose again.. lives.. invites you to draw near to God through Him. Accept His invitation today. Come to Him just as you are.. willing to change.. and surrender to Him.
|