Melchizedek, the King of Peace

Grace Reformation Bible Church iconGrace Reformation Bible Church

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Preacher: Ross Macdonald Scripture: Genesis 14:18-20

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Well this morning, we continue on in chapter 14. We look to complete chapter 14 today and Then next week.
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We'll begin chapter 15 and with 15. We'll be spending quite some time considering not just the covenant that God makes with Abram, but The covenantal structure not only of Genesis, but in fact all of Scripture, so we will spend some time
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Beginning next week looking at God's covenant of grace his administration of grace
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Which really launches forth in a profound way with the covenant? He makes with Abram, and so I hope that you'll be thoughtful and maybe even
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This this coming week spend some time considering What do we mean when we talk about covenant theology?
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How would you describe that or define that to someone who might ask? The more you think about these things the more you try to fill out a definition
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Hopefully over the coming weeks the more you'll be able to draw out of the time. We'll have together
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The last week we began chapter 14 and we saw this war between the nine kingdoms five against four and We saw a lot taken captive as a result of Keter lay
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Omer and his forces sweeping back up the Jordan Toward the Dead Sea toward Zoar and then we saw
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Abram taking his 318 trained men those born in his house as we said that ancient
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Near Eastern SWAT team armed with swords and clubs and bows Launch a night assault dividing their forces and actually routing the forces of Keter lay
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Omer So Abram was victorious and to the victor the spoils all that Keter lay
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Omer had got not only From the king of Sodom but from the other three kings as well as everything they got from the campaign which was all over that region and So Abram was not just the victor of some spoil
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But of much spoil the spoil Would have been not just what was in Sodom all the goods of the city all the people who were captive From the city would have been by right
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Abrams captives But whatever the four kings had brought or seized in their campaign not only their supplies
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But their plunder as well. All of this is fair game for Abram in verse 17
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We saw the king of Sodom goes out to meet in the valley of Shava we have in the text.
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That is the Kings Valley After his return from the defeat of Keter lay
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Omer and the kings who were with him But in verse 17 the king of Sodom doesn't actually get a chance to talk to Abram until verse 21
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So the king of Sodom begins to make his way toward Abram But he doesn't actually talk to Abram until verse 21 and when he talks to Abram he says
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Give me the people take the goods for yourself well this morning we're going to see why the king of Sodom was interrupted in verses 18 through 20 and He was interrupted by a mysterious figure named
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Melchizedek and we read this beginning in verse 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine
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He was the priest of God Most High and he blessed him and said blessed be
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Abram of God Most High possessor of heaven and earth and Blessed be
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God Most High Who has delivered your enemies into your hand? and He gave him a tithe of all that is
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Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of all Who is Melchizedek?
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Where did he come from? Where does he go? We cannot answer these questions in any great detail.
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In fact, we can only answer who Based on what we have in verses 18 through 20. We cannot answer where he comes from We cannot answer where he goes
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We can only answer who he is based on what I just read That's all of the information we have about Melchizedek in the scriptures
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Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine He was the priest of God Most High and he blessed
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Abram and he blessed the God of Abram. That's it that's all we know about this man as We've said
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Abram is in this time of triumph His ambush his night assault was completely successful so there's this glory of the victory and all of that adrenaline as The night became the dawn and the victory was clear the corpses of the enemies
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You can picture some of these men as well as the men of Asher and Eshgol and Mamre going around and running through any of the survivors
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Plundering taking what they could off of the bodies Gathering up the train of prisoners
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That were from Sodom of new prisoners from the forces of all of the goods between them
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There was this glory of this victory the adrenaline finally beginning to settle down the realization that God had prospered him
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He had not only saved a lot, but he had gained all of this plunder from Keter Laomer and then verse 17
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Here's this serpent of a man The king of Sodom And he makes his way toward this meek conqueror
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Abram and it's another moment of testing in Abram's life another moment of testing we've seen several already as Christians we come to expect these moments of testing don't we?
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Circumstances don't fall into our lap as though the universe unfolded at random as though our days
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Cycled through at a whim we realize that every day is appointed by God every season appointed whether for blessing or trial
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We recognize that when good things come our way gifts Break down upon our head or when trials come even a trial that we've been just praying about now
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God brings both blessing and trial to expose our hearts before him Reveal idols we have in our lives to clarify our faith or lack of faith
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To strengthen our devotion and dependence upon him we remember that God always promises his people in any given trial or temptation that he will provide a way of escape when that burden of the temptation is pressing upon them and As this serpent like king of Sodom makes his way toward Abram.
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Here is this burden of temptation What is Abram going to do? Is he going to to run back to Egypt so to speak?
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Is he going to put his heart in the arm of flesh or and what he could gain? Is he going to make himself a king in the place of Kerala Yom or is he going to take up shop in Sodom?
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notice that God provides a way of escape and That way of escape is Melchizedek Abram needs a deliverer and he finds it in this priest king from Salem Six things six details that we have in verses 18 through 20.
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The first is the name Melchizedek Melchizedek It's a combination of two
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Hebrew words Malek and Sadiq Malek for King Sadiq for righteousness. This is the king of Righteousness.
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That's what Hebrews 7 2 says first being translated king of righteousness and he's the king of Salem Melchizedek the king of Salem where we get the idea of God's Salem or Shalom peace the king of peace again
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Hebrew 7 2 Also king of Salem meaning king of peace So Hebrew 7 2 defines for us his name and his position.
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He is the king of righteousness and the king of peace He comes from nowhere we don't read the king whose father was or the son of or and he lives this many days in a book that's filled with genealogy
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That's given very specific amounts of time and length of days and in certain
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Lineage, we don't have that with Melchizedek He appears on the scene with no genealogy and then he disappears
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We know nothing of his birth nothing nothing of his death Nothing of his parentage and that point as we'll see later this morning is what the writer of Hebrews seizes upon Now the writer of Hebrews seizes upon this as many
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Christians that seized upon it Because we have to identify who Melchizedek is some have said he's simply a priest king a
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Canaanite priest king from Salem and He's a royal priest as many
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Kings would have been not only in ancient Near East But throughout much of ancient history even the
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Roman Emperors were were priests Pontifex Maximus of the Empire And so there's this priest king and he's nothing more than a priest king some would say
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Others and this goes back to The early church and it was picked up by some of the Reformers others identify him as Shem the son of Noah Who by their account was still alive in these days?
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some have gone to identify him as a Preincarnate appearance of Christ's what we would say is a
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Christophany notice not a theophany as in the burning bush
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But a Christophany that is a specific manifestation of Christ Example would be with Adrak Meshach and Abednego in the furnace the fourth figure
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That would be a Christophany a pre -incarnate appearance of the Sun. So we're going to review
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This later when we consider what Hebrews has to say Though let me be clear
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I I don't take a firm stance on on any and I play it relatively safe Because I think that's the safest thing to do
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AW pink himself said of this Two things are here affirmed of Melchizedek.
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He was king and he was priest Endless conjectures have been made as to his identity questions have been raised about what order of beings he belongs to But as the
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Holy Spirit has not seen fit to give us any information on these points We deem it irreverence to indulge in any speculation
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So we're going to be less Less irreverent than we could be perhaps this morning
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So the first thing is his name Melchizedek king of righteousness king of Salem that is king of peace
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Secondly the significance of that place Salem not just the king of peace as a quality of this kingdom
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But the place of Salem which would have been identified in this day as a stronghold of the
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Jebusites and that later becomes Jerusalem psalm 76 verse 2 records
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Jerusalem simply as Salem in Salem also is his tabernacle in his dwelling place is in Zion Now bookmark here.
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This becomes very important when we get to psalm 110 And we have again a mention of Melchizedek in the lineage of David Who's the first to occupy this throne in the city of Jerusalem?
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It was not taken until David became the king Third we read that he's priest of God Most High That is he's the priest of El Elion Notice that Abram sees
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Melchizedek as the priest of the God Most High of Yahweh There's no confusion between the
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God of Abram and the God of Melchizedek They both know that they serve the same God and the same God is being invoked
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Both men understand that they follow and trust the God who is the Most High God Because he is the
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God who possesses the heavens and the earth Melchizedek's mighty God is identified by Abram as the
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God who had called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans who had promised him a Blessing that he would be a blessing to the families of the earth
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And so when Abram hears Melchizedek this priest king coming in the name of the Most High God and saying
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Blessed be Abram of God Most High Abram automatically understands you serve the same
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God that I serve You are a priest of my God Your blessing comes the name of the
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God who I name and the God who I serve and So taking a step back from this
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We would have almost assumed That Abram was the sole follower of the
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Lord God at this point in Genesis It would seem that even after the flood and even after the descendants of Shem go their way that that there's
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Ignorance and superstition and idolatry and we don't read of of God's worship being restored
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We don't read of God's worship being continued until we come to Melchizedek and in Melchizedek We realize
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God has not left himself without a witness Not only had
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Abram been called by God, but Melchizedek. He was a worshiper in the line of Seth In the line of Enoch in the line of Noah He was a follower of God a priest of God One who worships and made known the way of God here in this hill country here in the very place where Jerusalem and its temple will be erected
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Melchizedek rules and worships the true and living God Now as a priest forth as a priest he brings an ordinance bread and wine
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Often it is said from from men like Gil and Calvin It said these are communion elements to us today
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But there were simply refreshments that he brought or they might say this is a banquet that the king puts before Abram He allows him to to have this banquet with him and I I don't see that as being entirely accurate
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This is not simply a refreshment The whole context of Melchizedek being a priest of God Bringing bread and wine with him says there's something related to the blessing of God here.
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There's something Ritualistic something functional about this bread and this wine something related to the blessing and his priesthood after all
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We've already seen that the men of Abram had eaten from the spoil He says I don't want anything from you except what's already been eaten what the young men have eaten
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So they've had plenty of food from the supplies and plenty of food from the spoil They don't need more food from this priest
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King I think this is significant because it's a prophetic detail as I hope we'll connect between psalm 110 in Hebrews 7 as A priest not only does he come with an ordinance?
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He also comes with a blessing a twofold blessing blessed be Abram of God Most High Possessor of heaven and earth blessed be
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God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hands Melchizedek blesses
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Abram Melchizedek blesses the God of Abram What does it mean to bless
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God? It simply means to praise God to bless. God is to enhance his his reputation
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His knowledge or glory in the earth. That's how we bless the Lord God So blessing here is is a worship you could almost translate it
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I praise the God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hand blessed be this
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Lord blessing as We have it here in Melchizedek paints a beautifully simple portrait
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In contrast to the treasures of the world that the king of Sodom is slithering forward to offer to Abram The Melchizedek priest comes and says the only lasting
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Blessings in this life the blessings that ought to order your life are blessings that come from the
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Living God Not from earthly kings not from earthly kingdoms Not from what rust can destroy and moss will consume but treasure from God blessing from God This is a gift of the
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God Most High The one who created all the things that will perish the one who created all the things that will not perish
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Melchizedek Steals the resolve of Abram by pointing him to God as creator
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He's the possessor of heaven and earth How could he possess it? Unless he made it he has rights to it.
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It is his and so in this way beginning at the the largest scale
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Possible he zeroes all the way into the deliverance of Abram the one who possesses
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Heaven and earth even delivered you from the hand of your enemy This sets us up toward Genesis 15 when
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God himself comes to Abram and says I am your shield Your great reward so already the idea of God's deliverance
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God being as it were the protector the provider the warrior on Abram's behalf is made clear
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In fact, that's emphatic in the Hebrew Here the the verb delivered in Hebrew is
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Megan where its shield is Magan It's just it's just a different pointing of the vowels, but it's the same consonants
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And so it's meant to connect Genesis 15 one with the idea of deliverance here. I am your shield.
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I'm the one who delivered you Notice that this priest's ministry is to reveal
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LL young He is to come in the name of the Most High God The one who possesses heaven and earth and From that pronounce a blessing upon him just like Paul in a very different role
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Says my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory that's a
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That's a somewhat removed similar way of saying the same thing The God Most High possesses heaven and earth blessed be he and blessed be you from him
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He will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory he is your shield he is your great reward
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So notice that God sends Melchizedek to intercept the king of Sodom's temptation and Because of this encounter
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Abram gets all of his priorities straight immediately and because he has his priorities, right in his view of the blessing
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Set on high he can deflect the temptation of the king of Sodom with ease Abram would have never passed the subtle trap unscathed unless Melchizedek had met him first Unless he had had an opportunity to hear the
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Word of God from the priest of God and receive the blessing of God It's as though Abram from this encounter can turn to the king of Sodom almost in disgust
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Take your perishing possessions run back to Sodom. I don't even want a sandal strap from you
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I won't give you the chance to say that you've made Abram rich. I'm pursuing the blessing of God the reward of God He alone possesses all things in reality king of Sodom.
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You possess nothing notice again what Melchizedek says
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Blessed be Abram of God Most High Possessor of heaven and earth and what does Abram say to the king of Sodom?
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I have raised my hand to the Lord God Most High the possessor of heaven and earth.
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He's repeating the exact same sentence to the king of Sodom This is new revelation that now
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Abram has received and he's asserting it against the king of Sodom He's mimicking the blessing and worship of Melchizedek Melchizedek gives a revelation and Abram mimics it he repeats it in other words
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His faith is resolved in what has been revealed and notice the response He gives him a tithe of all
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Abram is the father of all who believe And as the father of all who believes he reverently approaches this priest of God and of everything he has he gives him a tenth
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Everything for us is clarified in Hebrews Hebrews 7 2 to whom also
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Abraham gave a tenth part of all Hebrews 7 4
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Consider how great this man was To whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils
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So you have this? Everything that's somewhat broad in verse 2 and then it's clarified in verse 4 of Hebrews 7
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He gives him a tenth of all of the plunder a tenth of all the spoils So here we already understand
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Abram knows this is his to give his by right. He is the conqueror and Yet when he encounters this priest of God, he tithes to him.
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He gives a tenth to him And then when the king of Sodom says Give me back the people you can have all the possessions to yourself.
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He says you can have it all now That's not tithing all it's not as though the king of Sodom gets 90 %
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That that's sort of an anti tithe. I don't even want to be stained by it Here's what is mine and I tithe to you out of reverence as an act of obedience and thankfulness
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To God for his deliverance when the king of Sodom says you can at least have the people he says you can have all of This I don't want any of this.
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It's a very different contrast The king of Sodom receives no tithe from Abram.
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His possessions are returned almost as if they're defiled And all of this confirms the faith of Abram Derek Kidner says this so well
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What a profound contrast between these two Kings Melchizedek offers him in token a simple sufficiency from God All he does is pronounce a blessing upon Abram and in pronouncing that blessing
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He tells Abram to focus on the giver and not on the gift Abram Accepts this in pays tribute
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All of this is meaningful only with faith The king of Sodom on the other hand makes a very handsome and businesslike author
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It's only disadvantage Can be seen again by faith
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Faith causes Abram to see God as his great reward Faith also see helps
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Abram to see The treachery and the potential trap in the king of Sodom's offer
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Well, let's consider Melchizedek in more detail I'll begin by talking about Melchizedek as a type of Christ And I know you've probably all come across this language of type or typology
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Maybe without really understanding what's being communicated in that when we talk about type. We also have to talk about Antitype the antitype so type and antitype type comes from the
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Greek to pass Simply means a symbol or a figure or a representation.
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That's a type that Representation when it's fulfilled that symbol when it's realized that which is a picture when it becomes concrete or substantive
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We call that the antitype. That's the fulfillment of the type. That's what the type is always pointing forward
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So throughout the scriptures we talk about the many different types of Christ We have an example of Paul speaking of this very way in 1st
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Corinthians 10 He says the rock was a type of Christ that rock which followed them in the wilderness
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And so we're given sort of the apostolic Encouragement to understand the scriptures in this way
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Because all of the scriptures are ultimately about the revelation of Christ Jesus God's work in him by the
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Spirit right all of God's work is triune The work of God outside of himself cannot be divided and so it's the revelation of God But God has revealed uniquely in Christ and he's revealed to do us as Christ by the
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Spirit And so we have typology Melchizedek is a type There's no debate on this point
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Melchizedek is a type If you debate this point, you're just you're outside of Scripture.
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You're far beyond it. Melchizedek is given to us as a type Whether he's more than that is what is debated.
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He's not least than that Melchizedek as Alan Ross points out
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Melchizedek stands as a type of Jesus Christ Uniting his offices of priest and King We could also say in the way that he comes forth to declare the
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Word of God he's also a prophet a prophet being the one who declares the Word of God and that Word of God can be a blessing or a curse and here that blessing is not just a priestly function but a prophetic function
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And so really I might maybe elaborate a little bit more on Ross's comment here.
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We see Melchizedek as a type of Christ in his threefold office prophet priest in King But the image of priest in the image of King are are put forth
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He's called a priest and he's called a king in the text when the book of Hebrews says that he's without father and without mother
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It means that there's no genealogical record. He appears on the scene without notice
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And in that sense the text is saying there's a figure here there's a type here
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He's a priest, but we don't have a record of his succession as we do with the Levitical priesthood
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We'll see that later this morning. And so he's not a Levitical priest He's before there was such a thing as a
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Levitical priest and there's no order There's no succession because he's without beginning in the text and he's without end
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We don't know when he became and when he turns over he simply revealed as the priest of God when
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David the Israelite King Sits on Melchizedek's throne as we'll see in just a second
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He himself prophesies about the nature of this priesthood and He prophesies based on his position as the king sitting on the throne in Salem in Jerusalem So Psalm 110 there's only three places in Scripture where we have
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Melchizedek discussed that's Genesis 14 8 through 18 through 20 Psalm 110 and Then Hebrews 5 6 and 7.
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These are the only places in Scripture where we have any discussion of Melchizedek and Psalm 110 bridges
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Genesis 14 to the writer of Hebrews Psalm 110 not only does the heavy lifting here for Melchizedek it is
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The most quoted Old Testament text in the New Testament Psalm 110 is the most quoted most often referenced
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Scripture in the New Testament And so if you want a window into how the early Christians thought about the fulfillment of Christ What it means that he is
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Lord What was at the very heart of their preaching and their message What was at the very center of what they confessed from the beginning?
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You have to pay close attention to Psalm 110 and then maybe ask the question Why is it that the
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Apostles turned so often to Psalm 110? Why is it that the early Christian faith? Orbited around Psalm 110 and maybe not other places in Scripture that we might assume it would orbit around Or we would assume would become central.
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Why is it Psalm 110? Hopefully that colors the way we think about the central message of the gospel
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Psalm 110 The Lord said to my Lord you remember
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Jesus Confounding his enemies by quoting this. Have you not read the
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Lord said to my Lord if David says the Lord to my Lord. How can he then be
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David's son yet David's Lord? The Lord it's already there's something prophetic
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Jesus is highlighting about Psalm 110 The Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand
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That sound familiar it ought to Psalm 2 the enthronement psalm
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Where the nations are called to to tremble before the one who's been enthroned by God Kissing his feet as he holds the rod of iron that smashes them into pieces confounding all of their plotting in vain
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Sit at my right hand Until I make your enemies your footstool
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The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion rule in the midst of your enemies again
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This is what the early Christians often preached This was central to their understanding of the gospel
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How central would someone tend be to most explanations of the gospel today? Would it ever even enter into the conversation?
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If you took 50 of the leading evangelicals and you asked them to give a summary of the gospel
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How many of them would even come close to someone 10? Interesting, isn't it?
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rule in the midst of your enemies your people Shall be made willing in the day of your power in the beauties of holiness
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From the womb of the morning you have the dew of your youth The Lord has sworn and he will not relent you are a priest forever according to the order of Several elements that Hebrews is going to draw on from Psalm 110
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The Lord has sworn That you Who is being addressed here?
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Who is the you in Psalm 110? Go back to verse 1 the Lord said to my
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Lord David's writing this as a king Who is the
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Lord of the king? But the Lord the Lord said to my Lord you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek Now we have this in quotation marks, but we don't have any reference to what it's quoting
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We have this as direct speech we have this as prophecy this is
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David prophesying of his Lord being a priest forever
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After the order of Melchizedek the Lord had said to my Lord and this is what the
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Lord has sworn You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek Notice that David does not claim this for himself.
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He does not claim to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek He's a king.
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He's not of the Levite tribe The one who he references prophetically is the one who is a priest forever and that brings us to Hebrews to Melchizedek Melchizedek appears as we've noticed without any record and that's what
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Hebrews is reacting to there's no genealogy He's a type of This abiding priesthood a priesthood forever an eternal priesthood that Jesus fulfills
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And it's simply being drawn on the fact that he has no beginning no end He takes from that missing detail in Genesis 14 this type this picture of one whose days is without beginning and without end the one who had no parentage because he is the
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Word of God and he lives Everlastingly to make intercession for all those who come to God by him.
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So let's begin with Hebrews 5 I'll just highlight some things as we work through Hebrews 5 6 and 7
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I'm not going to read all of them, but the Hebrews 5 beginning in verse 5 the whole the whole sort of Trajectory of Hebrews is talking about how
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Christ is superior to the Old Covenant at every level He's superior to all of creation superior to the angels
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He's superior to the Old Covenant superior to Aaron superior to the Levitical priests superior to the law
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The covenant he brings about is superior in every way. It's all about the superiority of Christ and Christ's work and the context of Hebrews is
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Jewish Christians who are facing a furnace of Persecution and they're being tempted to go back to the old way back to the shadows back to the types
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Can't we just go back to the synagogues and and get away from this heat if we're Jews will be tolerated
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But as Christ believing Jews were being persecuted. Can't we go back? Are there two ways of salvation and the right of Hebrews is saying no you cannot go back to the types to the shadows
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You cannot go back to the ministry which condemned you the ministry of death Hebrews 5 beginning in verse 5 so also
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Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest But it was he who said to him
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He being God he who said to him You're my son Today I have begotten you sound familiar
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Psalm 2 Psalm 110 2nd Samuel 7 the enthronement of the king the king who sits upon the throne
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You are my son. This is Adoption language given to an earthly king and it projects or it portrays
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God enthroning his son You are my son today. I have begotten you as he also says in another place
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You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek who in the days of his flesh
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When he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death
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He was heard Because of his godly fear Though he was a son yet.
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He learned obedience through what he suffered and Having been perfected he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him called by God as high priest
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According to the order of Melchizedek of whom we have much to say and hard to explain since you've become dull of hearing
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Now that right there is such an encouragement. I was Debating whether I should open up the sermon with Hebrews 5 11
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We have a lot to talk about Melchizedek and it's really hard to explain and you've become dull of hearing Maybe you've become dull of hearing by the by the end.
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Hopefully not now The superiority of this priesthood Hebrews 6 notice again the effect of understanding
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Christ in Fulfillment of Melchizedek this hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast
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Hebrews 6 beginning in 19 which enters the presence behind the veil, right? Here's the high priest who goes behind the veil where the forerunner has entered for us even
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Jesus having become high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek someone 10 again
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And now Hebrews 7 beginning in verse 1 for this Melchizedek King of Salem priest of the
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Most High God direct quotation from Genesis 14 Who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the
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Kings and blessed him? Well there you have an answer about the fate of the Kings right there was slaughtered the slaughter of the
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Kings and blessed him To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all first being translated king of righteousness
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And then also king of Salem meaning king of peace without father Without mother without genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the
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Son of God Remains a priest continually, right? There's no death There's no record of his priesthood having ended
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So in some literal sense in some sense in the text he remains a priest forever and David is picking up on this
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You are a priest forever in this order of Melchizedek Verse 4 now consider how great this man was
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Notice perhaps significant verse 4 notice how great this man was If we're saying
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Melchizedek is strictly a type that would make a lot of sense If it's a pre -incarnate manifestation of Christ Pre -incarnate meaning he could not be man.
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He could not be flesh because it's pre flesh pre incarnate very hard to get around verse 4 Unless you view it strictly as a type
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Consider how great this man was to whom even the patriarch
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Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils and Indeed those who are of the sons of Levi who received the priesthood remember what he said in Hebrews 5
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He did not make himself a priest Have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law that is from their brethren
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Though they have come from the loins of Abraham Let me read that again, it's easy to read past Indeed verse 5 those who are of the sons of Levi who received the priesthood have a commandment to receive tithes from the people
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According to the law that is from their brethren though they have come from the loins of Abraham But he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises
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See Abraham shouldn't be in this position He's tithing rather than receiving tithes, that's what the writer of Hebrews is reacting to Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better now
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Kesedet Being superior to Abram as even Abram recognizes here mortal men receive tithes
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But there he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives verse 9 even
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Levi Beginning of the Aaronic priesthood Levitical priesthood even
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Levi who receives tithes paid tithes through Abram so to speak typology so to speak
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For he was still in the loins of his father When Melchizedek met him you understand what's being said in verses 9 and 10
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Abram is the father of all those of faith including the father of all ethnic
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Israel And in a sense then all of Israel was in the loins of Abram, right the children the offspring of Abram They were all in Abram even when he was tithing to Melchizedek So here you have the order of the
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Levite priests who normally receive tithes from the people to show how great the Levitical Priesthood is a tenth of all that belongs to God is given over to Levitical priesthood
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They receive it as a position of honor, but they are in Abram's loins and Abram is not receiving tithes
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He's giving them. So in a sense Levitical priests are giving tithes to Melchizedek. There's a superior priesthood here verse 11 therefore if Perfection were through the
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Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law. Oh, where are we going with this?
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What further need was there that another priest should rise? According to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron We have
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Levitical priesthood, why would why did this all take place? Don't we have the priesthood that we need isn't it's the only valid priesthood given of God for the priesthood being changed of Necessity there is also a change of the law right new administration
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For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe From which no man has officiated at the altar
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There's no genealogy he's not of Israel because Abram is the progenitor of Israel 14 for it is evident that our
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Lord arose from Judah of Which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood and yet and it is yet far more evident if in the likeness of Melchizedek Please notice that again for typology in the likeness of Melchizedek the likeness of That's typological language
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There arises another priest who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment
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But according to the power of an endless life That's what Christ is fulfilling days without beginning days without end for he testifies
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Psalm 110 you are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.
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This is the writer of Hebrews interpretation of David's prophecy Verse 18 for on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and Unprofitableness for the law made nothing perfect on the other hand
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There is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God What is this better?
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Hope? What is this better priest? What is this better covenant this better administration? Son the son of David in Psalm 110 verse 20 and as much as he was not made priest without an oath
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For they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him by God Who said to him by David's Lord that said to the
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Lord the Lord has sworn He will not relent you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek by so much more
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Jesus has become surety of a better covenant. This is the whole emphasis of these chapters
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If not the whole emphasis of the book of Psalm 110 the fulfilled prophecy of Christ as the great high priest the fulfillment of the type which back in Genesis 14 was
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Melchizedek verse 23 Also, there were many priests
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Because they were prevented by death from continuing right a priest has a lifespan
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When that priest dies and other priests come But he because he continues forever again forever being simply because When Melchizedek is presented in Genesis 14, there's no beginning and there's no end
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And in this we have the likeness of the priesthood of Christ Confirmed by the prophecy of David in Psalm 110
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But he because he continues forever has an unchangeable priesthood, there's no succession
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There's no end. So there's no need for a replacing priest Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always
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Lives to make intercession for them his priesthood never ends For such a high priest was fitting for us who is holy harmless undefiled
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Separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens has become higher than the heavens a result of his exaltation
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Who does not meet daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices? First for his own sins and then for his people
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For this he did once for all when he offered up himself The priests is the sacrifice
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For the law appoints his high priest men who have weakness, but the word of the oath someone 10
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Which came after the law? Appoints the Son who has been perfected forever
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This once -for -all sacrifice is the great high priest offering himself up on the cross
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This means that his priesthood is a once -for -all priesthood. He ever lives
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There is no beginning and no end to his function as the intercessor and priest and mediator between God and man
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This is why Frankly brothers and sisters. This is why men and women went to be burnt at the stake during the
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Reformation Because they were so inflamed and disgusted at the claims of Rome that there would be any other intermediaries between God and man other than Christ himself
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Because Christ is of a different order and just like we no longer need
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Levitical priests. We don't need the priests of Rome We don't need the priests of the Pope. There is no greater mediator.
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No other mediator between God and man, but Christ Jesus so in summary of Hebrews 5 6 & 7 using
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Psalm 110 notice the significance of Melchizedek in Genesis 14 Simply the fact that he appears on the scene without beginning and without end is shown to have been purposed by God as the beginning picture of the gospel of Christ Which is confirmed by David in Psalm 110 to give a more full prophecy of this promise that began all the way in Genesis 3 15 the question for us is whether Melchizedek is an actual manifestation of Christ or a figurative
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Representation of Christ in other words, is he a type Or is he a
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Christophany again If the description in Hebrews is taken
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Non -figuratively in other words, we don't read it as a type It's very difficult to understand it as anyone less than the
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Lord Jesus because he remains a priest forever He's without father or mother Abram ties all to him.
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He's honored in this way He manifests and reveals God and gives blessing from God however
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Hebrews 6 20 as we saw Jesus entered as a forerunner for us having become a high priest
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According to the order of Melchizedek he became a high priest There we don't have the idea of this one single line of continuity
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And so if we understand Melchizedek as a type of Christ as a representation that was always pointing toward him
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And we understand that's why in Genesis 14. God allows him no genealogy. No beginning.
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No end That's why God moves David to prophesy of the Lord saying to David's Lord David's greater son
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That the one who God would cause to rule in the midst of his enemies would be nothing less than a priest a priest king after the order of Melchizedek We understand here that I think
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Melchizedek was a type of Christ type of Christ Now, let me be very clear
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Typology does not mean that we force a text to fit what we want it to fit We don't read
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Genesis 14 8 through to 20 and shoehorn it into later Revelation and try to make it fit and just chop off whatever doesn't fit.
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That's not been our approach at all We understand that God is the author of salvation from the very beginning
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We expect to see things like Genesis 14 8 through 20 for that very reason This is not just some historical count being cobbled together by Moses.
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This is part of God's unfolding drama of redemption We've been chiseling away at it
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I've been one of the things I read about the other day was the The expense and the effort at mining black opal come across weird things and you can have these massive fields where some have been found and there's these massive cavernous mines that are dug out and Men are there with pickaxes and you could spend 40 years chipping away at that stone and not find anything and then a
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Tourist comes and he goes down a hole and he takes off another inch and he finds a $50 ,000 gem
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So it's it's a thrill -seekers chase I suppose because it costs a lot of money to run those mine But in the article it said from this miner
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He said what you look for is trace amounts and when you find that trace amount you often will find a vein it will run all the way through and so you have to Very carefully and deliberately keep chipping away to keep your eye on that vein to try to follow it through That's what we're doing when we're following the promise of the serpent crushing seed through Genesis What we're chipping away at the details and the stones and the wars of the nine kingdoms and the barrenness of Sarah We're we're chipping away at all these things following this this opal like thread of God's Unending purpose to save a people for himself through Christ And so FF Bruce a great one of the great scholars of the last generation of a
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British man FF Bruce and his commentary on Hebrews says this so well
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In the silences as well as in the statements Melchizedek is a fitting type of Christ.
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In Fact the record by the things that says of him and by the things it does not say Presents to us the
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Son of God It is the eternal being of the Son of God that is here in view not as human life in his eternal being
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The Son of God has really as Melchizedek has typically neither beginning of days nor end of life
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And more especially now he's exalted at the right hand of God and he abides as a priest forever Melchizedek remains a priest continually for the duration of his appearance in the biblical story
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But as the anti type as the fulfillment Christ remains a priest continually with no qualification now listen
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It is not the type That determines the anti type It is the anti type that determines the type
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God Doesn't send Melchizedek Or send
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Abram or send Moses or create a priesthood and build a temple and create a sacrificial system
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And create the slaughter of lambs and their blood being splashed upon the mercy seat so that we can shoehorn in some meaning upon that later
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The fulfillment was always in view from the beginning Christ was always being proclaimed The type never determines the fulfillment the fulfillment determines the type
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Jesus is not portrayed after the pattern of Melchizedek Melchizedek is portrayed after the pattern of Jesus.
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That's the significant thing. This is a fundamental revelation of the priesthood of Christ and I love what
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John Owen has to say and I spent some time breaking it down because he's a lot to say In his seven volume commentary on Hebrews as you can imagine.
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I tried to boil it down to just nine quick points Well, the first thing he says even before I get to those points is this and I think it's so significant the first personal type of Christ We've talked about how different figures have qualities that are
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Christlike But we haven't really had something we could properly call a type someone whose whole person is a type of Christ with without Qualification we don't have to say
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Melchizedek was like Christ in this way But then in chapter 15, he kind of goes south and he's not like Christ in that way.
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No, he's just fully in every respect like Christ The first personal instituted type of Christ was a priest.
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It's not interesting Melchizedek Before there were real types of his work
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Sacrifices there were types of his moral qualities in Adam and Abel and Noah These represented him in many different ways, but the first Person who was designed to teach and represent him by everything.
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He did was a priest and So God was teaching us herein
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That the foundation of all that the Lord Christ has to do with the church is found in his priestly office
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What's the first thing that God wants us to know about the person and work of Christ it's that he's a priest unto
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God He mediates sinners to God he brings blessings to God and Blessings from God he makes atonement for sin.
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He reconciles sinners this is the first pronouncement of the person and work of Christ in Scripture and now
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Owen continues first He was said to be and he really was and he only the first king of righteousness the first king of peace
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Remember the whole context of chapter 14 has been warfare and violence and depraved kingdoms it's just lust and depravity and abomination and bloodshed and sorrow and misery and Here comes a king of righteousness.
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Here comes a king of peace and his kingdom alone are these things found?
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Secondly, he really was and truly was the priest of the Most High God he alone
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He offered that sacrifice he made that atonement which was signified by every sacrifice
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Even before the foundation of the world in this way. He's like Christ third He's like Christ for this he blesses all the faithful Even as he blesses
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Abram who is the father of the faithful in him. They're all blessed in him.
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We are blessed Fourth he received all the homage of his people all the grateful acknowledgement of the love and favor of God that's what's shown in that tithe in that tenth of the spoil a
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Gratitude a recognition. Yes, you have saved me you have delivered me fifth
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He really was without progenitors without big beginning and with without end He was without a father as to his human nature without a mother as to his divine six
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Melchizedek was like Christ and that he was a priest With no succession no no genealogy no derivation from the loins of Aaron He alone was a priest unto
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God in this way seventh He had in his divine person as the high priest of his church no beginning and no end of life the death that he underwent and the discharge of his office as priest
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Being not the death of his whole person But of his human nature only and so his office was never interrupted
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Although the person of the Son of God died when God is said to redeem his church with his own blood acts 20
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Yet he died not in his whole person His divine nature was still alive eighth he was really the
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Son of God as Melchizedek is said in Hebrews to be made like the Son of God ninth and last
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He alone abides as a priest forever He alone abides as a priest forever
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Melchizedek a type of Christ the king of righteousness the king of peace the great high priest
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The intercessor that pronounces blessing upon the faithful The one who's worthy of not just ties, but all glory and honor and praise
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Melchizedek Henry Law writes how mighty is this name? Whoever utters it says king of righteousness who can claim that title and it's fullness, but Jesus What other person what other work?
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but the glory of the Redeemer Since Adam fell on earth. There's never been another righteousness
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Apart from his and yet his kingdom is full of righteousness and peace
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Last thing that I'd like us to consider brothers and sisters Is how this blessing from this priest comes about here you have this type of Christ in Melchizedek a picture of Christ our great high priest and He blesses the faithful He blesses believing
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Abraham So, how does that blessing come? Can a high priest simply pronounce a blessing and expect that God must be held to that blessing when that blessing comes?
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to wayward sinners When that blessing comes to a filthy people double -minded and unstable in all their ways
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How can that blessing be secured? How can that blessing be eternally bound to the people over which he is preached?
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And here I think is why I talk about the details of the text being part of the prophecy
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No wonder David cannot read this in any other way, but prophetically Because even in verse 17
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We read that it's this valley outside of the city Where the king of Salem comes out and it's it's known as the
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Kings Valley That Kings Valley we understand later is what's called the
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Kidron Valley They'd outside the city of Jerusalem and there's a little brook that runs down along the eastern slope from the
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Mount of Olives and Here this type of Christ this great high priest he comes
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And he brings bread and he brings wine and he comes to the faithful and he pronounces blessing
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Because as a type There comes a greater high priest Who comes to the
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Mount of Olives and he overlooks Golgotha And he understands that he has no bread or wine to give as he cries out through the night in agony of heart -sweating blood on the
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Mount of Olives But his own broken body and his own poured -out blood and this is how he will bless the faithful He will secure the blessing by the very elements that were always projecting him the bread his broken body the wine his blood
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Here in Genesis 14 we have a type of our priest king So, how does the blessing come?
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Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us as it's written
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Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree that the blessing of Abram might come to us in Christ this
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Melchizedek is a type of the high priest who blesses not by arbitrary will but by bloodshed
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And that that is why he can live evermore to make intercession for his people
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That is why his people can go boldly to the throne of grace Because by his own blood he's entered behind the veil.
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He's made a way for us. He's open to the Holy of Holies He looks upon his church and he counts it a joy set before him to pour out his blood for them
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Now Chesedek is it's hardly a picture of the glory and the mercy and the beauty of Christ Are you a wayward sinner?
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Are you double -minded and unstable is your heart infinitely deceitful?
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Are you coarse and abrupt and selfish and all these ways that show nothing of the grace?
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You've received from God. What a faithful high priest you have What a faithful high priest you have this morning
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Christ meets us in his mercy. He meets us in his grace Spurgeon says
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Christ meets us brethren as A priest and as a king in all of our battles, isn't it beautiful that he's the priest's king
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When you pray to him as a priest you're praying to a king Isn't that what Newton says in his hymn?
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Thou art coming to a king large petitions with thee bring For his grace and power as such none can ever ask too much when you pray to the priest you pray to a king
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Who has all power? Christ meets us as a priest and as a king in all of our battles What mercy is it that Christ visits us as a priest?
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We never fight against sin without being in some measure partakers of it. I Don't believe there ever was a controversy for truth upon which any gracious man
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Even on the right side could look back without some tears. I believe Martin Luther and John Knox went on their deathbeds
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Regretted that though they had contended earnestly for the faith They felt that they were in the flesh and something of the flesh mingled with everything they did
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And so it will be to the end Even when we confront our own sins and lusts beloved our very repentance even has something to be repented of Our very flying to the cross always has within it some lingering away from the cross
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How much more do we need this high priest? Don't you feel that need of him too? Do you not look upon Calvary and confess that you need to meet this high priest brothers and sisters?
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This hope we have as an anchor to our souls Sure steadfast
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Whose presence enters behind the veil the forerunner entering for us even
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Jesus Who's become our great? high priest after the order of Melchizedek Let's pray father.
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We thank you for The sending of your son Lord which you proclaimed from the very beginning as we understand even gays even
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Abraham heard the gospel before him even he rejoiced to see your day from afar and We Lord on the side of fulfillment how we ought to look back with even greater joy even greater rejoicing
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Seeing the story and all of its fullness not by shadow and type but by reality Lord You are the one to whom
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God has sworn you are a priest forever After this order of Melchizedek Lord you are our priest forever our great high priest forever
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You continually live to make intercession for us Why would we stay
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Distant from you then Lord Why would we hold back from confessing any of those sins that we find within ourselves that we cling to or that cling to us?
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Why Lord will we allow? The king of Sodom or the treasures of this world slither their way into our focus and draw our gaze away from your promise
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Let us draw ever close to this great high priest That we might be found in him
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That he might make that intercession felt experienced Lord realized in our lives
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That the accomplishment of his salvation that that the purchase of his bloods redemption
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Might be shown might be displayed in us to this lost and dying world or do this work
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Help us to draw near to him even now where we pray if there's one in this room who has no high priest
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Who has no? Reconciliation no forgiveness Lord might you draw them to hear this word draw them to this great high priest