The Priesthood of Melchizedek — Zac Poonen

Learning New Testament Truths Through Old Testament Events

Like I said once before Three quarters of the Bible is the Old Testament and even though the old covenant that God made with Israel and the law has been abolished The Old Testament books They've not been abolished.

So there are lots of things we can learn from there. Because we see many references To them in the New Testament. So we need to see the spiritual application of that and when we See those Old Testament events and their spiritual application We understand them the New Testament truths better.

Just like when Jesus explained truth with a parable or a story. So these Old Testament stories, for example, like the redemption of Israelites from Egypt becomes more real when we understand it in New Testament terms and the overcoming of sin becomes more Clear when we understand how the giants of Canaan were killed.

Now Canaan was possessed. So every Old Testament event That has a New Testament application Becomes like a parable that explains this New Testament truth more clearly and I personally have found great found great light in Seeing these Old Testament stories as parables.

Jesus as the Forerunner in Hebrews

So I Want to share with you one more of them in Hebrews in chapter 6 We read of a title of Jesus That very few Christians and churches ever speak about and lots of churches speak about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the door the light of the world the resurrection and the life.

The way the truth and the life and many titles like that. But in Hebrews 6 20 we read about Jesus as a forerunner and If you have come to this church you have heard that many times. But if you've grown up in any other church, I'm almost certain you've never heard it.

Because nobody ever preaches on it. Nobody ever speaks on it. And if there's any part of the New Testament That's left out in that degree. We become a loser. It's like you go to school and you just don't study one subject.

You can pass in all the other subjects. And this may be an important subject and you fail. So If there is something which is Not written in the New Testament, then of course, it doesn't matter if you don't understand it fully but if there's something written in the New Testament and particularly a title of Jesus and We don't seek to understand what that means.

In that measure our Christian life is going to be shallow. So God has given us his word to give us light. Jesus said in John 17 17 Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. That's what Jesus said.

So if God's Word is truth as Jesus said and we are to be sanctified or made holy by that There's any portion of God's Word which I leave out in that measure. My holiness will be less and I wonder why?

Well, the answer is because you left out some part of God's Word and Particularly if it's a title of Jesus that's supposed to show us something. Forerunner is very simple. It's a simple word. That means for means in front and Forerunner means one who ran in front and We read that later in Hebrews 12 verse 1 and 2 let us run the race looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith this truth is made clear most clear in the book of Hebrews and That is why You rarely hear Preachers preaching from Hebrews.

Except a few favorite verses. It's rare to find people taking a Bible study on Hebrews. It's rare to find messages on Hebrews. Now if you don't believe me, you can search the internet and discover that Hebrews is not a very popular book.

Most Christians don't if you ask them, which is their favorite book. They certainly won't say Hebrews if you Have listened to my series of through the Bible in 70 hours. There are many books I devoted only one hour to but the book of Hebrews I devoted four hours to it more than any other book because the book of Hebrews speaks about the humanity of Jesus Christ more clearly than any book in the whole Bible and that is very important in our time because That is almost denied by Christians in when Jesus was on earth.

It was his deity That everybody should have known should know. Because his deity was denied. They looked at him and they saw he's a man. I mean if you were to ask the average person in Israel is Jesus a man.

He says sure. He's a man just like us. But very few could see that he was God and When Jesus asked people, who do you say that I am? Some said Jeremiah or Elijah. Can you imagine mistaking Jesus for Jeremiah or Elijah.

Today we are surprised at that. But when he moved around in Israel, he looked so ordinary a man. But he was a prophet in the eyes of others so they said this may be one of the prophets come back, but Peter said you're the Christ the son of the Living God and By that he meant that a second person of the Trinity and Jesus said you're blessed because you did not understand this with your human flesh and blood cleverness.

But it was revealed by the Father to you and That's in Matthew 16 and immediately after that He said on this rock on this revelation that you got Peter. I Will build my church. Many people think that Jesus referring to Peter as the rock.

No Peter only means a small stone but that confession that Jesus that Peter made a revelation of Christ Said because you've seen that on This revelation Christ revealed I Will build my church. So they already knew him as a man.

They needed to see him as God Completely God completely man on this revelation the church is built. Today in our time Almost all Christians will acknowledge that Jesus is God through Christians. Even those who are not born again.

But when it comes to the fact that he was a man just like us except for sin. Very few acknowledge that and Even though theoretically they say yes, he was a man. Otherwise, he couldn't have died on the cross.

They don't see the practical implications of that for their daily life. Except that he died for their sins. Whereas in the book of Hebrews the main thing he points out is Because he was a man like us.

He lived like us. He was tempted like us. Hebrews 4 15 He had no resources other than what we have if There is some temptation that comes to you any temptation You can be absolutely sure the same temptation Came to Jesus and it came to Jesus with greater intensity Than it comes to you.

I'll tell you why because he came from a place of perfect purity and Therefore there was a revulsion in him to sin. Whereas we have grown up as it were in a slum We don't have that revulsion. I mean something like Hygiene, you know people have grown up in a slum.

If they get moved to another house with a lot of cockroaches and rats and all they're not so disturbed because They've lived with that whereas if you've grown up in a very very hygienic surrounding in a house where there wasn't even a lizard or a rat or a cockroach and then you go and live in a slum boy, you'll have a It'll be much more difficult for you to live there.

Then that person was grown up in a slum. We need to recognize something like that. Jesus came from heaven from perfect purity. That when he lived in this earth, which is a slum of sin It was much more difficult for him than for you and me.

So sin came temptation came to him with a far greater intensity. Not only he was tempted like us, but he was tempted far more strongly and he overcame. So that is a great truth that helps us in the time of temptation and This is something that I have preached in this church for 40 years.

And Jesus was tempted exactly like me. I and I preached it because it it was the one truth That helped me to come to an overcoming life. That helped me to overcome anger, anger, sexual lust, bitterness complaining, grumbling and love of money and Everything because when I was tempted I Would say Lord Jesus when you were in Nazareth, you were tempted exactly like I am being tempted right now and You did something about it that you didn't sin.

I want to do the same thing. So that I don't sin. If you see this, you know, you can understand it. You can explain to somebody that Jesus is God and he may not believe it. And I can explain to you that Jesus was a man like us and May have no practical result in your life.

So you need to ask, you know, God to make this clear to you like revelation. I believed all my life that Jesus was a man. But when I was around 36 years old, it came to me as a revelation and it was on that revelation that we built CFC was built.

It's like Jesus said to Peter Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. My father in heaven on this rock. I will build my church. He connected the building of the church there in Matthew 16 verse 15 to 18 with revelation from heaven as to who Jesus was and If you get revelation from heaven and that God gives to anybody who seeks for it.

He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. He does not reward those who lazily seek him. So it's up to you. You seek God in a lazy half-hearted way. Don't be surprised if you don't get revelation.

But if you seek him wholeheartedly, you will get revelation if you're desperate. Particularly if you are desperate to overcome sin. If you're not desperate to overcome your anger. You sort of live with it, you're not desperate to overcome Jealousy and bitterness and love of money and strife.

Oh you sort of live with it. You'll never get revelation. Because it's only those who are desperate to be free. Bible says in Exodus 2 the last verses that the children of Israel were desperate after 430 years of slavery.

He said Oh God, when are you going to deliver us? And it says they sighed, they groaned. Used to come back late at night from their slavery and sigh and groan at home. God heard their cry it says and delivered them.

That's a principle in God's dealings with us. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. It says in Jeremiah 29 13 and if you don't search for me with all your heart. You can say the Lord says you will not find me.

You'll understand some truths, but you won't find God. There's a lot of difference between understanding the truths of the Bible and Knowing God himself through the Bible world of difference. You know, it's like a painted fire and a real fire.

A Painted fire can look like a real fire from a distance, but you come near it. It doesn't give any light. Doesn't give any warmth. So whenever you come to scripture You must say remember the Holy Spirit who inspired scripture.

Is the only one who can really explain it to you. If you're reading a book and you have the author of that book sitting next to you. You can go to any Sentence in that book and say hey, what do you mean by this sentence here?

You know, this is the privilege we have. They didn't have it in the Old Testament. They didn't have the Holy Spirit right next to them and they had to try and discern. What is the meaning of the law? There was so many laws.

They studied studied studied and very often they got it wrong but when The Holy Spirit is sitting next to us the one who wrote this book. It's wonderful. He gives us revelation. He opens the eyes of our heart to see things that Human eyes have not seen.

Human ears have not heard and not entered into the heart of man. The wonderful things that God has prepared for those who love him. So I want to encourage you my dear brothers and sisters to seek God for Revelation on the scripture.

Jesus the Mediator and High Priest

So turn with me to Hebrews in chapter 6. So Jesus is our forerunner. There's another title mentioned about him here. He has become a high priest. Forever according to the order of Melchizedek the Old Testament law taught that there were priests who were like intercessors and mediators between man and God.

The symbolic of Jesus who would be the final mediator. Between God and men. 1 Timothy 2 verse 4 and 5 says there is one mediator between God and men the man Jesus Christ. That means I can't approach God directly.

It can only be through Jesus Christ. There is no other way He said I am the way no one comes to the Father Except by me. Whatever everybody in the world may say whatever people say about religious leaders, etc between God and men.

There is only one mediator. You don't need a second mediator. You don't need Mary. To help you to go to Jesus. You don't need a pastor or an elder. To help you find what? Jesus wants you to do. You can go to Jesus directly through him to God.

So Jesus is called here a priest. The Old Testament priest was a symbol of Christ who was a mediator between God and man and The high priest the first high priest was Aaron. Then later on Through his sons.

There were high priests always. All the time Israel had a high priest and that is a picture of Jesus Christ and That order in the Old Testament is called the priesthood of Levi but this Is called the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Now if this was not mentioned in the New Testament, I Wouldn't waste my time talking about it. But since this is mentioned here It's important for us to understand it and The next verse it says because it's connected to his being our forerunner.

Chapter 7 verse 1 this Melchizedek King of Salem Priest of the Most High God. He's the first priest of God that you read off. He lived before Levi. He lived in the time of Abraham who was the great-grandfather of Levi so He's called the priest of the Most High God who met Abraham as He was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.

Abraham's Deliverance of Lot and His Large Heart

So when we read that it's good to turn to the Old Testament and See what this Melchizedek did So that we can understand Jesus better. Remember we're looking at the Old Testament to understand our Savior and our high priest better.

So turn with me to Genesis Genesis and Chapter 14. If you're not familiar with this story, let me explain it to you. In the previous chapter Abraham's nephew Lot Decided to move to Sodom because he wanted to make money there.

It was a wealthy place. But while he was there it says in chapter 14 verse 1 A number of kings King of Shinar and the king of Elassar and the king of Elam and the king of Goim four of those kings made war with the king of Sodom kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and with some of the other kings and they defeated Sodom and then the these these kings took Lot captive they defeated Sodom and Gomorrah and says in verse 12 they took Lot Abraham's nephew and his possessions and Took him away and a fugitive came to Abraham in verse 13 and Told him this news when Abraham heard verse 14 That his relative had been taken captive.

You see the largeness of Abraham's heart. Lot had taken advantage of Abraham's goodness. God never called Lot to leave Ur of the Chaldees. He called only Abraham. But Lot went along with him and Abraham said, okay, we have a lot of problems when we allow unconverted relatives To come and influence us in our relationship with God.

It's one of the lessons we can learn there. The Lord told Abraham leave your relatives Come with me. But somehow he took his nephew Lot with him and caused him a lot of problems. Anyway, but you see the largeness of Abraham's heart that when he when Lot cheated him as it were and took the best part of the land and Went away and he heard that Lot was taken captive.

How would you feel if somebody cheated you of your property your rightful inheritance? Even though you were good to him. You made him a partner in your business and he took advantage of you and went away with the major share of the business and Then one day you discover That he lost it all and he got into calamity.

How would you feel? I think even the average Christian would say well he deserves it. He's reaping what he has sowed. You may even find a little delight in your heart that that happened. But not Abraham.

It's amazing how this man Abraham who was under the not even the old covenant before the old covenant Had such a largeness of heart To what someone who had done evil to him. That challenges us when we say we are Christians.

Some of these Old Testament examples Challenge me tremendously When I see the reaction in my heart to certain things and I say Lord, I'm just ashamed. That should not be my reaction. I Mean even if I followed Abraham, my reaction should be better.

And leave alone if I'm following Jesus Christ who hung on the cross and said father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing. So Abraham's reaction was so good That he gathered his servants 318 verse 14.

318 servants and Imagine the risk he took To go and fight with four kings and their armies who had defeated Sodom. He was not only a man with a large heart. But he was a man who had faith in God. You can't go with 318 Not soldiers, but just servants and Go and fight huge armies.

But it says here like a military commander verse 15. He divided his forces against them by night and defeated them verse 15 and Pursued them and he brought back all the property they had stolen and he brought back his relative Lot with Lot's property and also the women and the people it was a tremendous victory and The great danger that Abraham had at that time was two things.

Melchizedek's Blessing and Abraham's Protection from Pride

One That he would be puffed up That with so few people he defeated four kings. Who had defeated four other kings earlier on? Secondly, you know, there was a law in those days in battle That if you win a battle against the enemy all the property of the enemy becomes yours.

All their gold and silver and fancy clothes and tents and everything becomes yours. That was a law of battle so He became very wealthy. All these things were his legally. Because he won the battle. So he was in danger of pride and Covetousness or coveting.

What was legally? I mean what was rightfully his to Take that. That is the time That Melchizedek comes to meet Abraham. And you read there that after his return verse 17. Verse 18 Melchizedek the king of Salem Brought out bread and wine.

That means he brought food for all these 318 servants and Abraham's family maybe 320 people and he was a priest of God Most High and he blessed Abraham and said to him two things. Notice the two things he told Abraham.

He did not give him a big sermon. He gave him a two-sentence sermon. Which was like a powerful two-hour sermon. Listen carefully. Blessed be blessed be Abraham of God Most High possessor of heaven and earth.

So the first thing he was telling Abraham was You got all this property, right? Don't forget That you belong to God Who owns all the heaven and the earth? What is this? Which you collected a few worthless empty coins.

It's all you got compared to possessor of heaven and earth. So don't be so taken up with all this wealth you suddenly accumulated. Retain your dignity the man who belongs to the possessor of heaven and earth.

Secondly, what is the second danger Abraham was in danger of? Pride because he won the battle. So Melchizedek says to him blessed be God Most High. He was the one who delivered Your enemies into your hand.

Don't ever think that you managed To win this with your cleverness so your servants were so smart it had nothing to do with them. It had to do with God's goodness to you. That he defeated your enemies and gave them into your hand.

He saved Abraham with two sentences from two serious sins that would have destroyed Abraham covetousness and Pride. In Colossians 3 5 it says covetousness is idolatry. I Don't know whether you've read that verse that when you covet covet means to desire something that God has not given you.

If you desire a woman that God has not given you when you lust after a woman that's desiring a woman God has not given you as your wife. It is idolatry. You're making that woman an idol. All lusting after women is idolatry.

If you desire something that another brother has which you don't have. It's idolatry. You're jealous of the wealth of another brother. It's idolatry. You desire the position that another has. It's idolatry.

It's all covetousness desiring What God has not given you. So Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. What do we see here in Melchizedek? First of all, he came with some food. He came to meet Abraham's physical need and secondly He met Abraham's spiritual need and we wonder how did he come who told him?

He never knew he had never met Abraham before. He never knew anything about this battle or any such thing. But one thing we read he was a priest of God Most High. He was not a false priest of One of the false gods.

He was a priest of the true God. See there were people in those days. Who like Job were in touch with God? You know like Noah like Enoch Melchizedek was one like that and He was in touch with God and He was praying perhaps I'm sure he must have been and God must have spoken to him and people are in touch with God constantly.

God speaks to them and God must have told him. I want you to take a whole lot of food for three four hundred people. And I want you to go in that direction towards that place. He didn't know what for he didn't know who was there.

But he took it and he went and God said one of my servants is there. You got to go and bless him. You got to bless him with food and I'll give you words to speak to him. This is how Jesus has come the priest after the order of Melchizedek has come to us.

Trusting God for Physical Provision

To bless us according to our need. He does not ignore our physical need he provides for us even physically, you know the the law that he gave to the disciples was. If you seek Sorry, do not be anxious about what you shall eat or what you shall drink.

If you seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness all these things like food and drink and Clothing that includes shelter Will be provided for you. That is a very clear promise in Matthew 6 33 for every person.

If you seek God's kingdom first and his righteousness You're guaranteed according to that promise. That all your earthly needs food clothing shelter and Education for your children. So that they can get food clothing shelter when they grow up this is promised and that is We what we see first of all Melchizedek coming with meeting our earthly need.

Do you know that in the Lord's Prayer? The first three requests there are six requests all together. The first three are concerning God Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven and then there are three earth requests for us and Do you know that in those three requests our physical need is mentioned first.

Before our spiritual need. Isn't that interesting? I mean if we were arranging the Lord's Prayer, we would first put forgive us our sins. Deliver us from evil and then last give us our daily bread, but that's not the way Jesus put it.

We shouldn't try to be super spiritual. The first Request for us is not forgive us our sins. Give us this day our daily bread. Then forgive us our sins as we forgive others and then Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

That's victory over sin. So he was teaching us to pray Lord. Provide my physical need. Then forgive my sin as I forgive others. Then give me victory over sin. Those are the three requests in the Lord's Prayer.

But the first is our physical need and that's what we see here. Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Who is interested in your and my? physical need. He's not Ignorant of it. He does not say forget it, only the spiritual matters.

That sounds spiritual, but it's not true. That is ascetic. Ascetic means a person who thinks that His body is all unimportant. But it's only the Spirit that matters. No, the body is important in fact when Paul says in Romans 12 through the Holy Spirit In view of all the mercies of God.

What will you give in return to him? Present your body as a living sacrifice. In Non-christian religions the body is considered either unimportant or to be indulged in all heathen religions. Teach the indulgence of the body.

Enjoy yourself. That's why sex is a very important part of non-christian religions. They have temple prostitutes to satisfy the lusts of the priests and Food in abundance. The body is important and then the opposite side is also another part of heathen religion.

Suppress the body. There are hermits and all who you know suppress their body in different ways. But that's also not Christianity. In Christianity we are taught to treat our body with the respect because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We must eat wisely. The Bible speaks in Philippians 3 about Verse 16 to 20 speaks about those who have made their stomach their God. So that's the danger of going to the other extreme. Jesus Christ was balanced.

He knew how to fast and he knew how to feast. If you only know how to feast something is wrong. If you only know how to fast something is wrong. Jesus could fast and feast. They called him a Gluttonous man.

He wasn't gluttonous but he enjoyed a good meal and If he was hungry and you offered him a second helping he say thank you. He would take it. But the one who took it Jesus was also one who knew how to fast for 40 days.

There was a balance in Jesus life. He was Balanced but he didn't despise his body and We are not to despise our body. We must take care of it. All these people who say I won't take medicine. When I'm sick, I will trust God they are despising their body.

They're committing suicide. So I see that Jesus is the priest of the order of Melchizedek Is very interested in providing our need when we are. Abraham was tired exhausted no food available anywhere and Melchizedek came with food Before he gave him a message.

He gave him food. Give us this day our daily bread then we go to the forgiveness of sins. So I just want to mention that I don't think many of us need it because we love our bodies already. But I mentioned that so that we don't think we don't have to feel guilty about Having a good meal or don't have to feel guilty about taking care of our bodies.

We don't have to be guilty about Wearing decent clothes. We don't have to feel guilty about Building a house for us to live in. We don't have to be feel guilty about giving our children a good education so that they can Also take care of their earthly needs.

That's very important. Jesus is interested in that and Then Jesus is interested the priesthood of Melchizedek is to protect us from two very serious sins covetousness and pride. These are the two things that come very quickly to us.

Prosperity, Covetousness, and the Danger of Drifting from God

That when we are blessed materially We can get taken up with that. Abraham suddenly he was already had enough for his needs. He wasn't starving he already had plenty but suddenly he got this immense wealth which he Did not anticipate.

It's like if you suddenly land with an inheritance From your father or someone and you got a huge amount of property and money, which you didn't even anticipate you can get taken up with that and that could be a means by which the devil leads you away from God and In the years that I've been a believer I Have seen more people go away from God Through prosperity than through poverty.

Poverty drives a man to God. Prosperity drives a man away from God. I've seen that happen. I've seen it happen in people in CFC who were close to God In the days when they were poor. When they didn't have much They lived in a one-room house two room.

Yes. It's a fact there are people in CFC who when I first met them they were living in one room, but God prospered them. They were blessed. And their children were blessed they got a good education then they drift away from God.

They would have been a million times better if they had lived in that one-room house forever. Not that they have to. God provides us with better facilities. There's no sin in staying in a two-bedroom house or a three-bedroom house.

There's nothing wrong in that. But if that drives us away from God, I would rather go and live in a hut. Do you see that? Abraham the great man was in danger with all his knowledge of God of drifting away.

Because he suddenly got an abundance. More than he needed. And I want to say that to all of you. Jesus is the priest of the order of Melchizedek Comes to warn you. You belong to the possessor of heaven and earth.

Listen to that. Have you suddenly got a job? Which gives you a huge amount of salary. There are young people here in their 30s Who are earning fantastic amounts of salary a month. Way beyond What their parents ever earned in their entire lifetime.

You consider yourself blessed, good, but consider also that you're in tremendous danger and Jesus the high priest after the order of Melchizedek comes to remind you of That danger. That's why God sent Melchizedek to Abraham.

Beware. He didn't give him a big sermon. He didn't give him a big exhortation on covetousness like I'm giving you right now. I'm just expanding on what Melchizedek said. He just said remember that God is the possessor of heaven and earth and Because of that we read later on in Genesis 14 He came just in time to warn him.

Says in Genesis 14 21 the king of Sodom Said to Abraham. The king of Sodom knew the laws of battle. That a one who wins the battle can Get all that he has won, all that property. So the king of Sodom according to the laws of battle said to Abraham Give me the people of Sodom.

Take all the goods for yourself and that must have been millions and millions and millions. Take it all for yourself and see what Abraham says. He uses the new title of God, which he just learned from Melchizedek.

He had never used that title before. He says I have sworn to the Lord God Most High verse 22 possessor of heaven and earth that I will not even take a thread or a shoelace of Anything that is yours lest you say I Have made Abraham rich.

God will make me rich. I don't want you to get the credit for it, you king of Sodom. So I will not even take a thread from you or a shoelace from all these things lying here. You can take it. To whom did he make that?

Promise he says I made a promise. Verse 22 I made a promise to God Possessor of heaven and earth. He had never thought of God as possessor. You don't read that title anywhere in the Bible before that it was Melchizedek who came and Revealed God as possessor of heaven and earth to Abraham and.

And so it is somewhere between verse 20 and verse 22 That Abraham made that promise to God. As soon as Melchizedek went away Abraham realized God is a possessor of heaven and earth. Oh God, I Promise you I won't touch any of this.

I will trust in you to make me rich not the king of Sodom. Imagine if Melchizedek had not come Abraham just like us would have been covetous and say wow. This is my legal right. It's like your salary.

To whatever you got in battle was like your salary. It was your rightful inheritance. What Abraham was giving up was his rightful inheritance. I don't want it. I won't take it. There are sometimes God tells you to give up your rightful inheritance.

He may do that sometimes. I remember before I was married My wife's father had built a house and transferred it to her name. It was in her name completely before we got married and when we got married subsequently.

There was no dowry, of course. But I felt this can look Like a dowry even though I never asked for it. It was already in her name. And what a father has already transferred to his daughter is not a dowry.

It's just his gift. Every father has a right to do that, but we felt we should return it. So we returned it. We said we don't want anything. Give it back. I don't want it to be said that somebody else Made me rich.

No, when I got married there were people who thought I'm gonna make my wife. I married a doctor because I wanted to make her work and support me. No, I Wanted my heavenly father to get all the glory. And I said he will support me not my wife.

And that's one reason why she never worked. Because God has to get the glory for taking care of his servant. There was nothing wrong in making her work. It's perfectly alright for a sister to work and earn money.