Our service this hour will be just a little bit
longer than usual in order to better tie together
the two hours in our children's ministry this
morning. I would like to make note again of the
numbers over there on the side of the wall for
those who are the parents of small children and
I want you to know that when the numbers flash
it has nothing to do with the length of the sermon.
We already have that agreement with those who
control it. It has only to do with children who
need help. Nothing to do with parents who need
help. Perhaps you've asked yourself the question,
how can I know that God accepts me? How can I
know that God accepts me? That is an important
question. And it's one that is frequently asked,
at least within the heart, how can I know that
I am accepted by God? Such a question is frequent
in our day because many of us, for a variety
of reasons, have a hard time accepting ourselves.
And we wonder whether we're accepted by others
on a human level. And we reason this way, at
least subconsciously, if I have a hard time accepting
myself, and if I'm not sure other people who
are human beings accept me, how can I know that
the God of the universe, in all of His perfection,
in all of His glory, in all of His holiness,
truly, truly accepts me? I'd like for us to think
about that as we turn to our text this morning,
which is in 1 Peter chapter 2. And we think about
the new you, who you are as a new creature in
Jesus Christ. 1 Peter chapter 2, and I will begin
reading in verse 4. precious in the sight of
God, you also as living stones are being built
up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.
To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained
in scripture, behold I lay in Zion a choice stone,
a precious cornerstone. And he who believes in
him shall not be disappointed. This precious
value then is for you who believe. But for those
who disbelieve, the stone which the builders
rejected, this became the very cornerstone and
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For
they stumble because they are disobedient to
the word and to this doom. They were also appointed.
But you, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for God's own possession.
That you may proclaim the excellencies of him
who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light, for you once were not a people. But now
you are the people of God. You had not received
mercy, but now you have received mercy. Our understanding
of who we are affects how we live. Dr. Stoll
tied into this theme last week in his message,
You Are the Light of the World. I'm especially
interested in this series that we've entitled
The New You and talking about those terms, those
phrases that identify the new you collectively.
Not individually, but collectively as a group,
together. We have a personal salvation, but God
has not saved us to an individualistic Christianity.
We are saved individually, but we are then united
to a group. We belong to a group, God's family,
identified here. And so it's important for us
to understand that, to realize that while we
are personally saved, we are collectively identified.
We talked last fall about the fact that we are
members of the body. Collectively we're something
like a skeleton with muscle and tendon etc. on
it. And we each have a role to play. We have
a common dependence upon one another. We talked
last fall about the fact that we're ambassadors
of Christ. We're like the Department of State
for heaven. We're the emissaries, the envoys
of God in this world. We have a common assignment.
And we talked about the fact that we are identified
as the children of God. We're like a family.
We're like brothers and sisters. We share a common
ancestry. Now today, we see another title applied
to us together, together. And that is that we
are a holy priesthood. Verse five, you also as
living stones are being built up as a spiritual
house for a holy priesthood. Some of us are very
uncomfortable with the term priest because of
our religious upbringing. Others of us are quite
comfortable with it. God, in fact, calls us priests.
So that together we are a priesthood. What is
a priest? Well, the writer of Hebrews says that
a priest is one who stands before God on behalf
of others. In addition to that, a priest is one
who serves as a sort of intermediary between
mankind and God. God says you are a holy priesthood.
It is interesting that nearly all religions in
the world have some kind of a concept like this.
They have priests or shamans or medicine men
or mediators. They have someone in their religious
system who intercedes between the deity that
they proclaim and the followers. of that particular
religion. This is not an uncommon concept. But
so that we can understand what a holy priesthood
is, as the Bible describes us, it's important
for us to have some background biblically on
the priesthood. The very first time that the
word priest is used in the Bible is in the book
of beginnings in Genesis, the 14th chapter. You
may recall the time when Abram delivered his
nephew Lot and others from some kings who had
taken them captive from the cities of the plain.
And after the victory, Abram and the crew were
marching along and they were met by a very mysterious
man whose name was Melchizedek. He is described
as the king of Salem. the city that came to be
called Jerusalem. He was the king of this ancient
city of Jerusalem. Apparently, he led a group
of people in the city of Jerusalem who had knowledge
of the true creator God. This is in the same
period of time, remember, when God had called
Abram from idolatry over there in the Ur of the
Chaldees. Back in Jerusalem, at the same time,
there was this group of people whose leader,
whose king, was Melchizedek, and who knew the
true God. We must assume that they received that
knowledge as it was passed down to them from
generation to generation from the sons of Noah.
We know absolutely nothing about Melchizedek's
background. His ancestry is not revealed to us.
And it is for that reason, as well as some others,
that he is called a type or an Old Testament
narrative picture of Jesus Christ. And those
of you familiar with the book of Hebrews understand
that. So that's the first time that a priest
appears in the Bible. It is a true man of God.
And to him, Abraham offered tithes. And Melchizedek
brought to Abram wine and bread for the strengthening
of his troops. As we think further into the Old
Testament, before the law was given to Moses,
there really was no appointed class. of people
who were called priests. The heads of families,
the patriarchs, were considered in that period
of time to be the priests of their clans, their
households. Abram was considered such, so was
Noah for that matter, and Jacob. And we see each
of them building altars and offering sacrifices
to God. not because they were appointed as priests,
but because they were the head of the family
and in that role they served as an intermediary,
as a priest. But when the law was given and the
covenant was established between God and the
Jewish nation, there was designated a family
within the nation to become the priests. That,
of course, was the family of Levi. They were
generally the family, the descendants of Levi,
one of the sons of Jacob, was to care for the
tabernacle and all of the instruments of the
tabernacle. But then there was one specific family
within the tribe of Levi that was given the responsibility
of the priesthood. Does anyone know which family
that was and who the first high priest was of
Israel? Some of you are shaking your head. It
was Aaron. And to Aaron was given the responsibility
of being the first high priest. And then from
his descendants, other high priests were appointed
in succession. My point is that God established
within the nation of Israel a certain class of
priests. And when they got into the promised
land, those people received no inheritance of
land. They were given cities to dwell in, but
the people brought food and sacrifices and money.
and supported the priesthood. That was God's
plan. But it's interesting to me to notice that
God appointed the whole nation of Israel also
to be a priesthood on behalf of the world. Turn
back in the Old Testament to the book of Exodus
for a moment and let's see how God said this
in Exodus chapter 19. God is here establishing
his covenant, and he says in verse 5 of Exodus
19, now then, if you will indeed obey my voice
and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own
possession among all the peoples, for all the
earth is mine. And you, he's speaking now to
the whole nation, shall be to me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation." Isn't it interesting?
Have you ever seen that before? The whole nation
was intended by God to be a kingdom of priests.
A nation set apart. A people that belonged to
God in some special way. What was God's intent
in this? Well, it was that the people of Israel
would be the mediators, as it were, of His grace
to the nations of the world. They were, in some
very real sense, to be a missionary people. In
Genesis 12, God said to Abraham that He would
make him a blessing to all the nations of the
earth. His descendants the people of Israel were
intended by God to be the fulfillment of that
God said you are mine in a very special sense.
I possess you You are a nation set apart a holy
nation and you are a kingdom of priests and God's
intent was that they should then impart the knowledge
of the true God to the whole world Sadly, Israel
failed in that responsibility. But I hope in
noticing these words in Exodus 19, it rings a
certain bell in your mind because these are very
similar phrases to the ones that Peter chooses
to write in 1 Peter 2 regarding us, a holy nation,
a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. You were
not a people, but now you are the people of God,
he says. Now he is not saying that we are the
continuation of Israel in the Old Testament.
But he is saying that we, in this age, we who
are a part of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ,
have a similar role, a similar function in the
world as did Israel in the Old Testament. For
we are appointed by God to be the mediators,
as it were, of the knowledge of God. We are to
take that to people. They are to understand the
grace of God, God's love and compassion for all
men through us. They are to receive the knowledge
of the cross and what He has done that He might
save men from us. He says, you are a holy priesthood.
Well let's think about the New Testament priesthood.
We want to state what is obvious to most students
of the Bible and that is that the old priesthood
under the law given to the Jewish people has
been abolished. There is no need for it anymore.
The ceremonies and the sacrifices that they were
involved in have all been fulfilled in the Lord
Jesus Christ. All of those things were like shadows,
says the writer of Hebrews. We have the real
thing now, not merely a shadow. Those things
have been set aside. They are no longer valid.
They are no longer functioning because Jesus
Christ has offered the once for all sacrifice
for us. And then he has been raised from the
dead and appointed as high priest. I'd like for
you to look in the book of Hebrews with me to
the second chapter. In verse 14, it reminds us
that Jesus came and partook of our humanity.
so that he might suffer death on our behalf and
render Satan powerless and deliver us from death.
And then it says in verse 17, therefore he had
to be made like his brethren, Jesus did, in all
things that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest. in things pertaining to God to make
propitiation or satisfaction for the sins of
the people. Now look over in chapter 4 verse
14. Since then we have a great high priest who
has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our confession. For
we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses. But rather one who has been
tempted in all things as we are, yet without
sin, let us therefore draw near with confidence."
Let's talk a moment about the New Testament priesthood.
There is today a high priest, and he is not appointed
after the order or the descendants Aaron. All
of that was a part of the law and it's been set
aside. The writer of Hebrews tells us that our
high priest has been appointed after the order
of whom? Right, Melchizedek. One who lives forever
to intercede on behalf of his people. We have
today a high priest. He does not function here
in the world in that specific office. He does
it in the true temple, the real one in heaven,
in the presence of God the Father. But Peter
tells us something that I think is really amazing.
He says that we, and he uses the metaphor of
a house being built. Or we might think of a temple
being built. He says, Jesus is the chief cornerstone.
He is the living stone, and we also as living
stones have been added to him, to the structure.
And then he says, so that we might be a holy
priesthood. Here's his point. There is a high
priest in heaven who intercedes on our behalf.
the Lord Jesus Christ. But we, in this world,
serve with Him in the priesthood. We have been
added to the priesthood. We are a holy priesthood,
a royal priesthood. You say, well what does all
that mean? Well it means more than we can talk
about just this morning. So we're going to continue
this next week. But I want you to think for just
a moment about the privilege of being a priest.
Let's go back to the Old Testament for a moment.
To the Aaronic priesthood, the priesthood of
Aaron. The people of Israel were not permitted
in the area of the Tabernacle. Is that right?
That's true. It was a sanctified area. They encamped
around it in a certain order that God prescribed
as a matter of fact. But they could not enter
into the tabernacle compound itself. Only the
priests were allowed that kind of access to the
presence of God. Only the priests could enter
into that tabernacle. and see the beauty of it,
which we talked about last month briefly in one
of our services. And only the high priest was
permitted to go behind that veil, you remember
we talked about? Only the high priest could go
behind that veil into the very presence of God
where he dwelt over that mercy seat at the Ark
of the Covenant. And he could only do that once
a year. Once a year. You see in the Old Testament,
the people of God, the citizens of Israel, did
not have direct access to God. They had to hear
about God through others. The high priest could
describe to them the glory. of the inner sanctuary.
They couldn't see it. It was off limits. It was
forbidden to them. Only the priest could tell
them of the beauty of the Holy Place. That table
made of gold, overlaid wood, and the lampstand
of gold. The altar of incense only the priests
could see that the people could not see that
The access to God was limited, but it was the
privilege of the priests to go into God's presence
Dear people that is the privilege that God gives
to you and me I'd like you to open your Bible
to another chapter in Hebrews, the tenth chapter,
verse 19. Since therefore, brethren, we have
confidence to enter the holy place That is the
place that most of the people of Israel could
never see they could never enter The place where
God was the holy place The writer of Hebrew says
brethren We may enter the holy place and not
merely take a peek Not just tiptoe into it But
with confidence we may come to the holy place
why? He says, through the blood of Jesus. That
sacrifice has been offered for us. He calls it
a new and living way which he inaugurated for
us through the veil that is his flesh. The writer
is drawing a certain parallel between that veil
in the tabernacle and the body of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And when he says, that the veil has been
torn, he's talking about the body of Jesus that
was sacrificed, crucified for us. And he says
through that violent death God tore back the
veil so that now all of God's people may come
as priests into the very presence of God. That's
what he's saying. Therefore the writer of Ephesians
tells us that we have access to God. Access to
God. Access is the right to enter through the
introduction of someone else. It's the right
to enter because someone else has paved the way
for you. Let's suppose that you wanted to go
down to the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks.
Well, good luck if you don't have a ticket. You're
not going to get in unless you have a lot of
money. It's a very limited access occasion. You've
got to have one of those tickets. But now let's
just suppose that you entered one of these many
drawings they have around for the tickets. You
stop at a gas station, you fill out one of those
little cards, you drop it in the box and you
get a phone call next week and they say to you,
we're happy to inform you that your name has
been drawn to win a prize. You have been given
two tickets to the Super Bowl. You'd be pretty
excited about that if you like football. Some
of you might like to go out and hawk them and
take the money and do something else more interesting.
You say, well, that'll never happen to me. Well,
I've only won one drawing in my life, and it
was last summer in Shoreview. They have a little
celebration of some sort at the Shoreview Mall.
And all of the businesses there were giving away
some kind of prize, so I decided, well, I'll
drop my name in there. I've never won one of
these things. I wasn't worried about it. I won
something. It was a gift certificate to the bar
at Roseville Mall. That's just my luck. Well,
fortunately they have a restaurant there too,
but Let's just suppose that you got those tickets
and you were able to enter into the Super Bowl.
You've got to show the tickets because they give
you access. My point this morning is this, that
God has given us access to come right into His
presence. No more are there veils, no more is
there darkness in the sound of terrifying trumpets
and earthquakes in the presence of God. God says,
I open the way. Come! And Peter says, coming
to Him. You're made like a living stone and you're
added to the living stone, the cornerstone, Jesus
Christ. So that you are now a royal priesthood
and you have the privilege to come to God directly.
And any time you say, well, how do we do that?
Do we have to come forward in church? Do we have
to go to a certain room to pray? Isn't it a marvelous
thing that just by the thought of your mind being
so directed, you can enter into the presence
of God and talk with Him. I was with some pastors
recently who were bemoaning the fact that no
longer can churches remain open during the day
because of vandalism and crime and so on. So
the people might come and pray. Well that is
sad and I recognize that there is something about
getting alone and in the quietness of a large
sanctuary sometimes we seem to sense the presence
of God. But the presence of God is no more real
in that moment than when you're driving down
the freeway and you lift your heart to God in
prayer. The presence of God is just as real in
that instant as if you were at church all by
yourself kneeling on an altar praying. Because
you are a priest. Now we're here in the 10th
chapter of Hebrews. Let's go ahead and look at
the verses that tell us that we have a great
high priest over the house of God, verse 21.
We have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, and
we serve under him. So he says, and now in verses
22 to 25, we come to a little garden, and here
we have what J. Vernon McGee called the lettuce
patch. He says, let us draw near. Let us hold
fast. Let us consider three responsibilities
that come to us because we are a royal priesthood,
that fall out to us because of our privileges
in the presence of God. He says, first of all,
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith. How can I know that I'm accepted
by God? Because, my friend, of the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ shed for you. That's why. You
can know that God receives you not because of
who you are and the good things you've done,
but because of His Son and what His Son has done
for you. You can know today that God accepts
you. When you come to him, oh, it's terribly
possible to do what else Peter said to reject
him and referring to the Jewish nation as a whole
he says they rejected the chief cornerstone and
therefore that stone became a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense to them and they are damned
They're doomed and all who reject him are thus
doomed But we may come to him and know because
we come we are accepted. He says that we can
draw near with full assurance. Having our hearts
sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, that's
inward, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Now he's thinking about what some of the ceremonies
were in the Old Testament priesthood, but he
says to us, that we need an inward cleansing
which is signified by the outward washing of
baptism. That's what he's saying. Not the baptism
saves, but it is an outward evidence of that
internal cleansing of the conscience. Then he
says let us hold fast the confession of our hope
without wavering. Do you feel like your knees
are weak today in the trials of your life? Listen,
we have a high priest who stands in God's presence
on our behalf, and we can come through him directly
to God ourselves, and we do not have to lose
hope. You may feel very disappointed in the circumstances
that have fallen out to you in recent weeks or
days. The writer of Hebrews says, don't give
up hope. He says, hold fast the confession of
your hope. He says, God is promised and God is
going to keep his promises. He can be relied
on. And he says, let us consider, verse 24, how
to provoke one another. Some of us are very good
at that. In fact, the word that he uses here
usually has a negative connotation, just like
we think of provoking somebody. So it's all the
more startling that he uses that word in a positive
context when he says, let's provoke or stimulate
one another to love and good deeds, to godly
living. We're a priesthood together. So let's
consider how we can encourage one another. And
he says specifically, not forsaking our own assembling
together. You see, we're not saved to be by ourselves
off in a corner somewhere. We're saved to be
a part, to be identified with the people of God.
And so he says, be faithful in coming together
to the assembly of God's people, encouraging
one another. And he says, all the more as you
see the day drawing near. What day is that? It
seems to me in the context of the whole book,
it's the day of judgment. He's saying there is
a day coming when we are going to give account
to God. And so he says, in the light of our privileges,
including the fact that we can come directly
to God, that we have access to Him, that we're
accepted by Him always, always. There are some
Christians who have the idea that being accepted
by God means getting on a treadmill and running
as fast as you can. Have you ever been on a treadmill?
How much distance did you cover? You don't go
very far. You'll work yourself flat to death.
I've been on one twice in my life and there was
a cardiologist in the room and I was glad he
was there. But you don't get very far in a treadmill.
Some of us look at the Christian life that way.
Oh, I got to try hard, got to do it. Christian
life might be better compared to those people
movers like out at the airport. You get on those
things and you just move right along. You don't
even have to walk. But you can walk and when
you do, there you go. Very little effort. That's
really what the Christian life is like. He says
there's a day coming when we're going to give
account to God we have responsibilities because
of who we are in this world The day is coming
therefore be faithful be faithful Live out the
priesthood be who you who God has called you
to be So that when that day comes we can give
a good account Much more to say but let's bow
together We'll take it up next week as we talk
more about the priesthood this holy priesthood
that God's called us to be but all dear dear
friend You who are here this morning without
Jesus Christ as your Savior. Do you understand
that he alone is the living stone? He is the
rock He is the cornerstone and your need is to
come to him to believe on Him today to be saved.
If you've never done that, right where you're
seated, would you lift your heart to God and
say, oh God, I understand that Jesus Christ suffered
and died for my sin and that He lives for me.
And I come to you acknowledging my sinfulness
and receive from you cleansing the gift of eternal
life. Come into my life, be my Savior and Lord.
Dear friend, in coming to Him you too will be
added to the house, to the holy priesthood. Oh
that you would come today and delay no longer.
And my Christian friend, in the light of who
you are as a holy priest unto God, are you living
out the reality of that in the world? You may
just be flat worn out today because you've been
on the treadmill and your need is to get off
the treadmill and just get on the people mover.
It's to let God carry you. Let God fulfill in
you His desires. Cooperate with God. Don't do
it yourself. Father, I'm talking to some weary
Christians this morning, I'm sure. who are just
worn out though they've given it everything they've
got because somehow they've misunderstood what
the Christian life is. I pray that you will nudge
them to that place where they will understand
that the Christian life is simply living in the
joy of your presence and living out who you've
called us to be. Lord, use us this week. Just
as you've called Israel to be the mediators of
your grace to the world, you've called us to
do that. So this week, as we carry the truth
out and we share the Savior with others, may
we do that effectively, full of the Holy Spirit,
with fruitfulness. And as these magazines are
distributed and we invite people to the picnic
later this month and as we witness in our office
and we share in our neighborhoods and take every
opportunity we have to share the message, we
pray that you will bless the seed sown and bring
forth fruit. That people may come to the living
stone and be added. Thank you Father for this
time together this morning. For the opportunity
to worship you. to know you. In Jesus' name,
amen.