Baptists Believe in the Priesthood of the Believer Cont.

First Peter chapter two. I think mister Steve is going to help us this morning. I don't think he's quite children's church, Appreciate that. First Peter chapter two, we're going to read verse five and then we're going to read verse nine and we're going to launch back into a continuation of our message from last week on the priesthood of the believer. That may seem like a bit of an odd term to you.

You may not have heard of that before but we're going to explain what we mean by that. This morning is Baptist. We believe in the priesthood of every believer today. First Peter chapter two verse five. Ye also as lively or living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Look if you would in over in verse nine, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the opportunity to praise you together here with your people and Lord, as we look into your word, may you guide and direct our thoughts and the words of this preacher.

Lord, may you clear our minds of other distractions and draw us closer to Jesus Christ, our savior today. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Notice in both of those verses, it refers to something called a priesthood. In verse five, it says that you are a holy priesthood.

In verse nine, it refers to same group as a royal priesthood and a holy nation, a peculiar people. Those peculiar people are us. We are peculiar. Now, you probably don't go around. Somebody comes up and says, hey, you're peculiar.

You probably wouldn't think of that as a compliment, okay? But in God's word, this is a compliment. We are peculiar in relation to the rest of the world. We have been called out of darkness, out of sin, and from the penalty of Satan in hell. To become the children of who?

The children of God and in this world, we are peculiar and you know something? I'm glad to be peculiar. At least as it pertains to being a child of who? Being a child of God. That is a good thing.

That is not a bad thing but these verses also tell us that we are a priesthood that we are priest, that all of us, he's talking to Christians, not a particular select group but all Christians, all believers are priests in Jesus Christ. We are our own priests. Ultimately answerable to and solely dependent upon our high priest and who is our high priest? Jesus Christ. For salvation from sin and from everlasting life.

We want to understand what we mean by priest and we need to, we don't spend much time on it this week because we spent more time on it last week but we need to take a very quick look back at at what a priest was under the old covenant in Israel. Well, who was a priest? What did he do? Four things particular come to mind. He probably add more to this but four things that came to mind as I was thinking about who a priest was and what his duty was.

A priest almost ultimately is one who served before the Lord. He did these four things. He received and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people and himself. The priest received the sacrifice. When person came with a sacrifice, he couldn't sacrifice it himself.

On the altar, the priest had to do that. He had to go through the priest. So, would hand the sacrifice to the priest. The priest would then slay the sacrifice and lay it upon the altar. So, in Israel, if you sin and you brought a sacrifice, you had to bring it to the priest.

He would offer it on your behalf. They served before the Lord in the tabernacle. That was the the place of worship. The place where the word tabernacle means tent. It was a place where God dwelt among his people and to come before God, you had to come before him and worship through the priest at this this tabernacle and they served there not only in sack make bringing sacrifices but they serve the Lord in caring for the golden candlestick, the altar of incense, and the table of showbread that were within the holy place in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

These items were indicative of the worship of the true of living God who is the golden candlestick, the light of the what? The light of the world. The table of showbread, he is the bread of life. The altar of incense, he is the one who hears and answers the prayers of his people. The priest was the only ones.

They were the only ones who could enter into that holy room and care for those items there that represented the God that Israel worshiped. When one of the kings of Israel entered in who was not a priest, he was struck immediately with leprosy by God for that was not his place though he was king, he was not a what? He was not a priest. The priest also taught the people the law and so we're very well educated in the scriptures. The the priest and the Levites, they were tasked with teaching the people the law in the nation of Israel and they were often very well educated therefore in the scriptures and spent a good bit of their time at least they were supposed to teaching the people the scriptures.

A matter of fact, the Levites did not live and the priest did not have their own tribe. They lived in cities scattered throughout Israel and that was so they would be among the people. They would be there to help show them and teach them the way of who? The way of the Lord and then the priest exhibited or demonstrated the holiness of God before the people as expressed in their personal conduct. The exact fulfillment of their task and even their prescribed apparel.

They were set apart. They were holy unto the Lord. And they were to exhibit and demonstrate the holiness of God in their actions, in their work ethic, in the fulfillment of their task to the detail because we serve a holy God and they represented him before the people. The people had to go through the priest to come before the Lord but the priest went only through the high priest. The high priest who entered once a year through the veil to offer the blood upon the mercy seat to atone for the sins of Israel.

A token of the blood spilt by Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the the world, not just the Jew. But of the world. The high priest not of Israel but of all mankind. All mankind that is who choose by faith to trust in him. And his atoning sacrifice on the cross.

The price paid for your sins and mine. He is our high priest. We are priests in his service. These verses declare that we who are the redeemed in Christ Jesus are all ourselves priests before God. Being made a holy temple by virtue of the Holy Spirit who lives where?

Inside of our heart. Who lives within us and has quickened us, that has made us alive, and has consecrated us in the service of Jesus Christ to bring spiritual sacrifice of praise and worship to our God We are the priests of today No, not not the guy who went to to seminary and got a degree or got elected to a position or but we who are the redeemed in Christ Jesus, we are all priests before the Lord. We have all been placed here by our God to serve him. That is the responsibility not just of pastors that stand in pulpits but of every born again believer. We are a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood unto our God.

Last week, we looked at this. We need to be we as our own priest need not a priest to absolve us of our sins or atone for our sins by the offering of a lamb but Christ alone is the lamb slain for the sins of the world and he is our one what? One mediator, our high priest, our one mediator between us and God. First Timothy two five and six, for there's one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ, Jesus, who gave himself a ransom, a sacrifice. For all to be testified in due time.

Second Corinthians five twenty one, it says, for he became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He suffered our punishment. He suffered the penalty for our sin on the cross that we might receive and be robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And he is the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. First John two two.

In Hebrews seven twenty four says, for wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever live it to make intercession for us. Who makes intercession for you today? Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of the father having made atonement for our sins on the cross of Calvary who is risen again intercedes for you. You don't have to come to me. You can go to who?

You can go to Jesus. I didn't die for your sins, he did. And there's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Today, we need not a priest, saints, or a pastor to intercede for us, only Christ. Therefore in Hebrews four sixteen it says, let us therefore come what?

Boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God says to all believers, come boldly before that throne. In the days of Israel, there was the outer veil that kept people from the holy place. And then there was the inner veil that kept people from the holy of holies through only through which only the high priest could enter once a year. But when Jesus died on the cross, God took that veil and he rented in two from the top to the bottom and through faith in Christ, we have direct access to God himself and so God says, he invites us to come boldly before the throne of grace today.

You do not need to confess your sins to a priest or to a preacher. You can confess them to Jesus Christ. He will forgive your sins. He will cleanse you. From all unrighteousness.

I invite the opportunity to pray with you and to pray for you if you have a need. But know this, if you know the Lord and if you're walking with the Lord, God doesn't hear my prayers any better than he hears your prayers. And he invites you. To go to him yourself. We need not a priest to interpret scripture for us.

For God has given us the Holy Spirit. There are people in churches today that are being taught that they cannot rightly understand the scriptures. They cannot rightly interpret the scriptures without a priest to tell them what it means. That's not what the Bible says. That's what a church, a group, a person may tell you, that is not what scripture says but scripture says, that you can understand the word of God.

You can read it, understand it, apply it for yourself. A matter of fact, you must do so. You must not take my word for it. You need to go to God's word to make sure that my word is his word because it's his word and his authority that matters. It's in first John two twenty seven, it says, but the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you.

You need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lie and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him. Well, what is this anointing? This ability that God is speaking of here. It is none other than the Holy Spirit but the comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the father will send in mine, my name, he shall what? Teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.

Now, you say, well, pastor, don't need to come to church and listen to you because we have the holy spirit. No, that's not what I'm saying, okay? God does call pastors and teachers as he said in Ephesians to help with the training and teaching of his people for the purpose that we all grow up and mature in the faith to minister for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. However, this does mean is you need to check what I say with God's word and you need to trust God's word and you can understand it for yourself and you need to read it not just when you're sitting in a what? In a pew.

In a church. You can read it for yourself. You need to read it for yourself and allow God and the holy spirit to use it as it is the sword of the spirit each day. To change your life. Don't wait till Sunday.

Be in God's word Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and even Saturday. Study it for yourself. God will help you to grow. God will help you to grow. And God will show you.

We need not a priest or prophet to tell us the will of God because the will of God is right here in the word of God. Bible says in second Timothy three, all scriptures given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. You want to know what good work God has for you? Dig in to what? Dig into this, the word of God.

Do it yourself. Dig into it. Ask the Lord to use it, to show you his way. He will show you his will. He will guide you.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not into thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall what? Direct thy paths. He shall direct thy paths.

So, as priests, we have one mediator between us and God. That is our high priest Jesus Christ. As priest, we can rightly divide that is understand, interpret the scriptures, and apply em to our life. We don't have to wait for a priest or a preacher to tell us. And then it also means this, we represent Christ to the world around us.

The priests represented God to the nation of Israel. They watched the priest. The priest set the what? The example. We as priest to our heavenly father, we today are supposed to set the what?

We are supposed to set the example to the world around us. People should be able to look at us and see what our God is like. Just as the people in in the days of the priest were to look to them to see and they were supposed to help the people to know who God was not just through their words but also through their what? Also through their actions. Look if you would first Peter chapter two if you're there.

First Peter chapter two verse nine again. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priest to the holy nation, peculiar people that you should show forth the praise of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. He's talking primarily to Gentile believers who were considered outside of the covenant, the old covenant of God but now through the new covenant of Jesus Christ have been invited by God through Jesus Christ who died not for the sins of Israel alone but also for the sins of the world. We are now. In the Old Testament, the people of God was the nation of what?

Israel under the old covenant. We are now the people of God. We are now his holy nation. We who have received Christ as savior and are part of his church. He goes on to say in verse 11, dearly beloved, now he's pleading with him.

I beseech you. I plead with you as strangers and pilgrims, peculiar people, okay? As strangers and and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Having your conversation, that word conversation means conduct not just what you say. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evildoers they may by your may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation.

Jesus Christ is where? Where is Jesus today? The right hand of the father. You sent the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. That he might make us his temple and his priest.

We represent him today. He is up there. We are here. He said, as the father has sent me, so send I, you. And we have been sent out into this world.

We've been placed in this world, in your workplace, in your neighborhood, in your community, in your family to be a light and a testimony, to be salt and light in this world, to make a difference, and to point people to who? And to point people to Jesus Christ. And the holy God whom we serve. That is you Not just me Every believer in Christ is to be salt and light I think I have this up here Matthew five sixteen let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. That's Christ's command to us who know him.

Who are his priests? To let our light shine which is a reflection of the light of Christ our savior. To a world around us so that others may see him. That is what it means to be priest in service of the king. In Isaiah twenty six forty three, God said to the priest, he said, they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane which would be the unholy and calls them discern between the clean, unclean, and the clean.

It was the responsibility of the priest to set the what? To set the example. Between which was right and just and holy and that's which was sin and wrong. That was responsibility God gave them. It is responsibility he has given to us to set that example for our children, to set that example for our neighbors, set that example for our coworkers.

Sometimes, we are tempted to act to to blow our tops. Sometimes, we're tempted to gossip. Sometimes, we're tempted to cheat a little. Sometimes, we are tempted to do things the world's way but we're not of the world We're of the king of kings. We're we are his children.

We are his peculiar people. We've been called out of the darkness of this world into his marvelous light and we must let that light shine in what we say and do to demonstrate to others. There is a holy God in heaven who saved my soul, who's made me his child, and he will do the same for you. Thus, God reproved the priest In Ezekiel 22, her priest have violated my law, profane my holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and the profane.

Neither they show difference between the unclean and the clean. They have hid their eyes from my Sabbath and I am profaned among them. I hate to say it but I think we're not far from where they were. I I know too many Christians whose language is just as trashy and dirty. It would seem as the world around them.

I know Christians who sit and watch vile rubbish just like the world around them. I know Christians that go to places and party and and drink and corrals and what what are we doing? What are we doing? We're not here for that. We're the ambassadors of the king of kings and Lord of lords.

We are to set the what? Example. They're not going to set it. We expect that of them For they don't know him. They don't know of his love and his mercy, his goodness, his kindness.

They don't have his holy spirit but you do. He has called us to be what? To be holy. Ambassadors to represent him. He says in first Peter one hundred fifteen and sixteen, but he has called you with holy, so be you what?

Holy in all manner of conversation, all in every area of your conduct because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy. Talk different than the rest of the world around you. Live different. Value different things. Eternal things.

Be careful what music you jam to and what TV shows and entertainment you watch. Be careful the places you go. Why? Because you represent who? Jesus Christ.

I'm afraid that has been lost upon many in Christian today. And we are not being the salt and light. God reproves us the way he reproved them for we are his priest today. He has called us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind after the mind of Christ that we may prove us a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. You are his priest.

Do you take this privilege and responsibility seriously? Or if we kind of shoved it off to the side. Well, yeah, I'm a little different from the world. Yeah, but really, are you being the example? Are you shining the light?

Are we trying spending too much time trying to fit in? Are we too much influenced by the friends we keep, the entertainment that we indulge in? And are we being conformed more to the image of the world than being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. If we have missed the mark, we are sinning. If we are sinning, what are we to do?

We are to confess our sins. Repent. Christ said to the church at Ephesus, you've lost your first one, love. Repent. Do the first works.

Come back to me. Rededicate yourselves. Sometimes, we need to do that. That's why we have these things called revivals. We're going to have revival services in November.

I am praying and I ask you to pray that we don't just have revival services but that indeed we have what? Revival. Because we need it. As a church, we need it. And then finally, we as priests have the responsibility of dedicating ourselves to his service.

Yes, we are to show the difference between the holy and the unholy but we are to be also dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ, our savior. Hebrews twelve one, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body, bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable unto God which is your what? What's his last few words? Reasonable service. It is the our reasonable service.

Our reasonable service that we give of our lives, ourselves, our bodies to be used as instruments. In the service of the one who has purchased it with his blood. You are not your own, you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God and your body and your spirit which are his. Are you dedicated to his service?

Are we just leaving that up to other people? Now, you leave that up to the pastor or missionaries or or maybe the deacons. God hasn't called you in his service, has he? Or has he? Which is which is the correct answer?

He has. He has called every believer into his service. To serve him in your family, to serve him in your neighborhood, to serve him at your place at work, to serve him in your local church. Are you serving him? Do you go to church?

I mean, do you go to work? And as you go to work, do you have in your mind, I am serving who? I am serving God. Are you just serving a paycheck? When you talk to your neighbor, are you serving God?

When you lead your home, are you serving God? Are you there to serve him, His interest to do his will. That's what a priest was here for. They were chosen to serve God, to make God their first priority and everything else second. Is God your first priority?

Or is he just something you do on Sunday mornings so you feel better about yourself? I'm not sure God feels better about you. If that is the extent of your faith and your service. It's like joining the army. While you are serving, you must be totally dedicated to the cause.

When a man signed up to be a priest, his life revolved around that ministry. First of all, everything else came what? Second, Does Christ have preeminence in your life and in your to a bit little more But I cannot do it alone. I need help. And there is some area that you can help in.

If you will be willing to serve Your neighbors need Jesus Christ I'm not in your neighborhood. Who is? You are. I don't talk to them from day to day. Who does?

You do. Are you serving God first? Are you not talking to your neighbor because weren't nice to you? Are we dedicated and willing to serve? We must be.

To serve God and lead and teach your family in your home. To reach out with love to your neighbor look for opportunities to witness, be faithful in spending time with God and his word and in prayer. To be faithfully participate in the worship at church and ministering to your fellow believers throughout the week. The least you can do is send a birthday card. We put em in bulletin.

Do you know that's a ministry? Or maybe each week, you might have a few people that you might look around and see and say, are they here this week? And if they're not, you know something? It would really mean something if you called them and not me. We are here to serve.

Give me Lord a what? Servant's heart. For that was what a priest had. A servant's heart. When the penitent person brought their sacrifice The priest was there to serve.

I hope you are here and I am here to serve. How dedicated are we? Are we setting the right example? Are we willing to give our of ourselves in his service? If there's some area, Lord has touched your heart, I as we pray and then go to their hymn of invitation, I plead with you today.

I beseech you today. Don't shove it under the carpet again. Talk with the Lord. Talk with him in your seat or come up and talk with him at the pew but don't put him off. Again, let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for Jesus Christ, our savior and Lord, we thank you for being our high priest and the sacrifice that you gave on the cross of Calvary. We pray Lord if there's one here today in our midst that is yet to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior who are still under the condemnation of their sins. Lord, I pray that you'd help them to see today the love of Christ and as we give this hymn of invitation that they might come today. We might show them from God's word how they might be saved and become a child of the king. How their sins might be forgiven and how they might receive today the gift of everlasting life.

Lord, I pray they come as we sing this morning. I pray Lord for us who know you as savior, who've been saved by the blood of the lamb, have been made priests and kings unto our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, that we would recognize the responsibilities that you have given to us and the awesome privilege to represent you as priests. To set an example, to be a witness, and to serve the king of kings and Lord of lords every day. That you would forgive us for where we have failed. That you would burden us with a burden for a loss.

That you would challenge us in the service of our king today and that we would answer that call. Here am I, Lord, send me. In Jesus name, we do pray.