FBCWest 470 | Melchizedek – A Shadow of Christ
Recorded On: 09/26/2021
Bulletin
FBCWest
September 26, 2021
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 8
“God So Loved”
“Way Maker”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Melchizedek – A Shadow of Christ”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“The Way”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“Heart of Worship”
By Lindsay and the Boys
Continued Praise and Worship
“Look to the Son”
“Your Promises”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
Hebrews 7:1
Melchizedek a priest and a king
Hebrews 7:2
Abraham gave him a tithe who was the king of righteousness and of peace
Hebrews 7:3
Melchizedek a perpetual priest
Hebrews 7:4 – 10
Melchizedek is greater than Abraham and his descendants
Melchizedek priesthood superior
Universal not national
Royal
Righteous and peaceful
Personal not hereditary
Eternal not temporary
Better than Levitical priesthood
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
If you have your Bibles, please turn to Hebrews Chapter 7, and while you're doing that, when we first started our study and Hebrews, I told you I didn't know who wrote it. There's lots of different opinions as to who wrote the the letter to the Hebrews. I still don't know who wrote it, but this I do believe about the writer of the Hebrews is that he wanted to transmit information, transfer information, and not just.
Present information and let me give you an example.
Currently and then I'll show you what I mean specifically with with the writer and Hebrews. There was a famous Christian minister and author who is taking a class.
In seminary with a very well known respect and loved.
Professor in seminary, and he was one of those people who wanted to transfer information to the lives of his students, not just present the information and one of the ways that that came in fruition, and it was obvious was that this writer said that one day he decided to just see what links the professor would go, and so he said he started just looking out the window.
And he noticed that the professor started talking louder, but he said I continued to look out the window, so he said then the professor started walking back and forth across the front of the classroom scene. If that would get his attention. But he said I still kept looking out the window, and then he said he moved from the front of the class to the side, and he said I still looked out. The window says finally, the professor went and stood between me and the window because he felt it was his.
Responsibility to transfer information, not just teach, not just assign the information to the students so many times we have people who say well, I just teach. I just give the information in the presentation, but I don't necessarily review it as my responsibility that the students learn the information.
A true teacher, if you will. One who wants to transfer that information to his or her students are going to take on the responsibility to make sure that that information is transferred, and that's what discipleship is all about. Is taking the teaching position or the pastors position, whoever, and to not just give a bunch of information and a nice presentation, but to transfer that information into the heart and the lives in the minds.
Of the disciples, and so an example here that I believe that the writer of the Epistle of Hebrews is that kind of person is that previously in his letter he has written about the High priest Melchizedek, and then subsequent to that he said there's so much more I would like to teach you about Melchizedek, but you become dull in hearing, and so we see that frustration, and so he gives them a warning.
About what happens if they fail to grow and and if if they are not truly disciples, but the ones who are of soil that is thistles and thorns.
And after giving that warning he goes, but I think and I'm convinced of better things concerning you.
And then at the end of what we call chapter six, he again mentions about cosmetic, and in Chapter 7 he's going to go and he's going to continue to teach about Melchizedek. Now I don't think he gives us all the information that he wanted to give, but he's transmitting as much as he thinks he can to those so that they might.
Understand more and then thirst to explore it further and so looking at Hebrews Chapter 7 verse one, it says this for this Melchizedek which follows up on the end of Chapter 6. It talks about what Jesus entered as a forerunner of us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of milk hesitate. So he goes launches right in for this Melchizedek King of Salem, priests of the most high God who met Abraham as he was.
Returning from the slaughter of the Kings, and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, first of all, by the transition of his name.
King of Righteousness and then also King of Salem Witch is King of peace. And so.
The writer is talking to his Hebrew.
Disciples saying, I need to talk to you about Jesus being in the order of Melchizedek. You're used to the Levitical priesthood and you're going to have a little bit of difficulty understanding this because you're used to Levitical priesthood. Your use of what the law is, and you're used to those things and as.
They know, and as the writer knows, and as we knew, Jesus didn't come from the.
Levi tribe he didn't come from even the family of Aaron. He came from the tribe of Judah. He was king. He the Messiah, was viewed as to be king.
And so he's saying, but Jesus as Messiah is so much more than just king and he wants them to understand that he is also a priest. He's a high priest, but he's in a different order than the Levitical priesthood.
Now unfortunately for us.
We think, well, that's interesting. Pastor Joe, and he's trying to communicate to Hebrew believers to Jewish believers that the Messiah is different than the Levitical priesthood, and we tend to say, well, you know, we. We don't believe in priest. After all, we're Baptists or Protestants, and we believe in the doctrine of the priesthood of the believers and we're kind of antithetical to to the Roman Catholic Church of priests and that you go to.
Confessional and
and confess your sins, and he gives you some kind of absolution. And we resent that.
But that is not what.
The writer of Hebrews is trying to explain, as a matter of fact. He's saying it's none of that. It's so much more than that, and so he's going to go through. And so I want us to understand that it was God's plan for us to be more than that, and for Jesus to be more than that.
And so we have this tendency to say, well, Jesus is our savior.
And for those who have put their faith and trust in him, yes he is. And then we think that Jesus rose from the dead. And yes, he did and he is the son of God. And yes he is and that he is king and not only is he king, he's a king of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we have this tendency to write all these songs about that. Jesus has forgiven me and Jesus loves me and that Jesus is king. And all those things are true. And all those things are valuable and all those things.
To sing and praise and thank God for. But Jesus is so much more than that, and he's trying to convince all of us.
That Jesus is more than that, and so I want you to understand that God's plan for us, not just recently but from the Torah. The first five books of Moses through revelation, including the letters written by Peter, that God's plan for his people was to be a holy Nation, a royal priesthood. So if you will, we are to be priests.
We are to be those people that ministered to God and for God.
And so this passage and this whole book, that we could say, well, it's it's not written to us, is written to us because we are these priests and that our priesthood did not come from the Levitical priesthood. But it comes from this order, of Melchizedek. And so we need to pay attention to how Jesus is. So he is this. So what the writer here is saying is I want to remind you.
What happened all the way back in Genesis Chapter 14 and I want you sometime after the message to hopefully look at Genesis chapter 14 verses 18 through 20. The writer here kind of just summarizes it, but the kind of the full.
Example here is that there were these kings who came and raided Sodom and Gomorrah and other kings, and because lot, Abraham's cousin was living in Sodom, he was taken captive with his family and all of his possessions, and the king who had won those battles were going back, and they're going to make sleep slaves of lot who was again Abrams.
Nephew so.
Abraham takes his men.
And pursues the kings, and defeats the Kings.
And rescues lot and lost family and all of the people and possessions that were taken by these kings. And then there was this priest called Melchizedek who meets.
Abraham, now he doesn't include this, but which is interesting, and I think the reason he does include this is because he's trying to transfer enough information for them to grasp it.
But he doesn't mention that melt when milk as it comes.
He brings bread and wine, kind of the very symbols that Jesus used as.
For our communion.
The bread that was his body, the wine that was his blood that was given for us and that we were to take and eat of that and remembrance of him. But the writer of Hebrews doesn't mention these things. 'cause again, I think he's trying to communicate and transfer transfer as much information as you can, that they can grasp, even though at this point as he is criticised them being dull of hearing. So he goes so back emphasis for this Melchizedek.
King of Salem. Priest of the most high got. So we notice there's a difference between Melchizedek and the Levitical priest. He was not only a priest and not only a high priest, he was also a king. So again, he's different than the Levitical priesthood because they were simply priest and the air and family could never come from a royalty. It was always a priestly.
Destination, but Melchizedek was both a priest, a high priest and a king, but he says he's Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high guy who met Abraham as a reserve funding from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to those whom, also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils of all, by which the translation of his name, King of Righteousness, and then also King of Salem.
Which means King of peace. So we see that two things that only is he, a priest, and he's a king. But also Abraham gives him a tenth. In essence, Abraham tides to this priest king the spoils that he took in battle.
Which makes him, if you will milk aesthetic superior to Abraham because you don't.
Give a tie to those who are under you. You also don't receive blessings if you will, from those under you. You, the one who's above you blesses you and so he's saying that this Melchizedek.
Is a king. He's a king of righteousness.
And he's a king of peace.
His Kingdom was where we now call Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
He was the King of Peace, and so he goes.
And he gives those.
Tight Abraham gives those ties and he gives it, receives the blessing from him. This is.
In verse 3 without father without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
Now there's debate as to what this means without Father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days.
Or end of life. Some will say well, what this means is that he was an Angel.
Don't believe so. I don't, that's not my position. Others say that he was perhaps the pre arc pre incarnated Christ. Again, I don't think so because he said he was like the son of God. He didn't say he was the son of God.
There are others that say.
Then he's just a special and unique person who appears on the scene and whatever, and then the final possibility is.
His genealogy is irrelevant because the genealogy for the Jew is important because we wanted to know the line of the Messiah.
And so that genealogy was important, so they always recorded the genealogy so that we knew where the person came from, so that we know who could be and would be the Messiah. He had to be from that unique genealogy and her the his genealogy is irrelevant.
So.
It's not recorded because I think the Scriptures are trying to communicate to us number one. His genealogy. Is it unimportant, it's the fact that he came that he is a high priest. We never see him not being high priest.
And that is why it's so important for us 'cause so many people will say, well, you know, the Old Testament is old. Why do I need to read the Old Testament? Just need to read the New Testament because it's new. It's updated and the old is irrelevant. Well the problem is is that much of the information that we receive and are strengthened from the New Testament is based on Old Testament concepts. So for instance we are by faith in Christ.
The children of Abraham. Well, what does that mean? Unless we go back to Genesis and understand that by faith?
It was accounted to Abraham.
As righteousness and we see that we are his children by faith, not by genetics.
We see here in a few verses, this Melchizedek, who shows up on the scene and now in the New Testament they make a very big deal if you will of this.
High priest king.
Because it is what Jesus is.
This Melchizedek is also discussed in a couple of passages in.
Psalms so the Old Testament helps us to understand what's going on, and so the problem is when you don't understand the Old Testament. It's hard even to receive milk.
As the writer of Hebrews said, your instead of getting solid food, you still wanting milk? Well, it's hard to grow into and to understand the in depth of the New Testament. If we don't understand the depths and the beginnings, if you will, of the old, and so from the old we learn about this Melchizedek.
So that he was without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the son of God, he remained a priest.
Perpetually
again important because under the vertical priesthood the ironic priest only served for a limited period of time. As a matter of fact, the whole Levitical priesthood only served from the time that they were about 25 until they were 50. After that they were no longer to serve.
Whereas under the.
Melchizedek
priesthood, it was perpetual. It wasn't limited in years or your lifetime, so again keeps making these distinctions. Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth the choices of spoils, and those indeed of the sons of Levi who received their priests office have commanded in the law to collect 1/10 from the people, that is from their brother. And although these are descended.
From Abraham basically saying Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.
Before any of the Levitical priesthood ever was, as a matter of fact, Abraham wasn't even.
Levi's father, he wasn't even his Gran father. He was his great Gran father, and he said, under the Levitical priesthood system, the brother and the other 11 tribes were to pay ties and offerings within two. The Levitical priesthood, and that was their obligation. But he said, Abraham.
Pay these ties to one other than within those descendants.
But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected at 10th from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises, but without any dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. So he's saying again.
Abraham, even though we view him as a great patriarch and he is the father of many nations and he is the father of children. Of those who believe it says this melchizedek's order was superior to Abraham.
Because he was a priest of the most high God and by blessing Abraham and by Abraham receiving the blessing, Abraham acknowledges that he is to receive the blessing and he is to give the tithe because.
Being a priest of the most high God, he is in higher standing than Abraham. In this case, mortal men received ties, but in that case one received them whom it is witnessed that he lives on.
And so to speak through Abraham, even Levi, who received ties, pay ties.
For he was still in the loins of his father, when Milt as a tech met him, not only was in the loins of his father, he was in the lines of his Gran father, and his great Gran Father. That's how superior it is considered that Abraham is lesser than Melchizedek.
So.
Why does this matter?
The writer is trying to unteach and transfer the information that they've been so locked into that the Levitical priesthood are the priests and the writer here, saying, I know you understand that.
Economy.
But now we have a different one.
We have a.
Priesthood that's under the order of Melchizedek. It's superior, it's better and so.
Melchizedek being greater than descendants.
Jesus, being a priesthood and a high priest under the Order of Melchizedek, shows that his priesthood is superior to the Levitical priest now.
I want to take a moment to kind of summarize by saying this.
The Levitical priesthood was national. He had to be a Jewish. He had to be Hebrew. The Melchizedek priesthood is universal. It applies to all.
The Melchizedek priesthood is royal.
The miracle priesthood was not.
The Melchizedek priesthood was righteous.
And peaceful.
The Levitical priesthood could offer sacrifices, but could never make you perfect.
The.
Melchizedek priesthood was personal as opposed to the Levitical priesthood being hereditary. What I mean by that?
God appointed Jesus as it's on a high priest according to the Order of Melchizedek. It was an appointment by God, whereas in the LBT ikle priesthood you were a Levite priest because you were born to the tribe of Levi.
It's like saying my family were doctors and now I'm a doctor because all my family are doctors. What you were when you were born into the tribe of Levi, you were a priest. It was not a personal appointment. It wasn't. Oh, you have certain special abilities that that makes you.
Suitable to be a priest, since Nope, you were born as a hereditary, but in the Melchizedek form it is the fact that it was personal you are appointed.
The milk acidic priesthood is eternal.
It's perpetual, it goes on and on. Jesus is a high priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek, whereas the Levitical priesthood was temporary. It lasted either for the period of time that you were between 25 and 50, or when you died. It was over. But Jesus, his priesthood, lives on and on and on. It is eternal.
So therefore he is communicated to his Hebrew brothers and sisters, that it is a.
The that the Melchizedek priesthood is better than the Levitical priesthood.
Now he said it's OK, Pasco, I've listened.
I still don't get why is it that it's important that I know that Jesus is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek? And why is it important that it's universal and it's royal and his righteous and peaceful and that it's personal and that it's eternal?
Because.
Under the Levitical priesthood, it could never make him person.
Righteous.
Only send sacrifices were offered.
They could never make anybody perfect.
Jesus is high priest. Hood makes us perfect. He is called us to become priests under that order. But I want you to see something we seeing that Jesus is savior and then we saying that Jesus is king and all of those things are true. But the fact of the matter is we tend to think well Jesus offered himself and bled for us and died for us and rose again. And isn't that wonderful. And yes, all of that is true.
But the fact that he is a pre high priest according to the Order of Melchizedek tells us this as well.
Is that on?
His sacrifice, when he took his blood and offered it on the Holy of Holies at the right and sat at the right hand of God the Father. He did so presenting himself as a sacrifice. But then he did something very interesting. He sat down at the right hand of God and is making intercession for us.
You see, the Levitical priesthood. They would go once a year into the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice from themselves and then offer a sacrifice for the people. And then they would leave and they would be gone for a full year.
Jesus stays at the right hand of God the Father, so that when you mess up and when I mess up and when we send, Jesus says to the father my blood covers that he's mine. I intercede for him. I intercession for him. I am a priest. I am ministering to God on behalf of my people.
So we ought to sing, and we ought to praise, and we ought to rejoice that yes, Jesus is king.
And yes, Jesus is a prophet because he is the word of God. But he is also a high priest and that High Priest office affects us every single moment of our lives.
Because when you stop sinning, Jesus can stop interceding for you.
But as even Paul says.
I don't do the things that I think I ought to do.
And I don't do the things that I ought to. I I SIN II fall short of the glory of God.
Praise be to God that he.
Has presented Jesus as an eternal high priest. We don't have to say well as long as Jesus is high priest.
My sins are ministered and forgiven because he's interceding for me. Because it's eternal and not temporary. We can trust him every single day.
For eternity
because he is a priest according to Melchizedek.
So I want you to take this.
Information.
And not here as a presentation, but hopefully as a transfer into your heart into your mind that you acknowledge and that you realize that we are so blessed that Jesus not only gave himself to die for our sins, but he is constantly continually interceding for us as a high priest.
Praise him.
Praise him.
Praise him.
Because he is our high priest and one day.
And I know this from the Old Testament to the end of the new we have been called to be a holy nation, because Jesus makes us that way and we have been called to be a royal priesthood, not a Levitical priesthood, but a royal priesthood to the service and Ministry of the Lord our God. And Jesus is our high priest.
For today, tomorrow and forever.
Thank him, praise him. He is so much more than King. He is so much more than prophet he is also.
Our high priest and all God's people said.