Hebrews 4:4:14-16; 10:19-22
I.
Introduction
A. Primary Beliefs of a Christian beliefs on how to be saved
B. Distinctive Beliefs of a Baptist
1. These are the beliefs that determine how you live, and how far you trust God
2. Most Christians only want to know they are forgiven
3. It is Bible believing Baptists who had died for what they have believed
C. These lessons just preview the eight distinctive beliefs of Baptists throughout history
II.
Review
A. Biblical Authority (1Cor 1:10)
B. Autonomy of the Local Church
III.
Background (Rev 1:5,6)
A.
What has God done for the believer?
B.
He took a dirty, rotten, filthy, wicked bunch of sinners, and transformed
them into KINGS and PRIESTS
C.
Not one group being the Kings, and another group being the priests
D.
No! Every born again, Christian is, right now, a child of THE King, Jesus
Christ, and a Priest of the most High God!
E.
I am talking about the priesthood of every believer
IV.
Lesson - Priesthood of the Believer
A. A Baptist Priest (Heb 4:14-16; 1Tim 2:5)?
1. It is true there are LOADS of Baptist priests!
2. Without any white collar, black shirts, pants, shoes, etc.
3. Truth is, every born again child of God is a priest!
a. From the moment a person realises they are lost and guilty as a sinner, repents, and believes ON Jesus, they become two things:
1) A saint washed in the forgiving blood of Jesus Christ
2) A priest able to go directly to God the Father (Heb 4:16). That includes every woman, and boy and girl in here as well!
b. Many people find it hard to comprehend because they cant imagine being a catholic priest!
c. What being a real, Biblical New Testament priest means:
1) You as a believer have the same standing before God as every other believer including Abraham, Mary, Joseph, and Paul
2) You, as a Christian have direct access to God through Jesus There is no need for any other mediatory help at ALL!
3) You have the ability to make SPIRITURAL sacrifices in worship of God
4. If the Bible is right, over 100,000 priests are out of a job!
B. Our Access to God (Heb 10:19-22)
1. Our Access Requires three conditions to be met:
a. The sacrifice of a Perfect Lamb sin sacrifice
b. A Mediator who sacrifices the Lamb Priest
c. Gods Law that describes HOW the Lamb must be sacrificed - Bible
2. Our Access means we must Resist the Temptation to return to Judaism (Heb 4:14, let us hold fast our profession )
a. It is harder to stay simple in our worship (2Cor 11:2-4)
b. It is easier to LET someone else be spiritual FOR us
c. In the Old Testament, there were plenty of:
1) Priests
2) Ceremonies
3) Sacrifices
4) A huge, beautiful Temple
5) A whole lot of sinners just standing and watching
d. It is a constant temptation to backslide, and settle for a religion that does all the work for us Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6,15) Nico (to conquer, control) Laitan (the laity, common people)!
e. When you see religions like Catholicism using all those things they are doing three things:
1) Following only the pattern of the Old Testament system
2) Ignoring the words and work of Christ in the New Testament
3) Directing people backwards towards Babylon via Rome (Rev 17)!
f. Any other system, including the Jewish system is flawed (Heb 10:11,12)
g. But once you have your sins washed away (Heb 10:18-20), you can come straight to God through the NEW and living way Jesus!
3. Our Access is only experienced when we Raise Our Voice towards Heaven
a. Every born again child of God is a priest define:
1) You have direct access to God through the finished work of Jesus Christ He is the WAY by which you get to God
2) You can make spiritual sacrifices to worship God (1Pet 2:5,9; Heb 13:15,16), which includes:
a) Your own life (Rom 12:1)
b) Continual Praise in hard and bad times a sacrifice
c) Doing Good a godly life when it is easier to do wrong
d) Communication Giving hard when you are covetous
e) These are SPIRITUAL sacrifices that please God! WOW!
3) You can intercede for others supplication (1Tim 2:1,2)
a) Not only for your own needs
b) But for others
c) Especially for people who have gotten discouraged, or forgotten to pray, or are wayward!
4) You can remit peoples sins (Jn 20:23) this is the New Testament concept!
a) Not that YOU remove them, but that you can give people who are dying the CURE for their sins faith in Christ alone
b) By winning a soul, you are removing their sin
c) You are the priest of God for THEM
b. So, go ahead and apply your power/ability do the work of a New Testament priest
1) PRAY
2) And EXPECT God to answer (Mk 11:24; Jer 33:3)
c. Tell God THANK YOU for allowing you such free and powerful access to HIMSELF, any minute of every day!
C. Hindrances/Obstacles in Our Way Things that block our access to God
1. Not being a real Christian born again
2. Being too busy
a. No time for prayer
b. Preferring to be busy instead of on your knees in sweet fellowship with God OUCH!
3. Pride wont confess and forsake some sin that you know is holding you back (Ps 66:18) to regard is to hold on to!
4. Guilt from the past
a. Something you have you just find very difficult burying
b. It haunts you, and the devil uses it to discourage you
c. The blood of Jesus Christ purges, and cleanses from all sin (1Jn 1:7)
V.
Conclusion Are their any priests in the house today?