PRIESTHOOD of BELIEVERS

"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV ~ "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:17 THIS SERMON by Pastor Michael Hoyle: The priesthood of the Christian is a birthright. When a believer is born again, he becomes a priest with the rights and privileges of the office. The main privilege of a New Testament Priest is access to God. THEME: The priesthood of believers should show forth the praises of God and offer spiritual sacrifices unto the Lord. "You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5 ~ GOD'S PROMISE: "Who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." THE SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE: Who is obedient to the word, to which they were appointed. PROCLAIM THE PRAISE: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" 1 Peter 2:9 ~ AFFIRM HOW WE BECAME a New Testament Priest: "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." Revelation 1:5-6 ~ THROUGH the Love and grace of our Lord God Who loved us...sooooo very much....Our GIFT is Jesus and our Salvation by His willing sacrifice...our Abba Father sent Jesus to come to earth to rescue us from the babble of this world, by grace and through the GIFT of FAITH "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." WOW we were washed in His own blood so that all the just demands of our holy God could be satisfied. "I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:48 ~ JESUS is the Lamb of our Holy Father, the PROPITIATION "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1 John 2:2 ~ Our God's LOVE began before the foundation of this universe and His plan was to redeem us by the final blood sacrifice of Jesus. "Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26 JESUS SET ME FREE, He bought me with His blood. MY REDEEMER JESUS chose to die for my sins. "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:14 ~ We are declared justifiably righteous because of the atoning blood of Christ JUSTIFICATION: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5:9 JESUS thought of me and chose to be my SUBSTITUTION: He chose the humiliation, He chose the pain, He chose the rejection, because He loves me, He chose to take on my past, present and future sins "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24 ~ I accept the sacrifice of Jesus and His living Word, His purpose in His suffering on my behalf, that I would BELIEVE in His eternal LOVE and ACCEPT the healing of all my wounds, of all my sickness, that I choose to live covered by the blood bought righteousness of Christ. Thank You Jesus for restoring me, for making it possible that I may boldly approach Your Holiness. RECONCILIATION:"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans 5:10 The power of the blood is known personally to conquer sin as our guilt and memory is washed and we experience His presence with a clear conscious. He provided the Way for us to overcome hard times and tough choices by availing Himself with His eternal, ever present Holy Spirit. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7 Blessed be the Name of JESUS and the will of God that we are born again as His anointed priests. "Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispen
sation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." Ephesians 1:9-11 The divinity of Jesus came down to show us compassion mercy and grace. Jesus cares, He is patient, He is kind, He is full of love and His understanding is obvious as He is the Creator who sympathizes with our human needs. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:14-15 ~ Jesus is worthy to be praised for stepping out of glory and into a flesh tent, to be our Advocate, to be our Friend, to be our Sacrifice, to be the Wayshower. "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:17 Let us praise His Holy Name JESUS "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Heberews 8:1