“A Holy Priesthood to Offer up Spiritual Sacrifices”

Introduction.  (1 Peter 2:4-5)  Note: Christians in general are a “holy priesthood” who offer up “spiritual sacrifices.” This is a “royal priesthood” who “proclaim the praises of Him” (1 Peter 2:9-10). This morning I’d like for us to look at two elements of these statements: 1) the priesthood of all Christians, and 2) what it means to offer up spiritual sacrifices.

I.  Priests of God.

A.  Patriarchal age.  Before the Law of Moses there were priests, but those who were not priests also offered their own sacrifices.

1.      Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20).

2.      Jethro (Exodus 3:1; 18:9-12).

3.      Individuals making sacrifice.

a.       Abel  (Gen. 4:4).

b.      Noah (Gen. 8:20-21).

B.  Mosaic age. A special class of priests were appointed under the Mosaic Law. Most offerings were made by the priests on behalf of the people.

1.      Sons of Aaron (Exod. 28:1-2).  They were to wear special garments.

2.      Offerings on behalf of others. 

a.       Burnt offering (Lev. 1:17).

b.      Grain offering (Lev. 2:9, 16).

c.       Sin offering (Lev. 4:34-35).

d.      Offering for lying (Lev. 6:6-7).

II.  Christian Priesthood.

A.    No special class of priests exists separate from the people—all Christians are priests (Rev. 1:4-6).

B.     Jesus is the High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16).

C.     Spiritual Sacrifices (1 Peter 2:4-5).                 

1.      Our lives (Romans 12:1-2).  We can’t live like the words and be priests to God.  We can’t give Him our leftovers.

2.      Acts of worship (Heb. 13:15-16).  Note: “do good” would include more than just worship, but vs. 15 speaks of the “sacrifice of praise” which is an act of worship.  Let’s think about this in acts of worship that we as Christians carry out.  The New Testament describes five acts of worship.  These are governed by some general principles:

·         They are to be done “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40).

·         We are to give our best (Mal. 1:6-8).  This is not “best” by the world’s standards—but best by spiritual godly standard (e.g. the widows offering –  Mark 12:41-42 or Paul’s preaching – 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

      Let’s think about how we individually offer spiritual sacrifices in these acts of worship in Christ.

a.       Prayer.  When someone leads a prayer they do not pray for us. We pray with them.  We say our own prayer, adding to the thought or personalizing some concern.  Often there is great pressure that a young man feels when they first start to lead prayers.  They may say, “I can’t say a fancy eloquent prayer.”  Prayer is not entertainment.  We are simply helping others worship.

b.      Singing.  When we sing, we each individually offer up spiritual sacrifices (Heb. 13:15-16). Note “fruit of our lips.”  Someone might say, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”  That is OK!  If you are offering up your best to God it is acceptable (2 Cor. 8:12). Note: “accepted according to what one has.”

·         What about songleaders? We must understand a few things:

–        They are not entertainers (this is a big problem with solos or choirs) worship in song is not a performance.

–        They are not worshipping for us.

–        They aid the congregation in doing things “decently and in order.”

Challenge: This poses a challenge to songleaders in that they are often those who have spent some time studying music. That is great!  We are all to offer our best to God, but remember, just as we saw with the widow’s offering, God is pleased with what we have. We must never make it seem as if our worship is only acceptable to God if we sound like a professional choir.  E.g. I have worshipped in little country churches or with Christians around a campfire and this worship is some of the most meaningful I have ever known, but the quality (by human standards) was simple and humble.

c.       Giving.  One of the words applied to the contribution is the Gr. word koinonia meaning “fellowship.” Giving is an act of “fellowship in the Gospel” (Rom. 15:26).  Koinonia is “joint participation.” When a congregation supports a local preacher, or offers support to one in another place they are participating together in this work. It is a way in which we offer up “spiritual sacrifices” (Phil. 4:18).

d.      Lord’s Supper.  Like all aspects of worship, the Lord’s Supper must be something that involves our individual offering to God (1 Cor. 11:27-29). We note in this text we are to: 1) examine self; and 2) discern the Lord’s body.  We should think about our own condition. We should consider our sin that caused Jesus’ death. We should think about what he went through for us.  Note: Those who wait on the Lord’s table do not worship for us, they simply help us focus our minds on Jesus’ death.

e.       Study.  In the context of discussing spiritual gifts Paul makes a point communicating the gospel to others (1 Cor. 14:23-26).  Note: When a lesson is preached the preacher doesn’t worship for me.  What should happen is I should meditate upon the Scripture and the points offered so that the lesson will “reveal the secrets of the heart.” Preaching should:

·         Edify me (i.e. build me up spiritually).

·         The preacher’s responsibility is to offer his best.

·         My responsibility is to offer up my best by meditating on what is said, and looking for what can help me.

·         We see this in the case of Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

The example of country preachers is such a good lesson regarding this. Some of the best preaching I have ever heard was from men of humble background and speech but who moved the listener to contemplate personal accountability before God.  This applies to men who do invitations as well.  The one who stands in the pulpit is not an entertainer—he is an edifier!

Conclusion. May each of us strive to make our worship to God a personal, individual activity in which we all, as a “holy priesthood” offer up our very best “spiritual sacrifices” that they may be acceptable to God.