YOU ARE GOD¡¦S ROYAL PRIESTS
"Living for the Pleasure of God and the Benefit of His People"
INTRODUCTION: THE CHURCH IS SPECIAL
1. The Church is special. This past week, one of my favorite comedy shows hit ¡§below the belt¡¨ when it chose to make fun of people who chose to regularly go to church. Of course, Hollywood cast these churchgoers as uptight, stoggy, hypocritical, and arrogant because they didn¡¦t agree with their adult daughter¡¦s choice of not going to church because her boyfriend had stayed overnight with her. So, once again, Hollywood advances the perception that the Christian is an arrogant, kill-joy; and that true liberation comes when one shed the confining religious ¡§walls¡¨ of the church. Again, I was reminded of the subtle fact that as a Christian I am slowly being left out of this world. But the good news is that I am locked into God¡XHis love, grace, mercy and holiness. Thankfully, Hollywood doesn¡¦t write the final script on who the church is, what Christians are like, and what the church corporately exists to do. With some very picturesque and elegant imagery, God has written the script on the church in His Word. Specifically, would you turn to 1 Peter 2:4-1. Peter writes to encourage His friends and spiritual family. For though they were being left out of their society, they were locked into God¡Xwho saw them differently and had a wonderful role for them to fulfill in their corner of His world. (Read text)
2. The Big Idea: Peter¡¦s words are wonderful and stress the special standing that we enjoy with God. He called us out of our darkness and sin, touching us with the light of His love, mercy, grace and holiness. He did this for a special reason. That reason is summed up in the Big Idea for this morning. When God called us out of the darkness of this world, He gave us the responsibility to be light.
3. Transition: With this Big Idea in mind, you may be wondering how you are going to fulfill this purpose of lighting a dark world. Just like the Peter¡¦s First Century Christian audience, we are priests. Not just priests in your average priesthood. We are priests in God¡¦s royal, holy priesthood. Now, at first blush you may be embarrassed at the thought of being a priest, especially one that is royal and holy. You know that royalty is inherited. You have no real chance of becoming King in this lifetime. And after the week that you may have just had, you¡¦re thinking that holiness may as well be inherited as well, cause it sure ain¡¦t happening the way you would like it. Well, before you get all out of sorts with this special priestly identity, you must remember this truth about the church to which you belong: The church is a group of sinful people who came to Christ for salvation and are committed to walking together in obedience Essentially, we are a group of redeemed (¡§bought back¡¨) sinners. Now that is encouraging!
4. Transition¡XAn Inquiring Mind Wants to Know: As I studied this text, three questions surfaced in my mind: 1) How did I get to be a royal priest? 2) What is required of me as a royal priest? 3) How can I become the best possible priest? These inquiries are similar to the questions you would ask if you were interviewing for a new job, or possibly even when you got married, or even when you were contacted to run for a particular elected position at this church. We want to know what our title will be and what is expected of us. So, let¡¦s first consider how we entered God¡¦s royal, holy priesthood.
I. ENTERING GOD¡¦S ROYAL PRIESTHOOD (1 Peter 2:4-8)
„« An Inquiring Mind Wants to Know: So, you may be wondering just how you did get to be a royal priest. Peter offers two answers to your question.
A. When You Came to Christ through Spirit-Inspired Belief and Trust: Briefly, let¡¦s take a moment to consider your life-journey to this point. Prior to Christ, you were just going along¡Xmaybe happily, maybe not; but, definitely unfulfilled and dissatisfied. You started to see yourself differently. It was as if someone was pointing out the areas of your life could be better, more fulfilling. You came to a point in your road where a ¡§large stone¡¨ stood between you and moving on. That ¡§Stone¡¨ demanded special consideration. That ¡§Stone¡¨ was Christ. His offer of forgiveness and life-leadership had to be accepted or rejected. There was no moving until a decision was made. You chose what others rejected¡XChrist! Apostolic teaching instructs that your ¡§coming to Christ¡¨ was Spirit-inspired. In other words, you were so steeped in your sin that you needed some help. Thus, God¡¦s Holy Spirit was sent to work, helping you with your belief so that you could trust Him. With the Spirit¡¦s inspiration and illumination, you were able to understand and accept that Jesus was the divine Son of God, born of a virgin, crucified, dead, buried and risen again. With this cooperative interaction, you were then able to respond in trust to this belief and began walking in the direction of our Lord. At times, the road has been tough. At other times, the road has been smooth. At all times, the journey has been leading you to a delightful, divine end. Yet, it is heartbreaking to know that those who rejected the ¡§Stone¡¨ have chosen to walk a dead-end road that leads to eternal destruction.
B. When God Adopted You as His Sons and Daughters: What little I know about royalty, I do know that for one to ascend to any throne he must have the right bloodline. Peter¡¦s audience knew this as well. Israel¡¦s kingship ran through the bloodlines of David. Curiously, Peter calls them a royal priesthood. This title is doubly ironic. For not only was royalty genetically linked, so also was the Jewish priesthood¡Xit was reserved for special families in the tribe of Levi. But, the Christian Gospel leveled all of this. Christ¡¦s sacrificial death made it possible for Gentiles to be adopted into God¡¦s family. This adoption gives us full rights and inheritance as God¡¦s sons and daughters.
Transition: At first consideration, being a priest may not sound all that great. But, it was a privilege beyond comparison because it involved entry into the special courts and holy places of the Temple in order to take human concerns before God and for God¡¦s forgiveness. Being priest is a great thing because we have direct access to God. Now, the question confronting us is ¡§what is expected of us with this privilege? Can we really please God more with this direct access? Can we really make life better for our Christian brothers and sisters? Can we really be light to our friends, family and neighbors who are stuck in the darkness?¡¨
II. RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOD¡¦S ROYAL PRIESTS
(1 Peter 2:5,9,10)
„« An Inquiring Mind Wants to Know: So, we now know how we got to be priests. Now, an inquiring mind will want to know what the expectations are of bring God¡¦s royal, holy priest. Let¡¦s look at verses 5, 9 and 10.
A. Offer Spiritual Sacrifices Pleasing to God: This is truly difficult language. It is so ethereal. It is really hard to get our minds around this concept of a spiritual sacrifice. Material sacrifice¡Xnow, that is something we understand a little better. But the former is indicated through the latter. The material gives evidence of the spiritual. In the Old Testament, people would bring animals, food and/or grain to the priest as a sacrifice to receive God¡¦s forgiveness and continued favor. These materials were substitutes for the person. When sin required atonement, a self-sacrifice was especially required. This procedure changed dramatically when Christ became the ultimate sacrifice¡Xdying substitutionally in our place¡Xno further sacrifices are required. So, we have a question: ¡§How can I offer sacrifices if Christ completed the sacrificial requirements?¡¨ Well, one of the true marks of the Christ-follower is daily self-denial. Whenever you sacrifice your time, your intercession, your words of encouragement and admonishment, your energies, your finances, your possessions, your service for God or for another, you fulfill your priestly duty to God and to His people. Spiritual sacrifices reveal a selfless spirit and a disposition toward pleasing God and being of a benefit to God¡¦s children and even to those who are still living in the dark.
B. Declare the Praises of God: The second task that the priest is commissioned to fulfill is to ¡§declare the praises of God¡¨ (v. 9). Praise is wonderfully pleasing to God. It keeps us remembering what God has done, is doing and will be doing for us. Specifically, Peter points out that the both the motivation and the message of their praise was to promote the saving and adopting work of God on their behalf¡X¡§¡Kof him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy¡¨ (v. 10). We ¡§declare the praises of God¡¨ when we recall his saving power in our lives (¡§Amazing Grace¡¨). We ¡§declare the praises of God¡¨ when we recognize his providential care (i.e. finding a wallet, remaining unhurt in an auto accident, finding that special spouse who will love in spite of ourselves, etc.). We ¡§declare the praises of God¡¨ when we proclaim His triumphant return. For therein lies true hope of glory.
Transition: If Peter¡¦s congregation was admonished to fulfill there priestly responsibilities in more oppressive circumstances, imagine what God can do with us in a less-than-oppressive situation. So now, the question of skill must be answered. How does one develop as God¡¦s priest? After all, with so much at stake¡Xpersonally, corporately and globally¡Xwe want to carry out our priestly functions with excellence. God deserves no less. Let¡¦s talk about training as God¡¦s royal, holy priests.
III. TRAINING AS ONE OF GOD¡¦S PRIESTS (1 Peter 2:11-12; 1 Samuel 11:23-24)
„« An Inquiring Mind Wants to Know: Whenever you get a new role, training becomes a critical first step. Well, that is now where we turn. For when you found out that your were a priest in God¡¦s royal priesthood, hopefully you wondered what you need to do to be better at what you now know that you are. Well, let¡¦s talk about training in two skill areas: character and competency. The first skill-set is given to us by Peter in vv. 11-12. The second skill-set is found in what I will call the Samuel School for Priest (1 Samuel 12:23-24).
A. Character Skills: The Apostle Peter commands that God¡¦s royal, holy priests are to 1) ¡§abstain from their evil desires¡¨ for they wage war and wreak havoc on their souls. Not only that, indulging in evil things will cause them to become ineffective as mediators between God and others. Take intercessory prayer for an instance. If you are indulging in some publicly- secret-but-personally-known sin, how confidently are you going to enter God¡¦s throne room (Hebrews 4:16), and how effectively are you going to intercede on behalf of a brother engaged in spiritually dark stuff? Power and effectiveness in intercession comes from abstinence. I believe the same is true for service, sacrificial giving of finances, and any other type of spiritual sacrifice. Second (2), Peter tells us that we are to ¡§live such good lives¡¨ in order that even those unbelievers living in the world¡¦s darkness will see the light of our lives. Before we get too proud, we must remember, it is not our goodness that illumines the dark sky around us, but the goodness of Christ penetrates the dark sky of the soul. If we are going to fulfill our priestly function, a Christ-like character is essential. We reflect the character of our King¡XGod.
B. Competency Skills: While character is essentially important for God¡¦s royal, holy priest, our competency is important as well. I appeal to Samuel to help you further your competencies as a priest. Samuel was a priest during a time when Israel transitioned from a theocracy to a monarchy¡Xin other words, from being God-governed to be King-governed. Samuel didn¡¦t like this transition but fulfilled his responsibility of appointing God¡¦s anointed King. After that King was anointed and appointed Samuel declared his own purpose and function in a farewell speech. In this speech, we apprehend a list of five competencies. Look with me at 1 Samuel 12:23-24.
1. Intercessory Prayer: In the Samuel School for Priests, ¡§failing to pray¡¨ for God¡¦s people is a ¡§sin.¡¨ So, you¡¦ll want to be faithful in intercessory prayer. It truly is a privilege to hear someone ask, ¡§Will you pray for me?¡¨ It was just Friday that I visited with Jeff Miller and his folks at the hospital. As I finished my visit, I thanked them for the opportunity to pray for them during this challenging time. So, grab that prayer sheet and start praying. If you¡¦re not sure how, then let¡¦s talk. I will be happy to help you get going with confidence.
2. Scripture Reading: In the Samuel School for Priests, ¡§teaching people the way that is good and right¡¨ is a top priority. What was Samuel¡¦s teaching text? The Law. For you and I, the primary text is the Scriptures. We must read them and learn them so as to pass their facts, truths, commands and exhortations on to others within the body. Parents, the Scriptures are essential to showing your children ¡§the way that is good and right.¡¨ Without them, and especially without reading them, your life may lead them to build their lives on something other than the Cornerstone that is Christ. He is the only ¡§way,¡¨ the only ¡§truth,¡¨ the only ¡§life.¡¨
3. Awe-inspired Worship: In the Samuel School for Priests, the priest is to ¡§fear the Lord.¡¨ We are to live, act and work in awe of the God who brought us out of spiritual darkness into His wonderful light. Ready praise is formed on our lips as it pours out of our hearts. We are to sing, pray, worship with tremendous respect and appreciation. Sometimes this worship will be a noisy celebration. Other times it will be in quiet reflection.
4. Faithful Service: In the Samuel School for Priests, the priest is ¡§to serve [God] faithfully.¡¨ The priest¡¦s service is primarily for God, although he extends himself to the spiritual community at large. How has God gifted you to serve Him? Paul says, if your gift is teaching, then teach. If it is mercy, then give mercy. If it is leadership, then lead. Discover it, develop it and do it. The Body of Christ will be grateful and God will be pleased.
5. Grateful Reflection: Finally, in the Samuel School for Priests, the priest is to regularly ¡§consider what great things [God] has done for [him/her]. You need to take regular moments to reflect on all the good things the Lord has done on your behalf. Then you will be able to point others to His working as well.
CONCLUSION: LET¡¦S BE PRIESTS
1. Summary: The Church is special! We may be a group of sinners, but the best thing that we ever did was come running to Christ for salvation and determine together to walk in obedience to Him. Can you believe it? We are God¡¦s royal, holy priesthood.
2. INVITATION: So, let¡¦s be priest as we close this service this morning. Let¡¦s fulfill one of our priestly requirements. Doing so will test one of our competency skills. This morning, let¡¦s declare the praises of God. But, before we do, let¡¦s engage in grateful reflection. Our praises will please Him and benefit our Christian Brothers and Sisters.
3. THREE STATEMENTS: On the screen behind me are three statements that you can complete as the Spirit of God leads you. ¡§I declare today that God¡K¡¨; ¡§I am grateful today that God¡K¡¨; ¡§I am thankful today that God¡K¡¨ May this be our song as we close this service today.
