00:00
00:00
00:01
Transcript
1/0
Open your Bibles with me to Hebrews
chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7, and we're
going to be looking at verses 1 through 10 this morning. Hebrews
chapter 7, verses 1 through 10, and our subject this morning
is Jesus and Melchizedek. Jesus and Melchizedek. beginning in verse one of Hebrews
chapter seven. Would you please stand with me
in honor of the reading of God's holy word? For this Melchizedek, king of
Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham returning from
the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham
apportioned a tenth of everything. He is first, by translation of
his name, king of righteousness, And then he is also King of Salem,
that is, King of Peace. He is without father or mother
or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life, but resembling the Son of God, he continues a priest
forever. See how great this man was to
whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils. And those
descendants of Levi who received the priestly office have a commandment
in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their
brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this
man, who does not have his descent from them, received tithes from
Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute
that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case,
ties are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one
of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say
that Levi himself who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,
for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek
met him." This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated.
Hebrews 7 answers the statement that ended chapter 6. Jesus is
a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The question
before us is, what does it mean? that Jesus is a priest, a high
priest, after the order of Melchizedek. The priesthood of Jesus Christ
continues to be a chief theme in connection with the assurance
and perseverance of the saints. Now remember, in the immediate
context, most likely, the majority of the audience receiving this
epistle were Christians who had come from a Jewish background. And they are being oppressed
and tempted and encouraged by those that were known as the
Judaizers, who were trying to say that in order to be a Christian,
you had to be a good ceremonial Jew. We need to go back to the
old ways, to the old covenant ceremonies, the old covenant
vestments and priesthood. And one of their objections would
be, how can you call Jesus a priest? He's not from Levi. He's not
of the Levitical house. He's not a descendant of Aaron. He is from the tribe of Judah,
as we'll look at more next week. But Hebrews 7 says he is a priest. But he is not a priest after
the Levitical order, oh no. He is of a greater priesthood,
of a superior priestly line. He comes from the order of Melchizedek. In Hebrews 7, the whole chapter
unpacks how God fulfills the promise made through the words
of David in Psalm 110 verse 4 concerning a priest-king who is greater
than any other figure. This priest-king is described
with language that would indicate he is a human, But he is also
described with language that is reserved for God alone. The priesthood of Jesus reveals
to us that God's redemptive plan from start to finish always focused
upon the work of God himself in saving a people, and the manner
in which he would save a people based off of who he is, What
he would do and who they are ensures that the only response
that is proper and that can be given is that all glory and all
praise goes to God, 100%. There's not even a little bit
that would come to us of any credit that we deserve, for we
deserve none. All goes to him. And in our text,
as we've already seen in our journey in the book of Hebrews,
and will continue to see, the writer of Hebrews guides us in
seeing what Jesus did on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. How
do we read the Old Testament in light of the coming of Christ?
How we now understand and interpret the shadows because the substance
has come. In Luke 24, Jesus took those
two men essentially on a seminary course. They started in Genesis
and worked all the way through the Old Testament and how Jesus
pointed to each part and each place was in him, fulfilled in
him, pointed to him, and no doubt in that class that they had,
Jesus must have talked about Melchizedek. The Melchizedekian
priesthood that pointed to him and is found in him. What's the
big deal about Melchizedek? He serves as an Old Testament
type, a picture of what the seed of the woman of Genesis 3.15
would do in redeeming a people by both his office as king and
priest. Melchizedek foreshadows Jesus
Christ as the king and priest of peace and righteousness. By these twin offices, Melchizedek
shows his superiority to the Levitical priesthood, as is prefigured
by Abraham's submission to Melchizedek. Abraham's actions in response
to Melchizedek guide us in understanding the covenantal blessings we enjoy
because we are in Christ. All of God's dealings with mankind
begin on the basis of a covenant that He initiates. And the Old
Testament is to be read of how the covenants point to Christ.
For those in this audience, as they considered the superiority
of the priesthood of Christ, why would they be tempted to
renounce the new and return to the old? This morning, anything
that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ is the same old lie, repackaged. It comes in many different forms
and figures, but at its heart, it is always the religion of
self-help, that you can achieve a righteousness on your own.
It may, in its philosophy and theology, have different, we
might say, percentages of how much grace from God you need,
but still, it is a cooperative effort. It's the same old lie. The gospel of Christ is that
Jesus and he alone is the means of righteousness, and it is seen
because he's the priest king. So I want you to consider with
me two headings in our text, and I do believe we'll get through
all these verses this morning. We may be here a little longer,
but we'll get through it. Now, first of all, Verses 1-3,
I want you to see the type of the Priest-King. The type of
the Priest-King. And then verses 4-10, we will
look at the superiority of the Priest-King. So the type and
the superiority. First verse, For this Melchizedek,
King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, met Abraham, returning
from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him." Now, verse
1 starts with the term, for this Melchizedek. That connects us
back to chapter 6, verse 20, it says, Jesus having become
a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And you
remember back in chapter 5, He began to talk about Melchizedek,
quoting him in verse 5 and 6, the passages from the Psalms,
and then verse 10. Now, here's the question. Who
is Melchizedek? Who is this man? He is a figure
shrouded in much mystery. There are only two Old Testament
passages that talk about him. Genesis 14, verses 18 through
22, and then Psalm 110. Verse 4, the book of Hebrews
is the only New Testament book that references Melchizedek. He's described as both a king
and a priest. Now that's very important for
our understanding of why this mysterious figure in the Old
Testament is raised to such a level of importance. It is critical
for us not to miss this fact. There are only two individuals
in the Bible who are called Priest Kings. Melchizedek, and Jesus. There's no one else that has
that position. Because we know that all through
the Old Testament, the divide is emphasized over and over that
the office of king and the office of priest were distinct roles
and were to be separated. And anyone who tried to blur
the lines between those two received great judgment. We have a very
vivid illustration of that. We remember in the great vision
of Isaiah, Isaiah 6 begins what? In the year that King Uzziah
died. Well, what was the life of Uzziah?
He was a good king. He was one of the few kings we
read about who sought to walk in the ways of the Lord, but
he sinned greatly towards the end of his life. because he sought
to intrude into the priest's office. And the priest warned
him and said, do not do this. And he ignored their plea. And
he was immediately struck with leprosy and spent the remaining
years of his life shut up, cut off from the people as a leper. Judgment came, because as the
writer of Hebrews later states in this chapter, in the house
of Israel, the priestly line came from the tribe of Levi,
and the royal kingly line came only from the tribe of Judah.
And they were never to be mixed. But before the code was given
to Israel at Sinai, before Genesis 49, When Israel blessed all of
his sons, and he told Judah that the scepter will never depart
from your house, before all of those events, there was a priest
king, and his name was Melchizedek. The Scottish particular Baptist
James Haldane wrote about Melchizedek, he appears in scripture as a
royal priest executing his office, and there he remains a remarkable
type of the son of God whose priesthood is everlasting. Now we are told in verse 1, he
was king of Salem. Most likely this is a reference
to the old name of Jerusalem. If you read in Psalm 76 verse
2, the name Zion and the name Salem are used interchangeably
both to refer to Jerusalem. He is then described as priest
of the Most High God." That's the same name that Abraham will
use when he says to the king of Sodom who wanted to give Abraham
gifts and spoils, he said, I've sworn an oath. by the Most High
God. This means that Abraham and Melchizedek
both worshipped the one true God, Yahweh, the I Am that I
Am. But always remember, too, that
these names and titles given to us in Scripture are not to
just be easily glanced over. It's amazing to me when you think
about the different passages in the Bible that uses the phrase
Most High God and the connection to it. It is used in Daniel 4. After Nebuchadnezzar is judged
by God, he begins the chapter praising the Most High God, and
he ends the chapter talking about, I know now the Most High God. And in Daniel 5, when his successor
of Belshazzar was ignoring God and had his gluttonous party
and was using the instruments from the temple, Daniel came
in there and said, you do not know the Most High God like your
father Nebuchadnezzar came to learn. It's interesting that
in the Gospels we read in Mark 5 verse 17, when a demonic man
was there around Jesus, he said, I know who you are, the son of
the Most High God. And in Acts 16, when Paul and
Silas are ministering there in Philippi, the woman who was possessed
said, these two men are servants of the Most High God." This is
a name that distinguishes God as sovereign, as exalted, who
rules over all. And we're told here that Melchizedek
was not just a king, but he was a priest. And we're told that
he met Abraham, who returned from the slaughter of the kings
and blessed him. Now, just very quickly, the historical
background begins with all this in Genesis 13. That is when Abraham
and his nephew Lot decide to part company. And Lot, remember,
goes and settles in the land and in the city of Sodom. In
chapter 14, we read about that four kings, an alliance of four
kings, made a war against an alliance of five kings. And in
this group of five kings was the king of Sodom. And Lot is
taken prisoner, and Abraham is informed, and he takes 318 men
with him. Not a large contingency here,
but God gave him the victory, and he is able to rescue Lot. And upon his return, Abraham
is greeted by the king of Sodom, and then by the king of Salem,
Melchizedek. And John Calvin wrote in about
Genesis 14, 18 concerning Melchizedek, amid the corruptions of the world,
he alone in that land was an upright and sincere cultivator
and guardian of religion. We're told in verse number two
that his name Melchizedek literally means king of righteousness and
being king of Salem means king of peace. Consider how Melchizedek
stood out At this time, the land of the Canaanites, their kings
were deep in depravity. We know that in Sodom was rampant
homosexuality and sexual immorality. The land is pagan and dark. Here
is Melchizedek, this king of peace and righteousness and the
priest of the Most High God, here in the midst of all this. It's a lot to say this morning,
but think about it. Where does Abraham go? He has
nothing to do with the king of Sodom or the other pagan kings,
but he comes here to Melchizedek. And there almost seems to be,
we're not told in Scripture, but there almost seems to be
some familiarity between the two already and the exchange
that they have and the way that Abraham comes to him. So let
me get to the question I know everybody's wanting to know.
Who was Melchizedek? Who was he? Now there are some
who think that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the Old
Testament, or that he was an angelic being, or there are some
who believe that this was Shem, the son of Noah, who by, when
you do read the genealogies, would have still been alive during
the days of Abraham. And then there are other theories
that have been proposed. One reason for the speculation
that Melchizedek is an Old Testament appearance, the pre-incarnate
Christ, is based on the statements in verse 3. He's without father
or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life. But notice the next statement,
though. Resembling the Son of God, he
continues a priest forever. I do not believe that Melchizedek
is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. This is the best summary
is why I don't think so from Tom Schreiner. He writes, first,
the author of Hebrews regularly argues typologically seeing Jesus
as the greater David, the greater Moses, the greater Joshua, and
the greater priest. The tabernacle points to and
corresponds with God's dwelling in heaven. So too, Melchizedek's
priesthood foreshadows and anticipates Jesus' Melchizedekian priesthood. Second, the author describes
Melchizedek as resembling the Son of God. The author doesn't
say that Melchizedek is the Son of God, but he was like him. The two are compared, not identified. And I think that's the key. Also,
as a priest, Melchizedek would have what? Offered many sacrifices. The book of Hebrews tells us
what about Jesus. He offered only one sacrifice,
and that was of himself. So Melchizedek is not to be read
as Jesus in Genesis 14 appearing. before Bethlehem, but as a picture,
a pattern, a type foreshadowing the priest-king Jesus will be
like. Melchizedek is a real historical
figure that the author of Hebrews now reads and sees functioning
in a typological way as picturing what Jesus would do. A.W. Pink wrote, In the order of time,
Christ subsisted before Melchizedek. In the order of nature, Melchizedek
was a priest before Christ was. The priesthood of the Son of
God, ordained and appointed by the Eternal Three, was the original. And Melchizedek's priesthood
furnished the copy, and a copy given in advance is the same
thing as the type. So the son becomes a priest,
we're told, after the order of Melchizedek by way of his incarnation,
his atoning death, and his glorious exaltation. Now, how is Melchizedek
the type or the copy? And that's what's at the heart
of verse 3. This is not about the eternality of Melchizedek.
But it's about why his priesthood was different than that found
later in Aaron, Levi, and their family. Notice again the text
here. He's without father or mother
or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life. The author of Hebrews sees silence
that's found in Genesis 14 as a huge part of understanding
Melchizedek. Let's start, first of all, with
what he says, without father or mother or genealogy. When
you go to the book of Genesis and you're reading up to Genesis
14, what is a big component in Genesis? Genealogy list, isn't
it? In chapter 5 of Genesis, we have
all the generations of Adam given to us. In chapter 10, we have
all the generations of Noah given to us. Starting in chapter 11,
verse 10, we have the generations of Shem that are given to us.
And then in chapter 11, verse 27, the generations of Terah,
Abraham's father, is given to us. Now, what's different? In
Genesis 14, Melchizedek just shows up. We don't know who he
is. Scripture is silent concerning
his father, or mother, or his genealogy, or his ancestry, or
where he comes from. He was a human being, but the
Scriptures are silent. That's why when it says he's
without, in the record of Scripture, we are not given who his family
is. We have no genealogy. We have
none of his posterity. Why is that so critical? Because
it is contrasting this priesthood with the priesthood of Levi. Because the Levitical priesthood
was about what? Family. Who was your father? What tribe were you from? If
you were from the tribe of Issachar, you could not be a priest. If
you were from the tribe of Reuben, you could not be a priest. It
was specific. It had to be in the tribe of
Levi, and the high priest and the priest were only Aaron's
family. Now the rest of the Levitical
house, the Levites, they had different functions as ministers
and aides in the tabernacle and later the temple, but only Aaron's
house were the actual priest. How important was all of this
and specific? Think about from the time that
Aaron is commissioned and ordained as priest. all the way to the
period after the exile in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. And
you read in Nehemiah 7 verses 64 and 65 that there were people
claiming they were of the Levitical house. But Nehemiah said, if
you can't prove it by records, you can't serve. It was still
that restrictive centuries after the fact. And now the difference
here is what? Melchizedek's priesthood is of
a royal nature, which Levi's never was. And it's not based
on either ancestry or family origin. This sets him apart as
possessing a priesthood totally different from that of Levi.
He did not inherit it from his father. It was not passed on
to him by family lines. He is just there in Genesis 14
as the priest king of the Most High God. And there's also no
end to his priesthood given to us in the Old Testament. Now,
the author of Hebrews is not ignorant of Jesus' genealogy,
for he speaks, as we'll see next week, Lord willing, of the Lord
being from the tribe of not Levi, but Judah. As the incarnate Son,
Jesus identifies with our humanity, for like us, he has a mother,
a genealogy of birth and a death, But as the Son of God, He is
eternal, risen, ruling, reigning. He is the same. He has no beginning,
nor does He have an ending. And the perpetual priesthood
of Melchizedek, that's what's being argued by the writer of
Hebrews, serves as a type of Christ's priesthood. Melchizedek
is the figure. Christ is the reality. Which brings us to the fact of
how else is he a type? And it is found in his name and
the place he rules. King of righteousness and king
of peace. Are these not pointing us to
Christ? Do we not think of Christ when we hear righteousness and
peace? What is the proclamation in the
Old Testament about the Messiah? the one to come. Isaiah 9, verses
6 and 7, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall
be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. of the increase of his government
and peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and over
his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and
with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the
zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." Do you see the prophecy? Prince of Peace, Kingdom of Righteousness? Isaiah 32 verse 1, Behold, a
king will reign in righteousness. Jeremiah chapter 23 verse 5 and
6, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord. When I will
raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as
king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness
in the land, in his days Judah will be saved and Israel will
dwell securely, and this is the name by which he will be called. The Lord is our righteousness,
a priest who is both man God, King who is both man and God. Jeremiah said the Son of David's
coming, human, but we'll call him the Lord. Yahweh is our righteousness. And then later in the book of
Jeremiah, and I really could have done a whole sermon just
on this, in chapter 31 we have the promise of the new covenant.
Chapter 32, we have this promise. Chapter 33 talks about David
will have a son forever. Levi will have a son forever.
How does that happen? Because all of it is found bound
in this one, Jeremiah 32, 15, 16. And those days and at that
time, I will cause a righteous branch. to spring up for David,
and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which
it will be called, the Lord is our righteousness." Why? Because
the king is Christ, and Jerusalem is His people, and they're united
together. They're His covenant possession.
They have His righteousness. This priest king, who brings
peace and righteousness, is the messianic hope foretold. Psalm 72, 7, In his days may
the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more. And Zechariah 9, 9, rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to
you, righteous, and having salvation is he. Jesus Christ is the king
who is righteous, and he's the priest who makes righteous all
those who believe in his atoning work. This brings them to a state
of peace with God. Romans 3.26 says it was to show
his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just
and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Speaking
of the propitiatory work of Christ, at Romans 5.1, therefore, since
we have been justified by faith, We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Our condition is one of hostility
and enmity with God in Adam. Our will and our heart is bent
on that which is wicked and unholy. This morning the question before
you is this, are you trying to make peace with unrighteousness? Are you trying to say that I'm
not as bad as the other person, and I'm an okay guy or gal? Are
you saying that compared to the world, I'm pretty decent, pretty
good? This morning, you can't bargain
and make peace with unrighteousness. If you try to, it will ensure
your eternal condemnation. You are at war with God, and
His standard is perfect. And the terms of peace, though,
exist. And it is not terms that are
found in a list that you must try to perform, and if you succeed
in parts, He may accept you. His terms are found in one person.
And that's the priest king, Jesus Christ, and what he has done. He has come in glory, he has
come in holiness, and he has come in righteousness. And he's
the only standard of perfection. And right now, in your sin and
in Adam, you're fighting against him. And that's a war you'll
lose. because he's the judge on the
last day. Are you tired this morning of
trying to justify self? Are you tired of your sin? Are
you tired of playing the game of quote-unquote goodness? Trust
Christ. Know Christ, the King of righteousness
and peace. Rest is found only in the true
righteousness of Christ. And I believe this morning that
in this Old Testament figure of Melchizedek, we get another
glimpse of why Paul said, Galatians 4, that the new covenant is that
heavenly Zion, that heavenly Jerusalem, that heavenly Salem. The peace of God is known for
those clothed in the righteousness of God. How do you have peace
with God? You must be righteous before
God. How would you be righteous before God? Because of Christ. And C. H. Spurgeon wrote, note
well the order of these two and the dependence of the one upon
the other. For there could be no true peace that was not grounded
upon righteousness. And out of righteousness, peace
is sure to spring up. He knew that he could not be
king of peace to us till, first of all, he had woven a perfect
righteousness in the loom of his life. and died it in his
own heart's blood, in his death. That's what Christ has done. And the type, oh, the type this
morning is fulfilled in him of the perpetual priesthood. This
morning, rejoice, for in Christ it is forever and eternal and
continual. And with the type in mind, I
want you to notice now, second of all, the superiority. Verse
four. I'd like to think the writer
of Hebrews here had a preaching moment, because it's an exclamational
statement here. See, observe, consider, look
at how great this man was, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave
a tenth of the spoils. Melchizedek was so great that
the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth or a tithe of the collective
spoils. Patriarch means the father of
a nation or people. Why does he say that in verse
4? To be astonished. Well, what was the boast? What
was the boast of the Jews? What did they say in John 8,
33? We are offspring of Abraham. John 8, 39, Abraham is our father. They put all of their confidence
in the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham. That's
why John the Baptist rebuked them in Matthew 3, 9 and said,
And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as
our father. For I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up children for Abraham. They were so much
about being the physical offspring, the writer of Hebrews says, the
great father Abraham, he paid homage to another. He submitted
to another. He honored another. Melchizedek
is shown to us to be greater than Abraham. Now, if the type
is greater than Abraham, How much greater is the reality of
the type? As one author put it, if a type
of Christ is greater than he who has the promises, how much
more so is Christ himself? So with this in mind, he begins
to draw upon the superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood
to that of Levi, verse 5. Those descendants of Levi who
receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take
tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though
these also are descended from Abraham. Now, verse 5, he talks
about the tithing that took place in Israel. You go back to Numbers
chapter 18, verses 21 through 29, you will read about how the
Levitical priests possessed the right to tax taxed their brothers,
not taxed those who were outside the commonwealth of Israel, but
taxed those who were their brothers who were also the offspring of
Abraham. All the Israelites paid a tithe
to the Levites. The Levites would then take a
tithe of that and they would give it to Aaron's sons and the
Aaronic household that served as the high priest and priest.
So we have tithing happening in the land of Israel where Levi
is getting an offering from others. But now notice verse six, he
said, but this man, talking about Melchizedek, who does not have
his descent from them. He's not a Levitical line. He
existed way before Jacob, way before Levi, way before Aaron.
He received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now, those twin actions of conferring
blessing and receiving offering implied what? That Melchizedek
was superior to Abraham. Abraham was inferior, lesser. Melchizedek was greater, superior. The act of blessing someone shows
superiority, and the act of giving to another shows superiority. Could we not rightfully say that
at that time, in Genesis 14, that Abraham was the most blessed
man on the face of the earth? Had he not been given the promises
in Genesis 12, where he is told that from you all the nations
of the earth will be blessed? But then here comes Melchizedek.
He blesses Abraham. What's that the picture of? That
this priest king mediates the blessings of God to this man,
Abraham. That the king of Salem is greater
than the patriarch. When Melchizedek blessed Abraham,
can we not see a typological picture of how Christ blesses
his people? When our Lord gathered his disciples
together before his ascension, it says he blessed them. Was
that blessing just for them who were physically present at the
moment? No. Ephesians 1.3 says, Blessed
by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And the eminent John Owen wrote,
in the blessing of Abraham by Melchizedek, all believers are
virtually blessed by Jesus Christ. Melchizedek was a type of Christ
and represented him and what he was and did. and Abraham,
and all these things, bear the person up, or represented all
his posterity according to the faith. Therefore doth our apostle
in the foregoing chapter entitle all believers unto the promises
made unto him and the inheritance of him. There is, therefore,
more than a bare story in this matter. A blessing is in it conveyed
unto all believers in the way of an ordinance forever. Brothers
and sisters, in Jesus Christ we have been given all the blessings
of heaven. Let us rejoice and take comfort
in knowing that the Lord of glory has blessed us. He's given us
new life. He's given us his spirit. He's
given us his word. He's given us a coveted community,
and he has given us the means of grace by which we are strengthened. He does not withhold from us.
He also gives us the trial in life. In the words of Thomas
Boston, he gives us the crook and the lot. But he does all
those things to show us how dependent we are upon his grace. The thorn does come, but grace
also comes with the thorn. He has given us everything. We
don't read the life of Abraham, for example. He's given promises
and everything is smooth sailing, do we? It's a lot of hardship. We've been given blessings. We've
been given and been able to see even more than he was. And yet
we also know there's hardship. but he has given us everything
for the journey. And so when he was blessed by
Melchizedek, we understand it was a picture of how Christ blesses
us. Now, verse seven, it is beyond
dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Can't
dispute this fact. The lesser is Abraham, the greater
is Melchizedek. Now we've got to think about
who's listening to this. There weren't people walking
around of the Jewish community talking about how bad Abraham
was. There was nobody going around talking about how inferior Abraham
was. They were always what? That was
what we would call their theological trump card. They always pulled
it out. Any conversation, we'd go to
that. That's what they did with Jesus. We're Abraham's seed. Jesus said, you are enslaved
to sin. We're Abraham's seed. We've never
been in bondage. He's always pulling that. And
here he's saying, Abraham, in the grand scheme of things, is
inferior to Melchizedek, and he's the shadow. Therefore, how
much more inferior is Abraham to the substance, Christ? Al Moller writes, why does the
writer of Hebrews emphasize this point with such technical care? He wants the Hebrews to see that
the Old Testament showed that the Levitical priesthood was
always meant to give way to something greater. Thus the author, under
the inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit, weaves together
a biblical theological argument to convince his audience of this
fact on the basis of the Scripture, which is why he then comes to
this statement in verse 8. In the one case, ties are received
by mortal men. But in the other case, by one
of whom it is testified that he lives. Now, who are the mortal
men? That literally means the dying
men. It's the Levitical priesthood. What do we know about the Aaron?
He what? Died. What about Eleazar, his
son? He died. We keep going down the
list. All the tribe of Levi that served
as high priest in Israel died. They had a starting point, and
then they had an ending point. And so Aaron and his sons saw
their priestly office and authority passed down by physical means,
but their time ended. But now, the superior priesthood,
verse 8, is in one that lives. Now, that's a reference to Psalm
110, verse 4, which is quoted in Hebrews 5 and will be quoted
here in verse 17 and verse 21 about the priest who is forever. The Old Testament never says
the priesthood of Melchizedek ended. The scripture is silent
about his death. But what we do understand is
that He forever lives foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This priesthood is eternal. This
priesthood is superior. This priesthood is not bound
by human restraints and limitations. Here's the question before the
Hebrews. This is a question before all of us. Are we trusting and
clinging to that which is dying and perishing? Or do we cling
to that which is eternal and living and superior? For any
of these individuals to go back to the old covenant priesthood
was to say that we believe the mortal priesthood of Aaron and
his sons is greater than that of Christ. and His eternality,
and His superiority. This morning, what priesthood
are you trusting in? Is it yourself? Are you trusting
in yourself as the mediator? Are you trusting in another mediator?
Your spouse? Your parent? Your children? The preacher? I can speak plainly
for myself this morning. I can't be your mediator. Because
I need one. and all the sons of Aaron, they
needed one. Therefore, to trust in anything
or anyone else as a mediator apart from Christ is to hasten
eternal destruction, because nothing and nobody else can do
what he has done perfectly. Men and women perish every day
in their sins because they made the decision that that which
is passing away and perishing is more dear and more important
than that which is of eternal value. This morning, I don't
care what it is. I don't care how grand it might
seem to you at this moment. If you would think anything higher
than Christ, that is foolish talk. And it is a life of vanity
and a life of perishing. And he is saying here, there
are people who are saying, we've got to go back to Levi. We've
got to go back to all this. And he's saying, friends, that
was pointing to something else. And in itself, it is inferior. to this priesthood that Christ
has. The author of Hebrews says, you
need to see the superior one, verse eight, lives. Revelation
118, fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died and behold, I am alive
forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades. This is the
priesthood you need to rest in today. The one who ever lives. That is the superior one. And
to bring it on home, he says here in verse 9, let's even think
about it this way. One might even say that Levi
himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,
for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek
met him. Think about that. Abraham gave
tithes to Melchizedek. The writer of Hebrew says when
he did that, Levi was giving tithes too. Levi was acknowledging
his inferiority and the superiority of Melchizedek. Abraham serves
as a what? A representative. A head. ahead of the people who would
be priests in the service of God based upon family and physical
descendants. Now, we want to be careful. We're
not saying that this means that Abraham's descendants participated
in all the actions of Abraham, nor is this teaching that Levi
was somehow pre-existent. But Abraham possesses, in this
situation, a unique headship. just in the same way that the
Scriptures plainly teach that Adam possessed a headship and
that when he sinned, we all sinned with him. When he fell, we all
fell with him. The same theological premise
of Romans 5 is what is used here in Hebrews 7. So Philip E. Hughes writes, it may be affirmed,
therefore, that Levi who receives tithes, this is something characteristic
of the Levitical status, actually paid tithes through Abraham. And this historic encounter then,
what was established, was not simply a precedent, but a whole
relationship. the significance which is permanent,
namely, that the order of Melchizedek fulfilled in Christ is superior
to the order of Levi, which with the advent of Christ is surpassed
and superseded." Now someone might say, well, Jesus is the
son of Abraham. Does that mean that Jesus was
saying that he was inferior to Melchizedek? We confess that
in his humanity, Jesus kept the law in order to be the atoning
sacrifice on our behalf and executing and accomplishing redemption.
He is also the son of God. And he is seated at the right
hand of the Father as the Eternal Son, who intercedes on our behalf. And Melchizedek, the priest-king
of Salem, was a picture and a type, but in himself he was also under
the supremacy of Christ. Our high priest this morning
continues on forever, for he is God. through whom the world
was made, and it is by the word of his power that he keeps this
universe intact until the consummation. His eternality set him apart
from Levi, and which is why his sacrifice is perfect, and the
tokens of that sacrifice are also there present in glory.
For his hands and his feet and his side bear the marks of his
death and his incarnation. C.H. Spurgeon wrote, Whatever
priesthood there may have been of God's ordaining under the
Old Testament, it was evidently all subordinate to the superior
Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus Christ our Savior and was predestinated
to give place to it. You want to see something else
in this text? Beloved, in our text we see the
Abrahamic covenant. and the Mosaic Covenant are subordinate
and subservient to the New Covenant, inaugurated by the sacrifice
at Calvary. This shows that there is only
one covenant of grace, and that is found in the New Covenant.
The Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants contain promises and pictures
of grace, but the text shows us, as we'll continue to see,
they are all inferior. Not just another part of, but
inferior to the new covenant, covenant of grace. Can I give
you something else to think about? When was Melchizedek priest-king?
It's before Sinai, isn't it? He's a priest-king that's what?
Universal. For all people, Levi and his
sons, they ministered only behalf of the nation of Israel, but
the priest king, his kingdom and his intercession is from
people from every tribe and every nation and every tongue. I could
preach on all those things as separate sermons, but we'll just
throw it out there to chew on this week. Why is it so wondrous? This morning, if you are saved,
you are in Him. Verse 10 says, He was still in
Abraham. We're in Christ. We've been crucified
with Christ. We have been buried with Christ.
And we have been raised and made alive in Christ. All the blessings
of the covenant of grace are yours, not because of how well
you did this past week, Nor is it contingent on how well you'll
do this week. They are contingent on how well
Christ did. and what Christ has done. And
this morning, as we go forth in the week, we go forth in power
and assurance because of our covenant union with Him. He's
eternal and He will not forsake us. So Hughes writes, In Christ,
therefore, Abraham and Melchizedek meet again. And they not only
meet But as figures of the temporal and eternal orders, in Him they
are united into one eternal reality. Thus, as both Son of Man and
Son of God, Christ bridges the gulf, which separates man and
his guilt on the one side, and God and his righteousness on
the other. By His atoning priestly sacrifice Himself on the cross,
He fulfills the requirements for reconciliation that is complete
and everlasting. And in His exaltation, the glory
of the Son of God becomes also the glory of the Son of Man,
and of all those sons of men who through faith are forever
made one with Him. Have you done like Abraham? and
submitted to the priest king? Are you trusting in the one that
brings real peace and brings real righteousness? In our homes,
in our marriages, on the job, are we living forth and testifying
that we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ and we know peace with
God? We're in a hostile world, aren't
we? The world's always trying to figure out how we can attain
peace. there will be no peace by the
means of the world. But we herald the gospel of peace,
for it is a gospel of righteousness. It is the gospel of the priest
king. And that's what Melchizedek has
to do with Jesus. He shows us the superior and
the eternal. Father, we thank you for the
priesthood of Christ. Oh, we thank you for the beauty
of the scriptures and how we see Jesus and how we understand
the types and the pictures and the shadows pointing to him.
Oh, I pray this morning that there would be no one here today
who is trusting in the things found in the old order, the ritual,
the vestments, the incense, the candles, the rites, the animal
sacrifices. They were all ordained by you.
They all had a purpose. and that was to point to the
need of a perfect sacrifice and a perfect priest and that is
why we rejoice in being members of the new covenant the covenant
of grace by which all the saints of all the ages we have been
saved by it is in the work of the priest king, Christ the mediator. May he be the one we're resting
in. May he be the one that we're delighting in. May he be the
one that would strengthen the people here today. That as we
go forth, we would remember that we're perfectly justified in
him and it should move us in desire to love and adore him
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. May
we love our neighbors. May we serve others. And may
we do it all for the glory of the priest king who is superior
and eternal. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Jesus and Melchizedek
Series Hebrews
| Sermon ID | 21819215710368 |
| Duration | 54:14 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Hebrews 7:1-10 |
| Language | English |
Documents
Add a Comment
Comments
No Comments
© Copyright
2026 SermonAudio.