Foundations of Faith- Holy Priesthood
1 Peter 2:5… you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
What Does it mean to be a Holy Priesthood?
Priests serve God in unique ways. We are called to a holy vocation in serving God no matter how we might earn our living. One of the Baptist distinctives is the priesthood of believers.
Jesus, of course, is the high priest. He served the Father. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins taking on the metaphor of both a priest and the lamb that was sacrificed. He did it on behalf of sinful people. He offers prayers and intercedes before the throne of His Father in heaven. He separated Himself in holiness.
Because of our perfect priest, each individual believer has the privilege of coming into the presence before the almighty God. We do not come to Him through any person on earth, but only through the one mediator, Jesus Christ.
There are three implications of a priest and how the church fulfills that:
First, we are to be servants of God.
We are chosen by God and anointed for service by the Holy Spirit. It is inaccurate to think the pastor is the priest of the church and is paid to serve the Lord and carry out the work of the ministry. We are all servants of God. We all must be using our gifts as priests serving Him, ministering to our circles of influence. God has a ministry for you.
Secondly, we are to offer sacrifices to God.
sacrifices do we offer? There are many indicated in the Bible. Ps 51:17 “The sacrifices to God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart”. We cannot approach God on an equal basis or with hearts filled with pride. He is the king and creator and we are sinners. We have broken His laws and fallen short. We come with humbleness and brokenness before the Lord to do as He pleases with our lives.
Romans 12:1,2 We are told to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God. You are not your own you have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your bodies.” Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 13:15,16 says praise and thanksgiving unto Him is sacrifice.
Philippians 4:10-20 reminds us that part of our sacrifice is our money, our gifts, our tithes, and our offerings.
Thirdly, we are intercessors.
We present God to men and women. We pray for them. We present the Word of God to others. We are to declare the message of God to all people.
Application: Peter pointed out that every believer has the obligations to represent God to mankind and represent mankind to God. Ask the Lord how you might do that this week.
Prayer: Gracious Father, may my life be lived knowing I am chosen. Help me to represent You to others through my actions and present others to You in prayer.
