Access: People
Access: People
Access is wonderful. Gaining an audience with a person of importance, having the opportunity to experience a historic event or being able to visit a holy place is all determined by whether or not a person has access. We have amazing access to God’s presence.
1 Peter 2:4–10 (NIV84)
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Have you ever pictured yourself as a priest?
God has been working on building a nation of priests since Exodus.
Exodus 19:3–6 (NLT)
3 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
This purpose will be fulfilled.
Revelation 1:5–6 (NLT)
5 .... All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 5:9–10 (NLT)
9 And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”
Revelation 20:6 (NLT)
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
In the OT the priest was a representative (mediator) between God and man.
The primary role of a priest was that of a mediator representing God before mankind, and mankind before God.
In their sanctuary service the priests were charged with maintaining holiness. They alone were to tend to the golden incense altar, the lamps, the Bread of the Presence, and the altar of sacrifice.
Representing God before mankind,
- the priest instructed the people in God’s laws concerning conduct and worship (Deut. 33:11;
- 2 Chr. 17:7–9), a role that would expand during the exilic and postexilic periods.
- In difficult legal decisions the priests were to be consulted as a kind of higher court (Deut. 17:8–13; 19:16–17; 2 Chr. 19:8–10).
- They were authorized to pronounce God’s blessing upon the people (Num. 6:22–27)
- and to judge ritual cleanness (Lev. 13).
- In addition, they were given the responsibility of consulting Yahweh on specific matters by means of the sacred lots, the Urim and Thummim.
Representing mankind before God,
- priests officiated in the offering of sacrifices. They alone were permitted to handle the blood of sacrificial victims and place the sacrifices upon the altar, both animal (4:30–31) and cereal offerings (5:11–12).
- The High Priest would offer sacrifices to atone for the nations sins on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.
Jesus, The High Priest
The New Testament boldly declares that Jesus fulfilled the role of the High Priest. He offered the ultimate sacrifice, The Lamb of God, His own body. Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and man.
This representational role was fulfilled by Christ, whose offices as Prophet, Priest, and King describe His accomplished and continuing work. As mediator, Christ fulfilled the representational role to which the Aaronic priesthood pointed. The letter to the Hebrews explains this fulfillment by describing Jesus Christ as the “great high priest” who, having accomplished His mediatorial work of substitutionary atonement, has now passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14).
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NIV84)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Christ’s death on the cross is described as a priestly act that once for all paid the penalty for our sin. As priest, Christ did not take the blood of a representative animal into the Holy of Holies but instead entered “the greater and more perfect tabernacle” and shed His own blood to obtain “eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:11–12 HCSB).
Hebrews 9:11–12 (NLT)
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Now that Christ has fulfilled the representational role of the priesthood, and since He is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5), there is no continuing need or role for a human priest. No longer does a human priest stand to represent other humans before God.
1 Timothy 2:5–6 (NLT)
5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
The Priesthood of the Believer
Believers have the privilege to be priests before the Lord.
The Church, should, offers up “spiritual sacrifices” of praise, worship and thanksgiving to God (Heb. 13:15).
Hebrews 13:15 (NLT)
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
The Church also intercedes and prays for rulers and all Mankind (1 Tm. 2:1–4).
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
Notice the previous verse is the context for the truth that we have one mediator between God and man. Since Jesus has become that mediator, and given us access to God, we then have the responsibility to intercede for all people especially those in authority.
One of the great truths of the Church is that of the “priesthood of all believers.” Every believer in Christ has access to the throne of God by the merits of Jesus: “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:14–18,
).
Ephesians 2:14–18 (NLT)
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
In a world where there is so much hostility we have been given the responsibility and the authority to access the God of peace who destroys the wall of separation. Our Access has been granted. Let’s make the most of the opportunity we have been given.
As “priests,” believers have been given a ministry of reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (NLT)
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
In consecration, the believer offers himself to God as a “living sacrifice” holy and acceptable (Rom. 12:1).
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Other sacrifices which the believer offers to God are: “brotherly love” (Eph. 5:1, 2),
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NLT)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
sharing with people in need (Heb. 13:16),
Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)
16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
and “ministry” for others (Phil. 2:17).
Philippians 2:17 (NLT)
17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.
Let me ask you again, “Do you see yourself as a priest?”
Many times our traditions cloud our thinking of what a priest is. In many Christian traditions, the priest is the one who is clad in sacred vestments. They offer the sacraments and then share them with the laity. Coming from a non-liturgical church it is hard for me to relate sometimes to this view of priest. The priesthood seems to be people who are separate and distant. Peter wrote: “you are a royal priesthood.” This was written to the believer.
I believe Jesus paid a great price to give us access to God. God’s plan was for each of us to be his representative of grace on this earth. I want to encourage you to make the most of the access that God has granted you. Fulfill your role. Make the most of the eternal sacrifice that Christ Jesus made when he gave us access to the Holy of Holies. Let’s declare the praises of God to this world.
This morning we are going to come to the Lord’s Table to share in Holy Communion. In many Christian traditions the elements of communion are sanctified by the priests and then shared with the church. When the priest and the altar workers bring the bread and the cup to the believer they will say something like, “This is the Body of Christ, the bread of Life” or “the cup of salvation the given for you.” Today as we prepare to share in this sacred time. I want to first of all say that we are coming to The Lord’s Table. Everyone is welcome at the Lord’s Table. You do not have to be a ‘member of New Hope’ to come to the Lord’s table. What Jesus gave us we freely share with you. Secondly, before we begin to pass out the bread and the cup we will pray together to ask God to sanctify these elements. As you pass the bread and the cup to the person next to you, I want to ask you to offer this to them as a priest before the Lord. Offer them what was given to you freely. You can say, this is the gift of Jesus, His blood that was shed for you and His body that was given for you. Then when everyone has been served, we will take the bread and cup together. We are going to practice being priests today. OK?