Priesthood Of All Believers (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Sermon on Sunday 15 December 2019 by Pastor Caleb

1 Peter 2:9-10 - 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. 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. 20/20 means perfect eyesight. In 2020, a revolution is going to take place in the body of Christ. God is going to give to the church the eyesight of an eagle. But it is going to come upon only those who are waiting upon the Lord, thirsty for God, those who have a burden within their spirit to see the lost coming to the kingdom.

Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

A spiritual revolution only comes when the church starts functioning as a royal priesthood. If we are not positioning ourselves where God wants us to be, we will miss it.

2 Chronicles 29:1-11 - Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said: "Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord's dwelling place and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense."

Chapter 28 gives context to this. Father of Hezekiah was an evil man. He shut the doors of the temple so no one could go in to pray and the priests could not offer incense. Hezekiah as a young boy saw the evil things his father was doing. What kind of influence does such a father give a son? Bad influence. However, his mother taught him all the things of King David, a man after God's heart. So Hezekiah grew up desiring God. When he became king, the first thing he did was to open the doors of the house of the Lord. Chapter 29 then tells us about a revival of the land. 

We are in a spiritual battle - marriages are failing, suicide rates are increasing, earthquakes and wildfires are happening. The enemy is destroying lives. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. This is the modus operandi of the enemy as Jesus said in John 10:10. But Jesus has come to give life and abundantly. The ultimate plan of God is that all men be saved through the finished work of Jesus Christ. The agent that God uses to fulfill that goal is the church. The weapon that God has given to us to use is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

God has chosen you to do the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Know your identify. You are a chosen generation, a people belonging to God. We have unlimited access into the presence of God. Unlimited. Anytime. When we as believers fail to understand our identity, who we are in Christ, the enemy is very happy. He will keep on destroying. A true believer has the power of God in him, the weapon of warfare to bring down the stronghold of the enemy. 

Who can set them free (Isaiah 61:1-3)?

To whom has the great commission been given (Matthew 28:19-20)?

To whom has the Lord entrusted to follow in His footsteps as in Acts 10:38?

The answer is the church where Jesus is the head. 

When we know who we are, we receive a strength within us. The church has been given a mandate to stand their ground. We are an example of the life in abundance. This world needs Jesus Christ. This world needs to see the tangible power of Christ, through the church.

Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.

A church gathering is not a solemn gathering. It is a celebration of praise. We come together to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. 

How much time do we spend praying? The prayer that Jesus taught us is about praying for the kingdom of God to come. Pray for the kingdom of God to come into our homes, workplaces, apart from our needs. Remember your mandate to pray for non-believers who have no access to God. We become ministers of God wherever He has placed us.

We are to consecrate ourselves. Cleanse ourselves from all evil and idols and sins, for we are holy unto Him. Always draw near. 

Psalm 27:4 - One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

Hebrews 12:1-3 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

We are to consecrate the sanctuary we will be serving God. Our body is a sanctuary. The place the church gathers is a sanctuary. Our workplace is a sanctuary. We are to burn incense. Incense in the bible is about prayers of the saints. Pray for His kingdom to come on earth.

Joel 2:28-29 - Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants - men and women alike.

In 2 Chronicles 29:1-11, the priests neglected their responsibilities. The King Hezekiah reminded the priests and the Levites, because they neglected their God-given position and responsibilities.  

Don't neglect your God-given role and responsibilities. You are the royal priesthood. Our first call is to come to God and be His minister. Be ministers of God where you have been placed. There, you burn incense. Then, the healing and work of miracles will flow. The place will never be the same again.