Jesus the Priest-Maker
Let's look at one more description of Jesus in Revelation 1:6. Yesterday we saw John said “to him, who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” And then in verse 6 he says “and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father to him be glory and power forever and ever.”
All Christians are Priests
Not only has He loved us and given us the freedom from our sins that comes through his blood, but hear this: He has organized us into a kingdom and we are now priests to serve Him. You’re thinking “what? Me a priest? No. Priests are those guys with those silly dog collars, right?” Sure. The New Testament speaks about a particular calling to be an elder or a pastor. The dog collar is an identifying sign that that is what you're called to be. It’s a sign of God's anointing for that particular role. But we're all priests. In fact, 1 Peter 2 also calls us a holy priesthood. He said God has called us all into a holy priesthood.
Priests Mediate Between People and God
The priests were the mediators between the people and God. They were the ones who stood in between the people and God, and communicated with God on behalf of the people. You don't need a pastor or a priest to mediate between you and God anymore because you yourself are a priest in that sense. You may not be called to preach. You may not be called to oversee a church. But you're a priest because you have the authority of yourself to go to God, talk to Him, receive his forgiveness directly by faith. Isn't that an amazing thought?
Priests Offer God Sacrifices
Additionally, as priests, we offer sacrifices to God. It used to be in the Old Testament that the priests were the ones who sacrificed animals and so on, so that the people could be forgiven once again. But the New Testament teaches that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. And so in a sense, that is what our priesthood means, offering ourselves to God as living sacrifices not for him to kill, but for him to breathe life into.
Take Your Priestly Place
Have you said yes to Jesus and entered into his kingdom as a citizen? And more than that, have you claimed your place as a priest and gone to God to receive the forgiveness that he can give?
Yes, we all need spiritual mentors who teach us and care for us as pastors and shepherds. But you don't need a priest to mediate between you and God. You and I, each one of us who is in Christ, serves God the Father as priests, giving him the glory in all that we do. I pray that you will take your place in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
