26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)

Series 26

Episode 3

Prologue

Message

It’s so precious that God’s will is the meaning of my life. But the core in His will is for us to be very close to Him and to draw near to Him. He wants us to enjoy Him and His love, and to respond to His love. He desires you and I the most. He desires to gain our hearts. The Lord didn’t ask Peter about the things of this world. He only asked, “Do you love me?” Proverbs chapter 23, verse 26 reads, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”

We ought to understand what is most important. What is the purpose? What’s the core? David knew the answers. He said, “One thing… will I seek after.” You should know what this “one thing” refers to. The Lord once told Martha, “One thing is necessary.” He was referring to what Mary did. She was drawing near to Him, enjoying Him and listening to His word. David sought only one thing. It was to dwell in the house of the Lord, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, to be drawn by Him and enjoy Him.

I talked about priesthood earlier. To live the life of a priest, this one thing is the most important. To live out the life of a firstborn, first and foremost, we need to live out the life of a priest. God gave the people of Israel a very precious blessing. In the Old Testament time, God wanted them to be a nation of priests. They could have been priests. But they worshiped the golden calf. As a result, only the sons of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, could become priests. Only the sons of the tribe of Levi could serve God.

It’s very precious that now God’s will has come true—all of us have become priests. Since we are priests, we ought to live it out. This is also the most precious blessing as one of the firstborn. To live as a priest every day, we should first draw near to God, experience Him, and be filled by Him. This way we can bless many and bring many to God.

There are so many scriptures concerning priests that I don’t know where to start. And I’m not sure how much you have read about this topic in the Bible. Man started making offerings before the commandments were given. One example is Abel. I believe that God once taught Adam about offerings even though this is not written in the Bible. At least, God already said that the offspring of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head, and the serpent would bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15) God made a garment for Adam. It was not written what animal God used  in order to make it. My guess is a lamb. The lamb had to shed its blood. God regarded Abel and his offering, and considered him righteous. This offering foretold that the Saviour would come to die for us and bear our sins.

Before the commandments were given, the firstborn became the head of the household when the parents were no longer around. In other words, he served as the priest of the household. From the book of Genesis, I believe you remember how the following people made offerings: Abel in chapter 4, Noah in chapter 8, Abraham in chapter 22, and Jacob in chapter 31. It’s also written in Job chapter 1, where Job offered burnt offerings for the family. I’m sure you remember Melchizedek, who also acted as a priest for the household. No man can become a priest by himself unless God gives him that honour. Even someone as great as a king could by no means take this position for himself.  Saul was a king, yet he sinned against God by offering the burnt offering. This resulted in his removal from the throne. It’s so precious that all of us are priests today. Although Uzziah was a king, he was wrong to be proud and perform the work of a priest. Because of his wrongdoing, leprosy broke out on him. It’s so precious that we are now a royal priesthood. We are priests as well as kings. It’s similar to how God appointed the Lord to be the Christ. The Christ is a prophet, a priest and a king all at the same time. It’s so precious that we are priests and kings. This is related to the blessings of the firstborn.

Now I want to talk about priesthood. God has prepared what man needs—the prophet, the priest and the king. I have shared about the Lord’s qualities as a king before. It’s so precious that the Lord is our “Royal Beloved” and King of manifold love. Of course He is also the most precious and amazing priest. He came in person, just as described in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. This passage reads, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

It’s so precious that the Son of God came in person to speak to us. His coming perfectly expressed the beauty of God’s heart. Even though this world was full of sin, the most beautiful and perfect Lord still came. How the world treated the Lord showed how sinful the world was. But it also showed the beauty of the Lord. He led a beautiful life in such an unfavourable environment. He reflected the glory of God and manifested God. The Lord expressed His love for us through His life, even though He was living in a world of darkness. I treasure this so much. My visit to Israel was very unforgettable. I treasure so much that the Lord once came. Isn’t that so precious? He once lived on earth. The scars from his hands, feet and side will remain on His body forever. 

I really treasure that He is forever a man. Even though I haven’t seen Him, He did come and became the Son of Man in flesh. Because I’m a man, He also desires to be a man forever. I heard about a British king who gave up his throne to pursue a love relationship. Many would consider such an act very precious. What the Son of God did was even more precious, wasn’t it? He is very glorious. He is the infinite everlasting God. Because of His love for us, He is willing to be a man forever. It is not a simple matter at all. He desires to be most like me and closest to me. I think that this love of God is very romantic! It’s considered romantic when a king gives up his throne for love. But the Lord wants to be the closest to me because He loves man. This love compels Him to desire to be a man forever. Otherwise, I would feel a sense of separation with Him. He even lives in our heart. It’s truly stunning and precious! This must be His desire. Because of love, He wants to be the closest to us, and most deeply embrace us!

He desires to be my priest because I’m His love dream. It’s His desire to gain us. In order to be the closest to us and be in love with us, He had to be our priest and take away our sins.  The Father knew the Lord’s desire very well. This is why He has sworn and will not change His mind to appoint the Lord as our priest forever. The stunning love of the Father and the Son is very precious! It’s amazing! It’s truly precious that one among the Trinity God is a man forever. I can’t think of anything more precious! God delights to be a man forever. His choice to love us in such a way is most amazing, most romantic. This is God’s love. Forever He is God and man at the same time.

Series 26

We are a royal priesthood

Message Date: 2020-05-17

This message continues to illustrate the identities and lives of both priests and firstborns. The Father set the Lord as our high priest; the Lord has perfected us and brought us before God. The Lord has caused us to be the closest to the Father and most deeply enjoy His love. In the Old Testament times, the head of the household was like the priest of the family. Later, God chose the tribe of Levi — the male offspring of Aaron — to be priests and to bring people before Him. Today, we as believers are a royal priesthood. To live the life of a firstborn, we must first live the life of a priest. How? We must draw near to God and experience Him daily, offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices, be full of praises to Him, preach the gospel, share the truth to others, and bless and pray for others.
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26.1 God who alone does wondrous things

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26.2 The Lord is the High Priest

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26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)

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26.4 We are a royal priesthood (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)