The Eternal Priesthood

Bible Passage: Hebrews 7:1–10

Summary: This passage introduces Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High, highlighting his significance and foreshadowing Christ's eternal priesthood.

Application: Understanding the eternal nature of Christ's priesthood encourages believers to approach God confidently, knowing that they have a Savior who intercedes for them continually, providing assurance in times of struggle or doubt.

Teaching: This sermon will teach that Jesus, like Melchizedek, is an eternal and superior priest, establishing a new covenant through His sacrifice, which offers better access to God compared to the Levitical priesthood.

How this passage could point to Christ: Melchizedek serves as a type of Christ, representing the priestly order that transcends the Levitical system, ultimately pointing to Jesus as the perfect high priest who fulfills and surpasses the Old Testament types and shadows.

Big Idea: Embrace the assurance and access we have to God through the eternal priesthood of Christ, which is greater than any earthly priesthood.

Recommended Study: As you prepare for this sermon, consider delving into the significance of Melchizedek's dual role as king and priest in ancient Israel. In Logos, explore the historical context of the priesthood in Judaism and the implications of the new covenant established by Christ. Look for commentaries that discuss the significance of Hebrews 7 in relation to other New Testament texts that refer to Christ's priesthood.

1. Prototype of Eternity

Hebrews 7:1–3 “1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”

We get right into it this morning with the order of Melchizedek. A piece of the bible that not a lot of context is given to us.

But none the less we will still be able to see what the bible tells us about this king named Melchizedek.

We first get to see Melchizedek’s name appear in Genesis 14:18–20 “18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

This interaction that we see with Abraham and Melchizedek comes right after Abraham had gone to retrieve his brother that had been taken by these enemy kings.

Melchizedek, as the author of hebrews points out is the king of Salem and by his name the first king of righteousness.

This means that as his roles are entitled to him, this is all we know. his lack of a genealogy is dwarfed by the fact that Melchizedek would be the first King-Priest.

We then can look at Melchizedek as a type of Christ, or one that would point us to Christ.

We know that Jesus would come through order of Melchizedek, this is what “qualifies” Jesus to be the high priest.

We must know who Melchizedek is so that we can understand who Jesus is as he fulfills this dual natured role of King-Priest.

Jesus gives us an unending mediation to God the Father through this High Priest role. So that we might have a hope and confidence in our eternity.

The bible tells us of Jesus, our High Priest and King, going to prepare for us a place. I have had a hard time thinking about how i would get this across to you guys this morning.

Jesus going to prepare us a place has never been about a physical place. Its not like the hymn tells us where he builds us a mansion on a hilltop.

Heaven is great not because we will all receive mansions and great houses, but its great because God is there !

Jesus didn’t go to prepare us a great house, but He went to prepare us the place of righteousness in the presence of the Father, so that way when we get to heaven, if we have Jesus in our hearts, we may enter into His presence.

because we know this, have confidence that through life’s struggles and amid uncertainties that plague our lives. We know that we have a savior that has gone on before us to prepare this place of righteousness for us through the covering of His blood.

2. Melchizedek's Majesty

Hebrews 7:4–7 “4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.”

We tend to be leary of those we do not have a lot of information about throughout the narrative of God’s word.

And for the most part that is what we should do, as we truly try to understand what it is that we are reading.

However, Melchizedek is one of those characters that although we don’t get a lot of information about, we do know why he is mentioned and it is for this purpose…

that we can know that Jesus coming from this priestly line tells us that the order of Melchizedek is greater that the priestly line of the Levites.

Abraham’s narrative of coming back from rescuing his brother and then coming into contact with Melchizedek but then tithing to this king would blow our minds away.

Who is the king that would receive these tithes from the patriarch? the Father of all the nations? the one who is promised and blessed by God?

Melchizedek illustrates to us and to the OT people that there is one that is greater than the covenant made with Israel through Abraham, through Moses, Through Noah…

And its Jesus! its always been Jesus! it will never stop being Jesus!

Christ coming to fulfill the promises of the Father, establishing the NT covenant through the shedding of His blood means that we now have been blessed beyond what Israel in the OT could have imagined.

This is why we must stay focused on Christ! His superiority over the levitical system of the OT must be accepted and believed. Again, this was the problem for the OG audience, but what if we looked at this for today’s believers…

This means that Jesus is better than that promotion, it means that He is better than that new thing, He is better than that new relationship, He is better than that money.

3. Melchizedek's Message

Hebrews 7:8–10 “8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.”

Melchizedek’s message to the people is clear. it is his lineage that points to an eternal priesthood for Christ.

The levitical system was put in place for A TIME, but was ultimately completed through the acts of Jesus.

Melchizedek’s priesthood had the longevity that it had because it was going to serve as a lesson for the OT and the NT people as Jesus takes on the role of High Priest.

Jesus’ qualification for the role of High Priest has to come from the line of Melchizedek because His lineage comes from the line of Judah.

Jesus cannot be from two different tribes of Israel, so His qualification comes from a line of priesthood that is superior to the Levites in the way that when Jesus came and fulfilled the law, He also fulfilled the need for the Levitical priests.

But Jesus’ priesthood comes from outside that which was completed and fulfilled.

this gives us a confidence in knowing the Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, it does not have an end, it will not be fulfilled or completed until His second coming.

and whether we live for 50 years 100 years 1000 years, Jesus’ mediation on our behalf with the Father will be there.

What do i do?

Let us rely on the eternal rather than the dispensational. Meaning that our hope should be found in the everlasting Christ and the Father. Rather than in the things of this world that will break, rot, and perish away.

Understanding who Melchizedek is gives us a true understanding of why Jesus is qualified to fulfill the role of High Priest.

Next week we will continue in the comparison of Jesus to Melchizedek and as we do i hope that this morning’s message will give us a basis to build on next week.