Hebrews 7:11-28 - The Messiah and Melchizedek - Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Have you ever called a company’s customer service department only to find that the person you are talking with doesn’t have the power or ability to get the job done?
After a series of answering questions, periods of being placed on hold, and awkward silences - you can tell that you aren’t getting anywhere!
There is nothing more frustrating than spending countless hours talking with a customer service representative that can’t get your problem solved. Maybe it is due to their own personal incompetence. Maybe it is due to a systems problem. But whatever the issue is, the issue at hand cannot be fully addressed well.
It seems that many who dealt with the Levitical priesthood likely felt the same way. There was a history of some priests being incompetent - Some were downright evil - And then even when they had some who were good, they would die and be unable to continue in their service because of their mortality.
Today we are going to be discussing the inadequacy of the Levitical priesthood in light of the superiority of Christ’s priesthood.
May we praise God for the fact that we have a High Priest Who is perfect in power and righteousness. And we have a High Priest who is eternal and never changing.
Let’s pray and jump into our message for today…
Prayer
Last week we saw Jesus Christ revealed through the Old Testament mysterious man, Melchizedek. And we discussed how much we should revere our wonderful Savior as well.
Today, we are going to be moving into the second half of this discussion regarding the Messiah and Melchizedek. In these verses, the author wants to prove the superiority of Christ over the Levitical priesthood.
We have seen time and time again in this book the various roles of Christ - Prophet, Priest, and King. In these verses the title of priest will become the main focus.
The author will give us four different truths regarding how we can access the Father through Jesus Christ. The first is…
I. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Prevailing Priesthood (11-19)
I. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Prevailing Priesthood (11-19)
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
The concept of perfection throughout the Scriptures often refers to completeness. And here we see it here in relation and access to God.
The Levitical priesthood was unable to give complete access to God. Because of the sinfulness of the priests themselves, they were unable to give complete access and a complete relationship to God on behalf of the people.
Thus, the Levitical priesthood was instituted not as a priesthood forever, but instead, as a priesthood that foreshadowed Christ.
You see, man’s biggest problem is his sin. This is the greatest dilemma man has. The Old Covenant was unable to completely reconcile man and God. The work of the Levitical priesthood only worked to cover sins - not atone for them. The work was a continual work that could not keep man in a right relationship with God. This work by the Levitical priests had no power to impart life to the people. Listen to Galatians 3:21:
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
Righteousness was not attainable by the Law because man is inherently unrighteous!
However, God had a much greater plan. He would send His Son who would come and be the Prevailing Priest! He would be a priest forever as we will see again shortly.
As we will continue to see in this Scripture, Christ is superior to the Levitical priesthood.
He not only intercedes for man, but He has offered Himself up as a sacrifice on the cross once for all for the sins of the world - namely for those who would place their faith and trust in Him and repent of their sins. As we will see in a bit, He rose from the dead and now intercedes for us on our behalf to the Father! What a wonderful Savior we have!
Moving forward we see some further changes that Christ brings with Him…
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
No longer were the priests to be chosen by genealogy. One was chosen by God Himself - namely Jesus Christ who would continue being a priest forever. He comes from the tribe of Judah. Though nothing was said by Moses regarding His future priesthood, we do see something about one who would come out of the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:10. Listen to this beautiful promise given through Jacob…
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
We see the Kingship of the Messiah Who would come through the line of Judah. Yet, this King would also be a Priest forever as well!
Christ’s coming changed the Law forever. Not only through the priesthood being complete in Him, but It is important to note that Christ also fulfilled the Old Testament ceremonial laws. No further sacrifices are necessary because of Christ’s work on the cross.
Though Christ fulfilled the ceremonial and sacrificial Law of God…
We must also note that the moral law of God was not removed or abolished. In fact, Christ leveled it up!
We must also note that the moral law of God was not removed or abolished. In fact, Christ leveled it up!
Whereas the Old Testament Law asserted not to commit murder, Jesus equated hate with committing murder (Matthew 5:21-22, 1 John 3:15)!
Whereas the Old Testament Law asserted not to commit adultery, Jesus equated lust with committing adultery (Matthew 5:28)!
And like we saw last week, God required the tithe in Old Testament Law which was also seen even before the Law in Genesis 14 - but then we see Jesus ask for sacrificial giving in the New Testament (Mark 10:17-27, Hebrews 13:16, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Luke 21:1-4)!
Everything was leveled up because of the promised Holy Spirit. We are able to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit Who empowers and equips us with the ability to obey Christ. Although we will certainly fail time and time again, we can persevere by His power!
Praise God for the Holy Spirit Who helps us in our weakness.
Continuing on the author writes…
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
We see Psalm 110:4 quoted yet again in the book of Hebrews. It is quoted some 6 times in this book with three of them in chapter 7 alone! Christ is a priest forever.
Now we are given another reason for the superiority of Christ over the Levitical priests.
Jesus is a greater priest by the power of an indestructible life.
What an amazing statement! This doesn’t mean that Jesus didn’t die on the cross. He certainly did. But He didn’t stay dead, friends!
The power of death had no power over the Author of Life!
This Greek word for indestructible means endless and cannot be destroyed.
Whereas the qualifications for the Levitical priests were external - which included being based on genealogy, based on being born a legitimate child from a legitimate marriage, and having no physical defects - the qualification for Jesus was internal - the power of an indestructible life!
Jesus proved His qualification to be High Priest through His resurrection.
As we have mentioned before, when He died, the curtain preventing access to the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Access to the Father was forever provided through Christ to those who would repent and turn to Him in faith.
Friends, we are told that the Law made nothing perfect. It was given as a schoolmaster. It showed just how far we fall short.
But we have a Savior who offers His perfection to be credited to our account! We now have a better hope!
Why is this hope better?
It is better because it does not rely on man’s righteousness, but instead it relies on the righteousness of Christ!
And this better hope now allows us to draw near to God.
We discussed how sin was our greatest problem. And why is sin our greatest problem? It is because it prevents us from drawing near to God. God is the highest, most wonderful, and amazing Being ever. The greatest experience we can have is drawing near to God.
More than any earthly experience we can imagine - drawing near to God far exceeds them all.
And now - our access to God has been perfected - meaning made complete - because of Jesus Christ.
We can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). We can draw near to God.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Galatians 3:21, Genesis 49:10, Psalm 110:4, Matthew 27:51, Hebrews 4:16
II. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Promised Priesthood (20-22)
II. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Promised Priesthood (20-22)
And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
God’s Word is perfect and unchanging. The Scriptures repeatedly tell us that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18).
And we understand that all of God’s promises are sure.
But something very beautiful to see in the Scriptures is the means by which God keeps His promises. God’s promises - including this one about Christ being our promised priest - find their fulfillment in Christ. Listen to Paul teach this in 2 Corinthians 1:20:
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
This oath given by God regarding Jesus as our priest forever is seen in Psalm 110:4 as well. We hear that Lord has sworn and will not change His mind. Christ will continue on as a priest forever. God didn’t have to give an oath. His Word is enough.
However, He gives this oath as a double assurance that His promise is true. This is given for our sake and not His.
Looking back at verse 22 we see that…
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
Because of His eternality - because of His perfection and holiness - He is the guarantor of a better covenant.
To be a guarantor means to hold security over, to have a surety, and to be secure.
This is actually the only place that we see this Greek word in the NT. In the ancient world, this word would be used in legal language. It referred to a person who guaranteed something on behalf of another - thereby putting themself at risk.
This sounds very similar to our modern idea of a cosigner on a loan today. When one cosigns with another, he asserts that he will pay the loan should the signer be unable to pay - thereby exposing himself to risk.
Christ has guaranteed our payment for sin all the while knowing how short each of us fall from being able to pay the debt we owe. Our sin debt is incalculable, yet Christ promises us freedom by paying our debt for us. He is our guarantor.
During the Christmas season, I’m sure that you have heard many stores offer money-back guarantees. In an effort to sell you something, they promise to make it right if their product doesn’t deliver.
What is the main thing that makes a guarantee that is promised convincing or not?
It is the strength and integrity of the company. For some companies, their guarantee is pretty solid. They have many years of providing a reliable product and good customer service. While some other companies might have a bad reputation for not being consumer-friendly.
Brothers and sisters, Christ’s guarantee is the greatest and most reliable guarantee in all creation.
This better covenant is pledged and guaranteed to us in Christ. Eternal life in Christ is the most sure thing in the universe for those who have repented and placed their faith in Christ. There is no better guarantee in life.
Christ is the guarantor of a better covenant.
What is this better covenant? It is the New Covenant.
Whereas the Old Covenant relied on the works of men, Jesus offers grace freely. The New Covenant is completely dependent on God alone. It is fully dependent on the faithfulness and sinlessness of Jesus Christ. It is completely dependent on His work on the cross where He paid our penalty.
The Old Covenant brought with it condemnation. Yet, the New Covenant brings with it consolation.
Christ offers us His righteousness. His righteousness is imputed to us and credited to our account. We can be counted as holy because He is holy.
May we praise God for our prevailing and promised priest. Continuing onward, we see that…
Scripture References: Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Psalm 110:4
III. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Permanent Priesthood (23-25)
III. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Permanent Priesthood (23-25)
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Despite the shear volume of Levitical priests, they were mortal. They were prevented by death from continuing in office. Yet, Christ is eternal. He continues forever as a priest permanently.
This Greek word translated permanently is another unique word to this book as this is the only time we see this word used in the New Testament. In other literature it was used to describe the sun’s course in the sky. It meant unchangeable.
We know that Christ’s priesthood and reliability are even more dependable and unchangeable than the sun! Frankly, it is by Christ’s unchangeable nature that the sun is held in place!
We can rely on Christ because His priesthood is never changing and permanent.
The author moves forward to describe why this permanence is so important…
Because of His eternality, His perfection, and his power - He is able to save to the uttermost.
What does the author mean by uttermost?
1 - He means that Christ saves completely. No one is partially saved. He fully saves souls for all eternity though His permanent priesthood.
2 - But it also means that His power to save is limitless. This means that there are none outside of His ability to save.
No one is too bad for Him to be able to save.
He will save all who draw near to Him.
We see in the Scriptures a beautiful understanding of salvation. He draws us to Himself first, and we are to respond to that drawing (John 6:44). We are to open the door (Revelation 3:20, Luke 12:36). We are to repent and trust (1 John 1:9). Yet He does all of the work of saving as we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). His power is limitless. He cleanses us from all of our sins. He removes our iniquities and casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
Our Savior is so gracious and merciful.
And even after He saves us, He promises to always live to make intercession for us.
Intercession is the act of intervening on behalf of another. It means to plead one’s case to anther.
And we see that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father always interceding on our behalf - for those who are His beloved adopted children.
How incredible is that?
Jesus sits beside the Father continually pleading your case. His blood remains an atonement for all of your sins as He continues presenting you blameless before the Father.
He presents His imputed righteousness on your behalf!
This is why we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. This is why we can pray to the Father. We pray to the Father through our one intercessor and mediator - namely Jesus Christ.
And we know that this intercession is eternal because our Great High Priest won’t ever disappear or pass away.
Maintaining our business and company analogies we have used today - Have you ever had a situation where you knew someone well at a business? You knew that they would intercede for you and do their best to get you taken care of? They were your go-to advocate. Yet, one day they weren’t there any longer and the new person wasn’t able or willing to help you in the same way.
That is a terrible feeling, isn’t it? It feels as if the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under you. You feel like a fish out of water.
We never have to worry about feeling that way when it comes to our Great High Priest, Jesus.
Jesus promises to never leave us without a guarantor. He will always be there as our intercessor. We need not worry about the future. For Christ will be our Priest forever - for all eternity. He is our prevailing priest, our promised priest, and our permanent priest. And lastly we see that…
Scripture References: John 6:44, Revelation 3:20, Luke 12:36, 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 103:12
IV. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Perfect Priesthood (26-28)
IV. We Now Have Access to the Father Through a Perfect Priesthood (26-28)
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
The author ends this discussion by giving a few qualities of our Great High Priest.
Our Great High Priest Is:
Holy
Innocent
Unstained
Separated from Sinners
Exalted Above the Heavens
Holy
Christ is perfect and righteous. He is fully pleasing to God (Matthew 17:5). He is without sin. He is set apart.
Next we see that He is…
Innocent
This speaks of Him being blameless. Though He was tested in every way, He remained without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He is not guilty of any crime. He has never done any evil. There is no fault within Him.
He is also…
Unstained
He is undefiled. He is without moral pollution. He is uncontaminated by the sins of this world. Though He lived in the world, He was not of the world. He remained the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
He is…
Separated from Sinners
Although He came down to earth to live with us and took on human flesh, He was not one of us in regard to sinfulness. He remained holy and set apart.
And lastly, we see that He is…
Exalted Above the Heavens
Because of these other truths, His holiness, His innocence, His being unstained, and His being separated from sinners - He has been exalted above the heavens.
Philippians 2:9-11 states:
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Because of Christ’s beautiful humility and righteousness, God has exalted Him.
Our last two verses speak of this wonderful righteousness of Christ as well…
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Being perfect there was no need for any sacrifice for His own sin. Unlike the Levitical priests who had to sacrifice for their own sins, He remained sinless. While the Levitical priests were appointed in their weakness, Christ was appointed as one who is infinitely strong. His ability to minister is forever.
The author again uses this idea of completed at the end of verse 28. Christ has been made perfect forever.
Again, this phrase regarding having been made perfect forever does not state that Christ has not forever been perfect. The Scriptures clearly teach the eternal perfection of Christ. Instead, this speaks of the completion of Christ’s work on earth.
He now lives forever to intercede on our behalf because of His work being completed on the cross and through His resurrection and ascension.
Scripture References: Matthew 17:5, Hebrews 4:15, Philippians 2:9-11
Conclusion:
As we come to a close we have seen four beautiful truths in these wonderful verses.
Jesus is our prevailing priest - meaning that He is interceding for us even now!
Jesus is our promised priest - meaning that He is the fulfillment of the promise and oath of God.
Jesus is our permanent priest - meaning that He isn’t going anywhere! He will always live to intercede for us. He is our guarantor of a better covenant!
and finally, Jesus is our perfect priest - meaning that He doesn’t have any need to consider His own sins because He is sinless. Unlike the Levitical priests who had to be concerned about their own sinfulness, Christ is able to be the perfect Great High Priest. He is our unchanging, steady, and perfect Savior.
Because of these wonderful truths, we have a Great High Priest Who offers us unbridled and unrestricted access to the throne of heaven! May we take advantage of such a wonderful truth. May we regularly approach our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. We have access to the most powerful, most loving, most wonderful God ever.
And we have this because of our glorious Messiah - namely Jesus Christ.
