Priesthood of All Believers
Second of Three part Sermon series on Being Presbyterian
Scripture Psalm 139: 1-14 and 1 Peter 2:4-10
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 17, 2011
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
Psalm 139: 1-14
This is a comforting psalm in terms of God’s intimate knowledge of us and care for us. It is also a frightening psalm because to be known so intimately is ultimately to be open to the other. We know that our relationship with God, however comforting, is never entirely without awe and trepidation.
1O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
1 Peter 2:4-10
It is important to note that the term Peter uses “living stones” is not so much allegory as descriptive. “In antiquity objects that were perceived as firmly rooted in the earth (immoveable) were often referred to as ‘living.’" Since we live near Bedford, Indiana we know about rooted stones. Stones that are hard to get out of the ground. Are we so rooted?
4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
SERMON
When an officer or candidate for ministry is ordained in the Presbyterian Church one of the questions they are asked is:
―Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God?‖ (Book of Order, G-14.0405b(3) and W-4.003)
Most elders and deacons just look glazed over and say "I do." So what are these essential tenets?
At one time the essential tenets of the Reformed Faith were defined by the acronym TULIP credited to John Calvin.
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
As you can imagine over time this list has fallen into disfavor. A real concrete list has not replaced it. I would like to be able to give you a list of what all Presbyterians agree, is essential to our shared faith. The list varies from church to church, presbytery to presbytery and individual deacon, elder and pastor.
Presbytery of St. Augustine came up with a list I could generally agree with:
ESSENTIAL TENETS:
• AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
• GOD (Trinity, Creation, Providence, Sovereignty)
• HUMANITY – ORIGINAL RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FALL INTO SIN
• JESUS CHRIST – INCARNATION OF THE ETERNAL WORD
• JESUS CHRIST – HIS ATONING WORK
• SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
They then added
REFORMED DISTINCTIVES
• ELECTION FOR SALVATION AND SERVICE
• COVENANT AND COVENANT LIFE
• SACRAMENTS
• SANCTIFICATION AND THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
• PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS
• MISSION OF THE CHURCH
• STEWARDSHIP
For me most of these are no different than any other denomination except the Priesthood of All Believers. At our national website you can read why the Priesthood of Believers is considered an essential tenet of the Reformed Faith:
Upon Israel's arrival at Mt. Sinai, Moses delivered startling news from God: "If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be to me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). Not only was God declaring the nation's chosen status. The Israelites were all being appointed to be priests (literally, "king-priests")—every one of them!
To speak of people as priests is different from calling them clergy. Clergy serve some particular forms of service: pastor, preacher minister of the Word and Sacrament. But clergy are not more of a priest than any other believer.
The priestly function is one of bridge-building, mediating, connecting people with God. Consistent with God's commission to Abram and Sarah to be "a blessing to all the nations," the priest is one who mediates between God and those who do not know God. In the Temple era that changed as priests became the only ones to go before God with blood sacrifices on behalf of other Israelites. Like a negotiator, they would carry their clients' appeals to the one in power. They would stand in the gap, interceding on behalf of their neighbors.
While today we may dismiss the ancient sacrificial system, we cannot discount the sincere intentions of the millions who presented to the priests their finest heads of livestock or the first fruits of their harvest as acts of sacrificial devotion to God. Their sincere desire was for the priests to make a compelling appeal on their behalf for God to save their souls, or to heal their diseases, or to restore their land and livelihood.
This aspect of priesthood is implemented whenever a church activates its prayer chain. Christians have discovered that their intercessory prayers can yield miracles in many lives. Jesus himself taught, "If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19).
Just as a priest helps people connect with God, a priest also called to connect God with people. While the more charismatic office of prophet came to be associated with the task of speaking God's word in the Biblical days, the priests were not disinterested listeners. They too were teachers of God's word to the people. They were commissioned to take the good news of God's love and mercy to a world in need.
This priestly function is evident whenever Christians show and tell the power of the gospel. By both word and deed, believers are called to convey God's love to everyone. We are empowered to present the gifts and claims of Christ with confidence. God will go to great lengths to get the word of God's mercy out to the nations. As several epistles state, God has granted every member of Christ's body gifts and callings with which we can extend that mercy.
So if you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you are a priest in his service.
• In your baptism you were called to a ministry of witness to the love and grace of God.
• Believers is not different in quality or substance, but only in function.
• Through the power of the Holy Spirit the church sets aside the ministries of some believers to equip and serve the ministry of the whole people of God.
We are a priesthood of believers through the grace of Jesus Christ. We can go to God in prayer for ourselves or others and we can tell of God’s love to friends, family even strangers. But most important as a priest of Jesus Christ, we can demonstrate his love in everything we do and say. Amen.
Resources;
Pentecost 15. Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia. See: http://hwallace.unitingchurch.org.au/WebOTcomments/OrdinaryC/Pent15Psalm139.html
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=5/22/2011 Daniel G. Deffenbaugh, Professor of Religion, Hastings College, Hastings, NE references John H. Elliott
www.staugpres.org/Portals/1399/CPM/Candidates/ESSENTIAL%20TENETS-use%20these.pdf
www.staugpres.org/Portals/1399/CPM/Candidates/ESSENTIAL%20TENETS-use%20these.pdf
See: http://oga.pcusa.org/formofgovernment/fog101.ppt#264,9,Priesthood of all believers
