The Priesthood of Believers — Gerry Covenhoven

Well, I may need to cut me a little bit short, and I went well over time, so can I just cut in this part short in hoping I won't go over time? Let's read from 1 Peter 2, verses 1 -10. Peter 2, verses 1 -10.

The Holy and Royal Priesthood of Believers

Our subject this evening is our spiritual priesthood. I trust that the Lord will show us some things that can be of profit to us, each one individually, this evening from his Word. 1 Peter 2, verses 1 -10.

Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and apostasies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

For whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Wherefore, also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Brian a two-cornered stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious.

But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, that saying is made the head of the corner, and the stone of trembling, and a rock of offense, even to them which tremble at the word, being disobedient, for unto also they were appointed.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a superior people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which have not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.".

Some time ago, we dealt with life in the Spirit of God, seeking to show some of the avenues in which that fullness of the Spirit of God could be manifested in our lives, and we were dealing in deep with the idea of worshiping in the Spirit as is given to us in Philippians chapter 3.

We notice there that worshiping in the Spirit involves not simply worshiping, because that word has a dual meaning to it and is sometimes translated, serving in the Spirit. It is actually true service that is involved, and so that it involves not only worshiping, but serving as well.

Now, the priesthood of all believers is a doctrine that is fairly well known among Christian believers today, and certainly it's taught in the Word of God very particularly in the New Testament. But I don't know when it happened that, in the history of the Church, they began to get away from it until finally, with Roman Catholicism, why it came about that there was a certain group of men, the so-called clergy, in distinction from the laity, and they were the only ones who were recognized as priests in that system.

But then, when the Reformation came along, there were four cardinal points of the Reformation under Luther. The first one was Scripture alone, the second one was faith alone, the third one was grace alone, and the fourth one was the priesthood of all believers.

And so, from that time forward, the priesthood of all believers has at least in theory been accepted by almost all so-called Protestants, or even Donaghans. But at the same time, even in Protestantism, there are some, such as the Anglican Church and the Church of England, that still classify their ministers as priests of a special order in distinction from the priesthood of the rank-and-file of the believers in the Churches.

Now, the Word of God doesn't show any distinction between one kind of priesthood or another kind of priesthood as far as the New Testament priesthood is concerned. In the Old Testament, God's original plan was, as He chose Israel out of Egypt, led them forth.

Israel's Calling as a Kingdom of Priests

And we read in Exodus chapter 19, before God gave them the Ten Commandments, it was His original plan that the whole nation would be a kingdom of priests under Him. But we know that because of the sin of the golden calf that entered in, the nation as such was rejected, and because of the fact that in that sin of the golden calf, when Moses came down from the mount, found them in that bush, the tables of the law, and he said, Who is on the Lord's side?

The whole tribe of Levi, the tribe to which Moses pertained, they trembled and fell to him, and Moses said, Take every man his sword, and blow throughout the camp, and slay everyone who has been engaged in this idolatrous worship.

So they did. And the result was then, the tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood, while the remainder of them were rejected for the priesthood. But God's original purpose, we repeat, was that all of the people of God be priests.

And this is just what we find here in 1 Peter. Now, we would like to notice a little bit first the fact of our universal priesthood as it is given to us in the New Testament. It is the New Testament particularly that brings this out, and we find that it's not only here in 1 Peter.

We find also the Apostle Paul speaking about our priesthood. We find the Apostle John speaking about our priesthood. We find the writers of the letters of the Hebrews speaking about this priesthood. So we would like to briefly deal with these things.

First of all, Peter, that we've been reading here in chapter 2, you notice in verse 5 he says, We also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Here he speaks of the holy priesthood, and he emphasizes that the holy priesthood is in order to present spiritual sacrifices to God by Jesus Christ. So this aspect of our priesthood, called here our spiritual priesthood then, is God-worthy.

It looks upward. But then in verse 9 he speaks of another aspect of our priesthood, and he says, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. Here, a royal priesthood in distinction to the holy priesthood of verse 5, and he goes on to say, An holy nation is the church of people, that ye should show forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

And notice here that this royal priesthood is to show forth the marvels of God, and this emphasizes, then, that the royal priesthood has to do with the people around us. It is as we serve others. Holy priesthood is God-worth.

It is vertical. Royal priesthood is man-worth and is horizontal. And so these two aspects of our priesthood, then, would emphasize the, first of all, God-worth aspect of it, as we would, for instance, come together and worship Lord Jay Mourning.

In our worship, we are engaging in a holy priesthood. But then, as we go out to the world and testify to them and teach the truth, then, in various ways, this is a part of our royal priesthood as we serve the men around us.

Congregational Participation and Spiritual Gifts

Now, then, Paul speaks of this holy priesthood and this royal priesthood. I don't think we need to cling to it, but in 1 Corinthians 11, where he refers to the Lord's Supper, that which he had received from the Lord, how the Lord, the night that he was betrayed, instituted that Lord's Supper and took those emblems and put through this in remembrance of me, there he is speaking about an exercise of that holy priesthood that you and I have.

And in chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians, verse 26, he says, When you come together, every one of you has a psalm, a doctrine, a revelation, something to contribute to the meeting. Now, then, 26 of this, there is involved in is not only the Lord's Supper aspect of that meeting of believers.

Now, let me make this clear. 1 Corinthians 11, of course, is talking there about the Lord's Supper, but as we move into chapters 12, 13, and 14, he's not confining himself to the Lord's Supper aspect, but to any general meeting of believers, which includes the Lord's Supper, it includes ministry, it includes prayer, it includes anything else.

So that there he's speaking, then, of this freedom of the believers to participate in the meeting so that anyone can have a psalm, can participate in prayer, can participate in different ways. Now, then, in the first place, we can all participate on the basis of our priesthood so that in our priesthood there is no distinction between one and the other, so that one can pray or another can pray or another can pray.

One can give thanks for the cup or another can give thanks for the cup. It doesn't make any difference because they are all equal at truth before the Lord. But something that we need to distinguish that is not equal amongst believers, and sometimes we confuse these matters, is the matter of gifts.

Different believers have different gifts, and according to the gifts, then, one can participate in one way and should not participate in another way in use of gifts. Now, then, as far as praying goes, anyone could do that because this does not require gifts.

As far as general participation in the Lord's Supper goes, this does not require gifts. But, then, to preach the gospel requires a gift. To teach the Word requires a gift. To exercise the function of a prophet in the church requires a gift, and these are distinct from one from the other so that one could do one thing and couldn't do the other for the lack of gifts in the other.

And yet, the Lord's Supper is not based upon gifts, but is based upon priesthood. And one thing that we sought to emphasize in the assemblies in Peru was that whenever we would go out to a village and speak to an assembly king of two souls, we would emphasize that they should, amongst one of the first things that they would do, meet together for the Lord's Supper, because to celebrate the Lord's Supper did not require gifts.

They didn't have to have any gifts developed for the Lord's Supper. All they had to do was recognize their tradition as priests, and as priests they could take part there in the Lord's Supper, read a portion of Scripture if they wanted to, have prayers, sing some hymns, and things of this nature, and participate even without any exposition of the words.

So then you could always have the Lord's Supper, even in the feverish of congregations, even where there's the greatest lack of gifts. You could always celebrate the Lord's Supper, and the Apostle Paul then deals with the Lord's Supper there in post-creation.

Priestly Service in the Gospel

But then in Romans 15, verse 15, there's a very interesting verse. Actually, the significance in this verse is lost in our King James Version, but other versions bring out what is involved here. Romans chapter 15 and verse 16, Paul says, "...that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.".

Now, this phrase, ministering the gospel of God, is actually...the word translated ministering is a priestly word, and as in the Berkeley Version it says, serving as a priest. The margin of the American Standard Version says the same thing.

Garvey's Version, I was looking up this afternoon, and a number of others, in different words convey a sacred ministry and the idea of there being a priestly service involved in this particular idea. Now, this was ministering to the Gentiles that he might be able to present them to God, but that ministering to the Gentiles in a priestly service to the Gentiles is that aspect of our royal priesthood.

Not the holy priesthood, but a royal priesthood that is involved. So then Paul, in 1 Corinthians, deals with our holy priesthood, speaking about the Lord's Supper, and here in Romans 15 and 16 we deal with our royal priesthood in ministering as a priest to others.

Access to God and Spiritual Sacrifices

Then we write it to the Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 10, of course, a beautiful portion that is dear to all of our hearts, I know, speaks of that access that we have to God's presence, and putting it back into that Old Testament background that is really the background of all of Hebrews.

Hebrews is simply taking those Old Testament rituals and everything else and showing how we have the fulfillment, the completion of these things in our New Testament Christianity. So that here in Hebrews chapter 10, beginning at verse 19, he says, "...but having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.".

Now, entering into the holiest, well, it was only the priest that could enter into the holiest, and actually it was only the high priest once a year who could enter into the holiest of all. Now then, in the letters to the Hebrews, sometimes we find the word the holiest, and actually it does not distinguish in the letters to the Hebrews between the holy place and the holiest of all, because as far as the writer of the Hebrews is concerned, there is no distinction.

It is all one, the veil has been rent so that we have access into the very presence of God. And this, of course, is the exercise of our holy priesthood. And then turning over to chapter 13, we find first of all again this holy priesthood.

Chapter 13 of Hebrews, and verse 15, he says, "...by him," that is, by Jesus Christ, "...therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually," that is, the fruit of our lips, "...giving thanks to his name.".

And here is, first of all, the holy priesthood as we praise our God. But then, verse 16, "...but to do good and to communicate, forget not. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.". And here is the exercise of our royal priesthood, doing good, communicating in material things to our fellow men.

This is the royal priesthood serving others that are around us. And then, of course, the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 1, verses 5 and 6, he says,. "...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first forgotten 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 our Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

Amen.". He's made us priests. Chapter 5 says the same thing, verses 9 and 10,. "...and they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.".

We have been made priests. Now, then, John doesn't even explain it. This was written by the end of the first century, and the idea and the concept and all that was involved in the priesthood of believers was so well established by the time that John writes the Revelation, God says, we don't have to add anything more to what is involved in priesthood.

Just mention the fact, that's all that you need to do here in the last book of the Bible, and it'll be enough just to emphasize the fact that all of God's people are priests. To be priests, we don't need any special education.

To be priests, we don't need any special robe. To be priests, we don't need any of the paraphernalia that certain liturgical churches will use. All we need to do is be redeemed by the presence and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are automatically constituted then priests unto God.

Old Testament Patterns of Priestly Consecration

Priests who exercise, then, this holy priesthood and this royal priesthood for our God. Now, then, as we mentioned at the very beginning, it was John's purpose and intention that all of Israel be priests under him, but he had to change that because of their sin, and it resulted in only the Levites being able to engage in priestly function.

But in the Old Testament, there is a great development of priestly work, and I believe that from the Old Testament, in this priestly work, we can find some things that can be very palpable to us. Now, we recognize, of course, that in the Old Testament, in the ritual of the Old Testament particularly, we have to look behind the symbolism.

We have to look behind these things and see, now, what do they mean to us? What is the lesson that these pictures convey to us? And that is what we would like to do this evening, because I believe that they present to us something concerning our responsibilities that are involved in priesthood, and some of the things that fall upon us that we should be concerned about to see that our priesthood is of this character and this type such as we see develop in the Old Testament Christians.

Now then, first of all, in Exodus chapter 29, God tells Moses what they should do when they get to Tabernacle Completed, and they've made the robes and the special clothing that the priests are going to use, and how they should go about then consecrating the priests for the service that they were to be engaged in in the tabernacle, so that in Leviticus chapter 8, there we find the actual act of consecration.

The tabernacle has been filled, and they go ahead then and fulfill what God tells them to do in Exodus chapter 29. We won't bother to read these chapters, or even one of these chapters, because they're rather lengthy and there's a lot of detail, but there are some lessons there that we would just like to bring out through you.

First of all, we notice there in these chapters that it is always the fact that, in the Old Testament, Aaron is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he was a high priest, and the letters of the Hebrews present Jesus Christ now as our high priest, and Aaron's sons then were to serve as priests with him, and the only reason that they were able to serve as priests was because they were identified with Aaron.

It was their relationship to Aaron himself that enabled them to carry on as priests. There were others of the tribe of Levi that could engage in certain priestly functions and yet not being fully priests.

The Levites of other families, none of the family of Aaron, could not serve any actual sacrifices on things of this nature in the tabernacle. They could engage in other types of work around the tabernacle.

But the sons of Aaron then, because of their identity with Aaron himself, it gave them that right to be priests, and we can say the same for us. Our right to be priests usually hinges upon the fact that we are identified with and joined to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is our high priest. But then, when it came to the time of their consecration, and consecrating them through the ceremony to the work that God gave them, first of all, they had to wash themselves completely with water.

We know that the washing of water in the Word is a very clear and distinct type of being washed in the Word of God. The Word of God acting as a cleansing agent upon us, washing us and cleansing us from all that we need, from all of our uncleanliness of which we need to be cleansed, so that these priests then, in washing themselves completely with water, would be consecrating themselves to that work in that initial step in the consecration ceremony in that way.

Hearing, Serving, and Walking in Christ's Blood

Now, then, the Lord Jesus Christ, you remember the night before he was betrayed in John chapter 13? He comes, he takes the labor, and he's going to wash his disciples' feet. And when he gets to Peter, Peter says, Oh, Lord, I won't let you wash my feet.

And Peter says, If I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me. And Peter says, Well, if that's the way, Lord, just wash me all over. Peter goes from one extreme to the other, doesn't he? He's a delightful character, and he says, Just wash me all over.

And the Lord then corrects him on this. He says, Peter, he that is bathed doesn't need anything but simply an occasional wash. That is, from washing the feet, the hands, the things that get dirty in the common, everyday activity of things, that these do need to be washed from time to time.

Because there has been a complete bathing previously, so that you don't need anything else. Well, that complete bathing previously would be that regeneration through the Word of God that Peter had experienced, and that you and I, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, have already experienced.

So this, then, is the first step in being consecrated to our priesthood, shall we say, regeneration through the Word of God, giving us a complete cleansing. But then they had a number of sacrifices there, a bullet and two rams, and the second ram that they were to offer, the blood of this ram was to be taken.

Moses applied it to Aaron, and then Aaron applied this to his son, and took the blood of the ram and applied it first to the lobe of the right ear, to the thumb of the right hand, and to the big toe of the right foot.

Now, there was a further step in that consecration ceremony, in order that they be presented and participate, then, in their priesthood. The blood, of course, speaks of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ being applied to our ear, in order that we might hear his voice.

No one that does not hear, anyone that does not hear the voice of God speaking to him cannot serve as a priest. We must hear that voice. That voice must come home to our souls. And I think that this is something that we should seek to exercise ourselves towards.

As we read the Word of God, do we really hear his voice? Or are we simply opening God's book, of course, but reading it as though it were any other book? Or does God speak to us from the book? We've got to hear God's voice, and this is essential, and this consecrating blood upon our ear makes us capable of hearing God's voice.

Thank God he makes us capable, then, to hear his voice, in order that we might serve in his priesthood. But then applying the blood to the right thumb means that then their service was dedicated to him.

What they were going to do was to be dedicated to God. God had redeemed them for service. And that hand, then, the thumb being dedicated to the Lord, involving the whole hand, meaning that then they were to be engaged in service for him.

And that blood then also being applied to the big toe, that here it means that they were to walk with the Lord in the value of that redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as far as we are concerned now in applying that hand.

So here is the second step, then, that I see that is important for us in this consecration ceremony. First of all, there was the washing of the complete body as it was regenerated through the word of God.

Secondly, there is applying of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to the ear to hear God's voice, to the thumb to labor for God, to the toe, to walk with God. Then after that, they were to take blood and oil, and this was to be sprinkled upon them.

Blood and oil sprinkled upon them. Here, of course, the blood is again the value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ applied to them totally. And Peter speaks of the sprinkling of the blood, does he not?

In 1 Peter chapter 1, he speaks of that sprinkling of the blood. Then there is also the oil, and the oil being a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God. That it is only as the value of these things are applied to us that we can then finally engage in this active service for the Lord, and as we realize the value of the sprinkling of the blood and of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, so that we can truly worship in the Spirit as we considered on a previous occasion.

So there is this consecration ceremony, and it would all tie in with what the Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Now, there again, this word service is the word which means a priestly service. It's your reasonable priestly service. Your reasonable the word that drove me here just slipped my mind just now. But it's something, the idea of your reasonable worship.

That it's the idea of the priest engaging in it on the basis of consecration. Now, that's what we learned from that consecration ceremony there in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. So then, in the exercise of our New Testament priesthood, we can learn these lessons from the Old Testament that I think would be important for us.

Holiness as a Requirement of Priestly Service

Now then, there is something else, and that is the need for holiness in the exercise of our priesthood. Now then, may I say this, that the exercise of our priesthood is at all times excellent, because we are always before the Lord and we are to be always engaged in service to the Lord.

But in this relation, let us consider, first of all, what we read in Hebrews chapter 12 as to the church of the firstborn. Hebrews chapter 12, verses 22 and 23. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven.

The general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven. Now, what does that phrase mean to you? The general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven. To me, that is just to state it in one word or two words, the church.

It is simply the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, composed of all redeemed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are here classified as the church of the firstborn. Now, what we're trying to get at is this.

In the Old Testament, where, of course, it teaches originally about the firstborn, it shows that the firstborn, as firstborn, has a triple inheritance. Eric Zauer brings this out in one of his books. It shows where the first thing that the firstborn receives is that he is second in the praise of his father as head of the family, and when the father passes away, the firstborn becomes head of the family.

Then, secondly, the firstborn receives a double portion of the inheritance. In Jacob's family, for instance, where he had twelve sons, the firstborn, the inheritance would be divided up to the thirteen parts.

So that the firstborn would receive two parts, and all the other eleven sons would receive one part each. So the firstborn receives a double portion. And then the third thing about this inheritance of the firstborn is that he was to be the priest of the family.

So there would be two things. First of all, to be the head of the family, to make decisions for the family. Secondly, to receive a double portion of the inheritance, and thirdly, to be the priest of the family.

Now then, as God chose Israel, well now, let's not leave that. In Jacob's family, for instance, who was his firstborn? He was the firstborn of Jacob. But Reuben, because of sin, was rejected. And we read in Genesis chapter 29, when Jacob, rather, pronounces the blessing of twenty-twelve sons, he says, Reuben, you are my firstborn, the beginning of my strength.

But you are as unstable as water, and you shall not escape. Jacob never forgot the time that Reuben sinned. And Reuben didn't confess it. Reuben, you know, his father didn't approve him for it, according to the Old Testament account.

And Reuben thought, well, I got away with it. But he caught up with it in the end. He lost the privilege of the firstborn. And then Simeon and Levi were the next two in line. But because of sin in their life, they did not receive any privilege of the firstborn.

Judah was the fourth, and Judah received them. The father was head of the family so that the scepter was not to depart from Judah, and the king came from Judah, and the Messiah came from Judah. And then that job of priesthood was given to the tribe of Levi because of their faithfulness, as we already mentioned.

But here in Hebrews, looking in chapter 12 again, notice verses 15 and 16. Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 15 and 16. It says, Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Now, Esau, as a profane person, sold his birthright. Because we remember that when Jacob had a pot of lentils, and Esau came in from the field hungry, absolutely starving, feeling that he couldn't last any longer without something to eat, and he saw that, he said, Give me that to eat.

And Jacob says, I'll give it to you until you sell me your birthright. And Esau says, It's not doing me any good, you take it. And so Jacob said, All right, I have the birthright, you have the food. And so he was a profane person, desiring material things, food for his belly, instead of a birthright that would be a spiritual blessing from God, as well as a blessing from his father.

So that he was a profane person, but the Bible never tells us that he was a fornicator, as this verse mentions. But that man whom we have already mentioned, Reuben, lost his birthright because he was a fornicator.

And I believe that he is the one that is in the background here. So that the Old Testament shows us two men who lost their birthright. Reuben because he was a fornicator, and Esau because he was a profane man.

And this brings us to this. Our birthright then, as priests of God, this is a part of our birthright. As priests of God, we have got to live in holiness. If we are to be able to exercise this priesthood as we should, and be able to enter into the enjoyment of it as we should.

Otherwise we will not enter into any of the blessings of the birthright that God has for us. So that here in Hebrews there is a very definite warning, I believe, in this relation of the Christian's birthright.

And that we need to walk in holiness if we are to be able to exercise our priesthood in a proper way. Then there is another thing that we come across in the Old Testament. And that is the necessity of distinguishing between that which is holy and that which is unclean.

Discernment Between Holy and Unclean Worship

Leviticus chapter 10, beginning at verse 1. Leviticus chapter 10, beginning at verse 1. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them, his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Verse 8. And the Lord spoke unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine, nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die.

It shall be a statute for ever throughout their generation. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean. And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

Now, we've got to tie these two parts together. The beginning of the chapter where Nadab and Abihu will claim before the Lord because they offered strange fire. And then the prohibition for drinking any strong drink before they were going to enter into the presence of the Lord, because strong drink will take away the ability to distinguish between that which is of God and that which is not of God.

Now, God had ordered that any time a priest entered into his presence there in the holy place, not the holiest of all, but into the holy place, and they were going to carry their censers with them, they had to take coal from off the altar where they offered the sacrifices, and then put their incense on those coals.

Now then, where these priests got their coals of fire from, we don't know. But they evidently were not coals from the altar. So they offered strange fire. Because they were not able to distinguish and to discern these things in their at least semi-drunken state.

Now, there's a tremendous lesson in this statistic. It seems to be far removed from us today as far as the immediate application is concerned. But the Apostle Paul has to apply it to the Corinthians. And in that chapter that we referred to, 1 Corinthians chapter 11, speaking about the Lord's Supper, he just says, When you become together, why is it that you do not remember the Lord's Supper?

He was reproving them. He was saying they were doing it in the wrong way. Why? He says, because those of you who have plenty, you drink all of your wine and your food and whatnot, and you don't share with everybody else, and you drink too much wine, and you get drunk, and then you are participating in the Lord's Supper in a drunken state.

So that instead of being able to distinguish in the Lord's Body, as they were remembering these things in the emblems, they did not discern the Lord's Body, and they were drunk because of this. And the Apostle Paul says that because of this, many are asleep, and many are sickly, and many are asleep, God's judgment has come in amongst them.

But brethren, even though we may not have this danger of not distinguishing because of drunkenness, insofar as intoxicating alcoholic drinks may be concerned, there is always the tendency to become intoxicated with some of the ideas of the world.

And I believe that many churches, very especially liturgical churches, depend upon strange fire in order to promote worship. Incense, beautiful organ music, beautiful sanctuary, as they say, priestly robes, pictured windows, and things of this nature that they depend upon, and many people feel in a much more worshipful attitude because they are in that type of an atmosphere.

Now that is not Christian worship. That is worship after the flames. That is worship according to strange fire. I remember one time a missionary in South America, not Peru, but from another Latin American country, was telling me that they wanted to have a portable hall built to be able to have gospel meetings in different villages.

And so they made a kind of a temporary design as to what they thought it should look like and submitted this to an architect. And the architect looked at this and it was explained to him what it was to be used for.