Christ's Priests

If you walk into a big library and pick up an old book on the history of civilization, after blowing the dust off and opening it up, you would find an interesting fact. World history shows that individual civilizations have grown and progressed, or not grown and become stagnant, because of the priestly caste.

Every old piece of literature points to the importance of priests in some way.

These facts so us an interesting conclusion: Since before writing was created, humanity has had some sort of priestly system. The religions of the world have been organized so that someone would be a mediator between the common people on their god. All religions have priests, of some sort. Pagan religions. Hinduism. Satanism. Even Buddhism, which doesn’t have a god, has a form of priesthood. It’s fascinating how all religions have aspects of the worship of the one true God.

The priesthood was not a manmade creation. Our God demands a priesthood within His people. He has always had individuals set aside for his special priestly purpose. Why?

Well, this is what we are going to talk about today: the priesthood. Who it was before Christ and who it is now.

1A. What is a priesthood?

If you have joined us for Sunday School during the past 4 months, you know what priesthood is. As we walked through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, we read a lot about the priesthood.

When God called the Israelites to be his special people, he appointed a group from within the Israelites to be set apart for his unique service. They were of the tribe of Levi, Levites. They were to be a holy priesthood: holy is referring to being separate. God is holy: he is separate from the uncleanness and sin of this world. His character demands that he is eternally separate from it. That is why Heaven, his throne room, is so perfect.

In the same way, the priests were set apart from the uncleanness of this world to minister to God. When their turn to serve in the temple came up, they had to go through a cleansing ritual and they had to stay in the temple during their holy times.

This holy priesthood was set apart by God for specific reasons, to do specific things for him within the community of Israel. I will highlight 7 of them today.

1B. Priests provided access to God

All that the Levites did can be boiled down to access. The priests provided a way that the Israelites could have access to God. No Israelite could approach God, except through the priests. They could not petition God, they could not seek forgiveness, they could not praise God, except if they went through the priests. The priests were the way of purification.

This was made abundantly clear every year on the day of Atonement when the high priest, wearing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, walked into the Holy of Holies alone to make atonement for the people’s intentional sins throughout the year. He was the access point for the people of Israel.

2B. Priests provided sacrifices, representing the people

A way that the Levites provided access to God was through the sacrificial system. The first 7 chapters of Leviticus detail extensively all the sacrifices that could be brought to God for so many different things, from thanksgiving to petitions to atonement for unintentional sins. All those sacrifices passed through the hands of the priests. There were pretty hefty punishments for those who tried to bring an offering apart from the priesthood.

Consider King Saul. The Philistines were lined up to attack him and his army. Saul’s army was scared and began to scatter. He knew that he should wait for Samuel the priest to come and sacrifice for the army. But, Saul wasn’t willing to wait. He offered the sacrifices that a priest was supposed to offer. The result: the kingship was removed from his family.

Only priests were to offer sacrifices. They were the representatives of the people to God.

3B. Priests provided discernment of the will of God

Also, only the priests could discern the will of God for the people. The High Priest carried in his tunic the Urim and the Thummim which was given by God to provide guidance for decision making.

Exodus 28:30 NIV

Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

Priests also were to provide decision in law, reconciliations, and what not. The people were to take their decisions as from God himself.

Deuteronomy 17:8–11 NIV

If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.

Israelites couldn’t seek God’s will for themselves. They had to go through the priests.

4B. Priests provided representation of God’s presence

Through all these ways, priests were representatives of the people to God. But, priests also represented God’s presence to the people.

God had promised to be with the Israelites, but no one could see his presence. The person who looked on God would die.

Though they couldn’t see God, the Israelites were reminded about God’s presence through the priests in many different ways.

One way was through ritual cleanliness. The Israelites were called to live differently than the other nations, down to eating, dressing, and cleanliness, because they were set apart people who lived in the presence of God. The priests watched over this process painstakingly, reminding the people of God’s presence. Leviticus 13-15 explains a lot about this process.

Another way of reminder was through how they blessed the Israelites.

Numbers 6:23–27 NIV

“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Ultimately, the priests reminded the Israelites about God’s presence through how the priests dressed, ate, etc. Everywhere they went people would see them and be reminded that God was in their midst.

5B. Teaching of God’s character

Another major role of the priests was to teach God’s character to the Israelites.

The priests were not allowed to drink alcohol, because they needed their brains clear:

Leviticus 10:11 NIV

and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.”

The Israelites, and the nations around, knew about God because of the teachings of the priests.

7B. Leading others into a relationship

Through all of these tasks, as they provided access to God for the people, they were leading these people into a relationship with God, interceding with God for the people.

2B. We are priests

Through Christ, we are a holy priesthood as well, everyone of us who has turned from our sin and turned to Christ.

1B. How do we become priests?

When we turn to Christ, we turn to Him as our high priest. The author of Hebrews details this extensively.

Hebrews 4:14 NIV

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

This great high priest performed the last necessary priestly act that paid the penalty for the sins of the world. He brought his own blood before God to gain eternal redemption for us.

He now stands before God as the one mediator between God and man.

1 Timothy 2:5 NIV

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

When we place our faith in Christ, Christ becomes our high priest. But, the relationship doesn’t end there. Christ brings us into his priesthood. We are in the service with Him. Not just pastors, missionaries, etc., but everyone who has placed their faith in Christ is in the priesthood.

1 Peter 2:5 NIV

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 NIV

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.

Revelation 1:6 NIV

and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

A priesthood always serves in a temple. The Levites had their temple.

What is our temple? We are! The body of Christ: living stones!

So, to whom do we as priests minister?

2B. To ourselves

As priest, we don’t have to have someone else mediate our access to God. We can approach him freely, because of the efforts of Christ, our high priest.

Before we pray, we don’t have to bring sacrifices for another priest to bring before God, because we haven’t been purified.

No, we can come before God boldly whenever we need. The veil of separation between God and his people has been torn, through Christ.

We are priests!

As a pastor, many people from the community come up to me and ask me to pray for them. It is always a privilege to pray for others, as I will say shortly, but I don’t have more access to God than anyone else.

We are all priests! We all have the same access. If you need prayer, you can go to God yourself.

We are all priests!

But this brings several responsibilities:

1) We are to reflect the holiness of our high priest

1 Peter 1:15 NIV

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

Peter says that we are a holy priesthood. We are set apart, just as the Levites were. The big theological term is sanctified: we are set apart for a purpose. Our actions should show our position as priests.

As priest of the most high God, do we show our position? Do people know that is who we are, by how we conduct ourselves?

2) We are to offer sacrifices

Peter in our text talks about us offering spiritual sacrifices. Formerly, the priests offered physical sacrifices that represented or cleansed others. Now, we who are in the priesthood of Christ, offer spiritual sacrifices.

These can be gifts that we give to the ministry of the Gospel, as seen in:

Philippians 4:18 NIV

I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

They can be praise that we give to God through all circumstances, as see in:

Hebrews 13:15 NIV

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

They can also be how we live our lives everyday, consciously dying to ourselves and living a life that reflects Christ in us. As Paul says:

Romans 12:1 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

We are priests, simply put, to ourselves.

3B. To others

Not only are we priests to ourselves, but we are also priests to others.

Now, I have to speak carefully. We are not priests to others in the way that the Levites were priests. We do not represent other people for their salvation, as the priests made sacrifices to atone for sins. We do not provide a doorway that others are mandated to walk through in order to access God.

I do not mean this things as we are priests to others.

What I mean is this: We, as the body of Christ, as a royal priesthood, serve together under the lordship of Christ, to perform three main priestly duties to others.

Encourage others in their priestly duties

The Levites were called to petition God for the Israelites and to teach them how to live for God.

We are to do this to each other. We are called to pray for one another, to encourage each other to good works, and to call one another to holiness.

1 Timothy 2:1–4 NIV

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We are priests, petitioning God for each other in our walk with Him.

Everyday, after I read my Bible at 8:15, I am praying for each one of you by name. I have your names split on a weekly rotation. I pray for the needs that you have, and I pray that you would grow in godliness and holiness; that God would use you for his kingdom.

We are called, as priests under Christ, to do this for each other.

Evangelize the Lost

The Levites were priest’s in order to bring others into a relationship with their God. This was through the sacrificial system, through the cleansing rites, and so many other things.

We don’t have the sacrificial system anymore. Christ is our only sacrifice. He did it all. But, we have the same responsibility to lead others into a relationship with God.

In a word, we are to evangelize.

Paul speaks of this in

2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

We are priests, called to implore others to be reconciled to Him.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

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.

We are a royal priesthood so that we can declare the praises of our God to whoever will listen. To call them to know this amazing God.

If we so appreciate our position as priests, able to walk before the presence of God and bring all many of petitions to Him, why do we not accept the other roles of priest that are ours.

This is a spot that the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons do a better job than we do. The Mormons have a whole series on what it means to be Priests of God (it’s pretty messed up), but it encourages their members to go and tell, because the priesthood gives them power.

While their theology is not correct, their passion is. We are priests, not them, and we have a responsibility as priests to call those around us into a relationship with God.

Represent God before others

Wherever the Levites were, people were reminded of God’s presence, by how the Levites acted, by what they talked of, by how they dressed, everything was pointed to the God the served.

In the same way, we get to represent God to those around us. Where we are, we get remind people by our presence of the God we serve.

In Isaiah 61, the prophet speaks of the time when Christ came and comes. He describes those who are followers of this man who proclaims good news to the poor:

Isaiah 61:6 NIV

And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.

Isaiah doesn’t say who will call these followers priests of the Lord and ministers of our God. But, the context hints that it will be those who observer the followers.

Those who see us should see God. The moment we enter a room, we are representing God, reminding those around of God’s presence.

A week and a half ago, I was leading a worship service at the nursing home. When we finished and I was greeting each resident, a hospice worker approached me. A man was in the final stages and his wife wanted someone to pray for them. I walked into that room and knew that I was the presence of God there. I was to bring his hope, his love, his reconciliation, by my presence and my prayer. As I stood up after my prayer, I saw the wife wipe tears away from her eyes. She remembered her God, because I was there.

There is a sense that my position as minister automatically does this in people’s minds. But, we are all priests. We all have the ability to remind others of our God, to show them that God is with us and He is with all those who call on His name.

I am thankful that these priestly duties are not burdensome. They actually bring a lot of joy. The more we live our duties to each other, the more we are reminded of Christ and all He has done for us.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

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.

Today, we get to celebrate what Christ has done for us as we take communion. He has provided a way that we might have direct access to God and that we can lead others into this access.