I Am Meant For Service
I AM MEANT FOR MORE! Sermon Series: Royal Priesthood - Service
1.
Responsibilities of the Priesthood
a.
Lead by Example
i.
Lev. 10:9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or
your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It
shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.”
b.
Discern
i.
Lev. 10:10 “You are to distinguish between the
holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean”
ii.
In what way? Is it leprosy? Lev. 13
c.
Teach
i.
Lev. 10:11 “and you are to teach the people of
Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”
d.
Lead Worship
i.
1 Chron. 15:16 “David also commanded the chiefs
of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly
on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.”
e.
Sacrifice
i.
Lev. 9:7 “Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near
to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make
atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people
and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”
Numbers 18:7 “And you and your sons with you shall guard
your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil;
and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who
comes near shall be put to death.”
2.
Connection With Today
a.
1 Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones
are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This passage
helps us to clarify our understanding of what direction Peter is pointing to
when it comes to being a priesthood. Primarily he is talking about the issue of
service and of sacrifice.
3.
Types of Sacrifice
a.
Good
i.
Lev. 9
ii.
Recognizes that God is real and alive and
deserving of all praise
iii.
Recognizes that we are broken and undeserving of
relationship with God
b.
Bad
i.
Lev. 10 Nadab and Abihu
ii.
Walmart Sacrifice: I want something at the store
and walmart don’t care who I am or what I look like as long as I can pay.
iii.
Belief that God doesn’t care about the state of
our heart when we bring the sacrifice
c.
Ugly
i.
Malachi 1:6-9
“6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a
father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the
Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we
despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say,
‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. 8
When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer
those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor;
will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now entreat
the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your
hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.”
ii.
Lev. 22:19-20 “19 you must present a male
without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted
on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be
accepted on your behalf.”
iii.
Soda machine sacrifice: Soda machine don’t care
how ugly your quarters are, as long as you have enough.
iv.
Belief that God doesn’t care about the state of
your sacrifice. “Its good enough” attitude.
4.
ROYAL Priesthood
a.
Serve God and REIGN with him
i.
Rev. 5:9-10 “9And they sang a new song: “Worthy
are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by
Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people
and nation. 10You have made them into a kingdom, priests to serve our God, and
they will reign on the earth.”