Latest / Reformed Thinking / Christians a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, A Peculiar People (1 Peter 2:9) | Jonathan Edwards

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Christians a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, A Peculiar People (1 Peter 2:9) | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. Hello and welcome to this deep
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dive into the source material. Today we are.
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Well, we're really glad you decided to spend some time with
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us. Yeah, thanks for having me.
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It's great to be here for this one.
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The mission for our conversation today is to open up a classic
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18th century sermon by the brilliant theologian Jonathan
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Edwards. The sermon is titled Christians
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a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, and it is based
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entirely on the text from Peter's first letter.
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Right. And we have a massive amount of
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theological ground to cover today.
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We really do, and we're going to take our time, you know, working
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through the massive implications of this text.
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We want to act as your shortcut to being well informed on this
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material, providing you with the historical weight and the daily
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application of what Edwards was preaching.
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That is precisely our goal, to set the historical and
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theological context for you. We're looking at the writings of
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Jonathan Edwards, a man who possessed arguably one of the
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greatest theological minds in American history.
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He preached during the Great Awakening, which was a time of
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massive religious revival in the 1730s and 40s, and the
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intellectual weight he brought to the pulpit was just
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staggering. As we go through this material,
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we'll be examining his assertions through a strictly
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reformed theological lens. Because as hosts, we adhere to
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the Westminster Confession of Faith.
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Right. So we're going to highlight how
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this text directly addresses the absolute sovereignty of God and
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the salvation of mankind. For those who might be new to
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that term, the Westminster Confession is a 17th century
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document that clearly outlines Protestant Reformed theology.
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It's basically the gold standard for that theological framework.
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It is, it teaches, that God from all eternity did by the most
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wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably
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ordained whatsoever comes to pass.
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We will see that specific doctrine shining brightly in the
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exposition of Peter's words today.
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That context is incredibly helpful, especially for framing
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the sheer scale of what we're about to discuss.
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Before we get into the specifics of the text, I want to pose a
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question directly to you, the listener.
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Think about your everyday life. Think about your commute to
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work, your grocery shopping, your daily routines.
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How often do you think of yourself not just as a believer,
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but as an actual reigning monarch?
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How often do you walk out your front door and view yourself as
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a priest who possesses greater, freer access to the Divine
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Creator than the high priests of ancient Israel ever had?
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My guess is not very often. We tend to forget our status.
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We get bogged down in the mundane.
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But this material is going to drastically reframe how we view
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our identity. OK, let's unpack this.
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Our deep dive begins with the opening contrast that the sermon
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establishes. Right out of the gate, the focus
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is drawn to how the Apostle Peter describes Jesus Christ in
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relation to two entirely different groups of people.
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Yeah, that contrast is sharp. It is for believers Christ is
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described as a precious foundation stone.
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The analogy used here likens this to the highly polished
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stones used in the construction of King Solomon's temple.
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But unbelievers experience Christ completely differently.
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For them, he is a stumbling block, a rock of a fence.
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And Peter says they were appointed to be an occasion of
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their falling. Which brings up the analogy of
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Solomon's temple. Right.
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Think about the construction of that temple for a second.
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The biblical account tells us that the stones were quarried
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and cut to exact specifications far away from the actual
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building. Site miles away and the dirt and
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the noise. Yes, all the hammering and
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chiseling happened out of sight. When they were finally brought
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to the Temple Mount, they fit together so perfectly that no
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hammer or chisel was heard on the site.
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Every stone was meticulously prepared by the builder for a
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specific location in the structure.
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This is the exact analogy used for how God prepares His people
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as living stones for a spiritual house.
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The contrast highlighted here brings us face to face with a
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Reformed doctrine of reprobation and election.
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Peter writes that those who stumble at the word being
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disobedient were appointed to this very stumbling.
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Which is a heavy concept. It's a very heavy truth, but it
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is a thoroughly biblical 1. The text explicitly states that
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this stumbling is an appointed outcome for the reprobate.
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This stands in sharp, undeniable contrast to those whom God chose
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from all eternity. The natural human mind often
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rebels against the concept of a sovereign God, appointing some
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to stumble while electing others to salvation.
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What people usually want to think of God as a passive
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observer. Right.
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Like he just hopes humanity makes the right choices.
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But the Westminster Confession is clear on this matter, and so
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is the historical Reformed view. God is the absolute disposer of
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the creature. He retains total dominion over
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all mankind. He didn't lose his rights just
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because mankind rebelled. Precisely.
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He did not lose his right to rule over humanity when mankind
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fell into sin. The reaction a person has to the
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gospel of Jesus Christ, whether they view Christ as a precious
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cornerstone or an offensive stumbling block, reveals their
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eternal standing before the Almighty.
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Hold on, I want to play devil's advocate for a second because
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reprobation is a heavy word. The phrase appointed to stumble
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is going to make a lot of modern listeners hit a brick wall.
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How does this theological framework justify that God
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literally appoints people to trip over the gospel?
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That sounds incredibly harsh to modern ears.
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That is a very fair question. And then frankly, it's a
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stumbling block in itself for many people.
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To understand this, we have to look at the baseline of humanity
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after the fall. The Reform view is not that God
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takes innocent people who want to do good and forces them to be
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evil. Which is how it's often
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misrepresented. Yeah, it's a total caricature.
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Rather, the baseline for all humanity is total rebellion
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against God. Every single person, left to
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their own devices, will naturally hate God and run from
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him. They are already fallen, already
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guilty, and already sprinting toward destruction.
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So they aren't neutral. Not at all.
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When God appoints some to stumble, he is essentially
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handing them over to their own desires.
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He is giving them justice. They want a world without God,
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and God gives them what they want.
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And the natural result is that they trip over the claims of
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Christ because their hearts are hardened.
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Election is the opposite of that.
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Right election is God stepping into that mass of rebellious
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humanity and purely out of his own mercy, changing the hearts
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of a specific group so they will see Christ as beautiful.
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So the reprobate get justice, the elect get mercy, and no one
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gets injustice. That makes a lot of sense.
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It completely removes the idea of a neutral playing field.
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There is 0 neutral ground when encountering Jesus Christ.
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You cannot just politely nod at him and walk away unaffected.
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You're forced into a reaction. You are.
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You are either resting your entire weight upon Him as your
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foundation, like a skyscraper resting on bedrock, or you are
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tripping over Him and falling. Those are the only two options
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available to humanity. The Gospel forces a reaction.
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What's fascinating here is how that stark binary reaction sets
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up the very first title given to believers by the Apostle Peter
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in our text A Chosen Generation. Let's dig into that title.
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God did not simply survey the wreckage of the Fall and decide
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to throw the entire world of mankind into the trash.
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The bulk of mankind was left to their own sinful devices, yes,
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but God in His infinite grace entertained a design to
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appropriate a specific number of individuals for Himself.
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The material breaks down this electing grace into distinct
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characteristics. And each one builds upon the
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last, right? It creates A magnificent picture
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of divine sovereignty. We should look at those
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characteristics because they dismantle a lot of common
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misconceptions about how salvation actually works.
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Let's do that. The first characteristic the
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text points out is that the Electra found, among others.
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Meaning there's no visible difference at first.
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Right when God makes His choice, He is not looking at a group of
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people who are already separated, polished and acting
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righteous. Believers are initially no
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different from the rest of mankind.
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We are mixed in with everyone else.
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Like weed growing right alongside the weeds.
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We share the exact same sinfulness.
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What theologians call total depravity.
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Which applies equally to everyone.
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That doesn't mean every person is as evil as they could
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possibly be, but it means sin has infected every part of us.
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Our minds, our wills, our emotions, we are equally in
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bondage to our own rebellion and equally deserving of eternal
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destruction. There is absolutely no prior
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distinction between a believer and an unbeliever until God's
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election makes that distinction. That leads directly to the
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second point, which is absolutely critical for
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understanding Reformed theology. There is no foreseen Excellency
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in the individuals God chooses. Explain what that means for your
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listeners. God's choice is motivated solely
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by his own good pleasure, a common misconception in the
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broader religious world, what is often called the Armenian view,
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is that God looks down the corridor of time, sees who will
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eventually have faith or perform good works, and then chooses
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them based on that future foresight like.
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He's just predicting the future. Yeah, but this sermon completely
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dismantles that idea. If God looked down the corridor
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of time at fallen humanity, all he would see his rebellion.
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Faith and good works are the results of being chosen.
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They are never the root 'cause God does not look at humanity
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and pick certain people because they are inherently lovely or
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because they have a superior moral character.
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Or because they're smarter than their neighbors.
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Precisely. He picks them to make them
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lovely. Paul's letter to the Ephesians
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declares that he chose us so that we should be holy, not
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because he saw that we already were holy.
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But why doesn't human logic dictate that God must have seen
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something good in us to choose us?
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I mean, we are so wired for merit based systems.
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We get hired because of our resumes.
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We get picked for the team because we run fast.
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It's how the whole world operates.
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It goes against every fiber of our earthly programming to think
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that God chooses people who offer Him absolutely nothing in
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return. It absolutely goes against our
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program, which is why the 3rd and 4th characteristics are so
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vital. The third characteristic is that
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this choice was made from eternity.
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Before time. Began.
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God did not make this decision a few weeks before you were born
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or right when you hit rock bottom.
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He made this choice before the world was even created, before
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the foundations of the earth were laid.
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Your name was known to Him. And the 4th characteristic is
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antecedent love. Antecedent, meaning it comes
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before everything else. That means God loved his people
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first. The apostle John tells us that
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we love him because he first loved us.
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Human love is typically drawn out by some attractive quality
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in the object of our affection. We love things that are lovely
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or funny or kind. But God's love is entirely
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different. Doesn't need a trigger.
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Right. His love precedes any loveliness
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in us. It is the love that originates
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completely within himself, bestowed upon creatures who had
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no Excellency to attract. It is an uncaused 'cause.
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That is massive. It takes all the pressure off of
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our own performance. The fifth point is that this
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election is single and particular.
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It is not a broad general blanket thrown over entire
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nations where God just hopes some people decide to wander
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underneath it. That's.
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Not a generic policy. The text stresses that God set
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His love from eternity upon specific individual people.
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It is as particular as if no one else was chosen but you.
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This is why the Scriptures speak of names being written in the
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Lamb's book of life. It is highly specific.
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God is not dealing in vague percentages.
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He is dealing with precise individuals.
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Finally. The 6th characteristic provided
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is that these specific individuals were given to
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Christ. This introduces something
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theologians call the covenant of redemption a covenant.
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Being a binding agreement, a binding.
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Agreement between two parties In eternity past, before time
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existed, there was an agreement between the Father and the Son.
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The Father gave a specific people to the Son to redeem, and
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the Son joyfully undertook the work of redeeming them.
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Christ bears their names upon His heart, much like.
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The high priest of ancient Israel?
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Yeah. Wearing the names of the 12
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tribes on his breastplate when he entered the holy place,
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Christ prayed specifically for those given to him by the Father
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in John chapter 17, stating clearly that he was not praying
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for the world, but for those the Father had given him.
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This provides incredible psychological comfort for the
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believer. Because it takes the burden off
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us, your. Salvation is not resting on your
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shaky daily performance. It is anchored in an eternal
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agreement between the Father and the Son, the Source.
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Material uses a fantastic analogy to bring all this
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together. Imagine a man who collects gems.
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This man searches through a massive heap of stones, looking
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for the ones that are already shiny, distinct and valuable.
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He's looking. For something with inherent
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value when he. Finds a shiny stone.
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He chooses it because it is already a gem.
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But God's process is the exact opposite.
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God looks at a heap of ordinary rough, muddy stones.
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He chooses them while they're still rough and muddy.
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And because he chooses them, he begins the painful, meticulous
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process of putting them on the polishing wheel, cutting them
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and turning them into brilliant jewels that.
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Polishing wheel is sanctification God has.
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Different uses for different vessels, and He chooses these
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rough stones to be vessels unto honor, displaying the glory of
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His divine grace upon them. I want to ask you, the listener,
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to pause and consider the sheer unmerited grace of this reality.
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If you are a believer listening to us right now, your salvation
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is not due to your superior intellect.
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It is not due to your natural moral compass.
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You were a rough stone in the mud, and God reached down and
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chose you purely out of His own good pleasure.
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Recognizing this truth should completely crush all human
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pride. It leaves absolutely no room for
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boasting. If our salvation depended even
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slightly on our own natural disposition, our own intellect,
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our own free will, we would have a reason to pat ourselves on the
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back we could take. Some credit we could say.
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Well, I. Was just a little bit wiser than
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my neighbor who rejected the gospel, but since it originates
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entirely in the eternal electing love of God, it should foster
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overwhelming gratitude in our hearts.
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It declares God is the absolute sovereign over his creation.
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So. What does this all mean for how
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this chosen group relates to one another?
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It leads us directly into the concept of a distinct spiritual
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pedigree. When?
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Peter calls Christians A chosen generation.
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The word generation carries the implication of a specific race,
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descent, or lineage. True Christians are actually
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descended from God. This makes.
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Them an entirely different family line from the rest of the
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world we can trace. This heavenly lineage in two
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distinct ways. First, we can trace it remotely
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through the historical line of the church.
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The church is a distinct race that originated from God.
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We see this all the way back in the book of Genesis with the
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line of Seth. Right where the line.
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Of Seth is distinguished from the line of Cain.
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Seth was the appointed seed. Then we see God calling Abraham
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out of Ur of the Chaldees to be the father of faith.
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This lineage continues through Israel and culminates in Jesus
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Christ. All believers, whether Jew or
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Gentile, are considered the true seed of Abraham through faith.
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So remotely, we are part of this grand historical family tree
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planted by God Himself. But there is.
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Also an immediate aspect to this lineage.
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Every single believer is immediately born again of the
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Spirit of God. We are given a new nature and a
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new life. God is literally the father of
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our spirits and the. Church functions as the mother
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of believers, the Church. Propagates itself instrumentally
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from generation to generation through the education,
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instruction, and the preaching of the Word by those who are
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God's people before us. The apostle Paul told the
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Corinthians that he had begotten them through the gospel.
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So we have this incredible immediate spiritual birth that
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connects us directly to God the Father, this dual.
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Lineage, both a long historical line and the immediate spiritual
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birth, explains A phenomenon that many Christians experience
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but struggle to articulate. It explains why Christians often
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feel completely alienated when immersed in secular culture.
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Have you ever? Felt like you are speaking a
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different language than your coworkers or your unsaved family
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members. It is not.
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Just a disagreement over opinions or political views.
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It is quite literally a clash of distinct natures.
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Christians are born of a heavenly stock, while the rest
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of the world remains of earthly derivation.
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Therefore, the things the world loves and obsesses over, the
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Christian naturally begins to hate and the.
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Spiritual disciplines and holy affections that the Christian
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loves the world finds completely unappealing and even strange.
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The Apostle. Peter notes that the world
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thinks it's strange that believers no longer run with
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them into the same excess of riot.
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This is because believers have received a new nature from their
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Heavenly Father. Think about.
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How earthly Royals behave Kings, Queens, Dukes and Lords obsess
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over their coats of arms. They meticulously track their
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genealogies and bloodlines. They take massive pride in their
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family name and recount the great exploits of their
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ancestors. They'll spend.
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Millions preserving an old castle just because of the name
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attached to it. Exactly.
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If earthly nobility places that much weight on a temporary human
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pedigree, how much more should Christians care about their
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spiritual family name? We are the offspring of the
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eternal Creator. We possess A heavenly pedigree
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that outshines any royal bloodline on this planet because
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of. This exalted pedigree.
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The text lays out some very practical exhortations.
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First, Christians must bear with one another, because we're.
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Family if we. Are all of the exact same
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family, descended from the same God, born of the same Spirit we
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should love as brethren? It is highly unbecoming for the
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offspring of God to entertain hatred or a revengeful spirit
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toward the spiritual sibling. You might annoy each other, but
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you share the same eternal bloodline Second.
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Christians must absolutely refuse to disgrace their
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lineage. A vivid image is used here.
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Believers must not act like moles groveling in the earth.
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Moles. Groveling in the Earth.
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The Mole. Analogy is brutal.
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A mole is blind, lives in the dirt, eats dirt, and never sees
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the sun. It makes you realize that
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chasing earthly wealth or status when you have a heavenly
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pedigree isn't just sinful, it's actually pathetic.
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It is beneath us. It is like a billionaire
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fighting someone for a penny in the gutter.
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That is a. Great way to put it.
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Christians have a heavenly nature, so to immerse themselves
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in earthly filth, indulging in the lusts of the flesh, or being
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consumed by a desire for earthly wealth and honor is to act
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entirely beneath their station. It is a total disgrace to their
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noble birth. They should instead be pursuing
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spiritual wisdom, heavenly mindedness, and the glory of
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their great progenitor. If we connect this to the bigger
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picture, it makes perfect sense that this heavenly lineage leads
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directly into our next title right from.
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A chosen generation to a royal priesthood.
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This is a staggering combination of titles.
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Under the law of Moses, the offices of king and priest were
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strictly separated. They belong to entirely
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different tribes. You had the.
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Kings from the tribe of Judah and priests.
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Came from the tribe of Levi. You could not cross those
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streams combining. These two offices was
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exceedingly rare in the biblical narrative.
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We see it early on with Melchizedek, who is both the
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king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God, a prophetic.
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Type yes. But other than that, the offices
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were kept apart until the arrival of Jesus Christ.
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Christ is what theologians call the anti type.
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If the Old Testament priests and kings were the rough sketches or
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shadows, Jesus is the final full color masterpiece.
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They were pointing to He. Perfectly fulfills both roles.
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He is the. Priest upon a throne.
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And because believers are united to Christ, they now share in
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this combined exalted status. They are made kings and priests
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unto God. Let's break.
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Down the first half of that title the office of King what
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does it actually mean that a normal person a regular believer
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going to their 95 job is a king the material breaks the
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christian's royal status down into three specific aspects the
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first aspect is honor because. Being adopted as a son or
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daughter of the living God drastically outshines any
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earthly princely title. An earthly Prince might have
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royal robes, A stately palace, and a massive entourage, but the
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believer will shine forth as the Son in the Kingdom of their
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father. The honor?
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Of a creature is found in their likeness and nearness to the
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creator, and believers will see God face to face the second.
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Aspect of this royal status is possessions.
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Earthly kings are famous for their peculiar treasures.
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Solomon gathered immense quantities of gold, silver, and
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the delights of the sons have been but earthly.
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Treasures are finite and corruptible.
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They rust, they get stolen, or they crash in the stock market.
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Christians are declared by Scripture to be joint heirs with
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Christ. That means the entire universe
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belongs to them. Everything that is God's is
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theirs, so far as it can contribute to their eternal
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happiness. They possess the gold tried in
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the fire, the graces of the Holy Spirit, and the promise that he
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who overcomes shall inherit all things.
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The third. Aspect is authority.
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This is where the royal title becomes incredibly tangible.
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Christians will physically reign.
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They are not just given honorary titles like getting a key to the
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city that doesn't actually open any doors.
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They're given actual jurisdiction scripture.
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Promises that believers will reign on the earth with Christ,
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and the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that the Saints will
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actually judge the world and even judge angels.
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We will reign in fellowship with Christ, having things disposed
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according to our will, because our will will be perfectly
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aligned with His. Contrast that reality with the
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modern world. Think about the sheer amount of
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bloodshed, fatigue, and political maneuvering that human
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beings go through to gain just a microscopic bit of earthly
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authority. People will destroy their
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families, ruin their health, and compromise their morals just to
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sit in a middle management chair or win a local election.
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They claw. Their way up corporate ladders
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only to find the top is completely unfulfilling
21:39
contrast. That pathetic scramble with the
21:41
eternal, incorruptible crown that is handed freely to the
21:44
believer by the King of Heaven. I want to.
21:46
Address you directly again when you are you're facing affliction
21:49
when you were dealing with a terrible Monday morning, or
21:52
facing mocking from the culture around you.
21:55
I want you to weigh those temporary troubles against the
21:59
sheer weight of the coming crown.
22:01
The malice of men cannot touch your true status.
22:05
Your boss might be giving you a hard time, but you are going to
22:07
judge angels. That changes your perspective on
22:11
a bad day at the office. Here's where it gets really
22:14
interesting as we shift from the future reign of kings to the
22:18
present duties of priests. This is a.
22:20
Huge shift. We have to understand how
22:22
exclusive and highly guarded the priesthood was under the old
22:25
covenant. It was.
22:26
Terrifying it was. The priesthood was restricted
22:29
entirely to the tribe of Levi, and specifically to the sons of
22:32
Aaron. It was a sacred office.
22:35
If any stranger or anyone from another tribe came near to
22:38
minister in the priest's office, the law commanded that they be
22:41
put to death. It was not a role you could just
22:43
volunteer for. You couldn't just.
22:45
Show up and say, hey, I feel called to be a priest.
22:47
You had to have. The right bloodline or you died.
22:51
But now under the New covenant, every single true believer is a
22:55
priest of God. The transition from the Old
22:58
Covenant priesthood to the New Covenant priesthood involves 2
23:02
major shifts. Let's talk.
23:03
About the first one, The first major.
23:05
Shift is unprecedented access. Under the Old Testament law, the
23:10
priest had a very restricted access to God, characterized by
23:13
fear and dread. The high priest was the only one
23:16
allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, where the presence of
23:19
God dwelt above the mercy seat, and he could only do.
23:21
That one single day a year, on the day of.
23:23
Atonement, and never without the blood of a sacrifice, is the
23:27
terrifying ordeal. Jewish tradition even suggests
23:30
they would tie a rope around the high priest's ankle so they
23:33
could pull his body out if God struck him dead while he was
23:35
inside. Think about.
23:36
That kind of access, it is like trying to get a top secret
23:39
security clearance at the Pentagon.
23:41
But the penalty for walking into the wrong room is instant
23:44
vaporization. But today the veil of the temple
23:48
has been torn in two from top to bottom that.
23:50
Physical tearing of the veil at the moment of Christ's death
23:54
signified a massive spiritual shift.
23:57
Believers are no longer kept at a terrified distance.
24:00
We are granted. Permission to walk directly into
24:02
the holiest of all approaching. The throne of grace with
24:05
boldness and confidence at any time of the day or night.
24:08
We do this through the blood of Jesus, the new and living way.
24:12
This level of intimacy and access was completely
24:15
unavailable to the vast majority of Israelites, and even the high
24:18
priest himself would have trembled to the thought of
24:20
approaching God with the freedom we now enjoy.
24:23
It is the. Difference between an employee
24:25
trembling outside the CEO's office and a child bursting into
24:29
their dad's Home Office the second.
24:31
Major shift involves the sacrifices we bring.
24:33
Under the Old Covenant, the priests were constantly
24:36
slaughtering bulls, goats and sheep.
24:38
The altar. Was a place of continuous
24:40
physical bloodshed. It was loud, it was messy, and
24:43
it smelled like a butcher shop. But under.
24:45
The new covenant believers OfferUp spiritual sacrifices the
24:49
source material identifies 5 distinct spiritual sacrifices
24:54
that we, as the royal priesthood, are called to offer
24:56
continually. Let us examine those five
24:59
sacrifices closely. The first of these is the heart,
25:03
the. Believer dedicates their entire
25:05
soul and faculties to God. But a sacrifice must first be
25:09
slain before it can be offered on the altar.
25:11
So the heart is first offered, broken it is wounded by a
25:14
profound sense of sin. Excuse me, an intense sense of
25:18
sin, and slain with godly sorrow and true repentance.
25:21
King David wrote in Psalm 51 that a broken and contrite heart
25:25
God will not despise after it. Is broken for sin.
25:28
The heart is then offered, flaming with divine love, just
25:31
as the sacrifices of old were consumed by fire from heaven on
25:34
the altar, the believer's heart is baptized with the Holy Ghost
25:37
and with fire, ascending to God in a flame of pure devotion.
25:41
The second. Spiritual sacrifice is praise.
25:44
It is fascinating to realize that the sincere, heartfelt
25:46
worship of a single true Christian is valued by God far
25:49
above the most extravagant animal sacrifices of the Old
25:52
Testament. Think about.
25:53
King Solomon dedicating the Temple the historical.
25:55
Record says he sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.
26:00
It was a massive. Bloody display of wealth and
26:03
national devotion. The logistics of moving and
26:06
slaughtering that many animals is staggering, yet the simple,
26:10
genuine praise flowing from the lips of a redeemed Sinner
26:13
driving to work is more pleasing to God than all those horns and
26:17
hoofs praise. Is literally called the calves
26:19
of our lips by the prophet Hosea the Third.
26:22
Sacrifice is obedience. The Old Testament sacrifices
26:26
pointed to Christ's work of satisfying God's wrath, but they
26:29
also pointed to His perfect obedience believers.
26:33
Today offer their physical bodies as living sacrifices,
26:36
which the Apostle Paul calls our reasonable worship.
26:39
We yield our eyes, our ears, our hands, and our feet as
26:42
instruments of righteousness to be used for holy purposes.
26:45
It is an active daily submission.
26:47
The 4th. Sacrifice is charity.
26:49
Giving to others from a spirit of Christian love is highly
26:52
acceptable to God. This gets broken down into two
26:54
main areas. First giving to the ministers of
26:57
the Gospel the priests of. Old lived off the sacrifices
26:59
brought to the temple today. Supporting those who labor in
27:02
preaching the Word is viewed by Christ as a fragrant offering.
27:06
The apostle Paul told the Philippians that their financial
27:09
support was a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to
27:12
God and the. Second area of charity is giving
27:14
to the poor Christ takes. What we do for the least of
27:17
these is being done directly to himself.
27:19
God desires mercy over animal sacrifice.
27:23
Finally. The 5th spiritual sacrifice is
27:25
prayer, specifically the prayer of faith.
27:29
In the Old Testament, the priest would burn sweet incense on the
27:31
golden altar, creating a thick, fragrant smoke that filled the
27:35
holy place. The recipe.
27:36
For this incense is given in the book of Exodus, and it was
27:38
highly restricted. It was a type.
27:40
Of the merits of Jesus Christ. But it also represented the
27:42
prayers of God's people. The psalmist cries.
27:45
Outlet my prayer, be set forth before Thee as incense.
27:48
When a believer prays in faith, resting on the merits of Christ,
27:51
that prayer ascends into the throne room of heaven as a
27:54
beautiful, sweet smelling savour to God.
27:57
I want to. Talk about the danger of having
27:58
this kind of access, though. We have the ability to walk
28:01
right up to the Creator of the cosmos 24/7.
28:04
We can offer our hearts, our praise, our bodies, our money,
28:07
and our prayers directly to Him. But human.
28:10
Nature is incredibly fickle. Familiarity can breed contempt.
28:14
Having this constant, unrestricted access to the
28:17
throne room can sometimes make us casual or indifferent.
28:20
We start. Treating God like a buddy or a
28:22
cosmic vending machine instead of the terrifyingly holy
28:25
sovereign of the universe having.
28:27
Unrestricted access should produce a deep holy awe in our
28:31
lives, not a flippant casual attitude that is a.
28:34
Crucial warning. We must look at the historical
28:37
example of King Uzziah. The narrative of Uzziah is
28:40
terrifying. He was a powerful and successful
28:43
king of Judah. He built up massive armies,
28:46
invented new siege engines and expanded his territory.
28:49
But as he. Grew strong.
28:51
His heart was lifted up with pride, he decided.
28:53
That being a king was not enough, he wanted to perform the
28:56
duties of a priest as well. So he arrogantly walked into the
28:59
temple of the Lord with a sensor to burn incense on the golden
29:02
altar. And he was.
29:03
Immediately confronted, right? It wasn't just a quiet mistake,
29:06
correct? The high priest Azariah, along
29:09
with 80 valiant priests followed him in.
29:12
They confronted him directly and told him to leave the sanctuary,
29:15
warning him that he had trespassed against the Lord and
29:18
it would not be for his honor. But.
29:20
Uzziah became enraged. He thought his earthly authority
29:23
allowed him to bypass God's divine order while he.
29:26
Was standing there raging at the priest with a censor in his
29:28
hand. God struck him with leprosy
29:31
right on his forehead. The priest rushed him out and he
29:34
himself hurried to get out because the Lord had smitten
29:36
him. He lived the rest of his life as
29:38
a leper in an isolated house cut off from the House of the Lord.
29:41
That historical event shows us just how incredibly sacred the
29:45
priestly office is. God does not tolerate the
29:48
profaning of His holy things and.
29:50
Yet this overwhelmingly sacred office, the very office that
29:54
Uzziah was struck down for trying to steal, is the exact
29:57
office that you, as a believer now hold freely by grace.
30:01
This raises an important question regarding how one
30:04
maintains the purity of such an exalted office, right?
30:07
If we hold such an exalted, sacred office, how do we
30:10
maintain the purity required to function in it?
30:13
That brings us to our final section, the warnings and the
30:16
necessity of the holy anointing. The pastoral warnings here
30:20
against defiling the spiritual priesthood are severe.
30:24
To operate as a priest, you cannot just rely on your own
30:27
strength, your own willpower, or good intentions.
30:30
You require what the text calls the Holy Anointing.
30:33
Under the Old Covenant, Aaron and his sons had to have the
30:36
sacred anointing oil poured over their heads to consecrate them
30:40
for service. The oil was specially compounded
30:43
and poured lavishly. For the new Covenant believer,
30:46
this holy anointing is the sanctifying work and presence of
30:49
the Holy Spirit without the. Holy Spirit, actively guiding,
30:52
illuminating and purifying you, Your spiritual sacrifices are
30:55
completely unacceptable. It would be.
30:57
Like bringing strange fire to the altar.
30:59
Furthermore, deliberately giving oneself over to sin, especially
31:02
sins of sexual impurity, defiles the temple of God, since the
31:06
believer is the temple and the believer is the priest.
31:08
Polluting your body and mind with fleshly lust is a direct
31:12
profanation of your sacred character.
31:14
It's the apostle. Paul issues a stark warning in
31:16
his letter to the Corinthians. If any man defile the temple of
31:19
God, him shall God destroy. To illustrate this, we need to
31:22
look at the chilling historical example of Hofni and Phineas
31:26
Hofni. And Phineas were the sons of Eli
31:28
the high priest. They lived during the time of
31:30
the Judges, before the monarchy was established.
31:33
They were functioning priests at the Tabernacle in Shiloh, but
31:36
the Bible calls them sons of Belial, meaning they were
31:39
worthless men who did not know the Lord They.
31:42
Abuse their office horribly. When people brought sacrifices,
31:45
the law dictated certain portions belong to the priests,
31:49
but Hofni and Phineas would send a servant with A3 pronged fork
31:52
to forcefully steal whatever meat they wanted before the fat
31:56
was even burned to the Lord and even.
31:57
Worse, they committed gross sexual immorality with the women
32:01
who assembled at the door of the Tabernacle and their.
32:04
Father Eli who is the high priest heard about all of this
32:07
but only gave them a week verbal reprimand.
32:09
He did not remove them from office.
32:11
He honored his sons above God. The.
32:13
Consequences of their impurity were absolutely devastating.
32:17
A man of God came to Eli and pronounced a curse upon his
32:20
entire family line. God declared that there would
32:23
never be an old man in Eli's house again.
32:25
Hofni and Phineas were both killed on the exact same day in
32:29
a battle against the Philistines.
32:31
Furthermore, their corruption LED directly to the capture of
32:33
the Ark of the Covenant by the enemy.
32:35
The Glory departed from Israel when Eli heard the news that his
32:39
sons were dead and the Ark was taken.
32:41
He fell backward off his chair, broke his neck and died.
32:46
This narrative stands as a terrifying monument to the
32:49
severity of God against those who treat his holy calling with
32:52
contempt. Another.
32:53
Tragic example used in the material is Esau.
32:56
Esau was the first born of Isaac, which meant he possessed
32:59
the birthright before the Levitical priesthood was
33:01
established. The first born son often
33:03
functioned as the priest of the family.
33:05
It was an. Incredibly sacred honor,
33:07
carrying spiritual weight and the promise of the covenant.
33:10
But Esau. Came in from the field one day,
33:12
hungry and exhausted, and he sold that sacred birthright to
33:15
his brother Jacob for a single bowl of red Stew.
33:18
He traded a permanent holy privilege for a temporary
33:21
physical gratification. The writer.
33:23
Of Hebrews calls Esau A profane person for doing this.
33:27
Esau's story is the ultimate warning against short term
33:30
thinking. He despised his birthright.
33:33
The application for you, the listener, is clear and
33:36
uncompromising. You must not trade the spiritual
33:39
privileges of your royal priesthood for the worldly
33:42
trifles of this age. You must.
33:44
Actively seek the holy anointing of the Spirit of God.
33:47
You must pray continually for His sanctifying influences to
33:50
fall upon you. And simultaneously, you must
33:52
ruthlessly eliminate sin from your life to preserve the
33:55
dignity of your priestly office. You cannot.
33:58
Allow any sin to set up camp in your heart, for allowing sin to
34:01
remain is a dreadful presumption against the holy Name by which
34:04
you are called. We have.
34:05
Covered a vast amount of theological territory today we
34:08
started by looking at the sovereign electing grace of God
34:12
the incredible reality that God reaches down into the mud, pulls
34:15
out ordinary rebellious stones and through his own divine
34:19
choice begins polishing them into brilliant gems for his
34:22
spiritual house we. Examine the massive truth that
34:25
you have a heavenly pedigree born of the Spirit, making you a
34:29
distinct race from the rest of the world and we.
34:31
Unpacked the staggering reality of your dual office.
34:35
You are our reigning King who will inherit the universe and
34:38
judge angels. And you are a functioning priest
34:40
with direct, bold access to the Creator, offering spiritual
34:44
sacrifices day and night. And we must.
34:47
Constantly affirm that every single aspect of this reality is
34:50
made possible only through the Mediator, Jesus Christ.
34:53
He's a chief cornerstone. He is the high priest.
34:55
Your sacrifices of praise, your acts of charity, your obedience
34:58
and your prayers must all be offered on the right altar.
35:01
They must be. Heavily perfumed with the
35:03
incense of Christ's own perfect merits, to be accepted by the
35:06
Father without. Christ, our best efforts are
35:08
unacceptable. Your standing as a king and a
35:11
priest is secure only because it is rooted entirely in Him.
35:16
I want to leave you with a final thought to Mull over as we
35:18
conclude. In the book.
35:20
Of Leviticus, God commanded that the physical fire on the altar
35:23
in ancient Israel was be kept burning continually.
35:26
It was never to go out. That fire was originally ignited
35:29
by God himself when it fell from heaven.
35:32
The priests had the daily duty of bringing fresh wood to keep
35:35
that divine flame alive. Now, if your heart is the new
35:38
altar in the spiritual temple, and the divine love of the Holy
35:42
Spirit is the fire from heaven that ignited it, what specific
35:45
logs are you throwing on that fire today?
35:47
What daily habits, disciplines, and affections are you feeding
35:51
into your soul to ensure that you're burning?
35:52
Devotion outlasts the world itself.
35:55
That is an. Incredible question to leave us
35:57
with. Thank you so much for joining us
35:59
for this deep dive into the source material.
36:01
We hope it has challenged your thinking and giving you a
36:03
greater appreciation for the majestic sovereign grace of God.
36:07
Until next time, thank you for tuning in to Reformed Thinking.