He Belongs To An Exalted Order

Please stand for the Old Testament scripture reading if you'd like to follow along.

It is Genesis 14 beginning in verse 8.

Then the king of Sodom the king of Gomorrah the king of Adma the king of Zeboiim The king

of Bela that is Zor went out and they joined battle in the valley of Sidon the Cheddar

Lomer king of Elam title king of goyim Aphromel king of Shinar

an area king of Eleazar four kings against five.

Now the valley of Sidon was full of the two men pits and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and

Some of them fell and the rest fled into the hill country.

So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the provisions and went their way.

They also took lot the son of Abram's brother who was dwelling in Sodom and his possessions and went their way.

Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew who was living by the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite brother

of a shoal and of aner.

They were allies of Abram when Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive.

He led forth his trained men born in his house 318 of them and went in pursuit as far as

Dan as he divided his forces against them by night he and his servants and Defeated

them and pursued them to Hoba north of Damascus.

Then he brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsmen lot With his possessions and the

women and the people after his return from the defeat of shiver loam Lomer and

The kings who were with him the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Sheba That is the Kings

Valley and Mikkel Zedek king of King of Salem brought out bread and wine.

He was the priest of God Most High and he blessed him and said blessed be Abram

by God Most High possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be God Most High who has delivered your enemies

into your hand and.

Abram gave him a tenth of everything

for the New Testament reading.

Turn your Bibles to Hebrews 5.

Verses 1 through 10 and Also, we'll be reading out of chapter 6 19 and 20 in

your that'd be one of 1003 in your hymn.

Bibles.

Hebrews 5 1 through 10.

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men In

relation to God to other gifts and sacrifices for sins.

He can deal gently with the ignorant and the way wayward since he himself is best

beset with weakness.

Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sin just as

he does for those of the people and No one takes this honor for

himself, but only when called by God just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be to be made a high priest But was

appointed by him who said to him you are my son today.

I have begotten you as He says also in another place you are the priest

forever after the order of Michael's attack in the days of the in in the days

of his flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him

who was able to save him from death and He was heard because of his reverence

Although he was a son.

He learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect.

He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

Being designated by God as the high priest after the order of Michael's attack chapter

6 verse 19 and 20.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner

Place behind behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.

Having become a high high priest.

Forever after the order of Michael's attack remains standing.

If you would take your Bibles and.

Turn to Psalm 110 and.

Then.

After we've read Psalm 110 we will go to our text for this morning Hebrew 7

1 through 10.

So let's begin with Psalm 110 and I'll be reading the first

Four verses.

The Lord says to my Lord Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your

footstool.

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter rule in the midst

of your enemies.

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments.

From the womb of the morning the dew of your youth will be yours.

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Now if you would turn to our text this morning Hebrews chapter 7.

Hebrews chapter 7 will read the first 10 verses.

For this Melchizedek king of Salem priest of the Most High God met Abraham during the

slaughter.

Returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him 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.

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.

See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils and.

Those descendants of Levi who received the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people that is

From their brothers though.

These are also Descended from Abraham but this man who does

not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and Blessed him who had the

promises.

It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior in The one case tithes

are received by mortal men, but enough in the other case by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

When one might even say that Levi himself who receives tithes and paid tithes through it paid tithes through

Abraham.

For he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Let's pray Father as we enter into Scripture now We pray that you would make it clear to

us and Lord above all that you would take us to the feet of Jesus Lord

God help us to see that even in these involved passages these

mysterious places.

You have a purpose.

So we pray that you would help us to know the importance of this Melchizedek and more

importantly the the importance of the Lord Jesus and we will thank you

as you do that this morning in his name.

Amen,

sir.

Manning David.

I'm sorry, sir.

David Manning is the British ambassador to the United States?

He had he's.

He deserves to be dressed as sir David Manning Because he belongs to the

order of st. Michael and st. George.

He is sir David Manning because he belongs to a distinguished order

named after two military saints.

Now Jesus belongs to a particular order as well The order

of Melchizedek an order of which he is the only member.

Now.

Let's zero back in on the text.

It's been some weeks since we've been here.

So let's figure out how we got where we got.

Remember that our pastor writers told us that Jesus was appointed as a high priest

After the order of Melchizedek you heard that in the New Testament reading a few moments ago

in chapter 5 and at the end of chapter 6 and he argues that Jesus

is a superior high priest Compared to the Levitical high priests of the Old

Covenant.

He's made that clear in chapter 5 Jesus priesthood as we just heard is

similar to the priests of the old days because like them He

represents men to God he is in solidarity with them

because he is a man and finally, he was appointed just like all

other priests to that office and yet as we read as you heard in chapter 5 in

Its representation in its solidarity and in its appointment It is

superior to the old covenant priesthood.

And he really drives home that point in chapter 5 verses 5 and 6 where he says two things

he quotes Psalm 2 and then Psalm 110 in those two verses

in Psalm or in verses 5 and 6 quoting Psalm 2 He says Jesus priesthood is superior because he's

the Son of God.

He is the king and So he is a divine kingly priest and then

in verses In that same verse he quotes Psalm 110

saying that Jesus is a forever priest after the order of Melchizedek

and then he abruptly leaves that conversation if you remember at the at the end of of

or at verse 11 or verse 10 of chapter 5 abruptly leaves the

Conversation and he says to you about that order of Melchizedek.

I have much to say.

But I have to leave that discussion for a bit because of your spiritual immaturity

and your infantile spiritual appetites and so then you remember he goes into this

extended warning of what will happen to us in that kind of Immaturity if

we are remain sluggish like that.

But then he ends at the end of chapter 6 with some words of comfort Telling us that God

has us and we can be assured because of God's promises and then he comes back To this whole

issue of Melchizedek at the end of chapter 6 verses 19 and 20.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.

That is Jesus a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has

gone as forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of

Melchizedek, so after Speaking about Jesus superior priesthood and likening it to Melchizedek.

He gives us these warnings, right?

And then now he comes back and says okay having said all that having warned you.

Let me tell you then about Melchizedek.

He returns now to the fact that Jesus is a forever priest After the order of

Melchizedek as he was promised in psalm 110 which our writer quotes in

verse chapter 5 verse 6 and alludes to in

Verse 10.

He says Jesus is superior to the old priesthood because he's a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Because he's in that order the order of Melchizedek.

He's superior to the Old Testament Priesthood and you might ask well if Jesus is

superior because he's a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

What kind of person was Melchizedek?

What is that all about?

Don't just tell me that explain it which is what he does now in verses 1 through 10.

Okay.

It's what he does now.

He's gonna tell you about Melchizedek and so you need to listen in order to

understand because Understanding this will point you to the only hope that you have.

Now, let me say this right now, right?

I'm gonna I'm spoiler alert.

Okay.

This is all about Jesus and what Jesus? Can mean to you?

But in order to understand that we got to go back and understand a little bit about this man

called Melchizedek.

Because your hope can only be in Jesus because he's after the order of Melchizedek.

So what do we find here in the first three verses?

We find this that you need to understand the unique person of Melchizedek.

Verses 1 through 3 for this Melchizedek King of Salem priests of the Most High God Met Abraham

returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him 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.

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.

So he begins as he talks about this unique person of Melchizedek.

He says let me remind you about This guy named Melchizedek now you

heard about him this morning.

We read his story everything there is to say about him in Genesis chapter 14.

You remember he's the priest.

Who he's the king priest who met Abraham after he had defeated the four Mesopotamian

kings.

Now you remember these four Mesopotamian kings Arrived in Canaan to go to war

against the five Canaanite Kings Including the king of Sodom where

Abrams neat nephew lived lie and the Mesopotamians

defeated the Canaanite Kings plundering them capturing many including lie and

Then Abraham got word of this so he took his own Paramilitary forces and he went to

war.

This guy with his own forces went to war against the four kings and he defeated

them and Then all of a sudden out of nowhere

this king of Salem shows up with bread and wine.

And he blesses Abram and Abraham Gives him a tenth of all

the plunder that he had took.

That's all we know about the guy.

That's it.

That name which suddenly appears at this juncture just as quickly Disappears

and we don't hear anything about him.

Till David mentions him in Psalm 110 saying God's promise to

send a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Now the details of that story that are said and the details that are left out.

Are.

Important for understanding Jesus and his priesthood.

So what makes Melchizedek a unique person.

First of all, he is a king priest.

He is a priest, but he's also the king of Salem.

He is a priest king and remember what our writer has already asserted in chapter

5 verses 5 and 6.

That Jesus is number one king.

Number two a priest.

Okay, so you see that connection?

Melchizedek is a priest of the Most High God now that should just have bells going off in your head

because.

You remember that in the Bible story Abraham is the one whom God chooses to make his name known

to all the nations.

And so here's Abraham.

Moving like God told him to Canaan and all of a sudden a Canaanite king shows up.

Who is a priest of the same God?

Right, I mean right away you're like going wait a minute.

I don't think anybody else knew about God all of a sudden.

Here's this guy who's the king of the city of Salem and he's a priest of

the Most High God.

Okay, he blesses Abraham.

And notice that even though Abraham is the recipient of the promises of God It says in our text.

He blessed Abraham the one who'd been chosen by God.

Now.

What happens in Abraham gives him a tithe he gives him a tenth Right of all the

plunder he's gotten from that he gained in battle.

Then he goes on to say when you translate the word Melchizedek.

When you translate that word it means king of righteousness now.

Remember the Old Testament's written in Hebrew.

Okay, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew now the Hebrew word for king

is Malik All right, but if you want to say king of

the form changes and it becomes Maliki All right king of so it

changes that word Malik it then says Maliki which is how you put the of

that and then Zedek.

Zedek is the Hebrew word for righteousness.

And so Melchizedek whom we call Melchizedek is the king

of Righteousness.

That's what he means when he says when you translate his name, what does it mean means king of righteousness?

It also means that he is a righteous king.

Now he can also be styled as the king of peace.

He goes on to say he's the king of peace.

Because he is the king of Salem now the Hebrew word behind Salem is

the word Shalem.

Which is a form of the word?

Shalom.

The Hebrew word for peace.

He's the king of a city named.

Peace.

He is the king of peace.

But then the writer makes a point about the silence in Melchizedek story.

He makes a point about the details that you don't get in the story they're totally

absent.

Now in our text here in chapter 7 verse 3

the text literally says that he is fatherless motherless and

genealogy lists.

Okay, if you would translate it literally that's what it would say genealogy lists and is no mother

no father.

No genealogy.

Genesis is silent about his background says nothing about it.

Absolutely nothing and.

So he's set apart from normal human experience by these five missing pieces mother

father.

Family tree and then what what phrase follow?

He says having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

So there's nothing about his birth.

Nothing about his death.

Genesis is absolutely silent about that.

Now.

That is really strange.

Because the whole book of Genesis is structured around ten genealogies.

I don't know if you remember this, of course, you remember everything I've preached, right?

When we went through the book of Genesis, we noticed the structure of Genesis.

It's structured around ten genealogies.

The whole book is structured around genealogies.

How strange that.

How strange that in a book that's structured around genealogies in Which births and

deaths fathers and even mothers are listed?

How strange it is?

For our writer to make a big deal of that.

I mean, that's that's what the book is about.

Now in order to serve as a priest in Israel You had to establish your genealogy.

Every priest in Israel had to come from the tribe of Levi and

You you you were supposed to be able to trace your genealogy back to Levi and then on top of that There was another

genealogy within the genealogy and that is the line of Aaron.

Aaron's a son of Levi as well.

But Aaron in order to be a high priest you had to be show your genealogy that connected

you to Aaron.

So, although he's a worshipper of the Most High although he is a priest of the Most High he

has no genealogical credentials to present.

To show you he has a right to that office and our writer is

essentially saying all those things are irrelevant for this great priest.

His priesthood is not based on genealogy or birth.

Nor is it ended by death as everyone else would expect the record

to show.

Now, what's the point?

He is like Jesus notice.

But he he resembles the Son of God because he continues as a priest forever now.

It's not saying that Melchizedek is still alive.

It's saying he resembles Jesus.

Because he's like Jesus whose priesthood is neither based on birth.

Nor does it end in life?

Jesus priesthood is not based on genealogy either.

Because Jesus is not of the tribe of Levi.

Yet he's a priest.

He's a priest like Melchizedek.

Jesus in other words is the forever priest prophesied in Psalm 110.

Who would be in the order of Melchizedek?

He's a forever priest.

You see the story of Melchizedek is not some kind of mystery that God wants us to unravel.

Like right away.

See we spend the most ink on the things.

The Bible says the least about like wait a minute.

How could there be a Canaanite King?

Who's a priest and who worships God?

How is that possible?

And Why wasn't he involved with the other Kings and fighting off the Mesopotamians and

On and on and on it goes.

All right, but God didn't give us this so that we'd have a great mystery to unravel.

That's not the point the issue is that he points ahead

to someone.

Greater.

That is Jesus He resembles the Son of God.

Jesus is the forever priest the priest who brings you to this most high God and

he's most high because this God cannot abide.

Sin.

He hates it and He will punish all sinners.

But you have a priest that makes you presentable to God or that you can go before

God.

A sinner has no right to even stand in God's presence and This priest can never die

and so he's always there To make your case to say to God.

I've got the wounds to prove it.

I.

Died for that person.

And I represent him.

If you've trusted in Jesus, that's what's happening.

He is a priest.

Forever.

Before God well.

God tells you more about Melchizedek's that you understand that Jesus is superior.

And then in verses 4 through 10 1 through 3 He's talked about the unique person of Melchizedek now.

He talks about his unique position.

Understand the unique position of Melchizedek.

Verses 4 through 10 see how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of

the spoils and.

Those descendants of Levi who received 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.

But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and

blessed him who had the promises.

It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

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.

One might even say that Levi himself who receives tithes paid tithes through Abraham.

He was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Understand the unique position of Melchizedek.

First of all, he serves as the priest for Abraham.

He serves as Abraham's priest.

Now he starts out in verse 4 by saying see how great this man was.

That's not where you're gonna go when you read Genesis.

Who's the hero of the story?

Who's the hero of that story?

Abraham is.

Abraham is where you want to fix your eyes.

He says, okay.

No.

No, I want you to fix your eyes on Melchizedek.

Because great as Abraham was the very patriarch of the whole nation of Israel.

The very greatness of that patriarch is surpassed by this

mysterious King priest.

He's even greater.

How do you know that Abraham gave him a tenth of the hard -won spoils of war that he

possessed now.

Why did Abraham tithe his plunder?

Why did he do that?

What was the deal?

By giving Melchizedek a tithe.

He recognized him as his priest.

He recognized him as his priest that he was his intermediary between

God and him.

To tithe to a priest in worship was to recognize that priests authority to intercede

for God on your behalf.

Now he says remember that the Levites were the ones who collected tithes in in worship from their

brother Israelites.

The Levites occupied a privileged position.

They lived off the tithes of the other tribes.

By law the other tribes were to pay their tithes to the Levites and in

that particular privileged position.

They exacted the tithe from the rest of Israel and all of them were descended from Abraham even though they're

brothers.

They're getting the tithe from all those brothers.

They're all part of the same nation, but Melchizedek stands outside of those boundaries.

Here's the point.

Melchizedek isn't even in those boundaries.

He was not a son of Abraham.

He's not even an Israelite.

He cannot be compared to the Levites who received tithes from the fellow Levites.

He occupies an entirely different category of priests.

He stands outside of Israel and yet he collected a tithe from the Patriarch

of Israel and not to put too fine a point on it.

He finally says and by the way Melchizedek blessed Abraham and the

superior always blesses the inferior.

It's not the other way around.

The tithe went from the worshiper through the priest to God and a blessing.

Proceeded from God through the priest to the worshiper the priest had authority

to confer God's blessing on the worshiper and.

Even to the one who has the promises of God.

Here then is a priest who is superior to who is greater than

Abraham himself.

Okay, now you see where his argument is going.

He's greater than Abraham who's the father of Levi from whom all the priests come.

He's greater than even the the Patriarch.

You see as well that Melchizedek served as Levi's priest in verses 8 through 10.

Now again, he picks up the issue of the Levitical priesthood, but the writer makes another distinction between them

and Melchizedek.

He makes another distinction.

Those Levites who collected all those tithes from their brothers eventually

died.

To be succeeded by other priests who died to be succeeded by other priests who

died their priesthood ended.

At their deaths they were mortal.

But the text says nothing about Melchizedek's death or to priests succeeding him.

So the text testifies to a living priesthood as it were.

Melchizedek points to Jesus as the resurrected one.

So he says do you want to attach yourself to priests who die?

Or to a greater priest who conquered death and lives forever you see.

That's where he's going with us.

Anyone who ministers after the order of Melchizedek must be superior

and he is.

Because there is no Death that ends his priesthood.

Finally, he says Melchizedek occupies that position greater than Levi.

Or the Levites in their priesthood because they paid a tithe to him.

He said wait a minute.

They weren't even there.

Well, yeah, as he says they were there in the person of their father.

Abraham and.

So they paid tithes.

They paid tithes to Melchizedek.

He is their priest as well even superior to them since they paid him.

If then the priest from Melchizedek Surpasses that of the Levites then Jesus who is in the order of

Melchizedek is Superior to those old priests.

And that's where he's going to take us.

If you keep reading and I hope you do.

So he's going to take us he says.

Therefore we have a greater high priest.

Now.

Why?

Spend all this pen and ink on a shadowy

Figure from ancient history.

You know what.

God is not in the business of writing great mystery stories

he is in the business of telling his story and.

His story.

Always leads you to Jesus.

Never forget that.

The story that God tells is his story.

All of the Bible is his story and it's leading to one point to this one

called Jesus.

To Jesus the superior forever priest you

reply.

That's interesting.

I don't need a priest.

A Priest.

Priest hardly ever enter my mind.

So, you know, can't we just skip over this part?

No, you know what, you know something.

Some of you Or all of us have to realize this.

You cannot go to God with your sin.

God doesn't just sit up there folks.

This may surprise you.

God doesn't sit up there and say Hey, everybody makes mistakes.

You know, I'm not gonna judge you.

Who am I to judge.

It's.

Only the supreme holy ruler of the universe He has the right to judge and he says

you cannot come to me with your sin.

I hate it and my wrath will be poured out on sinners.

What do we do about that?

There has to be a sacrifice offered to turn away his wrath.

What do we do about that?

Let me tell you something y 'all here if I can use that term.

You have all tried other priests.

Some of you have even gone to real priests.

Who are set up as priests.

You've gone to confess your sin.

You've gone to those priests who?

Somehow, I don't know by what authority absolved you of your sin.

But guess what?

They die.

What happens then.

More to the point what happens when you die and you don't have that priest.

Then what are you gonna do?

You say well, I've never gone to a priest.

Well.

Let me suggest to you some other things here that some of you have Some

trying to deal with your sin and your guilt have gone to the priests called therapists

and doctors.

Because in Inside you have this Foreboding that your life isn't right

and their emotions that are flying around and you want to get rid of those.

And I'm saying to you those priests fail every time.

They never deal With the real problem, which is your sin?

You need a priest who can turn away God's judgment.

You need Jesus the forever priest.

You know what?

Most everybody has served as their own priest.

They have you know how they do it you are you offer sacrifices of good

intentions and a resolve to do better and Somehow

God's wrath will be turned away from you because you say God I'm gonna do better from now on I'm gonna

obey you doesn't do any good.

That will not turn away the wrath of God because you can never offer anything good enough to do it.

He is so so holy he is the most high.

You can't even be a priest yourself.

You need a superior Forever priest in his name is Jesus.

Now.

Listen to me.

He's yours.

If you just rest in him Get rid of your resolve stop going to the other

priests and go to this one and Say Jesus your

sacrifice.

That's all I need.

I'm going to trust in the sacrifice you've made and That's superior forever priest

will bring to you forgiveness from this God Most High Who will

not be appeased with anything else.

But the sacrifice of his son father.

Thank you for your word thank you that we have a priest after the order of Melchizedek a.

Priest.

Whose priesthood never ends.

A priest who is far superior than any other priest we could

go to ourselves or anyone else.

Help us to rest in that priest to rest in the offering that he has made

on our behalf.

Thank you.

Thank you for this priest.

You pray this in his name.