Priesthood

YOU ARE A PRIEST

ANALOGY

If you’re watching a movie you have seen before with a friend who hasn’t seen it before, how do you always feel?

1 Peter 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 5:1–3 “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.”  

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Jesus spoken of Himself in John 12:23-24

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 

24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Context

As the time of crucifixion drew near, Jesus compared Himself to a kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and die. A kernel of wheat, when planted, yields many more kernels. 

Within Jesus was the potential to bring many millions of people to God. That one seed gave life to many!

MSG Version 24-25 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

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Hebrew 5:1-9

Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 

2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 

3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honour. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 

5 That is why Christ did not honour himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

6 And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 

8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 

9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

JESUS THE HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 4:15-16

15 For we have not an 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.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

NKJV

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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To the ancient Greeks, the primary attribute of God was apatheia, the essential inability to feel anything at all. Jesus isn’t like that. He knows and He feels what we go through. The ancient Greek word translated sympathize literally means “to suffer along with.”

NLT

15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

TPT 15 He understands humanity, for as a man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin. 16 So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.

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HIGH PRIEST - Used of Christ because by undergoing a bloody death he offered himself as an expiatory sacrifice to God, and has entered into the heavenly sanctuary where he continually intercedes on our behalf.

1 John 3:5-6

5And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 

6Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

DUTIES

The duty of a priest was, once a year on the day of atonement, to enter into the Holy of Holies (from which the other priests were excluded) and offer sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the people, and to preside over the Sanhedrin, or Supreme Council, when convened for judicial deliberations.

Cross ref | Like 4:18-19

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Heb 2:16-18 (NIV)

16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES

FEELING - to be affected with the same feeling as another, to sympathise with

Compassion is a compass…

Compassion is the translation of רחם, rāḥam, “to love,” “pity,” “be merciful”

Mark 1:40-45 | Man healed of Leprosy | Asked Jesus if he was willing to make him clean”

v41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing”, he said. “Be healed”

The man had leprosy, a skin disease in those days where the people were considered unclean, and should not be touched.

Compassion is a compass…

Root word for compassion is compass.

Compassion prompts a reaching out and touching… which speaks of action.

The Latin root for the word compassion is ‘pati’, which means to ‘suffer’, and the prefix com- means ‘with’. Compassion, originating from compati, literally means to ‘suffer with’. 

The connection of suffering with another person brings compassion beyond sympathy into the realm of empathy.

The meaning of compassion is to identify with and recognise the suffering of others and then take action to help.

The component of action is what separates compassion from empathy, sympathy, pity, concern, condolence, sensitivity, tenderness, commiseration or any other compassion synonym.

Compassion gets involved. 

When others keep their distance from those who are suffering, compassion prompts us to act on their behalf.

INFIRMITIES

1) want of strength, weakness, infirmity

1a) of the body

1a1) its native weakness and frailty

1a2) feebleness of health or sickness

1b) of the soul

1b1) want of strength and capacity requisite

1b1a) to understand a thing

1b1b) to do things great and glorious

1b1c) to restrain corrupt desires

1b1d) to bear trials and troubles

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WHAT JESUS DID FOR US:

Isaiah 53:4-5

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,  a punishment for his own sins!

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Philippians 2

7 Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! 

8 He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion!

Ephesians 2

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

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What qualifies you as a priest:

Revelation 5:10 - And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

1 Pet 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light

Heb 5:2 

He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness

Hebrew 5

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 

2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 

3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 

4 And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 

8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 

9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

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2 Corinthians 1:3-4 TLB - 

3-4 What a wonderful God we have—he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us

5 You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more he will shower us with his comfort and encouragement. 6-7 We are in deep trouble for bringing you God’s comfort and salvation. But in our trouble God has comforted us—and this, too, to help you: to show you from our personal experience how God will tenderly comfort you when you undergo these same sufferings. He will give you the strength to endure.

YOUR ROLE AS PRIEST Your four part message as a priest:

1. Your testimony/Story: How you came to know God, and began a relationship with Him 2. Your life lessons: The most important lessons God has taught you from your experiences of life and challenges you have been through. 3. Your godly passions/burdens: Watch out for passion for specific problems, purpose(causes), principles, (group of) people. The issues and problems in our world that God has shaped you to care about. God gave us different passions so that everything He wants done in the world would get done. This is why not everyone is passionate about your passion. Never belittle what someone else is passionate about. 4. The good news: The message of salvation - demonstrate the love of God to the world. John 3:16-17

A priest is required to act as a mediator.

He is one who represents the Divine being to His subjects and in return from them to their God. He acts as an ambassador, a chosen vehicle through whom Yahweh God has chosen to serve the people and represent Him, on His behalf. He also mediates between the people and their God.

Malachi 2:5-9

5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions.”

Malachi 2:4–9 “And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, That my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; And I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, And was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And iniquity was not found in his lips: He walked with me in peace and equity, And did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, And they should seek the law at his mouth: For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Hebrews 5:1–3 “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.”  

Demonstrate a life of reverence to God

Represent God - God’s ambassador | To bring life and peace | Submit your life and pains to God!

They had godly character

Spiritually teach and educate God’s people - Malachi 2:4-9 | Oracle of God - to provide direction and instruction

Offer sacrifices to God - Stand in the gap for others and intercede for others; lay down your life for others| Hebrews 5:1-3 

Mediator between men and God

Prophesy over people - be a channel of blessings

Discernment of the move of God and the strategies of the enemy | 2 Kings 6:8-13