WHO ARE YOU?
Part 2
By Richard L. Spangler
In Part 1, we discussed being the servant and the attitude of a servant that keeps us from becoming who we truly are in Christ. The key to remember is that God’s grace still keeps us and God sees us as we ready are, no matter how we think and see ourselves. Abram saw himself as a servant, God called him friend.
This part of the teaching we shall look at ourselves as kings and priests. The scriptures for this are:
1 Peter 2:9-10 (AMP) 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own [d]purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.10Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God's people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.
Exodus 19:5-8 (AMP) 5Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine.6And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation [consecrated, set apart to the worship of God]. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites.7So Moses called for the elders of the people and told them all these words which the Lord commanded him.
8And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
These two scriptures, among many, make reference to being kings and priests. This goes back to very beginning when God told Adam; he had dominion over all the earth. This is kingship. A king has authority and power to establish laws and to enforce those laws. Adam only had one greater authority above him and that was God, The King of Kings.
The kings of Israel were supposed to represent the King of Kings, the Lord God to his people. They were to be examples the goodness, the mercy, and protection of God for his people. The king was also to lead the people to God. The king was to seek the counsel of God on how to lead the people. Sadly nearly every king of Israel failed in these responsibilities.
The priests were not only to make sacrifices to God and worship Him; they were to teach the people about God. They were to teach people that, their sin kept them from God but that God had made a way through the atonement sacrifices for their sins they could have a relationship with God. The priests were also to teach all the people of the earth God’s message of love and mercy through the atonement. God never intended that Israel were the only ones to have relationship with Him.
Priests and kings have a relationship with God. They are invited to do more than just make petitions in the Throne of God. They are invited into the banquet hall; share the table of God’s blessings, to eat and drink with Him. They can hear God plans and discuss those plans and with God’s help implement those plans. They are also given their own authority and power under the King of Kings to do the work they have been assigned.
We believers in Christ Jesus are the kings and priest of God today. We have been given authority, Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18 and the power came in Acts 2:1-4.
As great as all this is we, as with the servant, are more than a king or a priest. In fact, we are much more as we will see in Part 3.
©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER
ADVENTURES IN THE SPIRIT A Series of Prophetic Visions
By Richard L Spangler
An excerpt from the book….I am sitting on the river bank, still wearing the Armor of God, rejoicing and praising God for the day’s victory. Suddenly, the Glory of God falls on me and lifts me up higher and higher until I find myself standing at the entrance to the Throne Room of God. The massive doors are open and looking up, the entrance appears to be several miles high and glow with the Glory of God. I hear the voices of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit calling me to enter….
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I'm always saddened when I read through the Old Testament kings to see how many were evil. We have to stay vigilant to keep sin from getting into our lives.
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