5/14/2016
The Priesthood of All Believers Pt.4
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God…Revelation 5:10
The Priesthood of Believers is Foundational to Freedom
Martin Luther insisted that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ is a priest. He wrote that his hope was for a day when, “…we shall recover that joyful liberty in which we shall understand that we are all equal in every right, and shall shake off the yoke of tyranny (of a priestly class), and know that he who is a Christian has Christ, and he who has Christ has all things that are Christ’s, and can do all things.”
The Priesthood of Believers Is Celebrated In Heaven
Revelation 5:9-10 They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
The Priesthood of Believers Is Considered to be The Meat of the Word
Hebrews 5:11-12 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Whoever lives on milk, is still an infant, not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Meat is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Some of the Duties of God’s Priests
Teach God’s Word (Educators)-Mediate Between God & Man -Offer Sacrifices on Behalf of God’s People -Prayed for God’s People-Led Corporate Worship for God’s People-Cared for Facilities i.e. the Tabernacle/Temple-Accompanied Israel to War (Carried the Ark of the Covenant)-Dealt With Israel’s Political Issues-Brought God’s Instructions to His People (Prophecy)-Adjudicated Legal Matters
The Priests Educated People With The Word of God
Leviticus 10:10-11 “You (the Levite Priests) must distinguish between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees of the Lord…”
Spiritual Distress Results in The Absence of Biblical Instruction
2nd Chronicles 15:3-4 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.
2 Kings 17:24-28 The king of Assyria brought in foreigners and settled them in Samaria to replace the Israelites…When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so He sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. They told to the king of Assyria: “We do not know what the god of this country requires. He has sent lions among us, which are killing us off, because we do not know what He requires.” So the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests taken captive from Samaria go back to live there to teach the people what the god of the land requires.” So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
The Priesthood Starts at Home
Genesis 18:19 I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.
Bible Instruction Starts at Home
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 …these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise…
Bible Instruction Is Essential In The Household of God
Ephesians 4:11-12 It was He (God) Who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Bible Instruction Fulfills Gods New Covenant Plan
Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.