WWUTT 1827 A Priest in the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5-10)

Christ Appointed as High Priest, Not by Self-Glorification

In Hebrews chapter 5, the preacher says that Christ is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. And this helps us to understand his humanity, his sympathy, and his ministry when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text, studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ. Thank you for subscribing, and if this has ministered to you, please let others know about our program.

Here once again is Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky. We're back to our study in Hebrews 5. Going on to the next section today, verses 5 through 10, which I'll begin by reading from the Legacy Standard Bible. This is the word of the Lord.

In this way also Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but he who said to him, You are my son, today I have begotten you. Just as he says also in another passage, you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

He, in the days of his flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered, and having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.

Now as we start here in this section in verse 5, in this way also Christ did not glorify himself. So it's necessary for us to remember what we read yesterday, where we read about Christ's legitimacy as a high priest in the order of Aaron.

So Aaron was the first high priest in Israel, then his sons and those in the Aaronic line were appointed to become high priests, and the main function, the main purpose that the high priest served is that on the Day of Atonement, that one day per year, that he was to go into the Holy of Holies, he sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the people.

He did this three times, in fact, going into the Holy of Holies, sacrificing first for himself, then for the other priests, and then for the people. And he had a very strict regimen that he had to follow.

He was to dress a certain way, he was to eat certain foods, he separated himself from the rest of Israel to fast and pray for a time in preparation for that day. He had to wear these white garments that had never been worn before, and every time he went into sacrifice, he would have different vestments on than he had the first time, because he had to be pure, he had to be righteous, even in the practice of this.

Now, the blood of bulls and goats, as we're going to read later in Hebrews, never had the power to forgive a person of sins anyway, but these things were done as God commanded them, so that we would have types and shadows that would precede the coming of Christ that were ultimately pointing to him.

And we recognize that what Christ accomplished was even greater than what the high priest did, an even greater purpose than the high priest served. The blood of bulls and goats couldn't save us, and yet that was happening by the thousands, tens upon thousands, every single year, blood of bulls and goats and all other animals that are sacrificed there in Israel unto God, and yet the thousands upon thousands, hundreds of thousands of animals that were sacrificed in the tabernacle and then in the temple, just at the consecration of the temple there were hundreds of thousands of animals that were sacrificed for the period of a week, but even that did not have the power to absolve us of our sins.

Christ was the spotless lamb, and the power that was in his blood even greater than all of those millions of animals over those periods of hundreds of years that would have been sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people.

The blood of bulls and goats couldn't have done it anyway, but Christ's blood can, and his position as high priest is so much greater. You know, our sin is even greater than what's demonstrated by the death of animals in the place of people who committed these sins.

Our sins are even greater than that. The rebellion that we have committed against God by going our own way, by rebelling against God and doing our own thing, those sins resulted in the entire upheaval of all of creation.

All the chaos that we see in the world is because Adam and Eve sinned against God, and then everything was subjected to futility. All evil exists in the world because of sin. It happens in the moment because of sin, like sin happening right now is the reason evil is happening in the world, but it's also the result of the first sin, that first rebellion in the Garden of Eden, and then God cursing all of creation as a result of that.

This is the great punishment for our sin. It's the great consequence. What we see happening in the world and in all of creation, all the evil that happens, death and disease and everything else, all of that is because we sinned against God.

So even the sacrifice of bulls and goats doesn't even quantify the level of what we did in our sin, let alone that it doesn't forgive us of that sin. All of this was meant to be types and shadows that was pointing to Christ.

Even the Aaronic priesthood, even the priesthood that was given in Israel, that was a type and a shadow of something that was to come. And Christ is the one, ultimately, who is the greater High Priest.

And the appointment of the High Priest, that was given by God. Aaron is not the one who stepped up and said, I'll be a High Priest for Israel. God appointed to Aaron and to his sons that they would be High Priests.

Whoever the High Priest was, was chosen by God to be the High Priest. And so just as the High Priest did not take that honor upon himself, so God, the Father, is the one who appointed Christ to be that High Priest for us.

I know that's probably mind-blowing to think about because, of course, Christ is God. Jesus is God. He's the second person of the Trinity, the Son. He existed eternally with the Father. He's the one who put on flesh and dwelt among us.

By him, all things are created, as we read at the very beginning of Hebrews, in Hebrews 1. He's the creator of all things. And yet the creator of all things did not appoint himself to be High Priest. But the Father did.

And said, this is my Son in whom I am well pleased. We heard that at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3. It was said again on the Mount of Transfiguration in the hearing of Peter, James, and John. The Lord saying, the Father saying, this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.

This is the Father saying, he is my anointed. This is the one whom I have sent. He is the one that I have chosen who will forgive this people of their sins. Chosen by God. So in this way, Christ did not glorify himself to become a High Priest.

But he who said to him, and then we have this reference back to Hebrews 2 .7 once again. You are my Son, today I have begotten you. We heard that read, we saw that said, quoted back in Hebrews 1. It was at the very beginning.

So that we would know that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the one who was sent from heaven to take away the sin of the world. Everyone who would believe in him. So, you are my Son, today I have begotten you.

He's the fulfillment of that statement that came a thousand years earlier in Psalm 2. Just as he says also in another passage, this is verse 6. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

Now that is a quotation from Psalm 110. That's Psalm 110 verse 4. Let's go there. Let's look at that together. Just as I did this with Psalm 2 and with Psalm 95. Let's look at this also in Psalm 110. You'll recognize the beginning.

Yahweh says to my Lord, sit at my right hand. Until I put your enemies as a footstool for your feet. That was quoted in Hebrews 1. Yahweh will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion. Saying, have dominion in the midst of your enemies.

Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of your power. In the splendor of holiness. From the womb of the dawn, the dew of your youthfulness will be yours. Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his anger. He will render justice among the nations. He will fill them with corpses.

He will crush the head that is over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the wayside. Therefore, he will lift up his head. There's a lot going on there. In just seven verses. Of Psalm 110. More than just stating, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

But you will be a conquering king. Who will strike down your enemies. Pretty graphic there in those closing three verses. So what's entailed in this? And who was Melchizedek? This is going to come up with greater detail a little bit later on in Hebrews.

As we talk more about Melchizedek. But he's a very mysterious figure all things considered. He appears only in one place in scripture. He's talked about in only three places in the whole Bible. Genesis chapter 14 where he makes an appearance.

Psalm 110 where this prophetic promise is given. And then in Hebrews where the explanation of it is fleshed out. Now this statement is said here about Jesus being a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5, 6. But then it doesn't get mentioned again until later on in chapter 6. And then the doctrine of it is laid out in greater detail in Hebrews 7. So we got to wait two chapters before we really kind of dive into the nitty gritty of this.

But let's understand first of all who Melchizedek is. So Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis chapter 14. It's the only place in the Old Testament that he's mentioned in any narrative. And then his name doesn't come up again until Psalm 110.

So this was after Abram was called by God and said that God would make a great nation out of Abram. Of course it would become Abraham. Now his nephew Lot was kidnapped. Abram brought up an army. It wasn't a large army.

It was just 318 men. But they were successful in striking down Chedorlamer and the kings who were with him and rescuing Lot. So the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram and his men in the valley of Sheba.

That is the king's valley. This is Genesis 14, 18. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God Most High. And then he blessed him and said. So we actually have words from Melchizedek being quoted in Genesis 14, 19.

Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, give the people to me, but take the possessions for yourself.

And then Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to Yahweh Most High, possessor of heaven and earth. That I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours so that you would not say I have made Abram rich.

I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me. Aner, Eshal, and Mamre. Let them take their share. And so that's it. That concludes Genesis 14. That's it as far as the story of Melchizedek goes.

Abram came to a priest of God. Believe it or not, even in that time before there was a priesthood that was established in the Aaronic line, there were priests of God. And Melchizedek was a king-priest of Salem.

Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram. Where is Salem? What is this place? That was Jerusalem, Salem. Jerusalem. That was before it had that name, Jerusalem.

That was where Melchizedek was king. So you see here all these types and shadows that are pointing to things that are to come. It would be in that very place over 2 ,000 years later that Jesus would be crucified.

Very close to that very place where Melchizedek and Abram would meet. In fact, where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed. That was Mount Moriah where the temple would be built. There just right outside of Salem that would eventually become the territory of Jerusalem.

The temple would be built there on that temple mount. So he's just outside Salem when Abraham was told by God to go and sacrifice Isaac. And of course, Isaac was spared and Aram was sacrificed in his place.

But that very location where Abraham and Isaac were, that was outside Salem. And that was where the temple would be built, Mount Moriah, which David would purchase. And then the temple would be constructed there under Solomon.

And then just outside of Jerusalem is where Jesus would be sacrificed. So from the place where Abraham and Isaac were, you could have seen the spot that would later become Golgotha. Where the Son of God would be sacrificed for us.

The sacrifice for our sins. It's amazing how all of this is connected. But anyway, I go back to show you where Melchizedek is mentioned. And he's very mysterious. He's a mysterious figure. We don't know anything about his lineage, where he comes from, who his descendants were.

And that's something that's going to come back up a little bit later on when we get to Hebrews chapter 7. But at least giving you this much so you understand who Melchizedek was. And then this statement in Psalm 110, Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind.

You're a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Now I'd really love to flesh that out and go even further into that. But I'm going to wait until we get to chapter 7. And I believe the statement is being made here in Hebrews 5.

But isn't expounded upon until we get to Hebrews 7. And the reason for that is actually given. When you get to verse 11, the preacher here says, Concerning him we have much to say. Concerning Melchizedek and how Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, we have much to say about this.

And it's hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. For by this time you ought to be teachers. You again have need for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God.

Now I'm jumping ahead because that's the section we're going to be looking at tomorrow. But just to share with you, we don't go on to talk about Melchizedek here because the preacher has some other things to say.

Before we get to that, which is going to be in chapter 7. There are some deep truths in here for us to understand. But they go way deeper than just a surface level understanding of the doctrines of God that we have.

Or that we even come to learn when we first come to Christ. When we first become Christians. So the preacher here is saying a lot goes into this. There's a lot to explain but you've become dull of hearing.

You need to grow up. You need to mature in your doctrine. To understand the depth of what is being said here and what Christ has fulfilled. With regards to the statement, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

So where we go next in the remainder of this section, verses 7 through 10. We're going to have explained to us here Christ's humanity, his sympathy, and his ministry. That's the remaining three parts of this.

His humanity, his sympathy, and his ministry. So here we are in verse 7. He in the days of his flesh. So Jesus becomes appointed the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. And he becomes like one of us.

He puts on flesh and dwells among us. He was a man appointed on behalf of men in the worship of God. So in the days of his flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one able to save him from death.

And he was heard because of his reverence. So Christ did this for us. He became a human like us. And he suffered like we suffer. And he offered up on our behalf prayers to God and supplications. Which is not just praying for himself, he's praying for others.

With loud crying and tears to the one who was able to save him from death. So whenever you go through whatever you go through. And you cry out to the Lord for deliverance. You are doing what Christ has done on your behalf.

You have a high priest who sympathizes with you. For he prayed in the same way that you pray. And Jesus had to go through way more than you ever have to go through. For he took the wrath of God upon himself with his death on the cross.

Yes, Jesus' life on earth was 33 years. That's traditionally what we say. I actually believe it was more like 35. But anyway, setting that aside. What Jesus went through on our behalf was way more than we ever have to go through.

Because Jesus took the wrath of God upon himself. It doesn't matter that he lived less years than you will live. You'll live twice as long if not three times as long. God willing. But the things that Jesus went through for us are unlike anything we will ever experience.

We do not have to experience the wrath of God because Jesus took that upon himself. Praise the Lord for that. And so Jesus, when he lifts up prayers with loud tears and crying. He is appealing to the one who is able to save him from death.

We're to do the same as Jesus did. And we know that Jesus sympathizes with us in our weakness. Because he did the same thing. In 2 Corinthians 1 .9, the Apostle Paul says,. These things happen to us to teach us to rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Jesus did it. And so we also, in all of our trials, in all of our needs, we need to rely on him who raises the dead. These things are happening to you that would turn you to God and teach you to rely on him.

I said to somebody just recently, I just said to a friend of mine, When you try to handle the trials that you go through on your own and you think that you can do this by yourself, that's pride. The difficult struggles that you're going through.

Even if you're angry with someone and you're completely justified in your anger. Just because you're justified in your anger doesn't mean that you don't give that to God. Give it to the Lord. In everything, appeal to God.

Just as Jesus did with loud crying and tears. Even in supplications, lifting up prayers on behalf of someone else. Maybe you don't have anything to cry about today that's going on in your life, but you could be crying tears for somebody else.

As Jesus did this, so we should also do. So we have here in verse 7, that Christ was a man appointed on behalf of men in the worship of God. Next verse, verse 8, we read about his sympathy that Christ was subject to weakness.

And he ministers to us with compassion. Verse 8, although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things in which he suffered. And we've read about that previously in chapters 3 and 4. That Jesus learned obedience through suffering.

And he was even perfected and purified in this suffering. That he might be the pure spotless lamb. He was tempted as we were, yet he did not give in to sin. He never sinned, so that he was the pure and spotless lamb.

Who would be sacrificed on our behalf to take away our sins for all those who believe in him. So we have this ministry of compassion that Christ has for us. And then finally, we have his ministry itself.

That Christ offered the perfect sacrifice for sins. And he is the source of our eternal salvation. Verses 9 and 10, having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation.

Now notice there that it says all those who obey him. When we believe in Christ, our faith is proven by our works. Faith and works are not the same thing. But our faith is proven by our works. Do we love God?

Then we'll prove that by obeying him. Jesus said the very thing to his disciples. You've heard me say it many times on this broadcast. John 14, 15, you will show me that you love me when you obey my commandments.

And John repeats it again in his first epistle. We show that we love God by keeping his commandments. And so, having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation.

If we say we believe in him, we will also obey him. I think of John 3, 36. He who has the Son has life. He who does not obey the Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God remains on him. Do you say that you believe in Jesus?

Then you must also obey Jesus. And then verse 10. Being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. And this, talking about our salvation. He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

The source of our eternal salvation. So, again, we have here in verses 7 through 10 a mention of his humanity, his sympathy, and his ministry. That Christ is our Savior who sympathizes with us in our weakness and takes away our sin.

Glory be to God. Heavenly Father, I thank you for what we've read here. There's so much more that we could go into. And the preacher is going to do so as we continue on in our study of the book of Hebrews.

But in what we've read here, may it convict our hearts to be as Jesus was. As we follow after our Savior. That we don't try to take matters into our own hands. We give them unto the Lord. We suffer in our bodies in that we don't give in to temptation.

We resist that temptation and we draw near to God. And we even lift up prayers on behalf of others. May we not be ashamed of this message and of this gospel but take it to the world. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

And the only way to be saved is to put faith and trust in Jesus our Savior. May we walk in that faith today in Jesus' name. Amen.

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