Hebrews 7:1

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also "king of Salem," meaning "king of peace," without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils. Indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi, who received the priesthood, had the commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham. But he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he received them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

Even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. If perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity, there is also a change of the law.

He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, for which no man has officiated at the altar. It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood. It is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come not according to the law of fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For he testifies, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

On the one hand, there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. Inasmuch as he has not made a priest without an oath, for they have become priests without an oath.

An oath was made, but He with an oath, by Him who said, "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." By so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Although there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing, He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

For such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and who has become higher than the heavens. He does not need, daily like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices for His own sins and then for the people's. For this, He did once for all when He offered up Himself. The law appoints a high priest, a man who has weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Oh, dear Lord, I pray that You would give wisdom and insight. You who inspired this to be written, we pray that You would guide and teach us what these things mean, but more importantly, what they mean for us. Lord, help us to understand and to apply Your word. Jesus, You promised that You would give the Spirit of truth who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. And so we pray, Holy Spirit, that You would do just that as we open Your word today. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

I have been wrestling with this passage for several weeks, not because I don't understand what the author, whom I believe was Timothy, is saying here, nor because I don't see how this fits in the larger context of the letter to the Hebrews. Rather, it is because teaching this verse by verse, every single thing that is here in these 28 verses of Hebrews chapter seven, could become very academic—incredibly academic. It could take several weeks to go through this passage if we examined it in every way, several hours to make it through this.

If I were teaching a Bible college class on the book of Hebrews, that's exactly what I would do. However, as I was reading through this, thinking about it, and praying about teaching through Hebrews chapter seven, I kept coming back to a rather simple approach.

There is a question surrounding this text as it relates to our reading and studying of it. It's the question that might come to your mind if someone were trying to explain orbital mechanics or perhaps getting into the finer points of stoichiometry in chemistry. After the 45th minute of discussing valence electrons, you might stop them and say, "Okay, just one second. I understand you're trying to explain all this stuff to me, but so what? What does it have to do with me? Why do I need to know all these ins and outs of this whole thing that's going on in this passage?"

What do these 28 verses in Hebrews chapter 7, which speak about a character called Melchizedek, have to do with anything? Melchizedek arises in three verses in the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 14, and then comes up in one other verse in Psalm 110, where David makes a passing statement about him. What does this have to do with us? How does this apply to us now?

At this point, there may be some in the room who consider themselves Bible scholars. I praise God that there are quite a few of you here at Cross Connection Church who really do study the Scriptures. You take the time, as referred to in Acts chapter 17, to be noble Bereans—people who search the Scriptures daily to see that those things are so. I count it a great privilege to pastor a church where there are individuals who genuinely seek to understand the Scriptures.

For some of you, as I open this passage, you might be thinking, "Oh man, I'm not happy with this," because you were hoping I would spend four weeks going through this passage. You were looking forward to the hour you would spend under an orange umbrella after the service, debating with someone about this passage and the character called Melchizedek. I'm sorry to break your heart—kind of sorry. That's not what we're going to do. We won't dig as deep as you might want into this passage.

You wanted to explore the finer Theophanic approach to this Scripture. We're not going to do that. So, the rest of you are going, "Theophanic? Is that even a word?" Yes, it is. Theophanic refers to a visible manifestation of God to humankind. Some people within the church believe that this character who appears in Genesis chapter 14 is a visible manifestation of God in the Old Testament. There is a lot of debate about this, and Christians discuss it quite a bit. I think there are valid points on both sides, but we won't get into all that. I will simply say that I do not believe that Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14 is a pre-

The appearance of Christ is significant. If you want to email me about that, you can. That's perfectly fine. I'm not going to get into the details of Genesis chapter 14 today, but at this point, we do need to back up a little bit and understand why the author of Hebrews, Timothy, even brings this up. What is the point of discussing Melchizedek in this passage and devoting an entire chapter to him?

Of course, he didn't write this in chapters, but he spends a lot of words and attention on this character that appears in the Old Testament. To answer this question, we need to be reminded, as I've been saying since we started the book of Hebrews back in February, that this book was written for a very specific purpose. It was written as a defense of the faith, an apologetic. That's what an apologetic is: a defense of the faith for a specific group of people—Christians who lived 2,000 years ago and were coming out of Judaism.

These individuals were born and raised in the Jewish tradition of faith. They went to the temple in Jerusalem, offered sacrifices, observed the feast days and times of fasting, and followed all the scriptures given to them in the Old Covenant, particularly the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. They lived under that system and left it to put their trust in Jesus. They are no longer relying on the priesthood of Aaron or the laws of the Old Testament. They have moved away from the works of the temple and are now putting their trust in Jesus.

After making this significant change in their lives, they are being tempted or told by someone that they need to return to the Old Covenant system. They are encouraged to go back to the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices. The author of the book of Hebrews is writing to these Christians to defend the primacy and supremacy of Jesus. He argues that Jesus is better than Abraham, Moses, the Old Testament law, and the priesthood. He is contending for faith in Jesus over the Old Covenant system.

This is a defense of the faith for Jewish Christians 2,000 years ago and for Jewish Christians today. Of course, there may not be many of you here today, perhaps none, who came out of Judaism to follow Jesus. Sometimes, going through a passage like this can be difficult because it may seem like it doesn't apply to you. However, I hope that as we go through this passage of scripture, I can show how it holds importance for all of us, even if you didn't come out of Judaism.

But understanding the reason for which this letter was written, or the people to whom it was addressed, is very important. It was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to go back to Judaism, to leave Jesus. At several points in this letter, the author seems to indicate, and many believe that he does, that if you leave your trust in Jesus, the faith in Jesus, to return to the old beliefs you once held, then you also forfeit the promise associated with that trust in Jesus.

What is the promise associated with trust in Jesus? Well, we preach it here at Cross Connection Church constantly: put your trust in Jesus to be saved. There is the promise of salvation associated with trust in Jesus. In several passages, such as Hebrews chapter six and Hebrews chapter ten, it seems to say— and I believe it does— that in leaving the trust in Jesus and departing from that, there is an apostasy that takes place, a loss of the salvation that comes with that trust in Jesus.

You can see why the author of this book would be so committed to preaching the importance of the supremacy of Jesus. Jesus is better. That's the whole point of this letter, which is why I have been calling this series "Jesus is Better."

Earlier in chapter five of Hebrews, the author states that Jesus is our high priest. He is the one who goes to God on our behalf and comes to us on behalf of God. He is the mediator between God and man. This concept is seen throughout the New Testament, but specifically in chapter five, the author emphasizes that Jesus is a high priest.

For a Jewish audience reading this letter, the first recipients 2,000 years ago would have had some objections to that concept. They understood that Jesus did not come from the priestly tribe among the children of Israel that descended from Abraham. Abraham was their father, as noted in Genesis chapter 12. Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob had twelve sons. Those sons became the heads of the tribes of Israel. One of those tribes was called the tribe of Levi, which became the priestly tribe through the law that God gave to the Jewish people thousands of years ago. However, Jesus did not come from the tribe of Levi; he came from the tribe of Judah.

Additionally, the author of the book of Hebrews states that Jesus is our high priest. If you were Jewish at the time reading this letter, you might object that you can only be the high priest if you come from the tribe of Levi and from the household of Aaron.

Jesus didn't come from the household of Aaron, so how can he be our high priest? How can he be the right one to go to God on our behalf and to come to us on behalf of God? To answer that, we turn to Hebrews chapter five, verse five. The author of the book of Hebrews states, "So also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but it was He, God in heaven, the Father, who said to Him, the Son, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you.' Yes, He also says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.'"

Here, the author references Melchizedek, emphasizing that Jesus is the rightful priest, the better priest we need to approach God on our behalf. He is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. The author mentions this name again a few verses later in Hebrews chapter five, verse ten, stating that Jesus is called by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

In verse eleven, the author notes, "Of whom we have much to say and hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing." Not only does he mention Melchizedek, but he also implies that he has more to discuss, yet the audience cannot handle it. He points out that they have become dull of hearing and sluggish, essentially suggesting that they are lazy. This group of Christians hasn't studied enough to grasp these concepts, so he briefly mentions Melchizedek and moves on.

The point being made is that Jesus is the rightful high priest, superior to the priests of the old covenant. The Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament represents the old covenant, through which the children of Israel approached God via the priesthood, the temple, and the tabernacle, all of which are explained in their early history. In the New Testament, Jesus establishes a new covenant, a better covenant, and He is our high priest.

However, an objection arises in the minds of the Jewish readers, the first recipients of this letter: How can Jesus be the high priest if He is not from the tribe of Levi or the household of Aaron? The author acknowledges this point, stating that, yes, Jesus is not from the household of Aaron or the tribe of Levi. Instead, He belongs to a different priesthood, the priesthood of Melchizedek, and then he moves on.

He gets into chapter six, where he talks about salvation and the issues surrounding it. At the very end of Hebrews chapter six, he addresses it once again. In Hebrews 6:19, he speaks about Jesus being our hope for salvation. He states, "This hope we have as an anchor for our soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

He reintroduces this name into the discussion. At this point, he feels he has mentioned it three times, so he must come back to explain what is meant by this. What is the purpose of this? Why is he infusing Melchizedek into the whole scenario, into this defense of the faith of Jesus?

In Hebrews 7:1, he asks, "Who is Melchizedek?" He describes Melchizedek as "king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated 'king of righteousness,' and then also 'king of Salem,' meaning 'king of peace.' Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually."

He goes back and says, "All right, let's talk about Melchizedek. Who was this guy? Where does he come from?" Melchizedek shows up in three verses in Genesis chapter 14. The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible. In Genesis chapter 12, God called a man named Abraham to follow Him by faith and made a promise to him. He said, "If you follow me by faith, I'm going to bless you. I will bless him who blesses you and curse him who curses you, and through you, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

So, Abraham followed Him. He left his home, which was called Ur back then, in what is now modern-day Iraq. He moved west to what was then called the land of Canaan, today known as Israel or Palestine. He pursued God and God's promise. When he left his home, he took with him his wife and his household. He had many servants and was very wealthy. He also took his nephew, a man named Lot, with him because Lot's father, Haran, had died, and essentially, Lot was under Abraham's care. By this time, Lot was an adult, and both he and Abraham became wealthy in the land they entered.

Their herdsmen, who were shepherds, started to fight with each other. So, Abraham said to his nephew Lot, "Listen, you choose a piece of land. You take your herds and go the opposite way. You choose first, and I'll let you take whatever you want." Lot looked around and saw a great piece of land down south of where they were. He thought, "That's my land, full of green grass for my herds to feast upon." However, it's not green anymore. He decided to pitch his tent down there, in a place called Sodom.

If you've been around the Bible, you may have heard something about Sodom and Gomorrah. They don't exactly have a good reputation anymore; in fact, they no longer exist. They were completely obliterated and destroyed in Genesis chapter 19 by God Himself, who destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah along with three other cities because of their wickedness.

In Genesis chapter 14, Lot was living in that region near Sodom when another man appeared, a king named Shadolayomar. He was leading a group of kings who were invading cities and destroying them. They invaded the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and took Lot as a prisoner of war, along with all the spoils of war. Abraham, Lot's uncle, heard about this and knew he had to save his nephew. He gathered the men of his household, which included 400 trained servants, and they went on a midnight expedition to rescue Lot. It was kind of like a SEAL team raid.

In the middle of the night, they came in and defeated Shadolayomar and all of his men who had invaded the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They rescued Lot after he had been a prisoner of war, and Abraham returned home with great spoils from the battle. At the end of Genesis chapter 14, he stopped by a region, a city called Salem, likely the city of Jerusalem in modern times.

As he arrived at this place, we read in Genesis chapter 14, verse 18: "Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of the Most High God. He blessed Abraham and said, 'Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God, the Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.'" Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of all, a tenth of the spoils he had just taken from the battle. This is the only time we see Melchizedek in the Old Testament scriptures; he appears and disappears very quickly, with only three verses dedicated to this man who is called the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God.

Who is this guy Melchizedek? That question leads into a big discussion that people like to argue about. Who was the character that appeared in Genesis chapter 14? We're not going to get into exactly who that guy was, as there are many arguments about who he might have been, including the idea that he could have been Jesus showing up thousands of years before his incarnation. However, that is totally separate from the point of what's being said in this passage.

Melchizedek might be his name, or it could be his title, but it has a very interesting meaning. It is derived from two Hebrew words: "melech," which means king or royal, and "tzedek," which means righteous. The author of the book of Hebrews refers to him as the king of righteousness. This king comes out of Jerusalem to meet with Abraham. Not only is he the king of righteousness, but he is also called the king of Salem. The word Salem comes from the Hebrew word "shalom," which means peace. Therefore, he is the king of peace, and he is also the priest of the Most High God.

When he came out to Abraham, the author of the book of Hebrews does not touch on this, but it is very interesting that Genesis chapter 14 states he came out with bread and wine. If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you know that there is significance to the idea of bread and wine. On the night that he would be betrayed, Jesus took the bread and the cup, saying, "This is my body, which is broken for you. This is my blood, which is shed for you." So, there is an intriguing connection between Genesis 14 and the end of the Gospel accounts.

When Melchizedek meets with Abraham, Genesis 14 says he blessed Abraham and spoke a blessing over him. Abraham then gave a tenth of all the spoils of war that he had into the hands of Melchizedek as a tithe. There are some very interesting things happening in Genesis chapter 14.

Another point that the author of the book of Hebrews highlights, which causes many people's wheels to turn in their heads, is found in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 3. It states that Melchizedek was without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God. He remains a priest forever. People read that and think there must have been something really miraculous and amazing about this character who shows up in Genesis chapter 14. He didn't have a father, he didn't have a mother, and he didn't have a genealogy. What the author is highlighting is that none of those details are mentioned in the story of Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14.

There's no mention of his genealogy, which is strange because most of the time when people appear who have any sort of significance in the Old Testament, we know a little bit about them. Oftentimes, we know who their dad was, who their mom was; genealogies were important. But this guy, from a literary perspective, just shows up on the scene from nowhere. He's the priest of the Most High God, the king of Salem, and the king of righteousness. Nothing is said about him other than what we have in those three verses in Genesis chapter 14.

Here, the author of the book of Hebrews says he is made like unto the Son of God. Essentially, what he is, is a foreshadowing of the one who would come to fulfill this priesthood, this important position. Why does this matter? Well, look at what the author of Hebrews says back in Hebrews chapter seven, verse four.

Now consider how great this man Melchizedek was, to whom even the patriarch, this great father of Judaism, gave a tithe, the tenth of the spoils. Indeed, those who are the sons of Levi, who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from people according to the law, that is, from their brethren. Though they have come from the loins of Abraham, they receive tithes, but he whose genealogy is not derived from the Levites—he didn't come from the Levites—he preceded the Levites. He received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

Now, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. So Timothy here says, just look how great this guy was. There's something special about Melchizedek. He met Abraham, received a tithe from Abraham, and blessed him. Why is that important? Well, the lesser is blessed by the greater. So apparently, he holds a better position than Abraham, the patriarch.

In verse eight, mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak. This is an interesting logic of the author of the book of Hebrews. Here he says Levi, the priestly tribe, paid tithes to Melchizedek through their great-grandfather Abraham because Melchizedek preceded them.

So, interesting logic. In verse ten, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. There are all kinds of interesting things happening here, and often Bible students, which many of you are, get into passages like this and try to deconstruct them. We try to figure out all the details, and you can spend a lot of time on this. There have been books written on this topic and these ten verses, and I will not fault you for doing that.

I think it's a really good thing to be a committed Bible student. We need to be those who rightly divide the word of truth. You should do that; I do that on a regular basis. We should study the Scriptures daily to see what they say, but we always need to be very aware of what the passage is saying.

Look at the next verse, Hebrews chapter seven, verse 11. The first word is "therefore." Why don't you just reach over and put a star next to that in your neighbor's Bible? "Therefore" is really important. It directs our attention to why all of this matters. The author is giving these ten verses talking about Melchizedek, who shows up in the Old Testament in three verses in Genesis chapter 14. At this point, if you're not Jewish and you don't understand all the details of the history of the Jews, you might be scratching your head and asking, "What does this matter for us? What's the point of this?"

He says, "Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, the priesthood that came through the Levites, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron?" For the priesthood being changed, of necessity, there is also a change of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar.

The author of the book of Hebrews says all of this matters for this very simple point: Jesus is our priest. All of this matters to point us to the fact that Jesus occupies a greater priesthood than that which came under the Old Covenant.

This brings us to a very important point. Point number one on your outline: when it comes to Melchizedek, the priesthood is more important than the person. We have to understand that the identity of the individual, whether it was Jesus or some other character that shows up in Genesis chapter 14, is not the main point of what Timothy is saying here. The main point has to do with Jesus occupying the position of our high priest forever.

We don't need to go back to another priestly system. Jesus is the rightful high priest. The identity of Melchizedek, which books have been written about and which Christians have spent all kinds of time discussing and debating, is not the most important aspect of it. It's still fun to talk about and interesting to consider, but it's not the main point. Jesus is the figure we need to focus on. He is our high priest. He is the one who intercedes on our behalf night and day as the accuser of the brethren, the devil, comes against us and accuses us to the Father. He is our intercessor, our mediator.

For a Jewish reader who is leaving everything—their social standing, their position in their family, their inheritance, their jobs— to put their trust in Jesus, this was really important. Is Jesus a true high priest, or do we need to go back to the priesthood of Aaron, the priesthood of the Levites under the old covenant? The author of the book of Hebrews says no; Jesus is ordained as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He quotes a passage written by King David about 3,000 years ago in Psalm 110, which is exactly where the author of Hebrews goes.

Hebrews chapter 7, verse 14 states, "For it is evident that our Lord Jesus arose from Judah." He didn't come from the tribe of Levi, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. It is yet far more evident that in the likeness and similitude of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come not according to the law of fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He, God the Father, testifies of Jesus, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," quoting Psalm 110.

On the one hand, there is an annulling, a voiding of the former commandment, the old covenant, because of its weakness and unprofitableness. The law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. Inasmuch as He was not made a priest without an oath, for they have become priests under the Levitical system without an oath, but He, Jesus, was made a priest with an oath by Him, God the Father.

Who said to him, "Jesus the Son, the Lord has sworn," Psalm 110, verse 4: "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." By so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. In this passage, the author of the book of Hebrews comes back to this word several times. He institutes a better covenant. He is a better priest. This is the focus of this passage.

Why does all of this matter? Because the first readers of this letter were really struggling with this problem. Is Jesus and the work that He did on the cross 2,000 years ago sufficient to deal with my sin and your sin? Or do I need to go back to the temple and offer sacrifices under the Levitical priesthood? Their entire lives were wrapped around this part of their life: going to the temple and offering sacrifices. Here the author is saying, "You don't need to do that anymore because Jesus is a better priest."

Look at verse 26, Hebrews 7:26. "For such a high priest was fitting for us." This is the kind of priest we need, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. He has become higher than the heavens. He is seated on a throne in heaven. He does not need daily, as the high priest under the Levitical system did, to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the people's. For this, He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priest men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Point number two: Jesus is a better priest after a better priesthood who offered a better sacrifice. This is the point that the author is driving home. Jesus is a better priest after a better priesthood who offered a better sacrifice.

Now look at Hebrews chapter eight, verse one. "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying." Underline that in your Bible. This is the main point of the things that we are saying. Why spend all of this time talking about Melchizedek and the Melchizedekian priesthood? What is the purpose of all this? Now this is the main point of the things that we are saying.

We have such a high priest. What kind of high priest? One who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and higher than the heavens. This is the main point. The identity of Melchizedek, the man who appears in Genesis chapter 14, is not the main point. Though we can get absorbed with talking about that, this is the main point of the things that we are saying. We have a holy, harmless, and separate-from-sinners high priest who offered one sacrifice once for all.

We have such a high priest, as stated in verse one of chapter eight, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man. There was a tabernacle and a temple under the old covenant of Judaism. There was a temple in Jerusalem built by the hands of men, but it was a replica; it was a shadow of the tabernacle in heaven. It was just a shadow of the things that are there in God's presence in heaven.

In verse three of Hebrews chapter eight, we read that every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, it is necessary that this one also have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest because he is not of the tribe of Levi. Since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law of the old covenant, they serve in the copy and the shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For God said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain; make it like you saw in heaven."

But now He, Jesus, has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also the mediator, the go-between of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Jesus is a better priest after a better priesthood who offers a better sacrifice. He is the only priest who is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners, and who was able to offer one sacrifice once for all. He didn't need to first offer a sacrifice for His own sins because He is perfect and without sin. Therefore, He is able to be the mediator for you and me to go to God on our behalf.

So how does this apply to us? Let me sum it up with three points. The last three points, three, four, and five on your outline. First, point number three: there are defensible answers to our questions of faith. This passage of Scripture shows us that there are defensible answers to our questions of faith.

Faith was written as a defense and apologetic for Christians who are coming out of or have come out of Judaism. While that may not apply to many of us, when you became a Christian, you came out of some other worldview, belief, or practice, or perhaps another religious background. There are defensible answers for our questions of faith.

When you have a friend who doesn't believe in the Scriptures or the God revealed in the Bible, they might say, "I don't believe in God. I'm an atheist, and I put my trust in science." They are just as religious as any other person on the face of the planet. They may have real, heavy questions about the God of the Bible. There is a defense for everybody's questions of faith. The person who is an atheist and struggles to believe in God can find answers to their questions. Similarly, someone with a Hindu background, a Muslim background, or a background in the Jehovah's Witness faith or the Latter-day Saints faith also has defensible answers for their questions of faith.

If God could not answer their questions, then He is not God. We may need to take 28 verses to address their inquiries, but there are defensible answers for people's questions of faith. When someone approaches you with a difficult question, just because it is challenging does not mean there isn't a good answer. It might take time to formulate a response, and perhaps you do not have the answer immediately. You may need to reach out to a friend, come down to the church to talk with me or one of the other pastors, or call Randy Broberg for clarification. There are defensible answers for our questions of faith.

Point number four: this passage of Scripture, whether you are Jewish or not, shows us that we need a mediator with God. A priest is necessary. Humanity, fallen humanity, needs a mediator with God. However, an earthly priest will not suffice. Jesus alone is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners. He is the one who makes the way to God. He Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

A very interesting thing occurred this week in Congress. Maybe you saw this, as there was a nominee for the Office of Management and Budget who was sitting before a congressional hearing for his nomination. This individual has a Christian background and a Christian faith. He believes in Orthodox Christianity, that Jesus is the only way to God and the only sufficient priest. He has written extensively, stating in a blog post that those who do not put their trust in Jesus are condemned.

One senator, Bernie Sanders, was quite upset as he discussed this nominee's theological position. It's pretty amazing that he said, "I refuse to vote yes for you because of your theological position." This is the 21st century in the United States of America, a secular society, and a man is being excluded from office because of his religious background. Fortunately for us, the Constitution of the United States states that there shall be no religious test for public office. Yet, here it was right before our eyes.

What is the problem? What is the issue that came up in Congress this week? The nominee believes that there is only one priest who can go to God on our behalf. Yes, that is what we find. We need a mediator. Fallen humanity needs someone to go to God on our behalf and come to us on behalf of God. However, an earthly priest will never suffice. The old covenant system cannot make us perfect, but Jesus alone is our high priest.

Finally, point number five: sometimes we get hung up on things that aren't the main point, and we miss the message. Are there good, profitable things to be found in discussing who the individual was that showed up in Genesis chapter 14? Sure. But the main point must always be Jesus. He is the main point of this text. We can spend hours discussing Melchizedek, the figure in Genesis chapter 14. I have had that discussion many times. The main point, as the author states, is this: "Now, this is the main point of the things that we are saying." In chapter eight, verse one, we have such a high priest. Yes, he didn't come from the line of Aaron or the tribe of Levi; he occupies a different priesthood entirely, and he is the priest that you and I need.

The only one who can go to God on our behalf is Jesus. You and I can't get to God on our own. We cannot build a tower high enough, and we cannot offer sacrifices great enough. We can't do anything to make ourselves right with God. However, Jesus, the God-man, the Son of God, came to earth on our behalf to offer one sacrifice once for all, to deal with our sin completely. He, because He ever lives, is eternal and ever lives to make intercession for you and for me.

There's no other sacrifice you need to offer, nor do I need to offer, to make ourselves right with God. Jesus made that sacrifice, and that's why on the cross He could say, "It is finished." It's done. The priests under the old covenant would offer a sacrifice, and then they would offer another sacrifice, and then another, for 1,400 years. They offered sacrifices every single day. Josephus, the great Jewish historian, tells us that at one point on one Passover, more than 200,000 sheep were sacrificed in one day. That was just one day, and that needed to be done all the time.

But Jesus offers one sacrifice once for you and me, the just for the unjust, to make us right with God. That is good news. Amen? Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father, we thank You for the good news of this passage, the good news that Jesus, You are our high priest. You are holy, harmless, and separate from sinners, higher than the heavens. There on the cross 2,000 years ago, You offered that one sacrifice once for us, so that we would trust in You and receive the promise of our faith: eternal salvation. You dealt with my sin and the sin of all of us gathered here today, the failings that we could never overcome, that we could never wipe clean.

By Your stripes, we are healed. By Your sacrifice, we are cleansed. We thank You for the salvation that we have in You, Jesus. We praise You for the good work that You did there on the cross on our behalf. Lord, help us to never forget it, never take it for granted, and always boast about it.

To share it with everyone we come in contact with, we celebrate the great news of what Jesus did for us. It may be that as we stand here this morning, you have been putting your trust in something else—some other way to enlightenment, some other way to God. Perhaps you have been trusting in some other sort of priesthood.

I want you to know the Scriptures make it very clear: Jesus is the only one who deals completely with our failings. Every good work that you will ever do will not be enough to overcome the failures of your sin and my sin. However, Jesus called us to put our trust in Him, and He promised that if we trust in Him and confess Him, He would save us from our sins, forgive us of all unrighteousness, and make us new.

If you would like to receive that saving grace today, I want to give you a chance to put your trust in Jesus. If that’s you, if you want to receive it, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it? Anyone here this morning? God bless you in the back. Is there anyone else? If you want to trust in Him for your saving grace, for the salvation and forgiveness of sins, would you just, where you are, pray a prayer of faith and confession with me out loud?

Just pray with me: Dear Jesus, I recognize that I need You. I cannot get to You on my own, but I thank You that You came to the earth, You died in my place to forgive me of my sin. Help me to trust You and to follow You by faith. Forgive me for my sin. In Jesus' name, amen.