WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:03.520 Our service this hour will be just a little bit 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:07.540 longer than usual in order to better tie together 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:10.279 the two hours in our children's ministry this 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:16.660 morning. I would like to make note again of the 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:18.679 numbers over there on the side of the wall for 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:22.679 those who are the parents of small children and 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:24.679 I want you to know that when the numbers flash 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:26.920 it has nothing to do with the length of the sermon. 00:00:27.449 --> 00:00:30.010 We already have that agreement with those who 00:00:30.010 --> 00:00:32.929 control it. It has only to do with children who 00:00:32.929 --> 00:00:35.429 need help. Nothing to do with parents who need 00:00:35.429 --> 00:00:42.750 help. Perhaps you've asked yourself the question, 00:00:42.829 --> 00:00:50.469 how can I know that God accepts me? How can I 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:53.329 know that God accepts me? That is an important 00:00:53.329 --> 00:00:58.560 question. And it's one that is frequently asked, 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:04.299 at least within the heart, how can I know that 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:11.980 I am accepted by God? Such a question is frequent 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:16.659 in our day because many of us, for a variety 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:19.540 of reasons, have a hard time accepting ourselves. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:23.060 And we wonder whether we're accepted by others 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:28.030 on a human level. And we reason this way, at 00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:31.629 least subconsciously, if I have a hard time accepting 00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:35.969 myself, and if I'm not sure other people who 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:41.269 are human beings accept me, how can I know that 00:01:41.269 --> 00:01:45.810 the God of the universe, in all of His perfection, 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:48.409 in all of His glory, in all of His holiness, 00:01:50.010 --> 00:01:56.760 truly, truly accepts me? I'd like for us to think 00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:59.000 about that as we turn to our text this morning, 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:03.659 which is in 1 Peter chapter 2. And we think about 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:10.479 the new you, who you are as a new creature in 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:14.419 Jesus Christ. 1 Peter chapter 2, and I will begin 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:27.240 reading in verse 4. precious in the sight of 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:34.280 God, you also as living stones are being built 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:40.000 up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. 00:02:41.020 --> 00:02:44.319 To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:49.180 God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained 00:02:49.180 --> 00:02:53.000 in scripture, behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.780 a precious cornerstone. And he who believes in 00:02:56.780 --> 00:03:01.199 him shall not be disappointed. This precious 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:06.319 value then is for you who believe. But for those 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.800 who disbelieve, the stone which the builders 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:14.319 rejected, this became the very cornerstone and 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:19.520 a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:21.819 they stumble because they are disobedient to 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:25.449 the word and to this doom. They were also appointed. 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:32.610 But you, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, 00:03:33.370 --> 00:03:38.009 a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. 00:03:39.469 --> 00:03:42.229 That you may proclaim the excellencies of him 00:03:42.229 --> 00:03:45.990 who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous 00:03:45.990 --> 00:03:52.930 light, for you once were not a people. But now 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:57.370 you are the people of God. You had not received 00:03:57.370 --> 00:04:05.389 mercy, but now you have received mercy. Our understanding 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:11.110 of who we are affects how we live. Dr. Stoll 00:04:11.110 --> 00:04:13.849 tied into this theme last week in his message, 00:04:14.750 --> 00:04:19.089 You Are the Light of the World. I'm especially 00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:20.990 interested in this series that we've entitled 00:04:20.990 --> 00:04:25.209 The New You and talking about those terms, those 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:31.050 phrases that identify the new you collectively. 00:04:32.589 --> 00:04:36.329 Not individually, but collectively as a group, 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:42.550 together. We have a personal salvation, but God 00:04:42.550 --> 00:04:46.069 has not saved us to an individualistic Christianity. 00:04:47.470 --> 00:04:51.910 We are saved individually, but we are then united 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:57.670 to a group. We belong to a group, God's family, 00:04:57.870 --> 00:05:01.850 identified here. And so it's important for us 00:05:01.850 --> 00:05:05.870 to understand that, to realize that while we 00:05:05.870 --> 00:05:11.250 are personally saved, we are collectively identified. 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.300 We talked last fall about the fact that we are 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:21.639 members of the body. Collectively we're something 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:25.399 like a skeleton with muscle and tendon etc. on 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:30.639 it. And we each have a role to play. We have 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:36.620 a common dependence upon one another. We talked 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:39.000 last fall about the fact that we're ambassadors 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:43.410 of Christ. We're like the Department of State 00:05:43.410 --> 00:05:47.990 for heaven. We're the emissaries, the envoys 00:05:47.990 --> 00:05:51.810 of God in this world. We have a common assignment. 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:57.550 And we talked about the fact that we are identified 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:01.730 as the children of God. We're like a family. 00:06:01.850 --> 00:06:06.129 We're like brothers and sisters. We share a common 00:06:06.129 --> 00:06:12.720 ancestry. Now today, we see another title applied 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:17.100 to us together, together. And that is that we 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:21.680 are a holy priesthood. Verse five, you also as 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:24.220 living stones are being built up as a spiritual 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:30.899 house for a holy priesthood. Some of us are very 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:35.120 uncomfortable with the term priest because of 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:37.720 our religious upbringing. Others of us are quite 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:43.540 comfortable with it. God, in fact, calls us priests. 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:49.480 So that together we are a priesthood. What is 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:52.959 a priest? Well, the writer of Hebrews says that 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:56.800 a priest is one who stands before God on behalf 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.980 of others. In addition to that, a priest is one 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:08.139 who serves as a sort of intermediary between 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:15.139 mankind and God. God says you are a holy priesthood. 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:18.879 It is interesting that nearly all religions in 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:23.300 the world have some kind of a concept like this. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:29.139 They have priests or shamans or medicine men 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:33.740 or mediators. They have someone in their religious 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:37.379 system who intercedes between the deity that 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:41.610 they proclaim and the followers. of that particular 00:07:41.610 --> 00:07:47.629 religion. This is not an uncommon concept. But 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:50.250 so that we can understand what a holy priesthood 00:07:50.250 --> 00:07:53.629 is, as the Bible describes us, it's important 00:07:53.629 --> 00:07:58.370 for us to have some background biblically on 00:07:58.370 --> 00:08:01.550 the priesthood. The very first time that the 00:08:01.550 --> 00:08:04.850 word priest is used in the Bible is in the book 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:08.009 of beginnings in Genesis, the 14th chapter. You 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:11.560 may recall the time when Abram delivered his 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:15.620 nephew Lot and others from some kings who had 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:18.000 taken them captive from the cities of the plain. 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:24.399 And after the victory, Abram and the crew were 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:28.579 marching along and they were met by a very mysterious 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:34.700 man whose name was Melchizedek. He is described 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:38.639 as the king of Salem. the city that came to be 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:43.379 called Jerusalem. He was the king of this ancient 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:49.879 city of Jerusalem. Apparently, he led a group 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:54.840 of people in the city of Jerusalem who had knowledge 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:59.779 of the true creator God. This is in the same 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:02.399 period of time, remember, when God had called 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:07.889 Abram from idolatry over there in the Ur of the 00:09:07.889 --> 00:09:12.909 Chaldees. Back in Jerusalem, at the same time, 00:09:12.929 --> 00:09:17.470 there was this group of people whose leader, 00:09:17.509 --> 00:09:21.409 whose king, was Melchizedek, and who knew the 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:25.970 true God. We must assume that they received that 00:09:25.970 --> 00:09:28.649 knowledge as it was passed down to them from 00:09:28.649 --> 00:09:32.669 generation to generation from the sons of Noah. 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:37.980 We know absolutely nothing about Melchizedek's 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:42.159 background. His ancestry is not revealed to us. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.820 And it is for that reason, as well as some others, 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:50.200 that he is called a type or an Old Testament 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:56.480 narrative picture of Jesus Christ. And those 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:58.960 of you familiar with the book of Hebrews understand 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.840 that. So that's the first time that a priest 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:06.559 appears in the Bible. It is a true man of God. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:15.320 And to him, Abraham offered tithes. And Melchizedek 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:19.600 brought to Abram wine and bread for the strengthening 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:26.120 of his troops. As we think further into the Old 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.159 Testament, before the law was given to Moses, 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:32.720 there really was no appointed class. of people 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:36.840 who were called priests. The heads of families, 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:41.360 the patriarchs, were considered in that period 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:46.419 of time to be the priests of their clans, their 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:50.539 households. Abram was considered such, so was 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:55.000 Noah for that matter, and Jacob. And we see each 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:59.259 of them building altars and offering sacrifices 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:04.240 to God. not because they were appointed as priests, 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:07.220 but because they were the head of the family 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:12.080 and in that role they served as an intermediary, 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:18.460 as a priest. But when the law was given and the 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.899 covenant was established between God and the 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:29.820 Jewish nation, there was designated a family 00:11:30.090 --> 00:11:36.610 within the nation to become the priests. That, 00:11:36.629 --> 00:11:41.009 of course, was the family of Levi. They were 00:11:41.009 --> 00:11:44.110 generally the family, the descendants of Levi, 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:48.909 one of the sons of Jacob, was to care for the 00:11:48.909 --> 00:11:53.049 tabernacle and all of the instruments of the 00:11:53.049 --> 00:11:57.080 tabernacle. But then there was one specific family 00:11:57.080 --> 00:12:00.320 within the tribe of Levi that was given the responsibility 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:03.299 of the priesthood. Does anyone know which family 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:06.500 that was and who the first high priest was of 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:12.279 Israel? Some of you are shaking your head. It 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:18.600 was Aaron. And to Aaron was given the responsibility 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:23.620 of being the first high priest. And then from 00:12:23.620 --> 00:12:27.740 his descendants, other high priests were appointed 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:32.659 in succession. My point is that God established 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:36.379 within the nation of Israel a certain class of 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:38.039 priests. And when they got into the promised 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:41.379 land, those people received no inheritance of 00:12:41.379 --> 00:12:45.539 land. They were given cities to dwell in, but 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:49.519 the people brought food and sacrifices and money. 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:51.960 and supported the priesthood. That was God's 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:58.480 plan. But it's interesting to me to notice that 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:03.039 God appointed the whole nation of Israel also 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:10.659 to be a priesthood on behalf of the world. Turn 00:13:10.659 --> 00:13:12.840 back in the Old Testament to the book of Exodus 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.220 for a moment and let's see how God said this 00:13:16.220 --> 00:13:23.909 in Exodus chapter 19. God is here establishing 00:13:23.909 --> 00:13:30.309 his covenant, and he says in verse 5 of Exodus 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:35.350 19, now then, if you will indeed obey my voice 00:13:35.350 --> 00:13:40.690 and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own 00:13:40.690 --> 00:13:45.830 possession among all the peoples, for all the 00:13:45.830 --> 00:13:50.269 earth is mine. And you, he's speaking now to 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:55.139 the whole nation, shall be to me a kingdom of 00:13:55.139 --> 00:14:01.899 priests and a holy nation." Isn't it interesting? 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.960 Have you ever seen that before? The whole nation 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.679 was intended by God to be a kingdom of priests. 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:16.919 A nation set apart. A people that belonged to 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:24.110 God in some special way. What was God's intent 00:14:24.110 --> 00:14:27.789 in this? Well, it was that the people of Israel 00:14:27.789 --> 00:14:33.129 would be the mediators, as it were, of His grace 00:14:33.129 --> 00:14:38.309 to the nations of the world. They were, in some 00:14:38.309 --> 00:14:43.610 very real sense, to be a missionary people. In 00:14:43.610 --> 00:14:47.049 Genesis 12, God said to Abraham that He would 00:14:47.049 --> 00:14:49.870 make him a blessing to all the nations of the 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:55.730 earth. His descendants the people of Israel were 00:14:55.730 --> 00:15:00.649 intended by God to be the fulfillment of that 00:15:00.649 --> 00:15:04.970 God said you are mine in a very special sense. 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:09.750 I possess you You are a nation set apart a holy 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:14.690 nation and you are a kingdom of priests and God's 00:15:14.690 --> 00:15:18.870 intent was that they should then impart the knowledge 00:15:18.870 --> 00:15:24.850 of the true God to the whole world Sadly, Israel 00:15:24.850 --> 00:15:30.250 failed in that responsibility. But I hope in 00:15:30.250 --> 00:15:33.110 noticing these words in Exodus 19, it rings a 00:15:33.110 --> 00:15:36.929 certain bell in your mind because these are very 00:15:36.929 --> 00:15:39.570 similar phrases to the ones that Peter chooses 00:15:39.570 --> 00:15:45.409 to write in 1 Peter 2 regarding us, a holy nation, 00:15:46.669 --> 00:15:53.549 a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. You were 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:56.710 not a people, but now you are the people of God, 00:15:56.850 --> 00:16:02.250 he says. Now he is not saying that we are the 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:04.549 continuation of Israel in the Old Testament. 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:10.370 But he is saying that we, in this age, we who 00:16:10.370 --> 00:16:12.789 are a part of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:16:13.250 --> 00:16:16.509 have a similar role, a similar function in the 00:16:16.509 --> 00:16:22.740 world as did Israel in the Old Testament. For 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:27.279 we are appointed by God to be the mediators, 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.120 as it were, of the knowledge of God. We are to 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:34.740 take that to people. They are to understand the 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.700 grace of God, God's love and compassion for all 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:43.960 men through us. They are to receive the knowledge 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:46.700 of the cross and what He has done that He might 00:16:46.700 --> 00:16:53.029 save men from us. He says, you are a holy priesthood. 00:16:54.049 --> 00:16:56.429 Well let's think about the New Testament priesthood. 00:16:57.929 --> 00:17:02.029 We want to state what is obvious to most students 00:17:02.029 --> 00:17:04.950 of the Bible and that is that the old priesthood 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:09.690 under the law given to the Jewish people has 00:17:09.690 --> 00:17:14.009 been abolished. There is no need for it anymore. 00:17:14.109 --> 00:17:16.890 The ceremonies and the sacrifices that they were 00:17:16.890 --> 00:17:21.380 involved in have all been fulfilled in the Lord 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:26.619 Jesus Christ. All of those things were like shadows, 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.039 says the writer of Hebrews. We have the real 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:35.579 thing now, not merely a shadow. Those things 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:38.240 have been set aside. They are no longer valid. 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:42.140 They are no longer functioning because Jesus 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:45.500 Christ has offered the once for all sacrifice 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:49.380 for us. And then he has been raised from the 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:55.380 dead and appointed as high priest. I'd like for 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:57.420 you to look in the book of Hebrews with me to 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:12.640 the second chapter. In verse 14, it reminds us 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.680 that Jesus came and partook of our humanity. 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:21.759 so that he might suffer death on our behalf and 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:27.039 render Satan powerless and deliver us from death. 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:31.200 And then it says in verse 17, therefore he had 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:35.799 to be made like his brethren, Jesus did, in all 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:39.960 things that he might become a merciful and faithful 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:44.869 high priest. in things pertaining to God to make 00:18:44.869 --> 00:18:49.230 propitiation or satisfaction for the sins of 00:18:49.230 --> 00:18:51.990 the people. Now look over in chapter 4 verse 00:18:51.990 --> 00:19:00.269 14. Since then we have a great high priest who 00:19:00.269 --> 00:19:03.549 has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son 00:19:03.549 --> 00:19:07.490 of God, let us hold fast our confession. For 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:11.569 we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:15.970 with our weaknesses. But rather one who has been 00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:18.710 tempted in all things as we are, yet without 00:19:18.710 --> 00:19:23.789 sin, let us therefore draw near with confidence." 00:19:23.789 --> 00:19:27.150 Let's talk a moment about the New Testament priesthood. 00:19:28.849 --> 00:19:34.849 There is today a high priest, and he is not appointed 00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:43.019 after the order or the descendants Aaron. All 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.660 of that was a part of the law and it's been set 00:19:45.660 --> 00:19:49.640 aside. The writer of Hebrews tells us that our 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:53.460 high priest has been appointed after the order 00:19:53.460 --> 00:20:01.640 of whom? Right, Melchizedek. One who lives forever 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:08.430 to intercede on behalf of his people. We have 00:20:08.430 --> 00:20:12.170 today a high priest. He does not function here 00:20:12.170 --> 00:20:15.150 in the world in that specific office. He does 00:20:15.150 --> 00:20:18.950 it in the true temple, the real one in heaven, 00:20:19.630 --> 00:20:25.509 in the presence of God the Father. But Peter 00:20:25.509 --> 00:20:27.789 tells us something that I think is really amazing. 00:20:30.369 --> 00:20:36.720 He says that we, and he uses the metaphor of 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:40.700 a house being built. Or we might think of a temple 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:45.500 being built. He says, Jesus is the chief cornerstone. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.279 He is the living stone, and we also as living 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:54.359 stones have been added to him, to the structure. 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.740 And then he says, so that we might be a holy 00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:00.900 priesthood. Here's his point. There is a high 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:04.339 priest in heaven who intercedes on our behalf. 00:21:05.349 --> 00:21:11.069 the Lord Jesus Christ. But we, in this world, 00:21:12.390 --> 00:21:17.029 serve with Him in the priesthood. We have been 00:21:17.029 --> 00:21:23.269 added to the priesthood. We are a holy priesthood, 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:28.150 a royal priesthood. You say, well what does all 00:21:28.150 --> 00:21:30.049 that mean? Well it means more than we can talk 00:21:30.049 --> 00:21:32.970 about just this morning. So we're going to continue 00:21:32.970 --> 00:21:36.240 this next week. But I want you to think for just 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.039 a moment about the privilege of being a priest. 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:43.819 Let's go back to the Old Testament for a moment. 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:47.799 To the Aaronic priesthood, the priesthood of 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:54.019 Aaron. The people of Israel were not permitted 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:57.680 in the area of the Tabernacle. Is that right? 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:03.259 That's true. It was a sanctified area. They encamped 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:06.519 around it in a certain order that God prescribed 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:09.259 as a matter of fact. But they could not enter 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:14.460 into the tabernacle compound itself. Only the 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:21.680 priests were allowed that kind of access to the 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:27.160 presence of God. Only the priests could enter 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:31.220 into that tabernacle. and see the beauty of it, 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:33.519 which we talked about last month briefly in one 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:40.799 of our services. And only the high priest was 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:43.400 permitted to go behind that veil, you remember 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:46.660 we talked about? Only the high priest could go 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:51.119 behind that veil into the very presence of God 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:55.819 where he dwelt over that mercy seat at the Ark 00:22:55.819 --> 00:23:00.559 of the Covenant. And he could only do that once 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:08.299 a year. Once a year. You see in the Old Testament, 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:15.279 the people of God, the citizens of Israel, did 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:21.980 not have direct access to God. They had to hear 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:26.299 about God through others. The high priest could 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:29.759 describe to them the glory. of the inner sanctuary. 00:23:30.380 --> 00:23:35.019 They couldn't see it. It was off limits. It was 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:40.240 forbidden to them. Only the priest could tell 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:46.599 them of the beauty of the Holy Place. That table 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:52.779 made of gold, overlaid wood, and the lampstand 00:23:52.779 --> 00:23:57.309 of gold. The altar of incense only the priests 00:23:57.309 --> 00:24:00.069 could see that the people could not see that 00:24:00.069 --> 00:24:04.390 The access to God was limited, but it was the 00:24:04.390 --> 00:24:11.829 privilege of the priests to go into God's presence 00:24:11.829 --> 00:24:18.250 Dear people that is the privilege that God gives 00:24:18.250 --> 00:24:26.119 to you and me I'd like you to open your Bible 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:33.519 to another chapter in Hebrews, the tenth chapter, 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:46.599 verse 19. Since therefore, brethren, we have 00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:53.849 confidence to enter the holy place That is the 00:24:53.849 --> 00:24:56.049 place that most of the people of Israel could 00:24:56.049 --> 00:24:59.990 never see they could never enter The place where 00:24:59.990 --> 00:25:05.529 God was the holy place The writer of Hebrew says 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:10.289 brethren We may enter the holy place and not 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:16.549 merely take a peek Not just tiptoe into it But 00:25:16.549 --> 00:25:20.369 with confidence we may come to the holy place 00:25:20.369 --> 00:25:27.339 why? He says, through the blood of Jesus. That 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:30.279 sacrifice has been offered for us. He calls it 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:35.599 a new and living way which he inaugurated for 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:43.099 us through the veil that is his flesh. The writer 00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:45.759 is drawing a certain parallel between that veil 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:49.500 in the tabernacle and the body of the Lord Jesus 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:54.140 Christ. And when he says, that the veil has been 00:25:54.140 --> 00:25:56.420 torn, he's talking about the body of Jesus that 00:25:56.420 --> 00:26:01.319 was sacrificed, crucified for us. And he says 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:07.299 through that violent death God tore back the 00:26:07.299 --> 00:26:13.680 veil so that now all of God's people may come 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:18.500 as priests into the very presence of God. That's 00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:24.420 what he's saying. Therefore the writer of Ephesians 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:30.700 tells us that we have access to God. Access to 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:38.380 God. Access is the right to enter through the 00:26:38.380 --> 00:26:42.819 introduction of someone else. It's the right 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:46.460 to enter because someone else has paved the way 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:51.319 for you. Let's suppose that you wanted to go 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.259 down to the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks. 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:57.480 Well, good luck if you don't have a ticket. You're 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:59.099 not going to get in unless you have a lot of 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:06.119 money. It's a very limited access occasion. You've 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:09.880 got to have one of those tickets. But now let's 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:15.480 just suppose that you entered one of these many 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:19.250 drawings they have around for the tickets. You 00:27:19.250 --> 00:27:21.809 stop at a gas station, you fill out one of those 00:27:21.809 --> 00:27:24.150 little cards, you drop it in the box and you 00:27:24.150 --> 00:27:28.190 get a phone call next week and they say to you, 00:27:28.750 --> 00:27:31.650 we're happy to inform you that your name has 00:27:31.650 --> 00:27:35.970 been drawn to win a prize. You have been given 00:27:35.970 --> 00:27:39.970 two tickets to the Super Bowl. You'd be pretty 00:27:39.970 --> 00:27:42.529 excited about that if you like football. Some 00:27:42.529 --> 00:27:44.230 of you might like to go out and hawk them and 00:27:44.230 --> 00:27:46.670 take the money and do something else more interesting. 00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:51.099 You say, well, that'll never happen to me. Well, 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:54.079 I've only won one drawing in my life, and it 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:57.480 was last summer in Shoreview. They have a little 00:27:57.480 --> 00:27:59.920 celebration of some sort at the Shoreview Mall. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:04.380 And all of the businesses there were giving away 00:28:04.380 --> 00:28:07.220 some kind of prize, so I decided, well, I'll 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:09.079 drop my name in there. I've never won one of 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:12.519 these things. I wasn't worried about it. I won 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:18.980 something. It was a gift certificate to the bar 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:38.859 at Roseville Mall. That's just my luck. Well, 00:28:38.859 --> 00:28:41.160 fortunately they have a restaurant there too, 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:45.890 but Let's just suppose that you got those tickets 00:28:45.890 --> 00:28:50.089 and you were able to enter into the Super Bowl. 00:28:50.130 --> 00:28:52.650 You've got to show the tickets because they give 00:28:52.650 --> 00:28:56.849 you access. My point this morning is this, that 00:28:56.849 --> 00:28:59.470 God has given us access to come right into His 00:28:59.470 --> 00:29:04.690 presence. No more are there veils, no more is 00:29:04.690 --> 00:29:08.089 there darkness in the sound of terrifying trumpets 00:29:08.089 --> 00:29:12.920 and earthquakes in the presence of God. God says, 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:19.480 I open the way. Come! And Peter says, coming 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:24.859 to Him. You're made like a living stone and you're 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:28.900 added to the living stone, the cornerstone, Jesus 00:29:28.900 --> 00:29:33.579 Christ. So that you are now a royal priesthood 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:39.759 and you have the privilege to come to God directly. 00:29:40.450 --> 00:29:46.029 And any time you say, well, how do we do that? 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:50.650 Do we have to come forward in church? Do we have 00:29:50.650 --> 00:29:55.190 to go to a certain room to pray? Isn't it a marvelous 00:29:55.190 --> 00:29:59.750 thing that just by the thought of your mind being 00:29:59.750 --> 00:30:01.809 so directed, you can enter into the presence 00:30:01.809 --> 00:30:08.940 of God and talk with Him. I was with some pastors 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:11.200 recently who were bemoaning the fact that no 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:14.519 longer can churches remain open during the day 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:18.059 because of vandalism and crime and so on. So 00:30:18.059 --> 00:30:21.380 the people might come and pray. Well that is 00:30:21.380 --> 00:30:23.819 sad and I recognize that there is something about 00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:28.359 getting alone and in the quietness of a large 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:34.220 sanctuary sometimes we seem to sense the presence 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:40.289 of God. But the presence of God is no more real 00:30:40.289 --> 00:30:42.250 in that moment than when you're driving down 00:30:42.250 --> 00:30:45.150 the freeway and you lift your heart to God in 00:30:45.150 --> 00:30:49.069 prayer. The presence of God is just as real in 00:30:49.069 --> 00:30:52.769 that instant as if you were at church all by 00:30:52.769 --> 00:30:56.769 yourself kneeling on an altar praying. Because 00:30:56.769 --> 00:31:02.009 you are a priest. Now we're here in the 10th 00:31:02.009 --> 00:31:03.890 chapter of Hebrews. Let's go ahead and look at 00:31:03.890 --> 00:31:08.960 the verses that tell us that we have a great 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:11.799 high priest over the house of God, verse 21. 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:17.019 We have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, and 00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:23.859 we serve under him. So he says, and now in verses 00:31:23.859 --> 00:31:28.779 22 to 25, we come to a little garden, and here 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:30.900 we have what J. Vernon McGee called the lettuce 00:31:30.900 --> 00:31:37.500 patch. He says, let us draw near. Let us hold 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:43.579 fast. Let us consider three responsibilities 00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:47.680 that come to us because we are a royal priesthood, 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:52.579 that fall out to us because of our privileges 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:57.960 in the presence of God. He says, first of all, 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:02.279 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full 00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:07.920 assurance of faith. How can I know that I'm accepted 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:13.720 by God? Because, my friend, of the blood of the 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:19.220 Lord Jesus Christ shed for you. That's why. You 00:32:19.220 --> 00:32:22.140 can know that God receives you not because of 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:24.740 who you are and the good things you've done, 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:29.039 but because of His Son and what His Son has done 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:33.220 for you. You can know today that God accepts 00:32:33.220 --> 00:32:37.960 you. When you come to him, oh, it's terribly 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:41.019 possible to do what else Peter said to reject 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:44.740 him and referring to the Jewish nation as a whole 00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:47.700 he says they rejected the chief cornerstone and 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:50.880 therefore that stone became a stone of stumbling 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:56.059 and a rock of offense to them and they are damned 00:32:56.059 --> 00:33:02.259 They're doomed and all who reject him are thus 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:08.150 doomed But we may come to him and know because 00:33:08.150 --> 00:33:15.329 we come we are accepted. He says that we can 00:33:15.329 --> 00:33:19.809 draw near with full assurance. Having our hearts 00:33:19.809 --> 00:33:23.450 sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, that's 00:33:23.450 --> 00:33:26.869 inward, and our bodies washed with pure water. 00:33:27.390 --> 00:33:29.910 Now he's thinking about what some of the ceremonies 00:33:29.910 --> 00:33:33.329 were in the Old Testament priesthood, but he 00:33:33.329 --> 00:33:36.680 says to us, that we need an inward cleansing 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:39.920 which is signified by the outward washing of 00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:44.299 baptism. That's what he's saying. Not the baptism 00:33:44.299 --> 00:33:47.519 saves, but it is an outward evidence of that 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.759 internal cleansing of the conscience. Then he 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:55.160 says let us hold fast the confession of our hope 00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:58.599 without wavering. Do you feel like your knees 00:33:58.599 --> 00:34:04.660 are weak today in the trials of your life? Listen, 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:08.139 we have a high priest who stands in God's presence 00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:11.099 on our behalf, and we can come through him directly 00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:13.940 to God ourselves, and we do not have to lose 00:34:13.940 --> 00:34:20.760 hope. You may feel very disappointed in the circumstances 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:25.239 that have fallen out to you in recent weeks or 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:29.059 days. The writer of Hebrews says, don't give 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:33.360 up hope. He says, hold fast the confession of 00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:37.619 your hope. He says, God is promised and God is 00:34:37.619 --> 00:34:40.440 going to keep his promises. He can be relied 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:46.300 on. And he says, let us consider, verse 24, how 00:34:46.300 --> 00:34:48.559 to provoke one another. Some of us are very good 00:34:48.559 --> 00:34:52.800 at that. In fact, the word that he uses here 00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:55.320 usually has a negative connotation, just like 00:34:55.320 --> 00:34:59.019 we think of provoking somebody. So it's all the 00:34:59.019 --> 00:35:01.880 more startling that he uses that word in a positive 00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:06.380 context when he says, let's provoke or stimulate 00:35:06.380 --> 00:35:10.139 one another to love and good deeds, to godly 00:35:10.139 --> 00:35:15.440 living. We're a priesthood together. So let's 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:19.300 consider how we can encourage one another. And 00:35:19.300 --> 00:35:22.500 he says specifically, not forsaking our own assembling 00:35:22.500 --> 00:35:27.050 together. You see, we're not saved to be by ourselves 00:35:27.050 --> 00:35:31.050 off in a corner somewhere. We're saved to be 00:35:31.050 --> 00:35:34.730 a part, to be identified with the people of God. 00:35:35.230 --> 00:35:37.670 And so he says, be faithful in coming together 00:35:37.670 --> 00:35:42.369 to the assembly of God's people, encouraging 00:35:42.369 --> 00:35:45.389 one another. And he says, all the more as you 00:35:45.389 --> 00:35:51.590 see the day drawing near. What day is that? It 00:35:51.590 --> 00:35:53.510 seems to me in the context of the whole book, 00:35:53.690 --> 00:35:58.230 it's the day of judgment. He's saying there is 00:35:58.230 --> 00:36:00.449 a day coming when we are going to give account 00:36:00.449 --> 00:36:04.969 to God. And so he says, in the light of our privileges, 00:36:06.010 --> 00:36:07.730 including the fact that we can come directly 00:36:07.730 --> 00:36:10.969 to God, that we have access to Him, that we're 00:36:10.969 --> 00:36:17.030 accepted by Him always, always. There are some 00:36:17.030 --> 00:36:19.289 Christians who have the idea that being accepted 00:36:19.289 --> 00:36:21.829 by God means getting on a treadmill and running 00:36:21.829 --> 00:36:25.670 as fast as you can. Have you ever been on a treadmill? 00:36:28.329 --> 00:36:33.869 How much distance did you cover? You don't go 00:36:33.869 --> 00:36:36.389 very far. You'll work yourself flat to death. 00:36:37.690 --> 00:36:39.670 I've been on one twice in my life and there was 00:36:39.670 --> 00:36:41.610 a cardiologist in the room and I was glad he 00:36:41.610 --> 00:36:46.460 was there. But you don't get very far in a treadmill. 00:36:47.019 --> 00:36:49.380 Some of us look at the Christian life that way. 00:36:49.739 --> 00:36:53.980 Oh, I got to try hard, got to do it. Christian 00:36:53.980 --> 00:36:56.159 life might be better compared to those people 00:36:56.159 --> 00:36:59.579 movers like out at the airport. You get on those 00:36:59.579 --> 00:37:01.300 things and you just move right along. You don't 00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:03.860 even have to walk. But you can walk and when 00:37:03.860 --> 00:37:10.199 you do, there you go. Very little effort. That's 00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:14.590 really what the Christian life is like. He says 00:37:14.590 --> 00:37:17.010 there's a day coming when we're going to give 00:37:17.010 --> 00:37:19.269 account to God we have responsibilities because 00:37:19.269 --> 00:37:23.030 of who we are in this world The day is coming 00:37:23.030 --> 00:37:28.329 therefore be faithful be faithful Live out the 00:37:28.329 --> 00:37:30.409 priesthood be who you who God has called you 00:37:30.409 --> 00:37:34.150 to be So that when that day comes we can give 00:37:34.150 --> 00:37:38.090 a good account Much more to say but let's bow 00:37:38.090 --> 00:37:42.250 together We'll take it up next week as we talk 00:37:42.250 --> 00:37:44.909 more about the priesthood this holy priesthood 00:37:44.909 --> 00:37:47.530 that God's called us to be but all dear dear 00:37:47.530 --> 00:37:51.750 friend You who are here this morning without 00:37:51.750 --> 00:37:54.849 Jesus Christ as your Savior. Do you understand 00:37:54.849 --> 00:38:00.550 that he alone is the living stone? He is the 00:38:00.550 --> 00:38:07.110 rock He is the cornerstone and your need is to 00:38:07.110 --> 00:38:11.190 come to him to believe on Him today to be saved. 00:38:13.210 --> 00:38:15.110 If you've never done that, right where you're 00:38:15.110 --> 00:38:17.329 seated, would you lift your heart to God and 00:38:17.329 --> 00:38:20.210 say, oh God, I understand that Jesus Christ suffered 00:38:20.210 --> 00:38:24.650 and died for my sin and that He lives for me. 00:38:25.750 --> 00:38:28.750 And I come to you acknowledging my sinfulness 00:38:28.750 --> 00:38:33.889 and receive from you cleansing the gift of eternal 00:38:33.889 --> 00:38:37.389 life. Come into my life, be my Savior and Lord. 00:38:40.019 --> 00:38:42.480 Dear friend, in coming to Him you too will be 00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:46.059 added to the house, to the holy priesthood. Oh 00:38:46.059 --> 00:38:49.460 that you would come today and delay no longer. 00:38:52.380 --> 00:38:56.739 And my Christian friend, in the light of who 00:38:56.739 --> 00:39:02.360 you are as a holy priest unto God, are you living 00:39:02.360 --> 00:39:07.519 out the reality of that in the world? You may 00:39:07.519 --> 00:39:09.619 just be flat worn out today because you've been 00:39:09.619 --> 00:39:11.519 on the treadmill and your need is to get off 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:13.739 the treadmill and just get on the people mover. 00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:20.059 It's to let God carry you. Let God fulfill in 00:39:20.059 --> 00:39:23.539 you His desires. Cooperate with God. Don't do 00:39:23.539 --> 00:39:30.199 it yourself. Father, I'm talking to some weary 00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:35.550 Christians this morning, I'm sure. who are just 00:39:35.550 --> 00:39:37.590 worn out though they've given it everything they've 00:39:37.590 --> 00:39:42.429 got because somehow they've misunderstood what 00:39:42.429 --> 00:39:47.210 the Christian life is. I pray that you will nudge 00:39:47.210 --> 00:39:52.389 them to that place where they will understand 00:39:52.389 --> 00:39:55.210 that the Christian life is simply living in the 00:39:55.210 --> 00:39:59.889 joy of your presence and living out who you've 00:39:59.889 --> 00:40:06.289 called us to be. Lord, use us this week. Just 00:40:06.289 --> 00:40:11.570 as you've called Israel to be the mediators of 00:40:11.570 --> 00:40:13.409 your grace to the world, you've called us to 00:40:13.409 --> 00:40:17.869 do that. So this week, as we carry the truth 00:40:17.869 --> 00:40:21.630 out and we share the Savior with others, may 00:40:21.630 --> 00:40:25.449 we do that effectively, full of the Holy Spirit, 00:40:25.530 --> 00:40:29.210 with fruitfulness. And as these magazines are 00:40:29.210 --> 00:40:32.599 distributed and we invite people to the picnic 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:35.440 later this month and as we witness in our office 00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:37.840 and we share in our neighborhoods and take every 00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:42.099 opportunity we have to share the message, we 00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:44.840 pray that you will bless the seed sown and bring 00:40:44.840 --> 00:40:49.719 forth fruit. That people may come to the living 00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:55.760 stone and be added. Thank you Father for this 00:40:55.760 --> 00:41:00.119 time together this morning. For the opportunity 00:41:00.119 --> 00:41:06.090 to worship you. to know you. In Jesus' name, 00:41:06.510 --> 00:41:06.809 amen.