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Monday
Today I
would like to talk to you about the priesthood of all
believers in Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah.
In Ex. 19:5,6 God told the Israelites, "Although the whole
earth is mine, you will be unto me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation." This, of course, has prophetic
application toward Jewish believers in Jesus, and Gentile
believers in Yeshua who have been "grafted in" to the
House of Israel. I Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen generation, that you
may declare the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light".
And then in the book of Revelation, chapter 5, verses
8-10, we see all of the heavenly beings singing to the
Lamb upon the throne, "You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open it's seals, for You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God with your blood, out of every tribe and
tongue and people and nation, and made us kings and
priests to our God.
From the Torah through the book of Revelation we see the
theme and the scriptural support for the priesthood of all
believers. In Hebrew it reads "mamlechet cohanim (a royal
priesthood) and "goy Kadosh" (a holy nation).
As a royal priesthood, each one of us has received an
"ordination" through the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy
Spirit). When we hear the word "ordination", we usually
think of someone who has had formal religious training in
a bible institute, or a seminary school, or in a Yeshiva
(a Jewish religious academy), and by virtue of that formal
training, have received the "credentials for ordination".
There's certainly nothing wrong with formal religious
training for those who want to pursue a life of full-time
ministry to the Lord. But the truth of the matter is that
we have all received an "ordination" through the Holy
Spirit for a life of service to Yeshua, King of kings and
Lord of lords. If you're a believer in Jesus, you've been
ordained! Our lives are hidden in the Messiah and in Him
we live, in Him we move, in Him we have our being.
According to the Scriptures, ordination comes through the
laying on of hands by the elders, which serves as a
vehicle for the impartation of the Holy Spirit, which
brings the "mantle of authority and anointing". Examples
are the ordination of Joshua by Moses in Num. 27:18-23 and
the ordination of Yeshua's disciples in Acts 6:2-6.
We further see that true ordination comes from above, from
heaven itself. In Mt. 3:16,17, when Jesus was baptized in
the Jordan River, the heavens were opened up, the Spirit
of God descended upon Him, and a voice came from heaven
saying "this is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"
preparing Him for His public ministry. In Acts 2, on the
Day pf Pentecost, a sound came from heaven, like a rushing
mighty wind and tongues of fire rested upon Yeshua's
disciples, empowering them for public ministry.
As believer in Yeshua, we, too, have received power from
on high, an "ordination" through the Holy Spirit to serve
the living God as a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation!
Tuesday
Yesterday I began to speak to you about the priesthood of
all believers in Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. We looked at
several scriptures which strongly support this biblical
truth.
In Ex. 19:5,6, God told the "Israelites, "Although the
whole earth is mine, you will be unto me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation". This, of course, has prophetic
application toward Jewish believers in Jesus, and Gentile
believers in Yeshua, who have been "grafted in" to the
House of Israel.
I Pe. 2:9 says, "But you are a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a chosen generation, that you may declare the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light". And then in the book of Revelations,
chapter 5, verses 8-10, we see all of the heavenly beings
singing to the Lamb upon the Throne, "You are worthy to
take the scroll and to open it's seals, for You were slain
and have redeemed us to God with you blood, out of every
tribe and tongue and people and nation, and made us kings
and priests to our God.
From the Torah through the Book of Revelations we see the
theme and the scriptural support for the priesthood of all
believers. As a royal priesthood, each one of us has
received an "ordination" through the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the
Holy Spirit), to serve the Lord with all our heart, with
all our soul, and with all our strength.
But perhaps you're saying to yourself, "Me, a priest?",
or, "I'm not worthy to be called a priest in God's
Kingdom", or "I'm just an ordinary person", or "Why would
God want to use me"? Do you know that God uses ordinary
people to do extraordinary things?
The next time you feel like God can't use you, just
remember…
• Noah was a drunk
• Abraham was too old
• Isaac was a daydreamer
• Jacob was a liar
• Leah was ugly
• Joseph was abused
• Moses had a stuttering problem
• Gideon was afraid
• Samson had long hair, and was a womanizer
• Rahab was a prostitute
• Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
• David had an affair and was a murderer
• Elijah was suicidal
• Isaiah preached naked
• Jonah ran from God
• Naomi was a widow
• Job went bankrupt
• John the Baptist ate bugs
• Peter denied Christ
• The Disciples fell asleep while praying
• Martha worried about everything
• Mary Magdalene was, well, you know…
• The Samaritan woman was divorced…more than once
• Zaccheus was too small
• Paul was too religious
• Timothy had an ulcer,,.AND
• Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now. God is waiting to use your full
potential.
We all have a calling on our lives, to serve the Lord with
the different talents, skills and gifts that He's given to
each one of us - so remember, you are a priest in God's
Kingdom, purchased by the blood of the Lamb. We all have a
ministry and, yes, it's true that ministry can be very
challenging at times, but dearly beloved, never forget
that you can do all things through the Messiah who
strengthens you!
Wednesday
For the
past few days we've been looking at the priesthood of all
believers - a very important biblical principle for all
believers in Yeshua Ha Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah.
Please listen to this song from one of our CD's called,
"We Are A Royal Priesthood", which can be ordered – it’s
on the
“On Mount Zion” CD .
Thursday
Over the
last few days we have been placing an emphasis on the
priesthood of all believers in the Messiah Jesus. Through
Yeshua, we have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb,
from every tribe, kindred, tongue and nation to be a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and we have received
an "ordination" through the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy
Spirit, to serve the Lord with all of our heart, mind,
soul and strength!
As a priest in God's kingdom we are called to be a
blessing; to be a blessing to God and to be a blessing to
the world. In Mt. 5:13, 14 Yeshua said that "we are the
light of the world" and the "salt of the earth" (in other
words, we are called to be a blessing").
One of the ways we bless people is through the things that
we say. There's power in the tongue to bless someone, and
according to the Bible, once a blessing is extended to
someone, it cannot be taken away - it remains forever.
Unfortunately, there's a flip side to all of this. There's
also power in the tongue to curse someone, to tear them
down instead of building them up. In Hebrew it's called
"La Shan Hora", which means "the evil tongue". Prov 18:21
says that "death and life are in the power of the tongue
(the book of James in chapter three elaborates on this
further).
So let's be careful to remember that as priests in God's
kingdom, we are called to impart blessings to people, and
not curses. This would include: speaking blessings to your
spouse, your children, your grandchildren, and every
member of your family. After all, you are the priest of
your household. This would also include speaking blessings
to every member of your "congregational family", whether
you attend a church or a synagogue and building each other
up in love and never tearing each other down through
gossip, slander and back biting. That would be "La Shan
Hora" (the evil tongue) which comes from the devil.
Speaking blessings over people would also include those
you meet for the first time in public places (a grocery
store, a gas station, the place where you work, and just
about anywhere).
God often sets up diving appointments, and when He does,
remember that you are a priest in God's Kingdom, called to
impart the blessing to all mankind. Remember, freely we
have received, freely we must give.
Friday
Over the last
few days I've been speaking to you about the priesthood of
all believers in the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). In
yesterday's teaching we saw that as a priest in God's
Kingdom, we are called to impart the "blessing of God" to
all mankind.
Today I would like to share with you the "genealogy" of
God's blessing to mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve and
how that "blessing" from the Divine Creator, Himself, has
filtered down to all of us who are believers in the
Messiah Jesus.
In Gen. 1:27, 28, God gave his blessing to Adam and Eve.
It says, "God created man in His own image…male and female
He created them". Then God blessed them and said "be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". The blessing
went from Adam to Seth (Gen. 5:2, 3). From Seth, the
blessing was handed down several generations to Noah (Gen.
5:6-30). After the flood, God again blessed Noah and his
three sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth (Gen. 9:1), but the
"greater blessing" went to Shem (Gen 9:26, 27). From Shem,
the blessing of God carried down to Abraham (Gen.
11:10-26).
From Abraham came the blessing to all of us - Jew and
Gentile alike. Gen. 12:3 says, "I will bless those who
bless thee and curse those that curse thee, and in you all
the families of the earth should be blessed". Galatians
3:14 says, "Through the Messiah Yeshua, the blessing of
Abraham has come upon the Gentiles. Galatians 3:28&29
says, "In the Messiah there is neither Jew nor Gentile…and
if you are in the Messiah, you are Abraham's seed,
according to the promise".
What a rich inheritance we all have from "Abba", our
heavenly Father, who is also the Creator of all mankind.
We have the blessing of the God of all creation, handed
down through the patriarchs from Abraham to Isaac, from
Isaac to Jacob, from Jacob to Judah (one of the 12 sons of
Jacob), and from Judah to Yeshua, who is the Lion of the
tribe of Judah.
And here's the best part - the blessing of God cannot be
reversed. When God gives a blessing He will not take it
away - it remains forever, unless, of course, you choose
to give it away or allow the enemy to steal it from you.
In John 10:10 the Messiah warned us, "The thief comes to
steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have
life abundantly". That "abundant life" is salvation in the
Messiah Jesus, God's greatest "blessing" to all mankind.
And when you and I, as a priest in God's kingdom, filled
with the Spirit of God, impart that blessing to someone
else, it will change their lives forever.
Remember, freely we have received, freely we must give.
"So may the Lord bless you and keep you, May the Lord make
His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May
the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you
peace". B'shem Yeshua Ha Mashiach, in the Name of Jesus
our Messiah, Amen!
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