A Whole New Thing Heb.7:1-19

Ch. 6 ends w/ Jesus being described as the forerunner – who entered into the Presence behind the Veil = God’s Presence

A)Fore = Before/ the first - CCV Football next yr. – Joe Henschel ASKING for 3 yrs – petitions signed / prayers offered

B) So in Joe’s final yr. Senior yr. we are going to have a football team

1) In a sense you could say that Joe is the Forerunner to all the players behind him who will play football yrs to come– He opened up the door

C) OR Think of it this way : CCV / Tri City – Championship game Qualcom Stadium – ( Stands are packed parents shouting we love Jesus …. You)

1) Out of the Tunnel comes the CCV Lions – Cheerleaders Banner – Joe Crashes Thru – He is the Forerunner – the rest of the team – follows

D) Jesus is the Forerunner – He crashed thru the Veil on the Cross – ripped from top to bottom – He declared it is Finished

1) Giant Veil: 30 ft wide / 60 ft. high 10 inches thick / 100 priest to hang

That Veil – Stood as a Wall – No entrance /Ripped in two / open house

E) Jesus passes into the Holy of Holies the Heavenly Tab. As the Forerunner and all the rest of us – part of His Team now Have Access

Now this takes us back to ch. 4 v. 14-16

¹⁴Seeing 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. ¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.

A)Now this was a radical concept – come boldly – Work our H.P. has opened the door

1) How could JESUS be a H.P. – wrong tribe ? Levites were the Priest &

the H.P. was exclusively from the family of Aaron

B) Jesus wasn’t from the Family of Aaron / & He wasn’t a Levite / He was from the tribe of Judah – All True

C) But in Ch. 5 the Writer shows that He is a priest of a whole different order – after the order of Melch. – God is doing a Whole New Thing !!

D) He starts to tell us about this in Ch.5

1) But stops in v.11 because they were dull of hearing – so He spends the rest of Ch. 5 & most of ch. 6 dealing w/ their dullness & immaturity

E)Exhorting them that it is time to move on / time to grow up / time to resemble those saints of old who – thru faith & patients inherit the promises

As He comes to Ch.7 He is ready now to talk about this Change in the Priesthood /

A)How Jesus would Establish a Priestly Ministry that was greater than the Priesthood of Aaron – His being after the order of Melch. RD.V.1-3

If I asked you to name a few of the most important people in the O.T. I'm sure names like Abe (Father of Faith), Moses (Led them out), Joshua (brought in), David, Daniel, Elijah - Elisha come to mind

A.) I think Very few if any would mention Melch. The Reason is his story is told in one short snap shot in the Bible in Gen.14 turn there

B)THE SCENE These Kings led by Chedolamer – invade the Territory & capture the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah – including Abe’s Nephew Lot

1) Abe could have said – served Lot right living in that Place / but he didn’t he gathers his 318 men together & goes after them

C) And Miraculously rescues all of them v. 16 The greatest Rescue in Israeli History –even better than 1976 Raid of Entebbe

1) Israeli Commando’s stormed that Airport where the PLO were holding 113 Hostages on a Hijacked Plain – rescued 110 of the 113

D) Rabin said greatest Military Raid & Rescue in Israeli History

1) Abe was Better Abe brings them all Back

E)And When Abraham returned from battle - he was met by this Melch - the Priest of the Most High God / Who blessed Abe !

Now that is the Only time Melch is seen is in that brief moment/ He is then referred to 1000 yrs later in Psa 110 The Ministry of the Messiah

A)The Messiah will be a Priest after the order of Melch.

B)Then we don’t hear about him for another 1,000 yrs until he is mentioned there in the book of Hebrews

Significance of Melch. Interesting description:

A)King of Righteousness / King of Salem = King of Peace / Priest of the most High God - Priest & King

B) This was unheard of in Israel – Forbidden King & a Priest: –

King/ Prophet / Prophet & a Priest – But not a King & a Priest

C) In 2 Chron. 26 King Uzziah who was a good king – brought revival to the land / sought God

1) Tried to burn Incense in the temple – Priest said no Uzziah it is forbidden – Uzziah ignored – struck w/ Leprosy

Good example I think of how the Lord doesn’t want the priesthood involved in Politics

A)Great Book – Kingdoms in Conflict – C. Colson goes thru history showing how always problems when the Church enters politics

B) Jerry Falwell – regrets the yrs spent pursuing political activism vs. preaching the gospel .

1) Billy Graham – regrets being involved w/ Nixon / Robertson realized he had to choose between Preaching & Politics

C) So it was forbidden that the Priest would be a King or vice versa

1) Saul also got in trouble – priestly duties

D) But here this ancient Mysterious Character Melch. Was both Priest & King

Who was this Melch. ? Touched on a few weeks ago / quick review

A)Some think he was Shem/ godly line/ Check genealogies Shem outlived Abe so it is possible Abe could have met w/ him

1) Opinion offered by Halley’s Bible handbook

B)Problem w/ Shem is we know who His parents are . Noah & His wife we also know when he was born /

1) v. 3 W/out father …. Beginning of days or end of life

Some think that Melch was a man who lived on the scene & was an actual king of Salem / very righteous man – King of Righteousness

A)But The reference here in Heb 7 to his genealogy – him having no father or mother – beginning of days or end of life / remains a priest …

B)They explain this way – We don’t have any Historical record of His birth or death or who his family was

1)He was just this Mysterious guy that Abe met w/ city of Salem /Philistines

Problems w/ that / Are that makes him the Priest of most High God from an extremely pagan place

A) Plus there is that Phrase made like the son of God & that Melch remains a priest continually – didn’t die ?

B) If Melch was a man who didn’t die & He still is a Priest – doesn’t make sense because Jesus is now our High Priest

C) Others suggest that Melch was an Angel – yet such meetings of Angels who take human form in scripture & meet w/ men are usually identified that way in scripture

A 4^th opinion & the one that I hold to is that Melch was Preincarnate Christ – Jesus – O.T. appearance of a Body / Christophony

A) Joshua 5 Commander All over the O.T. as the ANGEL of the Lord /

B) Several Reasons: #1 - no background, no record of parents, birth death- He mysteriously appears on the scene / quickly is gone

1) If he was such a significant Character – think more about him.

C) #2 - Made like Son of God - something special - Neb, Shad, Meshack, Abendigo - 4th - like Son of God = Jesus!

D)#3 - Remains Priest continually - Priest forever - if he was actual person who died - how could he remain a priest?

E) #4 - John 8:56 - Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad! When?

1) Most think – Gen. 18 visit before destruction of S&G / The Lord & two angels - I believe possible Gen 14 -

F) Saw His day – Saw Jesus in His Future Role : King & Priest

#5 Called the King of Peace : Salem later Jerusalem – City of peace where Christ is going to Reign in the millennial Kingdom

A)And He is called the King of Righteousness which is also a title that is exclusively used of Jesus

B) JER. 23:6 Speaking of The Messiah’s rule in the Millennium His name will be called Jehovah Tiskenu or the Lord our Righteousness–

1) I think for these reasons it is clear this is Jesus

C) Plus It typifies what He came to do – Bring peace thru His righteousness

Note King of Righteousness is mentioned before King of Peace

A)Because He was Righteous He was able to accomplish our Peace

So when the writer explains that Jesus is our H.P. superior to Aaron being after the order of Melch – 2 things stand out right away

A)1^st He was a King & a Priest / 2^nd He Priestly ministry is forever

Note v.23 those after Aaron were prevented by death … continuing

B) The writer further builds his case here by pointing out that Abe paid tithes to Melch v ⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.

C) In the ancient world paying tithes to another was recognition of that persons superiority & a sign of subjection to that person

1) Abe was a great man – Father of the Nation / God promised him that from him all the world would be blessed

D) But Abe recognized another as being greater than him – Paid tithes to Melch /

V. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive 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;

God Instituted in the law that the people were to give tithes / Tithe = a tenth of Increase: Bible says the tithe is the Lord’s

A)Not give that Mal. Says we are robbing God -

⁶but he whose genealogy is not derived from them ( Melch not from the tribe of Levi) received tithes from Abraham and blessed him(Abe) who had the promises. ⁷Now beyond all contradiction the lesser(Abe) is blessed by the better. (MELCH) ⁸Here mortal men receive tithes, but there HEAVEN he JESUS receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

But notice what He says next –

⁹Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

A)Levi was in Abe – Levi was in Abe genes if you would

1) The whole Levitical Priesthood was in Abe – when he paid tithes to Melch

B)So Melch was superior to them because although they were not required to tithe - they gave theoretically through Abraham

C)So Melch is superior in Prominence: He is King and Priest! In Permanence - Priest forever: Preeminence: They paid tithes to Him

¹¹Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?

A)In Scripture, the word perfect is often used in the sense of maturity or completion, of being what something or someone is meant to be.

B)Sometimes it means full-grown. Paul often uses it in this way.

C)In Hebrews, however, it is used to refer to the goal and aim of Christianity. This goal of this maturity, is access to God.

1) So if this ACCESS was accomplished thru the Levitical Priesthood what need would there be of another .

D) But the Levitical Priesthood couldn’t accomplish that / The purpose of the priesthood was to reconcile men to God through sacrificing for their sins.

E)But this priesthood could only picture, only typify, the actual reconciliation,/it could only typify cleansing of sin.

1) It was therefore imperfect, in that it could not give men access to God.

Verse 19 speaks of the law not being able to make men perfect, and goes on to say specifically that this imperfection, this failure, was in not being able to bring men near to God.

A)The goals both of the Aaronic priesthood and of the Mosaic law were to bring men to God. They were both imperfect in achieving this goal,

B) The Levitical priesthood could not provide this full access but a person is perfected when, by Christ’s sacrifice, he is given full access to God in Christ.

. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).

¹²For the priesthood being changed, of necessity Changed because it couldn’t accomplish the goal there is also a change of the law. NEW COV.

¹³For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.

¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning ^£priesthood. ¹⁵And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

This doesn’t mean that he would never die – but reference to the Rez

¹

⁷For ^£He testifies:

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”^£

¹⁸For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹for the law made nothing perfect; Jesus didn’t come to Destroy the law but to fulfill/ Bring in New wine – but in our case the New is Annulled no longer binding those in Christ

on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

The key phrase of this passage is we draw near to God

A)This is God’s ultimate desire for men is for them to come near to Him.

B)God’s goal in all that He does in behalf of men is that they might come into His presence. Drawing near to God is the essence of Christianity.

1) Drawing near to God is the Christian’s highest experience, and should be his highest purpose.

C)This is the design of God for Christianity-access to His presence, coming into His presence with nothing between. Sometimes we forget this.

1) Sometimes we think – only about salvation

D) Or Study – More Knowledge

1) But Key is – Knowing Intimacy

Aaron – Attain

Melch. Maintain