Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Church: A Community of Priests \\ 1 Peter 2:5, 9*

As we continue our series on community … our topic this morning is “The Church: A Community of Priests.”

I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the fact that my last name is “Priest.”

… Especially living in a such a heavy Catholic area as St. Louis.

Some people have told me they wouldn’t come to our church because they’re Catholic.

… I tell them “I’m a Priest.”

So there really is no reason for people to tell you they won’t come visit our church.

… If they want a pastor … I’m a pastor.

… If they want a priest … I’m a Priest too.

J

 

But seriously … my family and I are *not* the only priests in the church.

The church is a community of priests.

This will be a new paradigm for some of you.

A new paradigm is a new way of thinking about something.

… And it always takes a new way of *thinking* … before it translates into a new way of *living*.

… [PAUSE] … That’s why Paul says … *{PP} (Romans 12:2)* “Be *transformed* … (in other words … have your *life* changed) … by the renewing of your *mind*.”

… Translation … “A new way of thinking … will lead to a new way of living.”

*{PP} (Blank)*

Think of new paradigms in history: … \\ “/The earth is round/.”

… This was a major paradigm shift.

“The sun is the center of the solar system.”

Nicolaus Copernicus is credited with starting modern astronomy with his views of the sun being at the center of the solar system.

… The Copernican Revolution made people live different … because they thought different.

There have been lots of revolutions … (or paradigm shifts) in people’s thinking.

And once people change the way they think … the way they live changes too!

How about this one … “/All of God’s people are *priests*/.”

That’s revolutionary.

… That’s a new paradigm.

1 Peter 2:5 says … *{PP} (1 Peter 2:5)* “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.”

1 Peter 2:9 says *{PP} (1 Peter 2:9)* “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.”

Look at the start of that verse.

… *You* … are a chosen people … a royal *priesthood*.

… You are a “royal* priesthood*.”

*{PP} (Blank)*

You have probably never thought of yourself as a priest before … (certainly not a priest in the biblical sense of the word.)

The implications of this are profound.

… If you start thinking of yourself as a priest … your life will never again be the same.

… This is more revolutionary than anything Copernicus thought up.

I think many of us have read passages like these before … but we haven’t understood the significance of being a “priest.”

… But if you’re a follower of Christ … *you* … are a *priest*.

[PAUSE]

 

To understand what this means … we’re going to take a look at the concept of priesthood in the OT.

In the OT … God set apart a group of people and called them “priests.”

… Their job … to serve.

They served God … … they served in the temple (God’s house of worship) {SHOW}… and they served God’s people.

Among other things … the priests would

·                   Care for the needs of families

·                   Guard theological truth

·                   Offer incense

·                   Offer sacrifices for sin

·                   Prepare burnt offerings

·                   Teach God’s Word

·                   Minister in God’s house … and

·                   Priests were just God’s servants … to help in carrying out God’s work whatever that entailed.

In studying about the priesthood this week … I came across a very helpful way of understanding the many duties of a priest.

The duties of an OT priest can be categorized in terms of three functions.

In the OT … a priest functioned as … a minister … a mediator … and a messenger.

… [PAUSE] …

A minister … a mediator … and a messenger.

By looking at these three functions … and understanding the role an *OT* priest played … we’ll also see *our* role as priests today.

*First* … OT Priests Were *Ministers*.

A minister is simply … “/one who serves./”

In the Bible assistants were ministers.

… Samuel was a minister to Eli. … Joshua was a minister to Moses.

… John Mark was a minister to Paul and Barnabas.

In the OT … those who served at the *altar* were called ministers.

A minister is* *someone who serves.

… They don’t need the spot light.

… They don’t want the spotlight.

… They just serve.

They serve God.

They serve God’s people.

In the NT … Onesimus was a minister when he cared for Paul in prison.

… Those who were selected to serve tables in Acts 6 were ministers.

And the term minister even has application beyond the spiritual.

Think about our government.

We have a Minister of Defense … whose job it is to *serve* … (ministers serve … right?) … to serve the country in the area of defense.

A priest in the OT was a minister of *God*.

… And because they were ministers of *God* … they needed to live holy lives.

To be holy means to be set apart.

… Set apart from sin … and set apart for God.

In the OT … God set the nation of Israel apart from the rest of the world to be a holy nation.

In Leviticus God says … *{PP} (Leviticus 22:31-33)* … “Keep my commands and follow them.

I am the Lord.

Do not profane my holy name.

I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.

I am the Lord, who makes you *holy* … and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.

… I am the Lord.”

… *{PP} (Blank)*

Israel was God’s chosen people.

… Of *all* the people of the earth … God chose them.

He didn’t choose them because they were better than any other nations.

He chose them to demonstrate His love, power, and holiness to the world.

… And He wanted them to live as people who were set apart.

The priests were to live as examples of holiness for the people … so that the people could live as examples of holiness for the world.

… *That’s* how they ministered.

OT priests were *ministers*.

\\ *Second* … OT Priests Were *Mediators*.

A mediator is a person who acts as a go-between.

… A mediator makes arrangements with two sides.