21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn

Series 21

Episode 2

Prologue

Brothers and sisters, today’s topic of Treasures for the Soul is “Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn.” Exodus 19:1-6 tells us that God’s original plan was to call the people of Israel to become a kingdom of priests. Because of their sins however, only the Levites were given the opportunity to become priests. Priesthood is one of the blessings of the firstborn. In this current age, all of us have become priests. God’s purpose is for us to draw near to Him, enjoy Him, experience Him, worship Him and be closest to Him. Therefore, we should be people who draw near to Him, and help others to do the same.

Message

Today, I’m going to share with you one of the blessings of the firstborn: being a priest. It’s very precious that the Lord told us that He gives us glory as the Father has given Him glory. Now, all of us are priests. It’s a wrong concept from the Catholic Church to name only a certain group of people as priests. This is not the teaching from the Bible.

Priests are very honourable and close to God. Not only are we priests, we are also the dearest darling of the Lord. And as such, we should live out this life of a priest, and be His darling closest to Him. Priests are incredibly important in gloriously accomplishing God’s will in this movement. We must live out the life of the firstborn. Among the blessings of the firstborn, priesthood is especially significant.

The Father has given the Lord glory. The Lord in turn, gives us glory. He is the High Priest, and we are a team of priests together. Originally, God’s plan was to make the people of Israel a kingdom of priests, which would include everyone. The people however, chose to worship the golden calf, leaving only the Levite to become priests. Right now, all of us have become priests. Not only are we priests, we are a royal priesthood, with the honour of royalty. It’s so precious that we will be kings and priests with the Lord. The kings of the past were not allowed to perform the duties of a priest or to offer sacrifices. The honour of a priest cannot be claimed through a person’s status or deeds. Even kings could not gain the right to perform duties of a priest. Attempting to perform such duties, King Uzziah got leprosy and Saul lost his throne. However, God has made us kings and priests with the Lord.

Exodus 19:1-6 reads, “On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

God made the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai. His plan was to make them a kingdom of priests. However, the sins they committed and the worshiping of the golden calf quickly changed that. Only the sons of Levi stood with God and acted righteously, disregarding man’s affection. Hence, the sons of Levi came to represent the people of Israel as firstborn.

The title of a firstborn relates to the title of a priest and king. Jacob’s eldest son, Reuben, committed adultery and defiled his father’s bed. He lost his title as the firstborn. When Jacob blessed his sons, he distributed the blessings of the firstborn among different sons, with the priesthood going to Levi. Although Jacob did not make it very clear how he distributed the blessings, Moses made it very clear that priesthood went to Levi, royalty went to Judah, and double portions of inheritance went to Joseph.

After men sinned, priests and offerings were necessary. I encourage myself and all of you to live out the life of the firstborn, particularly the life of a priest. This is key for us to accomplish the Lord’s will. Recently I’ve been sharing the messages on “The final goal, rest and destination of our spirits.” At the end, when we finally go to New Jerusalem, our spirit shall still remain the closest to Him. Therefore, we need to learn now how to draw near to God, experience Him, enter deeply into worship, fully satisfy Him and love Him.

I wish that the journey ahead will be the most glorious one for you and me before the Lord’s return. Together we will gloriously accomplish the Lord’s will. He died for us so that we might live with Him and be the closest to Him. The veil was torn so that we may enjoy the Holy of Holies, the Lord Himself and being face to face with Him. This is the same enjoyment as being the firstborn and the priest.

One of the precious truths in the Book of Hebrews is that the Son of God became a Man and a Priest for me. Priesthood is a very honourable title. What does the Father want to accomplish when He swore to make His beloved Son a priest? The Bible mentions seven times come before God” and this is the main focus of Hebrews. What a waste would it be if we, being priests, did not come before God? Then, for what did the Lord die on the cross for? What was the purpose of shedding His blood? Why was the veil torn? All these would be a waste if this purpose were not fulfilled. As an example, imagine if a great soccer team played incredibly well, but were unable to score, what good does their skills do? Or a highly skilled basketball team that practices very hard and performs really well on the court. Yet all this effort would not benefit them if they aren’t able to score. Similarly, God has already done so much—the Lord became a Man and died for us. But if you don’t enjoy Him, experience Him, draw near to Him, and let Him also enjoy you, you are missing out on the main purpose of God offering Himself. When we do come to the Lord, we will be transformed and become more glorious. The Lord truly wants you to be blessed, the most glorious one, and to be a great blessing to many people. If we don’t draw near to God, experience Him, worship Him and be close to Him, we will be missing what God desires most, and what our life and eternity needs.

Paul was quite clear on these principles. He ran towards the goal. What we discussed just now is the goal of our spirit. The other goal is finishing the church. Essentially, this is the core of His will: He wants the church to enjoy Him, be like Him and be the Bride who loves Him the most. Only the children who love the Father will love one another. Only when we love God the most are we able to love brothers and sisters the most.

Remember that this is God’s ultimate purpose. This is like a target’s bullseye. Your heart can be settled only in this. Your personal experience also proves this. Only when you experience Him, come close to Him and enjoy Him can your heart be truly satisfied, and then you will love Him the most. A priest leads a life like this, and helps others to become this type of person.

Romans chapter 15 talks about the priestly service of the gospel of God—to lead non-believers to God and help them experience God. The priests help them learn how to be close to God and have fellowship with God. This is the work of priests. They solve problems between God and man, so that man can come before God without any more hindrances, to be close to God and enjoy Him. First and foremost, we ought to become such people before we can help others. We need to draw near to God and love Him before we can help others do the same. 

Series 21

Live Out the Life of the Firstborn: Be A Priest

Message Date: 2020-05-10

A priest is closest to God, and his duties are extremely honourable. Such honour cannot be obtained by oneself, but was given by God. The Father swore and did not change His mind, that the Lord was to be our high priest. Being a priest meant that the Lord must first become a man. He also offered Himself as a sin offering, aiming to bring us perfectly before God. Since we received the Lord, we’ve been given the blessing of the firstborn–to be a royal priest. In the Old Testament time, a king could not be a priest at the same time; so he could not offer any sacrifice. Many Bible passages mention priests, who would offer sacrifices, because God wanted man to be close to Him. When man sinned and strayed away from God, God had already prepared salvation for man. Before the law, there had been offerings of sacrifices. This illustrated that the Lord was to come to die for us, save us from the punishment of sins and reconcile us with God. The heads of the household such as Noah, Job, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, etc all built altars and offered sacrifices. Today, all believers have become royal priests. We who were once far from God are now closest to Him. We should live out the life of a priest: offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve God. First and foremost, we should draw near to God and offer Him praises. In the Old Testament time, the priests should first eat of the sacrifices and the showbread; these illustrate that today we should enjoy the Lord Himself. As priests, we should also pass on knowledge, teaching others to know God, draw near to Him, experience Him and understand His will. Before the Lord comes back, may there be the most glorious groups of priests who deeply experience God. May these priests bring to the world the most precious–God Himself. Episode 1 The Father Made the Lord the High Priest Episode 2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn Episode 3 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (1) Episode 4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2) Episode 5 Live out the Life of a Priest
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21.1 The Father made the Lord the High Priest

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21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn

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21.4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2)

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Introduction

01 Introduction of Treasures for the Soul

Series 1: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord

1.1 The Most Blessed Generation
1.2 Message from John the Baptist
1.3 Abide in the Lord Always
1.4 Abide in the Lord’s Love at All Times
1.5 The Lord Speaks to Us and Helps Us in Our Hearts

Series 2: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout this Year

2.1 God’s Greatest Work Starts in Our Hearts
2.2 To Be Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout the Year
2.3 Our Spirits can Feel God and Have Fellowship with Him
2.4 The Importance of Peace
2.5 Our Spirits Need the Words of God
2.6 Give the Lord Time and Space to Speak in Our Hearts

Series 3: Let Our Hearts be Influenced

3.1 The World Needs People Who Deeply Experience God
3.2 Just as His Anointing 
Has Taught You, 
Abide in the Lord
3.3 Be Influenced 
by the Lord Throughout 
this Year

Series 4: The Importance of Peace

4.1 Enjoying God’s Peace in Your heart
4.2 Let Not Your Hearts be Troubled, Neither Let Them be Afraid.
4.3 How Should Our Spirit Respond to the Lord?

Series 5: Our Spirit Being Able to Enjoy the Lord

5.1 Our Spirit is Satisfied Only When We Worship God and Deeply Experience Him
5.2 How to Worship God with Our Spirit
5.3 Looking at the Lord with our Inner Eyes
5.4 Our Spirit Needs to Enjoy the Lord Himself
5.5 The Song of Solomon Often Mentions About “Eyes”
5.6 Realize Being Heart to Heart with the Lord in Singing and Worship

Series 6: Live out the Life of being Heart to Heart with the Lord

6.1 Living a life of union with the Lord in a stable pattern every day
6.2 Enjoying the Lord and not being disturbed
6.3 The Importance of Seeing Him with Our Spiritual Eyes

Series 7

7.1 Learn to Protect Our Spirits From Virus Prevention
7.2 Our Spirit Can Hear, Think, and See
7.3 How to Live a Life of Faith
7.4 The Importance of the Mind
7.5 David’s Eyes Beheld the Lord Always

Series 8: During the last supper, the Lord spoke about the essence of the blessings of the new covenant.

8.1 The Lord established with us the eternal love covenant by His blood
8.2 The Lord Treasures the New Covenant and Break-Bread Meeting the Most
8.3 Love Encounters
8.4 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the fourth blessing
8.5 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (1)
8.6 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (2)

Series 16: We Have Come to Mount Zion and the Heavenly Jerusalem

16.1 See that the Lord is at the right hand of the Father
16.2 Coming to Mount Zion (1): the meaning of Mount Sinai
16.3 Coming to Mount Zion (2): the difficulty in forgiveness of sins
16.4 Coming to Mount Zion (3): to Live in Grace
16.5 Having Come to the Heavenly Jerusalem
16.6 What is in the heavenly Jerusalem (1)?

Series 9: Being Heart to Heart with the Father

9.1 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 1)
9.2 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 2)

Series 10

10.1 The Love Desire in the Depths of Abba and the Lord’s hearts
10.2 Fruit of the Lord’s Crucifixion: Eternal Life
10.3 The Lord Came to Manifest the Father’s Name
10.4 The Father Sent His Only Begotten Son
10.5 Reminders on enjoying heart to heart with the Father
10.6 The Father’s Desire for Me is Forever Steadfast

Series 11

11.1 The preciousness of the Letter to Philemon
11.2 The most profitable; the most accepted.
11.3 Charge That to My Account
11.4 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (1)
11.5 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (2)
11.6 We are the Lord’s darling love

Series 12

12.1 The Lord’s Words at the Last Supper
12.2 Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing.
12.3 What is true faith?
12.4 Look upon the Lord in glory
11.5 Trust and Peace (1)
12.6 Trust and Peace (2)

Series 13: The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility

13.3 The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility (Part 2)

Series 14: Manifold evidence

14.1 How does the infinite Lord see us?
14.2 We are the ultimate and final love of the Lord
14.3 The Lord is forever a Man; He once died for us
14.4 The Lord’s manifold love evidence (Part 1)
14.5 The Lord’s manifold love evidence Part 2

Series 15: Understand How Our Spirit Works And Be Heart To Heart With The Lord Continuously

15.1 We Can Only Enjoy God By Faith
15.2 His Words Abide In Us
15.3 Live With The Lord
15.4 Seek The Things That Are Above
15.5 Understand How Our Spirit Works: Will, Mind And Feelings
15.6 Guard And Uplift Our Mind

Series 17: Know that the Church is the Firstborn

17.1 Know that the church is the firstborn
17.2 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 1)
17.3 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 2)
17.4 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 1)
17.5 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 2)

Series 18: The Blessings to be the First Born

18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)
18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)
18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn
18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn
18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship
18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

Series 19: Coming to Mount Zion to Appear Before God

19.1 The Lord is the way, and the truth, and the life
19.2 Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord
19.3 Mind the things that are above (1)
19.4 Mind the things that are above (2)
19.5 Appear before God in Mount Zion

Series 20: The final destination of our spirit and eternity is the heavenly Jerusalem

20.1 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (1)
20.2 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (2)
20.3 The Lord Becomes the Way so that We can Come Before God with Confidence
20.4 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (1)
20.5 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (2)

Series 21: Live Out the Life of the Firstborn: Be A Priest

21.1 The Father made the Lord the High Priest
21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn
21.4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2)

Series 22: When Believers Die, They Will Go to the Heavenly Jerusalem

22.1 The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (1)
The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (2)
The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect

Series 23: New Jerusalem is a real city

God has prepared a heavenly home for us
Is the heavenly new Jerusalem a real city?
Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven
Are physical substances not spiritual?
New Jerusalem is a real city (1)
New Jerusalem is a real city (2)

Series 24: God prepares for us

Genesis 22: Father and Son went together
Genesis 22: For us, the Father gave His only Son
Genesis 22: The Lord will provide
24.4 God’s preparation for us

Series 25: The Father and Son Affection

25.1 The Lord Came to Make Known the Father
25.2 The Father and Son Affection (Part 1)
25.3 The Father and Son Affection (Part 2)

Series 26: We are a royal priesthood

26.1 God who alone does wondrous things
26.2 The Lord is the High Priest
26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)
26.4 We are a royal priesthood (2)