is near the cross. And we thank the Lord for our Lord's death and resurrection. None of us would be here today if it wasn't for that. The book of Hebrews is a wonderful book to study in the scripture. It provides so much comfort and encouragement for believers who are struggling. and who are wrestling with sin and with doubts and with many other afflictions of the spirit in tempting us to go backwards and not forwards. So I invite you to turn to the book of Hebrews as we continue our study at chapter 7. We come to a new chapter. I'll read the first 10 verses because this is one section, but we will not study 10 verses today. We will be studying the first three verses, but I would like to read them in context. So we'll be reading Hebrews chapter 7, verses 1 through 10, but our text is verses 1 through 3. Follow along with me now at verse 1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated king of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning King of Peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi who received the priesthood have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham. But he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who received tithes or receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." Now, in review, in the last section of chapter 6, you will recall that In case anyone misunderstood Paul's exhortation and warning, which was contained in chapter 5, verse 11, through chapter 6 and verse 13, Paul ends this section with a very positive appeal to wavering Christians for them to persevere in the faith and press on to spiritual maturity. The Apostle Paul gives three arguments in this section of chapter five for the certainty of true believer salvation. And the believers in the first century who were struggling, to whom this book was written to in the immediate historical context, needed encouragement. He strengthens their faith by telling them that the certainty of their salvation rests on God's promise, we saw in verses 13 through 15, backed up by God's oath, seen in verses 16 through 18, based on God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his efficacious death and sanctifying offering of himself on the cross, verses 19 through 20. Now, in the last two verses of this section in chapter five, the Apostle Paul, you'll remember, uses four figures or metaphors to drive home the utter reality of the Christian hope, the reality that the true believer, regardless of our many afflictions, doubts, and temptations, will make it in the last day. He drives home this fact. by giving us four illustrations that Jesus is the city of refuge, he is an anchor, he is a forerunner, and a high priest. These three figures representing the substance and the reality in Christ, again, reinforce the principle of the assurance of our salvation. Now the point in all of this, in this last section of chapter 5, is that you and I will obtain what God has promised if we diligently apply the means of grace in the maturing of our spiritual life. And by laying hold of God's promises, backed by his oath, by faith in Jesus Christ, we will apply the strength and power and reality of those promises in this course we are on of maturity and growth. Do you understand that? Does that make sense? It's very important. because remember the context. We've gone through three very powerful and earth-shaking warnings given to us by the writer of Hebrews. It is given to us in the context of a surety, a surety in the high priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing us through all of these roadblocks and spiritual challenges along the way in our sanctification. But by way of application, he warns us saying, we must lay hold of these promises. We must labor and strive with every ounce of human strength. And in the obedience of that command, and through exercising faith in the promises of Christ to lay hold of the grace we need to live out this Christian life, God will supply the grace. through divine promise and working through wonder of wonders human effort. His grace will be supplied to us but The good and the advance we may experience in all of this is based only on the merits and the grace of Christ as manifested in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a great mystery, and it's even a little complicated sometimes to explain this mystery of sanctification. Many misunderstand and accuse that preachers are suggesting that we're sanctified by works, which is not the case at all. But it is a mystery how divine power and grace can work hand in hand with human effort and with the faith God gives us in the promises of God for us to mature and grow so that we stop looking backwards and we look forwards and we jumpstart by God's grace our faith again so that we can continually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is critical for us to understand and apply this rule, this principle, as laid out in the book of Hebrews. Because you will, if not today, perhaps tomorrow or in the future, many, many, many times from now until you die and go to be with the Lord, if you live for some years yet in this world, you will be challenged with these very issues that we are talking about right now. It's important then that we master, we master this principle that is being laid out through the book of Hebrews of how we are to progress and mature in our Christian faith. Amen? Okay, with that review behind us of that critical text at the end of chapter 5, we move on now by way of introduction, coming now to the next major section of the book of Hebrews, chapters 7 through 10. Now, this four-chapter section of Hebrews unpacks the core and the meat of what God is saying in Hebrews and what he describes as the remedy to looking back or drawing back or drifting back or falling back. Another way we could say it is backsliding. We all struggle with the seeds of backsliding as soon as we wake up in the morning, do we not? We need to overcome that by the grace of God. But the book of Hebrews is a wonderful, powerful, amazing book in teaching us how to not only prevent backsliding, but as I said, in a positive, forward-moving, progressive way, how to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can revel somewhat in the abundance of the life of Jesus Christ pulsing through our spiritual veins. Doesn't that just thrill your heart in anticipation? of what the Holy Spirit can do in helping us go from glory to glory, from faith to faith, day by day as we lay hold of the promises of God, will be like that tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season. Its leaf also shall not wither, and whatever we do shall prosper, both in our relationship with Christ and in our service to Him. So let's do a brief review of the outline that we handed out of Hebrews to get a fresh sense of the big picture. If you have not received this outline, raise your hand and Peter will stop by and give you a copy. It's the outline to the book of Hebrews. Raise your hand if you need a copy. Okay, everyone have a copy of the outline? Do you have a copy? Okay, everybody have a copy? Okay. Pick up the outline of Hebrews, look at the top, just to reinforce the key themes and the outline, because the outline of Hebrews will show you the place of Christ and the importance of Christ. as we study this book, because Christ is our deliverance. Christ is our sustenance. And he is the sustaining power of our sanctification. It's very important that we understand the truths about our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the book of Hebrews, if we are to make progress. So the key themes of Hebrews, two of them. The first is the superiority of Christ over the Old Testament. Secondly, we are to press on to maturity and perseverance. Those are a double-edged theme there related to practical Christianity, which is the need to grow or mature in our faith and to persevere in the faith. That's the major pragmatic theme woven through the book of Hebrews that applies to us, that you and I must apply to our daily walk. The key verse is Hebrews 6, 1, therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection or maturity. Let us go on to maturity. not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." In other words, let's not go backwards, as many of these professing Christians were doing, resulting in apostasy on the part of some of them, But let's leave those elementary things. Let's stop looking backwards at the attractions of the world. We're beyond that. We're saved. We're believers now. However weak we may be and struggling we are, let us go on to maturity. Let's look forwards to Christ. Let's trust in Christ. Let's not revert back to babyhood, but let us go on to maturity as Christians. The first part we've already looked at, completing it at last Lord's Day, the superiority of Christ's person, the superior person in the Lord Jesus Christ, which we studied in chapters one through six. In this section, we saw that Christ is better than the prophets. He's better than the angels. In that section, we covered our first warning passage, which is drifting from the word. Christ thirdly is better than Moses, which we covered the second warning passage, which is doubting the word. And then fourthly, Christ is better than Aaron, which the third passage of warning and exhortation was covered, which is dullness towards the word. And then today we begin the second major section of the book of Hebrews, a superior priesthood, Melchizedek. So Christ is in the Melchizedek priesthood. He's not in the Aaronic priesthood. Christ is not in the Levitical priesthood. He is not. He is typified in the Aaronic priesthood. Christ is typified and pointed to figuratively in the Levitical priesthood, but he is not officially in that order. He does not serve within the constraints and the boundaries and the stipulations of that order. He serves in a different order. And we will look at this order, the Melchizedek order, which is discussed and defined in chapter seven through 10. First, a superior order, which we will see in chapter seven compared with the Levitical order. The Melchizedek order is superior. Secondly, the Melchizedek order is a superior covenant compared to the Old Covenant. Thirdly, it is a superior sanctuary. In Christ, we have a superior sanctuary compared with what other sanctuary? Can you guess? The Old Testament sanctuary, okay? That physical sanctuary, even though it includes the Holy of Holies, we have a superior sanctuary. That Old Testament temple and Old Testament Holy of Holies pointed to who? The sanctuary we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, heaven is a type of that sanctuary, but we have a better sanctuary, a superior sanctuary in Christ. Where would you rather run if you need a sanctuary? To some building where priests are offering up animals on an altar, or would you rather run to Christ? Well, the author of Hebrews is going to explain in chapter 9, we have a superior sanctuary in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't go backwards to rituals and ceremonies as metaphorically and in a picturesque way seen in that earthly sanctuary. And lastly, we have a superior sacrifice, chapter 10. And our fourth warning in Hebrews comes up in that chapter, which is despising the word. So we have a superior order, covenant, sanctuary, and sacrifice in our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the solution for wandering Christians. This is the remedy for apostatizing Christians. This, He, the Lord Jesus Christ, as represented in a superior order, covenant, sanctuary, and sacrifice, is the solution for believers who wrestle hard with sin, who backslide, who doubt, who have all kinds of mental and spiritual and emotional struggles, which keep us weak and struggling and always pushed down. The answer, the solution, is seen in a core, in a summarized way, in chapters 7 through 10. That's the core. of the solution, chapters 7 through 10, and explained there in great detail, our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. And seen in him is a better order, covenant, sacrifice, and sanctuary. If you'll master these four chapters, you will master the heart of sanctification. We'll all get weak, but we need a place, a clear, distinct, understood place where we all flee to. And we need to understand by practice and training how to lay hold of that hope and that power of God in that remedy that we flee to, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many churches, most churches, do not have explicit, detailed teaching that the book of Hebrews provides for us, especially in explaining and teaching on the benefits of our Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest, as represented in the book of Hebrews, especially in chapters 7 through 10. And then thirdly, the third section of the book of Hebrews is a superior principle, faith, chapters 11 through 13. We see there the great examples of faith in chapter 11, the hall of faith drawn from the Old Testament heroes of the faith. Secondly, the endurance of faith, chastening in chapter 12, and that contains the fifth and last warning passage defying the word And then lastly, we have closing practical exhortations in chapter 13. A wonderful book, a practical book, but a powerful book that explodes open. the glories and the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in his work as our high priest. And we're constantly challenged throughout Hebrews to lay hold of it. Five times we have warnings that should stir up the fear of God in struggling afflicted believers in such a way as to drive them to lay hold afresh of the hope that we have and the promises that we have and the power that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's so encouraging. It's so encouraging. Each chapter, each section, each verse in Hebrews, if we understand these truths in Christ, it should be a mountaintop experience for each and every one of us. Well, in continuing our introduction, if you were asked to name the most important people in the Old Testament, I doubt that Melchizedek's name would be on your list because he appears only twice in the Old Testament. The first time is in Genesis 14. and the second time he's mentioned just briefly in one verse in Psalm 110 and verse 4. Let's read these two passages because background in the Old Testament is very important in our study in Hebrews because it will help you understand the significance of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in his role as our high priest. So turn to Genesis 14. Genesis 14. You know, I'm going to take a little extra time. I'm going to read a little bit more of the context than I had planned to read that's in my notes. So let's back up a little bit. Genesis 14 to verse 13. Genesis 14. Oh, actually, beginning at verse Let's start at verse 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariah, king of Elessar, Chedolomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of the nations, that they made a war with Bera, king of Solom, Bersha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Adma, Shem-Eber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar. All these joined together in the valley of Siddim, that is, the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Chedol-Leomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year of Chedol-Leomer and the kings that were with him, came and attacked the Rephaim and Ashteroth-Carnaim, the Zuzim and Ham, the Imim and Shaveh Kiriathimim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El-Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came on En Mishpat, that is Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon, Tamar. And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Adma, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar, went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Siddim against Chedo-loar-mer, king of Elam, title king of nations, Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariak, king of Elessar, four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, the brother of Einar. And they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants who were born in his house and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is the king's valley, after his return from the defeat of Chedo-Lomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. and he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God most high, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abraham rich, except only what the young men have eaten and the portion of the men who went with me, Einar, Esgal, and Mamre. Let them take their portion." Now, we read the whole chapter, but I think it's important to understand the context here because it comes up in the text. The second passage in the Old Testament that refers to Melchizedek, and these only two passages, is in Psalm 110, verse four. Turn over there. Psalm 110, verse four, it's a Messianic text, Messianic Psalm, where we read, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Now in Hebrews chapter 7, the Holy Spirit brings up these two passages to emphasize a very important truth. That the priesthood of Christ is superior to that of Aaron because the order of Melchizedek is superior to the order of Levi. It's brought up. Melchizedek is brought up to illustrate and emphasize that there is a superior order of priesthood or of priests than that of Levi, the Levitical priesthood. God brings this up to make it clear that there's another order of priests. And that is the order of Melchizedek. And there's a very important reason why. and we'll get into it as we go through these next four chapters. Now chapter seven introduces the second main section of Hebrews, a superior priesthood. Hebrews chapter seven through 10. In Hebrews seven, the writer argues that Christ's order Christ's priesthood, like Melchizedek's, is superior in its order. In Hebrews 8, the emphasis is on Christ's better covenant. In chapter 9, the argument is that Christ is a better sanctuary. He has a better sanctuary. And in chapter 10, he concludes the second section in Hebrews by arguing for Christ's better sacrifice. Now, the Jewish nation was accustomed to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi. They took it for granted. They were very familiar with the rituals and the practices that God had commanded the Levites to maintain in terms of keeping the order, the Levitical order, pure and up to date without relinquishing any of its very important responsibilities. The tribe of Levi was chosen by God in the Old Testament of all 12 tribes to administer the service of the temple and of the tabernacle before that. You'll remember that God appointed Aaron as the first high priest. And despite Aaron's failures and many of his descendants, many of the priest's failures, They served God for centuries. And now, though, the writer of Hebrews has affirmed that the Levitical priesthood has ended. The Levitical priesthood is over, gone. That was 2,000 years ago when Christ came and was born. That Levitical order is gone. So when you read the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, And some of you may even get bogged down in all of those ceremonies and those rules and those ordinances with regard to the animal sacrifices and maintaining the order of the Levitical priesthood. And maybe subconsciously you begin to think to yourself, do I have to do that? Do I have to do this? What is my role, my relationship to all of these many detailed and sometimes very monotonous regulations. What is my place? What is my relationship? What is my role to these Levitical ordinances? Nothing. You do none of it. They have been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Levitical order is over. Now, it is still profitable to read the Old Testament, even though much of it is fulfilled. in Christ and we don't obey those ceremonial laws any longer because Christ has fulfilled them, like I said, but they are profitable because the Holy Spirit teaches us and illuminates for us how they are fulfilled in Christ and how our Lord Jesus typifies them. And we derive great edification in seeing Christ in the Old Testament, not just in the law, but also in the prophets and the wisdom books and the historical books of the Old Testament. They are very, very edifying for us. But I would encourage you to spend more time in the New Testament. I like to read two-thirds of my time in the New Testament and one-third in the Old Testament. Not that there's anything wrong with the Old Testament. It is the Word of God. But there's an old saying is that, The word is contained in the Old Testament. It is concealed in the Old Testament, but revealed in the New Testament. And so I'd like to spend more of my time in the light instead of in that territory that is more obscure and ambiguous, okay? We still need the Holy Spirit to help us understand wherever we read in the Bible. Now, despite the priest's many failures, The writer isn't affirming that the Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood has ended. And to prove that the order of Melchizedek is superior to that of Aaron, he presents four arguments. And these four arguments are laid out in chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10. The argument of a superior order, a superior covenant, a superior sanctuary, and a superior sacrifice. Now, explaining the meaning of the Melchizedek Priesthood of Jesus is one of the goals of which the author of Hebrews has been aiming at ever since chapter two and verse 17, where he first uses the term high priest. He doesn't use the term Melchizedek until chapter five, and there's only five or six times throughout chapters five, six, and seven where the word Melchizedek is found or is used. There's only two times in the Old Testament where it is used. But in chapter two and verse 17, we read, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren, that he, Jesus, might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. So beginning in chapter two, verse 17, he introduces our Lord's role and function as a high priest. Now, whenever you read the Old Testament and the term or office of high priest comes up, God is preparing us. He is pointing us to learn all about this very critical position, this office of high priest. So in the Old Testament, we have the office of high priest explain for us what he does, once a year he goes into the Holy of Holies, and he does this, that, and the other thing, but that is just preparatory information, and progressively we receive more light and more truth on the role and function of the High Priest as we go along in the Bible, as we enter the New Testament, we read a lot about the High Priest concerning His role in the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ, challenging Christ with the other Pharisees and priests and so forth in the Gospels. We read a lot about the high priest, but still we have more information there about the high priest, but not the culmination of information about the high priest and his vital relationship to new covenant believers that we find here in the book of Hebrews. So if you want to learn the crux and the core and the meat of what our Lord's role is as defined in scripture, it's found in these four chapters, Hebrews 7 through 10. The mysterious Melchizedek, though, is mentioned in the Old Testament, like I said, twice, yet our author sees him prefiguring the most important ministry of Christ to his people today. It's maybe on the same level of other critical roles, but the only ongoing Among a few roles, the most preeminent ongoing role of our Lord Jesus for his people, for us, for you and me, is high priest. His role as the sacrifice took place once, but his role as high priest is ongoing. Even after you and I leave this world, he will forever be our high priest, amen? So it behooves us to learn as much as we can about the office of our Lord Jesus Christ as High Priest, because it's an ongoing role. And in that role, he serves us, he helps us, whether we are aware of it or not. Chapter 7 establishes Melchizedek's historic identity. Who is this guy that shows up out of nowhere? Well, we learn pretty much most of what we know about Melchizedek in chapter 7. And his superiority to the Levitical priesthood, the consequent need for a radical replacement of the law, and the remarkable advantages which the Melchizedek ministry affords for us as believers. These themes are rarely understood by the average church member. today, but this desperately is needed to be understood in the church or on the part of the individual Christian so that we can mature and persevere in the faith. There's a direct proportionate relationship between our growth and maturity in the faith with our understanding of the high priestly role of our Lord Jesus Christ and our benefiting from it by faith. Now, to demonstrate the superiority of the Melchizedek priesthood, an historical event from the Old Testament is pointed to. It's the situation that we read about the whole chapter in Genesis 14, where it involved Abraham and a king and priest named Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem. He was also a priest. That's important, very important. We'll get to that in the coming weeks. And we see in this historical account in Genesis 14, some enemies had attacked Abraham or Abraham's people, his family and servants. And Abraham had fought a battle to get them back and won the victory. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Melchizedek appears and refreshes Abraham, meets Abraham, gives him bread and wine, which is pointing to what? The Lord Jesus Christ. We just partook of the Lord's supper, the bread and the cup that points to Christ. So it's no accident that Melchizedek gave Abraham bread and wine to refresh him, which is pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ as our spiritual refreshment. Abraham gave Melchizedek 10% of all of his spoils. He didn't have to, but he did. Obviously, Abraham saw something superior in Melchizedek. But the full meaning of this event is explained here in Hebrews 7. That brings us to point number one. Melchizedek was both king and priest. Look at verse one of Hebrews 7. with that lengthy background. I felt it was important because of what we're getting into. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Now, in the Old Testament economy, the throne and the altar were separated. The throne where the king sat, the king and his role and office, And the altar, as represented by the priests and their office, were always kept separate. Trouble always occurred when a leader tried to combine both, tried to be both a king and a priest. Remember when Saul got into trouble by offering up sacrifices, and Samuel really got upset at him because of that? Anyone who attempted to serve in the priest's office were judged by God, who was not qualified to be a priest. I see the parallel today where I have to deal with so many young men and others who think they are called to the pastorate, but they're not. Overseas at pastor's conferences and in this country and more and more, and another role I have in helping with a Pastors, prayer breakfast, dealing with pastors all the time. I see some who clearly are not given the gift and the calling to be pastors. And when they try to be pastors, and they take upon themselves the authority, and they don't have the gifts and the wisdom and the understanding to be able to function in that role as a pastor, they end up getting into trouble and doing more harm than good in the church. causing many people to stumble. So let's be content with the calling God gives us, lest we get into a lot of trouble with God. But here is a man, Melchizedek, who had both offices. He was a king and a priest. Even Aaron never had that privilege. Neither Moses. Moses got upset because The people of Israel wanted an earthly king and they weren't happy with God as their king. Nevertheless, Aaron never had that privilege, neither did Moses, to be both a priest or a prophet. In the case of Moses, he was a prophet, not a priest, and a king. And it's important to note that Melchizedek was not a counterfeit priest. He was the priest of the Most High God, as we read in Genesis 14 and here in Hebrew 7. His ministry was legitimate. He was truly called of God. So Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. So is who else? Who else is a king and a priest in the New Testament? Jesus. We have no kings in the church in the New Testament except one, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, right? He is the king and the priest. Of course, Melchizedek is a huge type of Christ, and so he's the obvious, he obviously is a figure and a type of Christ. and one that can't be missed unless you're wearing blinders, spiritual blinders, when you read your Bible. So, Jesus is our King and our Priest and our Prophet. As we read in Hebrews 4 and verses 15 and 16, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We go to the throne of grace to find help from our high priest and our king. So he, that is Melchizedek, was both a king and a priest, and so is the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, his name is significant. Look at verse 2b, not verse 2a. I'm skipping past 2a to 2b. I hope you're following me and your Bibles. First being translated King of Righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning King of Peace. I wanna deal with this statement first because the natural flow and order, I feel, is better this way. Now, his name Melchizedek is important. You know, names and their meanings in the Bible are very often important. Not like today, where people just randomly choose names that they like the sound of it and so forth. We name our children today without much consideration for what their names even mean. People choose a name for a child and they haven't done the research as to what is the meaning of that name. But this was not the case in Bible days. Sometimes a great spiritual crisis or event was the occasion for changing a person's name. For example, God changed Jacob's name to Israel and God changed Simon's name to Cephas or Peter. The name Melchizedek means King of Righteousness in the Hebrew. King of Righteousness. That's what his name means. Very important. The word Salem, he was also King of Salem, it says. King of Salem. It's the Hebrew word shalom, which means peace. So that Melchizedek is King of Peace as well as King of Righteousness. And so it's very important and very significant that in his name, the meaning, the root meaning of it means righteousness and peace. And we find the epitome of righteousness and peace, Brother Carney, in who? Jesus! Thank you for helping me preach this sermon. It's not an accident that the high priest that Abraham met, the very meaning of his name is righteousness and peace. Because Jesus is the fulfillment. Now, let me hasten to add that Melchizedek is not Jesus Christ. There's a big debate among commentators and theologians. Some feel that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnate visitation or manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ? I don't think so, because I think the text is clear about that. Well, we'll get to that when we get to it, but I'm giving you some advance notice right now that Melchizedek was a human being. And he represents the Lord Jesus Christ in many, many ways, which we'll find out. But he was a human being. He comes out of nowhere. And God says, in a human sense, God made him King of Jerusalem, the physical city of Jerusalem. But also, his name means King of Peace. Now, there's a reason why righteousness and peace are the very root meaning of Melchizedek's name or by way of application, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the meaning of who Christ is in his work and in his nature. Jesus is our righteousness, is he not? As 1 Corinthians 1.30 talks about, he's our righteousness, redemption, glorification. Righteousness and peace are often combined in the Bible. I don't know if you ever noticed that. For example, in Isaiah 32, let's turn to these texts because we're talking about core doctrinal points here. Isaiah 32 and verse 17. I'll give you a few more scriptures and then we'll be done for today. We'll pick it up next week. Isaiah 32, 17, the work of righteousness will be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Did you ever notice the progression between righteousness and peace as we see here in Isaiah 32? God says the effect of righteousness, the result of righteousness brings forth quietness, assurance and peace. That points to the New Covenant doctrine or the Bible's doctrine of what? Redemption. When you experience the imputed righteousness of Christ being credited to your account, the result of it is the new birth bringing forth the peace of God. So the effect of righteousness being credited to our account, resulting in regeneration, brings forth peace and reconciliation between the person and God. So in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is bound up in the name of Melchizedek, we see he is our peace, Jesus, and he is also our righteousness. As Psalm 8510 says, Psalm 8510, turn there, keep turning. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have what? Kissed. Righteousness and peace always go together. If someone has experienced the righteousness of God, credited to their account, applied to their account, imputed to their account. It will always bring forth peace between them and God. Show me a person who has become justified or have received the imputed righteousness of Christ. I will show you a person who knows the Lord and will experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit in love, peace, and joy. So in Genesis 14, God is pointing through Melchizedek to the Lord Jesus Christ, our righteousness and our peace. James 3.18 says, you don't have to turn to this one, but turn to Hebrews 12.1 while I read James 3.18. I mean Hebrews 12, 11. Turn to Hebrews 12, 11. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What is the fruit of righteousness? Peace. And then in Hebrews 12, 11, you should be turning there. Most of you are there already, you're so quick in finding scripture. Hebrews 12.11, now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Righteousness, the result, the effect, the evidence of righteousness, or the fruit of righteousness is described as peace, peaceable fruit. fruit of peace. And so when you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the King of righteousness will give you his peace. There are many who have never had peace with God since day one, not even the smallest, slightest. Even a true believer has very, very small, maybe rare, almost never, but there will be some fruit there. And we don't gauge our salvation completely all the time by the amount of fruit we have, or we'll be full-time doubters and should be struggling always. So set that aside for now. But I want to encourage those of you who are seeking and searching for salvation, who have not yet made peace with God, who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ. If you receive the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith, by trusting him to save your soul from hell and from damnation. If you give him your life by faith, if you trust his promise to save you as he promised in scripture, for he said, whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, he will give you his peace. By first giving you his righteousness, when he imputes that righteousness to you, you won't feel anything. To be justified means that God will declare you righteous. It's nothing you subjectively experience. He just declares you righteous. And that declaration is based on God taking the righteousness of Christ and depositing it to your account. He credits your account. And when he does that, you are seen and viewed as perfectly righteous in his sight. You are declared not guilty of any sin, and you have had your record. been your record perfected when it comes to keeping the Ten Commandments. God takes the record of Christ and applies it to your account. So he sees you as fulfilling all the law. And so from that imputation of Christ's righteousness to your account, God sees you perfectly righteous. He then justifies you. He declares you righteous. And somewhere along the way after that, you will experience the presence of God in your life, changes to your lifestyle, and the fruit of the Spirit off and on to some lesser or greater degree will be yours. Some struggle with more doubts most of the time than others do. But every believer experiences who experiences regeneration, that is the new birth, by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, will eventually be given God's peace here and there. Jesus said in John 14, 27, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. So if you're a believer, You're seeking for more peace? Follow the guidelines given in the book of Hebrews. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, your High Priest, to pray for you, to strengthen you, to encourage you, to lift you up. Give him your troubles, your problems. We read in Hebrews 7-10, the inexhaustible, unfathomable, ineffable, glorious function and role and activities of our Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest. They are never-ending. They are bottomless and beyond description in their purity, in their fervency, as Christ represents us as our mediator and advocate before the Father. with pleadings, with intercessions, with discussions. If the scripture says that his thoughts towards us are without number, more than the hairs of our head, how about his intercessions and petitions and pleadings before the Father on our behalf? And we read in these four chapters of Hebrews such a broad and depth, descriptive, amazing account of our Lord's work as our High Priest. Merciful, faithful, always living, always alive, always there, always sensitive, always empathetic, always sympathetic, every single time we need Him. There's no excuse on our part then to trust Him for whatever we need as Christians. If I have, I couldn't hire an attorney. I couldn't hire the smartest, most clever, gifted, persuasive attorney before a judge or a jury to serve on my behalf 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My bill would be $100,000 a week if they charge $500 an hour. If you multiply that by 168 hours a week, I couldn't pay that, let alone, paying for such an attorney to be always on his best game emotionally and with care and compassion, representing my case before God. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, in each and every one of the components of his role as high priest, he is always at his top game, if I can use that phrase. He's always at 100%. This encourages the believer who is filled with doubts and discouragement. We get depressed, we languish with guilt feelings, and we get discouraged. But when you look to Hebrews 7 through 10, There is, God takes away one excuse after another excuse after another reason to be discouraged because in Christ we have the epitome of the highest and best gift God could give us as one who would represent our cause when we are at our worst, when we are at our weakest, when we are at our most forgetful and most indifferent state towards the greatest gifts of God, he still is at the top of his game. in representing my needs and my cause with care, with zeal. He's zealous over my soul. He died for me. He's not gonna give me up. He's not gonna give up on me. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you're a Christian, you're justified already. You're an elect soul that God has saved. That is an irreversible act. Salvation is already yours. Jesus said it is finished. It is accomplished. He saw Satan fall as lightning. Satan is destroyed. He is defeated. Our salvation is laid up with Christ. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. And all of these doctrines I just laid down in your hearing are not based on how you feel right now or yesterday or tomorrow. They are irrevocable truths and it's a reality established in heaven. Therefore, we cannot go backwards. We cannot be doubters. We must believe what God has told us. And whenever we are in need, or even when we're not in need, we are to take those truths to him and present him that bill, so to speak, for fresh grace, fresh grace to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. True peace, if you're not saved, though, speaking to those of you who are seeking salvation, I beg you, in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. We have in Christ everything you need to be saved. Where you cannot save yourself in anything that you do or try, no works, no efforts of your own are accepted. You have no merit that God would embrace as payment for your sin. all of your needs in terms of the forgiveness of sins, in terms of the guilt, and all of that which you have done in breaking the commandments, And all of that moved out of the way, the handwriting of ordinances that is against you in the law, condemning you. All of that is moved out of the way. It is cast behind God's back when you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is good news, my friend, that in 2019, Jesus is still on his high priestly throne, praying for believers, helping them, upholding them, sustaining them through every single trial and challenge to their faith. And then on the other hand, those who are not yet saved. Maybe you are in the church. Maybe you are lost in the church. Maybe you need a missionary to go to the church to share the gospel with you. Hopefully your pastor is your missionary. Or you're lost out there in the world, tossed to and fro, living for sin and for self and for the flesh. And you need a savior to pluck you as a brand from the burning. You need someone that you can trust that will care for you and not look to get something from you, but to care for you because of who you are as a needy lost sinner on your way to a unthinkable place of punishment. We have such a person only. in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, today he is still there on his throne. No one is able, no one is able to wrench him off his throne of mercy and of grace. And so true peace can be experienced by you. on the basis of righteousness. If you will go to your heavenly Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness, the King of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, if you want to enjoy peace with God, you must be justified, you must be declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. You must trust in Him who you will not see with your eyes, whom you will never hear a word audibly. You will see no signs, no wonders, no miracles, but you must go to Him by faith, trusting that His word is true, that His gospel of salvation, of deliverance from sin and hell by faith in Jesus Christ is true. And that Jesus is on his throne according to the message of the gospel. Listening to sinners as they cry, God be merciful to me a sinner. You must believe that in your heart without having any physical evidence. Believe it because God said it and God cannot lie. It is true. And believing that, go to God in prayer. Talk to Him. We call that prayer. And ask Him, believing He is there, believing He is listening to you, believing that His promises are yay and amen, that they are real and He cannot lie. And trust that He has saved you and will save you because He promised. And keep on trusting Him until He pours out righteousness upon you. And following that righteousness, He will pour out His peace upon you, to some degree or another. Works cannot produce righteousness by keeping the Old Testament law. It's only through faith in the work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross. He is the sacrifice, the only sacrifice that God will accept. This is the good news of the gospel. This is the secret of eternal life. This is the only message you will ever hear that could someday save you from sin and from hell. If you don't believe this message, if you don't believe this good news in Jesus Christ as our salvation, there will be no other message given among men whereby you must be saved. It is only through Jesus Christ and trusting in Him to save you from sin and from hell. It's only through faith and the work of Jesus Christ, faith and the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, that righteousness will be credited to your account and you must have a perfect righteousness to enter heaven. Even the slightest blemish to that righteousness is rejected. And there's only one place we can get perfect righteousness. It's found in the Lord Jesus Christ, my friend. It is found in Him alone. Go to Him, I plead with you now. Now, don't wait. For now is the day of salvation. Now is the acceptable time. Call upon Him. Seek the Lord while He is near. Call upon Him while He may be found. Let the unrighteous forsake His way, and the sinful man his thoughts. And let him return to the Lord, for He will abundantly pardon. He will forgive you of your sin. Trust in His Son, Jesus. He's alive! He is risen! He is there! The testimony of countless millions living today and countless billions over the last 6,000 years have one thing in common. That Jesus changed them from the inside out. He gave them a new spirit. He took away the heart of stone and gave them a heart of flesh. Trust in Him. Flee to Him while you have time. The suicide rate is higher than it's ever been. I read a statistic recently. Why? Because people are languishing without hope and without God in the world. They look to people and people let them down. They look to organized religion and that lets them down. But they never look up to Jesus Christ by faith, trusting in Him. Don't be another statistic. Go to the Lord Jesus Christ. As the King of righteousness and King of peace, Jesus is the sovereign possessor of both righteousness and peace, and can dispense them to sinners and saints alike as gifts which they may continually have and refilled, but can never earn. Go to Him. Trust. Believe. You have salvation before you even have it. And don't let Christ go. Don't let Him go. Be like that blind man on the road where Jesus and His company were passing by. That blind man would not stop crying out, Jesus have mercy upon me. Jesus, he had mercy upon me. He could not see Jesus. But in desperation, he clung to the hope that there was a real historical person named Jesus. He had heard about Jesus, but never saw him. And by faith, he not only believed that Jesus was a real person, but he also believed that Jesus could heal him. Could heal him. And the same thing is true about your salvation. You not only must believe that Jesus exists, but that he is a rewarder of you if you diligently seek him, if you trust him, that he's there and that he has the power and the grace to forgive you of all of your sins. Will you do that, my friend? Maybe you're not a Christian today. One or two of you maybe are not Christians here today. I don't know. We have a couple of children here. Call upon the Lord. He says, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live. Life, life, resurrection from the dead, from the inside out, life. He raises us from the dead and continually renews life in our hearts when we grow weak. Will you put your trust in Him today? Will you go to Him? Will you talk to Him, pray to Him, trust in Him for the grace you need? Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for being King of righteousness and King of peace. Oh, may you be King of righteousness to those who need your righteousness and salvation. And may you give your peace to those who are doubters, to those who are struggling. Lord, see our doubts. We all doubt. We all question, we all get weak, but we as your people pray that you would renew our strength, that we may mount up with wings like eagles, that we may run and not be weary, that we may walk and not faint. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.