Does The World Need Priests?

Oct. 18

Read Exodus 19:1-6

Does The World Need Priests?

It has always been God’s intention that ALL of his people would serve as priests. This has been God’s plan from the beginning: that he would call a people to himself and that they would be a “nation of priests”. Look at the words of the Lord:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (v. Ex.19:5,6))

When we begin to think of God’s plan as something bigger than simply “getting us to heaven”, it reframes how we interact with the world around us. We need to break out of our individualistic (read:selfish) mindset that reduces the work of Christ to this myopic quest of getting us out of “here” and over to “there”. (Most people don’t even realize that we don’t spend eternity in “heaven”! Read Rev. 21) The reason for or goal of Christ dealing with your “sin problem” is so much larger than simply “getting you to heaven”. It is about making you a fit priest for now as well as for eternity on the new earth. You will practice your priesthood for eternity in a place that is much more like the here and now than you may realize.

This is one of the ways that “The Kingdom if God” is here at hand. (cf. Mark 1:14-15, Matt. 3:2, 4:17) This is a way that the heavenly has broken into and disrupted the earthly. This is a way that the Spirit is giving birth to spiritual things in the midst of earthly things. You have been redeemed to play a role here and now. This is why it is so destructive when we preach a message that says we have not changed in Christ. When we defer all of the “transformation” of the believer into a “new creation” to their life after death, we rob the Kingdom of its priests… of the ones who have been made holy! (cf. Gal 2:20, 2 Cor 5:17, Romans 6:4, etc.) The Kingdom of God is at hand as well as his priests… the ones who have been made holy and “fit” by Christ.

Christ has called you and welcomed you into his “holy and royal priesthood”. This is a role you will play both here on earth and into eternity as we worship him. This is a truth for the “hear and now” as much as it is for the “someday when”. Doyon have trouble trusting that Jesus has made you fit? Do you struggle with the idea that the Lord is willing and able to work through you? Do you not feel “holy” enough to be a “holy priesthood”? Your righteousness, holiness, and fit-ness comes from Christ in you. It is who God has made you in and through The Son. The enemy wants the priesthood to remain ignorant of its calling. Come to Jesus - the ultimate and perfect High Priest - today and ask him if he truly has made you holy and righteous. Read the passages above about your being a “new creation” and tell the Lord how you feel about them. If you have trouble believing those words from the scriptures… tell him that too! Then listen to what he says back to you. The world around us needs the priesthood that Jesus is sending it… that is YOU. Love you guys. - JDP