By Birth

Q: What does the Bible say about the priesthood in Leviticus?

Leviticus outlines the qualifications and duties of the priesthood, emphasizing the need for holiness and lack of blemish. In Leviticus 21 and 22, God gives specific instructions concerning the qualifications for the priesthood. The priests, as representatives of the people before God, were forbidden to be defiled for the dead among their kin. They were required to maintain their holiness and to not offer offerings if they were blemished in any way, as they represented the perfect holiness of God. This legislation emphasizes that only through a perfect priest, Jesus Christ, can we approach God, highlighting the biblical principle of needing a mediator who is without blemish to meet God's holy standards.

Q: How do we know Jesus is our perfect high priest?

Jesus is identified as our perfect high priest in Hebrews, as He offered Himself without blemish and accomplished our redemption. The New Testament, particularly in the book of Hebrews, emphasizes that Jesus is our perfect high priest. Unlike the Old Covenant priests who had to continually offer sacrifices, Christ offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice without spot or blemish, thereby accomplishing eternal redemption for His people. Hebrews 9:12 states that He entered the holy place once for all through His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption. This signifies that His priestly work was both sufficient and perfect, fulfilling the requirements of the Old Testament and establishing a new covenant in His blood.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

Understanding our identity in Christ assures us of our acceptance and security in God's love despite our imperfections. For Christians, grasping the depth of our identity in Christ is crucial because it informs our relationship with God. Despite our imperfections and sins, God sees believers as holy and justified due to Christ's finished work on the cross. This identity prevents us from becoming overly introspective or burdened by our daily failures. Knowing we are accepted in the beloved allows us to worship freely and serve joyfully, understanding that nothing we do can change God's love for us. As stated in Romans 8, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, which assures us of our eternal security and encourages us to live out our faith boldly.

Q: What is the significance of Christ's perfection for our salvation?

Christ's perfection is essential for our salvation as it guarantees that His sacrifice is acceptable to God on our behalf. The significance of Christ's perfection in relation to our salvation cannot be overstated. Him being perfect fulfills the biblical requirement for a sacrifice that could atone for sin. As the book of Hebrews illustrates, Old Testament sacrifices were insufficient since they were repeated and never perfected, whereas Christ offered Himself once and for all. His perfection ensures that He perfectly satisfied God's justice and wrath against sin, thus securing salvation for all who believe. Hebrews 10:14 succinctly states that 'by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified,' which highlights that our standing before God is forever secured through Christ's unconditional righteousness.

I don't have a bulletin this morning, but our printer is no longer recognizing our Wi-Fi. We'll have to get into that. It's embarrassing, but that's how it is. We'll see if we can get that fixed this week. We'll have to get on the telephone with somebody, see if anybody helps out. She's six years old. Six years old. She's got a little kid. My name is him.

I remember her at the prayers. Also, the others who requested prayer. Tim, we got Freddy Bear on our list, I think, already. But do you remember him in prayer? Who? Freddy Bear. I think he's on our list. But anyway, he kept taking night houses. And they gave him an option. He's too far gone. He can take it or he can do without. What's his name? Did you say Grady? Franny. Franny Baird. He's young, too. Thank you.

You get my age sometimes, you know. Unworthy am I of a nation There's more. unworthy a beggar in bondage and alone but he made me worthy and now I am pleased with the first thing that's made me his own My speech comes with a burden that can't share My faults and failures and who am I? unworthy unworthy of favor in knowledge alone but he made me worthy and now by his feet his mercy has made me his own I'm worthy.

We'll sing the second hand now. out of the rise and glory of Jesus. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Leviticus chapter 21. There are two sections of scripture. Leviticus 21 and 22 are the laws of ordinance given under the law of Moses concerning the priesthood. Verses 1 through 8.

It says, And the Lord said to Moses, speaking to the priests, the sons of Abraham, and saying unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people, and for his kin that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother, and for his sister, a virgin that is nigh unto him.

But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among the people, to profane himself. They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor shall they make cuttings of their flesh. They shall be holy unto God, and not profane the name of their God. For the offerings of the Lord, made by the fire and the bread of their God, they do offer. Therefore they shall be holy. and shall not take a wife that is a whore or profane, neither shall she take a woman put away from her husband, for he is holy unto God. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore, for he offereth the bread of thy God. He shall be holy unto thee, for I, the Lord, which sanctify thee, am holy." Then look at verse 16.

And the Lord said to Moses, speaking to Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be that I see in their generation that hath any blemish that is not approached to offer the bread of God, whatsoever man he be that hath the blemish, he shall not approach a blind man or lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous. or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed, or crooked-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scab, or hath stones broken, no man that hath a blemish in the seat of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer offerings to the Lord made by fire. He hath a blemish, he shall not come nigh to offer bread unto his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and the holy. Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish, that he profane not my sanctuaries.

For I am the Lord, for I the Lord do sanctify thee. Let us pray. Our Father, we come to the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. who rules over this world with absolute sweat. None can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou?

We know that he sits at thy right hand, exalted and uplifted because of the work he did here on this earth in accomplishing the redemption of his people, finishing the work of salvation, and send his spirit into the world to take the things of Christ and reveal them unto men. to take this book and plant it in the hearts and minds of His people, give them peace, make them alive to Jesus Christ. We thank you, Father, that the gospel is the power of God and the salvation of everyone that believes, the Jew first and also the Gentile. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. For it is written, the just shall live by faith. Lord, we pray for those who are sick and going through trials and tribulations, those who have been added to the prayer list. We ask, Lord, you'd be pleased to show mercy, grace to them, turn their eyes to Jesus Christ.

Our time here is short. Our life is a frail thing. It doesn't take much to put us out of business. Thou knowest. We pray and are thankful that you remember our frame and you know that we are dust. Help us, Lord, to look to you in all things and trust you. For we ourselves are unworthy and untrustworthy, but we know that everything you say is true.

Help us this day to worship you in spirit and in truth. Enable me to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ clearly. Help me to say right things concerning I'm gonna rise and go with Jesus. ♪ Come ye sinners, poor and needy ♪ ♪ Weak and wounded, sick and sore ♪ ♪ Jesus, pray for us ♪ What did you know and how? Come ye first, we come and we'll come. O believer, true repentant, every race that brings you nigh! Come ye weary, every laden, You will never come. Let not conscience make you linger, nor other fitness fondly dream. All the fitness thee requireth is to feel your new-born field.

Sons, we are by God's relation, through Him, Jesus Christ, believe, by eternal fist in hand. in the arms of Let us pray. Our Father, again we approach in the name of Christ. We ask, Father, give us a remembering heart, knowing full well that He is there. we have this side of perdition is mercy and grace. Help us, Lord, to render unto Thee that which is rightfully belongs to You, for You've given it all to us. Help us now, we pray in Christ's name. Amen. ♪ ♪ The Old Testament was what the disciples and our Lord Jesus Christ and all the apostles used in the early days of the church to preach Jesus Christ and be crucified. There wasn't no other scripture than that.

The first epistle was written around 51 AD by Paul to the Corinthian church. And by that time, the church was in such a mess that he had to write some very hard and rebuking things. And the reason is because the church is not made of good people. A church is made up of sinners saved by grace, sinners who have a flesh and a spirit, who are troubled on every side of their own selves, and completely and totally and unconditionally satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that's what the Old Testament taught. The New Testament calls that the flesh and the spirit, and that was the subject early on. about the flesh and the spirit, and said to Nicodemus, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, and never the twain shall meet. Paul wrote to the Colossians and Galatians concerning this, also much of Romans has to do with the flesh. Our Lord told early on about the flesh and the spirit. He also taught this fact, speaking of the Old Testament, that is Genesis through Malachi.

He said, to the Pharisees, you do search the scriptures for anything you think you'd find eternal life. But there they would testify of me. And you will not come to me, because you might have life. What is the name of Jesus Christ set forth in the first chapter of John?

The word, the divine logos, the message, divine communication from God Almighty. And what we have here in this passage of scriptures describes who is qualifying for the priesthood and who is not qualifying for the priesthood is a picture of the flesh and the spirit. It's a picture of that. Piping pictures in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and different aspects of his work. Pictures of his church, his bride, his sheep, those for whom he died.

The Lord requires something of his He requires perfection. Anybody want to show of hands how you're doing with that? We can't do it. But someone did it, and that someone who did it is the Lord Jesus Christ. For it says of Him in Hebrews chapter 7, I want to offer it.

He has perfected, perfected forever them that are sanctified. That word perfective is a Greek word teleo, it means perfect. It's spoken three times and used three times in John chapter 18 or 19 when the Lord was on the cross. Speaks of all the scriptures being fulfilled. There's that word again, fulfilled. Then it uses the word accomplished. That's the same word, teleo.

And then it was translated into three words when our Lord cried from the cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ hung in agonies and blood, having suffered the hatred of men and the wrath of God in those three hours of darkness, just before he gave up the ghost, which was what was required to pay the sin debt.

He said, perfect. It's finished. It's finished. So according to scripture, We poor, wretched sinners stand before the thrice holy God, whose eyes are too pure to behold evil, before whom the sun, moon, and stars are not pure in His sight. That's perfect.

He hath perfected forever. The woman who was sanctified, look at Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 10, we are sanctified, set apart, made holy, declared to be holy by God, by the will of God. So Christ's accomplishment was perfection because the Lord has said even in these two chapters in verse 21 of chapter 22, it shall be perfect to be accepted. It shall be perfect to be accepted.

Christ accomplished that perfection and yet we are utterly sinful in every aspect of our existence. In Christ the believer is perfect, clean every whit is how he's called and in themselves the believer is nowhere clean and utterly imperfect on every count. Paul made this clear in his final summation of his life of a believer in Romans chapter 7 when he said, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then With my mind, that means what I want to do, what I desire to do, what's in my heart and in my mind. In my mind, I serve the law of God, and the law there is the Word, the whole Word of God. But with the flesh, I serve. I'm a slave to it. I serve the law of sin and death. if not for grace. Because with my flesh, I serve the law of sin and death.

Now here it's talking about the priesthood, so it's talking about the priesthood, it's talking about the church. It's talking about the church in type and shallow, it's talking about the church, the body of Christ. The fullness of him that filleth all, as it's called in scripture. And Peter said that the body of Christ is the church, is the priesthood. He said in chapter 2 of 1 Peter, he said, you are as lively or living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. You're a holy priesthood. That's how the church of the living God is described.

And I want to look at this truth this morning. and see it in the relationship of us with the God and the relationship of God with us because they're not the same. They're not the same. Here in Leviticus 21 and 22 is defined by those who said to be qualified for the priesthood and those who are not. The ones who are qualified for the priesthood, that is to in His perfection as perfect priest, as high priest, and I have stayed in Him as perfection, as perfect before God and God's relationship with us. And ones who are not qualified for the priesthood are described as not qualified to offer the bread to God. That's written in Leviticus 17 through 21.

That pictures us in our sin. Warts and all. and our relationship with God. Nothing we are, nothing we do, or ever will do, will affect a change in God's relationship to us. Write that down. Nothing we do, or don't do, will affect sadly, on making people worried that if they trip up, God's going to thump them on the head. They rely on that. That's how they keep people in pews and keep them worried and keep them dissatisfied, keep them unhappy, control their lives. That's how they do it. But they're lying to me.

If those people they're talking to are actually children of God, been propitiated for them, he's satisfied with them. It says in Christ's sacrifice, he shall see off the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. We, as believers, as those whom God has given life to, are accepted fully, unconditionally, and eternally in Jesus Christ. Why? Because he's always loved us.

Look up the word love in scripture. It does tell us to love one another. But by and large, every time the word love is in scripture, it's in the past tense. He has loved us and washed us in the blood of Jesus Christ. He has loved us and given us life in Jesus Christ. He has loved us. The great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Jesus Christ. Listen, if God loves you now, He always loved you. And He will always love you, and let me be very clear, He don't put no one of His loved ones in hell. That don't make sense.

John describes His love in 1 John 3, verses 18 through 20. It says, Hereby we perceive the love of God, that He lay down His life for us, and we ought to lay down the life for others. were with all to help him, and does not help him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Now listen, if that's the application he makes to poor wretched humanity, how much more is the love of God representing the love of God? If indeed he loves someone, and they're dying in sin and perishing and going to hell, and he doesn't save them when he has the wherewithal to save them, the ability to save them. If he doesn't, he doesn't love them. The love of God's not in him. The love of God's not in him. He's always loved his people. He's always loved them. Every believer knows this by their own experience. The old adage, you'll find God right where you left him rings true.

The fact is, when we take our eyes from Jesus Christ and begin to look inward, we find ourselves in a world of hurt and a world of shame. Don't do introspection. It's a killer. It's a killer. Look to Christ. Trust Him only. Trust Him only. We find that our thoughts are not of God. or rather ourselves, and soon we are occupied with dark and vile things and offering the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving becomes impossible for us. Our relationship with God has changed when we cease to have a vertical view, setting our affection on things of earth rather than viewing Christ at the right hand of the Father.

Our horizontal aspect causes us to look for and find fault in others. That's what we do. Soon our perspective is warped. But we may endeavor to praise God. Our praise is that of a comparative nature. Sounds strangely like the phrase of the Pharisees in Luke 18. We end up thinking, if not saying, God, I thank Thee. I thank Thee that I'm not like other men.

This critical spirit affects a change in our relationship with God. Because unwittingly we offer our righteousness by looking at ourselves rather than looking to Jesus Christ. And the fact is, if you know anything about yourself, you know that yourself has no righteousness at all. In fact, Isaiah, who was God's prophet, and a special one at that, he wrote the most gospel-filled prophecy of all.

That's just not any rags. It's not a greasy rag. It talks about a woman's menstrual cycle. Those are the filthy rags. She had to be put out of the camp for seven days. And she had to be atoned for to get back in. So it's talking about accountability for sin. If a woman hasn't proven she's not pregnant, which means there's no life in our righteousness. No life at all. Our righteousness. Fact is, if you have a righteousness that stands before Almighty God, that righteousness is Jesus Christ.

The Lord, our righteousness, he hath made him to be justification and redemption according to 1 Corinthians 1.30. All while that we as the children of God are worthy of death, our blessed God, our dear loving Father, though we have changed toward Him, does not change when I look toward us. He says, when we believe not, yet ye are not faithful. He cannot deny himself. Needless to say, this flies in the face of works, free will, self-righteous religion, but that doesn't change the truth.

When David lay in adultery with Bathsheba, it changed his relationship with God. And he got really crazy. Had her husband killed, got her pregnant, tried not to marry her. And when her husband wouldn't sleep with her and take credit for the baby, which is what David wanted to do, he sent him into battle and told him to go to Joab and put him right out in the front and let people kill him.

And he went on with his life, everything going good, he'll pass, he'll get along fine. One day, Nathan the prophet showed up. It was after Saturday the 12th. There's a fellow down here giving a party for his family. He's got a herd, a flock of sheep, thousands of them. And this other fellow down the street's got one little lamb. And he just loves that lamb like his own daughter. And he feeds it, he walks with it, he holds it, embraces it. It's like a baby to him. He said, when that guy threw the party, he don't want to make a face. He took that lamb from that fellow. He had thousands of lambs. He took that lamb from that fellow. And he killed that lamb and fed his kids.

David said that man ought to pay fourfold for his sin. David said, you're the man. You're the man. Look at all the women in Israel. You're the king. You chose that one lamb that belonged to your eye, and I think that's Eva. And you took her. You took her. You the man! And David said, I've sinned. I've transgressed against God. What did Nathan say? Do five Hail Marys? Walk down in the aisle? He said, thy sins are forgiven. Our transgressions are put away. How could that be? That's how it is.

First things I want you to see is God's relationship with us is pictured by all the sons of Aaron. They're all sons of Aaron. Levi, it's all. Being sons of Levi and of Aaron, they are all priests by birth. Nothing could change that unless somehow they could go back in time and be unborn. Their birthright was the priesthood. Nothing could change that. Though they may have touched the unclean thing or have some blemish or defect or cripple or lame or deaf or blind, they were still sons of Levi and were priests.

As priests, all of them were allowed to partake of the bread. They were allowed to eat the bread. Now, all of them weren't allowed to offer the bread, because that represented Christ as offering himself to God. But they were all able to feast on the bread. That's made clear in the latter part of verses 16 through 23 in chapter 21. In the matter of priestly privileges, every son of Aram had the same right to eat of birthright.

This could not be attained to, worked for, or personally merited in any way. They were born to it. As babes, they offered only by, they did it only by degree of maturity. They were, while they received nursing from the mother's pet, they could not eat the bread.

And once mature, they could eat it freely. And that's the language Peter uses to describe the child of God in his immaturity and in his maturity. He said, for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he's a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are full age, even to those who, by reasoning of their senses, exercise to discern both good and evil.

You see, the priesthood was theirs by right, the bread was theirs by right, but they were not ready for it because they could not partake the bread, did not exclude them from being sonship. That's what I want us to see. They were all sons. They were all sons and priests by birth. Likewise, maturity to partake does not make a son more of a son than a babe. Both were sons.

This explicitly teaches the relationship of God toward His elect. They are sons and daughters by birth, the new birth, a heavenly birth, born of the Spirit, born again, born from above. And let's make this clear, not by the will of man, nor by ancestry, nor by the will of flesh, but of God, John 112. born of incorruptible seed, Peter says, begotten of his own will by the Word of Truth, fitted for glory so much so that Christ, the Son of the Highest, is not ashamed to call them brethren, according to Hebrews chapter 2. Also in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14, declares that they were children of God before Christ came and identified with them. The children, the children, because the children were flesh and blood, Christ partook of the same, it says in Hebrews 2, 14, because they were children of God. Christ came and identified with them in Galatians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7.

It says, because you are sons, God said in spirit, and because you are sons, God said in spirit. It teaches that they were sons before the spirit was sent to inform them of the fact. And that's what you get when you get to gospel. You ever read an article by Joe Terrell today on what the gospel was?

It's not an office, it's an announcement. It's a population, it's a declaration of a thing finished, of a thing done, a thing that's happened. It's a record, and if it's a record, it's already done. If it's news, it's already done, and now it's going to be reported. This is what news is.

Good gospel is good news. The gospel does not tell you what you might do, and what you could do, or what you should do. The gospel tells you what has been done, and what has been done is what the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will not believe until after you hear the word of truth. That's the language of Scripture. You believed after you heard the word of truth. What is the word of truth? The gospel, the good news, the goat's spiel, the good tidings, the good things, the gospel of your personal possessive pronoun, your salvation. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13. What is the good news?

The good news is not that I can't be saved. Not knowing what I am. Not knowing my proclivities. That's not good news. The good news is that being a man dead, necross, dead, in trespasses and sin, good news would be that God, by the work of His Son, has done something for me that I in no way could do for myself. That's good news, really good news. And that's the gospel, that's why it's called the good news.

All ready sons, God sent his son to be like us as human beings and die in the room instead of his people. God's relationship with us never changes. And I'll tell you, I'm just tickled to death about that, because I know what I am. And this has always been the relationship of God with His elect. Next, the things in these chapters relating to certain restrictions placed on some of the sons of Aaron concerning offering bread. We read of them. They are typical to teach us about our relationship with God.

I will not venture to make comparison between one believer and another because I fear that I would pick out someone whom I think less of and thereby fare quite well in the comparison. I also will not build a straw man to beat up in order to exalt myself. I will only deal with my own experience in relation to this text.

These blemishes and defects reveal to me that which often prohibits me or prevents me from worshiping the cares of this world, coldness, indifference of heart, taking for granted the manifold mercies I receive every day, discord among the brethren, my horrid selfishness, my despicable pride. These are some of the I'm thanking God. These do not affect my sonship, but they do affect my enjoyment of it. They keep me back from the privilege that is mine by birth.

Oh, what a wondrous dilemma. Perfect, yet perfectly and totally needy. The cause of sin, that old nature that remains in us. That principle of evil, that law of sin and death. that when we do good, evil is present with us. Christ sits as our intercessor and mediator because we need one. We need him to intercede for us even though he's made us perfectly acceptable to God because of what we are.

Thank God in these chapters is the picture of Jesus Christ, all the acceptance without spot or blemish therefore can offer the bread of God which by the way must also be without spot or blemish both the priest and the sacrifice must be perfect to be accepted well they are time and time again in scripture let's look at a few over in Hebrews chapter 9 Verses 11, 12, and 14 says this, but Christ being come in high priest of good things to come by greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained, bought, paid for, got, possessed, obtained eternal redemption for us. with the blood of bull and goats and the ashes of the heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, as he offered himself to you, not offered to you, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Purge your conscience from dead works He offered a perfect sacrifice unto God.

In 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 18 through 21, it says, it's for as much as you know. Peter said, you believers know this. As much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ, of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained, predestinated, before the foundation of the world." That's what it says in Revelation 13, that He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

"...but was manifest in you in these last times, How do you believe? Who by Him do believe in God that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God and not in yourself? And we've already quoted from Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 sets Christ over against the law.

The law, all those priests and all those sacrifices and all those offerings, a veritable river of blood All those lambs and all those heifers and all those turtledoves and all those kids were slain. And not one sin was put away. All that death. Why? Because it showed forth a death. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is how it's described. Those priests in that tabernacle these sacrifices all day long.

Had to keep those lamps lit. Had to make sure that showbread was fresh. They had to make sure there was coals on the altar with incense. They had to make sure the fires were on there. They had to make sure that the water in the basin was clean. They had to make sure all that. It was a 24-hour day job. They didn't do it all the time. They did it in seasons, about six-week sessions. Each priest had a session. And then another priest took over. It was all, they did all this. I mean, they worked like crazy.

Not one sin was committed. There was no furniture there for them to sit down in. There was no pews. There was no, they couldn't sit down. Because the work was never done. Sin was not removed. Why? They couldn't sit down. Why did he sit down? They couldn't sit down because the work wasn't done. He sat down because the work was.

Sat down on the right hand of the Father on high, for by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. This is the preciousness of the gospel. Christ is our beloved perfect sacrifice and a perfect offering, in him we lead God fixed from the old covenant to the new. Dear, perfect, needy one, your great high priest has entered into the veil for you and resides there as you. For such a priest becomes us, it says, who has suffered us to fulfill all righteousness according to Romans chapter eight. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. And we are blemished. and broken, and we are complete in Him.

What a wonder. No wonder the world looks at us and looks at what we teach and preach and say, that's just craziness. That's crazy talk. Yes. I'm a fool for Christ's sake, Paul said. Perfect and needing makes for perfect harmony in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are complete in Jesus Christ, but poor in ourselves? And look yonder, set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth, for Christ is.

Behold the Lamb that outspotted, blemished the great High Priest, the blessed One who manages all our affairs from the right hand of the Majesty on high. Behold the One who continually upholds you by the right hand of His power and of His righteousness, the One who will never let you go, the One who says to the uttermost of them, because it comes to God by Him, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. The one who bears you up through every difficulty and trial and danger that besets you, the very one who is present, who will present you faultless and unblameable and unapprovable before God in the presence of his glory. Behold the great and mighty God, the spotless victim, the divine high priest, and ye blemished, poor, haughty priests.

The Lord says, with boldness, enter into the holiest through the blood of Jesus Christ. Present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, and offer, yes, by Him, it says in 1 Peter, the sacrifice of thanksgiving acceptable to God. What is the Sacrifice. That's called a sacrifice. Because you can't take credit for it if you're thanking somebody for it. If you're praising somebody else for it, you can't take it. You can't be a mom except with your lips. By just saying it.

You're as lively as stones, Peter said, built up in a spiritual household as a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Behold him, despising the very thought of spotting that pristine garment of his righteousness with the blemish with Christ.

Seek those things which are above, for Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory.

Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, and the order of perfection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which things the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. in the which ye also walked sometimes when ye lived in them.

But now ye also have put off all these things, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filth, communications out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye put off the old man and his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all. And in all, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against you, even as Christ forgave you, so do ye also. And above all things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye should be called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of God dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to the Father by him. We have an high priest, perfect, who has perfected his children before God. And we have a bunch of poor old sinners, saved by grace, who battle daily between the flesh and the spirit, which are always contrary to one another. But God sees us as holy, righteous, justified, and perfect. And so that's how it is, because that's the way God sees it.

By Birth

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the priesthood in Leviticus?

How do we know Jesus is our perfect high priest?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

What is the significance of Christ's perfection for our salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Tim James

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

By Birth

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the priesthood in Leviticus?

How do we know Jesus is our perfect high priest?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

What is the significance of Christ's perfection for our salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Tim James

Comments

More from Tim James

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Tim James

Books by Tim James

Suggested for You

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book