SERIES: I am WEEK: 4 THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS Compiled by Terran Williams Sunday s message included the main passage that deals with the priesthood of all believers: "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 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Pet 2:5-9). What does it mean that every believer is a priest? It means at least three things 1. AS PRIESTS WE ENJOY ACCESS TO GOD. In Sunday s message we made the point that priests enjoyed access to God. The ancient Jewish temple was broken into sections although some sections were open to all, the most important sections were limited to the priests. These most important sections were said to be the very house of God in the world. In the ancient Jewish mind, a tiny minority of priests enjoyed VIP access to God in a way that the non-priest Jew didn t. They were God s inner circle, his inner ring. For everybody else in Israel millions over the years they could just wish that they could be God s inner ring, but it would be a wish that would never be fulfilled. You see, you had to be born into a priestly family. You were either born one or you weren t. But in Christ we are born again into a priestly family. We all get to enjoy access to the innermost chamber of God s presence. But how? Christ is our perfect mediating priest. He has offered himself as the perfect sacrifice. The sins that excluded us from God s presence have been dealt with by Jesus. As Colossians puts it: Once you were alienated from God But now he has reconciled you by Christ s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
You see, the ancient 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 (Matt 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 (Heb 4:14-16). There are now no earthly mediators between God and man as existed in the Old Testament priesthood (1 Tim 2:5). Christ our High Priest has made one sacrifice for sin for all time (Heb 10:12), and there is no more sacrifice for sin that can be made (Heb 10:26). 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 was only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made a sin offering on behalf of all of the people. But as mentioned above, 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 (Heb 4:14-16). What a privilege to be able to access the very throne of God directly, not through any earthly priest, but as priests who walk in through the mediation of our High Priest. All those in Christ share his access. We get to go in. We get to be God s inner circle. We enjoy VIP access into the Holy of Holies, into the very throne room of heaven, the very dining room table of God, the very mansion and house of God. 2. AS PRIESTS WE OFFER SEVERAL KINDS OF SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES TO GOD. Essentially, 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 priests of old used to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar. The apostle Paul especially developed this idea in his writings, as he metaphorically spoke of the kinds of things we offer up to God in a spirit of worship. So, according to Paul, what are the priestly offerings and sacrifices we can make as Christian priests? 1. Our whole lives are an offering. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship (Rom 12:1-2).
2. Relating to each other in a loving way is an offering. Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2). 3. Verbally praising and thanking God is an offering. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Heb 13:15). 4. Being generous to others in need is an offering. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Heb 13:16) 5. Financially underwriting the advance of God s kingdom is an offering. 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. (Phil 4:16). Paul needed financial support to be freed up to advance the gospel, and all provisions to that end were an offering. 6. Affirming the ministry of fellow-christ-followers is an offering. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you (Phil 2:17). The analogy Paul uses here is of the Old Testament worshiper bringing a sacrifice, then the priest pouring out an additional drink offering on top of that. In the same way, it is not for Christian leaders to monopolise ministry opportunities, but rather to multiply then affirm the ministry of all the Christians under their lead. 7. Being willing to make great sacrifices, even die, in the process of obeying Christ is an offering. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:6-7). 8. Pointing others to Christ is an offering. God gave (Paul) the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God (Rom 15:16). In the Old Testament there were two major reasons for the sacrifices. One was to bring those who were out of fellowship with God back into fellowship with him. The sacrifice was said to cover the sin of that person or group of people. The other was for those who were in fellowship with God to express praise and adoration to God. Thankfully, we don t have to sacrifice anything to cover our sin Christ s sacrifice has done that! No, our offerings are not to restore fellowship with God, but rather to celebrate the blood-bought fellowship with God we do already enjoy. They are our grateful expression of love and devotion. The Old Testament is replete with examples of how God used to receive the sacrifices made provided they were made with the right heart. For example: Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. (1 Kings 18:38). In the same way, God delights in the offerings we make, especially when they flow from a heart that celebrates the goodness of God and the finished work of the cross.
3. AS PRIESTS WE PRAY AND INTERCEDE FOR OTHERS. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice (Psalms 141:2). Our prayers for ourselves and for others are an offering too. In fact the book of Revelation graphically portrays our prayers as incense: 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 (Rev 8:3). Priests pray! Jesus, for example, we re told in Hebrews 7, is the High Priest who ever lives to intercede for us. A priest is an advocate. A priest is somebody who goes on behalf of someone else, and therefore, a priest is somebody who prays. Christ stands before the Father and lifts us up. In the Old Testament, the priest had an ephod. It was a breastplate. The high priest had in the ephod 12 precious, beautiful, big stones. They represented the 12 tribes and the clans and the families of Israel. The names of the tribes were written on the stones. Jesus prays for you. Jesus Christ stands before the Father and your name is inscribed over his heart. Just as anyone who was standing before the high priest would look at the high priest and see the names of the children of Israel written on beautiful stones and just be dazzled by it, when the Father looks at your name engraved over the heart of Jesus, he sees an absolute beauty, because the Son is a Priest, meaning the Son intercedes for you. The Son prays for you. We see this where Jesus says to Simon Peter on the night of the worst moment in Peter s life. The worst night, the darkest moment in Peter s life, Jesus says, Peter, you re going to betray me. Oh no. You re going to deny me. Oh no, I m not. He says, Simon, Simon, Satan wanted to have you. He wanted to sift you like wheat, but What does Jesus say? I know you have what it takes. Is that what he said? I can just tell you have the leadership ability, and I know you re going to come through this. Is that what he said?
Simon, Simon, when you finally see how weak you are, when you see what a coward you are, you ve no idea. The test will come. The situation will come and you will be revealed to yourself as the weak coward you are. When that happens, Satan will be in a position to be able to just make mincemeat of you. He s ready to sift you like wheat. Once you see your weakness, once your conscience turns into a roaring lion, he will have his way with you. But He says, Simon, he wanted to sift you like wheat, but What? What does Jesus say? I prayed for you, so when you turn, strengthen the brethren. I prayed for you, and therefore, you will come through. You will not fall and not get up. You will come back. You will be all right because I prayed for you. That s what a priest does. A priest goes and offers up, takes the weak person and says, On behalf of this person I ask for this and for this and for this. That s what a priest does. What does it mean you re priests? It means you pray your heads off for each other. In 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel says, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. Samuel was a tremendous prayer warrior. Would you think now of some of your Christian friends and in your hearts look at them and say, Far be it from me to sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. How are you doing? Do you know you re a priest? Do you realise all kinds of people around you are not reaching and receiving what they could because you are failing to be a priest? Priests pray. 4. AS PRIESTS, WE SHAKE OFF ENTIRELY THE CLERGY/LAITY DIVIDE. In the Old Testament, there were two classes of people in the Jewish nation. There were priests of Levi s bloodline who worked in the temple, and the other 95% of people who were not priests just ordinary people. The priests were the clergy, the rest the laity. Tragically, in the history of the church, and in many churches today, this divide still holds up. The clergy do the ministry, the rest merely watch it being done. But no, we all have kingdom work to do. Church leaders are meant to multiply not monopolise ministry! You see, when Christ came he vaporised the clergy/laity divide. All believers regardless of whether they are leaders in a church or not enjoy equal access to God, are called and equipped to offer up sacrifices, and to pray for and intercede for others. There are no firstclass and second-class citizens in God s kingdom. We truly are a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:8)
all of us enjoying profound dignity and significance in the unfolding of God s purposes upon the earth! Everything we do as Christians as a form of love and devotion to God is an exercise of our priesthood, regardless of whether it is perceived to be spiritual or secular. For the Christian, every environment work-life, family-life, church-life, sport-life, food-life, love-life is merely yet another altar upon which to offer up our life to God. 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. (Rev 1:5-6). Three sources: 1. http://www.gotquestions.org/priesthood-believers.html#ixzz2slin2yna 2. A message Tim Keller preached on February 13, 1994 in a series called: People of God: Splendor in the Furnace. 3. I did a word-study of all the places Paul speaks of Christians offering priestly offerings.