Sermon Notes for Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go now, and teach every nation, baptizing all believers in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teach all believers to observe every single thing I have commanded you, and know that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Amen.

The Great Commission was issued, and the disciples were told to spread the Gospel all over the world…to “every nation.”

To enable them, and all believers, to do this, when he ascended to Heaven, he graced humanity with special tools – spiritual gifts – he fully expects the Saints of God to utilize, even to this day…

Ephesians 4:8, 11-13 When Jesus ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto humanity… he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

These gifts were not for a select and privileged few, but for the church as a whole, for the edification of the entire body of Christ

The concept that the preaching of the gospel was only for the elite somehow crept into the church and, by the Middle Ages, only priests were allowed to preach the Word, and only priests and the very wealthy were allowed to learn to read. This stood in total opposition of Christ’s intentions

In the Sixteenth century, Martin Luther – a Catholic layman who become a clergyman after being nearly struck by lightning (“Saint Anne, help me! I will become a monk!”) – noticed the following passages in the Bible, and they made him do some serious thinking…

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Martin Luther’s paraphrase: “There is neither priest nor layman, there is neither rich nor poor, for it is not a question of this or that status, degree, or order.”

In 1520, Martin Luther also stated, “Christ has made it possible for us, provided we believe in him, to be not only his brethren, co-heirs, and fellow-kings, but also his fellow-priests. Therefore, we may boldly come into the presence of God in the spirit of faith...

Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us our hearts cry out ‘Abba, Father,’ and directs us to pray for one another, and do all things which we [have] see[n] done and foreshadowed in the outer and visible works of priests.”

Luther added, “Injustice is done those words ‘priest,’ ‘cleric,’ ‘spiritual,’ ‘ecclesiastic,’ [and “’clergy’] when they are transferred from all Christians to those few who are now by a mischievous usage called ‘ecclesiastics.’ “

Clarifying the Scriptural message of the Priesthood of the Believer was a passion for Martin Luther. Even toward the end of his life, in 1544, Luther preached the following four points:

1.

Before God all Christians have the same standing, a priesthood in which we enter by baptism and through faith.

2. As a comrade and brother [or sister] of Christ, each Christian is a priest, and needs no mediator between themselves and God, other than Christ. They are entitled to free access to the Word.

3. Each Christian is a priest, and has an office of sacrifice, not the Mass, but the dedication of themselves to the praise and obedience of God, and to bearing the cross.

4. Each Christian has a duty to hand on the Gospel, which they have received.

Somehow, in the modern world, the Great Commission has become misunderstood once again – and the expectation seems to be, again, that it is entirely up to Clergy to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world. This line of thinking is wrong.

For many reasons there is a distrust of clergy amongst the unchurched. This is primarily due to the fact that it is not clergy that the unchurched interact with in their daily lives. Because they reject organized religion as a whole, and because they don’t circulate, socially, with what they deem the “religious crowd,” they see – for the most part – only laity. And, too often, they see the bad side of the laity and they, naturally, deem all Christians “hypocrites” and “phonies” - and that’s unfair, but that’s the way it is. It’s up to us to change their minds, and this cannot be done by trying to force the Gospel on them, but by living as Christ would have us live, abiding by the Word of God in all respects. People are watching us, to see if we practice what we preach…

In accordance with the Great Commission, Christians have a Spiritual mandate to spread the Gospel – not force the Gospel on others – to spread the Gospel with love, prayer, and holy lives. The Word tells us how we should live…

Romans 12:1 says we are to consider our lives, even our very bodies, to be “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.” Have we responded to the Word, or are we wriggling wildly on God’s altar, clamoring to escape the discomfort that comes with the sacrifice?