Sermon
Priesthood of Believers
October 17, 2004
Pastor Donald Sheley

I pray that you all have a Bible because about 90 percent of our message today is Scripture, and also have your set of notes nearby because in the last five or six minutes of our message I want to refer to the notes so have them sitting there. But find a Bible there are the pew and join with us in a very, very interesting subject.

We started a few weeks ago on a journey 'From Bondage to Freedom.' That's the name of the series of our messages, and what we decided to do is to go back into the Old Testament and find the foundational truths that establish great doctrine in the New Testament. And so we have been in that process of following the children of Israel as they left the land of bondage, and our first lesson had to do with the fact that on the night of their departure they killed an animal, took the blood of that animal, placed it upon the doorposts in the lintels of their home, and when the death angel passed over at night, midnight, those homes that were protected by the blood markings on the door, the death angel did not take a firstborn; but those homes that were not marked and covered by the blood, the death angel took the firstborn, and the Bible says there was great mourning throughout all of Egypt.

We took the truth of the importance of the blood as it is displayed throughout the entire Scripture, and went into the New Testament and considered the fact that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed His precious blood. So we learned from the Old Testament the importance of the truth concerning the cleansing and the protection of the blood.

Then we journeyed on a little south down the peninsula with them and they ran out of food, and they prayed for food and God sends the manna. We took the thought of manna and went to the New Testament where Jesus picks it up in John 6, and in John 6 He talks about the fact that He is the bread of life.

Then we journeyed further south and we came to Mount Sinai and there God calls Moses up to the mountain because this newly released nation needs guidelines for conducting themselves socially and conducting themselves as a religious people. Some Moses goes up on the mountain and God gives to him a great amount of information, in fact, Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Numbers have so much of what God talked to Moses about.

One of the things was that God wanted them to be a nation that conducted themselves properly with each other so He laid out the Ten Commandments. A few weeks ago Pastor Leighton discussed some of those commandments with you and he'll finish those up in the times to come, but there God says this is the way I want you to conduct yourselves with one another and with Me.

But also God wanted a place on earth to take up residence. Prior to this time He had walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He had talked to the great patriarchs, but God never had a place on earth identified as His dwelling place. So He said to Moses I want you to build Me a sanctuary, a tabernacle, where I may dwell. It was simple. It was a tent, but in that tent God displayed His glory and over that tent God marked it as the place where He dwelt. During the day a cloud hovered over to, and during the night a pillar of fire was saying, this is where God dwells. It's a sacred place.

But in this place of worship now God is going to arrange for those who are going to conduct the services and be in charge of the sacred rituals of His nation. So today we want to talk about the establishment of the priesthood. We'll go clear back to the first priest and we'll follow that truth through our Bible. So turn in your Bible with me to Exodus chapter 27, and we're going to start our lesson at verse 20 - Exodus 27.

And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Now I'm reading from the King James so my words will be just a little different than yours.

In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

So God has now established the sanctuary. One of the last matters He talks about, make sure you keep the light burning, so make sure there's oil for the lamp. And then His next verse He said, Aaron and his sons shall have charge from the morning to evening over this sanctuary. Now we come to chapter 28:

And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, these are the sons of Aaron. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office.

So the selection has been made, Aaron and his four sons, and the design of their robes and their garments are defined there for us. Now let's go to the ceremony service where they are ordained. So let's turn over to Leviticus chapter 8.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; and gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

You remember when we looked at that view, outside the enclosure there was a large open area before the tents of the tribes were established, and it's in that open area, which was known as the door of the tabernacle. This is where they gathered.

Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

So the first act of concentration was a public washing of water.

And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, and the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses.

And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.

The next number of verses talk about that offering, and now we come down to verse 33: And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end.

So here is an ordination service that's going to last seven days. And he said, As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

Now let's go to chapter 9 verse 22. The ceremony now has come to an end. The consecration has taken place, or the ordination, and verse 22 says: And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

It was a marvelous moment in history of Israel. They now have a sanctuary. It only may be a tent, but it's a place where God has promised that He would dwell. The congregation now knows that God is amongst them, and now they have spiritual leaders. They've got Aaron and his sons. They've been dressed according to their very sacred task and they've been given their assignments. The consecration service is over. And it says that God manifested His glory, or He revealed Himself to them with fire that came out of heaven, consumed the sacrifice and the fat, and when that was completed it says the people shouted and fell on their faces. A glorious moment - now they have spiritual leaders amongst them.

But it's also a very sad moment. Look at the next chapter. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord (your Bible says profane fire), which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp

Pause - before they left the camp they were stripped of all their priestly garments. All they have on now is their undergarment, and they're taken out of the camp for burial.

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar (those are the two remaining sons), uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

An interesting story. Here the conclusion of a glorious celebration, the consecration of the new priesthood. The people are on their faces in joy, and Nadab and Abihu they are going to do something that is totally wrong. You see, God had already instructed in previous pages where if a fire was to be used in a ritual or a sacrifice, they were to go into the holy place in which the fire burned which the Lord had sent, and that was the source of their holy fire.

Well what Nadab and Abihu did, they found someplace where in a pan they gathered some ashes that were burning and on those ashes they dumped some incense and then they take this before God. In other words, they violate their commands as a priest and they take before God what He commanded them not to do. God said you're dead.

Then He said something to the father that really is hard. He said Aaron, don't you even cry. Don't you show any kind of mourning whatsoever, because if you do, you'll die too and the wrath of God will come upon this nation. Now God is serious. What's He's saying? God is saying in the early moment when worship began in Israel there are things that are sacred and I don't want them tampered with.

When I give the instructions they are to be followed, and if they're not followed, judgment comes. God is a God of holiness, and a God that sets up the sacred boundaries and He expects us to follow them.

You remember a few years later the ark had been taken away from Israel and gone into foreign hands, and now they are bringing it back to Jerusalem, and as they are bringing it back - in the original they're told to carry the ark of the covenant. That's why it had staves on it on the sides. But there was an act of disobedience. They put that ark of the covenant on an old cart, and as the cart is going along on this rocky pathway and it's bumping and turning, some of them took their hands, a couple I think it was, put their hands on it and as soon as they touched that ark God struck them dead.

What God was saying, listen, I gave the instructions - this is holy unto the Lord. Don't you dare touch it. And you say, was God that severe in the New Testament? Yes He was.

Barnabas goes down to Cyprus. The people in Jerusalem are hungry because the church has grown so rapidly. They needed money to buy food for them and so Barnabas sells his home down in Cyprus and brings the money back and gives it to Peter, and says, here, this will help by some food.

Chapter 5 of Acts says that Ananias and Sapphira looked on and they thought this was a good scene and so they decided to sell some of their property. And they are going to bring it to Peter, but before they bring it to Peter they agree they're going to keep back some of it. But the implied is that when it's brought to Peter they gave it all. And as Ananias is standing there Peter says, why, why have you lied against the Holy Spirit? And immediately Ananias dropped dead in the service.

And his wife who was an accomplice to the crime and in the agreement, she walks in sometime later and Peter says, did you sell it for so much? She said yes. He said, why did you agree to lie? And she dropped dead.

What God was saying in the early moments of the church in the book of Acts, there are things that are sacred, there are things that should not be taken advantage of, and here's the sacred place of God and you've got a lie and you're committing a lie and God's not going to tolerate it. You see God is God of holiness, and God is a God of righteousness. He's also a God of mercy. But there is the sacred, and He said I will not allow you to profane it.

You know...strange fire is an interesting phrase, but it causes a world of imaginations to go in my mind. Things that are done with man's idea and to please man, in supposedly a sacred setting, in a way that totally displeases God.

Take for instance - Jesus walked into the temple. It was intended to be a sacred place of worship are God dwelt, and He sees these people selling doves and lambs and money changers and gambling going on. And Jesus got angry and He picked up a whip and He started whipping them out, and He said you've turned My house into a dead thieves, a marketplace. It's intended to be a house of prayer. It's grievous to the Lord Jesus that something so sacred had been so profaned and cheapened, and Jesus said I won't put up with it and He chased them out the temple.

You know ladies and gentlemen, I fear lest the fear of the sacred has diminished in the body of Christ. And there is so much strange fire that goes on as religion today that has nothing to do with God Almighty.

The other day in one of the churches in our community they encouraged all the people to bring their pets so the preacher could bless the pets. Strange fire folks, strange fire.

Can you imagine the heart of God when He saw that scene? People doing what they want to do and shaming the very sacredness of Almighty God.

Some years ago we had invited a musical group to come. I had never heard them. They had decided to come on Saturday night to practice, and there were over here practicing. My prayer room was right up here in one of the back catacombs, and I had been praying and searching God, seeking for God and my heart is tender, but I started listening to this cacophony of junk music coming out of the sanctuary. I use the word cacophony, and it was. And the longer I listened I understood the anger of Christ when He got in and wanted to whip those people out of the precincts of the temple, and after I could take it for so long I walked down and said, guys, don't you have any respect for that which is sacred? This is a house of God! And that kind of music is a shame and a disgrace to Him. Get your instruments and head for that door.

I can still see them with their guitars and all the wires hanging and dangling, and they left. You say, didn't you offend them pastor? Jesus offended those guys when He chased them out of the temple. When they were gone, I stood here in the middle and I said, God, I want You to know I apologize. That should have never gone forth, gone on in the sanctuary. Please forgive me.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a deep passion for that which is sacred, for that which is holy, for that which is godly. I want God to be comfortable. He says if people draw near Me, I will be sanctified in them who come near Me and will be glorified...In all the people I will be glorified. And you know, my prayer as your pastor is, dear God, I want you always to be comfortable here. I want You to be glorified in all that we do. May no strange fire come out of this place in any kind of what people call worship. I want, dear God, for You totally to be comfortable here with us and we with You, and there is no strange fire.

While I was away recouping from my eye surgery, I went to a church far, far away and I was there for the second service. And the pastor got up and said well you folks missed it this morning. He said, everybody who came for the 8:00 service enjoyed what he called cafe worship. And my ears flipped. Cafe worship sounds like strange fire to me.

He said yes, he said, the Starbucks coffee wagon was out in front and he said, you picked up your coffee and he said we had continental breakfast served in the mall. And he said and everybody brought their food in and they just sat around and drank coffee while the worship leader...strange fire folks.

Can you imagine Aaron's sons going before God in the lackadaisical, and eating in God's presence? You say, Pastor, you're a little picky this morning. No I'm not. I may be 73 plus, you may call me old-fashioned, but I still have a burning passion for what is sacred, and what is godly. And I want everything we do here to bring honor and praise and glorify our God.

The lesson we learn there is God is sacred and He expects a respect for the sacred. Now when we go through the lessons concerning the priest you'll notice that they offered sacrifices. They were on duty day and evening, and they were the bridge builders between that nation of Israel and God.

Now let's take our New Testament and see how this glorious truth transfers into the New Testament. So turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4, and remember, what we're doing is taking Old Testament stories and truths and showing how they relate to New Testament doctrine. And look at what it says - what we have here is the writer of Hebrews throughout Hebrews transfers and makes the comparison from the Old Testament priesthood into the priesthood of Christ. He makes Christ our high priest not Aaron.

Now look at what it says in Hebrews 4:14 - Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

So now the high priesthood has changed to Christ. Let's go to chapter 8 of Hebrews. We're going to follow this comparison concerning the priest. Now the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

He is saying our high priest exercises his office in the sanctuary of heaven in a place not made with hands. Then he says: For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.

Now when he is saying is this...all the time that Jesus was here on earth He could not have fulfilled the role of a priest, because according to the ancient law you had to be of the tribe of Levi, and Jesus was of the tribe of Judah. So the writer of Hebrews is just reminding us while He was here on earth He did not have the right to priesthood. And now of course He's in the sanctuary of heaven.

Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shown to thee in the mount.

There are some interesting thoughts that are going on behind these words. It seems that the writer is implying that the reason why God is so precise in how things were done...Moses you make it just this way, this many centimeters, and you set it in this direction - the preciseness of the instructions. The implied is that what was done here on earth was simply a pattern of what exists in the real in heaven. That's the reason for its sacredness.

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Go with me to chapter 9 verse eleven. Look at what it says: But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and of calves (that's what the Old Testament priest handled every day), but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

The comparison is the Old Testament priest had to go back every year to offer that sacrifice. He is saying Jesus did it once, He went to the cross, and His sacrifice was final and complete.

Go with me now to the same chapter verse 24: For Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands. You see, after His death and His resurrection, He ascends back to heaven, and so he's telling us Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands. He didn't have anything to do with the temples or the tabernacles of the earth, which are the figures of the true (and here is that phrase in there again, they represent something that exists in heaven); but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. He is our priest.

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So now we have this beautiful picture where Christ, when He's there on the cross, remember He speaks those words it is finished. Something dramatic happened in that old temple. That veil that was the symbol of separating man from God was rent from top to bottom, and in the priesthood duty of Christ He now has provided for us access into the very presence of God.

Go with me to chapter 10. Look at what it says, verse 19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest (remember only the priest, the high priest, only once a year could do that but now we have that glorious privilege) 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 a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near. Isn't that beautiful.

What only the priest could do in the Old Testament, what Christ did for us at Calvary makes it possible for us to walk into the very throne room of God in prayer. When you bow your heart and when you say Jesus, you're in the throne room of the eternal and that has been provided because of our great high priest.

But there's one other thought I want to leave with you. Take your notes, would you take your notes? Because we want to conclude our lesson with one final point for the lesson. We've covered the thought of the Old Testament priest. Christ now is our great high priest. What about our relationship to this concept?

Down at the bottom of page 7 in our notes I write: In closing, let us consider yet another aspect of this priesthood concept which we have been studying. In Exodus 19:5-6, we read: Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests.

Now remember, that's said way back in Exodus. And look at what God is saying. What I want you to be is a kingdom of priests.

Set apart, a holy nation [consecrated, set apart to the worship of God]. So God intended ultimately that everybody would be a priest by faith in what He was going to do.

Look at, Peter picks it up and this is what he says: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. He's talking about us. A dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God's people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.

What's Peter saying? You and I are royal priests. And man, I never thought of that. That's what the Scripture says. Let's read on.

Christians are a holy priesthood. There are two great characteristics of the priest. (1) He is the man who himself has access to God and whose task it is to bring others to Him. In the Old Testament, this access was the privilege of the professional priests, and in particular of the High Priest who alone could enter the Holy of Holies.

Through Jesus Christ, the new and living way, access to God becomes the privilege of every Christian. And the Latin word for priest is pontifex, which means BRIDGE-BUILDER; the priest is the man who builds a bridge for others to come to God; and the Christian has the duty and the privilege of bringing others to that Savior whom he himself has found and loves.

Suggestion - go home and write bridge builder, a big sign, and put it on your mirror. And tomorrow morning when you get up and you're getting ready to go for your duties of the day, remind yourself you've got a sacred assignment for the day. You are a priest unto God and you're a bridge builder. You say, no I'm not! I'm a truck driver. No, but above a truck driver you're a bridge maker because God's place you there in that truck, and there may be somebody come across your path of which you might help for them to find Jesus Christ and His love.

You're going to...your assignment is to be a spiritual bridge builder. What an assignment. Look at the second. The priest is the man who brings his offerings to God. The Christian also must continuously bring his offering to God. Under the Old Testament dispensation the offerings brought were animal sacrifices; but the sacrifices of the Christian are spiritual. He makes his work an offering to God. Everything he does has been done for God. And so even the meanest task is clad with glory; The Christian makes his worship an offering to God; and so the worship in God's House becomes, not a burden, but a joy. The Christian makes himself an offering to God.

Listen to Paul as he talks in Romans: I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (he comes back to the holiness of the original priesthood) holy, (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

What do we as priests, what do we offer to God is our sacrifice? When we get up in the morning we say, Lord Jesus, I want to be used as a vessel for You and I offer all that I am, my talents, whatever it is, I offer it to You as a living sacrifice. I want my life to count for You dear God.

Now I ran out of paper, but I have some more Scriptures. In Hebrews 13:15 it says: Therefore by him let us continually make the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks in his name.

So not only do we have the joy of being a bridge builder, bringing others to Christ, you and I have that unique joy of saying my sacrifice to you Lord Jesus today is all that I am. You use me for your glory, and then throughout the day I lift my lips in praise. Lord Jesus I praise You. I might not have anything to praise Him about. That's why it becomes a sacrifice, but I lift my words and my voice in praise and I say, Lord Jesus, I love You today. I just want You to know that I praise You.

Remember, we're not secretaries, we're not executives, we're priests unto God. Our assignment is very sacred and very holy.

What I found very interesting in our series - what we started with in the Old Testament ends up in the book of Revelation. Every one of our subjects has. Look at the last verse on our notes, it says: Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. That's the day when we're all called into His eternal presence to enjoy life everlasting.

The second death has no power over them. The second death is reference to dying eternally without God with a lost soul. We've been redeemed and we're going to be with Him. What are we going to be doing? But they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years. What are you going to be doing in heaven Pastor? I don't know. I'm going to be a priest serving God. Whatever He assigns to me that's the way it's going to be in eternity.

Now remember, we're priests this week - bridge builders. Living holy lives so that our lives help others to fall in love with Jesus. Got it? Let's pray.

Father, Your word is so precious and today we've realized that we have the sacred opportunity that the Old Testament priesthood had to walk into Your presence, because, Lord Jesus, of what You did at Calvary and removed that veil, we have access into Your very presence. We talked about today a passion for what was right, for what was godly, for what is holy, and may each of us have that. May we make it our desire for we who come near to You, glorify Your name. Now help us to be good priests this week, in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you folks.