Sermon Notes
Sermon: God’s Calling by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: October 21, 2018
Key Passage: Hebrews 5:1-6
Key Points:
Priests from the Days of OT and NT
During the days of the Old Testament, a man could only become a priest if they were from the tribe of Levite. This was still true while Jesus walked this earth. However, Jesus was not from the tribe of Levite; He was from the tribe of Judah. So then, how could the author of the letter to the Hebrews claim that Jesus was a High Priest?
Just as Aaron did not seek out the position of high priest, neither did Jesus. Rather, they were both called by God to their positions. They were set apart from other people, commissioned for a special task. Old Testament High Priests were mediators between God and the people. This included gifts, offerings, and sacrifices. Priests were to be humble with an awareness of their own sins, and compassionate towards others. The difference was that Jesus did not belong to the order of Aaron; rather, Jesus belonged to the order of Melchizedek. This passage in Hebrews as well as a couple of other passages in Hebrews compares Jesus to Melchizedek (chapters 5, 6, and 7).
Melchizedek
Melchizedek is a fascinating mysterious person mentioned only a handful of times in the Bible, and most of those occur in the letter to the Hebrews. However, he was actually from Old Testament times. Melchizedek, despite some sources wanting to refer to him as a heavenly being, was a real person, and Genesis 14 tells his historical account. The unique thing about Melchizedek was that he was both a priest and a king. His name means “king of righteousness”. He was the king of Salem, which means peace. Salem is often associated with Jerusalem. His primary description is that in addition to being a king, “He was priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek is mentioned again in Psalm 110:4, and it is here that he is viewed as the ideal priest-king. The writer of the Hebrews quotes this Psalm in Hebrews 5:6. In Hebrews 5:5, the verse before, the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 2:7. The linking of these two Psalms hints as to another “Melchizedek” to come, one from the Davidic line. This “Melchizedek” will be priest forever. This “Melchizedek” is the Messiah.
Continuing on, Hebrews 5:7-10 brings these hints to conclusion. Jesus submitted Himself before God and was obedient to God’s will. Due to all this, God designated Jesus “a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” (verse 10). Jesus was both priest and king, just like Melchizedek. In fact, it was rare to be both priest and king. King Uzziah wanted to be both, but God judged him. King David saw himself in the role of mediator between God and the people, but he was only a king, never a priest. The primary difference between Jesus and all other priests and kings, including Melchizedek, is that they were purely human. Their rules ended with their deaths. However, Jesus’s rule as both priest and king is forever. Also, Jesus’s rule was not an earthly one, at least, not while He walked on earth. Rather, His rule is a heavenly one. Wiersbe states: Jesus “became the sacrifice on earth that He might become the High Priest in heaven”.
Our Calling: Royal Priesthood
In the Old Testament priesthood, there were different types of priests. The word Hiereus is used for the sacrificing priest. In fact, the sin of Korah (Numbers 16), was that he was a priest but not a sacrificing priest, and he wanted to claim that position for himself rather than obey God’s calling. No Christian minister today is ever called to this role of sacrificing priest. Rather, Jesus is the only sacrificing priest for all eternity.
However, every Christian is called by God to do His will. 1 Peter 2:9 states: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are called to glorify God. He calls us, sets us apart from the world, and, through humility and obedience, we are to do His will and show compassion to others. Our individual calling from God will look different, as we are unique individuals. Yet, it is still to glorify God, but we may go about it in different ways according to our spiritual gifts, personalities, talents, abilities, passions, interests, and so forth. There are some people who are called to one thing, and it becomes their life’s work. And example of this would be Mother Theresa. Other people are called to many things throughout their lives. Some of their callings could last a year and some 20 years, and yet those callings may build on one another, like if they had not gone through the first calling, they would be able to do the next one. God calls us to repentance and to reconciliation with Him. But ultimately, our purpose is to glorify God.
Our Calling: The Great (Co)mission
Jesus commanded us to love God and love others, and, before Jesus left the earth and ascended into Heaven, He gave us a final calling, The Great Commission, which states: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV). When we think of God calling us to do something, we often think of it as an individual task. But the entire Church is called to glorify God and fulfill the Great Commission as one Church body with many parts. 1 Peter 2:10 states: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
In October, I had the opportunity to attend the Renew 18 Pastors’ Conference, and they spoke quite a bit about the calling for local congregations. I wanted to share a couple of insights with you.
First, Robert Ferguson shared this thought: we are called to the Great (Co)Mission. The universal Church is one body with many parts. That does not necessarily mean that we must do EVERYTHING in ministry within a local congregation. It does not mean that we must do everything everyone else is doing. The neat thing about this is that we are ONE CHURCH, and this is an acknowledgement of the universal church. The primary concept here is that we are all doing varying aspects of God’s will and should be working alongside each other as well as collaboratively rather than in competition with each other. We are all called to the same mission: Glorifying God and the ministry of reconciliation.
Second, Richard Reising, who specializes in branding and marketing, shared that underlying all our promotional agendas and connection events should be our calling. Our calling as a church consists of four parts. The first is our mission. Why are we here? What is our purpose? This often will take the form of a mission statement. Second is our vision. Basically, what does it look like when we are doing our mission? The third element is our values. What are we ready to pound the table about? What are the specific values that bind us together? Finally, the fourth component is our pathway. What are the steps we are taking to accomplish our mission and what are the next steps to continue working towards that mission?
Years ago, I heard or read that all your resources should be going into your church’s mission: finances, time, energies, etc. If a program or event did not fit the mission, then it needed to be changed to fit the mission or scrapped for something that did fit the mission. If a church does not have their calling clarified, nothing else matters.
It is a progressive journey that takes time and effort. Here at Agnus Dei, we are at the beginning of that journey. We are still exploring and refining our calling. But make no mistake, we have been called. And it is a joint effort both inside and outside the church. God is trying to send people to our church, and we need to be ready for them. We should always be ready for that one person that find us and walks in the door.
This week’s challenge:
Take some time to pray and discover your calling from God is as an individual. Make sure it is clearly stated and developed. Then, take some time to pray examine your thoughts on what God is calling our Church to do and how you can fit into that calling. Being a new church plant is an exciting time, and it allows for flexible, creative, outside-of-the-box thinking. Our mission statement so far is that we are “living life together under Christ”. So, come join us on that life-long journey.
Further Suggested Study:
Sermon: God’s Calling by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: October 21, 2018
Key Passage: Hebrews 5:1-6
Key Points:
Priests from the Days of OT and NT
During the days of the Old Testament, a man could only become a priest if they were from the tribe of Levite. This was still true while Jesus walked this earth. However, Jesus was not from the tribe of Levite; He was from the tribe of Judah. So then, how could the author of the letter to the Hebrews claim that Jesus was a High Priest?
Just as Aaron did not seek out the position of high priest, neither did Jesus. Rather, they were both called by God to their positions. They were set apart from other people, commissioned for a special task. Old Testament High Priests were mediators between God and the people. This included gifts, offerings, and sacrifices. Priests were to be humble with an awareness of their own sins, and compassionate towards others. The difference was that Jesus did not belong to the order of Aaron; rather, Jesus belonged to the order of Melchizedek. This passage in Hebrews as well as a couple of other passages in Hebrews compares Jesus to Melchizedek (chapters 5, 6, and 7).
Melchizedek
Melchizedek is a fascinating mysterious person mentioned only a handful of times in the Bible, and most of those occur in the letter to the Hebrews. However, he was actually from Old Testament times. Melchizedek, despite some sources wanting to refer to him as a heavenly being, was a real person, and Genesis 14 tells his historical account. The unique thing about Melchizedek was that he was both a priest and a king. His name means “king of righteousness”. He was the king of Salem, which means peace. Salem is often associated with Jerusalem. His primary description is that in addition to being a king, “He was priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek is mentioned again in Psalm 110:4, and it is here that he is viewed as the ideal priest-king. The writer of the Hebrews quotes this Psalm in Hebrews 5:6. In Hebrews 5:5, the verse before, the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 2:7. The linking of these two Psalms hints as to another “Melchizedek” to come, one from the Davidic line. This “Melchizedek” will be priest forever. This “Melchizedek” is the Messiah.
Continuing on, Hebrews 5:7-10 brings these hints to conclusion. Jesus submitted Himself before God and was obedient to God’s will. Due to all this, God designated Jesus “a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” (verse 10). Jesus was both priest and king, just like Melchizedek. In fact, it was rare to be both priest and king. King Uzziah wanted to be both, but God judged him. King David saw himself in the role of mediator between God and the people, but he was only a king, never a priest. The primary difference between Jesus and all other priests and kings, including Melchizedek, is that they were purely human. Their rules ended with their deaths. However, Jesus’s rule as both priest and king is forever. Also, Jesus’s rule was not an earthly one, at least, not while He walked on earth. Rather, His rule is a heavenly one. Wiersbe states: Jesus “became the sacrifice on earth that He might become the High Priest in heaven”.
Our Calling: Royal Priesthood
In the Old Testament priesthood, there were different types of priests. The word Hiereus is used for the sacrificing priest. In fact, the sin of Korah (Numbers 16), was that he was a priest but not a sacrificing priest, and he wanted to claim that position for himself rather than obey God’s calling. No Christian minister today is ever called to this role of sacrificing priest. Rather, Jesus is the only sacrificing priest for all eternity.
However, every Christian is called by God to do His will. 1 Peter 2:9 states: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are called to glorify God. He calls us, sets us apart from the world, and, through humility and obedience, we are to do His will and show compassion to others. Our individual calling from God will look different, as we are unique individuals. Yet, it is still to glorify God, but we may go about it in different ways according to our spiritual gifts, personalities, talents, abilities, passions, interests, and so forth. There are some people who are called to one thing, and it becomes their life’s work. And example of this would be Mother Theresa. Other people are called to many things throughout their lives. Some of their callings could last a year and some 20 years, and yet those callings may build on one another, like if they had not gone through the first calling, they would be able to do the next one. God calls us to repentance and to reconciliation with Him. But ultimately, our purpose is to glorify God.
Our Calling: The Great (Co)mission
Jesus commanded us to love God and love others, and, before Jesus left the earth and ascended into Heaven, He gave us a final calling, The Great Commission, which states: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV). When we think of God calling us to do something, we often think of it as an individual task. But the entire Church is called to glorify God and fulfill the Great Commission as one Church body with many parts. 1 Peter 2:10 states: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
In October, I had the opportunity to attend the Renew 18 Pastors’ Conference, and they spoke quite a bit about the calling for local congregations. I wanted to share a couple of insights with you.
First, Robert Ferguson shared this thought: we are called to the Great (Co)Mission. The universal Church is one body with many parts. That does not necessarily mean that we must do EVERYTHING in ministry within a local congregation. It does not mean that we must do everything everyone else is doing. The neat thing about this is that we are ONE CHURCH, and this is an acknowledgement of the universal church. The primary concept here is that we are all doing varying aspects of God’s will and should be working alongside each other as well as collaboratively rather than in competition with each other. We are all called to the same mission: Glorifying God and the ministry of reconciliation.
Second, Richard Reising, who specializes in branding and marketing, shared that underlying all our promotional agendas and connection events should be our calling. Our calling as a church consists of four parts. The first is our mission. Why are we here? What is our purpose? This often will take the form of a mission statement. Second is our vision. Basically, what does it look like when we are doing our mission? The third element is our values. What are we ready to pound the table about? What are the specific values that bind us together? Finally, the fourth component is our pathway. What are the steps we are taking to accomplish our mission and what are the next steps to continue working towards that mission?
Years ago, I heard or read that all your resources should be going into your church’s mission: finances, time, energies, etc. If a program or event did not fit the mission, then it needed to be changed to fit the mission or scrapped for something that did fit the mission. If a church does not have their calling clarified, nothing else matters.
It is a progressive journey that takes time and effort. Here at Agnus Dei, we are at the beginning of that journey. We are still exploring and refining our calling. But make no mistake, we have been called. And it is a joint effort both inside and outside the church. God is trying to send people to our church, and we need to be ready for them. We should always be ready for that one person that find us and walks in the door.
This week’s challenge:
Take some time to pray and discover your calling from God is as an individual. Make sure it is clearly stated and developed. Then, take some time to pray examine your thoughts on what God is calling our Church to do and how you can fit into that calling. Being a new church plant is an exciting time, and it allows for flexible, creative, outside-of-the-box thinking. Our mission statement so far is that we are “living life together under Christ”. So, come join us on that life-long journey.
Further Suggested Study:
- Genesis 14:18-20
- Numbers 16
- Psalm 2
- Psalm 110
- Matthew 28:18-20
- Hebrews chapters 5, 6, & 7
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
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