HEBREWS 7:1-102008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 7:1-10

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2008. In Hebrews chapter 7, now we're beginning to study this man named Melchizedek. Now, we've made reference to him in chapter 5 of Hebrews.

as well as chapter 6 of Hebrews, he was mentioned. And it's a very interesting subject, this man Melchizedek. And there's great discussion over really who this man was. And one of the questions, one of the bigger questions that is often asked is, is Melchizedek simply a picture of Jesus? We know that he is for sure, and that's definitely established here in the text. But

But also there's a great discussion over, is this not just a picture of Jesus, but is this an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament? Now, we're not unfamiliar with that concept.

Jesus did appear in the Old Testament in several different ways in various times and to various different people. You might remember and you might be familiar with the phrase, the angel of the Lord that appears throughout the Old Testament. One of the most memorable is in Exodus chapter 3.

When Moses encountered the burning bush and it was the angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and spoke to Moses through the burning bush.

And this angel of the Lord, that specific phrase is used over and over again as a reference to a deity, a personification of God, which of course we would know to be Jesus Christ, appearing there to Moses in the burning bush and to various other people throughout the Old Testament. You might also remember the story in Daniel chapter 3.

where there Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had built of himself. And so he throws them into the furnace, and then Nebuchadnezzar is astounded, and he says, "'Hey, didn't we throw three guys in there? And how come now I see four, and one of them looks like a son of the gods, or the son of God?'

And so we're familiar with those types of things, that Jesus appeared in various ways to various people throughout the Old Testament. We know even that Jesus appeared to Abraham, because in John chapter 8, Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders, and he says in verse 56, "...your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad."

And they knew what he was talking about because then they respond, hey, you're not even 50 years old and how have you seen Abraham? And of course, that's when Jesus said, most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am, referring himself to be God, the I am of the Old Testament.

So Jesus, not just coming on the scene in the New Testament, although that's predominantly what we see and we have been studying that together, but also he has appeared throughout time in the Old Testament as well. So there's a great discussion about this Melchizedek. Is this another appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament? No.

Or is he just a man who is a picture of or foreshadows the person of Jesus Christ that is to come? And if you feel very strongly about that, you can share those views with Larry after the service. But I personally, I go back and forth as I study this passage. Every time I study it, every time I go through it, I go back and forth.

about which it is, but it's okay. We don't have to know for sure which one it is. Is he just a picture or is he Jesus himself? Because the point of this passage, and this is what we must not lose, the point is that Jesus is our king and priest.

And so since he is, since Melchizedek foreshadows Jesus Christ, since Jesus has this role, then we need to, we ought to respond appropriately and come to God through him. Since he is our high priest, since he is the mediator between God and man,

The point is we're to walk in relationship with God. In fact, that's the point of the whole book of Hebrews. The author is constantly and continually calling us into the presence of God.

we looked back in chapter 3, he was going over and over again, encouraging us to hear his voice and not to harden our hearts. In chapter 4, he encouraged us to enter into his rest. And the end of chapter 4, verse 16, he tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace. And we'll see much more of that as we continue on in our study through the book of Hebrews. It's all about

God wants a relationship with you. He provided it through this superior covenant, excuse me, the new covenant that was made in the blood of Jesus Christ. And so we have a new covenant. We have a superior savior, a superior priesthood, a far superior king. And that's not just to have some intellectual knowledge, but it's to walk in and enjoy relationship with God.

And so that's the point this morning as we look at these things. I want to encourage you, spend time in the presence of God. Have you been hearing the voice of God? Has he been speaking to you? Because he desires to. He desires for us to walk with him. And that is why he sent his son to be our high priest. Well, here as we're looking at Melchizedek, we see in the first few verses that the author is explaining how Melchizedek was like Jesus.

In verse 1, we see that Melchizedek, like Jesus, was a king as well as a priest. Verse 1 again says, 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.

So here Melchizedek comes on the scene. He's now speaking about and is going to explain about this person Melchizedek. If you remember back in chapter 5, he was talking about Jesus as a high priest, talking about Jesus, a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And then he said, we have much to tell you about this, but it's hard because you've become dull of hearing.

And he went into kind of a parenthetical thought and he dealt with the need to progress, the need to go forward in the Christian faith and grow in your walk with God. And now he's coming back to finish on or to continue on this train of thought on Melchizedek being the foreshadowing of or the order in which Jesus Christ is a priest. So who is this Melchizedek? Well, we've only seen him

Well, only a few times in the scriptures. He's found in Genesis chapter 14. In fact, you can go ahead and turn there. I want to just make sure that you're familiar with that portion. Genesis chapter 14. We also see him later. You don't have to turn there, but in Psalm chapter 110.

Verse 4, David the psalmist makes a reference to him. And then we see him in the book of Hebrews. In chapter 5, he's mentioned once or twice. In chapter 6, he's mentioned once. And then in chapter 7, is really all dealing with this person of Melchizedek. So he's not a predominant person in Scripture, not like David or Abraham or many of those guys. He's very seldom mentioned.

And when he is mentioned, it's very short. If you're there in Genesis chapter 14, the background is the beginning part of chapter 14. Lod, Abraham's nephew, had been living over near Sodom and Gomorrah.

And there was armies that came and there was a battle that took place and all of Lot's neighbors and Lot himself were taken captive by a king that came against them. And Abraham...

gets his 300 servants, chases after this king, conquers the king, frees all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, all those who had been captured, including his nephew Lot, and is now coming back from that victory. And in verse 18 of Genesis chapter 14, it says, 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 Abraham 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. These three verses really are the most of what is said of and what we know of this person, Melchizedek. Abraham was coming back from victory. He was coming back after this battle. This man, Melchizedek,

brings out bread and wine and blesses Abraham. And Abraham gives him a tithe or a tenth of all the spoils, of all that he had gained there in that victory against the king that had conquered Sodom and Gomorrah. He is mentioned as a priest of the Most High God. So we know that he was a priest. But he is also a king. He was the king of Salem.

Salem is possibly Jerusalem, being obviously the last part of Jerusalem, Salem is identical. Psalm 76 verse 2 mentions this and references Salem as Jerusalem. It's possible, but it is disputed as well, so it's not a big thing to get hung up on. The point here, though, is that he is a king and a priest, just like Jesus Christ. Now,

Being a king and a priest at the same time is not something that would happen among the Jewish people under the law because they came from two different tribes. The kings were from the tribe of Judah and

And so they had the family of Judah and all of Judah's descendants. And there was a specific family there, the line of David and his eldest son and that eldest son and that eldest son and would continue down the line. That was the line of the kings there in the family of Judah. The priests, on the other hand, were from the tribe of Levi, whole separate family within the nation of Israel.

And so it would not be possible under the old covenant, under the law, for the priest to also be the king. But here in this person, Melchizedek, before the law is given, before Levi is born, before Judah is born, before all of these things take place, we have this person, Melchizedek, who is at the same time both a king and a priest. Let's go back to Hebrews chapter 7.

In verse 2, it goes on to say, 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. So he's a king and a priest, but he's also at the same time the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace. And the way this works is, his name is Melchizedek, and Melchizedek translated means...

King of Righteousness. The King of Righteousness, or Melchizedek, is also the King of Salem. Now, King of Salem means, literally translated, King of Peace, because the word Salem means peace. So the King of Righteousness, Melchizedek, that's his name, that's what his name means, is the King of Salem, which means King of Peace. So we have this King of Righteousness and King of Peace. And

Now, again, we're starting to see the likeness of Melchizedek to Jesus Christ, because Jesus is a king and a priest. And we can see that clearly through the scriptures. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and he will sit on the throne of Judah. And he will establish his kingdom. He will sit and rule as king of kings and lord of lords.

But he also is a priest. He is our high priest. And that's what the author of Hebrews is establishing here in the book of Hebrews. Two of the characteristics of Jesus Christ are righteousness and peace. Righteousness, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might have the righteousness of God. We, by faith in Jesus Christ, receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Righteousness is a predominant characteristic of Jesus Christ.

And so we see the likeness here. Melchizedek, his name means king of righteousness, and he is the king of peace. And I think it is important and significant that it's in that order. The person, the king of righteousness, is the king of peace. And you can only have peace, you can only really experience peace, when you're part of, when you have relationship with the king of righteousness. When

when you have relationship with God through Jesus Christ, it's then that you experience the peace of God. It's then that you fall under the authority of the King of Peace. And under His dominion, you have peace that passes all understanding. It's much like, as we read through the epistles,

How the Apostle Paul always says, grace and peace. And it's often mentioned, you cannot have peace until you first know grace. And what is grace all about? Well, grace is about receiving the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ, not of works, lest anyone should boast. It's about us receiving His righteousness so that we can have peace with God.

And so Melchizedek here becomes this great picture of Jesus Christ with great detail and wonderful things. Even I didn't mention it when we were there, but in Genesis chapter 14,

What does he bring out to Abraham? He brings out bread and wine, the elements that we remember continually as we participate in communion, the bread and the cup that Jesus offered and said, this is the symbol of the new covenant, my body that was broken for you and my blood that was shed. And so Melchizedek here becomes this incredible picture for us, foreshadowing for us of Jesus Christ.

Number one, in that he's a king and priest. Number two, in that he is the king of righteousness and the king of peace. But also number three, in verse three, he has no beginning or end. In verse three, it says, 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. So verse three now, it gets really interesting because now we're still talking about Melchizedek.

And it says that he's without father, without mother, without genealogy. He has neither beginning of days nor end of life. He's made like the Son of God and he remains a priest continually. And so here's where you can see that this very well could be Jesus Christ himself and not someone else that just represents or foreshadows him.

Now there's two views, like I said, okay, if you take the first view that Melchizedek is a real person, not Jesus, but just a picture of Jesus, then the way that you interpret this verse, the way that you understand this verse, is that there's no record of his father or mother in the Bible.

See, the Levitical priesthood was based upon records. It was based upon you had to be able to prove that you were of the right lineage to be able to serve as a priest.

You might remember when the people of Israel returned back to Jerusalem after being in Babylon for some time. And there was some people there who said, hey, we're part of the Levites and we need to serve. But they couldn't prove that they were of the right lineage. And so they said, well, we have to wait until the priesthood is established so we can have communication with God again so that we can ask the Lord what to do with you guys because we don't really know and you can't prove that you're of that line.

And so the Levitical priesthood was based upon proving that you were of the right lineage, that you had the right parents and the right genealogy to show that you could serve as a priest.

However, this man Melchizedek, coming way before that, there's no record of his father, there's no record of a mother, there's no genealogy giving him credentials to be able to serve as a priest. It doesn't record for us the beginning of his days or the end of his life.

And so, as far as the biblical account is concerned, he remains a priest continually because there's no record of his death or anything like that. And it says there he's made like the Son of God. So here's the point. Melchizedek is placed into history by God.

as a picture of Jesus Christ. He's made like the Son of God. God purposely fashioned him and placed him into history and recorded him in Scripture so that he would be a picture and really giving precedence for the person of Jesus Christ to come, to be a king and priest, and to have a priesthood that's separate from the Levitical understanding of what a priest was to be.

So if you understand this to Melchizedek to not be Jesus himself, but to be someone else and just represents Jesus, then that's how you would look at verse 3.

But if you understand Melchizedek to be Jesus, well, then it's very easy as well, because without father, without mother, without genealogy, we know Jesus is not a created being. He doesn't have beginning of days or end of life, and he remains a priest continually. And so it fits very well there if you understand that Jesus is the person of Melchizedek.

Again, regardless of which view you take, we see here this wonderful picture, Melchizedek there in the Old Testament, a king and a priest, just like Jesus, a king of righteousness and the king of peace, just like Jesus, with no beginning or end, just like Jesus. Now, I would ask you to consider, there's a saying you might be familiar with, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck,

then it's a duck. And if it looks like Jesus and he has the characteristics of Jesus and he has the nature of Jesus, then, well, very well, you might consider that perhaps it is Jesus that is being referred to in this person of Melchizedek there in the Old Testament. Verse 4. Verse 4.

He says, now consider how great this man was. And so that's what we want to do. We want to take some time to consider how great Melchizedek was. He says, consider how great this man was to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. Now as he's asking us to consider how great this man was, again I would ask you to remember the context in which this is taking place. Here the author is writing to Jewish believers.

Jewish believers who were wavering in their faith and wanting to go back, and they were tempted to go back to the old covenant to relate to God based on the old system, based on the sacrifices and the things that they would participate in at the temple and so on and so forth. So they're wavering in their faith. And so he's asking them, hey, consider this person Melchizedek. He's using Melchizedek to show them that God's intention is

was always to make a new covenant. Excuse me. I don't know if covering my mouth helps the microphone at all, but he's showing here that God's intention was always to make a new covenant.

That it was always that there was going to be this pattern that Melchizedek is here a picture and that the people would understand that the Levitical system that came later was never the final product, but it was an inferior product that

until the fulfillment could come of all of those things, which was Jesus Christ. He's showing that God built into the Old Testament proof that there is a superior way of relationship with God. And so to make this point, he goes back to Abraham. Now for the Jewish person, there was no greater person than Abraham, because Abraham was the father of the nation.

He was the friend of God. He was the one who received all the promises of God about the descendants that he would have, the land that would be given to his descendants there, the promised land. The Messiah would come from his line. He was the man who received all the promises of God. And so for the Jewish person, Abraham was the greatest. My throat's hurting. And so he goes back to Abraham to prove that

that even Abraham recognized something superior than what would be established under the old covenant. And so he says, Consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. How great was this man? Excuse me. First of all, even Abraham gave a tenth. Notice the word even. Even Abraham. As great as Abraham was.

Even Abraham gave a tenth. Oh my goodness. Please forgive me. Abraham gave a tenth, which testifies of the greatness of Melchizedek. Because Abraham, in giving a tenth, is recognizing that Melchizedek is greater than him. The patriarch Abraham. The Jewish people, their understanding was all based upon the patriarch understanding or the patriarch system. Where Abraham,

The eldest is the greatest. The eldest has the most authority and is far superior. I might have to resort to whispering. And the eldest, being Abraham, even him, he gave a tenth of the spoils. So Abraham recognized that Melchizedek was a spiritual authority in giving a tenth of the spoils. He gave a tenth of all that was accomplished or all that was accomplished.

given to him by God in that victory as a sign of spiritual authority. This wasn't just a gift. It wasn't just he met this man and he said, hey, I want to just give you some prizes. Oh my goodness. Give it a second. Okay. This was like paying tribute spiritually. This was recognizing the spiritual authority of Melchizedek over Abraham.

Now understand for the Jewish person, this would be huge. Because again, Abraham was the father of the nation, the friend of God, the example of faith. And so we have Abraham. Mario, can you grab me those tissues, please? Thank you. So with Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek, we find that Abraham is recognizing the spiritual authority and superiority of Melchizedek. Excuse me.

Man, I've never had such issues while teaching before. So, I hope you don't miss the point though. Number one, Abraham gave a tenth. And so Abraham himself testifies of the greatness of Melchizedek by paying tribute spiritually to Melchizedek. Number two, considering how great Melchizedek was,

Melchizedek received the tithes. That's one thing to give the tithes, but Melchizedek received the tithes. Look at verse 5 and 6.

He says,

And why did they receive the tithes? Well, because they had a command to receive tithes. God had specified it in the law. He'd specified it in his word, in the instructions given to Moses, that the tribe of Levi was to receive the tithes that the people were bringing to God and that those things were to be used regularly.

for the service of the temple and for those who were part of the priesthood and those who were part of the Levites who served there at the temple. And so they had a command to receive tithes. They didn't just take it upon themselves. They didn't just decide, I think I want to receive the tithes for the people and whatever people want to give to God, they can just give it to me.

That would be, of course, very presumptuous to do that. But they had a command to receive tithes. And so it was given to them. It was an act of obedience. So the point here, in other words, the Levites were not any greater than the rest of the Jewish people. They come from the loins of Abraham. They're all descendants from Abraham. They were brothers with the rest of the nation of Israel.

The reason they received the tithes was not because they were greater, but because God told them to. It wasn't because they were worthy of it, it's just because God instructed them to. But here in this case, we have a different scenario. Melchizedek is not from the tribe of Levi. He didn't have a command to receive tithes. We don't have anything like that recorded in the scripture. But Melchizedek did receive tithes from Abraham.

Which means that Melchizedek agreed that he was worthy of receiving that spiritual tribute that was being paid. He was worthy of receiving those tithes. Now, you can understand if Michael Ochoa stood up and said, Hey, I've decided that I'm going to receive the tithes from God. And so whenever you want to give to God, you can just give it to me. Make it payable to Michael Ochoa. And I'll make sure that I use it appropriately.

we would stop and question. We'd say, hey, wait a second. What gives you this right? What gives you this authority? And we'd have to be crazy, but if we gave him those tithes, it would be us acknowledging and saying that I agree. He is there in that place. He has been instructed by God or put there by God. He has spiritual authority, and so he is to receive my offerings to God.

If we give to him, that's what we are agreeing. If he receives them, he is saying the same thing. He's saying, I agree, they're giving to me, that I am a spiritual authority, and God wants me to receive their tribute that they're giving to him, their tithe that they're giving to him. Now, of course, Michael wouldn't do that, but this is the place that Melchizedek is in. He doesn't have a command of God, because he is...

He is worthy of receiving this tithe, this tenth that is given to him. And he states that and he makes that clear by receiving this tithe from Abraham without a command. So Abraham gave a tenth and he testifies with that tenth of the greatness of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek agrees with that by receiving that tenth. He receives that tithe even though he was not of the line or the tribe of Levi. We can also consider the greatness of Melchizedek in that Melchizedek blessed Abraham. And we see that in the last part of 6 and also verse 7. Verse 6 says at the end, "...and blessed him who had the promises." So he received the tithes

But he also blessed Abraham who had the promises. Verse 7. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Oh, I've got something. The lesser is blessed by the better. So the points here, number one, Abraham gave him a tenth. Number two, he received the tenth. Number three, he blessed Abraham. So showing that Melchizedek is indeed better than or greater than Abraham.

We can see in the fact that he blessed Abraham. He blessed Abraham. Now, notice in verse 6, he blessed him who had the promises. So consider this person Abraham. Abraham is a man who has been given great promises of God. Promises of descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the sea.

promises of inheritance, that his people is going to receive the land of Canaan, the land that God had shown him, promised that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come through his line. Great promises. Abraham was indeed a man of great significance.

And yet Melchizedek blessed this one who had these promises. And so he's showing, the author of Hebrews is showing here how Melchizedek has greater authority and was a superior to Abraham. Because he goes on to explain that in verse 7. Without contradiction, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Melchizedek blesses Abraham, therefore Melchizedek blesses

Now when we talk about blessings here, we're not talking about wishing good towards someone else, but it's the act of a person who is authorized to declare God's intention to bestow good things on another. Again, this is an act of a spiritual authority upon someone else.

And so we're recognizing here that in considering the greatness of Melchizedek, that he is indeed a spiritual authority. He is a higher spiritual authority than Abraham himself because Abraham gave him the tithe, the tenth. Melchizedek received the tenth. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. And finally, number four, even Levi paid tithes through Abraham. Look at verse eight.

He says, Verse 8, again, is an interesting verse. And it's one of those verses where we could see if...

Melchizedek is indeed Jesus Christ, it would make much sense, according to verse 8, because it says, here mortal men receive tithes. So when we're talking about the Levitical priesthood, we're talking about them receiving tithes, we're talking about mortal men, they're just common people, there's nothing different about them, except for they have the command to receive the tithes. So here mortal men receive tithes. But there, in that case, in the case of Abraham and Melchizedek,

He receives them. That is, Melchizedek receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. And so there's an evidence there that it's testified that Melchizedek lives. Now, who else is it testified that he lives? Who else is it witnessed that he lives? Well, of course, it's Jesus Christ. Even later on in the chapter, it says that he ever lives to make intercession for those who believe in him.

And so he lives. And we see here again the picture of Jesus in Melchizedek and the possibility that Melchizedek is indeed Jesus Christ appearing in the Old Testament. But the point here is in verse 9 and 10 that even Levi, now he said even Abraham earlier. Again, Abraham was an important figure. He was a great authority figure.

Well, when it came to the things of the priesthood and the things of relationship with God through these priests that God had ordained, well, Levi becomes a great authority because it was through his line that God raised up and God called for the priests and the Levites to serve.

And so even Levi, even the father of the Levites, even the patriarch, the great authority of all of the priesthood that was to follow, paid tithes through Abraham. Just as Abraham was the father of the nation, Levi was the father of the priests and the servants of the temple. And even Levi, who receives tithes, he has a command to receive tithes. And so there's some spiritual authority there. But even he...

paid tithes through Abraham. Now he says, so to speak. So he's recognizing this is not something, you know, super literal that he's arguing. Levi was not Abraham's son, but Abraham's son's son's son. Great, great grandson, if I have my genealogy correct, and Holly will probably correct me later. But Levi,

Abraham has Isaac. Isaac has Jacob. Jacob has the 12 sons, one of them being Levi. So Levi is a descendant of Abraham. And so when he says here he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him, he's talking about this line that's coming forth from Abraham.

of which Levi will be a part. And so, in a sense, so to speak, he says, Levi even paid tithes because of the patriarch system, because of the patriarch understanding where Abraham is the authority, even Levi paid tithes through Abraham. So, the point being, the Levitical system is inferior to the system of priesthood that Melchizedek was a part of.

So he says, consider there in verse 4. Now it's interesting because he's told us several times to consider Jesus Christ. And now he tells us here in verse 4, consider how great this man was. Consider how great Melchizedek was. Melchizedek was like Jesus in that he was a king and a priest. He was like Jesus in that he is the king of righteousness and he's also the king of peace. He's like Jesus in that he has no beginning or end.

And his greatness is testified by Abraham giving him the tenth or the tithe, by him receiving that tithe. His greatness is testified of by him blessing Abraham and also by Levi paying tithes through Abraham to Melchizedek. And so the point is, and he's going to go on to deal with this later on in the chapter. We won't get into it today. There's not time. But the point is that Melchizedek

as part of a superior priesthood to the old system. Now remember, these were Jewish believers who were wanting to go back. They were wanting to return. They were wanting to go to the old ways, the old system. And the author of Hebrews very clearly is showing and demonstrating there's a better way. There's a better order to have relationship with God, to walk with God, than through the law.

Then through your works and through coming to God on the basis of how good you do and how well you are and how good you perform, that's not a good basis for coming to God. Although that was the basis of the old covenant and it was a good temporary fulfillment, it was really the shadow of the things which were to come. And that's what the author of Hebrews is proving all throughout this book.

And so the point here, as we look at the greatness of this man Melchizedek, is not for us to go, well, great, I have wonderful information now. I have good trivia questions and answers, you know, and I have things that I can impress people with. You know, there's great depth here and good discussion we can talk about. Was Melchizedek Jesus or just a picture of Jesus? And we can discuss those things. Wonderful. Wonderful.

The point is not just for us to have those intellectual type of discussions and things, but the point is to recognize. Remember where all this started. Turn back with me to Hebrews chapter 5. And I want to work backwards a little bit, so try to follow along. Verse 10, talking about Jesus, he says, He's called by God as high priest, according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say and hard to explain since you've become dull of hearing.

So he's talking about Jesus being a high priest or being a priest in the order of Melchizedek. But then he says, we have a lot more to say, but it's hard to say it because you've become dull of hearing. And again, that's where he goes into the need for us to grow in maturity as Christians. But it starts with him talking about and referring to Jesus as high priest in the order of, in the manner of Melchizedek.

Now back up a little bit in verse 6. As he says in another place, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. These quotations, this according to the order of Melchizedek is from Psalm 110 where David prophesies that the Messiah will be a high priest forever according to the line or the order of Melchizedek in the same way that Melchizedek was a priest forever.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Verse 5 says,

So also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but it was said to him, you are my son, and today I have begotten you. And so God called Jesus to be a high priest. Chapter 5, verse 1. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. And so the role of high priest is to serve as mediator between man and God.

Tracking with me so far? Okay, let's go back to chapter 4, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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. There,

In chapter 4 verses 14 through 16 is the main point of all the things that follow. Chapter 5, skipping chapter 6 and now into chapter 7. He's proving, he's showing that we have a great high priest who's passed through the heavens. And he's a high priest not based on the Levitical order. We'll deal with that more specifically next week.

but based upon the order of this man, Melchizedek. And because Melchizedek exists in the Old Testament, we understand God is showing us, He's proving, He's showing, look, I've always intended this. This has been my plan from the beginning. There's a better way to have relationship with me than by works, than by the old system, the old covenant.

For them, it was more specifically with the sacrifices because they wanted to go back to the temple and participate in the sacrifices. And yet for us, we struggle with the same concept, although not literally sacrificing, but we struggle and we go back to legalistic thinking and we go back to relating to God. God's going to bless me because I read today. He's going to...

be a part of my life because I've been so good and I've been faithful in church or I've been doing this and I've been doing that and we come to God or don't come to God on the basis of how we do and how we perform and how well we've been keeping the things that we think are so important.

But here's the point. The point the author of Hebrews is making is, look, we have a great high priest, and the high priest is appointed on our behalf to go before God and offer to God the sacrifices for sins, the things that are necessary. He takes care of that. He has accomplished that. He has taken care of everything that was necessary for us.

for God to be appeased, for God to be pleased with you, Jesus Christ was appointed to stand in that position, to stand in that gap and fulfill that role.

And so the greatness of this man Melchizedek is a testimony to us of the greatness of our high priest so that we don't return to the old covenant, that we don't return to the way of relating to God on the basis of works, but that instead, seeing then that we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.

But he was tempted in all points as we are. So although the greatness of Melchizedek, we get an understanding of the greatness of Jesus Christ, on the other side of the coin is we have a high priest who is foretold of by God, who is promised by God and foreshadowed by God in the Old Testament there, who can understand us, who can sympathize with us. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This is the point.

Jesus is our king and priest. He's a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He's our high priest. He's appointed by God to offer to God the sacrifices necessary for sin. And he did it. He offered himself. And since that is the case, since this man Melchizedek is such a great man, since he foreshadows Jesus Christ so well, since he gives us good understanding into who Jesus is,

We ought to. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Here's the point. Walk in relationship with God. God sent His Son to die on the cross, to take our place, to offer the necessary sacrifices, that there would be nothing left. There's nothing left for us to offer. There's no more sacrifices for us to offer in regards to sin. It's taken care of.

So we can come boldly to His presence on the basis of Jesus Christ, by faith in what He has done for us. We can come boldly to the presence of God. And this is where I ask, this is where I challenge myself as well. Are you walking in relationship with God? Is He speaking to you? Are you speaking to Him? Do you have that relationship, that intimacy, that closeness, where you know Him, you know Him well, and He knows you? He invites us. The whole point of the priesthood is

so that we can come to God. Just as there was a high priest in Israel, we have a high priest. Now, the interesting thing was, if you wanted to worship God under the old covenant, you'd pack up your gear and pack up your family, say, come on guys, we're going to Jerusalem from wherever you were. And you'd go to Jerusalem and then you'd go to the temple and you'd go to the priest and you would give him what it was that you were offering to God.

So that you could worship God, so that you could fellowship with God. The one location is no longer necessary. But you still need to go to the high priest. It's Jesus Christ. Sorry. Not on the basis of location, but on the basis of relationship with Him. And so rather than me torture you with my coughing through the end of this, I'm going to invite the worship team up. And I just want to encourage you. During this last song,

Come boldly to the throne of God, to the presence of God. Don't just leave it for here, for this morning, you know, for the presence of God, but walk with God on a daily basis. God desires to reveal Himself to you, to speak to you. Therefore, let us come boldly. We have this great high priest. He gave us

this proof there in the Old Testament in this person Melchizedek this proof that He loves us that He wants relationship with us and He doesn't want it based upon our works or our performance but upon His finished and completed work the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and so come before God and you don't have to come with your great offerings but you come with His great offering you don't have to come and make all these incredible promises and now God's going to bless you because you made these great promises

No, you come because He's made promises. See, it's on the basis of what He's done. And He set up Melchizedek. He set up the whole thing here in Scripture so that we would know this was His intent the whole way, the whole time. He's wanted a relationship with you on the basis of what He would do for you, not on what you would do for Him. So let's take this time just to seek the Lord and spend time in His presence. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.