Jesus Christ: A Greater Priest - [Hebrews 7:1-10]

Melchizedek and the Need for a Priest

Well this morning to start the service for the sermon at least, I'd like to have some word association with you to get you to think about what I'm thinking about, that is the text. If I say this word what comes in your mind immediately?

If I say the word Melchizedek what's the first thing that pops into your mind for word association? Maybe some of you think that I was speaking in tongues, maybe that's what you thought. Maybe some of you think it's maybe a celebrity child's name which I've seen in the past include gravity uh... pilot inspector uh... Zuma Nesta Rock and others.

But when I say the word Melchizedek, I hope you're thinking this is the priest that informs us about the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a priest that helps us understand the work of Christ the intercessor and the one who gives a sacrifice in a world of moralism and pragmatism and how-to's in sermons, unless you understand what Melchizedek did and who Melchizedek is you cannot fully comprehend the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's a very important figure in the Bible. And if you'll take your Bibles and turn to the book of Hebrews Hebrews 7, this morning we're going to look at the priestly order of Melchizedek. You, friend, need a priest if you've sinned and I know you have because of Adam.

I know I have as well in Adam and also by our own nature if you have sinned, you need a priest. You need a priest who offers a sacrifice for your sins. You need a priest who makes intercession for you before the throne of God.

And Jesus is a priest. He's a prophet. Yes, he's a king. Yes, but he's also a priest. And that's what the book of Hebrews is about that Jesus Christ is the sacrifice for sins as a great high priest. He's the intercessor for sinners as a great high priest.

And he is the ultimate mediator. Now another word while you're turning to Hebrews for word association is this if I say the word forever what goes through your mind? Melchizedek seems like a strange character.

But what about when I say the word forever. Probably words like everlasting go through your mind and eternal and constantly and perpetually. If you combine the two words Melchizedek and forever you get Hebrews chapter seven for instance look at chapter seven.

Verse three. He is a 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. Look at verse seventeen of the same chapter.

Please for it is witnessed of him. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Verse twenty-one. But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said in him the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever. Verse twenty-four. But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. And then finally combining these terms priest and forever in the same verse to give us a a picture of the entire chapter.

Hebrews seven twenty-eight. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests. But the word of the oath which came later than the law appoints a son who has been made perfect forever. Jesus Christ is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

And he does this work for his people forever. I call this the priest chapter the forever chapter. And it is important that we'll see for twenty-eight verses. Do you see how many verses are in the chapter?

Twenty-eight verses. You have this exposition about this man named Melchizedek. Have you ever heard, I should probably just ask a question. Who here has heard a whole sermon on Melchizedek? Some have but not many after today everybody can raise their hand.

I see that hand there in the back since God's character never changes. He's always holy and therefore has wrath upon sin. It never changes that we need a mediator a priest to stand before God and his character and therefore his law.

It's not just we get saved and everything's fine. And we no longer need God as a priest. You need a king of priest. You need a king of peace. You need a high priest. And this entire book the book of Hebrews is written to Jews who are thinking about going back to their old priesthood.

How hard is it to change. For fourteen hundred years the Jews have had a Levitical system an Aaronic priesthood. And now this writer is saying no no no that's all in the past that all pointed to a greater priest.

But this is all now done because you have a better priest a new priest a high priest. To tell a bunch of Jewish people for fourteen hundred years you've done it this way. And now let me tell you the new way.

It's difficult especially if those Jews that you're preaching to are getting persecuted for believing this new way. If we just run back to the old way everything's going to be fine. And so this writer writes a sermon.

He writes a letter. It's a letter sermon. And he's trying to exhort them. What you believe about Jesus is important. If you want me to summarize everything about Melchizedek it's this when I say the word Jesus Christ those words what comes in your mind is the most important thing about you.

And you've got to have categories of prophet. Yes he proclaims God's word and represents God as king. Yes out of all the kings king he's the king. Out of all the lords lording he's the lord. But he's also a priest.

You have to be thinking prophet king and priest. So that when you maybe not getting persecuted in your life but when things go bad things are difficult. Instead of running back to the old religion you think you know what.

What I believe about Lord Jesus Christ is important and it helps me to get through this trial to think rightly for fifteen hundred years almost these Jews had a priesthood and it was a good picture. It was an echo but it was not to be permanent.

Jesus is the goal. Everything is looking forward to that. Matthew Henry the commentator said this. Nothing made the Jews so fond of the Levitical dispensation as the highest team they had of their priesthood.

And it was doubtless a sacred and the most institution most excellent institution. It was very severe threatening therefore that this writer denounces the Jews. Can you imagine I have to go back on my old religion.

And by the way that's the at the heart of the religion. This is like a poke in the eye. You're going after the priesthood and hear the writer saying Jesus is a better priest. He's merciful. He's a better priest.

He's faithful and he's approachable. And Melchizedek is going to point you to the Lord Jesus. I like to think of Melchizedek as the Old Testament version of John the Baptist. Remember what John the Baptist did.

Don't look at me. Look to Jesus. And that's exactly what Melchizedek does here. As we see in Hebrews chapter seven do you notice how the end of chapter six ends where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

And now we move into an exposition of Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek. Where are we going. That's right. Where are we going. To whom shall we go. For twenty eight verses. I mean when we think about Melchizedek.

Oh yeah some Old Testament priest or somebody you know Jesus recently related him. God wants you to know twenty eight verses in the book of Hebrews. And this is a good chapter to come to the Bible and say you know what Lord there are lots of things I underline in my Bible and I'm glad you do.

I'm glad you have a marker and you underline things. But how many people underline things about Melchizedek. Have you underlined anything in chapter seven. Maybe towards the end. But everything here is inspired and breathed out by God.

And so mentally we should be thinking this all needs to be underlined. Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now to understand Melchizedek better. Why don't we go to the Old Testament and see where Melchizedek is discussed.

Not Psalm 110 he's discussed there but Genesis chapter fourteen. Let's go to Genesis chapter fourteen and take a look at Melchizedek. S. Lewis Johnson said Genesis fourteen has great importance for biblical Christology.

For it is the beginning of the unfolding in depth of the high priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus. One old writer said it is the most important chapters in all the book of Genesis. Maybe you thought it was Genesis one or Genesis three.

Another writer said if a writer of the New Testament considered Old Testament episodes even something so brief as this encounter with Melchizedek so important we would do well to become as familiar as possible with the wealth of information God has revealed in the Old Testament.

Genesis chapter fourteen. What has happened in chapter twelve of Genesis. Abraham has been called and God said you're going to be a great nation. I'm going to make your name great and I'm going to bless you and you're going to be a blessing to the other nations.

And then there's a famine in the land and so Abram goes down to Egypt. He's with Lot as they return and he gives Lot his choice of land and Abram takes the other part. And we come to Genesis chapter fourteen.

Now there's a lot of names here of kings. It's the first war in the Bible and this is really like a military battle going on. And what comes out of the battle is the important part. I'm not going to read every verse.

But let's start in Genesis chapter fourteen verse one in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar Ariok king of Elessar Ketalamar king of Elam and Tidal king of Goim. These kings made war with Bera king of Sodom that sounds familiar.

Bershah king of Gomorrah Shinab king of Adma Shemember king of Zeboim and king of Bela that is Zohar and all these forces in the valley of Siddim that is the salt sea down by the Dead Sea. Twelve years they had served Ketalamar.

But in the thirteenth year they rebel. These powerful eastern kings invade the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea. And there's a battle in verse eight it says the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Adma, the king of Zeboim and the king of Bela that is Zohar went out and they battled in the valley of Siddim with Ketalamar king of Elam, Tidal king of Goim Amraphel king of Shinar and Ariok king of Elessar.

Four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits and the rest and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell. Some fled sorry, king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and some fell into them.

I messed up on my words because I was thinking about La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles where all those mastodons would get stuck in the tar and they couldn't get out. It's very hard to fight with these bitumen pits everywhere.

Verse eleven. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. So what's the big deal? It doesn't matter, does it? All these kings fighting, that's just what they do.

Here's why it matters, verse twelve. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother who was dwelling in Sodom, Abraham didn't choose that Lot chose Sodom and now he's been captured and his possessions and went their way.

Then the one who escaped, that was pretty lucky by the way the great god of fortune had this one escape and one escaped and told Abram, and the first time here's a description of Abram the Hebrew who was living by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshgal and Aner.

These were the allies of Abram. I am positive there were a thousand other fights that went on back in those days that are not recorded in the Bible. Dogfights and kings and fighting and battles not recorded, why is this one recorded?

Because Lot's involved, because Abram's involved. And we're going to introduce a character named Melchizedek. What do you think Abram did? Lot got what he deserved. Finally that rascal, that scoundrel is going to get it.

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 that's all the way to the top of Israel. Instead of it serves him.

Right, he gets his 318 crack. Some of you aren't paying attention, I'll get you to pay attention right now. Jason Bourne kind of guys. See, now everybody's awake. These were his rangers, these were his navy seals.

He's a rich influential man. And we've got to get Lot back and it's all the way to the top of Israel at Dan 318 men against army after army after army. Who could win with odds like that? A paltry force of 318.

If you have not studied Operation Entebbe you ought to sometime because this is the ancient version of Operation Entebbe. Remember Entebbe? 1976, Air France, flight 139, 248 passengers from Tel Aviv hijacked to Libya.

They spent 7 hours refueling there and off they go to Entebbe in Uganda. And the hijackers had all benefit of every tactical position. Yet when those crack assassins, those crack rangers from Tel Aviv came to rescue them in less than one hour the commandos from Israel rushed the old terminal gunned down the hijackers rescued 110 out of the 113 hostages.

And the premier of Israel at the time, Yitzhak Rabin said this operation will be certainly inscribed in the annals of military history in legend and in national tradition it's a great event. But 4 ,000 years earlier 318 crack men of Abram go up to Dan to get Lot.

Verse 15. And he, Abram, divided his forces against them by night. He and his servants. And can you imagine? He defeated them and pursued them to Hobah a hundred miles even farther north 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. Everything's recovered. I mean the bravery of Abram. The skill intrepid I mean praise Abram from whom all blessings flow.

But to make sure he got it right to make sure he understood who gave this victory. A man shows up verse 17 after his return from the feet of Ketelomar and the kings who were with him. The king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaba, that is the king's valley.

And the text almost makes it seem before anything could even be said Abram, you're great. And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of the Most High God. Or literally God Most High.

Who really gave the victory? Verse 19. 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, note it, has delivered your enemies into your hand.

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Who's the real hero? It's not Abram, it's not the 318. It's God, and this priest shows up. And what do priests do? They sacrifice, yes. They intercede, yes they bless.

And this priest blesses Abram. I mean this is amazing to me. The providence of God. He, Melchizedek, interrupts the meeting of Abram and king of Sodom. To make sure, Abram let me give you not just a historical perspective but a theological perspective.

Here's how you should put the grid between you and these events. It is from God and God alone that the victory came. The success that you had, Abram was a result of God's blessing. The military victory belongs to God.

Now I have a question for you, congregation. Where was Levi when all this was happening? Yeah, where was Levi? I didn't say Levi's. But you can remember it that way. Where was Levi? Where was Levi the priest that remembered the Jewish people back in Hebrews are saying, maybe we should go back to this old Levitical system and sacrifice and the temple and the gold and the incense and the trumpets and the bowls and the labor and all the priests and all the Levites.

Where was Levi in the middle of all this? Answer? He wasn't even alive. He was nowhere to be found. When this great man, Melchizedek meets a great man, Abram. Who's the one who's the superior? Melchizedek.

Who's the one as the superior who blesses? Melchizedek. How does Abram even know that this person is superior? Because he receives the blessings and he gives tithes. So what the writer of Hebrews is doing is this.

I know you Jews need to have a priest. Because you've got to have a priest to stand before God who could stand before the wrath of God the holiness of God, the justice of God with one sin. You need a mediator, you need a go-between.

You need an advocate. And the writer of Hebrews is saying. And Jesus is that advocate. He's the risen Savior who chapter 1 purged sins and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And I know what you're saying.

Jesus is no priest because he's not from Levite's tribe. Jesus is from the lion of the tribe of what? Judah. So he can't be a priest. He's not from Levite. He's a Judean. And he can therefore be not my priest.

And the writer is saying before the Levitical priest came from whence the Levitical priest came Abram. There was a man that Abram recognized as a priest and his name was Melchizedek. There's more priests than one.

Not just Levitical priests but Melchizedekian priests. And this great Melchizedek blesses Abram. What a great providential meeting. This interruption that happened. So Abram knows side note text doesn't have anything to do with this.

But it's just good to be reminded when it comes to all victory all spiritual victory all walking by faith. It's the Lord behind the scenes. Who does all this now Melchizedek people since he's such a kind of a guy that just walks on the scene and walks off the scene.

They try to think who is Melchizedek. And these are the two views. There are ten views two main views. He was a pre-incarnate son of God Jesus before he had a body. Or he was a real priest named Melchizedek.

He has to be a real priest named Melchizedek a historical person king of Jerusalem. He's described as a king of a local city. That doesn't sound like a Jesus. How can Jesus be better than Melchizedek.

If Jesus is Melchizedek. How can this be Jesus. When Jesus shows up in the Old Testament as a Christophany before he has a body. The text is always the Lord appeared, the angel of the Lord appeared. There's no appeared language here in chapter 14.

Back to verse 18 of Genesis 14 and Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine, he was a priest of God. Most high. Melchizedek is greater than Levi because Melchizedek is something that Levi never was a king.

And a what? priest. Levi is only a priest. He's better because Abram recognizes that he's greater but he's also greater because Melchizedek is a king and a priest, not just a priest. So the writer of Hebrews is trying to say listen, Jesus is a priest and he's better than a Levitical priest.

Blessing verse 19. Blessed verse 19. Blessed verse 20. Melchizedek the superior. Blessing Abram his inferior. And Abram responds with giving tithes. Now let's go back to Genesis. Excuse me, Hebrews chapter 7.

The backdrop for Melchizedek we've seen is Genesis chapter 14. Now what the writer of Hebrews is going to do the first 10 verses of chapter 7 is give an exposition of Genesis 14. So I'm pretty much just going to read it and make a few comments.

Hebrews 7, 1 to 10 is a theological summary inspired that summarizes Genesis 14 to establish that there is another priesthood that's not Levitical but Melchizedekian. Is that a word? I just like to say that, that's one of my new favorite words.

I love to say sacerdotal. I love to say propitiation and now I like to say Melchizedekian. By the way, when I was studying Genesis 14 all those king's names try to pronounce those in front of people. It's easy for you to sit there and go.

He just didn't pronounce that properly. But when you get up here uh-huh I'm Raphael. Chapter 7 has been something that the writer of Hebrews has been wanting to talk about since chapter 5. But remember what he said?

You're not mature enough to take it. So finally now he's getting to what he wants to talk about that Jesus is this great high priest and again God wants you to think about him as he's revealed himself and friends it is not adequate enough to just think about Jesus as he died on the cross and was raised from the dead.

And that's it. Of course there's nothing wrong with that but that's baseline. That's what you learn when you're a brand new Christian. Jesus paid it all all to him. I owe that's the heart of the gospel, yes.

But there are other facets of the diamond of salvation. And when you look at the diamond of salvation from this perspective you see, oh, I was a slave to sin and now Jesus redeemed me. And then you look over here, reconciled there were irreconcilable differences between the holy God and my sin until Jesus made us friends.

And then you turn it over here God's wrath is poured out against sin or else he wouldn't be holy. And just Jesus intercepts that wrath and satisfies it in my place as a propitiation and you keep turning it and now we're turning it to Jesus is a priest, you need a priest with all the scandals that we have in New England about bad priests that shouldn't make you go, you know what all priests are bad friends, all priests are sinful except one and if you're going to stand before God you don't want a sinful priest because he's going to have to answer for his sins since you are sinful along with me.

I need someone who is the perfect high priest who's greater than Aaron who's greater than the political system who's greater than Melchizedek even but Melchizedek is going to point, yes that Jesus, whom you serve is the right kind of priest, God's priest.

So here's a theological summary of what we just read Hebrews 7 .1, for this Melchizedek king of Salem priest of God most high or 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. Melech by the way is king and Sedeq is righteousness. So his name means king of righteousness and then he's also king of Salem. You're going to understand that if you think about Jerusalem 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. In other words in the book of Genesis you have genealogy after genealogy after genealogy you have death after death after death recorded. You're nothing about Melchizedek.

Not that he didn't have a genealogy, not that he didn't have a death but this is to make you see that he's pointing to the greater one, Jesus, he's a type of who Jesus is. And we have this man that should come into our mind.

This is not like a normal man. He resembles the son of God because he continues a priest forever. The dignity of this priest, the excellency of this priest. Verse 4. And here we have the first command in this chapter and it's the word see.

Observe how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils 58 times in the New Testament this word see is used and it comes from the word where we get our English word theater.

When you go to a theater you are seeing you are watching, you are observing. You sit and you see. Take a good long look. Remember when we were kids, at least we did in Nebraska we would say if somebody was staring at us we'd say what?

There are some universal truths, take a picture it lasts longer. This is not speed read through Hebrew 7 because all this boring kind of dry Melchizedekian stuff, just stop let it sink in, it's almost like the Old Testament Psalms and in Habakkuk say la just stop and let that sink in.

If Abraham meets somebody greater and Jesus is greater than that greater one than the people that come from Abram's line, Moses Aaron, Levites they must not be as great as Abraham, they must not be as great as Melchizedek, they must not be great as Jesus, because Jesus is greater than Melchizedek, he's greater than Abraham, he's greater than the Levites, that's his argument, see, watch perceive this word could be used for inspect an army and see if they have any lint on their collars to see if their shoes are signed NBA players do that, they sign their shoes to see if they're shined.

You're supposed to here not look at any shoes, any collars any ties. Look closely at this picture. Give attention seriously. Ponder, don't speed. Read past, this word is we beheld his glory. John chapter 1 verse 14.

Take a good long look. They beheld Jesus' miracles, watch very carefully. Consider the ramifications. Hebrews 7 .5 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 remember he's before them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. The Melchizedekian priesthood is superior to Abraham and Abraham's descendants, the tribe of Levi. Verse 8, in the one case tithes are received by mortal men but in the other case by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

One might even say as it were that Levi himself who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. So the writer wants you to know it's okay.

Jesus is a high priest. You need a priest to stand before God. And even though we're saying no to the Levitical priests we have a greater priest than that. Let me give you some truths as we think about this chapter that's really theological discourse of a narrative.

Number 1. Did you notice that Hebrews 7 gives you the interpretation of Genesis 14. Hebrews 7 gives the interpretation of Genesis 14. I think beloved you ought to regularly see that in the Bible when Jesus is on the road to Emmaus and he's raised from the dead he teaches his disciples that comprehensively may not be minutely or atomistically but generally and comprehensively the Old Testament speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And do you think Genesis 14 speaks of the Lord Jesus. I think the answer has to be yes. The ultimate fulfillment of Melchizedek was the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly to make sure we understand and to make the implicit explicit Jesus is superior to Aaron because Melchizedek was superior to Abraham.

Number 3. Don't miss the names. The names matter. There's so much theological import in the names. What does it say in Hebrews 7 verse 1 Melchizedek king of Salem. He's the king of righteousness and he's the king of peace.

What two great concepts prefigure the Messiah. If you would like to talk about the Messiah the Lord Jesus and you'd like to describe him with a couple of terms. These two should be on there. Righteous peace.

He gives righteousness and he gives peace. What a great description of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does 1 Corinthians chapter 1 say when it comes to righteousness he is our righteousness. Jesus has been a man and he has been born of a woman born under law that he might redeem us from the curse of the law.

And when he earns our righteousness by obeying the law he doesn't need to obey the law for himself in terms of making himself righteous he already is. But he's doing it for us. 1 Corinthians 1 says. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God.

That is righteousness. You stand before God Christian as perfectly righteous because of the Lord Jesus. You can't be less righteous. You can't be more righteous when it comes to legal standing and position you are righteous.

If you had to pick a type in the Old Testament that would point forward to Jesus I bet you would pick somebody named righteous because that's exactly the work of the Lord Jesus. He righteously obeys the law because we are unrighteous.

That's the theme of Hebrews. I mean Romans as well. I have no righteousness. Jesus earns righteousness. He imputes righteousness. And in light of that we want to live righteously or justly. What a great concept.

He's Melchizedek. And the other word that's wonderful. There is Salem and it just means peace. Salem it means peace. How can God and man have peace. Because Jesus the righteous one dies and has become our peace.

Romans 5 .1. Therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Friends the war is over. Peace with God through the blood shed of Christ Jesus. Number 4.

There are not very many people in the Bible who are kings. There are not many people in the Bible who are priests. There are not very many people in the Bible who are prophets. And there are few that are kings and priests.

But there are no prophet priest and king. And Jesus is both king and priest and prophet in one person. And even that therefore makes him better than Melchizedek. Fifthly. Just things to think about as we work through when it comes to evangelism.

This is just a deduction here from this text. When it comes to evangelism are proving a point to other Christians. What do you think is better for options. Rationalism. Or opening up your Bible long long time ago.

And I've done lots of dumb things as a pastor. But somebody said I don't want to come to you for biblical counseling pastor. And I said why not. He said because you're just going to open up the Bible and tell me what's in the Bible.

I don't have anything else to give you. I have two modes the Bible says. And if I were you those are my modes right. One scripture one wisdom. Don't confuse the two. You've got to prove to a bunch of Jews Jesus is better.

Where do you go. I guess you can go to archaeology. I guess you can go to rationalism. I guess you can go to a variety of other evidences and how lives are changed. But this writer the writer of Hebrews he regularly and often quotes scripture to make the point.

Because the Bible's powerful. The Bible does its work. I don't have to win any argument. Well this is what the Bible says. Right here when you think about Jewish people and you go to Isaiah 53 and you just read Isaiah 53.

I've met people before who have said their husbands their husbands are evangelical. They were Jewish. Do not quote the New Testament from me. And he said to her I just quoted you Isaiah 53. You notice what's happening.

How does this person who's preaching the sermon win the argument. This is what the Bible says. Another side note another take away. I know and I know this for Pastor Mark too the new pastor at Cape Cod Bible.

And you'll meet him just momentarily. Since your problems in life are difficult you need to have a great God to solve these problems. And if you're expecting the pastor to get up and give moralistic platitudes and everything will be okay.

You're not thinking rightly. And I know this church and I know Cape Cod Bible. They don't think that way. Hebrew 7 is a sermon about Melchizedek going back to Genesis doing all these things thinking come on just tell me everything's going to be fine.

It'll be a good year better than last year. I'm going to be more prosperous now. This writer says you're in a deep fix here. You're getting persecuted. You're losing your home. It's going to get worse.

That temple up there. He doesn't know when it's going to be destroyed but 70 AD it's coming down. And then what are you going to do. And he's saying listen. I want you to begin to think about who Jesus is because you walk by faith and not by sight.

Think about who Jesus is in all the aspects because as you do you'll start forgetting about yourselves. You won't think about the problems that you have. And when you think about them you'll think about them in light of eternity in light of forever.

So when you want preaching it better be deep. If you've got problems that are deep it better be from the text. So whether you're evangelizing or proving a point or listening to a sermon you want the bible.

And by the way I'm sad to inform Pastor Mark that you don't have the best congregation in New England to preach to because you're listening to him right now. Who wants to hear about Melchizedek. And I will quit after when do I normally preach for 75 minutes.

And they'll still want more. Wesley Blackstone came to me one day and he said Pastor you know you just got a whatever it was a 6 raise and I'm expecting 6 longer sermons. Fair enough. And isn't it true that as we've been going through the message as you've been trying to engage and it's tough.

I mean it's cerebral. You're trying to really focus on it. I hope you've forgotten about the issues that need to be taken care of in all the compartments of your life and how you fall short and others fall short when they're around you and all these other things.

But here's this one that never fails you he's always going to do the right job. And he's sent by God because God the Father loves sinners. Because Jesus loves sinners and came for them. And he's the intercessor and he's the high priest.

I want sermons that are straight from the text and if they're difficult if they're technical if they're from Old Testament passages I know nothing about then please preach away Pastor. And I know that's you.

And so I'm thankful for that. Two more takeaways and then we're done. Everything in the Bible is important. I know you know that but I want you to remember that everything in the Bible is important. All these genealogies.

Genesis chapter 5 and he died and he died and he died and he died and he died. I mean really how devotional is that. And he died. And when you study it remember what Satan said you will surely not what die.

And the accent and the exclamation point in chapter 5 is Satan is a liar. And when it comes to the first lie in the Bible you're not going to be judged for your sin. Genesis 5 in the genealogy you know what.

And he died and he died and he died and you'll die. Everything in the Bible is important including Genesis chapter 14 and Melchizedek. There are reasons that God has for everything in the scripture. Before there were computers a man named Bengal counted how many little dots on a particular Hebrew letter how many yods it's like the dot of our I or the crossing of our T.