REVELATION

. Part 6 in the Series entitled “Three”

03/06/11

“Kings and Priests – The Majesty and Ministry of the Believer”

Would you please stand with me for the reading of God’s sacred Word? Revelation 1:1-8…
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that
he saw.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which
is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty.”
The focus of the past two weeks has been answering the question, “What Has Jesus Done?”
Today we come to the third decree by the Apostle John, when he says that Christ has, “…made
us kings and priests unto God and his father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.’
What has Jesus done? He has made us Kings and Priests; and this speaks of the majesty and
the ministry we’ve been given by Jesus Christ!
Understanding the majesty and the ministry we share depends first on us remembering that
we have these two blessings only because we are in Christ. You and I didn’t conquer the
Kingdom of Darkness – Jesus did. You and I didn’t present a worthy sacrifice to the Father to
atone for sin – Jesus did.
His is the true Majesty and Ministry; and yet, because he has loved us and washed from our
sins in His own blood, he has also “Made us kings and priests unto God and his father:” In other
words, our glory is a shared glory – completely dependent upon the Lord Jesus.
Knowing this will help us understand our role as a “royal priesthood” because our majesty and
ministry will be a reflection of His own – that is, if we can see what His kingdom and His
priesthood looked like, we can get a pretty good picture of our own. So, let’s dig a bit deeper
and discover what it really means to be “Kings and priests unto God”
Let’s see exactly what we share as we explore the two fold nature of our majesty and our
ministry. So today, let’s focus entirely on the…

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MAJESTY (“…Hath made us kings…”)
In almost every commentary I read on this passage and almost every other bible translation, the
phrase “kings and priests” is actually rendered “a kingdom, and priests” or “a kingdom of
priests”.
The difference is significant, because it means that the text isn’t calling actually saying we are
kings, but rather that we are a “kingdom – Christ’s kingdom.
Now, why is this distinction important? It’s important because it places the majesty, the glory,
and the power directly where it belongs – on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. All glory and power belong to Him. And any glory or majesty we have is a shared
majesty. It is derived from our intimacy with Christ because we are totally dependent upon Him.
Furthermore, this distinction helps us understand that the Kingdom of God isn’t as much about
province as it is about people.
What does it matter how much territory a king possesses if he has no loyal citizens to populate
it? You see, a kingdom is defined, not by the territory, but by the people who populate it. It’s the
constituency that’s important.
So, the emphasis of this phrase is on the royal nature of our relationship with King Jesus! He is
the King, and we are His kingdom.
Now, how are we to understand the significance of this? First, we must understand the nature
of God’s Kingdom.

In His book, The Kingdom Focused Church, Gene Mims writes, “The term kingdom is used…in
several ways.
1. Sometimes it refers to the universal reign of God over all creation.
2. Sometimes the kingdom is a direct reference to the nation of Israel.
3. A third use is the most often understood, and that is the coming earthly reign of Christ at
His return.
4. The fourth usage is the present rule of Christ in the lives of His people.”
The phrase “Kings and priests” actually appears twice in the book of Revelation. First in
Revelation 1:6 where we read that Christ “…hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” and again in Revelation 5:10,
where it says that Christ “…hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on
the earth.”
If we consider both of these passages in light of the four ways the kingdom in revealed in the
Word, it seems that Revelation 1:6 fits perfectly as referring to the present rule of Christ
because John is speaking in the present context of something that Christ has already done. In
fact, at this point he hasn’t even shared any heavenly visions; he is simply narrating his greeting
to the churches.
But when we reach Revelation 5, the scene is completely different. Here, John is given access
to the royal chamber of heaven where the Lamb of God is honored as the only one worthy to
opening the scroll that ushers in the end of days. And when the Lamb opens that scroll, those
gathered around His throne fall on their faces in worship, and in verses 9-10, it says,

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“And they sung 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.”
Notice the difference? In John’s opening narrative to the book, he writes that Christ “hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his father.” But here, in this heavenly vision, we read the
words to the song sang by the elders surrounding the throne of God as they worship the Lamb
who is preparing to bring an end to the world as we know it, and those elders sing that God
“hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth,”
The difference is clear. In chapter 1:6, John is referring to the kingdom of Christ in the hearts of
His saints and the royal priesthood they possess in the present. This is a spiritual kingdom
and priesthood.
In chapter 5:10, the heavenly chorus sings of the kingdom and priesthood we shall share with
Christ in the future – on earth. This is a literal kingdom and priesthood.
Now the question we ask is, “Which one is most important to us right now?” The answer is
BOTH!
We concern ourselves with the future kingdom and priesthood because that is where we are
headed – it is the hope this destiny that lifts our souls and gives us the strength to press on
when we are facing hardship, persecution, suffering, and even death in this sin-cursed world.
But we also concern ourselves with the present kingdom and priesthood because we live in the
present and right now the Holy Spirit is alive in us and he is doing a work in us and through us to
bring glory to God our Father and salvation to the world.
So we need get a handle on the full impact and implications of our majesty and our ministry in
the context of both the present and the future. To do that, our journey will first take us into the
subject of the MAJESTY we share with Christ in the present.
PRESENT MAJESTY
How are we to understand our position in the present kingdom of God? Mims writes, “…the
kingdom of God, in its simplest form, is the reign of Jesus Christ our Lord and King in our lives.
It is His Holy Spirit working in us, through is, and around us in such a way that we actually live
and do the will of God. Through the kingdom we can live the lives God created us to live – to
the maximum.”
To understand the kingdom of the present let’s begin by peeling back the layers of time and
peering into the courtroom where the Roman governor Pilate interrogated Jesus in John 18:28-
37 - “Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they
themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat
the Passover.
Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They
answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up
unto thee.
Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews
therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: That the saying of Jesus
might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

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Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou
the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it
thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have
delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence.
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a
king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom. The proof of this was in the
behavior of His subjects. If the kingdom He fought for was worldly, His subjects would take up
arms and fight. But His kingdom is other-worldly; it is spiritual.
Now, if this is a spiritual kingdom, who are His subjects and what territory does He claim? He
said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause cam I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the trurth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
Jesus’ present kingdom claims as its territory the very hearts and minds of his subjects and
those subjects are the people who hear His voice and follow Him.
Bottom line – The present kingdom of God is the human heart!
Isn’t that what Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21? “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God
cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
kingdom of God is within you.”
In his commentary, Albert Barnes writes of this kingdom… “The reign of God is in the heart. It
does not come with pomp and splendor, like the reign of temporal kings, merely to control the
external actions and strike the senses of men with awe, but it reigns in the heart by the law of
God; it sets up its dominion over the passions, and brings every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ.”
What a beautiful picture of the present kingdom of God!
His is not an external kingdom where laws are enforced by power and where people are
subjugated by force. His is a rule of the heart by the gentle, persuasive wooing of the Holy Spirit.
In His kingdom, every subject commits himself or herself to their responsibilities out of love and
desire to please the King!
Now, what are our responsibilities as we share in the majesty of King Jesus in the present,
spiritual kingdom? In other words, what should present-time Kingdom Living look like?
We have to deal with this critical question because we have to move beyond kingdom concept
(where knowing we are a part of His kingdom makes us feel good) to kingdom customs (where
the knowledge that we are the kingdom of God actually affects and changes how we live).
So, let’s begin looking at what “Kingdom Living” really looks by turning in our Bibles to Romans
14:11-18
“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not
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therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or
an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him
that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy
meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ
is acceptable to God, and approved of men.”
What does Kingdom Living look like; what does it involve? First, Paul mentions:
Avoiding condemnation of other Christians – (vs. 13a) “Let us not therefore judge one
another any more…”
To better understand this principle, let’s go back and see the context of this passage in verses
1-10…
“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that
he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him
that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received
him.
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea,
he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above
another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the
Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he
that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to
himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether
we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead
and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for
we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
Paul wrote this passage to a blended church. Jews and Gentiles were now ONE in Christ, and
all a part of the spiritual Kingdom. But there were problems because the Jews were holding fast
to traditions and customs held for hundreds, even thousands of years involving food and
festivals. The Law of Moses held tremendous influence over them, even after being saved, and
it was hard to just “let go” of the customs they held regarding food and festivals.
To the Jewish Christian, certain foods were still off limits and certain days were still held as holy.
But to the Gentile Christians, neither held true. They had no such dietary restrictions and the
Jewish holy days held no special meaning for them.
Reconciling these differences was Paul’s mission, so he basically told them, “Look, you who
hold certain food guidelines, and count certain days as sacred, don’t judge those who feel
differently. And you guys that don’t have any food restrictions or hold any particular days as
holy, don’t judge those who do, because you both desire to please the Lord and you both are
living and dying under His authority. You answer to King Jesus, so stop judging and
condemning each other!”
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Kingdom Living involves avoiding condemnation of other Christians. Secondly, Kingdom Living
involves:

Doing nothing that can cause a fellow believer to stumble – (vs. 13b) “”that no man put a
stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”
This is what you call, “putting the shoe on the other foot”. You see, in the first principle we are
taught that Kingdom Living means having liberty in Christ and not judging each other for
expressing this liberty.
But this principle looks at it from a different perspective. It instructs me to examine my thoughts,
words, and actions to make sure that I am not doing things in the name of “spiritual freedom”
while disregarding my fellow believers’ convictions.
Pastor, author, and editor of the New Believer’s Bible, Greg Laurie puts it like this, “Don’t do
anything that will bring criticism against yourself, even if you know that a certain activity is all
right. What you do and become has a direct effect on others – not only for life here on earth, but
also for eternity. We not only need to live our lives conscious of God’s opinion, but we also need
to live our lives with consideration for others. We do not want to do anything that has the
potential of causing another Christian brother or sister to stumble or fall.
In our zeal to live free in Christ, we often overlook the feelings and convictions of others,
especially other Christians. It’s like we’ve got this militant spiritual mindset that says, “Well, I’m
free in Christ, so I can do what I want, go where I want, say what I want, wear what I want, and
act how I want, because all that really matters is what God thinks.”
And while that may seem right, because it is God’s opinion of us, and not that of men, that really
matters, it is our King who is telling us that what other people think (especially other Christians)
is important and we need to live in consideration of their convictions and beliefs.
So “Kingdom Living” involves submitting ourselves willfully, not only to Christ, but also to the
tender consciences of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Now, by way of example, how might
we apply this principle to Kingdom Living day-to-day?
1. Maybe you’ve invited someone to lunch, and you decide to go to an establishment that serves
alcohol. It doesn’t bother you, but it does bother that brother or sister, what do you do?
A Kingdom Living Christian will submit to that conviction and go somewhere else.
2. Maybe you don’t consider the clothes you wear to be all that important in worship, so long as
you are modest. So, you might feel that it’s okay to come to church in a t-shirt and shorts. But
suppose you worship in a congregation where a significant number of people find that
unacceptable and uncomfortable. What do you do?
A Kingdom Living Christian will not demand his or her “right” to express this liberty, but will do
the accepted thing to promote unity and harmony.
3. Suppose you realize that it’s your Christian privilege and duty to be salt and light among your
unsaved friends, and you translate that into liberty to hang around them even when they are
doing things that are wrong, like drinking. You justify this because you’re not participating in their
sin.

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But, now what do you do if you suspect that your presence in those situations could offend a
weaker believer or cause them to stumble?
A Kingdom Living Christian will take care to avoid that trouble. He or she will say, “Not this time,
because I don’t want to offend my Christian brother or sister.”
These are just a few examples how Kingdom Living involves not doing anything that will cause
other believers to stumble.
Well, a third thing Kingdom Living involves is:
Avoiding legalism and negativity – (vs. 14a) “I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself:” As we grow and mature in the Lord, we will learn that
God is good and that He has provided a world full of good things to enjoy. Paul uses the
example of food. He knew how hard it was for the Jewish believers to adjust to this dietary
freedom, so he made this statement. “I know and am fully persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that
there is nothing unclean of itself.”
For the believer, there are no food rules, so long as we eat in moderation and what we eat is
received with prayer and thanksgiving. Now, that’s great news, right? But even greater is the
underlying principle of grace that destroys the strongholds of legalism and negativity.
Listen, I’ve been around the block a bit, and I’ve seen legalists in action. I can remember certain
people thinking that once a person got saved, he or she had to cut their hair a certain way and
wear a certain kind of clothes, or they just weren’t “holy”.
Last week someone told me about a local church in which the pastor tells the people that unless
they attend his church every service and are baptized in his church, they’ll go to hell. Listen,
that’s legalism run amuck! It is “spiritual terrorism” where fear is used to “keep people in line”
and that is not of God!
Thanks for the amens! Legalism has no place in Christianity. But, even so, there is a caveat to
this principle: Listen to the rest of verse 14, “…but to him that esteemeth any thing to be
unclean, to him it is unclean.” Paul is simply saying that while we have freedom in Christ, there
is still the conscience to live with, and if something you consider “clean” is “unclean” in another
Christian’s eyes, you should avoid it. It’s not a matter or legalism – it’s a matter of love. And
that’s where we see the final principle I want to share with you today.
Kingdom Living involves…
Letting love decide your actions – (vs. 15b-21) “But if they brother be grieved with thy meat,
now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not
then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us
therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify
another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that
man who eateth with offence.
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or
is offended, or is made weak.

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Listen to how this sounds from the New Living Translation... “And if another believer is
distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin
someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is
good.
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God,
and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build
each other up.”
Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it
is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink
wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.”
CONCLUSION
Do you remember the words of Gene Mims I quoted earlier, “The kingdom of God, in its simplest
form, is the reign of Jesus Christ as Lord and King in our lives. It is His Holy Spirit working in us,
through us, and around us in such a way that we actually live and do the will of God. Through
the kingdom we can live the lives God created us to live – life at the maximum”
Well, there’s more. He goes on to write, “This is real Christianity! This is what the Lord wants
each of us to have. This is the life that separates true Christians from people who do Christian
things. The Kingdom has nothing to do with obscure doctrine or difficult rules. It’s about living
the life that God intends for you to have. It is a life worth finding, a life worth living, and a life of
genuine joy and excitement.
Listen, we are in the kingdom of God right now! The Kingdom is a present spiritual reality. And
that means that we share in Christ’s majesty! We are heirs to the kingdom because we are
connected to Him, and now our responsibility is to live Kingdom Lives.
I admit that this morning I’ve only scratched the surface of what Kingdom living looks like in our
day-to-day lives. In fact, it would take us days, maybe months to cover the practical, nuts-and-
bolts of Kingdom Living, but what’s really important when it comes to Kingdom Living in this
present world is that we understand and live out the words of Christ in Matthew 22:37-40,
where Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.”