You Are a Royal Priesthood | God’s Calling for Every Believer

Do you think that God chose the Jews because they loved Him? Do you know that there are more atheists among the Jews than any other group of people on earth? As far as I can tell, I’m sure this is correct. Of any race of people on earth, there are more atheists and more non-believers in God and agnostics among the Jewish people than among any other people I know of. It’s really true. Why do you think the Lord chose the Jews? He chose the Jews because they were the least likely to follow Him.

He says… you may not get this, but if you go and read the prophets, you’ll see it. In the prophets, the Lord says, “Of all the people on earth, you have the hardest heart.” Oh, sister, the Lord just poured out His mercy on the Jewish people to show everyone else on earth how wonderful He is. But the Jewish people, as a chosen race, are such a hard group of people. You go to Israel today and look. Well, look at them today. How many of them have followed their Lord? Just a remnant. Let’s come back to this.

(Exodus 19:4-6) You’ve seen what I have done unto the Egyptians, and how I have borne you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice, indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. He has taken the least and made them the greatest. You will be an unusual treasure, a peculiar treasure to Me, above all people, for all the earth is mine. Now, that last little part there is very interesting. Have you begun to see how many more times the word “earth” appears in Scripture than you ever realized? …and you shall be unto Me…a what? A kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the descendants of Israel.

God said, I will make this whole nation priests. Can you imagine an entire nation made up only of priests? One whole nation. Could you imagine everybody from Texas being a priest? Could you imagine any group of people on earth, every one of them being nothing but a priest to God? Brothers, that covenant had to be broken, but we’ll come to that later.

Now then, a new covenant is given which cannot be broken. Doubly sworn by God. 1 Peter 1-9. Oh, I think I’ll just read this whole passage beginning with the first verse. Therefore, laying aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envying and all evil speaking, as newborn babies desire… what do you have for sincere? The earnest, the unadulterated milk of the word. What do you have, brother? The pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if you have tasted it. Have you tasted? What did you find out? The Lord is gracious. To whom…and this is Christ…the living stone that was rejected. He was a stone disallowed…indeed, of men, but He was chosen by God, and precious. Jesus Christ was chosen by God to be precious. Brothers, God chose Him to be a priest. We’ll go on.

You also, as living stones…and this corresponds to Christ being the headstone of a building, and us being living stones of that building…are built up into a spiritual house. Do you remember back in September we spent five days talking about being built up into a spiritual house? Do you remember? You remember that? Being built up in love?

Now then, brothers, let us leave out the part about the house and just read. And you are built up a holy priesthood. That’s exactly what this said. You have been built up…you’re living stones; yes, you’re also a spiritual house, but you’re also built up as a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Verse 7 says the disobedient didn’t get in on this, neither in the building nor in the priesthood. Then verse 9 says, but you are a chosen generation. Brothers and sisters, do you realize that God chose you to be a holy priesthood even before the foundations of the earth? He chose you to be a holy priest. He really did. God told Israel, “I’m going to have a whole nation of priests.” But they disallowed the cornerstone of the building. They disallowed the high priests. So God chose you from the foundation of the earth to be a nation of priests.

Can you tell me which tribe Jesus Christ came from? Judah. He came out of what tribe? The priests come from which tribe? Levi. How can a Judean be a priest? He is a royal priest because He comes from the line of kingship, not from the line of priesthood. But still, God chose him to be a priest. Out of which line do you come? You get to be a royal priest because you’re out of the line and lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here in Exodus, they were going to be a nation of priests. They flunked. We got promoted, brothers and sisters. We’re not going to just be a nation of priests, but a royal nation of Priests. Well, let’s just right now let’s say that we come from the line of Judah as the children of God. We come from the line of Judah, from the loins of Jesus Christ, and we are priests and kings.