Welcome! www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net Bibles and copies of sermons are available Please silence your cell phones Sunday Bible Classes 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM 5:30 PM Wednesday Bible Classes 7:00 PM www.SunsetChurchofChrist.net

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Love abides, but: Gifts of prophecy Speaking in tongues (Gift of ) knowledge ……… will be done away

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Love abides, but: Gifts of prophecy Speaking in tongues (Gift of ) knowledge ……… will be done away

Welcome! Bibles and copies of sermons are available Please silence your cell phones Sunday Bible Classes 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM 5:30 PM Wednesday Bible Classes 7:00 PM www.SunsetchurchofChrist.net

Psalm 132:16 Her priests also I will clothe with salvation, And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy. Hymns Invitation Red Songbook - Supplemental

Priests But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 The first priest in the Bible – Melchizedek

Four Facts About Priests Must be chosen by God Must offer the correct sacrifices and gifts Must wear the priestly garments Must offer on an altar, in a holy place The first priest in the Bible – Melchizedek

Priestly Handbook Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 The Old Testament is kind of like a “priestly handbook” for us. We learn all about sacrifices, service, holiness in it. But in some ways, it is the lessons of failure that teach us the most

The Division of Israel 1 Kings 12:1-19 10 of the 12 tribes left the king 1 Kings 12:25-33 Using religion for political purposes Counterfeited true religion

Priests Not Chosen by God The priesthood of Samaria 1 Kings 13:33 2 Chronicles 11:14 Priests whom God did not choose are not acceptable to him 1Ki 13:33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places 2Ch 11:14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD.0 2Ch 13:9 "Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are no gods.

Random Altars Worship in the high places 1 Kings 13:32 ….the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the LORD their God. 2 Chronicles 33:17 1Ki 13:32 "For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria.” 2Ch 33:17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the LORD their God. 2Ki 17:32 They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.

Sacrifices from the Heart New feast days that were similar to old ones 1 Kings 12:32-33 “which he had devised in his own heart” 1Ki 12:32 Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

God’s Response It was NOT: At least you are worshipping Jehovah You are very close to what I asked All that matters is your intent You are worshipping from the heart 1Ki 13:32 "For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria."

God’s Response It was: “The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. For ……Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them commit a great sin” 1Ki 13:32 "For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria."

The Great Apostasy The apostasy of Israel foreshadows the church But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, 2 Pet. 2:1

Lessons of Priesthood Not everyone who says they are in Christ is in Christ - “Priests” who are not called are not priests "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” Mt 7 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother“ Mt 12

Lessons of Priesthood Not everything sacrificed is in fact a sacrifice - Giving up things God does not ask for is in vain Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” 1 Sam 15

Lessons of Priesthood Worship not done God’s way is offensive - It is better not to do it than do it wrong "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies” Amos 5:21 “Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting” Isaiah 1:13

Lessons of Priesthood Replacing spiritual things with worldly ones - Spiritual images become physical Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Rom. 1:22-23

The Priesthood Learns: God has the right to form our worship - It is for Him, not us A desire to please Him means doing it His way - We are HIS priesthood to offer HIS things There is a repeated pattern in digression - Men take control and offend God

Becoming the Priesthood But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

Becoming the Priesthood He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins Colossians 1:13-14

Becoming the Priesthood Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:38