The Calling of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Assuming Power
Assuming Power
Throughout history people have been have had positions of power and by necessity that will continue until the Lord’s return. Any group of people, of any size, that are linked in some way will develop leaders. Families have leadership with the parents, businesses have ownership or corporate leadership, churches have clergy, and countries have their leadership as well.
In some cases leadership is assumed. Somebody, by either strength of personality or in the case of many historical governments, by physical might takes power. Other cases however, those being led appoint and submit to leadership.
You may not know this but Cincinnati was originally named Losantiville but the name of the early settlement was changed by General St. Claire the 1st Governor of the Northwest Territory to Cincinnati in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati.
The Society was founded to celebrate the virtues of the Greek hero Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. Cincinnatus was a Roman farmer and a man who was an outspoken proponent for the rights of the common citizens. He was content to farm his land but when an invasion prompted his fellow citizens to call for his leadership he took position as the suffect council, essentially the highest position in Rome which made him dictator over the country. When victory was won, he quickly surrendered his absolute power back to the people and went back to his farm.
The civic virtue that was demonstrated by Cincinnatus was emulated by George Washington, who also served as the President General of the Society of the Cincinnati (Plural of Cincinnatus). Washington, once his duty was fulfilled as general and as president he himself stepped down and returned to his farm at Mt. Vernon.
Neither Washington nor Cincinnatus assumed position of themselves. They were appointed. This morning as we continue in Hebrews we are also continuing to look at the role of the High Priest and the High Priests appointment.
Turn your Bibles with me over to Hebrews 5:4-6 as we continue our series Our Great High Priest
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Our message is entitled The Calling of Christ
Let’s Pray
Establishing the Office
Establishing the Office
For the first readers of the book of Hebrews, the office of High Priest was a not just some historical thing to look back on. It was their current reality.
I think for us to have context here, we have to look at Exodus Chapter 28, turn with me if you will and we will see how the priesthood was established:
1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
It is truthfully a little vague as to where certain priests were elevate to be high priests or chief priests. But if you flip over to Chapter 18 it is evident that there was a responsibility being given.
Look how the chapter begins:
Numbers 18:1 (KJV 1900)
1 And the Lord said unto Aaron ......
We can read clearly that this is God’s instruction to Aaron. When we pick up in verse 7, it continues to be God’s instruction to Aaron.
7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
This responsibility was put upon Aaron to keep this office of being a High Priest, and the implication here is that it is a position that passed down from father to sons. At least that is how the Jewish people understood this, so we see, with several exceptions, a succession of this position being passed down through genealogy much in the way the right of succession passes down in the British Monarchy. Sometimes there weren’t appropriate heirs to the position or the heir was so unfit for the position that either the Sanhedrin or the King appointed the next High Priest.
In our passage in Hebrews today, verse 4 of Chapter 5 we read:
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
This was an appointed position. Nobody took this power of himself. The Jewish historian Josephus before he begins his description of the priesthood in his writings gives an account of Moses that we don’t find in scripture. I imagine this came from some book that God hasn’t chosen to preserve for us today or some oral history or tradition that he was writing from. In any event this gives us insight to the Jewish thinking on the subject but we can’t regard this as inspired text. He expresses that Moses said of Aaron:
The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition (Chapter 8: Of the Priesthood of Aaron)
... had the inquiry after such a person been left to me, I should have thought myself worthy of this honor, both because all men are naturally fond of themselves, and because I am conscious to myself that I have taken a great deal of pains for your deliverance; but now God himself has determined that Aaron is worthy of this honor, and has chosen him for his priest, as knowing him to be the most righteous person among you.
Biblical cannon or not there is wisdom here. The phrase all men are naturally fond of themselves stands out in it’s frank truthfulness. We are. And so when it comes to the things of God we can’t trust ourselves to presume authority, it has to be given. We see this to be true of the Priesthood and we see this as something continued with the church.
Christ’s Priesthood
Christ’s Priesthood
With Moses and Aaron we see the political leadership and the religious leadership split between two men. But this isn’t true of all High Priests and that is where we come to the end of verse 6. The writer of Hebrews references Ps 110:4 when he writes:
Hebrews 5:6 (KJV 1900)
6 ..... Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Melchisedec
Melchisedec
Melchisedec is a very interesting and very divisive person in our Bible. He has an obviously profound impact in the Old Testament but very little is known about him. Really, we find a lot more about him in the book of Hebrews and in reference to him in the Psalms than we do anywhere else in scripture.
The temptation is to spend a lot of time talking about him in this message, and no doubt he is and will be an interesting character to study, but for now, if we spent our time on Melchisedec we would lose track of the point of this passage. Besides Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 are coming, both of which expand on the subject of Melchisedec and I will need something to say, that you have not already heard me say recently, on the Sunday mornings when we come to those passages!
But we will look at two aspects of Melchisedec’s priesthood: That he was both King and Priest and that his appointment was by God.
King and Priest
King and Priest
Melchisedec is introduced, really almost everything we know about him, up to the point that Hebrews was written is found in Genesis 14 verses 17-18
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Melchizedek is what? King of Salem and Priest of the most high God. He bridges these two positions. King and Priest. We know who he is a priest of, God. But he is King of Salem. King of Peace. That is what Salem means in Hebrew. This is an early name for Jerusalem. Jerusalem itself meaning Foundation of Peace, or Foundation of Salem. On ancient Egyptian tablets we find the city referred to as Urusalim or City of Peace.
Melchizedek is King over Shalem, Peace, and most believe this is Caananite Jerusalem prior to Israel.
Called by God
Called by God
Something that is true for the priesthood, especially the High Priesthood is that it is something that person is called to. This isn’t a job where they decide a career path with a guidance councilor in High School and then spend some time at the University to prepare for. No, this is a path that is chosen for them. They are called by God.
Are Pastors Called?
Are Pastors Called?
I need to sweat a detail here for just a minute before we continue. High Priests are called by God. Prophets are called by God. We often here ministry referred to as a calling. A pastor will say that they are called by God. And I don’t think that is very good theology. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a pastor is called of God. As a matter of fact, what we do read about the position of Pastor in 1 Timothy 3:1 is
1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
The Office of Bishop, which is another way of saying The Office of Pastor is a position that is desired and pursued not necessarily called of by God. It is a church who calls a Pastor not God, at least not directly. I do believe that it is often, and even mostly the case that God providentially moves churches to call Pastors. I also think that God moves on the hearts of people to desire the work of ministry including the pastorate. But I think we need to be careful not to ascribe passages in scripture that refer to High Priests or Prophets to be necessarily to the New Testament offices without having any explicit connection made in scripture. Furthermore, I think I used the phrases I think and I believe a lot. Which means I can’t point you to anywhere in scripture that is clear on this subject and you should take everything I just said with a grain of salt. Scripture is the authority and not me. But, that is what I believe.
Now, here is why this subject of a call is tricky. I can tell you that I don’t question in the slightest bit that God put it on my heart to plant Harvest Baptist Church. Without going into detail, it hit me with a clarity and surety that I have hard time even explaining, and I could easily refer to it as a calling if I didn’t think it important to be very precise in that language. It was God’s working on my heart through Holy Spirit to greatly desire this work of ministry, without a doubt. But if I say that I am called of God to this position then the danger is that no-one on earth has the authority to question or reject that calling since the calling comes directly from God. And calling it a calling can give license where none exists, and what use is there of having qualifications prescribed in the Bible for ordained positions if those positions are called directly of God. Furthermore none of the qualifications listed mentions a call.
That said, the Bible does say that Christians in general are called of God, 2 Tim 1:8-9 says
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
and Hebrews 3:1
1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Call and Response
Call and Response
Call
Call
God calls but it is our duty to respond. That calling of God is what some theologians call prevenient grace. A grace preceeding salvation. John 6:44 says
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
So if someone comes to Christ it is not because they are seeking Christ first it is because God has drawn them to Christ. In fact, Romans 3:11 goes so far as to say
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
People don’t even seek after God, without it being God who has drawn them to him.
Response
Response
My question for you this morning is this: If God is calling you, how will you respond. If you feel that tugging on your heart that you need to make a decision to become a follower of Christ, that tugging is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead drawing you to Christ. How will you respond?
God has done his part. Out of love for you he sacrificed his son on a cross, pouring out the punishment, the wrath, that was due to mankind in it’s rebellion against him. Pouring out that wrath upon His son.
Then he reached out to you. He called you, he drew you to salvation. Even though we have imperfect hearts that drift toward lawlessness and rebellion against Him, He still loves you and has called you.
This morning if you with to respond to that call you can do it right now. I can’t say all you need to do is because what I am asking, what God is asking is everything. What you need to do is to respond, by rejecting sin, surrendering control of your life to Christ, and trusting that his work on the cross, dying for you, was sufficient to put things right between you and God.
If you decide to respond to God’s call today, in a moment we are going to close in prayer. I ask that you meet with me after and I would love to tell you more about our Savior. If you are watching from home you can send Harvest a message and I will respond to you confidentially.
Pray