Priesthood

Now, let's open our Bibles, please, to the book of Romans, the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, and we'll read some verses in chapter 12, Romans chapter 12. And we'll read at verse number 1, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt with every man the measure of faith. Verse number 6, having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith, or ministry, let us wade on our ministering, or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that exhorted on exhortation, he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. He that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Now we'll go to 1 Peter chapter 2. First epistle of Peter and chapter 2. Verse number 5, 1 Peter 2 and verse number 5, ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Verse number 9, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Now to go back please to chapter 10 of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10. I will read a few verses here, starting at verse number 19, Hebrews 10 verse number 19. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Now there are other verses that we could read, but this will suffice for what we have before us for the time being. I would like to draw your attention to another doctrine of the New Testament, and that is the doctrine of priesthood. And the verses we have read together bring before us that very precious and very important subject.

Studying this subject has been a great blessing to me, and as I pondered on it again recently, it has been a challenge to my own heart and a blessing to my own soul. And I do trust that what we have before us to pass on to you will be a blessing to you. I would like to divide my subject with a few headings, possibly too many headings.

My wife tells me you have three points, but you never cover more than the first point. Well, that could be true. But just to help focus our thinking and what we are aiming at, I would like to think for a moment with you about the privilege of priesthood.

Secondly, the purpose of priesthood. What's the reason for priesthood? Thirdly, the priority of priesthood. Fourthly, the place where the priesthood can function.

And fifthly, the permanency of priesthood. And if the Lord allows us help to do so, we would like to speak to you about certain practices involved in priesthood. Now, I will not take anything for granted here today.

I know that possibly all of you, if not at least most of you, know that word priesthood. But a few days, a few weeks, even a few months after God saved me, if you had used that word in my presence, it would have meant Chinese to me. I had no clue.

From a Roman Catholic background, my idea of a priest is far different than what the Bible speaks about a priest. But I discovered, after reading the Scriptures, nobody ever taught me this at first, I discovered this truth as a young believer, and it affected my life very much. And when I discovered it, my mind went away, back to this first night, minutes after God saved me, I understood for the first time why I did what I did.

You say, what did you do? I was in the house, living room of a house with a friend who professed to be a Christian. I'd been reading the Bible for several weeks. I was convinced of my sinfulness by the Scriptures, never heard the gospel preached, never went to an assembly meetings, there was no assembly in my village.

But that night, I had reached the end of my rope, and for the first time, I told God, kneeling upon my knees, beside that couch in the living room, unless he saved me, I would land in hell, right there and then, in a very simple way, without anybody putting their hands upon me, without much emotions perhaps at first, it became clear to me for the first time, the Lord Jesus died for those who are lost. And I said in my heart, that's me, I am lost, he died for me. Right there, I was saved.

We walked out of the house, maybe half a mile to my home on Main Street, I began to walk. It was in the month of February, I can still remember, it was snowing, and within my heart was rising something that was never there before. I began to thank God for his son, could never do that before.

I asked God many things before, asked God to save him before, but now for the first time, there was an appreciation towards God for his son. And as I was doing so in my own heart, overwhelmed by the love of God and the grace of God towards me, without thinking two minutes about it, what was in my heart became audible. I was speaking to God aloud.

I think now people heard me, they probably think I went crazy. Walking down the road, speaking aloud to God, not in the church building, not upon my knees walking, what was happening? I was become a worshiper. Say, what do you mean? I become a priest.

Yeah, I become a priest. You see, I don't see the connection. Don't you see the connection? Who was a priest in the Bible? A priest in the Bible was a man who had the right to enter into the very presence of God and minister unto him in the tabernacle and in the temple, in the Old Testament.

Nobody else but a priest could do that. Even the king couldn't do it. Prophets couldn't do it.

You had to be a priest to go to that first part there in the holy place. When I read my New Testament, I discovered Hebrews chapter 10. Now I have this assurance, this boldness, this liberty.

I can go into the very sanctuary of God, not only in the holy place like the priest in the Old Testament, but in the most holy place pictured in the tabernacle, the very throne room of God. I can stand there and speak to my God. What a privilege, what a privilege.

In the scriptures, this is a birthright. As it was in the Old Testament, you had to be born into Aaron's family to be a priest. In the New Testament, all those who are born in God's family are priests.

In the Old Testament, it was only the males who were priests. In the New Testament, both brethren and sisters, male and females, by the new birth have become priests. This is a positional truth.

This is true of every single believer. That's wonderful, great privilege. What was the purpose then of priesthood in the Bible? What is the purpose of priesthood in the New Testament? Well, in the Old Testament, what those priests did in part, not the only thing they did, we'll see that later, but they offered sacrifices, they ministered to God.

What do we do in the New Testament? We have spiritual sacrifices. What are these sacrifices? We've read one of them in Romans chapter 12, starting by the offering up of ourselves. Hebrews chapter 13, the fruit of lips that confesses his name, doing good, using our material means to help others.

Philippians chapter 2, the service and the gospel. These are spiritual sacrifices. As a holy priest, I go right into the very presence of God.

As a royal priest, I can go to others representing God. Now, this covers the privilege of priesthood and the purpose of priesthood. Now, what about the priority of priesthood? I want to dwell on this a bit.

Now, some of you young brethren, and perhaps some younger sisters too, maybe you've been thinking with exercise and possibly dreaming and possibly praying about a foreign land, perhaps a place where you could go and serve the Lord full time in the gospel. And that's wonderful. I wouldn't want to encourage that, discourage that.

But I would like you to focus on something that is at the very foundation of Christian living. And if we miss out on this, the rest just becomes cold formality and religion. Did you notice, I'm going to give you some example for this, that before speaking in Romans 12 about being separated from the world, not conformed to the world, before speaking about discerning the mind of God, the will of God, before speaking about spiritual gifts in Romans chapter 12, Paul speaks about the offering of ourselves.

So what's the point? The point is this, priesthood comes first. And from priesthood flows out everything else. You see, is this the only example? John chapter 4, you remember at the end of the chapter, the Lord says, look on the field, widen to harvest.

What's the context? Gospel work, reaching others with the gospel. But before that, he said to that woman, the father's secret worshipers, what's the point? Priesthood comes first. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 to chapter 14, the different meetings of an assembly.

Before he deals with the subject of spiritual gifts, 12, 13, and 14, he deals with headship and the Lord's supper. Chapter 11, what for? What's the order? Priesthood comes first. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 1 and verse 2, he will deal with different things in that epistle, behavior in the house of God.

But he says this, I would that, first of all, prayers, supplications be made for all men. Why first of all? The prayer life of an assembly. Why first of all? Because Paul wants to underline by the Holy Spirit, the priority of priesthood.

So you see, priesthood has to do with me in fellowship with God, me as a worshiper of God, me occupied with God and with his son. And out of this, flowing from this, is service. This is why in the Old Testament, the Levites were servants to the priest.

Levites speaks of service. The priest in the Old Testament illustrate the priesthood of the New Testament. I'm afraid, brothers and sisters, sometime we have it on the reverse order.

As soon as somebody is saved and in the assembly, we want him on the platform. We want him in the street with tracts distribution. Now this is all good.

Please don't get me wrong. But I feel in the depths of my soul, if we missed out on this aspect, foundation aspect of our Christian living, the rest will become just formality. Right in itself, but the heart out of it is gone.

The warmth is gone. The freshness is gone. The fire, the devotion is gone.

And this speaks to my own heart. I remember receiving a letter from a preacher. Liz and I were just married.

And in this letter, he wrote something I never forgot. He said something like this. He said, I fear great activity without great communion.

And I believe he was right. I have to tell you today, I fear the same thing. So my point is this to those of you are not long saved, get into your Bible.

Get into the presence of God. Speak to your father. Enjoy the scriptures.

Enjoy the Savior. Enjoy the truth of the Bible. Speak to God about them.

Speak to God much of his son. Cultivate that fellowship with him. And in time, in God's own time, not only God will show you how not to conform with the world, will not be a bunch of rules and regulations written on the wall.

It will stem from the heart. And in due time, you'll discern God's will when it comes to your place of service in the assembly. It will not be pushed upon you.

It will not be based upon your imagination. It will stem from a heart that wants to serve Christ. In due time, your gift will be discerned.

Why? Because you've surrendered yourself altogether. You've put yourself upon the altar as a priest. I was mentioning to a brother, maybe or two, that on the passage we read last night at the meeting, Leviticus chapter 6, about this fire that God had kindled and the priests were responsible to keep alive, feed with wood, make sure the fire would not go out, nor be put out.

That it is found in the very portion of Leviticus where it's the law of the burnt offering. Why is that? Well, in application, we know the burnt offering speaks to us about the Lord Jesus, the one who gave himself entirely for the pleasure of God, for the glory of God. But it also speaks about the believer who responds to the truth of the gospel and heals himself.

See? And this is linked to priesthood. That's why the priest was involved in doing that. So, the priority of priesthood before everything else.

The place where priesthood can function. Now, there's two aspects of this. The first aspect is this, that we do not exercise our priesthood in a sense upon earth.

We don't exercise priesthood in a building. Our priesthood is exercised in the very sanctuary of God. We move in his presence, in his light.

Well, there is also a sense where priesthood can only function together upon earth. Oh, you say that must be the gospel hall. Sorry, it's not the gospel hall.

That's the thing wrong with the gospel. No, no. Where is that place? Hebrews chapter 13 tells us, we have an altar.

Why an altar? Priests need an altar. That's the altar on which you offer your sacrifices. And the author says, we have an altar.

Who is the altar? The Lord Jesus. Where's the altar? Oh, the author says, let us go forth unto him. Outside the camp, right? This is where the altar is.

This is where the priests function around the altar. And in that very chapter, what he describes to us is really the functioning of a local assembly. This is where we are.

You see, don't get mixed up with thinking that's within the walls of the building where we meet. No, no. This is not our sanctuary.

Our sanctuary is heaven. But the only place where the priesthood, as it is seen in the New Testament, can freely function without hindrances, it is in the context of a local assembly. It cannot function in the religious world.

This is why it's outside the camp, the religious camp. Oh, the beauty, the unique beauty of a local assembly. Wonderful to think that you and I can meet either at the prayer meeting or when we remember the Lord, Lord's Day morning, brethren and sisters together.

And we can function as priests. We can wave as it may, the Lord Jesus in the very presence of God, telling God about his son. This is precious.

This is the only place where it can function. Now, remember in the Old Testament. There were many priests in Israel.

But when they were brought captive into Babylon. There were many priests there, Jewish priests, where they could never function as priests in Babylon. Never.

There was only one place where they could function. That was a God's place at Jerusalem. When they came back under Nehemiah in Israel, remember those priests came back and they could exercise their priesthood there because it was the place where God chose to put his name there.

There are believers in the denominations. If they are believers, they are priests. But they cannot function truly as a priesthood.

There's only one place where that priesthood can function. It is in the assembly. Now, to make sure that you understand it right, I don't become a priest when I'm receiving to the assembly.

I become a priest the moment I'm saved. Right? But I come into the assembly because I am a priest. And I want to function as a priest with other priests, as a priesthood.

Only one place, the local assembly. Now, one thing that was impressed upon me, and it just makes the subject even more precious to my soul, is to think that there are three references to believers as priests in the book of Revelation. Chapter 1, chapter 5, and chapter 20.

Not everybody might agree with me on this, but if you want to help me after, I'm willing to receive some help. But what do I learn from that? I learned from that, that there are priests around the throne in chapter 5. And again in chapter 20, priests. I learned from this that priesthood does not stop at death, nor at the Lord's coming.

Priesthood will go on in heaven. That's, that's different. Well, think about it this way.

All those of us who are trying to do some preaching, that will all end when the Lord's comes. There'll be no preachers in heaven. Well, there'll be preachers in heaven, but there won't be preaching in heaven, right? There'll be teachers in heaven, but there won't be teaching in heaven.

There'll be deacons in heaven, but there won't be service, service in that capacity in heaven. Not the same way as we have on earth. But brethren and sisters, we'll be priests forever.

This is one occupation that we'll never stop doing. That's trimming, isn't it? There will never a time when we'll be in the very presence of our Savior, that we'll never stop thanking God for him, appreciating him, serving him in that capacity as priest. We'll be priests in the glory.

So don't put too much emphasis on being a preacher, or being a teacher, or being a deacon, or being a Sunday school teacher. Put the emphasis on this aspect of your life, priesthood. Now, what I would like you to think about with you for a few more moments, is the difference between being a priest, positionally, and being priestly in behavior.

You see, what do you mean? Well, I'll give you an example. You remember Elijah the priest, first Psalm, he had sons. Those sons were priests, right? But they were far from being priestly, were they? Their behavior was awful, shameful behavior.

Yes, they were priests because they were born into the priestly family, but they did not behave themselves as priests. Where all of us who are saved are priests, but we might not always be priestly in our attitude, in our behavior. And this is where I would like to apply the subject to us this afternoon.

In the Old Testament, there were several aspects that these priests served. We've noticed them at the altar in Leviticus 6. But if you look in other chapters of that same book, you'll discover this, that these priests were busy men. Not always busy around the altar with the sacrifices, not always busy in the holy place with the candlestick and the golden altar and the table of showbread.

But they were priests in many ways, acting as priests. I'll give you a few examples. You will remember in Numbers 18, Leviticus chapter 27, verse 8, verse 12 to 25.

The priests were asked to do an estimate, put value upon what was consecrated to God. Somebody wanted to give a sheep consecrated to the Lord. He had the option of giving the sheep or giving its value and money.

So the priest had to come and he had to look at that sheep, that animal, and he had to put a value on it, not according to what he thought, but according to the shackle of the sanctuary. Now, did you ever think about that? As I thought about that, I found something that really thrills me. Why the priest? Why not ask the farmer? He would know what sheep.

If it's a cattle, why not ask the farmer? He would know what this ox is worth. No, no farmers involved here. It's the priest.

Why the priest? Why the priest? Because the priest is the man who moved into the sanctuary of God. The priest is the man who got to know God. The priest is the man who's qualified to put the right value on what belongs to God.

He's the man of the sanctuary. I applied this to us now. There are things that belong to God now.

God's people, God's word, God's assembly. They don't belong to us. They belong to God.

Our behavior towards the word of God, our behavior towards the people of God, our behavior in the assembly of God is determined by how priestly we are. If you and I on a daily basis move into the presence of God, move into the sanctuary of God, spend time with God and his word and in prayer, we'll be able to put the right value upon God's things. If we neglect prayer, we neglect the word of God, we neglect the sanctuary of God, we neglect spending time in the presence of God, the things of God will go down in value.

And what was so precious to God will treat it lightly. What means so much to him, we might end up despising it. It's really serious business.

I wonder, I wonder if that's not what's happening in some assemblies. I wonder if that's not the reason why some things are introduced into the assembly. It's because some of us have neglected that aspect of our life.

And the assembly doesn't mean as much to us as it used to. We used to look at it as a holy place. But now we can let the world creep in with its pleasures and fun.

The word of God was so precious, so holy. Now we're willing to introduce what is so-called versions that look more like perversions that take down the holy character of the holy scriptures. Behavior in the house of God when it comes to modesty and reverence.

So treasured because we know this is God's assembly. But when we neglect moving into the sanctuary of God, weighing things in the presence of God, looking at the assembly the way God looks at it. For some people, I'm afraid it's become a social club, not God's assembly.

I see this brothers and sisters. I have no bitterness in my heart. I'm pointing it to you.

I'm afraid this is the root of our problem. Oh, may God help us to look at these things as priests who move into his presence, who weigh things in his presence. Now, when we come to the very chapter 13 of this book, the priest, I asked to do something else.

There's leprosy involved. Leprosy on a man, leprosy on clothing, leprosy on a house. You say, if it's leprosy, why don't you call the doctor? No, don't call the doctor.

You call the priest. You call the priest. The priest is to examine that spot on the flesh, on the garment, in the house.

And the priest is to decide if it is leprosy or not. I said, why the priest? There he goes again. Leprosy is a picture of sin, uncleanness.

And the only man who is fit to discern if it's leprosy or not is the man of the sanctuary, the man who's in touch with God. That's the man. Isn't it the same with you and me? How is it that things that used to bother our conscience when we were first saved, things that made us blush, very presence of God, how is it that at times we get so accustomed? I hate to use that word, but we don't, shiver back anymore.

We don't go back anymore. And somehow we get used to them. I'm afraid.

I'm afraid for myself that at times I might be hardened towards sin. I don't detect sin. I don't discern it the way I used to.

Why? Is it because I'm feeling in my priesthood to move constantly in the presence of a holy God who hates sin? So there again, when we go for the worldly things, when we listen to worldly music, when we attend worldly places, is it because we are flat on this very basis? Our fellowship with the Lord is not what it should be. It's not because we're not following the right rules. It's because the heart is not right.

Chapter 17 of Deuteronomy, it tells us that there were in every city judges, but at times there were matters that were too difficult for the judges. So they were to call the priest, and the priest was to make a decision, pronounce a judgment on that controversy. There again, it was the priest who did it.

Why? Well, it tells us something similar as in Matthew chapter 18, when there's a problem between two believers. Right? And God, the Lord Jesus tells us that the mind of heaven should be carried upon earth in that context. Now, how will this assembly carry out the mind of heaven? First of all, they have to know the mind of heaven.

If they're going to lose upon earth what God has loosed in heaven, and they're going to bind upon earth what God has already bound in heaven, they must know the mind of heaven. How would they know? The next verse tells us this. Two of you agreeing upon earth, asking God, and will be given.

What's that? That's priesthood. So when it comes to assembly problems, our answers are not found in commentaries. When it comes to assembly problems, our answers are found in the sanctuary, finding the mind of God and the word of God.

I know there are many elder brethren here, and they've lived that. They've proven that. This is the same truth.

One last one. There's many more, but we'll leave one last one. Judges, Joshua chapter 3. The people of God are about to cross the Jordan to go into Canaan.

How would they know the way? Oh, God tells them men will carry the ark, and they'll go forward, and the people will look upon the ark and follow the ark through the Jordan into Canaan. You say, what does that mean? Who will do that? It's the priest, of course. The priest will carry the ark, and the priest will elevate the ark upon their shoulder, and the priest will show the people the way when they carry the ark.

What do we learn from that? We learn this. If you and I will be a good example, leading the people of God, if you and I will be used of God to guide God's people in the right path and the right ways, we will have to function as priests. And as these priests elevated the ark, bore the ark upon their shoulders, so you and I can bear the Lord Jesus to the sight of the Lord's people.

And as they look at the Lord Jesus being exemplified in the life of the priests, being ministered to the Lord's people by priestly men, only then will the Lord's people be led in the right path into the true land of Canaan, the blessings that God has bestowed upon us as his people. I do trust that these remarks, I know it's very basic, and I trust it was simple enough that you were able to follow, will help us all, young and old, to know what it is, if we have gotten away from it, to be restored in this aspect of Christian living that is the very foundation for everything else, our priesthood. We are priests.

May God help us that we be more priestly in our behavior. And God bless his word.