King-priest Pattern by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

1 Peter 2:9

Believers are called and ordained to be the manifestation of the glory of God upon the earth. That is the corporate mandate — to be ordained by God as a manifestation of his glory.

The word glory comes from two important roots: the Hebrew kabod and the Greek doxa. Both attempt to describe the worth of a thing. When the Bible says the believer is supposed to be a manifestation of the glory of God, it means that all that makes God who he is — his power, his wisdom, his favor — should be visible through a life. A life should be an unending revelation of all the multifaceted dimensions that are in God.

The apostle calls it living epistles: a life that becomes a continuation of someone's Bible study. The moment they look at a life, where they stopped reading the Bible, that life opens the next chapter — the favor of God, restoration, increase.

Romans 8:18

There is a glory that should be revealed in the saints. Now it may not yet appear, but the seed contains the forest. A mango seed carries the potential of a giant tree and a thousand others — a forest concealed. But a seed does not become a forest under every condition. There are conditions.

Ephesians 2:10

Believers are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works — works which God preordained. Regardless of background, family history, or negative antecedents — none of it changes God's preordination.

Ephesians 3:10

The intent is that through the church, the manifold, multifaceted wisdom of God might be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places.

Divine Patterns Govern the Manifestation of Glory

The manifestation of God's glory in any life, territory, or destiny depends not just on the will of God but on adherence to divine patterns. Patterns birth the glory of God. Just because Dominion is a preordination does not mean it will be experienced. There are many things God declared in Scripture that did not come to pass — because midwifing prophecy into manifestation requires adherence to divine patterns.

Leviticus 9:6

"This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do — and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you."

The glory will not come simply because of desire. It will not come simply because of prophecy. There is a this — a pattern. If the pattern is not adhered to, the glory cannot be seen.

Every possibility in the kingdom is connected to a divine pattern for its manifestation — health, wealth, influence, increase. All dimensions of God's glory do not happen merely because it is God's will. They happen because the saints have a thorough understanding of his patterns and obtain grace to walk in keeping with them.

Exodus 25:9, Exodus 25:40

God commanded Moses: "According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all the things thereof, so shall thou make it." And again: "Look that thou make them after their pattern which was shown unto thee in the mount."

Exodus 40:16, Exodus 40:33–35

Moses built according to pattern — and the result was that a cloud covered the Tent of the Congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses was not even able to enter it. Every time the manifestation of the glory of God is seen in a life, in a church, in a territory — it is because his patterns have been kept.

The Pattern for Dominion: King, Priest, and Prophet

As far as dominion in the earth is concerned, there is a pattern that controls it. That pattern is the King-Priest-Prophet formation — the tripartite structure from the entire Old Testament that has controlled the exacting of dominion. Everywhere men and nations excelled in Scripture, it was because they honored this pattern.

In the Old Testament, no one was given the liberty to be all three. A king had to wait on the arrival of a prophet or a priest for the formation to be filled before victory could be established. Even nations like Egypt simulated this pattern — when Pharaoh had a dream, he called his wise men and astrologers: those who accessed the divine.

1 Samuel 13:8–14

King Saul attempted to be both king and priest simultaneously — and lost his throne as a consequence. Samuel had told him to wait in Gilgal. The week passed, Samuel had not arrived, pressure mounted, and Saul took the initiative to offer the burnt offering himself — an office not given to kings.

When Samuel arrived and saw what Saul had done, his verdict was direct: "Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord." The offering was accurate — but the person performing it was wrong. And the result: "Thy kingdom shall not continue." The Lord sought a man after his own heart — for the simple reason that Saul had not kept the patterns.

In most cases in Scripture, the priest was also the prophet. Priests never became kings — but they ordained kings and removed kings. In order of spiritual priority, the priesthood was higher than the kingship.

The New Testament Advantage: Kings and Priests in One Person

Revelation 5:10

"We have been made unto our God kings and priests."

Other versions render it: a kingdom of priests.

This is the profound advantage of the New Testament believer. What required three offices in the Old Testament — king, priest, prophet — has now been compressed into one person. Every believer in Christ has the liberty to operate both priesthood and the advantage of dominion as king.

In 1 Peter 2:9, two descriptions that should not naturally be paired are joined: chosen generation and royal priesthood. That combination signals a new order — the dual formation that completes the pattern for dominion.

Priesthood Is the Foundation of Kingship

In order of spiritual priority: it is the priest that births kings.

A priest and prophet can exist without a king — but there cannot be a true king without a priest. Samuel never became king, yet he ordained Saul and removed Saul. The health of kingship depends on the excellency of priesthood.

If there is something wrong with dominion, the diagnosis must refer to the priesthood. Whenever situations and circumstances do not obey, it is not the crown that is the problem — it is the altar.

All kings were only as powerful as the altars that backed them.

That is why Pharaoh could look at Moses and laugh — because behind Pharaoh was an altar. Egypt's power was not only in the throne; it was in the altar that made Egypt what it was. When Moses came, he brought not a crown but a covenant. He brought not an army but an altar. And that altar overrode every other altar in Egypt.

What Priesthood Means for the Believer Today

For the believer today, priesthood is a holistic capture of all the spiritual activities that make for knowing God, encountering him, and being transformed by him. It describes the entirety of the activities engaged in that culminate in intimacy with God, conformity to the image and character of Christ, and transformation.

The tools that make a person a king are only found in the place of priesthood.

A person cannot ignore priesthood and walk as a king. The crown and the scepter are not found in the palace — they are found in the secret place.

The apostolic model of priesthood is given in:

Acts 2:42 — They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayer.

Acts 6:4 — "We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Priesthood for the believer today is measured by:

• The health of the prayer life
• The health of the word-study life
• The health of participation in the corporate gathering of the saints

Psalm 133

There is a dimension of God that will never be known outside the corporate gathering of the saints. For there the Lord commanded the blessing — even life forevermore.

A title carries no weight in the spirit until it is powered by the prayer life and the word-study life. Life will not respect the title until responsibility is taken. Whether serving God or serving the enemy, priesthood is not for the lazy — both demand total commitment.

Situations and circumstances will not bow because of a name. They have no regard for a face. They respect the fire that burns upon the altar.

The Four Assignments of Prayer

Prayer is the engine of priesthood. According to Scripture, prayer has four assignments:

1. Growth and transformation — Luke 9:29: As Jesus prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered and his raiment became white and glistening. Prayer changes the person who prays.
2. Making requests and obtaining promises — "Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Not when ye wish — when ye pray.
3. Spiritual legislation — "Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified." Prayer is a platform for decreeing what must be established.
4. Prophetic warfare and intercession — Ezekiel 22:30–31: "I sought for a man to stand in the gap — and there was none." Luke 22:31–32: "Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat — but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." James 5:13: "Is any man afflicted? Let him pray."

Light and the Authority of the Word

The second pillar of priesthood is soundness in Scripture — because the word is what gives authority in life. The Greek word for authority is exousia, which means the capacity to stand in the stead of another. That capacity is built upon the strength of light.

Isaiah 60:1

"Arise, shine — for thy light has come." The Amplified reads: arise from the depression and frustration that circumstances have kept you in, and rise to a new light.

Matthew 13:10–11

"It has been given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven."

Galatians 2:2

"I went up by revelation."

Genesis 1:5

God called the light day and the darkness night — but he never called evening darkness. He called the absence of light darkness. That means even if it is midnight in a life, if there is light in the spirit, that person is in the day. The realm of the spirit does not work by chronological time. If a revelation comes at 10 p.m., the night has become day. Conversely, it can be 12 noon and in the spirit a person can be in darkness.

Light operates in degrees:

1 Corinthians 15

"Even among the stars, one differeth from another in glory" — not in size, in glory. A small thing can carry more value than a large one because of what is hidden within it.

The phone's light is enough to take the first step to the generator. The generator's light is enough until sunrise. Then a higher dimension of light replaces it. So it is in the spirit — each level of revelation enables the next.

There are lights that help rule in the day and lights that help rule in the night.

The Five Rewards of Effective Priesthood

These five tokens are obtained through effective priesthood — and they are precisely the tools needed to function as a king. They are not found in the palace; they are found in the secret place and then used in the palace.

Psalm 82:5–6

"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: and all the foundations of the earth are out of course... I have said, ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High — but ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes." The difference between those who rule and those who fall is what they carry from the secret place.

1. Wisdom

   Wisdom is not found in the palace. It is used in the palace — but it is not found there. If wisdom were found in the palace, Pharaoh would not have needed to call Joseph.

   Proverbs 8:15–16, 18

   "By me kings reign and princes decree justice. By me princes rule. With me are riches and honor, durable riches and righteousness."

   Daniel the priest became Daniel the king — and the secret was that revelation was given to Daniel. Show a person who has invested in priesthood, and you find a person who carries the wisdom of God.

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2. Power

   Luke 24:49

   "Tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power."

   Power is the ability to manipulate things — to make them consistent with the will of God. The will of God is the trigger for the manifestation of power. If a person is not walking in the will of God, the power of God has no assignment in that life.

   Psalm 66:3

   "It is through the greatness of thy power that thine enemies submit themselves unto thee." Enemies do not listen to discussions — it takes power. An altar that predated a person's birth will not respect education. The realm of the spirit only answers to power.

   Acts 4:33

   "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus — and great grace was upon them all."

   There is a sermon only power can preach — and there is an audience designed to listen to that sermon alone. When God uses a person to rewrite the narrative of a family, even unsaved members will run to Jesus. It takes power.

3. Favor

   Favor is the number-one reason people succeed as kings. Wealth is an expression of favor. When favor and wisdom work together, they produce influence and wealth.

   The proof of favor is not money — it is the loyalty of the heart of men.

   Money can come through productivity without favor. But there are things that will not happen without favor. Even speed is a function of favor.

   Esther 2:9

   "The maiden pleased him, and she obtained favor of him — and he speedily gave her..." Destiny is a function of time. There are things that must arrive early. Favor becomes the accelerator. He speedily gave her.

   Esther 2:15

   When Esther came before the king, she obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her. Favor functions like a mantle — when it is present, any person who looks is compelled to reach out. It does not require the other person to want to give; the mantle draws the giving.

   Esther 2:17

   "The king loved Esther above all." Before she arrived, others were already there. Before a proposal arrives, others may have come first. But when favor is present, the entrance of a person causes them to be preferred above all.

   Exodus 3:21

   "I will give these people favor in the sight of the Egyptians — and it shall come to pass that when ye go, ye shall not go empty."

   Psalm 44:3

   "For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them — but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto them."

4. Honor

   Honor is the principal requirement for commanding influence. Influence is the ability to make people buy into ideologies without force or cruelty. A leader cannot function without honor.

   Honor cannot be self-conferred. Honor is conferred.

   Numbers 27:18–20

   The Lord said to Moses: "Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him. Set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him a charge in their sight — and thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."

   The congregation would not listen to Joshua simply because he had zeal. They would not listen simply because he had revelation. It was the grace of honor — conferred through a priestly act — that compelled loyalty.

   A politician needs more than posters. Without honor, people will collect resources and still mock the giver. Zeal without honor produces a voice without listeners.

   Honor is the ability to be perceived and rewarded to match true value. When a person is not perceived and rewarded to match their true value, honor has not yet arrived.

Putting It All Together

When a person commits to priesthood — to prayer, to the study of the word, to consecration, to fasting, to fellowship — it may not appear significant from the outside. It does not matter what village or city or nation a person comes from. The moment priesthood is engaged, the tokens of kingship begin to arrive:

• Wisdom starts arriving
• Power starts arriving
• Favor starts arriving
• Honor starts arriving

With these tokens, a person is decorated with royalty — after the order of Joseph. A seat in the cosmos is given. And when that seat is taken, it is the seat of authority.

Matthew 8:9 — The Centurion said: "I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to one, Go — and he goeth. To another, Come — and he cometh."

When things do not respond to a word of command, the problem is not the crown or the scepter. The problem is that the priesthood has not yet powered the throne.

The journey is not supposed to end at the altar — it starts at the altar. It ends in the place of dominion. When Jesus was exalted, he did not remain only as Savior making intercession. He sat at the right hand — the seat of authority. He sat there as both King and Priest.

1 Chronicles 12:32

Of the sons of Issachar: men who had understanding of the times, who knew what Israel ought to do — and as a result, they were in command of their brethren.

Dominion is not an impartation. It is the resultant effect of piecing together the forces of victory that put a person in command.

Prayer