Ephesians 4:3-6; One Lord – His Priesthood and ours, part 2.

Class Outline:

Thursday March 4, 2021

 

The one Lord is good and wise and strong, ISA 11:1-4.

 

[From an article about the 2021 release of Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Report] “The CCP’s core argument is that all democracies are illegitimate because they have no foundation of authoritarian power to rest on; their people cry out for the kind of “justice” and “security” that only an undemocratic centralized state can deliver. The real threat to democracy around the world is that the political elites of free nations are beginning to agree with this argument, embracing a new vision of peripheral democracy with an authoritarian core — a foundation of power that is not subject to the will of voters in any meaningful way, to tackle “vital issues” that have been decided by a “consensus of experts” whose judgment should not be questioned by the common people.”

 

In one way they are right. The democracy of an uneducated, immoral, selfish people is a disaster. The historical example of Athens proves it. However, what happens when the authoritarian power that the CCP exalts here is themselves immoral and self-serving?

 

Our one Lord is the King of the only Kingdom of men.

 

PSA 45:1-7

 

For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

 

1 My heart overflows with a good theme;

I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 Thou art fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Thy lips;

Therefore God has blessed Thee forever.

 

3 Gird Thy sword on

Thy thigh, O Mighty One, In Thy splendor and Thy majesty!

4 And in Thy majesty ride on victoriously,

For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

Let Thy right hand teach Thee awesome things.

5 Thine arrows are sharp;

The peoples fall under Thee;

Thine arrows are in the heart of the King's enemies.

 

6 Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.

7 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness;

Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee

With the oil of joy above Thy fellows.

 

The next half of this psalm is about the King’s marriage to His blessed and beautiful bride. It is worth a slow and private read by all believers.

 

When O Lord?

 

REV 22:20

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

 

How long did Israel wait for her Messiah? And when He came, was He expected? Be patient believer, and rejoice in your place in His eternal kingdom.

 

Christ is the one, true High Priest. The scripture tells us that every believer in the age of the church is made a priest, and so we are the true priesthood. Being such, we are under the obligation to serve God and man as priests.

 

In the same way, we are under obligation to be righteous because we are imputed with God’s righteousness at salvation and made righteous forever. The same trail is found in us concerning sanctification, fruit bearing, sonship, being a bride, election, and many other great blessings that we have received at salvation.

 

The church age believer must learn of his priesthood and learn its functions well and perform them with joy. He is forever a priest.

 

A priest is one who is duly qualified to minister in sacred things, particularly to offer sacrifices at the altar, and to act as mediator between man and God. We have a great responsibility as priests and we can find great joy in its fulfillment. It demands an investment of time, selflessness, and diligence to continue to perform the duties of a priest, and so over time, learn to be the priest that God would desire.

 

Aaron’s priesthood in the OT was a type of Christ’s. Christ fulfilled the OT priesthood in that His sacrifice was once and for all. He cleansed all believers and made them righteous. He tore open the veil and brought all believers into the holy of holies with Him, and even in that, it was not the earthly tabernacle that we entered, which was only a shadow of the real, but we entered the heavenly tabernacle not made with hands by the Stone not made with hands.

 

Christ also fulfilled Aaron’s priesthood in that He ministered in the heavenly sphere, He administered a new and better covenant, and offered a final and complete sacrifice. Aaron ministered on earth, administered a lesser covenant, and had to continually offer sacrifices, day by day and year by year because the blood of animals did not atone for sin. Christ, the one Lord and one High Priest fulfilled our needs before God fully. This is a central theme in the Book of Hebrews.

 

HEB 7:11-25

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of Him,

 

"Thou art a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek."

 

18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

 

"The Lord has sworn

And will not change His mind,

'Thou art a priest forever'");

 

22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 

The Aaronic priesthood was designed by God to point to Christ and reveal what Christ would come to fulfill in order to reconcile man to God.

 

All that the priests of Aaron would do ritualistically and ceremonially would be literally fulfilled by Christ on the cross. He would cleanse fully and eternally with His own blood. He would wash us and make us clean. He would enter the holy of holies in heaven and tear the veil asunder and bid all to follow Him in, thus qualifying them to stand in the presence of the holiness of God.

 

Everything that was done to the Tabernacle and at the Tabernacle, Christ would literally fulfill for anyone who would believe upon Him.

 

So, the Aaronic priesthood is done away with and the priesthood of Christ replaces it, becoming the only priesthood, and Christ’s priests are the members of His body - a kingdom of priests. This is very good news indeed.

 

He made the church a kingdom of priests.

 

REV 1:6

He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Israel was primarily designed as a nation to be a kingdom of priests offering service to God.

 

Pic: Beginning of the Exodus.

 

God appears to Moses and speaks to the people, but not as He ever did before this.

 

There had been other theophanies: when God had come down to commune with Adam in the Garden; to visit Abraham in his pilgrim tent; to confirm later the divine covenant with the patriarch; and to call Moses to lead the tribes out of the land of Egypt. In all of these appearances there was a note of gracious and personal intimacy. However, at Sinai we have a theophany of unprecedented majesty and grandeur; its attendant phenomena visible to an entire nation; and evidently designed to reveal unforgettably the sovereign character of Yavah, who is superlatively holy and the King Eternal, now ready to establish a kingdom of His own on earth among men.

 

EXO 19:1-6

In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. 5 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

 

There were thunderings and lightnings, a thick cloud, the smoke of a furnace, a mighty shaking of the mountain, and the increasing tempo of the trumpet sound. Out of this impressive setting came the voice of Yavah to Moses and then to the people.

 

Here, we have the first occurrence of the word “kingdom” in the Bible, where the idea is directly associated with the rule of God.