Where are the priests? by Kevin Harvey

CALL TO WORSHIP

ONE: God of the open road, 
ALL:  God of the twisting path,
ONE: God of the narrow and upward way, your people are gathered for
         worship!
ALL: In this hour, give us provision for the journey, courage and faith
        and compassion, and endurance to face any hardship.
ONE: Open our eyes to see you walking beside us, protecting us,
         encouraging us, loving us.
ALL: We pray this in the name of Jesus, who moves us, Amen

OPENING PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER

    Loving God, we come this morning with our lives,

our thoughts, our hope and our fears. We come with our plans, our dreams, our memories. We come with our time, our gifts and our skills. We come with our family, our friends, and we come with ourselves. We come to offer to you everything we have and are.

We come to glorify your holy name, when we pray your prayer

The Lord’s Prayer…. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, Forever and ever. Amen.

PASTORAL PRAYER

    As we gather in this place to worship you, we come from different life experiences. Some of us have had days of refreshing joy, and others of us have come to this place to experience refreshment, for perhaps the first time this week. Some of us are in the midst of a wintering season in our lives. We are like trees whose leaves have fallen, waiting for spring’s new blossoms of life to appear. Our empty hearts are waiting sometimes patiently, often times not, for your presence to break through in ways we can see – with a prayer answered, with a freedom promised, with refreshment offered, with resentments released, with spirits renewed, with direction offered. Lord we want to live our lives in such a way that we turn to you not only in the crises of our lives, but also walk with you in the calmer joyful days. Take us by the hand leading us into a deeper faith and a fuller discipleship. Our prayers encircle those among us and beyond this sanctuary who need the mercy of your embrace. We bring to you burdens of over-sensitivity, of anxious worry, of broken dreams, of hurtful memories, of ruptured relationships, of pain in every form.

     O Healing God, bring wholeness to the ragged parts of life – our lives and the lives of all those we lift to you. Somehow, empower us, eventually, to see adversity as one of life’s greatest teachers, and grant the gift of your peace filled presence on each one this morning. Gracious God, we pray that this time of worship would be a time for us to hear your still small voice as you offer us serenity, encouragement and challenge. For this we pray in the name of the one who has walked this path before us. Amen 

”Where are the priest” by Kevin Harvey

Today, I want to look at 3 aspects of the priesthood found in the scriptures.

1.       The Levitical Priests started through Moses and Aron in the first Covenant.

2.       Christ own High Priest in the second Covenant.

3.       What does a Modern day Priesthood today looks like? How does it operate?

And within these 3 aspects, I want to look at what is the

A.      Purpose

B.      Role or function

It is by no way an exhaustive study, but what I want to glean from is, is the basic understanding of what it means for us here today.

In my Bible, before each book or epistle begins, there is an introduction that outlines each book.

In the book of Leviticus the job, role of a priest, which was ordained by God through Moses was to :

A.      Show the people : How to “Worship God”

B.      Fellowship, serve and Obey him.

C.      Offer up Sacrifices….(important) that are “acceptable to God” because as you will see some sacrifices on our part are an abomination to our Father.

D.      To offer us sacrifices to God on behalf of the sins of the people

One scripture found in both the First and second Covenants is:  Old New

Leviticus 19:2

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 


Briefly from Leviticus 1:1-5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Law of Burnt Offerings

1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an [a]offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. 5 He shall slay the [c]young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

And from :  Leviticus 2:1-2

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Law of Grain Offerings

2 ‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Ch. 3 Peace Offering

Ch. 4 Sin offerings either for the Priest or People

Ch. 5 Offering for Guilt, touching unclean corps, swearing i.e. oath, speaking thought less unintentionally

Ch. 6 Lying to his neighbour, false witness, extortion etc.

Basically, we can notice a few things:

A.      God is exacting on his instructions. Why? Life lesson on the nature of God. Remember one thing the scriptures unfold over hundreds even thousands of years from revelation to revelation

B.      The Lord means what He says in his words.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus and his ministry.   Ref: Hebrews…Context is many Jewish believers having stepped out of Judaism into Christianity, want to reverse the course and turn back to Judaism; be it because of persecutions, pressures from friend and family etc. The book of Hebrews has one Main Point: “The superiority of Christ vs the Judaic system”

1st vs 2nd Covenant-Old Testament/ New Testament

Christ is greater than Angels, Moses.

Angels worshipped Christ, Christ created Moses.

Christ greater than Aaronic priesthood. For Christ died one for all.

Christ is better than, in fact fulfillment of the “Law” and its requirements.

The fruits of Christ are Faith, Love self- discipline, Good works.

We need to get this! Christ is our High Priest!

Christ was made like us, merciful,  propitiation

Hebrews 2:17-18

American Standard Version (ASV)

17 Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

Outline, save, intercedes, Holy, blameless, sacrificed once fo all, seated in Heaven, true tabernacle.  

Hebrews 7: 22-8:2

American Standard Version (ASV)

22 by so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant.

23 And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing:

24 but he, because he abideth for ever, hath his priesthood unchangeable.

25 Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

26 For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: for this he did once for all, when he offered up himself.

28 For the law appointeth men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, appointeth a Son, perfected for evermore.

8 Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

2 a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

Hebrews 9:1-5

American Standard Version (ASV)

9  Now even a first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world.

2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place.

3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies;

4 having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

5 and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.

Hebrews 9:11-15

American Standard Version (ASV)

11 But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,

12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh:

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Earthly High priest, once a year offered sacrifice for himself and the people sins in ignorance: a symbol of the true tabernacle.

Christ’s own blood offered :

Hebrews 9:14

American Standard Version (ASV)  

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

So now, what does today’s priest look like? Who are they? Where are they?

1 Peter 1:13-23

American Standard Version (ASV)

13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:

15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;

16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.

17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:

18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;

19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:

20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,

21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:

23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth.

1 Peter 2:4-5

American Standard Version (ASV)

4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,

5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10

American Standard Version (ASV)

9 But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

10 who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

You, me, us. All who call on Christ, by Faith are a royal priesthood, spiritual suffer patiently .

Our sacrifice of Love, Good works.

So put on your Priestly Robes and be a priest at Home, at work, at play, to family, to friends, to strangers.

Be Holy for your God is heaven is Holy!

BENEDICTION

  May the Lord bless you, and keep you: May the Lord make his face shine upon You, and be gracious unto You: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon You, and give You peace.