The Bible Speaks - A Royal Priesthood

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of harvest international. Our prayer is that the Bible speaks for encourage you in your study of God's Word.

[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast. And now here's Elgin. Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to another episode of the Bible Speaks.

[00:00:57] And today we have the pleasure of having with us a powerful man, a God who even has a handlebar mustache. Mr. Jonathan Connor. And Jonathan and I today are going to speak on the subject of a royal priesthood.

[00:01:17] And our spiritual inspiration comes from verse Peter chapter 2, verse 9, which reads, that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful life.

[00:01:42] As children of the Most High God, believers are called to trust in His divine promises, especially doing times of trials and hardships. The Scripture reminds us that our Heavenly Father and His sovereign, and faithful, overseeing every aspect of our lives with meticulous care and profound love.

[00:02:02] Even when the path grows dim and the storm's rage, the promises of God serve as an anchor. They are steadfast and unmovable. These promises assure us of His constant presence. These unfailing love, and His commitment to work all things for our good.

[00:02:23] Before the writing of Peter's first epistle, the children of Israel along with many early Christians found themselves scattered across various regions due to several historical and sociopolitical factors. This dispersion often referred to as the diaspora or the esports depending on what you from.

[00:02:43] It's not solely a product of the New Testament times, but had root sustaining back to the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles which, forcibly relocated large segments of the Jewish population. By the first century, Jews were spread throughout the Roman Empire, living in major cities

[00:03:01] and trade routes which facilitate the spread of Christianity as a Jewish Christians moved or were forced to flee due to persecution. The early Christian community, including both Jews and Gentiles, faced increasing hostility and suspicion from both Roman authorities and traditional Jewish synagogues, exacerbating their dispersion.

[00:03:27] By the time of Peter's writing, these scattered communities were experiencing isolation, persecution, and the challenges of maintaining their faith in a largely hostile environment. As a piscally address addresses these dispersed believers, aiming to bolster their faith,

[00:03:45] encourage steadfastness and remind them of their shared identity and hope in Christ, despite their geographical and cultural separation. The Apostle Peter addresses his first epistle to a group of Christians scattered throughout various regions, including Pontus, Galatia, Cavadocia, Asia and Bithinia.

[00:04:09] As mentioned in 1 Peter 1 and 1, these believers are primarily Gentiles as suggested by references throughout the letter indicating their former pagan lifestyle. This audience is also likely composed of some Jewish Christians given the Jewish elements in the letter and a widespread nature of the early Christian communities.

[00:04:30] The Christians to whom Peter writes were experiencing trials and suffering, which are recurrent themes in the epistle. Peter mentions various fiery trials and sufferers for being Christian. The nature of the persecution seemed to have been social ostracism and local harassment rather than systematic persecution.

[00:04:54] They faced insults that were maligned and suffered as a direct consequence of their allegiance to Christ. These believers were living as foreigners and exiles, which implies not only their geographic scattering but also their cultural and social alienation from their surrounding communities.

[00:05:15] This alienation was likely due to their conversion to Christianity, which set them apart from the dominant pagan religions, practices and social norms. A significant focus of the letters is on affirming the identity of the scattered and persecuted believers.

[00:05:36] Peter uses rich theology language to describe them as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. This language serves to reinforce their understanding of themselves as God's people, distinct from their surrounding culture and bound together by their shared faith in Christ.

[00:05:59] So my first question to you and as an invitation to get Jonathan in on the conversation is do we sometimes allow the situations we face to cause us to forget who we are? Absolutely in a word.

[00:06:18] There we see that in many of Paul's epistles, obviously Galatians being a glaring example when they were led astray by false teachers that came into the church and we're trying to get them to do ritualistic things to maintain their Christianity, which Paul says

[00:06:42] is not part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the adjective royal implies that Christians are not just ordinary priests, we're associated with royalty, we're directly connected to Christ being royal suggests that Christian share in Jesus' authority and dignity through their relationship with them.

[00:07:05] It elevates the function of believers indicating that they have been given honor and authority under Christ's sovereignty. John 14, verses 12 through 14 reading from the new international version tells us, very truly I tell you whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing

[00:07:30] and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.

[00:07:47] So why is it so hard for us to grasp the concept of who we are and the power we have been given as believers of Jesus Christ? I think part of it is the simplicity of the gospel.

[00:08:00] We often whether through our upbringing or our surroundings, think that there's something else we need to do and it's also hard to grasp really our own depravity and what Christ has done for us in the epistle to the Romans from Paul.

[00:08:22] He uses several analogies that the Romans were familiar with. One was the aspect of adoption and under Roman rule, under Roman law you could not disenherit and disenherit a an adopted son. So Paul uses that example to show our security and Christ.

[00:08:47] Excellent and so do you also think that I like the effect that you brought up that we over complicate things. Indeed. And that sometimes we look for our burning boys show. We're looking for the ground to shake and the Lord is talking to us and it's like,

[00:09:05] but the word tells us everything that we need to know. So why is it that we're so reluctant to it? And I'll take that back. I'll say that we're reluctant to that. I say that we're easily swayed by the challenges of life. That's true.

[00:09:23] I seem to remember a parable along those lines that the worries and cares of the world choke out are growth absolutely, absolutely. And you know thinking about us as a royal priesthood, there are people who believe that when you're bold and when you're confident that you're arrogant.

[00:09:44] And the word tells us to come boldly. Yes. Okay. So so if he is expecting us to go and spread the gospel throughout the world, we can't do it. We can be humble. Yes. We can be meek but we can also be bold. That's true.

[00:10:02] And that as you just said the first place to be bold is when we come before the throne because he is our father and we can ask whatever we want of him. And if it's in line with his word, he will give it to us. That's right.

[00:10:20] And I think it's fun because he says, you know, that I will give you the desires of your heart. And that doesn't mean that he is a candy store and he's going to give you everything that. Yes.

[00:10:32] He said, if we're in right relationship, you want what I want. Okay. So I'm giving you the desires of your heart. And then I'll give it to you. So listen to me, I'll tell you what to want and then I'll give it to you.

[00:10:44] And that's really the whole message of the beginning of Psalm 37. So it's trusting the Lord and cultivate faith on us. Yes. And in that he will give you the desires of your heart. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:10:56] And be in described as a whole nation emphasizes the collective identity of believers as a distinct and consecrated group that was set apart from God's purposes. As God's special possession, Christians are valued highly by God and are called to reflect His character in the world.

[00:11:17] The purpose of being a role priesthood is also clearly defined in this passage to declare the praises of God. This involves witnessing to God's goodness and mercy, sharing how He has transformed the lives of believers from darkness to light.

[00:11:34] The role is evangelical, involving both words and deeds that testify to God's work in the world. So in other words, if you are a part of a role priesthood, a pubic being able to tell. That's true.

[00:11:48] There's another verse in one of the gospels that says, let your white so, shined before men that they may see your good works before or find the father who is in heaven. That's right. So they will notice the difference. Absolutely.

[00:12:02] So under the old covenant, priesthood, the unique privilege of direct access to God's presence and ways ordinary people did not. The new testament, teaching that all believers are priests, suggests that all Christians now have a direct access to God through Christ.

[00:12:21] They can approach God directly through prayer and worship without the need for a human mediator. For brothers and sisters, the term row of priesthood does encapsulate a profound truth about the Christian identity. Believers are called to live as representatives of Christ's kingdom for feeling in priestly

[00:12:42] functions in a spiritual sense. This calling involves worship, proclamation, service, and living a life that is distinctly set apart for God's purposes. It is a high calling that speaks to the responsibility and privilege of every believer.

[00:13:01] So I want to thank Jonathan Connor for taking the time to spend some time with us on today. You're very well. And I look forward to us having discussions in the future, and I look forward to having a discussion with you on tomorrow. Until then, God bless.

[00:13:27] From the Lord. This program is cared for by listeners who care. Your prayers and financial investment in this ministry helps to keep the good news on the air. We look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at harvest international post office box 66090 Ocalaflora 3448.

[00:13:50] Again, that's harvest international post office box 66090 Ocalaflora 3448.