We've always been edified and blessed in our worshiping with you here in the
house of the Lord. On one of our previous visits here, Galen asked me if I
would speak and I said, Galen, when we come I'd rather sit at your feet and
have you speak. That doesn't mean I can only be blessed when I sit at his feet.
Because I was blessed last Sunday as I sat at the feet of Dr. Smith and heard
the message from God's Word by him. So it's a privilege to be here this morning
and Galen asked me, well I guess about a month ago, he said I'm going to be away
the last Sunday you all were going to be there with us and would you speak then?
And I said, well I'd be glad to do it. So you'd be praying for me. Some of you
found out about my throat condition and you said you would be praying for me. I
was all prepared for this. Earlier last week I came down with this throat
condition. I got some holls cough drops and I got some of those little discs, you
know, that burn your throat so and I laid them out this morning. I should never have
done that. I should have put them in my coat pocket at that time and so they're
laying out there on the desk at home. But I guess the Lord wanted me to depend
more upon him than for holls cough drops. So it's a real privilege to be here this
morning. We're Southerners so if I say you all this morning and I see you kind of
smile I have an answer for you. We're more scriptural than some northern folk.
They smile at us when we say you all. In one of my pastorates in Indiana they
always kind of when I say you all but I shut their mouths. I said we are more
scriptural than you folk and they never did that again. I asked Pastor
McDonnell if he could get me a glass of water. My throat is a little dry and he
so graciously got me the water and he's after returning from here putting it on
the stand. He said that's to keep the sermon from being dry. One time years ago
it was my privilege to take Dr. Peddinggill and his wife from the church
in Covington to the hotel in Cincinnati and on the way there we were talking
about a certain preacher and Mrs. Peddinggill spoke up and said there's
no excuse for any preacher being that dry. So I guess that takes in all of us.
We should never be dry in our preaching. All right well if you have your Bible
there now the bulletin gave you the scripture this morning in 1st Peter
chapter 2 verse 5 and then verse 9 and 10. If I lose my voice this morning
Brother Pat Murphy is prepared to come over and just take this message over and
go right on through with it. 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 5. I appreciate that. I
appreciate that. But let me tell you I've been in his class the three Sundays and
I've been blessed by his teaching I believe he could do it. He could just take
over where I leave off. 1st Peter 2 5. He also as lively or living, living stones
are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Down to verse 9. But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people that ye
should show forth or proclaim the praises, the excellencies, the virtues, the
attributes of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light
which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not
obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Christian you are a priest. Three
of the outstanding Old Testament Bible characters ask this question. Who am I?
Moses asked that question in the third chapter of Exodus. David asked that
question in 1st Samuel chapter 18 verse 18 and Solomon asked the question in
2nd Chronicles chapter 2 and verse 6. Who am I? I want you to notice they didn't
say look who I am. They did not have a high estimation of themselves. There are
three levels of self-estimation of ourselves. One is a super estimation of
ourselves. Simon the sorcerer in the 8th chapter of Acts had that kind of an
estimation. He gave out that he himself was some great one. He would have said
look who I am and then there is a sub estimation of ourselves. The children of
Israel in the 13th chapter of Numbers had such an estimation of themselves. When
the spies came back from spying out the land they said to Moses we are as
grasshoppers in their sight. Pance Havener said if we think we're grasshoppers
that's about all we'll ever be. They had a sub estimation of themselves but I
think there's a sane estimation we can have of ourselves. A sane estimation.
We're not going to think that we're somebody because the Word of God says in
1st Corinthians about the first chapter and the 28th verse God
hath chosen those that are things that are not to confound those that are those
things that are things that are not mean nobody. Nobodies, noneties. In ourselves
we're nobodies. But James Eliot that martyr missionary in our time he
said we are a bunch of nobodies exalting somebody. I like that. It isn't who we are
in ourselves because in ourselves we're nothing. It's who the Lord Jesus Christ
makes us what he makes of us. So that's the same estimation of ourselves. Paul
said I am what I am by the grace of God. Paul never had a high estimation of
himself. I am what I am by the grace of God and in the third chapter of 1st
Corinthians he said to these Corinthians that we're all divided up about
preachers. They were preacher worshipers. Some said weird of Apollos, weird of
weird Paul, weird Cephas. Paul said you want to know what we are? We're just ministers.
We're just ministers. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said that word ministers means
errand boys. We're just errand boys. Just errand boys. In the third chapter of
Exodus, let's come back there and notice the time that Moses asked the question
who am I? The third chapter of Exodus. God had just called Moses in the tenth
verse of the third chapter of Exodus. He said come now therefore and I will send
thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel
out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God who am I? That I should go unto Pharaoh. Who
am I? You know how old Moses was at that time? He's 80 years old. When he was 40
years old he wouldn't have said who am I? When he was 40 years old he just had
graduated from all the schools of Egypt. And I tell you he felt so sufficient to
deliver his people from Egyptian bondage then because you remember he saw an
Egyptian smiting somebody some of his people and he killed the Egyptian hid
the body away thought boy I have arrived I'm ready for this I'm able to do it. He
just got his PhD from the schools of Egypt and man he was ready he was
sufficient he was adequate. Get himself. PhD. Have a friend in the church back at
Calvary he told me a PhD meant posthole digger. Well I told him I have that
degree because I've dug many a posthole. But now 40 years later when God calls
him now the time had come for God to use Moses and Moses said who am I? You see
his PhD he needed another degree. He needed a PSD backside of the desert. He
needed to spend 40 years on the backside of the desert taking care of sheep to
get rid of some of that ego in him. Takes a long time for the Lord to get some of
that ego out of us doesn't it? And now he said who am I? That I should do this. But
you know what the Lord said to him in verse 12 he said certainly I will be
with thee. It isn't who we are it's who sends us and who goes with us. Who am I?
You know I think it's good maybe for those of us who are saved to sometimes stop
and ask ourselves the question who am I? Who am I? You know one of the good ways
for us to find out who we are in God's sight not in the eyes of men because in
the eyes of men we're nobodies but for us to stop and consider in the eyes of God
who are we? And one of the fine ways to find out who we are is to take the Word
of God and go through it and see the different names and titles used of
believers in the Word of God. I tell you that's a profitable study. I had a series
of messages in the church back there. We went through the Bible and we noticed
these names in alphabetical order. Names and titles used to believers in the
Bible. First one we took was ambassador, second one was believer, third one was
Christian, so on. But in that series of messages one of the messages dealt with
Christians as priests. Christian you are a priest. I'm a priest. The Lord blessed
my wife and me with two girls. Later on we got two sons. You say I don't
understand that. I thought you just had two. Well both girls got married and so
the son-in-laws became like sons to us. But the girls, Marilyn is eight years
older than Jeanette. One time when Marilyn was about four years of age we
were shopping in Cincinnati, walking down 4th Street in Cincinnati and we met a
man who had on a black hat and a black suit and black shoes and a black
topcoat and he had his collar on backward. And after he'd passed a little
ways from us, Marilyn looked up at me and said, daddy that man was a priest.
And I said well honey daddy's a priest too. And she said oh no you're not. You
don't have your collar on backward. You know it isn't the way we wear our
collars that make us priests. The Word of God calls us priests. Here in our
scripture this morning two times a holy priesthood, verse 5, second chapter of
1st Peter, verse 9, a royal priesthood. Revelation 1, 5, and 6 we're called
priests. Revelation 5, 10 we're called priests. Four times in the New Testament
believers in this age are called priests. So we're priests, every one of us. Now what
is the significance of this name? There may be several reasons we're called
priests but I want us to think this morning about we're called priests
because of our resemblance to the Levitical priest. I want you to notice if
time will permit and my voice will hold out six ways in which we as believers
are similar to the Levitical priests. The first one is the Levitical priests were
priests by virtue of their birth. Would you come with me to Exodus chapter 29? I
think it is. Exodus 29 or 28 it is and we'll just have time to read the
scripture mostly without much comment. Exodus 28, verse 1, God speaking to Moses
and he said take thou unto the air and 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, he was the first high priest in the Levitical system, Nadab, Bihu,
Eliezer, and Ithamer, Aaron's sons. So now Aaron was the first high priest under
the Mosaic economy. He had four sons, Nadab, Bihu, Eliezer, and Ithamer. They
were priests under the high priest Aaron. Now how did they happen to become
priests? Not because of any goodness in them but by virtue of their physical
birth. They were born into the family of the high priest. Let me tell you
something, we who are saved today by the spiritual birth were born into the
family of the high priest Jesus Christ. Would you let me take you to Titus
chapter 3 and verse 5 quickly? Titus chapter 3 and verse 5, you could quote it
but let's look at it. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but
according to his mercy he saved us by the washing. I have a version at home the
improved edition. He said, oh my goodness another version that was brought out
years ago by a bunch of Baptist scholars and it says in the rendering there is
the bathing by the bathing of regeneration. Let me tell you something
when you got saved, when I got saved, God gave us a bath spiritually and that bath,
that birth brought us into the family of the high priest Jesus Christ. That's the
way we have an experience similar to theirs. Levitical priests were preached
by virtue of their physical birth into the high priest family. We are priests
today by virtue of our spiritual birth, our birth from above into the family of
the high priest Jesus Christ. We hurry on. I want you to notice something else
about the Levitical priests. They were bathed, they were they were washed at
their institution into the into the priesthood office. Come with me now
to Exodus 29 and verse 4. And Aaron and his sons thou shall bring unto the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation and shall wash them with water. Listen,
at the institution of the Levitical priest into the office of priesthood they
were washed all over, they were bathed all over. That was never repeated. That was
never repeated. You say didn't they ever take a bath after that? This was done for
them. They never had that done for them again. Let me tell you something. When we
got saved we were once and for all washed from the guilt of our sins. The
scripture we can use in the New Testament to prove that is in John 13 and
verse 10. My wish we had a lot of time to talk about this but you remember when
Jesus was washing the disciples feet and Peter said you'll never wash my feet.
Didn't that just like Peter? Verse 8, Jesus said if I wash thee not thou has
no part with me. Don't you put another preposition in there instead of with. He
didn't say if I wash thee not thou has no part in me. He's talking about
fellowship. He's talking about fellowship and that's why he says with me. Simon and
Peter said unto him Lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head. Jesus
said unto him he that is washed. Now here's that word. That means a once for
all washing. He that is washed needeth not save to wash. That's a different word
here. It means just washing a part of the body. Wash needeth not but to wash his
feet but is clean every with. I tell you what we're just like them in that. They
were priests by virtue of their physical birth. We're priests by virtue of the
spiritual birth. At the institution of them into their office of priesthood they
were given a bath all over never completed never done again for them. That
was a once for all act. We've been washed from the guilt of our sins the moment we
trusted Christ as Savior. Dr. Ironside said I will not sing this part of a hymn.
My faith looks up to thee thou lamb of Calvary. Savior divine now hear me while
I pray take all my guilt away. Dr. Ironside said I will not sing that. They
must have got the word because in some of our hymn books now take all my sins
away. Now listen we were given a bath once for all cleansing from the guilt of
sin. Notice another thing about these Levitical priests. Exodus 29 verse 8 and
9 and thou shall gird them with girdles Aaron and his sons and put the bonnets
on them and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute and thou
shall consecrate Aaron and his sons. They were clothed. They were clothed. You know
the clothing with which they were clothed was prescribed by God prescribed
by God. They were clothed when they were instituted into the office of priesthood.
You know we who are priests today those of us who are saved today God closed up
the moment we trusted Christ as Savior. He stripped off the old clothes the
filthy garments of our own righteousnesses and he said I'm gonna
clothe you in a perfect garment even the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Second
Corinthians 5 21. Ah listen we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. If we're
priests we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. When he shall
come with trumpet sound oh may I then in him be found dressed in his
righteousness alone faultless to stand before the throne. Then let's notice
another thing about these Levitical priests. They were also anointed. Exodus
chapter 40 we could give you more than one verse for these but one sufficient
isn't it. Here it is Exodus 40 and verse 15. The
Levitical priests were anointed. Exodus 40 15 and thou shalt anoint them as thou
didst anoint their father that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their
generations. They were anointed with oil. What's the counterpart of that to those
of us who are priests today? Come with me to 1st John chapter chapter 2. We too
have had an anointing from the Lord. 1st John chapter 2 and verse 12 verse 20.
But ye have an unction. That's a kind of a difficult word isn't it? Unction. Down in
verse 27 is translated anointing. That's what it is really referring to here. But
ye have an anointing from the Holy One and ye know all things. We have within us
the person of the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand the Word of God.
Verse 27. But the anointing which ye have received to him abideth in you and you
need not that any man teach you. But as the same anointing teaches you of all
things and is truth and no a lie and even as he hath taught you ye shall
abide in him. You have an anointing. We've been anointed with the person of
the Holy Spirit. You don't have to pray for a fresh anointing. We already have
him. We just need to let him have more of us. We have an anointing. We've been
anointed not with oil as Christian priests. We've been anointed with the Holy
Spirit of God. I read last week that whenever Charles Spurgeon was to speak
shortly before he would speak he'd say may God the Holy Spirit lead us into the
truth. Lead us into the truth. Oh that's what we need to do. We have the anointing
of the Holy Spirit. The author of the book lives within us. Why don't we ask him
to teach us more? Why do we run to the commentaries first? I didn't say why do
you. I said why do we? A man of the past, a Christian man, called a famous Bible
scholar and he said I want to ask you a question about a verse in the Bible and
the famous Bible scholar said I tell you what I'm busy right now. I said could you
call back later today? And so that was the end of the conversation but he
waited all day for the man to call him back and he didn't. Several weeks later he
met the man on the street and he said say you never did call me back and ask me
about that question you had in the Bible you want me to help you with. I said why
didn't you? The man said you know soon as I held up as soon as I hung up the
receiver the Holy Spirit seemed to say to me why didn't you ask me? Why didn't you
ask me? Christian let me tell you this practice this I try to I forget it
sometime go to the commentary first we have the author of the book living
within us we've been anointed with him and let him be our teacher they were
anointed so are we anointed and then let's notice on a fifth thing that is
true of those Levitical priests in Exodus chapter 30 verse 17 won't have
time to read the verses but you read them Exodus chapter 30 and 17 through 21
you know one of the vessels one of the pieces of furniture in the tabernacle
and the temple was the brazen laver every time priest went into the temple
to serve the Lord he had to wash his hands and feet in that laver they daily
had to do this you know what if our service and our fellowship with the Lord
is going to be acceptable to be acceptable to him we're daily gonna have
to wash our hands and feet in the Word of God oh yes not to get rid of our
guilt but get rid of our sin as children of God
interfere with our fellowship that also is taught right there in John 13 if we
have fellowship with him that's acceptable he's gonna have to wash her
feet someone wrote a book I've never seen it soil feet in the master's hand
I'd like to have a copy of it sometimes if I could find one speaks of believers
whose hands and feet our activities our goings have displeased the Lord as
children of his we need to judge that and with the Word of God be cleansed from
it like those Levitical priests and then the sixth thing about the Levitical
priest is this they offered sacrifice I'll just give you the scripture
reference for it this is one of them Leviticus chapter 1 verse 5 through 8
those Levitical priests had to offer animal sacrifices that was some of their
responsibility to offer animal sacrifices to God what did Peter say in
the first verse of our scripture this morning 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse
5 he also is living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to
offer up what spiritual sacrifices spiritual sacrifices we don't offer
animal sacrifices we offer spiritual sacrifices when we were visiting with you
in August September of last year Garen was having a series of messages dealing
with worship and one of those messages dealt with the spiritual sacrifices we
offer as priests today so I'll just give you the scripture reference and you can
look them up you probably already have written them down
Hebrews 13 15 we're offer the sacrifice of praise and Thanksgiving that's what
we've done this morning brother John when we sang this morning holy holy
holy that was a praise to him praise and then Thanksgiving that is a sacrifice
what's the difference between praise and Thanksgiving when we praise him we're
dealing with the person of God these wonderful attributes when we thank him
we're dealing with what God has done for us what God is that's praise what God
does for us that's Thanksgiving and then another one of the spiritual sacrifices
in Hebrews 13 16 doing good and sharing with others doing good Bible speaks of
three kinds of works evil work dead work and good work you know what good works
are works wrought by believer under the leadership of the Spirit of God to
glorify him and good work sharing with others not just in the material realm but
also in the spiritual sharing with them the gospel sharing with them the
precious truths of the Word of God and then in Philippians 418 financial
support of God's work that's like a sacrifice those those Philippian
believers they sent Paul a gift and Paul said you know that's like a sacrifice to
God when you brought the Lord's tithes and offerings young fellow in the church
there at Calvary said bring your tithes and offerings I said they're not ours
there he is when we bring the Lord's tithes and offerings to him that's like
a sacrifice to him are you daily bring that sacrifice to him supporting the
Lord's work with your material gifts tithes and offerings I heard Roy
Gustafson Gustafson tell about dr. Savage was getting ready to baptize a
man and man said wait just a minute so I got something I want to do then he went
off came back dr. Savage said what what what'd you go for he said I want to get
my bill fold I won't have you baptized too listen that's a sacrifice and then
the sacrifice to cap it all off is mentioned in Romans 12 verse 1 you know
it I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your
bodies and you know when he gets your body he gets you all all of us that's
personal giving personal and personal all of us acceptable unto God which is
your reasonable service are you offering these sacrifices to God as priests are
you there's so much of this resemblance between us and those were vehicle
priests we're like them in so many ways offered the sacrifice of your body if
you've never done that I read of a wealthy man who had one girl just one
daughter and oh how he loved her he gave her everything she needed he gave her a
good education he he gave her a good musical education and tried to keep her
away from Christian influence he was an atheist didn't want her to have anything
to do with Christians one time she and a girlfriend were walking in the evening
and they heard some music coming from a distance and they kept walking in the
direction in which the music was coming they came to a tent they were having a
tent meeting that girl and her friend went into the service and for the first
time in her life she heard the gospel of Jesus Christ she felt an emptiness in
her heart a long ago before that and in that service she trusted the Lord Jesus
Christ and got saved she went home told her father about it he blew his top he
blew his top oh he just raved raved and screamed at her the next morning he told
her said I tell you what said I'm gonna give you 48 hours to give this all up I
give you 48 hours to give it all up you think about it the next two nights that
girl went back to the tent meeting where she heard the gospel again heard more of
the Word of God she was made the stronger so the morning of the second
the second morning came and he called her in said what's your answer she said
I can't give up Jesus Christ he said you get out of my house get out she said may
I go to the piano and play one number before I leave I'll go ahead and do it
she went and played and sang this number Jesus I my cross have taken all to leave
and follow thee destitute despised forsaken thou from hence my all shall be
Perry's every fond ambition all I've hoped or sought to be yet how rich is my
condition God in heaven are still my home and she went to the door to leave
the home she never got out he was there at the door put his arms around that
girl and said listen honey if Jesus Christ means that much to you I want him
as my Savior you see that girl had offered her body her all to Jesus Christ
have you done that believer maybe there's someone here this morning you've
never had that birth that brings you into the family of the high priest Jesus
Christ that's what you need if you don't have that birth from above you'll never
see the kingdom of God most of you here I'm sure have had that birth have we
been offering all the sacrifices he wants from us I wonder if we could just
stand together I wonder brother Mark would play for us 445 the time has slipped
away have thine own way Lord have thine own way could we just stand with bowed
heads pleased please we'll not even sing it just with bowed heads as brother
Mark plays this if God's spoken to some heart this morning and there's something
he's been tugging at your heart that he wants you to do spirit of God's been
speaking would you come just now surrender completely to him have thine
own way Lord have thine own way don't come if he isn't speaking but if he is
speaking don't resist him what would he have you to do as a believer
priest
don't be ashamed to do openly what he wants you to do don't do anything if he
isn't speaking to your heart
thank you for your presence your kind attention let's pray now father we
claim your promise to bless your word bless it to the edification of believers
bless it to the bringing of those who are outside the family of the high
priest the Lord Jesus to bring them to that place where they'll say Lord I've
gone too long without you as my Savior and may they do like the father of that
girl say I want Jesus Christ as my Savior and may they trust you Lord for
Jesus sake in whose name we pray amen