Tag: priests

Categories
Matthew Devotionals

A Christmas prayer

Wise men

Lord, let me never take you for granted or lose my wonder at you.

That’s what the priests and scribes seemed to have done.

They studied your scriptures. They did all their religious rituals.

But when they heard you had been born, they couldn’t be bothered to seek you out. They just went back to their studies and religious practices with hearts completely unchanged.

Lord, let me instead be like the wise men. Seeking you. Overwhelmed with joy at the sight of you. Falling to my knees. Worshiping you.

Categories
1 Peter Devotionals

Proclaiming the praises of the one who called us

1 Peter

Yesterday, we talked about who we are in Christ. Peter expands on that even more in this chapter.

He says in verses 9-10,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession…

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

As Christians, we are to reflect on these things. Reflect on the grace and mercy God has given you, but also on who has he called you to be: his people and his priests.

And as his people and priests, remember why God in his grace and mercy chose us:

…so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (9b)

We are not meant to keep our salvation to ourselves. We aren’t meant to simply say, “I’m so glad I’m a child of God.”

We live now in a world darkened by sin and all the pain that comes from it. The people around us need hope.

So as God’s people, as God’s priests, let us proclaim God’s praises to those around us that they too may come out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

Categories
1 Peter

Because we don’t belong here

Traveler

Having lived in Japan for 20 years, I sometimes feel like a man without a country. Of course I am American, but having been out of country so long, I am totally out of touch with the culture there and how things have changed over the years.

On the other hand, even having been in Japan so long, I am in many ways still an outsider. Or as we say in Japanese, a “gaijin.”

But maybe that’s not such a bad thing, because I don’t belong to this world. Not really. And neither do you if you’re a Christian. Christ has purchased us at a great price, not with silver or gold, but with his own blood. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

And he bought us to be his own people.

Like I said before, one of the key words in I Peter is “exiles” or “strangers.” We don’t belong here. And Peter goes into great detail as to the implications of this.

He says,

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

In short, because we are exiles and strangers, prepare yourself for the things that are to come.

There will be hardships and even persecution for following Christ. But don’t falter because of that. Don’t look back longingly on your old life. Rather, set your hope on the grace you will receive when Christ comes back.

What grace? The grace of eternal life. Of things that will never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for you. (1:4)

And because of that hope we have, don’t conform yourself to the evil desires that would destroy you; conform yourself to God. Make it your goal to become more like him. To be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Our lives are so often broken because of sin. And by clinging to sin, our lives become even more broken. But when we let go of our sin and of doing things our way, and when we turn to God, doing things his way, our lives are made whole and complete.

And on the day of judgment, we will be rewarded.

So as Peter writes,

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. (1 Peter 1:17)

What does that mean to live as strangers here?

It means to live each day in faith, hope, and love. Faith and hope that God will do all that he has promised (1:21). And loving each other as he commanded us. (1:22)

It means to remember that the life that we have is something eternal. Life here on earth is short, but it is only preparation for what is to come after death. (1:23-25)

It means to get rid of the poisons that we drink in each day, poisons that the people of this world drink in daily, the poisons of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. (2:1)

These poisons and other sinful desires wage war against our souls and will destroy us if we continue to drink them in. (2:11)

Instead, we are to drink in the milk of God’s Word so that we can grow as his children. (2:2)

Most of all, it means to come to the One that this world has rejected.

To come to Jesus as people who belong to his house.

To be a part of that spiritual house he is building.

To be his priests, offering spiritual sacrifices to God in our speech, in our actions, in our lives. (2:4-8)

And as we do, we will shine his light to a world trapped in darkness. (2:9, 12)

So remember who you are.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Categories
Matthew Matthew 16

The one on whom all stands

Matthew

This is truly a powerful passage and as such, it deserves another look.

After Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah, Jesus praises him, saying,

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (17-19)

That’s a mouthful. But what does it all mean? What can we get from all of this?

First, salvation comes as God reveals himself to people. Because God is invisible, we can only come to know him if he reveals himself and his truth to us. As such, salvation truly is by grace from first to last.

Lots is made by the Catholics of Peter’s name and how he is the rock on which Jesus would build his church. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here.

The word “Peter” basically means “little stone,” while the “rock” on which Jesus would build his church is a word for “bedrock.”

Peter himself refers to this in one of his letters as he said,

As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

According to Peter, who was the stone on which all stands? It was and is Jesus.

What are we? We are living stones built into the church that God is creating. And through Christ, we have been made his priests. We don’t need other people to be our priests. We are priests who have direct access to God.

And because this church is built on Christ, all of Hades cannot stand against it. Though Satan has sought to wipe out the church from the very beginning, it still stands and will stand until the end of time when Jesus returns.

Was Jesus giving Peter any special authority in this passage?

To some degree, I believe so, although I doubt the disciples, and even Peter truly understood it at the time.

It was Peter who first opened up the gospel to the Jews by preaching to them in Acts 2.

And it was Peter again who first opened up the gospel to the Gentiles by preaching to them in Acts 10-11. In so doing, he used the keys of the kingdom to open the way to salvation for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.

It was also Peter that helped set the Gentiles free from following the law of Moses, loosing the requirements of the ceremonial and dietary laws, while still binding Christians to the moral laws as well as a few other things for the sake of peace between the Jewish and Gentile believers at the time. (Acts 15).

That said, I think it goes too far to say that he was the first pope and that this authority was to be passed on to his successors. Jesus never, ever said that.

To some degree, though, these things Jesus said to Peter apply to all Christians. As his priests, we have been given the keys to the kingdom, and by preaching the gospel to those around us, we open the way of salvation to all those who will listen and believe.

And we have been given authority to declare the forgiveness of sins through Jesus by grace, setting people free from trying to earn their salvation through their works.

So let us use the keys and authority we have been given by Jesus so that those around us may find the salvation we have been given.

Categories
Hosea

When the priests fail to act as priests

Hosea

Why are morals collapsing in this world?

There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

There’s murder, adultery, stealing, cursing, lying.

All bounds are being broken. Bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Does this sound familiar?

Hosea wrote about all this nearly 2700 years ago.

It’s amazing how little things have changed.

And as God condemned the Israelites of that time, he put the blame on the priests.

These priests were probably the same ones who claimed to be following Yahweh but were doing so through the calf idols set up by Jeroboam.

It’s also possible they were starting to follow Baal as well.

It says in verse 7,

The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful. (Hosea 4:7)

Because of this, the true knowledge of God became lost, or at least greatly distorted.

And so God told the priests,

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests. (Hosea 4:6)

He then said,

It will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways. (Hosea 4:9)

I think much the same could be said today.

I’m not talking about the fallen pastors and priests of today. I’m talking about us as Christians. We are the priests of God in the world today. (1 Peter 2:9)

And when we prostitute ourselves to the gods of self, materialism, and the other things of this world, we lose our effectiveness as priests.

When we fail to bring the true knowledge of God to this world, and instead compromise our Lord’s teaching, is it any wonder that the world is in as bad shape as it is today?

But while this world may be going to hell, we will also be held responsible if we are unfaithful in our role as God’s priests.

What kind of priest are you?

Categories
Exodus

A treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation

God made a pretty awesome covenant with the people of Israel. 

After pulling them out of Egypt and bringing them to himself, he now promised to make them his own treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

Of all the people on the earth, of all the nations, God chose them. 

They were to be his own special treasure. 

They were to be priests for him to the nations around them. 

All nations would come to know him through Israel. 

And they were to be a nation set apart for himself.

There was only one catch:

They had to fully obey him and keep his covenant. 

And unfortunately, they were unable keep their end of the deal.  Time and again, they would break their covenant with God by serving other gods.

God is by no means done with the people of Israel. 

Paul said of them that they are still loved on account of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29) 

Based on this, I have to believe that God still has a special plan in store for them.

But God now says of us Christians the very same things he once said of Israel. 

In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter says,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

What is the difference between us and Israel? 

Really there’s only one thing.  Theirs was a covenant based on works.  As long as they kept the law of God, they would be fine.  But when they messed up, they lost everything.

We, on the other hand, live on the principle of God’s grace. 

It’s not because of what we’ve done that we’ve become his priests, his special possession, and his holy nation.  Instead, it’s because of what Christ did for us 2000 years ago on a cross. 

He took the punishment for our sins, and now, the only thing we have to do, is to put our trust in him and the work he’s already done on the cross.

Just as God pulled the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he pulled us out of slavery to sin in Satan’s kingdom and brought us to himself. 

As Peter says, God has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

Peter goes on to say in verse 10,

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)

So what do we take from this? 

Let’s start living like the people we are. 

There’s nothing sadder than Christians who think they’re nobodies. 

Who think that they’re nothing special. 

Who can’t figure out why God would love them, and could never imagine that God could use them for His kingdom.

But God says that he chose you. 

Think about it. 

Of all the people in the world, he chose you. 

He thought enough about you to choose you. 

He knew your personality.  He knew your strengths and weaknesses.  He knew your past, present, and future. 

And he still chose you.

You are his special possession. 

You’re like a jewel that God likes to show off to his angels. 

Jesus puts it this way:  You’re a pearl of great price that he was willing to give away everything for, even his life, in order to purchase you.  (Matthew 13:45-46)

As one person put it, if you were the only one who had sinned and needed Jesus to die for you, he still would have done it.  That’s how special you are to him.

You are his priest. 

We don’t need another person to stand between us and God.  We have direct access to him through Jesus Christ.  He is our high priest. 

But now he asks you, as his priest, to proclaim his praises so that others may come to know him as well.

You are part of his holy nation. 

You are not alone.  You are part of a larger body of people called the church. 

And together, you are set apart by God to make a difference together in this world. 

So as the writer of Hebrews said,

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)