Priesthood — G.W. North

Last night, those of us who were together, we traced through the scripture on the great theme of the spirit and the water and the blood. At least we went through quite a few of the great truths concerning it, but tonight I want to take up and dwell with you concerning something in connection with this great truth.

Touch on scriptures that we never touched last evening, don't think that you are sort of half out because you weren't here last night, because tonight we should be quite self-contained and may the Lord open the great truths right up to us again.

The Church as a Kingdom of Priests

I want to speak to you concerning really priesthood, for you will know according to scripture, and I suppose we'd better read it for ourselves to get our feet well down on it and move on in the truth, in Revelation chapter one, that the scripture says this, starting at verse four of chapter one, John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits which are before his throne and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. Behold he cometh. I want you to see that John passing from this great rapturous statement about what Jesus Christ has done for us immediately turns us to the second coming of the Lord. He tells us that we've been washed from our sins because he loved us in verse five and he's washed us from our sins mark you in his own blood and he's made us kings and priests or a better translation is a kingdom of priests that everybody in his kingdom is a priest.

This is what he's telling us made us a kingdom of priests unto God and his father. Whether we recognize this that to men isn't particularly important for men have had a great bend all their life to miss the things that are really right in God's eyes and institute other things in their places.

He's made us a kingdom of priests unto God and his father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold he's coming back again. I know I've paraphrased that but that's really what it's all about beloved and I think I don't know whether you think this as well as I do that when he comes back he's expecting to find things as he wants them so far as the churches are concerned for you will remember that this revelation is addressed to the churches and he says all the churches and it's all this great realm for the true and eternal church consists of all the local churches as we may be pleased to call them.

And it's this realm of the church that is God's kingdom of priests the whole of the church that includes every one of us in this room who have been born of the spirit of God that we are to come into a great place with God and know our priesthood now beloved.

It is absolutely important that we know our priesthood. I mean we needn't run around looking at all our brothers and sisters in Christ and say hello priest south and hello priest west and hello priest east and hello priest north or something like that.

We that or you know hello priest black or brown or white or anything like that. That's not the particular point. These things were never intended by God to be titles. He's simply describing a condition.

What is it. We sang in that hymn. We thank God for his fatherly choice of our state and condition. Below these are. They're all offices. Of course if we're going to be priests and we have to fulfill them.

Alas alas. I say if men don't allow us the opportunity of fulfilling this thing we've got to take it ourselves as from God. God's expecting you and me to be this every one of us. You better have a look at one another.

If we're truly the born again people of God then we are priests. Now whether or not you're functioning in your priesthood is another point. Now if you're not functioning in your priesthood take a loving reproof and promise God that from tonight you will get on with it.

For he's coming back. He's coming back and he is the great high priest. The importance of belonging to the priesthood is exactly this that until the Lord Jesus got on with his priestly office and his priestly work God could not get on with what he wanted to do in the earth.

I hope you know that until Jesus Christ who hung on the cross and was the sacrifice and shed his blood until he died and was buried and rose again and ascended back to his father God could not get on with what he wanted to do.

The Lord Jesus Christ really commenced his ministry when he got back to heaven on earth. He was only three years out in ministry on the earth. The public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ only for three years.

Well a little over you know more or less you needn't worry about exact minutes because we're talking in relation to eternity. And when he arose beloved he went up to commence his great heavenly ministry.

Oh so vastly important Calvary was not planned apart from this ministry of Jesus Christ priesthood. Calvary would have been ineffective without this ministry of priesthood. I hope you're taking this in relationship to yourself.

The importance of the priesthood the bloodshed would have been ineffective unless Jesus Christ rose to commence his great priestly work. I hope you've realized this. You see it was upon his priesthood that the coming of the Holy Ghost depended.

It was when Jesus mediated back to heaven and to his father himself when he took back this marvelously sacrificed and crucified man. When he took back the effect and power of Calvary and the blood took it right back there to heaven and father was satisfied and accepted the sacrifice for the glory of Christ and for the honor of his name and for the enlargement of his family and for the preaching of the gospel throughout the world and for the regenerating and renewing of the sons of God he poured forth the Holy Ghost.

The kingdom commenced with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the earth. That is the kingdom of God in men's hearts it was all dependent upon the coming of the Holy Ghost. So important is the Holy Ghost and so important therefore the ministry that sent the Holy Ghost.

And so important the sacrifice that made the ministry possible. Glory be to the name of the Lord now then beloved. With this in our minds I feel we need to see something about this great priestly office.

For it is only as men and women continue in their priestly office that God's plan for the world can continue now. That's a tremendous thing to say. We sing a hymn like a chorus all over the world. The spirit is moving.

And we love to tell one another about pourings and movings of the spirit of God. In the great lands and islands of the sea we like to tell one another this. It's good to hear the reports. But beloved it's God would do so much more in this country of ours.

And I don't know whether sometimes when you hear the reports of what goes on out in Indonesia or what goes on out in some other land. I don't know whether sometimes you don't feel like getting before God and saying oh Lord let it happen here.

I don't know whether you do or whether your heart is contented with what's being demonstrated here in our country. Beloved. I hope it isn't. I hope that you have a great big deep desire in your heart that God should move in a tremendous way in this country of ours.

I hope it's there. Whether you call it prayer for revival or whatever name you call it doesn't really matter. Uh labels don't matter a great deal. It's whether or not beloved you have this great desire in your heart.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there should be such a blessed outpouring of the spirit of God greater than that shower that's passed over us in this last hour or two that God should move by his spirit and beloved.

This will be. I know God's sovereign in all these things but he has sovereignly ordained that it should be through the functioning of the priesthood in the church. That's what he has ordained. I think it's rather useless for us to sort of get up in a corner and say we'll have an all night for prayer for revival if we don't get on with our priestly function.

This is the trouble you see we have so much we have such high sounding hopes and they sound good. And we print books and we circulate tracts about this thing. But who among us is telling us and exhorting us and moving us all on into our priestly function.

This is the important thing now you will know that God has set in the scripture something for us to see. We're told by Paul writing to Timothy that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for a proof for instruction in righteousness that the man of God should be perfect.

How about that that the man of God should be perfect thoroughly fitted unto every good word. Amen. So that's lovely. And so we have this bible which is for instruction in righteousness. God gave it. And when Paul wrote to Timothy Timothy was much more familiar with the old testament than you are with the new because the new had not yet been collated and gathered together in a book.

And Timothy was aware of the great truth of the old testament scripture given by inspiration of God. It's the target for stupid men who don't know any better to attack and say it isn't the inspired word of God they set on the old testament.

They don't touch the new testament so much. Aren't they stupid. Because it's the new testament which tells you that was the old testament that was inspired. You see that that's that's the truth that holy men of old wrote as they were moved by the holy ghost people don't use their brains although they're very clever that the the tremendous thing uh beloved is that God has set this great thing for our hearts to realize.

And I want you to come with me in a moment or two in scripture into the old testament moving about two in the new testament so that we shall see something of the wonder of this calling of God. You my beloved brother and sister have been called to the priesthood.

Priesthood Is a Calling, Not a Professional Title

Now I'm not meaning that that God means that you should throw up your job and apply to some university or bible school and go there and come out. I don't know what you might you might have a title if you came out.

I I don't know. Um I I strongly object to to some things that do happen. I I remember once it was a long time ago now when I was static in the church and I they used to then try to call me pastor. I don't know why they did but there it is.

It was a job I did and and uh I remember one of the young men from the church he went off to a bible school and uh he went through all that you go through in a bible school. He was there for a couple of years and then at the end of the couple of years I got a bill and it was asked.

I don't mean to pay I mean a bill of a notification bill. I I had no money. The uh yeah you know it wasn't any good sending me the former one the one you laughed about the the the I got a bill and it was uh all set out exalting me to pray for uh a big campaign that was going to be held.

You see and right. Um along on this campaign you know what happens at you do you know at the end of the sort of term in the summer I'll go a team of these young people and they go out to hold services and it had on this the four evangelists and down there on this list was the name of this young man had gone from our church you see.

So um when I saw him at the end of this time I pulled out this bill and I said here um who said you were an evangelist. Who said you were an evangelist. See going to bible school and being trained for two months doesn't make you an evangelist beloved.

You do understand this. Don't you. It's like going to theological college. You've been trained. Doesn't make you a priest. Doesn't make you a pastor. You do understand this. Don't you. It's only God that does that.

I mean you can't say I'll have two years training and I'll turn me out an evangelist. It's a lot of nonsense. I hope you haven't got any ideas like that in your head. If so may they be knocked out tonight.

And if you've got them in your heart may your heart be changed. The whole glorious truth is that it's God that does this. You know. I mean you don't automatically become a pastor or an evangelist after two years training.

Get that very clear mind you. They can turn you out a carpenter after two years training. They can turn you out a teacher after two years training teacher of a sort that is they. They can turn you out a nurse after three years training.

But you can't turn out past as evangelists. And that not by giving two years training or 20 years training. God help us to see in what realm we're moving now. Listen. I call every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who is a born again and spirit-filled Christian.

You're a priest now. I'm not invented that. That's what the Bible says. You're a priest. And you young people have got to know your calling. And you've got to know your equipment. You see you can read say in Ephesians 4 you can read of men that are called apostles and prophets pastors evangelists and teachers.

Glory be to God. It's God that invented those names. It's God that gives the calling. It's God that makes these people and gives them. That's what we're told now. I want you to notice that the word priest is not in that list.

If an evangelist if there's an evangelist or a pastor or a prophet or an apostle or a teacher they're only that on top of their priesthood. Amen. When we are born again we are born priests. You see in the old testament you will remember God set up his tabernacle and he called from the family of Levi from the tribe of Levi a family the Aaronic family.

And all the males that were born in Aaron's family were born priests. They were born priests in the sense in that they had incipient priesthood in them right from the beginning. When they were born Aaron and his wife knew that their sons or later on after Aaron.

I mean it started later on in life with these. But but they knew after this that their children their boys were all born to be priests. That's wonderful praise. The name of the Lord glorious isn't it.

But you know these men had to have something more than a birth qualification to really function in what God wanted them to be. And there came a time when at a certain age they had to come right into their priesthood because it was in the flesh.

I mean once they when they were six weeks old for instance in the cradle they couldn't function as priests. Obviously. But at a certain age these people they had to come into an experience whereby they became priests.

And I hope you know where it all took place we'll turn back into the old testament. And we're in the book of exodus. Notice it's the book of exodus that is it's the book that tells us of the outgoing of the children of Israel from Egypt.

They weren't made priests in Egypt. Nobody can be a priest under the under God if they're a worldly. If you're a worldly person you cannot be a priest. Isn't that lovely. It's all. It's all very simple.

It's all in the book. Hmm. And in the 30th chapter if you've been redeemed from the world as our young brother here at the front was speaking earlier in his prayer we've been redeemed by the blood and God passed over these people.

Hallelujah. And you're out of Egypt. And you're out of the world. And I trust you are I trust you people have got the world right out of your soul. You're not out of the world if the world isn't out of you you understand that if the worldly ways and worldly habits if the worldly way of going on isn't out of you you're not out of the world.

Don't let anybody deceive themselves. Hallelujah. The world isn't sticks and stones and buildings and commerce and and hospitals and all this sort of thing. The world is an insidious spiritual thing. It is a spiritual content.

And unless that spiritual ethical immoral it can't be amoral. And it's certainly not moral if it isn't gotten out of your soul. If it wasn't washed out of your ways by the blood of the lamb. If it hasn't gone from you if your heart craves for it if you love it if you indulge in it then you're not out of the world.

That's the whole purpose of coming out of the world. Isn't going and shutting yourself up somewhere in a monastery or or or a convent or anything like that. That doesn't bring you out of the world. That's only segregation.

Worldliness beloved is taken right out of the heart. Amen. God brings you out of it. Hallelujah all right now in this great 30th chapter of exodus. Oh sorry. In the 29th chapter i beg your pardon it's so full and we can't read the whole of the chapter.

But it's the chapter that tells us about the bringing of the priests the men who were to be the priests of the lord aaron and his sons. Verse 4. Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and shall wash them with water.

And thou shalt take the garments and put upon aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastplate and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod. And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

And thou shalt take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons and coats upon them. And thou should gird them with girders aaron and his sons and put the bonnets on them.

And the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statue statute. And thou shalt consecrate or sanctify aaron and his sons. And uh so some other time you can read down through that chapter of how the lord did this.

But the one thing i want you to notice beloved is this that these people were brought to the door of the tabernacle and the congregation you can read in other point parts all had to stand round and there where everybody could see it.

These people had to be stripped and washed publicly utterly. And the place where it took place the thing at which it took place was the laver. This laver as you know was a bowl in which water was placed.

And these people had to have a thorough washing head to foot. And moses did it hallelujah. He absolutely washed them clean all over until there wasn't a spot remaining. And when they were thoroughly washed they had to be dressed in the particular clothes that god gave them to be dressed in.

And all sorts of things took place. I hope you take time to read it through sometime for everything is significant. And only as you read all the details will you ever come to a knowledge of what it all means.

And you should be interested enough to find out. And that is exactly what happened. And when they were dressed in their robes they had to be anointed with oil. They had to be anointed. What a tremendous thing that was.

And you know on the day in which they were washed in the laver typically they were born again. That's the type of what took place at the laver. Turn with me into the little book of titus you will know i hope this little book it comes just before the book of hebrews and philemon is a little bit that intervenes before just before the book of hebrews in your new testament and in chapter three of titus this is what we read verse four.

After that the kindness and love of god our savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the laver. That's the regeneration and renewing of the holy ghost which he shed on us abundantly through jesus christ our lord that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hallelujah. What a tremendous thing. This is then beloved. This is what took place with all those priests then typically they were taken to to to the laver and were plunged into the spirit for regeneration.

Hallelujah. For the water of the laver typifies the holy ghost. What a remarkable thing. You will know that in the days when solomon made the flimsy structure of the tabernacle into a permanent building called a temple he made what he called a sea.

The laver expanded into a sea. And it was much better than they could all get in it. It was a real. It was bigger than the bath you took your bath in today. It was a marvelous thing. And it rather got round and being incommoded by stripped and washed publicly.

Uh sort of a strip wash business. Hallelujah. It's amazing how you could do that without exposing yourself. It's all right. Don't think god did anything that was lewd or wrong the whole. But it had to be seen that it happened.

It had to be public. This baptism. Everybody had to see it. Everybody had to know it blessed be the name of the lord. And they let. Or it's it's so easy really you can get this beautifully worked out for you.

Let's come into john chapter three. Everybody's familiar with this lovely scripture in john chapter three. It puzzled that man nicodemus that dark dark night when he came to jesus. And it says here in the opening of the chapter that there was a man of the pharisees named nicodemus a ruler of the jews.

The same came to jesus by night and said unto him we know that thou art a teacher come from god. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except god be with him. Jesus answer said unto him verily verily i say unto you except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of god.

It's got to be a kingdom of priests. I want you to understand this. We've been reading the scripture all links up. He cannot see the kingdom of god. For this is really what the priests saw if the children of israel thought that canaan was for them a kingdom of heaven on earth it was the priests who went into the tabernacle who really saw the kingdom of god.

That's where god lived. That's where god reigned. That's where god's throne was. His throne in those days was called a mercy seat. And he appeared in the cloud of glory over the mercy seat. You knew that didn't you.

You would have known it if you'd have read your bibles. Because it's the bible that tells you that it tells you that very clearly god appeared in the cloud of glory above the mercy seat. You see i told you yesterday that the cloud came right down.

You see they saw a pillar of cloud by day and it used. It came down and extended down through the roof of the tabernacle the skin roof. And when it was inside it was glory. Outside it was a pillar of cloud.

Inside it was glory. And he appeared in the cloud above the mercy seat. Hallelujah. All right. He appeared above the blood in the cloud over the mercy seat. God's glorious throne of righteousness which was the foundation of the throne and of his kingdom.

Two tablets of stone in the ark with the ten commandments engraved on them. Hallelujah. And it was the priests who going through the typical new birth of being baptized in the labor were the ones that entered into the kingdom.

It's a marvelous thing the bible so gloriously absolutely spot on. It's absolutely correct. And it's when we try to work up our own ideas about things just to make sermons instead of getting down to the teaching of the book that we run into trouble.

We don't run into trouble if we keep down on the book. It's always marvelously right. And you see and in verse three that's what. That's why. Well in chapter three let's read on. Shall we. Nicodemus says uh how can a man be born when he is old.

Well i'll ask you a question. How was aaron born when he was old. Typically by being plunged into the labor says i mean that's why jesus said him you're a teacher of israel. And you don't know these things.

Think of it. That's why he said it to nicodemus. I mean jesus never talked out of the back of his neck or said something just to be clever to show how clever he was. This should have been basic knowledge.

And he was the great teacher of israel. God send us some real teachers. For lots of teachers are off the mark today. They're supposed to be teaching the people. That's why he said it. He said can a man enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born.

I mean jesus might have said if he'd have been born like i was a londoner in bethlegreen. He might have said don't talk so stupidly. But at least jesus was a gentleman. You see he might have said don't talk such stupid nonsense.

You ought to know this nicodemus. And there was nicodemus making a big puff and a palaver and a pother about something you ought to have known. He said. Now listen. Verily verily i soundly accept a man be born of water and of the spirit.

He cannot enter into the kingdom of god. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. You see aaron and his sons had a new birth in time at the labor. That which was born of this flesh was flesh you see.

But that which was born of the spirit was spirit. And in they went into their priest office. Oh no. They didn't had some other things to happen to them yet. And this is why this thing is so important for us to understand beloved.

Why i don't know whether you've had this total immersion. Have you this absolute glorious birth. This cutting off of the old this commencing of the new this total destruction of the old this absolute finishing with the old this commencing because of that.

And only because of that the new. Oh glory be to god. All the people outside they got forgiveness. They they could all come to. But they didn't get in here. Hope you see this. These people had a great death and birth.

You see. Do you see this. I hope you see it. And then you'll begin to distinguish the things that differ and know your way about in the bible. And what it's really talking about millions massing at the door.

They'd all had forgiveness. They all believed in the sacrifice. They all bought the blood there. But aaron and his sons in glory. Amen. That finished everything. They weren't farmers any longer. Well they were.

They were a nation of farmers. You know that of course sheep keepers. And one thing or another like that. But you see in they went and out they came. Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah. And uh they were robed in their robes.

I told you last night i hope i made this quite clear to you then that so much that is preached as gospel preaching today is a disgrace in that there's a sort of preaching which tells us that god takes sinners and he puts his robe of righteousness on them.

And that's that. And i told you last night that's a lie an absolute lie. God doesn't clothe up sin with white robes to mask it and deceive himself. He doesn't go in for self-deception. You've got it in aaron.

They had to be washed. That's right. All the dirt had to be washed away first. And then they had their robes put on them afterwards. Is that clear. I hope it's clear. For we're all priests. You understand this.

We're a kingdom of priests. Who. This is what old john saw. You see john gave the revelation of the new birth. John gives the revelation of the priests. It's john. You've got to follow him in these great things bible so marvelously consistent.

But and in we go then along this gray line they were taken out of the labor. And then they were what they had their clothes put on them by moses. And uh why we're given all this in detail at the beginning.

Beloved is for the same reason why we were given all this in detail at the beginning of the new testament that what god commenced in the beginning he intended to carry on all the time. That's why we're given great detail about what happened when uh moses and his uh aaron and his sons were made priests.

We're not told anything about eliezer and those that followed after us. Because the details had been given and god intended them to stick meticulously right. Um down to the pattern that was given them in the beginning.

Same when we commence in the great new testament. Hallelujah. Why we're given such details about the day of pentecost. And why these things are all there. Because god commenced as he intended it to go on praise the name of the lord.

I think god's got a lot of sense. I wouldn't call it common sense. But you know what i mean. I can't compliment him but we can worship him and bless the lord that he's put it there for us all to understand.

And that's why it's up for me to repeat it again but it's good to keep on repeating things. It's why jesus said to nicodemus you tell me you're the teacher of israel nicodemus. And you don't know these things.

Well take your cassock off and take your mortarboard off your head and take your doctorate's robes off. You've got no right to be in this get out of it if you don't know these things. These are simple.

They're abc. They're basic. And yet if i may ask you the question not in any sense of wanting to have a make out i have superior knowledge. How many of you knew these things in your churches. How many of you have been taught these things.

That's the tragedy. Now i charge you men you ministers in the name of jesus christ to get down to this book or forfeit your office. You ought to get down and to know it. This is what paul said to timothy said.

I charge you timothy before god and jesus christ who before pilate witnessed a good confession. I charge you the things that i say to you. You're to pass on to others. Perhaps he did i reckon dear timothy did.

But by about the end of the first century it had been lost. That's the tragedy. So we get men manufacturing nice little homilies on little subjects and pass them over. And everybody says i was blessed this morning.

Well of course you can bless on the level of thing comes on. It's like this in in the use of the gifts of the spirit. Excuse me going aside in a little bracket. I've known people go into meetings and a great big vision come through.

And it's as soulish as ever you did here if you've got an ear to hear it. And then somebody gives the the interpretation of it and says oh i was blessed this morning. By interpretation. Yes. So they were in their soul because it came from soul.

You can get blessings. Don't you see. It doesn't mean to say it's spiritual. Because somebody was blessed by it. That was just the thing. Well of course somebody got a vision on the soul realm of your soul state.

And it was true as true as anything. Don't you see god take the blinds off every path. This wish will never be in the spirit always in the soul. Not that god doesn't love our souls. It does. But he wants them purified.

The whole glorious thing is to see which way we're going beloved. Same with so much that purports to come to us. Prophecy. It comes from the soul. And some other soul gets blessed. Of course they do. And they say i i was.

You know that really spoke to me. Well of course it did. Do you understand. I hope you understand. Paul was praying for the oh the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened. We're to know these things.

We're to move on in these things. God has great purposes for us in our lives and the lord intends us to move on. You have to be closed then following this new birth. And you see that it happened immediately.

They'd been into the labor and i they were closed closed. And when they were closed you know what happened don't you. They had blood sprinkled on them. They had oil poured over them. Oh glory. Now you see.

What. What. Now you can understand what the psalmist is talking about psalm 133 when he says oh how good you know. You know it. Don't you all right for brethren to dwell together in unity. It's like the holy ointment the oil that was poured on aaron's head ran down his beard and down to the skirts of his brother.

Hallelujah. Lovely isn't it. You see brethren they're all in this. They've all been through the labor labor. And that's where the unity is in the family. And they all dwelt together in unity. All these priests they had special cities of their own to live in.

And before they were large enough to occupy cities they lived in a much closer huddle than that. They lived just around the tabernacle just there. They all dwelt together at the center in the beginning.

Beloved. It's precious isn't it. They all dwelt together and all to be able to dwell together in unity. It's a precious thing. They were all anointed with the oil. Oh and they had blood put on the tip of their right ear.

Like this. And they had blood put on the right the thumb of their right hand. They had blood put on their right toe you see. So that they could hear the word of god that their ears were right. Glory be to the name of the lord.

Because god said he was going to speak with them from above the mercy seat. Did you know that. That's where the oracle was. Did you know that. Yes it's leviticus chapter one. Make a note of the chapter.