Canaan Fellowship

Actively Seeking God: Believers as a Royal Priesthood

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Bruce Hempel delivers a follow-up sermon on living an actively seeking God lifestyle, focusing on the biblical analogy of believers as a royal priesthood. He draws on the Old Testament tabernacle and priesthood as types and shadows that find their fulfillment in Christ and the New Covenant. The message encourages believers to embrace their identity as priests unto God, drawing near to Him with confidence and serving as intercessors and ambassadors for Christ.

  1. Introduction and Review
    • The sermon is a follow-up on having an “actively seeking God lifestyle” with reasons to seek God.
    • Reasons to seek God: For Himself (because He created and redeemed us), for our own benefit (blessings come from living according to truth), and to benefit others (becoming a blessing to our community).
    • The analogy of the priesthood is introduced as a key theme, citing Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9, and Revelation 5:9-10, showing God’s intent for His people to be a kingdom of priests.
    • Old Covenant vs. New Covenant (Hebrews 8)
      • [13:08] The Old Covenant (Mosaic) was a “copy and shadow” of the heavenly sanctuary, while the New Covenant is better, enacted on better promises, with Christ as the High Priest.
      • [16:04] The New Covenant involves God’s laws written on our hearts and minds, not on tablets of stone, and everyone from the least to the greatest will know the Lord.
      • The Tabernacle and Sacrifices (Hebrews 9)
        • [20:04] The earthly sanctuary (tabernacle) had an outer Holy Place and the inner Holy of Holies, entered only once a year by the high priest with blood.
        • [23:22] Christ entered the true heavenly sanctuary once for all with His own blood, securing eternal redemption. He is both the High Priest and the sacrifice.
        • [25:46] Under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
        • Christ’s Once-for-All Sacrifice (Hebrews 9:24 – 10:23)
          • [27:47] Christ entered heaven itself to appear in God’s presence on our behalf. His sacrifice was once for all, not repeated like the old system.
          • [30:57] Just as humans die once and face judgment, Christ died once to bear the sins of many, and He will return to save those eagerly waiting for Him.
          • [33:13] The law was a shadow, but the sacrifices of bulls and goats could not take away sins. Christ came to do God’s will, offering His body once for all.
          • [36:10] Because of Christ’s sacrifice, believers have confidence to enter the sanctuary, draw near with a true heart, and hold fast to their hope.
          • Conclusion: Living as a Kingdom of Priests
            • [37:04] The theme of Hebrews is “let us draw near.” Believers should delight to spend time with God, know His ways, and be priests for one another.
            • [37:30] The term “priest” in the New Testament is not an office but an identity for all believers. We are to be ambassadors for Christ, helping others know Him.
            • [38:58] Our identity determines how we live. Believers should embrace their identity as “a priest for God,” which changes how they live and serve.
              • Scripture References
              • Exodus 19:5-6
              • 1 Peter 2:9-10
              • Revelation 5:9-10
              • Hebrews 8
              • Hebrews 9:1-10
              • Hebrews 9:11-23
              • Hebrews 9:24-28
              • Hebrews 10:1-23
              • Romans 8:1
              • Jeremiah 31

                • Generated by AI model deepseek-chat

                The post Actively Seeking God: Believers as a Royal Priesthood first appeared on Canaan Fellowship.

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