Royal Priests - 1 Peter 2:1-12

Read 1 Peter 2:1-12

Have you ever received an award, gift, or a position you didn’t feel like you deserved? How did you feel when you got it? 

In High School I was a multi-sport athlete. I played soccer, basketball, volleyball, and baseball at some point. My sporting career didn’t work out the way I had hoped it would. Knee surgery ended soccer and basketball early for me. Volleyball was one that I was excelling at, but the coach quit and the team was canceled, so I went to play baseball. My senior year I made varsity, but I didn’t play much that season. I like to say that I played “left out” because my coach left me out of every game. 

I won’t go into all the details, but I was disappointed and thought I should have received more play time. When it came to the sports banquet, I didn’t want to go because it wasn’t much of season for me. However, Coach called my name and awarded me a Varsity Letter for the season. I was surprised because I didn’t get the play time or accomplishments to earn a letter, but coach said it was because of my hard work, diligence, perseverance, and commitment to the team. 

It is nice getting recognized and rewarded when you deserve it. It is humbling to receive an award you don’t deserve. 

Last week we learned that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and the perfect priest, through whom we have received forgiveness of sins, reconciled to the Father, and called to be a royal priesthood unto God. 

Our sins separated us from God, but the sacrifice of Christ has provided a way for us to be reunited with God through faith in what Jesus has done for us. When we receive the free gift that Jesus provides, we are awarded with a high calling to be a royal priest unto God.  

1 Peter 2:9–10

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (ESV)

In order to get an understanding of the significance of what Peter is saying, it would be good to read the book of Hosea. I will give a brief summary, but you really should read it. 

God called his prophet Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him as an object lesson of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Hosea’s struggles with Gomer as she conceives a child that is not Hosea’s kid, and God tells him to name his child, Lo-ruhama, “No Mercy.” Gomer later has another son, whom God tells Hosea to name him Lo-ammi, “Not my people”.

In these names we get the heart wrenching reality of the pain of Gomer’s sin and the effect it had on his family. This is a story so difficult that nobody would have blamed Hosea from walking away from it. Yet, it is a story of God’s mercy on display and Hosea remained faithful, buying back his wife. 

Hosea 2:20–23

“I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens...And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” 

God promises to change the name, change the narrative, to change everything. No Mercy, will receive mercy. Not My People will become his people. Being conceived in sin and living in unfaithfulness is not big enough to stop the redemptive hand of God from buying back his people, and that is what he did in Jesus Christ.

This is what Peter is referring to in verse 10. God has called us out of darkness, out of the brokenness of the wilderness of wayward unfaithfulness without an identity. He calls us to be his people, to receive his mercy, and then to receive a new position of a royal priesthood.  

Watch Video:

If we model this off of an understanding of what we saw in the OT priesthood, we are called to be priests in three ways: Singing, Sacrificing, and Interceding. 

Singing is a way of expressing worship through poems and songs. Music is powerful and helps us to bridge heaven and earth. What we sing and listen to is an opportunity for us to express our priesthood to those around us. 

I think we can also include our language as an expression of this aspect of being a priest. The words we use, the stories we tell, the tweets we send, the images we post, and so on, are all important aspects of our expression of worship. What do you think is appropriate for a holy priest to say? You are a holy priest in Christ, so should you be saying, singing, or tweeting the words you use?

We are to use our words to build others up and point them to Jesus. Your words have power, make sure you are using them as a royal priest should.

Sacrificing is not about slaughtering animals today, rather it is about surrender, obedience, and caring for others. 

Romans 12:1–2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. What is easier, to die for someone or to live for someone? Last week we talked about how hard it would be to die for someone, and very few people would actually be willing to give their life for someone. However difficult it may be to resolve to die in a moment for someone, getting up each day and being faithful in serving someone is tremendously difficult. 

You don’t agree? When did you choose to follow Christ? When was the last time you sinned? So at what point did you step off the altar and decide you could do whatever you wanted, even if God doesn’t agree? Why? Because it is extremely difficult to live faithfully every second of every day. 

But that is the call God has on us as royal priests. Read Romans 12:9-21 and Hebrews 13:1-6 as descriptions of what it means to live a sacrificial life. 

Hebrews 13:15–16

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

And thirdly, we are intercessors for others. This means we are willing to offer up blessings and prayers for others. We advocate for their needs and care for them. We imitate Jesus in this world. When people imitate Jesus the royal priest, they become a new humanity, living in a way that reunites Heaven and Earth (from the video).

When we realize that we were far off from God and underserving of his grace and mercy, yet he called us home through the finished work of Jesus Christ, we will be overwhelmed by his love for us. Keeping that in mind, when we realize that God has called us to be his royal priests and the high calling that is for us, we should be filled with humility and honor. We won’t be able to help but declare the excellencies of him who has called us his children.

Perfect Priest - Perfect Sacrifice

One of the many reasons we are intrigued by stories of Super Heroes is their willingness to serve, protect, and help people in need. We all know what it is like to be afraid or feel helpless, and the thought of Super Hero coming to the rescue is appealing. Thus, DC and Marvel have made millions of our fascination with these characters. 

However, some characters become even more precious to us when they do something extraordinary, even for a superhero. When a superhero is willing to die for others, giving up great strength and invulnerability, to become vulnerable and die, is very compelling. Even though most superheroes are altruistic, those who do die don’t die for enemies, or common people, they die for someone they love. 

For those who are willing to die for someone else, their willingness is either earned through respect, i.e. secret service, military, police, etc., or through love. Most people would not be willing to give up their life for someone else, because self-preservation is so instinctual. 

Romans 5:7–8

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus is different. Jesus is better. Jesus was willing to die for sinners, those who were rebelling against him. Jesus is the true Superhero, he is the Perfect Priest and the Perfect Sacrifice.

Read Hebrews 9:1-12

The High Priest was chosen to represent the people before God once a year on the Day of Atonement. He would take blood from a sin offering, representing the guilt and sin of the nation, and take it into the Holy of Holies to present it to God on the Ark of the Covenant. This was a serious and fearful task, as entering into the Most Holy Place inappropriately would result in death. 

The priestly duties had to be repeated daily, and the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place annually. Their work was a good work that brought worship to God and reconciled the people back to God. But, it was temporary in nature and had to be repeated regularly. The Law and the Sacrifices were incomplete. 

The people needed more than just this temporary system, they need a hero, a Superhero to rescue them. Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, came to be that superhero. In Hebrews 9, we read that he appeared as the High Priest and entered into the eternal tent…what does this mean?

The Tabernacle and Temple were a shadow of the eternal reality. They were emblematic of entering into the presence of God. They were the temporal places on the earth that God chose to allow the people to come into his presence. Jesus, being God, entered into the very presence of God as the High Priest.

The High Priest had to enter into the Holy of Holies with blood or he would die. Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world and entered into God’s presence with his own blood. This secured a once and for all sacrifice, that does not need to be repeated. 

Blood pictured life and the shedding of blood represents the cost of sin. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Jesus shed his blood to secure eternal redemption for those who believe.  

And when he did, something tremendous happened. We read that the offerings would need to be repeated “as long as the first section is still standing” (Heb. 9:8). Well, Jesus’ sacrifice did away with the barrier.

Matthew 27:51 - And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

The curtain separating the first room from the Holy of Holies was removed by God and access to God, through Jesus Christ, was now made available to all who believe.

As the Perfect Priest and Perfect Sacrifice, Jesus becomes our Superhero, our Redeemer, our Savior. Later in Hebrews 9, Jesus is described as our Mediator, standing in the gap and fighting for us. 

You may not be a superhero, and you may not think you would die for someone else. But there is one who loved you enough to die for you, and his death provided the ultimate provision of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. Trusting in Jesus changes everything. And those who believe him are called to be like him, to be priests in this world. We will talk more about that next week.

More Precious Than Gold - 1 Peter 1

The Ides of March are upon us bearing the joyous celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. A mixture of Irish lore and traditions, combined with commercialism and hedonism, our modern memorial is a far cry from the true meaning of St. Patrick’s life. 

Patrick wasn’t a Brit who wanted to go party with the Irish pagans at their Spring festivals. He was captured and enslaved by the Irish, and eventually escaped back to England. As he became a priest, he felt a deep concern for those enslaved in sin back in Ireland. He went back to the land that enslaved him with the freeing message of Jesus Christ.

Patrick knew the Gospel was more precious than gold, and that the souls of men and women were more important than comfort in his homeland. The reason Patrick is remembered is because of his faithfulness to the Gospel, but folklore and other traditions have removed the holiday from its true meaning. 

I must confess that I haven’t done a deep dive into St. Patrick’s story recently, and I am sure there is a lot of information on what motivated him and what he wrote about. But perhaps it was reflecting on 1 Peter 1 that captured his heart for spreading the Gospel. 

Read 1 Peter 1

Salvation is more precious than gold. Trials will come to test our faith, as gold is purified, so too will God purify our faith. Peter reminds us that we were ransomed by the blood of Christ, which is worth more than gold. 

Gold is a valuable metal, and it holds its value when currencies struggle. It has become a sign of great wealth and importance in our culture. And yet, Revelation describes it as the paving stones of heaven, “streets of gold.”  Perhaps that is a reminder that the temporal things we value in this life are of little value in the next. 

This is the point here in 1 Peter, that the Gospel, our faith in Christ, is more precious than gold. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross and the merciful kindness of the Father, we can be in a right relationship with God. This should cause us to strive to live obedient lives as a reflection of the One who saved us. Seeing the eternal significance of the Gospel will cause us to be willing to risk everything for the sake of Christ.

St. Patrick saw it, and he left his comfort to see his enemies become his brothers and sisters. There is much we can learn from his faithfulness. I will leave you with his prayer as an encouragement: 

"Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me."

David the Sinner

Jim George said, “it’s not how you start that’s important, but how well you finish!” The beginning is often times the easy part, but the middle and the end are where life gets difficult.  Have you ever started something with zeal and excitement, only to quit when things started getting difficult? A 500-piece puzzle, a new job, a sports team, the Browns season, or whatever it was, the fun disappeared and it became drudgery. We all do it, that’s part of the human experience. 

Not everything started is worth finishing. Not every book needs to be read to the end. There are stewardship principles in the Bible that can help us manage our time or make decisions to change directions. I started a new job selling Kirby vacuum cleaners and quit after two weeks. Why? Well I missed the subtle ways they deceived me into the job and I bought into promises that were never actualized. I tried to do my best, but couldn’t buy into the cultish environment set up. I began to realize that staying with that job would have been bad for me.

However, I also learned perseverance by sticking with commitments I made even when things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. I played baseball my senior year of High School, I guess I should say I “played” baseball. I made the team, I went to practice and I stuck around for the whole season. At tryouts and practice, my new coach was praising my efforts and encouraging me, and said to me, “I’m happy to be a place where I don’t have to coach on politics, and can just enjoy the game.” However, he shifted and made decisions that adversely affected me and my playtime. Yet I stuck it out for my team, in part because I wanted to grow in my resilience and work through things that were difficult. 

King David’s story started out better he could have scripted it. God anointed him to be the future king. He defeated a lion, a bear, and a giant! He won the daughter of the king. He was best friends with the king’s son. He was the king’s personal musician. He gained many followers and won many battles. He was a man of prayer, Scripture, and songs. 

When he was officially anointed as King of Israel, he won the heart of the nation and led them to victories over the enemies. His reign is considered the “Golden Age” of Israel. But somewhere David began to take his eyes off the Lord.

Read 2 Samuel 11:1-12:14

We are familiar with David’s story and his sin with Bathsheba. Yet, every time we come to this story we are encountered with the truth that even godly people have fatal flaws when they take their eyes off the Lord. 

A Slow Fade

I can guarantee you that David didn’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m going to commit adultery.” David was aware of sin and righteousness. He stood for righteousness and honored God over and over in his life. However, major sins don’t just pop up one day, they are the results of a slow fade. One small decision after another conditions the heart, mind, and environment to set up an occasion to sin. 

I was very intentional to say “set up the occasion to sin” and not say “cause us to sin.” Anywhere along the line, if we wake up and repent, God will prevent us from moral collapse. 1 Cor. 10:13 reminds us that God is with us in temptation and will provide a means to overcome if we look for it. 

David was neglecting his duties to be with his men at war (2 Sam. 11:1). Israel was at war with the Ammonites, and David was resting in his palace, which was set at the top of Mount Zion. That fact alone should have caused him some embarrassment in honor and shame culture. He should have been there with his men who were risking their lives for him. We see at the end of chapter 12 that Joab calls David to join him for the final part of the battle so David could get credit for the victory as king. Shameful.

We don’t have time to recount all of or speculate other bad decisions that led him to the place where he “happened” to look upon Bathsheba and pursue his adultery. Have you every had the “what if I wasn’t even there” moments? If David had been in battle, he wouldn’t have committed adultery and wouldn’t of had his friend killed to cover up his sin. Yet he was there and suppressed the truth so he could “gain.” 

That’s the promise of sin, that you will gain from giving in. Yet it is such an empty promise and will only leave you wanting. As it’s been said, “sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.” 

An Abrupt Encounter

When David was confronted by Nathan, he wasn’t expecting to have his sins called out. He was king, after all, who would tell him he was wrong? Lord Acton said, “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Even the “man after God’s own heart” gave into his fatal flaw and put his own desires above God’s will. 

Nathan boldly confronted David. Rather than a king dismissing, killing or waving off the messenger, David demonstrates why he was considered “a man after God’s own heart,” by recognizing and confessing that he has sinned against God (2 Sam 12:13). God forgave David of his sin, but there were still earthly consequences to his sin: his baby died.

We fool ourselves when we think that our sin won’t affect anyone else. Sin is costly and it will hurt those around us. Yet, God promises to forgive and cleanse us when we confess our sins and repent (1 John 1:9). 

A Savior Redeems

Romans 8:28 reminds us that God is always working for the good of those that love him. Even when we fail and sin, God is still working. God didn’t give up on David, or remove his covenant with him. That slow fade and sinful moment impacted the rest of David’s life, but God also used David despite his sin. 

Ultimately, God still chose to honor David and bring about the lineage of Jesus Christ. Jesus did what David could not do, and he lived a perfect life. Jesus fulfilled the law and provided the perfect sacrifice for sin. His resurrection brought redemption to all who believe. 

The grace of God is not an excuse to sin, it is the power we have over sin. When we fixed our eyes on Jesus he will guide us in the way, the truth, and the life.

No matter how you started, or where you find yourself at today, that’s not the most important. What’s important is what you do next and how you finish. Although David sinned, he never gave up his faith in the person and promises of God. We have a beautiful song from him in Psalm 51 as a prayer and guide when we sin. Keep doing what you know you should do, keep your focus on Christ, and allow his grace to empower you to consistent perseverance.