There's Been A Change

Could you please stand for the reading of God's Word? The Old Testament reading today will be in Exodus 29 1 through 9

Now this is what you should it shall do to them to consecrate them that they will that they may serve me as priests

Take one bowl of the herd and two rams without blemish and unleavened bread Unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil you shall make them of fine white wheat flour

You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bowl and the two rams

You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water then you shall take the garments and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of Effod and the breastpiece and gird him with Skillfully woven band and Effod and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban

You should take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them and you shall gird

Aaron and his sons and with sashes and bind caps on Them and the priesthood shall be theirs to buy a statute forever

Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons The New Testament reading is first Timothy chapter 2 and page 991

First of all, then I urge that supplications prayers intercessions and Thanksgiving be made for all people

For Kings and all who are in high positions that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life

Godly and dignified in every way This is good And it is pleasing in the sight of God our

Savior who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth For there is one

God and there's one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Who gave himself as a ransom for all which is the testimony given at the proper time?

For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle I'm telling the truth and not lying a teacher of the

Gentiles in faith and in truth You can be seated Take your

Bibles today And turn if you will to Hebrews chapter 7 Let me just say that for several years we invested a lot of money

In Dave and sending me and other people overseas to Romania We ministered in the very countries that are now the center of all this stuff in Romania in Ukraine in Moldova, some of you probably never heard of Moldova until this week.

It's right on the Right on the border with Ukraine a little Romanian speaking country

And we spent all that money invested in in helping pastors grow teaching them

We saw a great change in the churches there, but whoever would have dreamed That all that would turn out to be a channel for us to bless another country

The guys that we're sending the money to we know In in the

Baptist Union over there That's heading up this a lot of this.

We know probably over half of those pastors and so These are friends of ours that we're sending all this to and so I'm really thankful for that But whoever would have guessed that that would have been another thing that God had for us through that ministry

You never know how God's gonna work. Do you? So it's great to see that well

Let's look to Hebrews chapter 7 God's Word today you follow along as I read this chapter

For this Melchizedek king of Salem priest of the Most High God met Abraham Returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him and to him

Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything He is first by translation of his name king of righteousness and then he is also king of Salem That is king of peace

He is without father or mother or genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life

But resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever see how great this man was to whom

Abraham the Patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils and Those descendants of Levi who received the priestly office

Have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people that is from their brothers

Through these also though these also are descended from Abraham But this man who does not have his descent from them

Received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior in the one case tithes are received by mortal men

But in the other case by one of whom it is testified that he lives One might even say that Levi himself

Who receives tithes paid tithes through Abraham for he was still on the loins of his ancestor when

Melchizedek met him Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law

What further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than?

named after the order of Aaron For when there is a change in the priesthood there is necessarily a change in the law as well

For the one of whom these things are spoken belong to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah and in connection with that tribe

Moses said nothing about priests this becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek who has become a priest not on the basis of legal requirement

Concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life For as witnessed of him you are a priest forever

After the order of Melchizedek for on the one hand a former commandment to set aside

Because of its weakness and uselessness for the law made nothing perfect but on the other hand a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God and It was not without an oath for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath

But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind you are a priest forever

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office

But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever consequently he is able to save us to the uttermost

Those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest holy innocent unstained separated from sinners and Exalted above the heavens

He has no need like those high priests to offer sacrifices daily first for his own sins

And then for those of the people since he did this once for all when he offered up himself

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

Let's pray Lord God, we have read your word. It speaks to us

Tells us how we ought to understand life and a

Relationship to you. Would you now help us to understand this Lord? Keep this from just being a

Study that gives us more information help this to be that which points us to Jesus and our only hope help this to be that which

Helps us To see him and to ever put our trust in him

Thank you. We pray now in Jesus name. Do you like change?

Now I can tell you there's a few members of my family who hate change There are others who like it embrace it some of you may be here who hate change some of you may embrace it

Some of you may love it Love change and you're committed to it wholeheartedly when it occurs

Well as you look at the book of Hebrews be reminded again that it is a book about change when

Jesus appears he blasts apart the old system you find

Jesus introducing a vastly superior way of knowing and relating to God but some

Doubted this new way. They didn't like the change They didn't see this new way as superior.

And so they were drawn back to the old ways now Recall the theme of this written sermon

Hebrews We're like us the recipients were tempted. In fact, they were dangerously close

To abandoning Jesus because of persecution and quite possibly a weakening of their faith

They would face less pressure if they went back to the old ways to the familiar ways

Before they were changed there would be less pressure if they went back to the old ways Change always brings risk, doesn't it?

But our writer says you can't go back You must not you cannot abandon

Jesus because he is superior to and he's replaced the old ways

Right now in chapter 7 He tackles the whole issue of the priesthood and the temptation to go back to the

Old Covenant familiar Levitical priesthood God had established that priesthood as a means of relating to him.

It was his plan But the priesthood of Jesus Surpasses that old priesthood and now in chapter 7 he makes the argument for Jesus superiority

He does this by showing the reasons for Jesus superiority Now the key as you've hopefully you've picked up The key to understanding all of that is to understand that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek That's the key to understanding how

Jesus changes that priesthood now We saw last week in verses 1 through 10 that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham and greater than Levi And so Jesus priesthood is greater than that old priesthood

It's always been greater. He's greater than Levi himself. Therefore Therefore his priesthood is greater than the priesthood of Levi and now in these remaining verses verses 11 through 28 he relates to you how

Jesus changed that priesthood and he just Ticks off all these reasons from 11 through 28.

Just boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom he ticks off all these reasons how Jesus has changed that priesthood and Therefore he is superior to the old ways that they were familiar with and because he changed that old priesthood

You cannot put your hope in it any longer. It's not sufficient to get the job done

You cannot abandon Jesus. You must put your hope in Christ.

I want you I want you to follow as I read 11 through 14 the text for today and See the first reason

Why Jesus is superior and why you ought to put your hope in him

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law

What further need would there have been for another priest to rise to arise after the order of Melchizedek?

Rather than one named after the order of Aaron for when there is a change in the priesthood

There's necessarily a change in the law as well For the one of whom these things are spoken belong to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah and in connection with that tribe

Moses said nothing about priests Well, here's the first thing we need to understand

Hope in Jesus put your hope in Jesus because he changed the law of the priesthood

Put your hope in Jesus because he changed the law of the priesthood now, what was that law? He mentions it in verse 12 where he says for when there is a change in the priesthood

There's necessarily a change in the law as well. He mentions it in a parent parent parenthetical statement in verse 11 for under it

The people received the law Where's he mean when he talks about the law what he's doing?

There is talking about an entire Old the an entire covenant the old covenant that God made with with the people of Israel at Sinai It is that covenant that constituted them as a nation

They entered into agreement with God if you will Into a covenant in which God promised certain things to them if they would do certain things

With regard to God and obedience. It was that which ruled their entire life it was the it was the if you will the

Constitution of Them as a nation, but it was more than that It it it actually said something to every

Aspect of your life from what you could eat Right what you could wear how you ought to plow your fields

To not serving other images not making images honoring your mother and your father

To all the the intricate details of sacrifice and priestly duty

All of that is in that covenant and in verse 11 It says that the priest ministered the law to the people that in that old covenant with all its regulations and commandments

It was the priest Right they ministered To the people it was the priests that would offer the sacrifices

It was the priests who would declare what is clean and what is unclean? It was the priests who would teach the law and they had all kinds of other duties and the law and the priesthood are so intertwined that if you change one the other has to change you can't separate the two a

Change in the priesthood means a change in the law That's what he says in verse 12 where there's a change in the priesthood.

There's necessarily a change in the law There's been a change in the priesthood and that changes the law consider this without that priesthood

You don't have someone declaring what's clean and unclean without that priesthood You don't have the sacrifice of animals as atonement without the priesthood.

You don't have all those things Therefore if the priesthood changes the law has changed the covenant has changed change

Jesus brought about a change in the law that now governs the people of God but the

Lord also identified who could serve as priests and Those who could serve as priests came from the tribe of Levi and Specifically from the family of Aaron we saw that in our

Old Testament reading you heard that one little statement And they go through this whole big ceremony of ordaining

Aaron to be the high priest At the very there's one statement there that said that his family is the priesthood by statute

Okay by law It was required. No one else could serve as a priest so therefore a change in the law

Also means a change in the priesthood Those two are intertwined change in the priesthood means change in the law change in the law means change in the priesthood

Both of those are true Now, how did Jesus cause that change? How did that change come about?

Now we've noticed that Melchizedek is is central here is center stage

By appearing on the scene as the prophesied priest after the order of Melchizedek change inevitably followed

There had to be a change God had this priesthood and and all the way through here.

Our writer keeps quoting Psalm 110, right? you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and So David in Psalm 110 keeps pointing forward and saying there's another priest coming and he's going to be different from all the others

He's going to be after not not of the family of not of the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron he's gonna be after the order of Melchizedek and When he comes nothing will be the same

He's the ultimate priest if you will and when he comes everything changes and that's how the change occurred

What exactly changed look at verses 13 and 14 verses 13 and 14

For the one of whom these things are spoken Belong to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar for it is evident

That our Lord was descended from Judah and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests

Now he's speaking about Jesus here. He says for the one whom these things are spoken

Clearly a reference to Jesus and Jesus belonged to another tribe.

He was not of the tribe of Levi He was not of the family of Aaron.

He had no connection with them in terms of coming from that particular line By the old law, he could then not serve as a priest

He couldn't serve as a priest no one from any other tribe only those from the tribe of Levi Could serve as priests.

They're the only ones who could serve at the altar now You read the Old Testament Levi had the tribe of Levi had incredible responsibilities.

They took care of everything that had to do with worship Okay, they were set apart from the other tribes.

They they did not have to They lived on the tithes that the other tribes paid

That was their income One family Aaron's family was the priest priestly family but all the rest of Levi had all these duties that surrounded the priesthood and You had to come from that tribe in order to serve at the altar

I mean you had to come from that tribe even to clean up at the altar. No one else could do that only that tribe

There's no precedent or permission from God for other tribes to bring offerings or to offer sacrifices to God only the tribe of Levi So Jesus is a priest, but he's a priest from another order and sphere

Entirely different change gonna change

In fact Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and our writer says

Nothing has ever been said about that tribe serving at the altar Leading in worship doing all the things of sacrifice and so forth now

God had promised that The rulers of his people would come from Judah.

He had promised that Kings would come from Judah the very beginning when you look back and you see

Jacob Leaning on his staff about ready to die

Supporting himself on on his staff because he can barely stand up and he's blessing all the tribes

He says to Judah that the star would rise from that tribe. The ruler would come from that tribe

So we see Kings coming from Judah, but not priests not priests Jesus priesthood is not in accord with the law and its prescriptions

Since he comes from the tribe of Judah again That's an incredible change

That's incredible change now does such a change make Jesus an illegitimate priest

Is he an illegitimate priest? No by no means Because God through David had said this priest was coming

There was a forever priest coming not like any of the other ones always keep that in mind

You see what's emphasized whenever he quotes it. Is this after the order of Melchizedek? He's a forever priest

He's a forever priest his priesthood will never end and they were looking forward to that So it's not illegitimate because God always intended on sending him.

He always intended for him to come He always intended for this change to happen

And so you need to put your hope in Jesus because he has accomplished the change that God always intended you need something better than the old covenant ways and God knew that God recognized that God planned it and So your only hope is in Jesus He's it

He's the ultimate But But he really makes this point By telling us that you need to put your hope in Jesus because he changed the law of the priesthood for something better He didn't just change the law of the priesthood he changed the law of the priesthood for something better verse 11

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law

What further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek?

Rather than one named after the order of Aaron Jesus changed the law of the priesthood for something better.

He brought first of all he brought an end to an obsolete system He brought an end to an obsolete system if the old covenant with all its sacrifices and duties

Could accomplish what we truly need Then we wouldn't need this other priest there would continue to be priests from the family of Aaron if That old covenant way could achieve perfection.

We wouldn't need this priest You would have had a continual succession of priests from Aaron's family

But by promising that unique priest God indicates that the first class of priests had a set purpose and a set time

But it would eventually be obsolete Now if you go down Riley Road, and if you're from around here, you know, we're

Riley Road It's a little road that goes out there out that way If you go out Riley Road and you come to the corner of Riley Road and my road

You'll see this great big giant thing. That looks like a goalpost

All right, it's made out of Gigantic looks like telephone poles, but it looks like this great big goalpost a great big

H Okay on the corner Now, why is it there?

Why is that there? Because if you're down my road and go down Riley Road, you know, they're running these all these new wires

They're putting up these great big steel Poles and They're gonna be running a whole new system of wires from the brand new substation down there up to the substation up my road

Why is that thing there It's there so that they can take the wires over that so the wires don't lay on the road

Okay, the wires don't lay on the road when they're gonna when they run those wires Which I hear is gonna be on the 14th and the helicopter is gonna be involved.

So we're all waiting but They've got that great big goalpost there in order to keep the wires from laying across the road now

That's gonna prove Obsolete after they run those wires and get them hooked up to the steel

Post right? It's not going to be necessary anymore Won't be needed any longer. And so it was with the old priesthood.

It served its purpose, but now it's Obsolete with the coming of Jesus as this unique priest you see

Don't need it anymore Don't need it anymore, but that doesn't mean either that the old priesthood is bad

Like that gigantic H on Riley Road, it's necessary and it's even good For the purpose it was given

It's not meant to carry the the new wires permanently It's only meant to hold them up temporarily until everything's strung and then it's coming down you see so it's not bad

It's necessary. It's even good, but it's temporary So that old priesthood had a purpose

But it wasn't the ultimate solution All right That's what we have to understand

It had its purpose, but now that the Melchizedek Ian priest has come.

It's not Necessary its purpose is over Now that's the first thing

Jesus ended an obsolete system. But here's the second thing This is second better thing that he's accomplished with the coming of this unique priest

Jesus Perfection is now attainable. Now. It doesn't mean that you immediately become perfect because of Jesus You now are not going to struggle ever again against sin

All right, but what he is saying is Jesus will bring us to perfection through that person priestly work

He will bring us to perfection through that priestly work. He begins that work by what?

Offering an atonement for the forgiveness of our sins, that's first necessary He begins that work with transforming our hearts and making us new creatures

He gives us the ability to obey what he commands He's begun the work of restoring us to the place of ruling over creation righteously

Which will eventually happen on the new earth when we will finally rule over creation in the way that God always

Intended us to but that can only happen because one has gone before us The old covenant priesthood could never have accomplished any of that But you say to me

Pastor I gotta be honest with you I've never been tempted to go to someone from Aaron's family if I could figure that out and Have him offer a sacrifice for me.

That's just not a temptation for me, right? So have I just wasted my breath?

Absolutely not You know why because none of that changes the fact that Jesus is the only one who can attain perfection for you and You cannot abandon him

You too must put all your hope in Jesus Because he's the ultimate

He's the only one who can attain perfection for you So Jesus is not only superior to the

Levitical priesthood He is superior to everything else in accomplishing what you need, which is perfection

He's the only way You see Jesus is the only one who can make you right with God You can't do it

Nothing else will make you right with God. He's the only one who can Jesus is the only one who can turn away the wrath of God from you because you can't do it

He's the only one who could quiet your accusing conscience since no amount of therapy will ever accomplish that He is the only one who can transform you into a new person

Who loves and desires to obey God and sees his commandments not as a burden but as a way of life and They're a joy to you see there is nothing or Anyone Who can ever?

Accomplish that for you. You've got to put your hope in Jesus.

He's the only one. He's the only one He brought something better Now look whether you'd love change or whether you hate change

You ought to love this change. This is the kind of change you can be wholly committed to and You can be wholly committed to it because you recognize

It's your only hope There is nothing superior to Jesus When it comes to giving you what you really need

He's the only one that attains perfection for you Put your hope in Jesus Don't leave it

Don't look elsewhere You camp on it He's your only hope father.

Thank you once more for your word, which penetrates our hearts gives us truth that produces joy gives us warnings

That sends us in the right direction father,

I pray that this congregation Even though it may not know all the ins and outs of the

Levitical priesthood help them to understand That Jesus is

Our only hope that he is superior vastly superior to whatever else entices us