Holy Priesthood

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Promontory Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who know, live, and share the gospel for the glory of God.

Well, good morning everyone. It's good to be here with you all. You made it, right? I'm sure it was a late night of celebrating last night as you were all celebrating Reformation Day, right? OK, maybe not, but actually, yes, I know yesterday was Halloween, but it is also Reformation Day, right? October 31st does mark the anniversary of some 500 years ago, the start of the Protestant Reformation.

And so this morning I want to start by actually telling you a little bit about one of the reformers that we here in North America should particularly know about, because we actually owe a great deal to him. A man by the name of William Tyndale lived in the 1500s in England. Some of you will know that name because he was one of the first people to ever translate the Bible into English. In fact, our English Bibles take quite a bit of the language from his original translation some 500 years ago, but he was actually put to death for that. See, at the time it was illegal to translate the Bible out of Latin, right? England at the time was a Catholic country, and so they followed the Pope and the Catholic tradition that kept the Bible in Latin. Now the problem was people in England didn't speak Latin. They didn't understand it. In fact, some, if not even most of the priests couldn't even read the Bible, and so what they would get is just whatever the Pope or the bishop above them said.

Well, Tyndale said, hold on a minute. I want people to be able to read the Bible for themselves so that they can actually understand what is written in God's word. And so he began to translate the Bible into English. He was eventually arrested and put on trial. And as he was speaking to one of the bishops, Tyndale very famously said,

I defy the Pope and his laws. If God spares my life in a few years, a ploughboy in the field shall know more of the scriptures than you do.

There was his motivation. There was his heart. He said, I want every single person, from the greatest to the lowest, to be able to read and know the word of God. Now he was executed before he could complete his work. If he had known, it would actually be only a few years until King James would take the throne and say, actually, we do need the Bible in English, and there we get the King James Bible that very much took his work and built upon it.

The work of Tyndale along with many of the other reformers was focused on the fact that every believer needed to know and understand the word of God, because we actually have the privilege to come to God directly. We don't need a priest or even a pope to stand and talk to God on our behalf, but actually every believer, everyone who trusts in Jesus, has the ability to go and speak to God directly. We are all priests that are able to enter God's presence.

And so this morning that's what we're going to see as we open our Bibles. If you have a Bible with you this morning — and let me strongly encourage you, bring a Bible, right? These things that we hold, people have died so we can actually hold them in our hands. Open this morning to 1 Peter chapter 2, and we're going to pick up our series here in verse 4. It's our tradition to stand as we honor the reading of God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me?

1 Peter chapter 2, starting in verse 4. This is God's word.

As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. 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 and 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.

As far as the reading of God's word, you may be seated.

Well, we are continuing on in this series that we began a number of weeks ago walking through First Peter, and if you've been with us, you'll remember Peter, the apostle, writing this letter to a group of churches who are actually undergoing persecution, right? They're being attacked for their faith. And so Peter is writing to them not only how they should understand this opposition that they're facing, but also how they are supposed to live as believers. What are they supposed to do?

And so just a few weeks ago we saw chapter 1 verse 15, Peter says, you are to be holy as God is holy. Right, he sets the bar real high. The holiness, the perfection of God is what we are to strive after. And as Peter's been unfolding that for us, what does that look like? How do we do that? How do we actually do that together? What difference does that make for us as a church?

This morning as we come into it, he shows not only the privileged position that we actually have as believers, but also the reason why God has given that to us. See, Peter here calls them priests. Now here he's not talking about Catholic priests; he's got very much in mind the Old Testament priests. And if you're familiar, you'll know the priests really had two jobs: they were to offer the sacrifices, they were to teach people the word of God, but it also meant they were the ones who got to go into the holy place, into the presence of God. They had access whereas everyone else didn't. And actually the point that Peter is going to make is that everyone who trusts in Jesus has that access to God the Father. It is now open to all who believe, and so he wants them to understand not only the honor that they have, but the purpose behind it. God has given the honor of priesthood to all believers so that we can worship and make Him known.

But let's start off here at the beginning. Back in verse 4, we see this priesthood of all believers. Peter says, as you come to him — now pause there, because Peter has actually been building an argument over these past number of weeks, right? Peter has already started with the difference that Jesus makes in our lives, what God does through Jesus, right? That we actually could not save ourselves. We had sinned before God, but Jesus came. He bore the punishment for our sins. He died on the cross and he rose again so that anyone who trusts in Him would be saved. That is the work of Jesus. That's the reason we can come to him. That we can actually approach God now is because of what Jesus has done, and so everything that Peter's going to talk about is building on that foundation. Because of what Jesus has done, now how are we to live as believers?

Verse 4, he says, as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious. Peter here is talking about Jesus. As you come to Jesus, who is this living stone chosen and precious, Peter here is going to start layering on a whole bunch of Old Testament references, right? He's going to pile on all these metaphors to understand — and we'll get to them in just a second here — but what we need to realize is that we as believers actually find our identity in Christ. Verse 5, he says, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house. Just as Jesus is described as this living stone, so we as believers — what is our identity? It is found in Christ. Being united to Him, that's where we find our identity and purpose.

In fact, Peter says now God is going to be building you up, right? Kind of taking on this stone brickwork metaphor. He says he's going to build you up as a spiritual house. Now, I don't think Peter is talking about just any kind of house. Rather, I think he really has in mind the temple, right? Peter is saying that this is the place where God dwells, where he is worshiped. This is his house, right? And what he's saying is God's temple is no longer in Jerusalem; it's the presence of his people.

In fact, Paul will say very much the same thing in the book of Ephesians. He writes,

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, you are fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Actually it is the church, the people of God, who are now this living temple of God. That is the purpose that God is bringing us together, building us together, so that we might be a place where God Himself is worshiped. You remember Peter started this whole section with this call: be holy as God is holy. Why? Because God dwells among his people.

Hear me, please don't miss the significance of what Peter is saying to us. I know it's so easy, especially since we meet here in a gym — we set up every Sunday, we tear down afterwards, right? But it's still a rectangle, OK? We're meeting in a rectangle, and it's hard not to sometimes look at some of the great cathedrals of Europe, these beautiful buildings, stained glass windows and ornate structures, or consider, oh, wouldn't it be so amazing to go and actually see the temple in Jerusalem — I know it's not there, alright — but go and visit and actually be able to worship there, right? Wouldn't it be so much better if that's what we got to do? And actually Peter is saying no. Because God is not confined to some physical place. God dwells in the presence of His people. The most beautiful place to be, to actually experience and understand who God is, is to be with His people. Why is church important? Because that's the place where God dwells. That's the place where he is to be worshiped.

In fact, Jesus himself will say the exact same thing. When Jesus speaks to this Samaritan woman at the well, John chapter 4, she asks him, well, where are we supposed to worship? That was a big discussion at the time. And Jesus said to her,

Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know, we worship what we know for salvation is from the Jews, but the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.

True worship is not done in one particular place, but among his people in spirit and in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do not miss how important it is, how privileged we are to actually be in the very presence of God. The church is the place where God's unique presence dwells among his people.

But look back at verse 5 again. He says, you yourselves, like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Notice just two things here. This purpose that God is building us for — now he has a role for us to play. We are to be a priest, a holy priesthood. And he says actually it is every believer who occupies that, right? It's not just held back for the few, but actually every person who trusts in Jesus has the ability, the freedom to approach the presence of God freely.

Hear me now, I, as your pastor, I love getting to pray with people. It is an honor, it's a privilege to be able to lift you up in prayer. If you want me to pray, I'd love to come pray with you. But please hear me. It's not as if I have some sort of special status as a pastor before God. No, in fact, every pastor has the exact same thing you have, and that is Jesus. Because of Jesus, everyone can approach God the Father. We simply have Jesus, and what a joy that is — that you need not wait, you need not find someone else to intercede on your behalf, but through Jesus we are welcome to enter into the very presence of God.

God has given you that position for a purpose. He says to be a holy priesthood and to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Again here Peter's drawing on this Old Testament imagery of a priest who would go into the temple and offer a sacrifice. Now hear me, we're not called to offer animals as sacrifice. In fact, Jesus is the one sacrifice for all. No, in fact, the sacrifices we are to offer are our own lives. Romans 12:1 says,

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.

The sacrifice we are called to give is ourselves, our own lives. All of it is to be dedicated, to be given over for the purpose of making God known. And hear me, sacrifice is the right word for that. Because actually there is a cost involved to following after Jesus. Remember how many times Jesus would remind his disciples throughout the Gospels, look, if you want to follow after me, you actually need to pick up your cross, right? The instrument of your death. There is a cost to follow after Jesus, right? It will cost you your time — you're here right now, it's costing you your time. It will cost you your energy as you spend time and effort in order to follow after Jesus. It may cost you your reputation. It will cost you your money, your affections, maybe your relationships, it may even cost your very life. To say that we're going to follow Jesus and then continue living a happy, easy, contented life is a declaration we're not really following him. A priest offers sacrifices. As priests of God, we are called to offer up our very lives.

But even as I say that, do not miss the honor that it is to do so. See, Peter doesn't actually just call us to something difficult without giving us a reason. That's because all that we will give up will never be more than we shall gain. We have the honor of trusting Jesus.

Now let's just be a little clear here. Peter has made a pretty incredible statement already in this passage, right? He has said that the temple in Jerusalem is no longer the place of worship, that the old priests are no longer the right ones to go to in order to approach God, and in fact, not even those sacrifices, but it comes through Jesus. That's quite the statement Peter has just made. And so we need to ask, OK, well how did you get there, Peter?

Well, verse 6, he says, for it stands in scripture. This is what God said already. He says, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. See, Peter here is quoting from the Old Testament — this is Isaiah 28. And if you're familiar with that chapter, Isaiah 28 is actually a warning passage. It's a warning Isaiah gives to the people in Jerusalem at the time. There's a lot of warnings about God's judgment, and at the same time, we get this promise. In fact, that's exactly what this passage is. See, what God is saying to and through Isaiah is, I am going to lay down a cornerstone in Zion, in Jerusalem, at the temple. Now a cornerstone was the center piece of the foundation that everything was built off of. It's the most important stone to put down.

And actually, that's meant to be a bit of a warning for them. Why? Well, if I came tomorrow and I said, look, tomorrow I am going to pour a foundation right here, you'd say, hold on, there's already one here. There's already an entire building here. What are you talking about? Unless of course you mean this building is getting destroyed. In fact, actually that's exactly what Isaiah is saying. When God comes and says, I'm going to lay down a cornerstone, what he's saying is the temple that is there is no longer going to be. In fact, God says through Isaiah, he is going to build a new temple. And in this new building, God is laying down a foundation of Jesus himself. He is this living stone, cornerstone that is precious and chosen by God, though rejected by men.

Well, that is what Jesus is. In fact, Isaiah says whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. See, this new priesthood was always intended to be built on the foundation of trust in Jesus Christ as our savior. That has always been God's plan. And for those who trust in Jesus, hear me, it is our honor, our privilege to be included in what God has been doing, and actually to be secure in the knowledge that we will not be put to shame. That at the end of the day our trust in Jesus will be vindicated, that we know and we can trust in Him all the way to the very end. This is why Peter says verse 7, so the honor is for you who believe. This is the honor we have in Christ. We will not be put to shame.

But as Peter continues, he has a bit of a warning now. Just like Isaiah gives both a promise and a warning, Peter is doing the same thing. He says, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Again, Peter here is quoting from the Old Testament — this is Psalm 118. The full quote goes like this:

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

While the builders may have rejected what God has in store, God has taken this cornerstone, Jesus, and made it the centerpiece, that we may rejoice. God's salvation would come through what was rejected. What looks like a failure will turn out for our everlasting joy. In fact, Jesus himself will quote this passage to the Pharisees, and they did get the message. They understood exactly what Jesus was saying to them, that it's actually those who trust in Jesus that will have the joy of God's salvation. The honor is for those who believe, but the warning is for those who reject.

In fact, Peter keeps going in verse 8, he says, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Here again, Peter's quoting Old Testament Isaiah chapter 8. And in it Isaiah is actually explaining why it is that some people reject God's word. Isaiah 8 we read:

But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken. They shall be snared and taken.

God says, look, I'm going to put a stone into Jerusalem, and on one side, for those who trust, this will be your refuge. This will be your sanctuary. This is where you can run in hard times. When you are in trouble, run to God and he is your sanctuary. But at the very same time, it is also a stumbling block, a tripping hazard for those who do not.

In fact, I'm sure you've even seen a similar thing in your own life, right? We have the good news of Jesus, that Jesus has died on the cross to pay for our sins, risen again so we can have eternal life with him. For the believer, this is the greatest news the world has ever heard. This is my hope, my foundation for all of life. It is built on what Jesus has done. There has never been better news. But I also know other people will hear that and they'll mock. They'll say, what are you talking about? Someone rose from the dead? Are you kidding me? Why is that? How can such good news come with so totally different responses?

And you can imagine it's so easy to say, well, maybe I didn't explain it rightly. Certainly we want to do that well. Maybe there's some deficiency in the gospel. Or maybe just different people are different. How should we understand this? And Peter actually has an answer. End of verse 8, he says they stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. It's quite the answer that Peter gives, but Peter says, look, their rejection is actually still part of God's plan.

Please remember, first of all, this is given not just as a warning but actually as a comfort for the churches, right? These are churches that have been rejected, persecuted, opposed, they're undergoing all kinds of opposition daily for their faith in Christ, and so they're asking, well, is that even part of God's plan? And he says it's alright. This is still part of what I had expected. This is part of God's plan and part of what God will use for his good purposes. We looked in chapter one — God uses all kinds of trials for our good to build our faith so that God would be glorified.

But also notice here Peter's not making some eternal statement. He's not saying that those who reject can never come to Christ. In fact, next week we're going to see that the whole point of holy living is so that Jesus is seen and people can come and hear and receive him. What Peter is saying to them is that your current circumstances are still part of God's sovereign plan.

Now hear me, that does open up a whole bunch of questions, and we don't have time to get through all of them. But what we see here is God is sovereign. God is sovereign in control of those who come and those who reject. In fact, we've seen that already throughout the book of First Peter. God makes us alive in Christ so that we are born again, keeps us for his purposes. Our faith in Jesus is a result of God's action in our life. But God warns, even so, our rejection is under his control. Jude 4 says,

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

God actually knows who are his, and he knows those who reject Him. But let me give two things we must keep in mind.

Number one, we are all sinful people. Not one of us can say we have earned this, deserved this, or worked hard enough for it. In fact, all of us have rejected Christ. God's actions towards those whom he saves and those whom he allows to continue in sin are very different.

But secondly, and this is so important, God does not tell us what is going to happen in someone else's life. God does not explain this is my plan for this person's life. He does not tell us that on this side of eternity. We do not know what God is doing in a person's heart. We know nothing is impossible for God, and God has very clearly charged us: share the gospel, make disciples of all nations.

So what are we to do with this? Share the gospel and let God do his work. Continue to show the goodness of Jesus because God can change a person's heart. Trust his timing and his work. We've seen it over and over again in this church that God changes hearts and lives. Trust him. Don't try and guess what God has planned for someone else. Trust God and continue to share the gospel.

If you feel like God is working in your heart, hear me, rejoice. God has taken captive your heart so that you might know Him. Place your trust in Him and Him alone. If you're saying, look, I'm not even sure, is God working? Hear me, pursue after him. You will find him closer at hand than you have ever thought.

Peter gives this statement in order to reassure the churches who are going through trials that God is still the one in control. While many may reject, we have the honor of trusting in his perfect plan. God is building up his people as a holy temple in order that his glory might be made known in our lives. We have the honor, the privilege to make God our refuge, Him our joy, our sure hope for the future that will not be put to shame. In fact, God has given us these privileges not so that we may sit back, but that we may show others the goodness of Jesus.

And here is really the purpose of our priesthood. Look back with me in verse 9. Peter now makes the contrast that we have. He says, 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 and into his marvelous light. Well, this time Peter's not necessarily quoting something exactly from the Old Testament. His language is very much straight from Exodus 19. If you remember, God saves the people out of slavery to Egypt and he makes this covenant with them. Exodus 19 says,

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

That covenant, that promise God made, defined the relationship between God and Israel, and now what Peter is saying is that's what defines the church. Our identity as those who trust in Jesus is God's true people on this earth. Just as he had called Israel to be a holy nation in order to represent him on this earth, so now he has called us to be holy. Just as he called them to be this royal priesthood, so now we are a kingdom of priests, a royal priesthood of the king. Just as they were a people for God's own possession, so now we are God's people, not bound by any one nationality, but united by faith in Jesus.

Verse 10, he says, once you were not a people, and now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, now you have received mercy. Again, Peter is taking his language out of the Old Testament from Hosea, but the transformation that Jesus makes — taking those who did not know Him and making them his people — Peter is showing over and over again, the Old Testament has always been pointing us to Jesus, and the promises are given to those who trust in him. From every background, nationality, ethnicity on earth, God has made one people who trust in Him. And God has done this for a purpose.

Verse 9, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you. Here is God's purpose in your life. Here is the purpose for calling you to be a priest, the special access we have with God, the privileged position. It is so that all of the excellencies of God Himself would be made known through our lives. See, I said the priest had two jobs to do. Number one was to offer sacrifices. We are to offer a sacrifice of ourselves. But the second thing the priest was to do was to teach the people the word of God. Here Christian, this is your purpose: that through your life Jesus would be worshiped, that through your lips and through your actions Jesus and the good news of the gospel would be made known. His excellencies, his perfections, his wonderfulness, his trustworthiness would be proclaimed through your life to those around you. That the one who called you out of darkness and into light would be made known.

So how do we do that? Hear me, tell your story. Tell the story of what God has done in your life. I know every once in a while people say, well, I don't know, I don't have an amazing testimony to share. Right, I don't know, I grew up in the church and maybe it doesn't sound so amazing. Hear me, your testimony is not about how bad you were at one point and how good you are now. It's not about your rough childhood, it's not about the addiction that you went through. Maybe that's part of your story, maybe it isn't, but it's not the point. The point is that people can hear the good news of Jesus Christ. How did you hear about Jesus? How did God work in your heart to recognize your sin and your need for him? How did you respond to this good news? Share with others what God has done in your life so that they can see not how good you are, but how great Jesus is.

Hear me, if you've never done it, write it down. Take time, write it down — you might be surprised upon reflection how much God has done in your life. I'd encourage you, don't just robotically regurgitate it. Simply tell clearly this good news, and then go and tell someone. Tell someone what God has done in your life. Let them know this good news of Jesus Christ, right? Maybe you already have someone you know right now who you need to talk to. Go. Pray that God would give you courage, give you the opportunity to speak into their life. If you don't have someone, pray that God would give you someone to speak the gospel to. Hear me, this is God's purpose in your life. He will answer that. It's a scary prayer that God will answer if you say, how can I share the excellencies of Christ.

Colossians 1 says,

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Hear me, the news is too good not to share. God has saved us, called us to be his priests, that we might proclaim His excellencies to the world around us. How he's taken us from being strangers to being his people. Every believer in Jesus is given the incredible honor of being his priest. Those who are welcomed into the very presence of God as his people, where once we were in darkness, God in His mercy has brought us to his light. Don't be quiet about that. Be joyful, be bold, offering up our entire lives in service to him. Though it may cost us everything we have, we will gain more than we could ever give. Trust his work, trust his timing, trust his salvation, and let the world know.

Priests of God, let's pray together. Our heavenly Father, what an incredible privilege we have to approach you as our Father. Lord, that through Jesus, through the work that Jesus has done, we can approach you having been forgiven of our sins, that we do not need to worry, but that we can joyfully approach your presence. Father, I pray, would you give us the opportunity to be able to share with others this good news? Father, may we trust in you with all of our lives. May we hand it over so that your name, your glory would be seen around us. We ask all these things in your name. Amen.