Melchizedek

There is an interesting character that appears in the Old Testament in just three verses: Melchizedek. Today, we are going to be talking about who he is and why he is important. So, open with me to Hebrews chapter seven and follow along.

If you don’t have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one. Hebrews is near the end of your Bible. Open to the very last book, Revelation, and turn to the left; you’ll hit the big letter of Hebrews. We will be in Hebrews chapter seven.

I have some great news about Garrett. Last year, when he started dating the executive pastor's daughter, I thought he was either really dumb or really smart and brave. I told him that his smarts went up a little bit, so that’s good.

Now, let’s look at Hebrews chapter 7, beginning at verse 1. The author of this book says, “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.’”

Melchizedek is described as being 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, have a 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 receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, pays tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek?

Need was there that another priest should rise 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, 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, 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.

Also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing, but 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, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and who has become higher than the heavens. He does not need, daily, as 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.

For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Oh dear Lord, 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. 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 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, who I believe was Timothy, is saying here. It's not that I don't see how this fits into the larger context of the letter to the Hebrews, but because teaching this verse by verse, every single thing that is here in these 28 verses of Hebrews chapter 7, could become very academic—incredibly academic. It could take several weeks to go through this passage if we delved into every detail, spending several hours to make it through. If I were teaching a Bible college class on the book of Hebrews, that's exactly what I would do.

As I was reading through this, thinking about it, and praying about teaching through Hebrews chapter 7, I kept coming back to a rather simple question surrounding this text as it relates to us. You might find yourself asking this question if someone were trying to explain orbital mechanics or getting into the finer points of stoichiometry in chemistry. After the 45th minute of talking about valence electrons, you might stop 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, speaking about a character called Melchizedek, who arises in three verses in the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 14, have to do with anything? Then, it comes up in one other verse in Psalm 110, where David makes a passing statement about Melchizedek. What does this have to do with us? How does this apply to us?

At this point, there may be some in the room who count themselves as Bible scholars, and 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, like what is referred to in Acts chapter 17 as noble Bereans, 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 people who genuinely seek the truth in the Word of God.

As I open into this passage, you may already be thinking, "Oh man, I'm not happy with this," because you were hoping that 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. That's not what we're going to do. We're not going to dig as deep as you might want into this passage. You wanted to get into the finer, more intricate approach to this Scripture, but we won't be doing that.

The rest of you will see that "see often" is indeed a word. "See often" has to do with a visible manifestation of God to humankind. There are some people within the church who 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; Christians discuss it quite a bit. I think there are some answers on both sides, but we're not going to get into all that. I will simply say that I do not believe that Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14 is a pre-appearance of Christ. If you want to email me about that, you can; that's perfectly fine. However, I'm not going to get into the details of Genesis chapter 14 today.

At this point, we need to back up a little bit and understand why the author of the book 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. Why does he do this?

To answer that, we need to be reminded, as I have 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 very specific group of people. This group of Christians lived 2,000 years ago and were coming out of Judaism. They were born and raised in the Jewish tradition of faith, going to the Temple in Jerusalem, offering sacrifices, observing the feast days and times of fasting, and adhering to all the Scriptures given to them in the Old Covenant—the first 39 books of the Bible, specifically the first five books, the Pentateuch. They lived under that system and left it to put their trust in Jesus. They were no longer trusting in the...

The priesthood of Aaron and the laws of the Old Testament are no longer the focus for these believers. They are no longer trusting in the works of the temple; instead, they are 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 contends that Jesus is better than Abraham, better than Moses, better than the Old Testament law, and better than the priesthood. This letter serves as a defense of faith in Jesus over the Old Covenant system. It was written for Jewish Christians 2,000 years ago and remains relevant for Jewish Christians today.

Of course, there may not be many, if any, of you here today 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 to show how this passage of Scripture holds importance for all of us, even if we didn't come out of Judaism. Understanding the reason for which this letter was written and the audience to whom it was addressed is very important.

It was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to revert to Judaism and leave Jesus. In several places throughout this letter, the author suggests that if one leaves their trust in Jesus and returns to the old beliefs they once held, they also forfeit the promise associated with that trust in Jesus.

What is the promise associated with trust in Jesus? We preach it here at Cross-Connection Church constantly: put your trust in Jesus to be saved. There is a promise of salvation associated with that trust. In several passages, such as Hebrews chapter six and Hebrews chapter ten, it seems to indicate that departing from trust in Jesus leads to apostasy—a loss of the salvation that comes with that trust.

This is why the author of this book is so committed to preaching the importance of the supremacy of Jesus. Jesus is better; that is the whole point of this letter. This is why I have titled this series "Jesus is Better." Earlier in chapter five, the author continues to elaborate on this theme.

The author of the book of Hebrews makes the statement 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 5, where the author emphasizes that Jesus is a High Priest.

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

However, Jesus did not come from the tribe of Levi; he came from the tribe of Judah. On top of that, the author of Hebrews states that Jesus is our High Priest. Another objection from a Jewish perspective would be that one can only be the High Priest if they come from the tribe of Levi and from the household of Aaron. Since Jesus did not come from the household of Aaron, how can he be our High Priest? How can he be the right one to go to God on our behalf and come to us on behalf of God?

The answer is found in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 5. The author 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.'" The author also references another place, saying, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

By mentioning Melchizedek, the author highlights that Jesus is the rightful priest, the better priest we need to go to God on our behalf. He is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. This point is reiterated a few verses later in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 10, where it states that Jesus is called by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. The author drops the name a second time, emphasizing its significance. In verse 11, he continues to elaborate on this topic.

We have much to say and hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. Not only does he drop the name Melchizedek, but he also drops the mic in verse 11. He says, "I talk about this, but you can't even handle it. You're just not smart enough." He states that they have become dull of hearing, sluggish, and lazy. Essentially, this group of Christians just hasn't studied enough to understand these things. So, he drops the name and moves on.

He is trying to make the point that Jesus is the rightful high priest, the high priest that we need, better than the priests of the Old Covenant. The Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Old Covenant, whereby the children of Israel came to God through the priesthood, through the temple, and through the tabernacle, all explained in their lives fulfilling that in the first years of their history.

In the New Testament, Jesus comes and establishes a new covenant, a better code, and he is our high priest. However, the objection arises in the mind of the Jewish reader, the first recipients of this letter, who may ask, "How can he be the high priest? He's not from the tribe of Levi; he's not from the household of Aaron."

To answer that, the author of this book acknowledges that, yes, he is not from the household of Aaron, and he is not from the tribe of Levi. He is under a different priesthood, the priesthood of Melchizedek. He then moves on to chapter 6, where he talks about salvation and the issues surrounding it.

At the very end of Hebrews chapter 6, he does it once again. In Hebrews 6:19, he discusses 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 puts this name back into the mix once again, and at this point, he feels that he has said it three times: Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He realizes he must come back and explain what is meant by this. What is the purpose of this? Why is he even infusing Melchizedek into the whole scenario, into this defense of the faith of Jesus?

In Hebrews chapter 7, verse 1, he asks, "Who is Melchizedek?" He writes, "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."

Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also "king of Salem," meaning "king of peace." He is described as being 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 in and says, "All right, let's talk about Melchizedek. Let's talk about who this guy is and where he comes from." He 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 come 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'm going to 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, what was called Ur, which is modern-day Iraq, and moved west to what at that time was 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 a lot of servants; he was very wealthy. He also took with him his nephew, a guy by the name of Lot. He took Lot with him because Lot's father, Haran, had died, and essentially, Lot was under the care of Abraham. By this time, Lot was an adult, and both of them became wealthy in the land they went to.

However, their herdsmen, who were shepherds, started to fight with each other. Abraham said to his nephew Lot, "Listen, you choose a piece of land. You go take your herds there, and I'll go the opposite way. You choose first; 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 said, "That's my land, full of green grass for my herds to feast upon."

So, he went to pitch his tent down there, in a place called Sodom. Now, if you've been around the Bible, you may have heard something about Sodom and Gomorrah. They don't exactly have a good name associated with them any longer; 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 and three other cities because of their wickedness.

In Genesis chapter 14, Lot was living in that region, right near Sodom. There appeared another guy, a man by the name of Chedorlaomer, who was a king leading a group of kings. They were invading cities and destroying them. They came in and invaded the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, taking Lot as a prisoner of war.

Back with all the spoils of war, Abraham hears about Lot's captivity and knows he must save his nephew. He gathers the men of his household, which includes four hundred trained servants, and they embark on a midnight expedition to rescue Lot. It's kind of like a SEAL team raid. In the middle of the night, they come in, destroy Chedorlaomer and all of his men who invaded the cities of Sodom, and take back Lot after he had been a prisoner of war. Abraham receives great spoils from this victory, and as he is returning home at the end of Genesis chapter 14, he stops by a region called Salem, likely the modern-day city of Jerusalem.

As he arrives in 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, and 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 then 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 him. He is called the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God.

Who is this Melchizedek? This question leads to a significant discussion, as many people argue about his identity. There are various theories, including the possibility that he might have been a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, thousands of years before His incarnation. However, that is separate from the main point of what is being conveyed in this passage.

Melchizedek's name may be a 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 who 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 righteousness and the king of peace, as well as the priest of the Most High God.

When he came out to Abraham, the author of the book of Hebrews doesn't touch on this at all, but it's very interesting. Genesis chapter 14 says he came out with bread and wine. If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you know that there's some importance to the idea of the bread and the wine. Jesus, on the night that he would be betrayed, took the bread and the cup. He said, "This is my body which is broken for you, and this is my blood which is shed for you." So, there's an interesting connection between Genesis 14 and the end of the Gospel accounts.

When he meets with Abraham, Genesis 14 says he blessed Abraham and spoke a blessing over him. Abraham 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 thing that the author of the book of Hebrews highlights, which causes a lot of people's wheels to turn in their heads, is who this special guy was. The author says in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 3, "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 things 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 significance in the Old Testament, we know a little bit about them. Oftentimes, we know who their dad was and who their mom was. Genealogies were important, but this guy, from a literary perspective, just shows up on the scene from nowhere. He is the priest of Salem, 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.

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 7, verse 4: "Now consider how great this man Melchizedek was, to whom even the patriarch, this great father of Judaism, gave a tithe, a tenth of the spoils."

Indeed, those who are the sons of Levi, who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law. This is from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham. They received tithes, but he whose genealogies are not derived from the Levites did not 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. Timothy here says, "Just look how great this guy was. There's something special about Melchizedek." He met Abraham, received a tithe from him, and blessed him. Why is that important? Well, the lesser is blessed by the greater, so apparently, Melchizedek holds a better position than Abraham, the patriarch.

In verse 8, we see that mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak. This is an interesting logic from the author of the book of Hebrews. He says that Levi, the priestly tribe, paid tithes to Melchizedek through their great-grandfather Abraham because he preceded them.

In verse 10, it states that Levi was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. There are all kinds of interesting things happening here. 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 could 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 7, verse 1. The first word is "therefore." Therefore, why don't you just reach over and put a star next to that in your neighbor's Bible? Therefore, these words are really important; they direct 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 that 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. 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.

All of this brings us to this very important point, point number one on your outline. I finally got there. Point number one: when it comes to Melchizedek, the priesthood is more important than the person. We have to understand that the identity of the guy, whoever he was—whether it was Jesus or some other character that shows up in Genesis chapter 14—we have to recognize that the identity of that character 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 and that we don't need to go back to another priestly system. Jesus is the rightful high priest. So, the identity of Melchizedek, about which books have been written 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; it's still 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's the one who intercedes on our behalf night and day as the accuser of the brethren, the devil, comes against you and me and accuses us to the Father. He is our intercessor, our mediator. For a Jewish reader who is leaving everything, their social...

Standing in their position in their family, leaving inheritance from their family, leaving jobs, and putting their trust in Jesus 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? Here, the author of the book of Hebrews says no. Jesus is ordained as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, quoting from a passage written by King David about three thousand years ago in Psalm 110.

This is exactly where the author of the book of Hebrews goes: Hebrews chapter seven, verse 14. It is evident, it's clear, 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 the 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 or voiding of the former commandment, the Old Covenant, 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 was not made a priest without an oath, for they have become priests under the Levitical system without an oath, but He, Jesus, with an oath by Him, God the Father, who said to Him, Jesus the Son, "The Lord has sworn," Psalm 110:4, "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.

Notice 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 the practice of offering sacrifices under the Levitical priesthood were central to the lives of the people. Going into the temple to offer sacrifices was a significant part of their existence. However, the author is saying that this is no longer necessary because Jesus is a better priest.

Look at verse 26 of Hebrews 7: "For such a high priest was fitting for us." This is the kind of priest we need—one who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He has become higher than the heavens and is seated on a throne in heaven. Unlike the high priests under the Levitical system, who needed to offer sacrifices daily, first for their own sins and then for the people's, Jesus offered Himself once for all. The law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses, 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.

Now, look at Hebrews chapter 8, verse 1: "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 we are saying. Why spend all this time talking about Melchizedek and the priesthood of Melchizedek? What is the purpose of all this?

The main point is that we have such a high priest. What kind of high priest? One who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, 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, even though we can get absorbed in discussing it.

The main point is that 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 1 of chapter 8, 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.

There was a tabernacle and a temple under the Old Covenant of Judaism. The temple in Jerusalem was 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 present in God's presence in heaven.

In Hebrews chapter 8, verse 3, it states, "For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it is necessary that this one also had something to offer." If he were on earth, he would not be a priest because he is not from the tribe of Levi. There are priests who offer the gifts according to the law of the Old Covenant, serving in the copy and the shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. 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, Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, as he is 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, 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, specifically points three, four, and five on your outline.

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

When you have a friend, or I have a friend, who doesn't believe in the Scriptures or the God that is revealed in the Bible, they might say, "Listen, I don't believe in God; I'm an atheist."

I put my trust in science, but they are just as religious as any other religious person on the face of the planet. They say, "I have some real heavy questions about the God of the Bible." Listen, there is a defense for everybody's questions of faith. There is a defensible answer for our questions of faith. The person who is Nathan has a hard time believing in God; we have answers for their questions. The person you know who may have a Hindu background, a Muslim background, or perhaps their background is in the Jehovah's Witness faith or the Latter-day Saint faith—there are defensible answers for their questions of faith. If God could not answer their questions of faith, then He is not God.

We may need to take 28 verses to answer their questions, but there are defensible answers for people's questions of faith. When someone comes to you with a hard question, just because it's a hard question doesn't mean there isn't a good answer. It might take you a while to answer that question, and maybe you don't have the answer right away. Perhaps you need to call up a friend, or you need to come down here to the church and talk with me or one of the other pastors. You might need to call Randy Broker. There are defensible answers for our questions of faith.

Point number four: this passage of Scripture, whether you're Jewish or not, shows us that we need a mediator with God. A priest is necessary for fallen humanity. We need a mediator with God, but an earthly priest will not do. Jesus alone is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners. He alone 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."

An interesting thing occurred this week in Congress. Perhaps you saw this: there was a nominee for the Office of Management and Budget sitting before a congressional hearing for his nomination. This individual has a Christian background and 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, by the name of Bernie Sanders, was quite upset as he discussed this individual's theological position.

Amazing! 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, our secular society. A guy is being told, "I'm excluding you from office because of your religious background." Unfortunately, the Constitution of the United States, well fortunately for us, says there shall be no religious test for public office. But here it was, right?

What is the problem? What is the issue that came up there in Congress this week? You believe that there's only one priest that can go to God on our behalf. Well, yeah, that's what we find. We need a mediator. Fallen humanity needs one to go to God on our behalf and come to us on the behalf of God. But an earthly priest will never do. 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 things, profitable things, to be found in discussing who the individual was that showed up in Genesis chapter 14? Sure! But the main points must always be about Jesus. He is the main point of this text.

We can spend hours and hours discussing Melchizedek, the guy in Genesis chapter 14. I've had that discussion many times. The main point, as the author says, is this: "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying." In chapter 8, verse 1, we have such a High Priest. Yes, He didn't come from the line of Aaron; He didn't come from 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. You and I can't get to God on our own. We cannot build a tower high enough. We cannot offer sacrifices great enough. We can't do anything to make ourselves right with God. But 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.

Because He ever lives, He is eternal. He ever lives to make intercession for you and for me. There is no other sacrifice you need to offer, nor that 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, and another. For 1,400 years, they offered sacrifices every single day. The great Jewish historian tells us that at one point, on one Passover, more than two hundred thousand sheep were sacrificed in one day. And that was just one day. This 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’s good news! Amen.

Please stand with me for a closing 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 two thousand 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; You dealt with 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. Help us to share it with everyone we come in contact with—the great news of what You did for us. Maybe as we're standing here this morning, You have been putting your trust in something else, some other way to enlightenment, some other way to God. You may have been trusting in some other sort of priesthood. I want you to know the...

Scriptures make it very clear that 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 ourselves, forgive us of all unrighteousness, and make us new.

If you'd like to receive that saving grace today, I want to give you a chance to put your trust in Jesus. If that's you and you want to receive it, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it? Anyone here? God bless you in the back. Anyone else? We want to trust in Him for your state of grace, the salvation, and the forgiveness of sin.

If that's you, would you just, where you're at, 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 sins. I commit to trust You and to follow You by faith. Save me from myself. In Jesus' name, Amen."