Spot On With The Word

Pastor Scott Frazier continues with the series "We've been made!" Please review the previous segments which are archived. The foundational truths outlined here are critical for understanding your identity in Christ. Join us daily as we learn about all that our faith means to us. You won't be the same!

We have been looking at what it means to be a royal priesthood. What exactly does that mean? We previously examined the differences between kings and priests. They were unique in their office, their locations and even their expression of worship. In the tabernacle of Moses on Mount Gideon, there was no presence of God, because the ark was not present, and yet they still worshipped. Have we fallen into the same lifeless experience? At times we have known how to “do church”, better than we have known how to get an audience with God. This is something to consider!  The ark was brought back to Mount Zion by David. He made it a place of kingly authority and priestly worship. This was a picture of what was to come through Jesus and eventually through to us. We have been made joint heirs with Jesus Christ. There was distinct difference between the tabernacle of Moses and the tabernacle of David. In the tabernacle of Moses there were animal sacrifices. Under the New Covenant, we no longer offer animal sacrifice, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices.  God does not want animals. He wants US! Every day that we live and move, we have the opportunity to offer ourselves as sacrifices allowing the Spirit of the Living God to flow in and through us. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. What a way to live!

Join Pastor Scott as we continue diving into the series "We've been made!" It is such a relief to know that we can be secure in all that God has done for us through Jesus. There is so much to unpack in the subject. Please review the archived teachings. Let this precious truth penerate to the deepest part of your being. It is the foundation and bedrock for living an overcoming life!

We have been studying in this series that we have been made kings and priests by God. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were separated by function and geography. The priests were in the tabernacle on Mount Gideon and the king was on Mount Zion. When David brought back the ark that had been stolen, he returned it to Mount Zion. He essentially married the two offices. People continued to conduct their services in the tabernacle even though the presence of God was on Mount Zion with David. It was just ritual with no presence or power of God. On Mount Zion there was singing and music. There was praise going on twenty-four hours a day. There was dancing and here was no veil to separate the people. We have been given the rights and privileges as kings and priests unto God. We were designed to worship and affect positive change in our communities. We were created to be the difference. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth and we are to conduct ourselves with the high praises of God on our lips. 

We have been made a royal priesthood and a holy nation. We have been made kings and priests. We are supposed to be reigning, not living like victims. In the Old Testament, when Saul was king, the Ark of the Covenant had been stolen from Israel by the Philistines. The Ark at that time was the physical representation of the presence of God. Once that was stolen, there was no visible manifestation of God’s presence in the nation. This is important because they were still having services in the tabernacle. It was located on mount Gideon and they were still conducting spiritual ceremony as usual, without the Ark present. They were just going through the motions. There was no presence or manifestation, yet they were still having “church”. There are people in places today that continue with the form and ritual, but there is no manifested presence of God. He has left the building! This is why David’s first order of business was to bring the Ark back where it belonged. When he did there was such joy and celebration. When he brought the Ark back, he wore the crown and the linen ephod of the High priest. This was a foreshadow of what was to come. He was making a statement. This is what identifies Jesus. He is both King and High Priest. We have been made joint heirs with Him. We need to exercise our God given authority. Let us take back the health of our bodies, minds, souls, and spirits. Let us take back our destinies, our families, our ministries, our businesses, our homes, and our finances. We were not meant to just survive in this world, but to thrive!

We are continuing with the series, WE ARE MADE. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus for the purpose of being more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We were meant to overcome obstacle and to complete our God given destiny. We are a royal priesthood. Revelation 5:10 speaks about God having made us kings and priests and how we shall reign on the earth. We were never meant to be victims of our circumstances. We were meant to live an abundant  and overcoming life. Revelation 11:5, talks about our salvation because of the sacrifice of Jesus with the result being that we have been made kings and priests unto God. In the Old Testament, when David becomes king, his first order of business was to return the ark of the covenant back to Israel. He wore both the crown and the priestly garment. This was a picture of what Jesus would one day fulfill in the New Testament. God wrapped up both offices into one person and then Jesus shared these awesome rights and privileges with us! God wants a people who can minister to Him in worship but can simultaneously administer the direction of God in the earth. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in The Holy Spirit. We were built to worship and to exercise spiritual authority.

We are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation a holy nation and a purchased, peculiar people to show forth the praises of Him who chose us. Throughout the Old Testament, we see a variety of kings and priests. They had unique roles and responsibilities. Jesus was both King of kings and our compassionate High Priest. The Priest’s responsibility was to minister to the people for God and to God for the people. The Priests were to carry forth the revelation and the instruction that God would give for the betterment of the people. The king’s responsibility was to administrate authority and power. Frequently, the king and the priest were at odds and it inevitably caused dissention. The priest could be feeding the people God’s instructions, but if the king were ignoring those same instructions there was no advancement or rest. God’s solution was for Jesus the King of kings to become both King and Priest. He could minister to the needs of the people by interceding for them to the Father. He could also administer authority from The Father, to the people  He shares that with us. He has given that ability to us. In Revelation 5: 10, we find that He has made us unto God both kings, and priests. It is God’s desire that we exercise authority in our sphere of influence. Take charge over your mind, your soul, your home, your circumstances. Use the authority you have been given in the name of Jesus to walk in the divine victory God intended you to have in this life, and then offer praises to Him as a priest.

We have been made. We are who are because of God’s word and not our works. This needs to be branded in the very bedrock of our belief system. If this truth becomes a reality, it will take the pressure off performing for God in order to gain His acceptance. He has already accepted us. That is the Gospel. It is the good news. We are a chosen generation. WE have been made a royal priesthood. This may not seem so important if we are only familiar with western civilization. Apart from a biblical context, at face value it appears to be unnecessary for today. In God’s economy, it is a profound blessing. In the Old Testament, you would find kings and priests. The Priests would minister, The King would be responsible for administration. When Jesus came, he married both offices and shared that reality with us. God’s desire is that we minister to others as priests though praying, ministering, and sharing the word. Simultaneously, we have been given a kingdom authority to by which we were intended to govern. The first place we govern is in our home, but it will only stem from an awareness of who we are in Christ and that we have been given the authority of His name. He has made us both kings and priests. We have been given authority over our circumstances. We were never meant to live under the circumstances. We were meant to be triumphant in them and over them through the power of Christ that dwells within us!

We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. This is not accomplished by our own strength, through our own might, because of our works or due to the law. It is simply because of His grace. He loves us and He chose us. In first Peter chapter two, we are told that we are a chosen people. We have gone from rejected to accepted by the shear fact of His decision. In The New Testament, Jesus tells us that we did not choose Him, rather He chose us. When you begin to truly comprehend the love of God that would motivate Him to choose you, the change will be one that is everlasting! You will be able to RELAX, and enjoy the life you were created to live. Without this reality settled in your heart and mind, you will live a life based in fear and insecurity. You will constantly be striving to earn love and acceptance from a multitude of sources. YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN FAVORED! God knows your frame. He knows your weaknesses and failures. It doesn't stop Him from loving you. He understands why you are the way that you are. This is why He is so longsuffering. Don't let your failures talk you out of believing that you have been accepted in the beloved. Stop being anxious and rest in His abiding love!

What you are is by God’s creation and not by your effort. This must be galvanized inside of you. If not,  you will continue to try to earn that which was always a gift. Religion says must behave in a certain way in order to be acceptable. Relationship says you are accepted simply because you are loved. The more that this truth becomes a reality in your life, you will want to behave in ways that are acceptable. Your desire will be motivated by the fact that you know you are completely loved. You can rest in the fact that you have already been accepted and chosen by God. When you fall or make a mistake, you will be able to get up again. You have been made more than a conqueror. YOU are part of a chosen generation. God knew exactly what He was getting when He got you. God is not afraid of your shortcomings. He is not put off by your issues. Before the foundations of the world, He knew you.  It has pleased God to separate you from your mother’s womb. He called you and destined you to have purpose in this life. Maybe you were never chosen for a team or some a competitive event. The world in which we live  is highly competitive. Perhaps you believe that your failures have caused God to disqualify you. God loves you in spite of yourself. He chose you and will equip you to be what He designed you to become. That is GREAT NEWS!!