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.