“A Permanent Priest!” FBC Morning Light (10/23/2023)

Well, good Monday morning to you, off to a new week, a new start, and really closing out pretty quickly this month of October, aren't we?

It's going quickly. I hope you're enjoying the beauty of the fall season, enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

At least, I hope there are some fall colors where you are. There are here. I can look out my window of my study and this beautiful maple tree right out in front of the window is all orange and red color, beautiful, beautiful time of year.

Well, today in our Bible reading, we're in Hebrews chapter 7, Jeremiah chapter 47 and 8, and Ecclesiastes chapter 9.

I want to focus on the passage in Hebrews 7 today. If you're familiar with that passage, if you've read it, you come across this priest from the

Old Testament named Melchizedek. We're told that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

We don't know really much of anything about this man Melchizedek. Some have, based on what the writer of Hebrews says here, have concluded that Melchizedek wasn't a real person, wasn't a man.

He was the pre -incarnate Jesus and was just a figure in the Old Testament. I don't take that position.

I take the position that Melchizedek was a real man. He lived, was born, had mom and dad, and lived out a life and he died just like any other man.

But I think what the writer of Hebrews is doing is taking what we know from the Old Testament record and using that as an illustration to serve as Melchizedek being a type of Christ.

So he talks about Melchizedek without father or mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

Well, where does he get that? He gets that from the fact that the Scriptures in Genesis just starts talking about Melchizedek, that Melchizedek, this priest, king of Salem, comes out to meet

Abraham on the way back from this great victory. But, you know, you can disagree with that.

That's all well and good. It's neither here nor there as far as the point that the writer of Hebrews is making in this chapter.

And what is that point? He repeats it several times, that Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

He says that in verse 17, and he's quoting here the Old Testament, quoting

Psalms, and also in verse 21, he says, the Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

And the point that the writer of Hebrews is making here is that the priesthood of Jesus is not an

Aaronic priesthood. Jesus is not a priest after the order of Aaron.

And that's important because Aaron was of the tribe of Levi, and the

Messiah king, Jesus, needed to come from the line of Judah.

And so the other point that he's making is that Melchizedek was a king. He was the king of Salem, and he was also a priest.

He was a priest king, and Jesus Messiah is likewise a priest king.

And Melchizedek, his name means king of righteousness, his name, king of righteousness, and his place of ruling was over the city of Salem, which was the precursor of Jerusalem.

And the word Salem means peace. So Melchizedek is both a priest and king, and he is the king of righteousness and the king of peace.

You can see all of this prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so the writer of Hebrews here is quoting this Old Testament, saying that the

Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and he says Jesus has fulfilled that.

But he's not just bringing all that out to make some interesting parallels and conclusions drawn from these

Old Testament passages. What he's doing is making a very pointed application.

And what is that application? Verses 23 and 24. He says, also there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing, but he,

Jesus, because he continues forever as an unchangeable priesthood.

And what is the significance of that? Verse 25, therefore, he is able also to save to the uttermost or to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Jesus being a priest after the order of Melchizedek, he's not a priest like the Aaronic priests.

They came and they went, they lived and they died. They did their intercessory ministry and they were done.

But Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, a priest king, a king of righteousness, a king of peace, who because he does not die, because he continues ever, he is able to save you completely because he ever lives to make intercession for you.

We have a wonderful high priest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Melchizedek serves as a wonderful figure of the priest king,

Jesus, who is to come. And this is the emphasis that the writer of Hebrews is making here in chapter seven.

Let's rejoice and be glad today that we have a high priest that is not like a human priest who comes and goes, offers sacrifices.

So he is a great high priest who offered himself as a sacrifice and he ever lives to make intercession for us.

And therefore, listen, he's able to save you completely to the uttermost and forever.

Let's rejoice and give thanks for our great high priest. And so our Father today, we do thank you for the

Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for his eternal priesthood. We thank you for his one -time sacrifice.

Thank you that he is the king of righteousness and the king of peace. And in him, we are made righteous.

And through him, we have peace with you for all eternity. Thank you for our great high priest.

We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Well, listen, I hope you have a wonderful start to your new week and may the