The Hidden Cost Of Walking As A Priest by Apostle Arome Osayi: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The National Calling That Was Downgraded

Consecration is a deliberate setting apart of ourselves to serve the will of God. Jesus paid your bride price in measures of His blood. The only reasonable response to that act of love is to consecrate yourself to serve His will.

Most people when they came to the Lord were not told they had any responsibility. When you hear the average believer praying, he prays with a sense of entitlement — asking God for a breakthrough, for a miracle, asking God to bless him. But Jesus died for you. He paid for you with blood. The only thing that will be a reasonable response to that benevolence is that you consecrate.

God wanted Israel to be a kingdom of priests. Exodus 19:5-6 — \"If you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\" The national calling of Israel was a calling to priesthood, and every Israelite was supposed to participate in it.

Unfortunately, because Israel decided not to consecrate herself, she could not fulfill that vision. Many are called, but many will not fulfill the calling because they are not willing to consecrate themselves. God's plans are constant; His men change. The plans will not change, but the individuals that execute the plans can change. He will never change His plans — He will change you and me.

The Downgrading Pattern

When Israel refused to consecrate herself, God took a special liking to the tribe of Levi. Numbers 3:11-13 records the adoption of Levi — God took the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn. What was supposed to be a national vision was downgraded to a tribal vision.

But even the tribe of Levi eventually refused to fully consecrate themselves. Only the household of Aaron received the holy service. So we see a progressive downgrading: national → tribal → household.

And if that household refuses, God now seeks individuals. The individual is the last line of consideration. You see this in Revelation — when Jesus was no longer looking for the churches to find people, He was looking for individuals. \"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.\" The message was meant for the churches, but He was looking for individuals to carry it. This kind of downgrading happens because we refuse to consecrate ourselves.

God assigns to every nation a prophetic purpose. When a nation refuses to consecrate, He looks for a tribe. When the tribe refuses, He looks for individuals. The spiritual resources that were meant to power the national vision He makes available only to the few willing to carry the weight. The rest can be without support, without protection.

The Portrait of a Consecrated Man

The details of consecration in scripture are found in two Old Testament chapters and two New Testament chapters. The New Testament chapters are Romans 6 and Romans 12. The Old Testament chapters are Exodus 28 and Exodus 29, whose witness is found in Leviticus 8.

What Moses did was make spiritual things visible. He was given the technology of divine priesthood — how to set up a system upon the face of the earth that could grant God earthly permission for heavenly interference. Spiritual things were crystallized into physical, relatable dimensions.

These priests were to be inducted into an office — an office every Israelite was supposed to function in. Before they could minister, they had to go through the process that made them qualified to put on the garments of that office.

The garments of the high priest number nine in total. Each piece points to something spiritual. The Levite has three garments, the priest has six, and the high priest has nine.

The Garments and What They Represent

1. The Linen Undershorts

   These cover the nakedness. When Adam fell in the Garden, the first symptom of his rebellion was that he noticed he was naked — not a normal nakedness, but one that made him afraid. Part of why unbelievers respond to a salvation message is that the Holy Spirit shows them a picture of their nakedness. Nobody can stand that picture long.

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   Apostle Arome Osayi

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   The undershorts signify that the nakedness resulting from original sin has been dealt with. This priest is born again. The insecurity and vulnerability that came through the fall has been covered.

2. The White Linen Robe — The Righteousness of God

   This robe captures the context of our new nature. Our old nature was rebellious. But in the new covenant, through justification, we are declared righteous. Revelation 7:13-14 — those arrayed in white robes are those who \"washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.\" This robe is the physical representation of our state of justification.

   When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, His garment became white and glistening. That is how He exists in the realm of the supernatural. That is how we exist in our new nature of righteousness. Righteousness is a nature. Holiness is a lifestyle that stems from this nature.

3. The Blue Upper Robe — The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

   This garment has no buttons. It can only be worn one way — passed over the head from above. This is baptism in the Holy Spirit: He comes from above; you cannot put Him on from below.

   This robe carries alternating bells and pomegranates — nine of each. The nine bells represent the nine gifts of the Spirit; the nine pomegranates represent the nine fruits of the Spirit. There is harmony when the gifts of the Spirit are balanced with the fruit of the Spirit. The bells make sound as the priest walks, but when there is no fruit separating them, the sound is not coordinated. A man may be gifted and attractive in his gifts, but what makes you stay close to him is the fruit. Without the fruit, damage is done in people's lives. The case of a man with shining bells but no pomegranate fruit is one of the most dangerous situations in ministry.

4. The Ephod — A Warehouse

   The ephod carries a golden chain and a breastplate with twelve stones — one for each tribe of Israel. This breastplate speaks of the intercessory ministry of the priest. All twelve tribes remain on his heart perpetually. He carries the burden of intercession like a breastplate sewn upon him. For a priest, living means burning incense for the twelve tribes.

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   When last did you pray for your neighbor? When last did you pray for your city? When last did you ask that the rain of salvation would visit your neighborhood? A priest is called to carry burdens perpetually — the burden of the tribes — as long as he lives.

   Note on the stones: Lucifer had ten of the twelve stones. Ezekiel 28:13 lists them. It is only two stones that Satan does not have — and that is why he has the capacity to mimic God most accurately. Those two missing stones are the secret things God concluded before creation began, things Satan does not know. That is why the Bible is full of the miscalculations of the enemy. 1 Corinthians 2:8 — if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Build your life on those two stones and you will remain a mystery to the kingdom of darkness.

5. The Curious Girdle — Works of Righteousness

   Whereas the white linen robe represents the nature of righteousness, the curious girdle brings the shape of that righteousness into visibility. Ephesians 2:8-10 — we are not saved by works, but we are saved unto good works. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works.

   Many people end at the nature of righteousness but never proceed to righteous deeds. Matthew 5:16 — let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. To qualify to function as a priest, righteousness must be backed up with good works.

6. The Miter — The Mind of Christ

   The miter is a turban placed on the head. It represents the mind of Christ. In Zechariah 3, Joshua the high priest stood before God in filthy garments, and Satan was resisting him. Zachariah interceded: \"Let a fair miter be placed upon his head.\" The reason Joshua was in sin was because his mind was not renewed. He needed the mind of Christ to live above the flesh.

   The mind of Christ knows what to do in every situation. Before Jesus fed the five thousand, John 6 tells us He already knew what He would do — He merely tested Philip. In that problem you have no answer to, the mind of Christ has the answer.

   In the practice of priesthood, there are things you cannot watch on your phone because you need to maintain your miter. There are movies you cannot watch because you need to maintain your mind. The prophetic gifts work in conjunction with your thoughts. Your thoughts must be sanctified in order for the Holy Spirit to drive His initiatives through your mind. A prophetic person pays a price to ensure the mind remains in a sanctified state so that God can invite them to think His thoughts.

   The dealings of the Levite are primarily in the flesh. The dealings of the priest are primarily in the heart. The dealings of the high priest are primarily in the mind. When you win the battle of the mind with your miter, that is when you can open the scriptures and speak thus says the Lord with authority.

7. The Diadem — The Crown of Glory

   The diadem is the last piece — a crown. Isaiah 28:5-6 — \"In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people; and for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, and for strength to him that turns the battle to the gate.\"

   The same crown of glory can manifest as the spirit of judgment to the one who sits in judgment, or as strength to the spiritual warrior who takes the battle to the gates. You will become a radical when you put on this diadem. Being a kingdom person is not about being quiet — this garment equips you to advance the kingdom of God with force.

Levels of Consecration and Levels of Manifestation

These garments are virtues that you have in Christ. But they will not manifest until you reach a certain level of consecration. It is the extent of consecration that determines the manifestation of these virtues.

You have been brought into an office — the office of a priest, because the Bible calls you a royal priesthood. 1 Peter 2:9. These garments are yours in Christ. But God will not force any piece of that garment on you. He wants you to wear them, but they require consecration to manifest.

Is anybody ready to be consecrated?