You’re Royal, You’re a Priest, & You’re an Israelite | Jonathan Cahn Sermon
Have you ever stopped and considered what it truly means to be chosen by God? Imagine waking up each morning and remembering that your very identity has been transformed marked by royalty, priesthood, and citizenship in God’s glorious kingdom. This isn’t just spiritual jargon. It’s biblical truth with personal implications for your everyday walk rooted in the Promises made to Israel, now extended to every believer in Christ.
Discovering Your New Identity in Christ
The Bible proclaims a radical reality: in Christ, you are related to the King of Kings. Your connection to God is not distant or ceremonial it is as intimate as blood. Scripture doesn’t mince words about who you are: chosen, set apart, and called out of darkness into His marvelous light. As Peter says in 1 Peter 2: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
What’s especially striking is how these descriptions were first applied to physical Israel in the Old Testament. Israel: a nation set apart, a kingdom of priests, a people belonging exclusively to God. Now, these very labels are placed upon every follower of Jesus, Gentile or Jew. Through Christ, you are enrolled in the commonwealth of Israel. You have a new, chosen identity. Say it out loud: “I am chosen by God.”
Embrace Your God-Given Holiness and Royalty
Perhaps you’ve never considered yourself holy or even worthy. Perhaps your past has been marked by mistakes, struggles, or rejection. The good news of the gospel is that your old track record does not define you. In Jesus, you start anew. Paul affirms this too: you are not just accepted you are holy. “I am holy in God.” That is your inheritance, your spiritual DNA.
Not only holy, but royal. Most of us can’t claim any earthly royalty in our bloodlines, but in Christ, you are spiritually royal connected not to a fading throne, but to the eternal King. Say it to yourself, “I am royal in God.” This royalty isn’t just about status. It’s about purpose, authority, and belonging at the highest level.
You Are a Priest with Heavenly Authority
And your role doesn’t stop at royalty. The Bible also calls you a ‘priesthood.’ Once, only a select few held that sacred appointment. Now every believer is a priest of the Most High, called to minister unto Him, separated for holy purposes. Whether or not you feel qualified doesn’t change the truth: “I am a priest of God.”
Living in the Fulfillment of Prophecy
Think about the era you’re living in. For two millennia, the nation of Israel disappeared from the map, surviving only in memories and the scriptures. Yet, against all historical odds, Israel has been restored a fulfillment of biblical prophecy seen by our own generation. Where believers of centuries past held onto faith for its return, we are eye-witnesses of God’s faithfulness. This is more than a political reality; it signals a deep spiritual truth about who you are now as part of God’s people.
Your spiritual identity as an ‘Israelite’ takes on profound depth. But here’s something even more remarkable: the biblical word often translated as “Israelite” is more closely “Israeli”. In the Old Testament texts, “Israeli” denoted those belonging to Israel citizens by birth and inheritance. Now, in Christ, you’re not only grafted into this heritage, you carry the very calling, purpose, and promise that came with it. You are a spiritual Israeli alive in a world where Israel physically flourishes again!
The Resurrection of a Nation And Your Spirit
The prophet Jeremiah (chapters 30 and 31) spoke of a time of deep darkness when Israel would be gathered from the nations and restored to their land. Historically, this restoration followed one of humanity’s darkest chapters: the Holocaust. Out of the ashes of destruction, Israel was reborn a living testimony that parallels the resurrection of Christ.
Just as Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” the nation of Israel rose from death, physically and spiritually. If Christ is the King of Israel, then His resurrection power naturally extends to His nation and to you. In Christ, your own new birth is nothing short of a resurrection. You were once spiritually dead, lost in sin, barren like a desert but now you are alive, home, and flourishing! Your life itself is a testimony to God’s victory over death and darkness.
Called to Be a Testimony Against Death
Isaiah prophesied, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like a rose.” When Israel returned to their ancient land, this became literal: deserts turned green, barren fields became orchards, and every year, more of the land blossoms. Israel remains the only nation in the world to have more trees at the end of the 20th century than at its beginning. What was once a wasteland is now an exporter of fruit and flowers far beyond its size.
The miracle wasn’t only in the land, but in the people. Many early Israelis had little agricultural knowledge. The land, previously unworkable, responded with abundance when tended by those who, on paper, had no credentials. Human limitation met divine promise, and a miracle emerged. The result? A vibrant, fruitful, beautiful nation born out of barrenness.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit in Spiritual Deserts
This physical transformation carries a spiritual message for every believer. Before encountering Jesus, your life may have been a spiritual desert: full of potential, but unable to produce lasting fruit. But in Christ, even the most arid soul is renewed. Your interior barrenness is replaced by abundance; you begin to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience the fruits of the Holy Spirit in places where only emptiness existed
