Christian Priesthood - Our responsibility - Part 2 — David Petterson

Priesthood in Practice and Care for the Assembly

So, let's look then at priesthood in practice and the things that we would be called to do in going in. Number one here, care for God's sanctuary is just kind of an overall picture of the basic responsibilities of the care that ought to be manifested for the place of God's dwelling.

1 Corinthians 3 reminds us that the assembly is temple-like, presence of God. Not that the building where we meet is the sanctuary. We should have respect for the place where we're meeting, it's only fitting.

But it's the idea of care for the assembly itself and those who make up a part of the assembly.

Yeah, it is interesting the reference that you have to Leviticus 10, which I take it what occurred on the eighth day. We thought about the seven days of consecration and then there was the eighth day in chapter nine.

And I take it chapter 10 is the same day as you move on through. So the fire from the Lord had come out and burned upon that altar. But then there's two men that present strange fire to the Lord and the same kind of fire comes up from the Lord and consumes them.

Why? Because they were corrupting the pattern that God had given. So Paul takes out that very metaphor of a sanctuary, the naos, the holy of holies, and applies it to the assembly, says you're the holy of holies.

If any man corrupt the temple of God, him will God corrupt. We see it illustrated in Leviticus 10. And likely in Leviticus 10, there was the background of intoxication because there's the prohibition that follows of wine and strong drink and attending to the things of the Lord.

And in Corinthians, the assembly had been corrupted because they were mistreating the Lord's supper and some of them were drunken. So there's similarities there between the two.

Christ’s Priestly Care for the Churches

I hesitate to raise this, and if you think this is too much of a tangent, feel free to say so. But one of the things that we haven't mentioned in the whole wider subject of priesthood is that revelation.

We've been to Revelation chapter 1 today, but that revelation scene that John saw, we see Christ moving amongst the lampstands, and we're really there seeing Christ in a priestly role as he tends to the assembly so that as far as the churches of God are concerned, there is a there's a priestly role of Christ in caring for them.

And then we have a priestly role as we seek to serve God in that context. Yes. Yeah, we might I might say a little more about that when we get when we get to the lampstand and just why that figure is used.

So twice over then, David, as you know, first Corinthians three, the temple of God is used and first Corinthians six, the temple of God is used. And of course, there's a slight distinction between that.

Isn't that correct? You've pointed out the care for God's sanctuary here when it comes to the local assembly. But there should also be another care. Isn't that right? The spirit of God in first Corinthians six dwells amongst the believers personally, individually, and so there is also care there that we've got to take care how we live for the Lord, because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost.

And so that impacts we touched yesterday the blood on the ear and the blood on the hand and the blood on the toe. And we're learning now this is one of the reasons for it. We are not absolved from service for the Lord because this body is the temple of the.

Holy Spirit. Now, moving past the overall care for the sanctuary itself, then, of course, leaving the altar. I didn't put that on there. I don't want to emphasize going to the brazen altar again, but leaving the altar that there would be the daily need to visit the labor.

Right. The daily need for cleansing. Any help could be offered on that.

Cleansing Through Christ, Scripture, and Mutual Service

Isn't there? He touched John 13 yesterday. Isn't it true in John 13 that there's three aspects that the Lord Jesus introduces of that cleansing? So what I'm thinking about is this, the Lord says in John 13, verse number eight, if I wash thee not, so there's the action of the Savior himself.

And then in John 13, verse 10, the Savior says, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet. So we've got the action of the Lord Jesus. Then we've got the action of an individual. He's responsible for his own cleansing.

And then he says the Lord Jesus says that they're to wash one another's feet. And so there's three things going on with this practical cleansing from the scriptures. The Savior will wash us through the word of God.

We ourselves are duty bound to take what God has in his word and to use it for our own practical cleansing. And then there's times like this when we gather together with God's people and through the application of the scriptures, we are washing one another's feet.

So how is the how is the reading of the scriptures? It's kind of a leading question. How does this bring about the cleansing that we need to serve? It's not just the reading of the scriptures.

Well, verse 10 there of John 13, Jesus says to him, he that is bathed or bathed, I talk, I took it that that equated with salvation, the washing of regeneration needeth not save to wash his feet only the daily need for confession.

So, yes, that would certainly be part of it.

But your point is there has to be a practical application of that.

Yeah. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Right. By taking heed to according to that, we we might tend to think that we've read the Bible today and we're good standing with the Lord and we haven't obeyed what it says.

And we and there may the Bible is a mirror. We open it up. It puts it shows us what we're like. It shows us the contamination that we have, things that were sin that maybe we hadn't thought about and bringing that to light.

We make things right with the Lord, but it's but it's by taking heed to the word that we find the cleansing that we need. Right. So the priest was not to just go to the labor and look at it or look into it.

The water had to be taken and had to be applied. Sure. And sometimes that is, as you say, that's a step that we miss. And we think that that reading is sufficient, whereas it's the response, the obedience to the word of God that will accomplish the cleansing.

So what does the labor like to in the sense that it shows them?

Yeah, they were to wash their hands and they were to wash their feet. So everywhere they went was to be governed. Everywhere a Christian goes is to be governed by the word of God. Everything a Christian does is to be governed by the word of God that will keep them clean.

So so that's true. And I do take out of what you said. There is the other thing that some Christians read their Bible every day and sometimes having read, you wonder what you've got from reading. But don't forget, it has the power to accomplish cleansing as we are reading.

So even apart from the taking, he should by all means, that's something we should have a yieldedness of spirit and there should be action in our lives to put into practice what the scripture says. But it does also have a cleansing effect.

It's wholesome. It's healthy. That's right. James speaks of receiving with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. And then, of course, he says, but be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.

And of course, we'll maybe be emphasizing this as we move through. But the importance of having clean hands and clean feet is absolutely essential. I'm thinking of First Timothy chapter two. Men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.

So there needs to be that cleansing for our service to be acceptable to God.

And that's coming from the Lord Jesus himself, isn't it? Psalm two. He that has clean hands and a pure heart.

The Lampstand, Discipline, and the Light of Christ

Yeah. So after he would wash the labor, obviously would go in to the holy place. And one of the things that would be done with a daily basis was the lighting of the lamps. Right. We're purposely trying to bring in some assembly teaching here, too, and the importance of making sure that we're burning brightly for the Lord as an assembly.

Any help that can be offered here? Can I ask you who lights the lamp?

That'll bring you to your Revelation one, but maybe you don't want to go there just now. But it was there in the Old Testament. That's right. Right. It was a high priest.

Matter of who is used to light the lamp. Right. But the fuel, the fuel that is behind it is the Holy Spirit.

That's right. Right. So just to get the picture now from the tabernacle in the evening, the lamps were lit for the hours of the darkness in the morning. They were dressed. The dross was removed. Interesting that coinciding with that, the instructions are given for the burning of incense upon the golden altar.

So it's interesting that in our lives, when God is purging us of dross, that we might shine the brighter. That is something that he just that is something that is not just negative, but there is at the same time the bringing out not only of a brighter light, but the fragrance of Christ, the incense at the same time.

So so when we are subject to discipline for the time, it seems grievous. It's not joyous, but it is profitable. If it's the figure of the light, we shine the brighter. If it's the figure of incense, there's more fragrance of Christ from our lives.

And this this context brings us back again to the word of God doesn't because when in Revelation chapter one, we see the Savior who moves and and who tends the lamps, there's a sharp sword that goes out of his mouth.

And in the in the chapters that follow, I take it that sword will be used for precisely that purpose. It will be used to dress the lamp and and to clear the dross. And it's a solemn thing to think of the sharp sword.

But on the other hand, if you're going to trim a lamp, it's much better to have a sharp sword that will do it with with precision and that will do it with accuracy. If you try to do it with a butter knife, you'd make an awful mess.

And I think as we see the Savior speaking, you know, to each of those churches and saying, I know, I know. And coming down with with laser accuracy on what the problem was and what the issue was, we're seeing the sharp sword being applied, unpleasant though it might be, as you say, with the end result that testimony would be maintained and that the light would shine more brightly.

So from time to time in the life of this of an assembly, there is a need for discipline. There's a need for the authority of the Lord to be carried out. That's the solemn side of assembly life. We are responsible for what we do.

The Assembly as a Golden Lampstand

So let's let's think a little bit more than that figure, the metaphor of the assembly as a lampstand. We're told specifically at the end of chapter one in Revelation, right, that the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

So we have reason to believe each of these lamps, each of these assemblies is a lampstand. What is the purpose of the lampstand? What is the purpose of an assembly then as a lampstand? Well, it doesn't help us to appreciate, first of all, that these were golden lampstands.

And so that tells us something of their value, of course. And I think, you know, for those of us who are from small assemblies, it's worth remembering that as far as we're concerned, we're golden lampstands, there's a value.

But there's also we've been thinking about gold as manifesting divine character and divine righteousness. So a golden lampstand is going to tell us it's going to anyone who sees that lampstand is going to tell something about the character of God.

So that's one of the things that an assembly should be. And all seven of them are golden. And all seven of them are golden. Not just the ones that were, you know, Philadelphia, we say a golden lampstand.

All seven were golden. And he was in the midst of them. And he was closer to some than he was to others. That's a good point as well. But we should not we we could tend to look at vibrant, growing assemblies, large assemblies and say, well, you're in a golden lampstand.

Every lampstand is precious to God.

But each each lampstand, though, is seen on the ground of responsibility toward Christ. Right. He's in the midst.

He's in the midst. That's clear. So we still get. We got to get to the purpose. Right. What is the main purpose?

It exists for his pleasure, first of all. Yeah. But the figure of a lampstand is something that gives light. OK, so we have changed to I'm going to give you can I give you a tangent before we go on the light thing or it's not a candlestick.

You've changed the authorized rendering. Right. I'm happy. I didn't change it. OK. Well, it's called candlestick in the authorized. But a candlestick is self-consuming. The figure of a lampstand is something that is used.

It has a base, it has a column and it gives light, but it's fed by oil, which is not not part of itself. Now, one of the things that's unique to the seven churches is each one of them hears he that hath an ear.

Let him hear what God says to the churches. No, he that hath an ear. Let him hear what Christ says to the church. No, he that hath an ear. Let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. So it's being fed by the spirit of God.

Right. One of the interesting things about our statements that are made about the lampstand in the tabernacle was it was to give light over against itself. That's interesting. It itself was producing light, but it was to give light over against itself.

It was illuminated. The gold was seen in all its brilliance and glory by the light that was produced. It's interesting to notice as well that Paul writes to the Corinthians and he calls the assemblies the glory of Christ.

The glory of Christ. And that's the purpose of an assembly in a locality, isn't it? To bear glory.

That's what I was hoping to emphasize. So in Revelation one, you know, a lot of things are not said that could be taken from the tabernacle. But we do know that Christ is in the midst so that they're shining a light upon Christ.

An assembly bears the privilege as each that make up a part of it are yielded to the fuel of the Holy Spirit to burn brightly for Christ so that people in that in this community can see Christ here. That's right.

And that's a glory to him in the assembly. Yes. In the assembly, the testimony of God is Christlike so that everything that takes place in the assembly, the preaching glorifies Christ. It's honoring it.

It's shining a light on Christ. Does our preaching do that? Does our gospel preaching do that? Does our breaking of bread do that? Do all of our activities shine a light on Christ so that when others would come, they could say, I see Christ here.

That's the purpose. That's it. So we get that out of balance, don't we? Because frequently we think the assembly exists as a testimony, too. But it exists as a testimony primarily for Christ who is in the midst.

So that others will see that and be drawn to him.

So then it's not so much a question of what I get out of the assembly. That's not really the purpose of the assembly. But it is something I will get something. If Christ is getting his portion, his people will be fed, too.

Is it is it is it confusing the image to see at least a resonance here with with First Timothy chapter three, the pillar and ground of truth so that there's truth being being displayed in the assembly?

But again, what is the truth without controversy? Great is the mystery of godliness. And we go into that great statement of Christological truth, because that's really the core. That's the what is it?

The what Kelly says, the sum and the center of all that we hold.

So that compares with the figure that I use, because I said it had a base. It had a column and it gave light. First Timothy three. It has a ground. It has a pillar and it disseminates truth. Very good.

We hold it fast and we hold it forth. This imagery of the lampstand, I know we're taking a lot of time on it, but I think it is helpful. There was, of course, a warning to one of the assemblies about the lampstand being removed.

Ephesus, right. So what what was the warning? Why was the warning given? What can we learn from it today? If we're bearing testimony for God, we want to we want to have that privilege. We would we would it would be devastating to think that that lampstand could be removed.

So how can we keep that from happening where we gather locally? Well, how they were to keep it from happening in Ephesus was that they were to repent so that there was something of which they of which they needed to repent.

And and it was this solemn charge and the the the epistle to this epistle to Ephesus is a very solemn one because there was so much that was right. And there was so much that was commendable. But the Savior says you left your first love.

And I think that should cause us all to feel a little bit uncomfortable. We would reading the descriptions and the letters to each of the seven taking out the threats to them. We might not have put that one in Ephesus.

Ephesus may have been doing everything right on the exterior and everything looks right outwardly. But inwardly, things were gone terribly wrong. They had waned in their affection. And who's their first love?

Well, it's hard to think anyone other than the Lord Jesus. Right. But how is that? How is love to Christ usually manifested by love to his people? Right. And when we fail in our love for Christ, it will be evident because we won't love one another and other people will see that they won't see Christ because they don't see that we love one another.

And that's something that can easily happen anywhere. We can go through the forum. We can have all the meetings that we're supposed to have and participate in them. But if we lose love for Christ, then we fall under this warning.

I think that God's gracious. I do. It's possible that we can carry on for quite a while with cold hearts. And God is gracious in giving us opportunity to repent. We can be thankful for that. But we can make things right today.

And that one seems to be put first, David, because the rest, the other six, it has been suggested, and I tend to think this, that it was the temperature of love that's being diminished as you move through the other six.

I thought it was because we were in the apostolic. No, I didn't really.

Oh, you're going back to Ireland tomorrow.

Feeding on Christ and the Bread of the Presence

Or so maybe we can move into number four, the feeding on the bread. And I know some of this has been discussed already. Enjoying Christ. God wants us to enjoy what he enjoys, doesn't he?

The bread sat on the table for six days. Basically, without being touched by the priest. But then on the seventh day, it was to be their bread. So it was before God for six days. So whenever we are enjoying Christ, we almost always remember that God enjoys far more than we could ever enjoy of him.

And there wasn't just one loaf. You know, the showbread, the bread of faces, and there was a portion linked with each of the tribes. And I think there's a vitally important thing that our feeding on Christ should be done for ourselves.

We're very good at sort of being parasites on the spiritual experience of others. And that's not really what we should be doing. And that's not what the priests were doing. There was a provision for that which spoke of Christ, and it was for all the people of God.

Now, John, you know that there are five different expressions given for the bread. Could you elaborate on that? No, William, I have one.

You know, I think I'll let you tell us what they are. Well, one has been touched on already.

The bread of the faces. And you've emphasized communion. I'm being a good boy today, by the way. Thank you. All right. The bread of the faces, which speak of communion. You've just emphasized that. Then there is the continual bread, numbers four and seven.

It is the communion of Christ, the constancy of Christ, the continual bread. Then you have the punctured cakes. The Viticus 24 and five. The word is used and reminding us again of the crucifixion of Christ, perhaps.

Then you have the bread of remembrance in Leviticus 24 again, verse seven, as the contemplation of Christ, as we remember him. And then the hallowed bread of first Samuel 21 and for the consecration of Christ to God.

Good. So sometimes we've heard it said and it's actually a misstatement, as you say, we wouldn't. But people say that that bread was the food of God. But that's not correct. That's not what we're learning here.

God did not feed on that bread. There is something in the book of Leviticus called the food of God. Leviticus 21. That was on the brazen altar. God fed on what was placed on the brazen altar. This was food for the priests.

And we're learning, aren't we learning again? And I know we're going over things, but part of the reason why this bread was given to them was for sustenance. It was not it was to sustain their service.

That God let them feed on that bread. And are we learning that our service, our priestly service will be sustained through feeding on the scriptures and on the person of the Lord Jesus?

Well, finally, we have nothing to give if we're not feeding on Christ. And a priest could could maybe have gone for a little while without eating anything from the bread. But eventually he would just he would just run out of steam, be evident to all.

So this the cleanse. So therefore, the the number two and number four washing in the labor and feeding on the bread, both in their application involve the word of God. Right. One is the word of God and his commands.

You know, we we were obedient to the commands of the word. But the other is the enjoyment of Christ in the word. And when we're reading, we ought we ought to be looking for and enjoying both. And it's very solemn to realize just how much you can read of scripture and not do either of those things.

And, you know, you can your eyes can pass over the page. You can understand the measure of what you read. But it's possible to read a great deal of the word of God and neither to yield to its commands or to enjoy Christ in it.

So I think it is important for us as we as we come to scripture to make sure we're doing both those things.

So this being food for the priests, it energized them, enabled them to serve. Right. And in all of our service, we need to be feeding on Christ to make it effective.

Can I just say this, too, as far as what we're feeding on in the word, that's important, too. It might be that we'll make statements like that and people are saying, well, I'm reading it. I'm going through my reading.

I started in Genesis. I'm going to end in Revelation and I'm in First Chronicles, Chapter three. I have no idea what's going on. There's lists of names. We have to also think of the word of God as portions appropriate for the ability to digest.

Those of you that have children, you're not going to put it, you know, you got a five month old sitting in the high chair. You're not going to give them a T-bone steak and expect them to get through it and to get anything from it whatsoever.

Apart from maybe the salt that's on the top of it or that we have to make sure that especially as we're guiding young believers to direct them to portions of the word to study that will be appropriate for their diet.

Because otherwise it's it's like a child and I was going to be very frustrated that can't get any of this in to do any good. So that's just a word for those of us that might be seeking to be a help to our own children or to younger believers and directing them to places in the word that that would be good for them.

I'm not saying don't read the whole Bible, but don't get frustrated if you don't understand something. There may be some other places where you could spend some time right now.

There was, of course, fragrant frankincense, which was placed upon the bread that was taken and burned. So there was something associated with the bread that God appreciated. And then the priest, the priest, that fragrance that God appreciated frankincense, of course, speaks of the spotlessness of the Lord Jesus and the beauty and holiness of his person.

And God received that. And then the priests, they would be feeding also on his person as they're standing in the sanctuary. But wasn't there the idea of something that was, say, brought to the door of the tabernacle and we apply it.

It was for the eye of God and so on. There is an expression that's used in relation to the bread that it should be before me always. So the eye of God was a pie wasn't literally eating it. Right. The priest did that.

But in the sense that God was looking on it, there was an appreciation for Christ by the eye of God.

Prayer as Priestly Intercession

And it reminds us that, you know, there's nothing that we can grasp of Christ as you were saying, I think, that has not already been appreciated by the father. That's right. And then let's move to number five, then one of the other things that the priests would do when they were going in is they would stop at the golden altar of incense.

They would offer their incense and we make the application because of various texts that seem to do that for us, that that our prayer life is really a priestly function. And our prayers are seen as ascending to God as a as a savior that he will that he will receive.

And in receiving, it's the picture of hearing our prayers and respond and answering our prayers that he's going to do that. I didn't put on the outline. Brother William pointed this out to me that this is where I would have typed in.

And I don't know why I didn't type it in here. First, Timothy chapter two, because that involves the the idea of of also the assembly praying together is a function, isn't it?

Does the priest in his function, he he acted on behalf of the whole company, right? And as well as well as his own individual prayers.

Yeah, but so I think Mark was bringing that out earlier, too. Yes, you're right.

So so it's an intercessionary role. That's what you're saying. Wayne, the priest functioned in that way. And yes, mediating role, mediating role. So then pray for other people. Right. That's the exhortation of First Timothy, too.

And it's addressing the assembly prayer meeting in First Timothy, too, so that Timothy would know how to behave himself in the house of God.

These instructions are given. And it is worth maybe just mentioning in relation to that, that it's very clear that we're dealing here with an assembly context where I say that I will that men pray everywhere, which is really an expression that indicates everywhere where there is an assembly gathered.

The males, right? Must be an assembly setting right now. Just. I don't want to give my whole spiel on some of these things, but I can't help myself sometimes. But the assembly prayer meeting, then maybe you've never thought of it in that respect, that you come to act to function as a priest.

It's a privilege to do this. And in some ways, this this will lead us into the next idea of offering sacrifices because prayer is very sacrificial, isn't it? It involves a sacrifice to think about other people than yourself.

And at a very basic level, I know people talk about the prayer being our our weeknight prayer meeting. The brethren get up, men get up and they pray for five, 10 minutes. Well, that ought to tell you something.

They can actually think of that many people that have needs that they've obviously been praying for. But at the very basic level, a prayer meeting is a place where you can go and think about someone other than yourself for 30 minutes or so.

And it's kind of telling about our own spiritual condition. If we would think that it's not worth doing 10 minute prayers, 10 minutes, I was in a place recently.

I shouldn't tell you where I'd rather pray for 21 minutes. Well, someone text my wife after it said he broke his personal best.

And the problem is, though, that you do sometimes find and I know it's it's it's easy, it's easy to be critical. I think that emphasizing that the assembly prayer meeting is part of our priestly exercise, which would remind us that it's something that we need to take seriously and it's something that we need to prepare for.

And sometimes the long prayers don't actually involve that much thought because it's just the same thing from last week. And you go on the tour of the world, bless this country, bless that country, bless the other country.

And I think nothing will help the spiritual life of an assembly like rather than appreciating the privilege of acting as priests in public prayer, putting a bit of thought into it.

So we have a question here. Is it this is something that I was thinking about two weeks ago. Is it wrong to have maybe a list that of like at the back of the hall where you could put people that you want to pray for, that the whole assembly could be praying for making maybe a photocopy of it?

They take home and pray for people. Or is that something that would be taking it too far?

Can't see any reason why you wouldn't want to do that. It's not much different to the man standing up and saying, we'll remember this, but at least you can remember it if it's written down. We all have pens and paper, don't we?

If we really want to take prayer, our prayer life seriously, we will take the steps necessary to remember those that we want to remember. And sometimes we'll tell people, oh, yeah, I'll remember you in prayer.

Really? So could I ask then what should be prayed for? In the prayer meeting, in the public prayer meeting, what about the breaking of bread to let's expand that. Let's make this as practical as possible.

I mean, what about someone praying and praying for his neighbor's dog? It's at the vet in the breaking of bread. Are those things appropriate? Well, they first of all, with a prayer meeting.

Well, if you had 30 minutes, a lot of places and we do at home. If you had 30 minutes, I would think you'd want to make the best use of those 30 minutes. I could maybe think of something better than the neighbor's dog.

I could think of the neighbor, maybe. Yeah, you see, I've noticed, but there's certainly this is this is our experience. There's a there's a great contrast between the midweek prayer meeting and the prayer meeting before the gospel meeting.

You go to the prayer meeting before the gospel meeting. There's quite a number of brethren there. They'll all pray. In your assembly? Yes. Yeah, yeah. Oh, good, good. Yeah, it's a surprise, I guess. And the prayer belongs to him.

I was just clarifying the point. Sorry. Did I say my very hard enough? No, not on that point.

The fact that there were many men at your prayer meeting before the gospel meeting. That's excellent.

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, as many as are there. But the point is this, they turn up, they speak up and they shut up. It's it's everyone prays and they pray specific pointed prayers. And that, to me, is what every prayer meeting should be like, rather than a few brethren going on world tours, mentioning everything that they can that they can occur and covering all the grounds that the next brother has no choice but to sort of just follow the rules of all of the above.