9 Sermons Tagged "Priesthood of All Believers"

The apostle John records in the book of Revelation that many angels were saying in a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing." Why were the angels saying this about the resurrected LORD?

Jesus gave the binding and loosing keys to the church after his resurrection when he appeared to the disciples and other believers. We use the binding key (the Law) when someone is embracing a sin to show them they are damned to Hell and need a savior, and we use the loosing key (the Gospel) when they repent to forgive them of that sin and tell them Jesus is their savior.

We see a glimpse of Jesus' divine glory when he institutes the Lord's Supper (also known as Holy Communion). It is a miracle that only God can bring about, given purely as a blessing for those that truly believe it, and because it is God's word, we hold tightly to it.

When Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain, which was the barrier to the most sacred part of the temple, was torn apart. Through the tearing of the curtain we see that Jesus is the High Priest and we are priests, so we have direct access to God and Christ is our intercessor. Jesus' death also got rid of the Old Covenant and brought us into the New Covenant.

Jesus told us that no one knows when he will come again, but still he instructed us to keep watch and be ready for his return. Unfortunately, today many people, even who profess to be believers in Christ, do not. But we can keep watch by being aware of what we cannot know, by hearing and reading God's Word, by using our spiritual gifts for God's glory, and by using the binding and loosing keys when reaching out to others.

Jesus told the Parable of the Wicked Tenants to the chief priests and the Pharisees and ended it by telling them "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruit." However, we can apply this parable to ourselves, since, as members of the priesthood of all believers, we are the ones that produce the fruits of faith.

As members of the priesthood of all believers, we are not necessarily called to be prophets like Ezekiel. However, we are called to be on the watch for our friends, family members, and neighbors and to warn them when they are in spiritual danger.