HoHum:
R. Paul Stevens:
Christian priesthood is not a matter of being religious and Mr. Goody two shoes but of serving God and God’s purposes in the nitty gritty everydayness of life in the world, not a matter of sacred times and sacred places but ordinary times and ordinary places, not a matter of ordained ministers but the whole people of God. Talking about God’s people folded into the world as seed and yeast and salt. Every church of 200 hundred members has two hundred missionaries penetrating neighborhoods, offices, factories, workshops and schools, into all the powers and places, seven days a week.
WBTU:
A. Introduction- We don’t have trouble with most of the words used in the Bible to describe followers of Christ- believers, disciples, servants, brothers and sisters, friends. But when it comes to thinking of ourselves as priests, many have some hang ups. We usually associate the word “priest” with a person who is dressed in a long robe or who has his collar backwards. A new Christian might be surprised to be told that he/she is a priest. However, this is what the Bible teaches:
“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.” “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:4, 5, 9, NIV.
Revelation contains the same idea: “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.” Revelation 1:5, 6, NIV.
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”” Revelation 5:10, NIV.
Priests in the OT:
The Hebrew word for priest appears almost 800 times in the OT. We are not sure of the origin of this word. This word may have come from the word that means “to stand.” This suggest that a priest is one who stood before God as a servant or as a representative of the people and also a representative of God.
The priesthood that we read about in the OT was first established in the family of Aaron. All of Aaron’s male descendants were to serve as priest. All Aaron’s sons became priests because of their ancestry.
Today we become priests not because we were born into the right family. We become priests when we are born again. Every Christian is a member of the “holy and royal priesthood.”
In OT days there was one man who was high priest. Today Jesus is our High Priest. The book of Hebrews has much to say about this.
Duties of priests:
Priests had many jobs but their main responsibility was to offer various sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. We no longer need animal sacrifices. Jesus made the final sacrifice for our sins. Today we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices. Go back to 1 Peter 2:5
Thesis: What are spiritual sacrifices we offer today?
For instances:
Offer our bodies to God
Remember the Hokey Pokey. It’s that little song and dance that tells us to put a body part into the circle, shake it, and then “turn yourself about.” It’s an active and sometimes tiring little exercise that ends with the command, “Put your whole self in ...”
When I think of that song and dance, I’m reminded of another instruction. “Therefore, 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.” Romans 12:1, NIV.
The sacrifices offered by the OT priests were all dead sacrifices. Today God wants us to give Him our bodies in service.
Offer our praises to God
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Hebrews 13:15, NIV.
In the OT some of the Levites were in charge of the praise and worship at the temple with the priests assisting them. “We bring a sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord”
However, we are to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, not just doing worship services.
David McCord- “To praise God is to live one’s life in such a way that God is daily honored, pleased, complimented and obeyed as the absolute Lord over one’s life.”
No matter what we do we need to praise God with it. There should be no division of secular vs. sacred tasks. Everything is hollowed in God’s eyes. Martin Luther- “A shoemaker, a smith, a farmer, each has his manual occupation and work; and yet, at the same time, all are eligible to act as priests.” Brother Lawrence worked in the kitchen of a convent. Even though cannot agree with other points of doctrine, Brother Lawrence was able to praise God as he cleaned the dishes and did other menial tasks. Since we are all priests, we need to praise the Lord all of the time. Great witness to give praise at work! “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
Offer our willingness to share with others
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16, NIV.
Talked about this couple of weeks ago. In OT they had laws to protect and provide for the poor like leaving the corners of fields unharvested.
Notice that the early church had a concern for the poor. “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” Galatians 2:10, NIV.
Offer our tithes to God
Though not specifically mentioned, I believe that the idea of the tithe is in the NT.
“I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:18, 19, NIV.
Should give 10% out of personal budget, and 10% out of church budget. Priests in OT had to tithe off the tithes that the Israelites brought to them.
Offer our testimony to others
“I have written to 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.” Romans 15:15, 16, NIV.
The way to serve as a priest is not to wear some special clothes or claim some special powers. Proclaiming the gospel of God is one of the main ways we fulfill our priestly duties.
There are places where you can share the gospel I cannot. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15
Offer our willingness to suffer for Christ
When Paul was a prisoner in Rome he wrote to his friends in Philippi and told them that he was being “poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith” Philippians 2:17, NIV.
Same wording in 2 Timothy. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering” 2 Timothy 4:6, NIV.
No one likes the idea of being persecuted or rejected because of their faith. I don’t like to be rejected or made fun of because of my faith. I don’t like to have someone slam the door in my face. But these are minor compared to the sufferings being endured by our Christian brothers and sisters in many nations that are hostile to the message of Christ.
Offer our prayers to God
“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” Revelation 8:3, 4, NIV.
According to the Bible Jesus is the mediator between us and God. When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was torn in two. This symbolized the fact that the OT era had come to an end. Today we can go directly to God through Jesus who is our mediator. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:5, 6, NIV.
