Church School Lessons November and December 2017

Transcription

1 Church School Lessons November and December 2017 Trust and Believe The Lord Bishop Rudolph W. MCKISSICK, Jr. Senior Pastor Elder Robert E. Dotson, Th.D. Executive Pastor and Christian Education Director With The Bethel Discipleship Advisory Council

2 What was the darkest moment for our Savior? OUR SUFFERING SAVIOR Sunday, November 5, 2017 Psalm 22: 1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? For every joyful moment we experience there are at least one very dark moment. This prophetic moment of David, expressed one of the most important moments in all human history. In teaching the passion of our Lord, a great deal of emphasis is placed on all He suffered in those hours before the crucifixion. He was mocked, beaten, spit upon and then nailed to a Roman cross. The Psalmist gives us a picture of the cross not seen in any of the Gospels. It gives us a peek into the suffering of The Christ from inside His heart. In Matthew 15:34, The Savior cries the same words prophesied by David. Prophets often cannot tell the full story. This could be described as the lowest point of any human experience. How awful would it be if we suffered what the prophet declares in these verses. How the very ones He came to save, sees Him as lower than the lowest creature on earth. He was no more than a worm that is stepped on and the object of the hatred by the very ones we loved so much that He would suffer and die to save. All of the very worst things that could befall any of us at the hands of the ones we love; we are forsaken as they turn their backs on us. Psalm 22: 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. What do you say in life s darkest moments? If you can just remember all the promises God has made and kept, the darkness will not seem so dark. Better, you know He will deliver. He is the Almighty God and if He loves my haters enough to save them, how much more will He deliver me from this time of agony. If they cried out to The Lord and He sent A Savior, won t He do it for me also? If they trusted Him and He delivered them, will He not also deliver me? So I will cry out to my Maker in my time of trouble. I will declare the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). You have kept me from my birth and You have never departed from me. There has not been a moment in my life without Your presence. I do not know a living moment without Your protection. Before I knew You, You kept me from destruction by the hater of all mankind.

3 Psalms 22: 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. I will not only declare the salvation of the Lord in my darkest moments, but I will testify of The Lord s salvation to everyone. I will praise The Savior from the highest places and glorify His Name in the Sanctuary. He has delivered me from my darkest moments and His light will shine forever in my heart. He is the light of the world and in the three hours of His darkest moments He has delivered me from all my sins. He resurrected from the dead, ascended to The Right Hand of The Father. He has sent His Spirit to walk with me and protect me from my enemies. I will praise Him all the days of my life! IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

4 OUR ETERNAL FRIEND Sunday, November 12, 2017 When are we ever alone? PSALM 23: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. These are the words of King David. He was himself a shepherd and knew how important sheep were to the livelihood of those tending the flocks. Sheep are first mentioned in Genesis 4 when Abel, also a shepherd, brought a lamb as his offering to the Lord. The sacrifice of animals were first symbolic, representing the covering for the sins of Adam (Genesis 3;21). The shepherd was not a noble profession to Adam but it was the favored offering in the sight of God. It was the first time the death of any animal was mentioned in scripture. David knew sheep. Unlike other animals, sheep are defenseless against predators. They were weak and had no ability to escape when pursued, therefore needing a shepherd for their survival. As a shepherd of his father s flock, David was the protector and was capable of defending it against dangerous predators (I Samuel 17:34). In the face of an enemy that pursued God s flock, David declared The Lord God his protector. PSALM 23: 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Fear is an innate characteristic of sheep. Like many of us, they fear everything. Sheep are so fearful, the shepherd must place leaves in the water to calm it before the sheep would approach to drink. The shepherd had to find good pasture for his flock and then create a safe resting place before sheep would lie down. The flock of God is as defenseless against spiritual predators as sheep are against the lion and the bear. We need a shepherd, and The Lord has created mankind to trust and depend upon Him for all our need. We are created in His image and there nothing that does not come from Him should be worth having. PSALM 23: 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. David declares our shepherd is far more than a provider and protector, Our Lord is an ever present companion in all our ways. He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Deut, 31:6). Our Shepherd is a very present help in our times of trouble (Psalm 46:1)

5 Psalms 23: 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. There is a greater resting place that our Shepherd has provided His flock. There is the table of The Lord. The table is a celebration of our victory in Christ. We have our righteousness through His shed blood. We triumph in His Glory. In Him we are more than conquerors, we have the victory over every enemy that comes against us and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ our Lord (Rom 8:38-39). IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

6 OUR RETURNING KING OF KINGS Sunday, November 19, 2017 PSALM 24: 1 The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. The Lord s triumphal return to earth is like nothing the world has never seen. The throngs are without number. He returns to claim all that is His. He is the creator of all things and now His suffering is the price of redemption. PSALM 24: 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. The question was, who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Someone may assume anyone who lives a good life; anyone who has not committed evil acts may be numbered in the procession. A Hitler, or a Stalin would certainly not be present with the returning King. Serial killers and heinous criminals would have no chance of redemption. Who may ascend? Only the followers of the Great Shepherd, the sheep of His pasture; believers in His Gospel. Only the righteous will return with The King of Kings. Righteousness is not without sin. The believer s righteousness is in the blood of the Savior, believers whose sins are cleansed by the blood (I John 1:7) Psalm 24: 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. He has anointed His sheep as gates or doors to His kingdom. We are His people and the gateways into His presence by our praise and our testimony. The Holy Spirit will come and prepare the hearer for the Gospel. He will convict the world concerning their sin, righteousness and judgment. Satan is judged and all who reject Christ are judged with him (John 16: 8-11). Psalms 24: 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. There is rejoicing beyond any that has ever been seen on earth. All the enemies of God will be eliminated forever. Our enemies will be enemies no longer. Those who we think will be in that number, may not be. The enemies of God s people may no longer be their enemies. The criminal

7 may be among the righteous. The worst of the worst may repent and believe the Gospel of The Savior. The testimony of believers has the power of redemption to the hearers of the Gospel of Christ because faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). The religious may not be believers in the saving grace of The Lord Jesus. This Psalm declares our position in Christ, our Great Shepherd. We believe in His Gospel and He becomes our Lord and our King. We have the fullness of His presence in our hearts. When He returns, we will see Him in all His glory. We will be like Him and will see Him as He is (I John 3:2). All who believe the Gospel of Christ have become the sheep of His pasture and because we have not hardened our hearts, we share in all the blessing of Salvation. (Psalm 95:7) IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

8 TRUST AND FAITH: WHO WILL I FEAR? Sunday, November 26, 2017 What does it mean to fear God? PSALM 27: 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? There are many reasons in the world today to fear. Fear is familiar to anyone old enough to have experienced any danger. Evil is especially troubling in any age but fear of sudden death by physical illness, prolonged sickness, accidents, whether by automobiles, airplanes, etc., are all equally as fearful. The writer of this text was no different in his own time. He does declare first that he is covered by The Hand of the Almighty God. He was very specific in naming this as the self-existent or Eternal God. This choice of words is often translated Lord God as to be very specific as the only true God and no other. This would be extremely comforting for anyone who believes. David s faith in God was tested many times as ours would surely be in this very dangerous world. He declares just how much his enemies wanted to destroy him. How they were encamped around him, seeking to eat up his flesh. This was the physical danger that we also face. Danger that threatened his very person, but he did not fear what his enemy could do. Could it be any different today? Our enemies today have many opportunities to destroy us. There or things we can see that may very well harm us. There are things we know that if we take the necessary precautions, may be avoided. There are many dreadful things surrounding us that are invisible to our natural senses. Only God can protect us from these invisible enemies. In the Word of God, the invisible enemies are revealed, not to the natural eye and mind but to the spirit by the voice of The Holy Ghost. He is always on guard, day and night; He never slumbers or sleeps. He never looks away by distractions and because He loves us, steps between our enemies and us whenever we are attacked. What do you say when tragedy comes? We have a safe place from the attacks of the enemy. David said in v. 4, One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life Evil will come against us. Trouble is part of life and there will be no way to avoid it. Storms will come, strong winds will blow. The sound of the thunder is loud and fearful but God is greater than the thunder and the lightning that follows it. The test for the believer is as David said, God is our safety even when the worst is coming against us. As Jesus questioned His disciples when the storms overtook the small boat they were in, Where is your faith? He was

9 in the boat with them, how could it sink? How could you be destroyed when Jesus never leaves you or forsakes you. Psalms 27: 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. He is a hiding place in our time of trouble. The word pavilion is a covert or an entwined lair. David said in v. 2, God will cause my enemy to stumble and fall whenever I am under attack. I am hidden there; my foes cannot find me. Too often we want them totally destroyed but God only says, trust Him in times of trouble. Psalm 27: 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believedthat I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! So who do you fear but The Lord your God? If you are a believer, He is greater than all your troubles. How difficult would it be to believe that the same God is able to keep you no matter what comes against you? IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved..

10 THE LORD OUR GOD HEARS OUR PRAYER Sunday, December 03, 2017 How do we know prayer changing things? Luke 1: 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Prayer may be the least respected attribute in The Kingdom of God. What we too often fail to realize is God has built into the kingdom a direct access to His throne for His people through corporate prayer. Zacharias was a priest and had his assignment to minister at the altar of incense. The burning incense represented the prayers of the people. Like his father Aaron before him he was faithful to his duty (Exodus 30:7). As the smoke of the incense rose to the heavens, the prayers of the people rise to the nostrils of The Almighty God a sweet smelling aroma. Revelations 8: 3.Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. When the people pray, there is an assignment in heaven. The angel of the Lord is assigned to act upon the prayers of the congregation. He stands at the altar of incense and as the people pray, the angel of The Lord steps in to answer (Luke 1:10-11). When God s people come together, His ministering angel brings the answer as the congregation of the Lord prays. Zacharias should have been high priest as he was the direct descendent of Aaron but the politics of the time prevented his walking in the office of high priest. He prayed for a son to carry on the cessation of the high priest. He prayed but not until the congregation prayed, did God send the angel Gabriel to answer his prayer. It is a powerful testimony of the corporate prayer of the people of God by faith. Luke 1: 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years. 19 And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.

11 God requires His people to their petition in faith. He is not pleased when we doubt Him. He is not pleased with fear when He has promised to answer our prayers (Hebrews 11:6, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18). Where God has given us leadership, we are to be the example of faith in His Word. Zacharias questioned the angel of The Lord. He asked for a sign before he would believe his prayer would be answered. God does not allow His people to openly question His Word when we have the ministry of faith. Asking for signs declare our doubt in His promises (Matthew 12:39). IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

12 Who is the light of the world? WE HAVE SEEN THE GREAT LIGHT Sunday, December 10, 2017 Isaiah 9: 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. The ninth chapter of Isaiah is an amazing prophecy of the birth of the Messiah. These first seven verses describe the birth and the effect of the coming of the great light. Israel was mired in the worship of the idols of people dwelling in the promised land. The disobedience of Israel had condemned the northern kingdom to exile by Syria and Assyria and finally taken away. These gentile nations ravaged Israel as they had done throughout the world they conquered and ruled. Imagine living under the promise of God s protection and because of the consequences of your own doing, find yourself completely separated from the blessings of The Almighty God who had delivered you from bondage many times. Now because of idolatry, and inter-marriage with idol worshippers, God delivers Israel into the hands of the very enemy they should have defeated. The consequences of disobeying the commands of God are a painful lesson for those who are the chosen of God. Isaiah 9: 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. God s chosen people now live in the darkness of the world. They were chosen to be the light of the presence of the law of God but now suffered at the hand of God s enemies. Israel needed a deliverer. In the past they were delivered by judges but this was not like the judges of their history. This was the birth of a true deliverer who will come as a great king of an eternal kingdom. This Child was born for the benefit of all men, all who will repent of their sin, of all believers, from the beginning to the end of the world. Justly is He called Wonderful, for He is both God and man. His love is the wonder of angels and glorified saints. He is the Counselor, for he knew the counsels of God from eternity; and he gives counsel to men, in which He consults our welfare. Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is God, The Mighty One. Such is the work of the Mediator, that no less power than that of the mighty God could bring it to pass. He is God, one with the Father. As the Prince of Peace,

13 Jesus reconciles us to God The Father; He is the source of our peace. When His kingdom is fully established, men shall learn war no more. He is not just born as others are but He is A Gift, given to the world by His Heavenly Father. A King is Given, not like any king ever born of man, He will bring a new government. He will bare the world s government as His burden. He will cleanse the world of it s enemy (Genesis 3:15). He is The King and The Great Warrior. His Name would be greater than every name ever named (Ephesians 1:21, Philippians 2:9-10). His Name is Wonderful, Miracle, worker of wonderful blessings for all mankind (Psalms 68:7-8). He would be the Great Counselor, a word meaning the greatest of all strategist (Psalms 24:10). He will never lose, He will defeat all His enemies and He will make them His footstool (Hebrews 10:13-14). He is A Mighty God, Everlasting and His return will be our eternal peace. IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

14 THE TESTIMONY OF A GODLY MAN Sunday, December 17, 2017 Matthew 1: 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. Joseph was married to The Master s mother, Mary. This is the last verse of the genealogy of Christ. The genealogy establishes Joseph a direct descendent of king David. The promise of the blessing was made to Abraham and his seed; of the dominion, to David and his seed. It was promised to Abraham that Christ should descend from him, Genesis 12:3; 22:18; and to David that he should descend from him, 2 Samuel 7:12; Psalms 89:3, etc.; 132:11; and, therefore, unless Jesus is a son of David, and a son of Abraham, he is not the Messiah. Even as The Master s step father, Joseph is His connection to Abraham and king David. Now this is here proved from well-known records. When the Son of God was pleased to take our nature, he came near to us, in our villainy, wretched condition; but he was perfectly free from sin: and while we read the names in his genealogy, we should not forget how low the Lord of glory stooped to save the human race. What we know about ourselves is our distance from the Heavenly Father because of the debt of sin we inherit from Adam. Sin is our legacy passed to us by the father of man, Adam. The separation from God by sin is impossible to close by our own righteousness. We cannot possibly be righteous enough to be redeemed by the Eternal Judge. Paul writes in Romans 7, the law cannot save us because no matter how hard we try, we cannot keep it. The law actually becomes our judge and sentences us to death. Matthew 1: 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was officially engaged to Mary. As he prepares for his wedding, she comes up pregnant and he knows he s not the father. When he found out he decided to break the engagement. Think about what he was going through. There had never been a fatherless conception. How could this be? He must have been devastated by this, convinced there was another man. Was rape out of the question? Put yourself in his place. How many times has a man been to he was the father and he didn t believe he actually was. What would you do in Joseph s place? Surely he talked to Mary and heard her story. Joseph made his decision to break up, but God intervened. When God calls, He confirms His calling. God had chosen Joseph from the beginning of the world to raise His Son, to be earthly father to The Savior. He loved Mary and really felt He knew her. She must have told him that his was God s doing and she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Can you put yourself in his place? He is caught between his heart and his head. His heart tells him how much he loves Mary and wants to believe her but his head says

15 what she is telling him is impossible to believe. He would be a laughing stock if he agreed to marry Mary. What do you do when God calls you but there no evidence that you can believe? Matthew 1: 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Joseph s answer came directly from God. The word thought here implies that he really agonized over what he should do. Some times to pray and wait for God to answer is not enough to come to a decision. Joseph didn t have time to spend days in deliberation about what his next step would be. Often we are faced with decisions that are not subject to waiting many days to come to a decision. He had to hear from God soon, Mary will begin to show and she would be disgraced. Joseph s agony shows that deep down he really wanted to believe Mary. God always comes through when we are faced with these dilemmas. Prayer is always the answer to difficult dilemmas in our lives. Matthew 1: 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us. IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

16 GOD S EVERLASTING MERCY Sunday, December 24, 2017 Luke 1: 68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, Zacharias uttered a prophecy concerning the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah. John the Baptist is the beginning of the great light that would break with the coming birth of The Messiah and the increased apace to the perfect day. The perfect day of His birth. As spoken in Isaiah 9:2, He is The Great Light and His appearing is again prophesied by Zacharias following the birth of his son John. This light is to give light to those that sit in darkness the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul writes that without the Gospel of Christ, we are living in darkness and cannot see that we perish. The god of this world has blinded us and until we believe in the Gospel of Jesus we will never know how far we are from His salvation. The preaching of the Gospel is not us but Christ, Him crucified, buried and resurrected on the third day; ascended to the right hand of the Father. God has commanded this light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. How do we live in a darkened world? Luke 1: 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace. We have this treasure in these mortal bodies (2 Corinthians 4:7). God s mercy is extended through the lives of His children. His light is the treasure that empowers us to transform a dark world. Jesus is the light that shine in our lives. Peace in verse 79 is the Greek word eirēnē (e-raynay) and refers more to peace that is deep in our hearts; peace that is unexplainable (Philippians 4:7, 2 Peter 1:2). He is the light of the world and from Him we have the spirit of wisdom and revelation by knowing His heart and mind in all our ways (Ephesians 2:17). It is God s eternal mercy that enables us. He is the only God of our salvation and there is no other god before Him. His mercy endures throughout all generations (Luke 1:50). Do you have a testimony of God s mercy in your own life? Luke 2: 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

17 10 Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Mary was not chosen because she was sinless, she needed A Savior just as we all do, but she was chosen because of what she said to the angel of The Lord, Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. She was willing to let God use her. When we allow the Holy Spirit of God to use us we are like Mary, a humble servant of The Almighty God. When we declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ and only the Gospel in our message to the world, we have become the light of Christ to a dark world. We, like the Apostle Paul, have only one message of Salvation (1 Corinthians 2:2). IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

18 THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS Sunday, December 31, Peter 2: 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Old Testament priests were chosen by God, not self-appointed; and they were chosen for a purpose: to serve God with their lives by offering up sacrifices. The priesthood served as a picture or "type" of the coming ministry of Jesus Christ--a picture that was then no longer needed once His sacrifice on the cross was completed. When the thick temple veil that covered the doorway to the Holy of Holies was torn in two by God at the time of Christ's death (Matthew 27:51), God was indicating that the Old Testament priesthood was no longer necessary. Now people could come directly to God through the great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). There are now no earthly mediators between God and man as existed in the Old Testament priesthood (1 Timothy 2:5). Hebrews 10: 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, Christ our High Priest has made one sacrifice for sin for all time, and there is no more sacrifice for sin that can be made (Hebrews 10:26). But as priests once offered other kinds of sacrifices in the temple, so it is clear from 1 Peter 2:5,9 that God has chosen Christians "to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5-9 speaks of two aspects of the priesthood of the believer. The first is that believers are privileged. To be chosen by God to be a priest was a privilege. All believers have been chosen by God: a "chosen generation...his own special people" (verse 9). In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, there were places where only the priests could go. Into the Holy of Holies, behind a thick veil, only the High Priest could go, and that only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made a sin offering on behalf of all of the people. Hebrews 4: 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

19 Because of Jesus' death upon the cross of Calvary, all believers now have direct access to the throne of God through Jesus Christ our great High Priest. What a privilege to be able to access the very throne of God directly, not through any earthly priest. When Christ returns and the New Jerusalem comes to earth (Revelation 21), believers will see God face-to-face and will serve Him there (Revelation 22:3-4) again, what a privilege especially for us who were once "not a people"... "without hope"... destined for destruction because of our sin. Believers are called "kings and priests" and a "royal priesthood" as a reflection of their privileged status as heirs to the kingdom of the Almighty God and of the Lamb. Because of this privileged closeness with God, no other earthly mediator is necessary. Second, believers are called priests because salvation is not merely fire insurance, escape from hell. Rather, believers are called by God to serve Him by offering up spiritual sacrifices, i.e., being a people zealous for good works. As priests of the living God, we are all to give praise to the One who has given us the great gift of His Son's sacrifice on our behalf, and in response, to share this wonderful grace with others. IS EVERYONE HERE SAVED BY THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS? WHY? Why are we Saved? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. HOW? How are we Saved? Rom 10:9, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.