The new covenant, Hebrews 8

You have come here today, I presume, to worship the Lord God.  Our signs invite you to  worship with us on the beach.  And we want to encourage you to worship God today.  However, Jesus said that God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.  And to that end, we must be sure that our worship is according to the way God has intended for us to come to Him.

Not long after  Creation, just after the fall of man from the Garden of Eden, two brothers came to worship the Lord. Their names were Cain and Abel.  And according to the account in Genesis, God accepted Abel’s worship but He did not accept Cain’s worship.  Now that account was given for our instruction, so that we might know that God has a way that He has ordained for man to approach Him, to draw near to Him, and we must fit our worship to accommodate Him.  

The Bible teaches us from the very beginning that God is holy, He just, He is righteous, He is the Creator of all things, He is the source of all life, and in Him all things live and have their being.  The Bible also teaches us about man, that man is a fallen creature.  That the original man sinned, and as a result we have inherited a sinful nature, and thus are by nature sinners.  Our sin has separated us from God.  In fact, our sin has caused our spiritual death, which will bring about physical death.  Just like a plant that is cut off from sunlight will eventually die, thus all men that are cut off from God will die, not only physically, but spiritually.  

Our hope then is that our sin that has estranged us from God may be forgiven that we may once again draw near to God.  That we might be reconciled to the source of life, the giver of life, the source of righteousness and holiness.  If we can enter into the light of God,  we can experience spiritual life, and even have eternal life.

The Bible reveals God’s plan to reconcile man to God, that we might have that life; that we might escape death.  And so from the first book of the Old Testament to the last book in the New Testament, God’s plan for mankind to be reunited with Him is laid out.  Someone has well said, that the Bible is like a two act play.  The Old Testament is Act One.  And the New Testament is Act Two.  You cannot fully understand the play without reading both acts. But the theme of both acts, is the theme of redemption; God bringing man back into fellowship wth Him.  And the theme of redemption is a person, who is Jesus Christ.  He is the thread throughout the whole of scripture.

In Act One, or the Old Testament, the plan of redemption was presented in types.  The temple, the law, the sacrifices, the rituals and ceremonies all were all intended as pictures, or types, or shadows, or copies given by God in order to teach about the fulfillment that was to come in Jesus Christ in the future.  Thus in the Old Testament we see Jesus Christ predicted not only in prophecy but in the law and ceremonies. In the gospels, we see Jesus Christ revealed.  In the Acts, we see Jesus preached. In the epistles, of which Hebrews is one, we see Jesus explained.  And in Revelation, we see Jesus expected.  But in all the scriptures, we see Jesus Christ as the way in which we draw near to God.

Today in this passage of Hebrews, we are at a midway point in the epistle in which the author is attempting to explain Jesus in light of the Old Testament pictures.  And to do that, he has been contrasting Jesus to various Old Testament figures, showing that in every respect Jesus is superior and He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament shadows or types.

So in vs1, he says that here is the main point of what has been said so far. The main point that has been established in Hebrews so far is that Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest, far superior to that of the priesthood of the old covenant, which was the governing instrument of worship in the Old Testament.  Now a covenant simply means a promise, or contract, made between two parties.  Many of you, I’m sure own property that is governed by a covenant, entitling you to certain rights and privileges.  That is what is being talked about here, a covenant which was made by God to man.  God made such a covenant with Abraham, He made another through Moses, there was a covenant made to David, all of which in the Old Testament were conditioned upon the law and man’s obedience to the law;  and then in the New Testament we are told of a new covenant.

And so he says the chief point is that now God has opened up a new way to Him.  And in this new way to worship Him we have a new priesthood, with a  new High Priest, which involves a new covenant, and a new sacrifice.  In the preceding chapter, chapter 7, he has talked extensively about the new priesthood, which is different than the old priesthood of Aaron, and which is a better priesthood.  Now in chapter 8 he is going to talk about the new covenant, which is enacted on better promises.  And then next week, in chapter 9, we will look at the new and better sacrifice in great detail.

Now as I alluded to earlier, access to God, or drawing near to God, is the goal of our worship, that we might have spiritual life.  And the writer of Hebrews has made it clear that under the old covenant, such access to God was limited, and thus imperfect.  Look at 7:19 “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw nigh to God.”   So our access to God is made possible now by a better priesthood or mediator, a better covenant, or promises, and a better sacrifice. 

All of those things find their ultimate consummation in vs 12 of this chapter, when God says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”  When our sins are dealt with completely in the new covenant, then we can be reconciled to God.

So since the new priesthood has been discussed in chapter 7, he now begins to expound on the new covenant in chapter 8.  This new covenant has already been alluded to in chapter 7:22, when he said, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament,” or a better covenant.

It’s interesting that in the original language, I’m told that the sense of the word for covenant as it’s used in the New Testament indicates more of what we would think of as a will, rather than an agreement between two parties.  In other words, this is God’s will towards us, independent of our will towards Him. It’s not predicated on our responsibility, but on His obligations towards us by His promises to us. And that should be of great encouragement; that His promises are not contingent upon us fulfilling some requirement.  But His promises are unilateral.

In expounding upon the superiority of the new priesthood, the author says first of all that Christ mediates in a superior sanctuary.  The temple of Solomon, and then the refurbished temple of Herod, was considered one of the great architectural marvels of the ancient world.  The Jewish temple was made of huge white marble stones and covered in gold panels and it sat high upon a hill, where the reflections of the sun made it shine like a jewel above Jerusalem. It was the place where the priests ministered, and the presence of God dwelled in the Holy of Holies behind the veil.  

But this new High Priest, Hebrews tells us in vs 1, “has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched  and not man.”  So this new covenant has a superior sanctuary.  A superior temple. It’s not an earthly tabernacle, but a heavenly tabernacle.  The idea of the true tabernacle does not indicate the other was false, but that it was merely a copy of the heavenly one which is the true tabernacle.

And notice especially that it says Jesus has taken His seat at the right hand of God in the sanctuary.  This was different than the priesthood in the earthly tabernacle, because their work was never done.  They stood in the temple daily, chapter 10:11 tells us,  ministering for the sins of the people.  But Christ has finished His work on earth by HIs sacrifice once for all, and sat down, having fulfilled perfectly the propitiation for mankind.  The satisfaction of the holiness and righteousness of God has been completed and, on the basis of the value of that sacrifice, he is ministering in the true sanctuary.  He is ministering directly in the presence of God for us. He is our perfect, holy representative, by which we are able to draw near to God through Him. We are able to enter the presence of God through Him, because of His righteous sacrifice applied on our behalf.  That’s how Ephesians 2:5 can say that we too are even now seated in the heavenlies, or the spiritual realm, in Him.  We have access to God and to His promises through Christ’s mediation on our behalf.

Now this mediation, or this ministry, of the high priesthood is further elucidated in vs3, “For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest at all, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.”

You will remember that it has already been discussed in chapter 7 that Jesus did not come from the line of Levi, and so He was not qualified to be a priest in the temple service on earth. He was of the tribe of Judah.  But Hebrews goes on to say in vs 5 that those earthly priests only "serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned [by God] when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

He is quoting, by the way, from Exodus 40:5, in which God showed Moses the pattern, or the blueprint of the heavenly tabernacle, and he was instructed to make a copy of it for the Israelites.  In contrast though, he says, Christ ministers in a better sanctuary, as the mediator of a better covenant, established upon better promises.  And as a priest, Christ must offer a sacrifice, albeit a better, permanent sacrifice, a once for all sacrifice,  as compared to the continual copies which the earthly priests offered.

Now this ministry of Christ is based upon a better covenant, or better promises  Vs6, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.”  So let’s examine what promises God has made to us that are superior to the old covenant.

First of all, he says that the old covenant was faulty.  Vs 7, “For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” The fault in the old covenant was not in the insufficiency of the promises of God, but in the weakness of those to whom it was given.  Paul said the law was good, in and of itself.  But the flesh is weak. We had no strength to keep the law. That is indicated in the beginning of vs8, where he says, “But finding fault with them, or with the people…”  The fault was not in the covenant, but in the ability of the people to meet the requirements of the covenant. 

To illustrate this point, he quotes from Jeremiah 31:31, "BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.”  So  the fault with the old covenant was in the inability of the people to keep the covenant. And even in the old covenant, we see that God has already planned for and promised a new covenant which was still in the future.

So then to this new covenant, what is so different about it?  Well, for starters, the new covenant was not made to make it easier to keep God’s law, but it was made to make it possible to keep God’s law.  And to accomplish that, God promises to change His people from the inside out, by giving them a new heart.

Vs10, "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

Now this new covenant is founded on three things which I want to explain briefly.  First, there is as I just mentioned, God implants HIs law into their new heart.  Now understand that when God speaks of your heart, He is not talking about the muscle that pumps blood throughout your body, but He is talking about the soul of man, which is the seat of the will, the seat of the emotions, and the seat of the intellect.  And so God is going to implant new desires, a new mind, a new way of thinking, new emotions, new knowledge, a new way of life, by which we may be a people who belong to God.  This is what we are seeking, to be able to draw near to God, to be reconciled to God, to have the life of God in us.  And what Jeremiah prophesies is that it can only happen by a transformation from God of our heart.

Ezekiel speaks of the same new covenantal transformation in Ezekiel 36:26, ”Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Now I know that some of you hearing all this talk about law and ordinances are starting to squirm, because you suppose that the law of God is in opposition to the grace of God.  But I tell you, they are not, but law and grace are merely reconciled through Jesus Christ.  And I would remind you that when Jesus was asked what was the most important law, HE said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your might.”  Now if we are truthful, then we must confess that all of us here today fail in that law.  On the basis of that law alone, we are sinners.

But that is precisely why in this new covenant God first changes  our hearts.  He changes our hearts so that we might love the Lord, and if we love the Lord, then we will obey Him.  But we cannot Him if we do not love Him.  Furthermore, that is how we find power over sin.  If I tell my children to eat their spinach, but they hate spinach, then I will have trouble with obedience. But if I tell them to eat ice cream, I have no problem getting to be obedient to eat ice cream because they love it.  

When God gives you a new heart, He gives you new desires. It’s still possible for us to sin, but incongruous for us to sin that love God. If you have been transformed by Christ, then the result should be that you hate sin, because God hates sin.  You want to please God.  And so because you love God, you want to please God.  If you hate your sin, then sin has no more power over you.  And if you don’t hate sin, then you need to repent of it to God and ask God to cleanse your heart and renew a right spirit within you, that you might have the right attitude towards those things of the world.  A new heart is the secret to a new life.

Secondly, the new covenant founded on the knowledge of God as a result of personal relationship with Christ.  And this corresponds to some extent with the previous point, because as we come to know God more fully, through our relationship with Christ, then we come to love God more completely.  To know Him is to love Him.  That is true of earthly relationships as well.  When we date someone, we learn about them.  We are curious about their past, what they like or dislike.  We come to know their character.  And we come to know God through Christ.  For He is the exact representation of God according to chapter 1 vs 3. 

We know God more completely, because we see Him more clearly in Jesus.  Thus, Jeremiah said, "AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.”

Now that is not to say that there is no need for preachers or teachers of the word of God, but that whereas a lot of the plans and purposes of God were not clear in the old covenant, but as the writers said, we see through a mirror dimly, or they spoke of things which they did not understand, now in the new covenant, and especially in the incarnation of Jesus Christ we see God manifested  in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Such knowledge of Christ by whom we are known, increases as we progress in our sanctification, until it attains the consummation of knowing even as we are known.  We are being continually conformed to the image of Christ, until one day we see Him face to face and we become like Him in all respects.  That is the “perfection” or completeness that Hebrews urges us towards.

Thirdly, the new covenant is based upon the forgiveness of sins.  This is essential to our knowing God.  God is able to forgive us our sins, not on the basis of a daily offering for sin, which could not of itself atone for sin, but He is able to forgive us completely and permanently on the basis of the exceeding sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.  

But forgiveness of sins must be consistent with His holiness. A just God requires justice. And to accomplish that we see the fulfillment of the principle of the innocent for the guilty. That was what the sacrifices of the first covenant represented.  In the old covenant an innocent lamb died in the place of sinners.  So it was that when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking towards him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  In the new covenant, the holy, innocent, spotless Lamb of God suffered the penalty for our sin, that we might be forgiven by God. As 2 Cor.5:21 says, “God made Jesus who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  

These then are the three better promises on which the new covenant is established.  1, I will put my laws upon their hearts, 2, they will know Me because of a personal relationship with Christ, and 3, I will remember their sins no more. And our great High Priest, Jesus Christ is the guarantor of these promises, having sealed God’s covenant with His own blood. And because of this great covenant, we are no longer strangers, alienated from God, but we are His own people, His own children, the temple of His Holy Spirit.  

True worship in spirit and in truth then, is no longer dependent upon our faithfulness to fulfilling all the requirements of the law, but it’s a result of a transformation from within, which is accomplished by faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf.  He has made it possible for us to be the sons and daughters of Christ.

Then, almost as an addendum for the sake of the Jews that were still holding on to the old covenant restrictions and ceremonies, the author adds in vs 13, When He said, "A new [covenant,]" He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”  It’s likely that the temple of Herod was still standing when this was written.  But Jesus Christ had already made it obsolete by His atonement.  It was further attested to by God when He rent the veil separating the Holy of Holies into from top to bottom, signifying that a new way to God had been established.  And within one generation, even as Jesus prophesied in His Olivet Discourse, the temple would be destroyed in 70AD. The services and ministry of the priests and the sacrifices would be done away with.  And even today, 2000 years later, the sacrificial service has not been reinstated, because God has determined that something better would take it’s place.  

In this new covenant, however, it is not just Judah and Israel that will benefit, but all the world can draw near to God through the sacrifice and mediation of Jesus Christ.  In fact, as Jesus Himself said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

I was on an airplane yesterday coming home from California after taking Melissa to college, and a man on the seat beside me started questioning me about a commentary I was referring to on the book of Hebrews.  And during the conversation, he said he was raised Catholic. And I offered no objections to that.  But what I did object to as the conversation continued was his claim that all that really mattered in the end was if you had been a good person.  And yet, he concluded that everyone was going to go to a better place when he died.  

I think a lot of people have that sort of view of theology.  That in some way or another, if there is a God, then He is going to save everyone from death.  That no one really needs to be saved.  But I would ask you to consider this, if that were true, then why did God need to punish Jesus with such a torturous death?  How can God be good and merciful if He required that Jesus be tortured and punished unto death?

No, regardless of what your sensibilities of right and wrong or fair or unfair might suggest, God’s standards of holiness and what is acceptable to Him is far different than what you or I might come up with.  And as I told the man next to me, I would rather trust in what God says than what man may say. 

Our faith is founded not upon wishful thinking on our part, but upon the promises of God.  And in this new covenant, Jesus Christ has offered Himself as our sacrifice that we might have forgiveness of sins, and that we might be transformed into people of God by virtue of receiving a new heart.  And the Bible tells us that all of that is possible only through faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

On the basis of that covenant, on the basis of God’s promises I offer to you today the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you might be transformed and receive a new heart and find forgiveness of your sins.  That you might draw near to God and have eternal life in Him.  If you want to receive this new life in Christ then call on Him today to save you, to forgive you, and to give you a new heart, that you might become the people of God. 

Melchizedek, a type of Christ, Hebrews 7:1-28

Last week i told a story about a Porsche 911 that I had my eye on.  And that story was intended to illustrate a truth about Biblical faith, as opposed to name it and claim it faith.  But that story also illustrated another truth; that is, of all the things I spoke of in my message, the predominant thing most people remember is the story of the Porsche 911.  The rest of the sermon was quickly forgotten.  That’s why I rarely tell stories.  And if I tell stories, I tend to use Biblical illustrations.  

But stories or illustrations do serve a purpose.  And the author here, in endeavoring to teach us some of the meatier doctrines of the gospel, uses an illustration to teach us about the nature and ministry of Christ.  And the illustration he gives us is about a man named Melchizedek, and his relationship with Abraham.

Now this man Melchizedek is an extraordinary man, as we shall see in a moment.  But what is also extraordinary, is that the story of Melchizedek is only presented in three verses in Genesis 14, and then 1 verses in the Psalms 110.  And yet the writer of Hebrews manages to extract so much doctrine from it.  Another interesting thing, is that he spends as much time on what was not said in those verses, as he does on what was said.  And so if nothing else, it teaches us the value that he places on every word of scripture, and the importance that we should give to scripture as the inspired word of God.

I believe it was the great 19th century English preacher Charles Spurgeon who said, “For my part, I am far more afraid of making too little of the Word than of seeing too much in it.”  The apostle Paul  says in Romans 15:4 that “whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  And so we will look carefully at this section today, which is admittedly a difficult subject matter for so early in the morning, but I hope that you have come today to learn what the Lord thinks is important for us to learn, things that are beyond the elementary principles of the word, in hope that it will aid you as you grow into spiritual maturity. 

Now the author launches into the illustration of Melchizedek, presuming that he was a familiar figure to the Hebrew Christians who were the primary recipients of his epistle.  However, I realize that not all of you know who Melchizedek is, so I would like to look at the story about him in Genesis chapter 14 and quickly review that, to bring you up to speed.  

The story begins actually near the kingdom of Sodom where Abraham’s nephew Lot was living.  You will remember that Abraham and Lot had separated and went in opposite directions because their flocks and families were too much for the land to be traveling and living together.  And Lot looked towards the land which was good and well watered, and he chose to live near Sodom and Gomorrah.  

Eventually, there was a rebellion by the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as three other kings in that region, and they were rebelling against another king by the name of Chedorlaomer.  Chedorlaomer had three kings allied with him, and they fought in the Valley of Siddim.  And Chedorlaomer and his forces conquered the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies, and so they took the citizens and possessions of that area as trophies and spoils of war.  And Lot, Abraham’s nephew, along with his wives and children were taken captive.

However, a fugitive escaped the battle and came to Abraham who was living quite some distance away and reported to him the outcome of the battle and that Lot had been taken captive.  So Genesis tells us that Abraham led out his own trained men, 318, and it would seem he recruited some of his neighbors to help, and he pursued the armies of the  four kings led by Chedolaomer and when he found them, he divided up his forces at night and attacked them, and defeated them.  So Abraham and his small, homegrown force defeated 4 kings and their well trained army.  

Now as the saying goes, “to the victor go the spoils.”  So Abraham got the spoils of the battle, which was all the people and property of the five kings that Chedoloamer defeated, plus the spoils from Chedoloamer and his three kings.  And of course that included Lot and all of his family and all their belongings.  

Then in vs17 it says, that as Abraham was returning, he was met by the King of Sodom and also another previously unmentioned king, who was the King of Salem.  And it says in vs 18 that Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest of God Most High.  And Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils of war.

Then the King of Sodom approached Abraham, and he said you can keep all the spoils of war, but give the people to me, referring I presume to the people of Sodom.  And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread of a sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” 

Now in all of that story, there is very little mention of Melchizedek, just three short verses, and yet Hebrews makes much of what is said, and much of what is not said.  There is a lot that can be learned from this story, there are many good applications to be made, and yet the writer of Hebrews focus our attention on just a few attributes of Melchizedek which are for our encouragement and edification.

So let’s consider Melchizedek, King of Salem in light of our text in Hebrews.  The author tells us that his name is important, because the name Melchizedek means king of righteousness.  And furthermore, his title is important, because he is king of Salem, which is an ancient name of Jerusalem, and the meaning of the name Salem is peace, which is derived from the word “shalom.”  So he is king of righteousness and king of peace.

And this order illustrates an important principle, that righteousness always comes before peace. Righteousness is the only true path to peace. People look for that peace in escape, in evasion, in drugs or alcohol, but they will only find true peace in righteousness.  And righteousness is a gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Spurgeon said that “Peace without righteousness is like the smooth surface of the stream before it takes its awful Niagara plunge.”  Lot’s of things in this world promise peace, but they don’t deliver lasting peace.  The most important peace is first peace with God, and that is made possible only when we become children of God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Righteousness results in life, as opposed to death by sin, and peace is the fruit of righteousness.  And a fruitful life is the mark of maturity. 

It’s interesting to note also that in the Mosaic covenant, there was a separation between the office of priest and king. A person could not hold both offices.  Melchizedek precedes the Mosaic covenant, of course, and he holds a dual office of priest and king.  And in so doing, he very aptly pictures the ministry of Jesus Christ, who is offspring of the royal line of David, the Messiah, thus the King of Kings, but also is declared by God to be of the order of Melchizedek, as our the Great High Priest in Psalm 110 vs 4.  

Secondly, in vs 3 it says, 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 perpetually.”  Now some commentators have taken this to mean that Melchizedek was a preincarnate visitation of Jesus Christ.  And we know that happened in other places in the scriptures, like with Abraham and the three visitors, or with Joshua and the Captain of the Lord of Hosts.

But I would point to the text in vs 3 which says  that he was “made like the Son of God.”  Notice that it doesn’t say he was the Son of God, but “made like” the Son of God.  And the point isn’t that Jesus has Melchizedek’s kind of priesthood. Instead, Melchizedek has Jesus’ kind of priesthood.  Melchizedek is a type of Christ, just as the Passover Lamb was a type of Christ.  The fulfillment of the type is found in Jesus.

So I think that Melchizedek is a man, as it says in verse 7, “observe how great this man was.”  Spurgeon, whom I seem to be quoting from a bit more than usual today, wrote a great message where he reiterates that phrase over and over again, “Consider how great this man was.”   He was referring to Jesus, but I would emphasize that Melchizedek was a man, albeit a great man.

The text then says, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days or end of life” I believe this is not a reference to immortality, but a commentary on the silence of scripture.  Genesis is a book of genealogy.  And invariably it records the birth and death of the people of God, generation after generation.  But of Melchizedek there is no previous mention, there is no genealogy, no mention of who he descended from.  And from that silence of scripture, from what the scripture does not say, the writer of Hebrews uses to illustrate the typology of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, as the Son of Man, had a mother, though not an earthly father.  But as the Son of God, He was in the beginning with God, without a beginning, and without an end. And Melchizedek, holding the office of priest and king, from the silence of scripture regarding his heritage typifies the eternal office of Jesus Christ as our priest and king. 

Next the greatness of Melchizedek in comparison to Abraham is shown according to our text, by Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizedek. Notice that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils to Melchizedek.  This illustrates the principle of submission. Submission is a bad word today in our culture.  And yet through submission to God, represented by the priest of God, Abraham received a blessing.  We all must submit to someone, but in so doing we ultimately submit to God.  Paul said in Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  God has established certain authorities in society that we are to submit to.  And when we do not, then we bear the consequences of that rebellion.  So whether we submit to parents, or to our husband, or to our government, or to the church, we submit ultimately to God.

And that is what the tithe represents.  A tenth or the tithe was practically a universal means of showing respect or submission to the governing authority in the ancient eastern world.  At this time there was not any Mosaic law written concerning tithing.  Yet Abraham, when he met the priest of the Most High God, recognizes him as God’s representative, and submits to him by giving him a tenth, showing that he recognized that ultimately all that he had acquired as the spoils of war came from the blessings of God and so all that he had belonged to God. The tithe just showed that he recognized God owned all of his wealth, because God’s blessings gave him the victory.

There is another principle that is presented in Genesis which I feel I want to point out here, though the author of Hebrews is not concerned with it at this point.  And that is this; Abram has a choice; to receive the blessings of material things from the king of Sodom, or to receive the blessings of spiritual life from Melchizedek, king of Salem.  Abram rejects the offer of riches from the king of Sodom, and instead chooses the blessing of Melchizedek, and as a testament to his commitment, he gives him his tithe.  And this is an important principle for us as Christians in this world.  The world offers the enticement of riches for our allegiance and subjection to the lusts of this world, but we choose instead the blessings of life which come from God.

In Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter, we see many examples of men of God who forsook the pleasures and riches of this world for the sake of being God’s people.  For instance, Moses, it says in vs 26 considered “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”

Notice also that Melchizedek meets Abraham with bread and wine.  Many theologians see in this a reference to the Lord’s Supper, which may be so.  But at the very least, it is symbolic.  And I think the bread and wine are symbolic of life, and of sacrifice.  And in that respect they are a precursor of communion, in that it represents that by our Lord’s sacrifice we are given life.  And then the  blessing of Melchizedek upon Abraham represents the blessing of spiritual life from God which comes to us on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Now the author has a lot to say about the tithe of Abraham, and how the Levitical priesthood, which descended from Abraham, means that even the Levitical priests who came many generations  later, had paid tithes to Melchizedek.  The point being, that the Levitical priesthood submitted to the superiority of Melchizedek, through Abraham. And in return, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, which illustrates according to vs 7 the principle that “the lesser is blessed by the greater.”

Now all of that has been said to illustrate the superiority of Jesus Christ as our great High Priest.  But not only the superiority, but also the necessity for a better High Priest.  And so to do that, he shows us another priestly order, one that precedes that of the Levitical priesthood, and one that continues on forever far after the Levitical priesthood was done away with.  As he says in vs. 11, “if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of 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 designated according to the order of Aaron?” 

Well to answer that question, the need arises because the first priesthood was only intended to be temporary, it was insufficient, as it was only a picture or a type of the perfect which was to come.  It amazes me, and I think it was disconcerting to the apostles as well, that so many people want to go back to the rituals or ceremonies of the first covenant.  There are denominations today that say you must go back and keep the ceremonies and rituals and the sabbaths of Judaism.

Yet right here, as well as in many other places, it says in vs 12,  “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.”

Who is he speaking of?  Well, it’s true of both Melchizedek and Christ.  Neither came from the tribe of Levi.  Melchizedek proceeded the Levites by several generations.  And Jesus came from the tribe of Judah of which there is no mention of priesthood.  And this principle of a greater priesthood, a new priesthood is made even more clear by the fact that Jesus  is declared to be our priest, not on the basis of His earthly pedigree, but on the basis of an indestructible, immortal life.  So this new priesthood, which is not according to the law, must then have a new law, or a new covenant, to support the new priesthood. 

As God said in Psalm 110, vs 4, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”  This quote is the only other mention of Melchizedek, by the way in the Old Testament.  Such a brief testament, and yet such great doctrine is to be learned from it.  Jesus Christ, the Messiah, prophesied and promised of God that His priesthood would be an eternal priesthood that would never end.

Now I’m going to summarize part of this text in the interest of time, but notice four things he says are true concerning this new priesthood and the ensuing new covenant. First, there is a setting aside of the commandment because he says, the law never made anything perfect, in fact it is weak and useless.  In other words,  the law could never achieve righteousness on it’s own.  It could merely point us to Him that was righteous.  Paul said the law was a tutor, to lead us to Christ.  It merely points out our worthlessness, and points us to Christ.

Secondly, it ushers in a better hope.  A better hope is simply a more sure hope.  We have hope made sure in the advocacy of Jesus Christ, and in His atonement, which is much greater than the blood of bulls and goats.  Heb. 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a [hope] both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.”  Our hope is more sure because Jesus has entered into heaven for us, within the veil,  as the forerunner of the saints.  And because He is there, we can be confident that we will one day be with Him.

Thirdly, we have the sworn promise of God. God has sworn and will not change His mind, Jesus is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.  And fourthly, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.  He is the deposit, the guarantee, that where He is, there will we be.  That as He overcame death, so death cannot touch us.  That as His blood was the complete atonement, we that were sinners have become righteous through faith in Him. His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God is our guarantee that His sacrifice was sufficient, our debt is paid in full,  and His righteousness is applied to our account.

Then once again, the author emphasizes the eternality of Jesus’s priesthood, because it is the basis of the better hope of our salvation.  He says the earthly priests were great in number because they were prevented by their eventual death from continuing in that ministry.  But Jesus, because He is immortal, holds his office of priest permanently.  Though we perish in the body, His ministry never ends, and so He is able to guarantee that we will never die.  

These poor people that are having their bodies frozen when they die in hope that they will one day be thawed out and live again, are putting their hope in other finite men who will also die, in hope they will be their deliverers from the ice.   What folly that is, to put your trust in finite men, who will die, who will forget, who will not have any memory of who you were. I have things in my freezer that I have no idea what it is anymore.  But we put our trust in the living God, who has written our names upon his hands, who has said that nothing, not even death, shall separate us from the love of God. 

Rom. 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Vs. 25  “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  What a magnificent promise! What a blessed covenant that God has made with us.  He has sworn that He would not change His mind, He has sworn an oath that Jesus would be our eternal High Priest, continually making intercession for the saints, forever!  And He has sealed His covenant in the blood of His precious Son Jesus Christ, that we might have a more sure hope and have encouragement in the truth.  

So the author says it was fitting, that means it was proper, it was good, that this new covenant would be certified and guaranteed by a greater High Priest than those priests  of the old covenant.  Because those priests were weak, they were human, and they sinned themselves and thus needed to have forgiveness for their own sins before they could help us with ours.  

But in the new covenant, we have a Greater High Priest, who is innocent, undefiled, holy, separate from sinners, and exalted in the heavens and His sacrifice is sufficient once for all time and all people who trust in Him. And by His perfect offering, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

I hope that you have committed to draw near to God today through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Great High Priest.  You can have the blessings of life, even as Abraham did, when you submit your life to Him and trust Him as your Lord and Savior.  Jesus’s sacrifice is sufficient to bring you to God, to the source of life, even eternal life, if you will just believe and trust in Him as your Savior, Lord, and Priest.  You can have peace with God, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ applied to your account.  Won’t you bow down to Him today?  

Jesus, the anchor of our soul, Hebrews 6:11-20

As we look at this section of scripture before us today, it is important, as I underscored last week, that we keep these verses in context.  That is, that we make sure we study this passage within the greater framework of what has been said so far.

And as I indicated last week, the context of this passage, I believe, is the spiritual maturity of the believer.  Spiritual maturity so far in Hebrews has been likened to a house that is built up on a solid foundation, or a plant that has grown to produce fruit, or a person that has grown from a student to a teacher, or from drinking just milk to eating solid food.

Part of God’s purpose and plan in saving us is that we become spiritually mature and bear spiritual fruit.  We are not born again to stay babies, and just receive the same instruction again and again but never grow.  God has saved us and left us here on this earth that we might bear fruit, and that our fruit should remain.

In vs 7 the author makes reference to that fruitfulness or lack thereof as the two sides of spiritual maturity, saying,  “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;  but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”  The application there is that we might be good soil, which drinks the rain, which is tilled, which brings forth fruit, and then receives the blessings of God.

Jesus said in John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”  You can see by that verse that even our prayers being answered are tied to our fruitfulness.  A lot of people question God’s justice and faithfulness by whether or not they think He is answering their prayers.  Their attitude is that God doesn’t answer my prayers, therefore I don’t have much faith in God.  But in fact, the opposite attitude is the appropriate attitude.  “I believe in God, therefore, God answers my prayers.” The just shall live by faith, not by sight.  Faith in God produces fruitfulness for God which results in answered prayers by God.

In vs11 we are urged to apply diligence to our faith, that we might imitate those who went before us, so that we might inherit the promises. (11)  “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,  so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

And as a supreme example of someone who lived by faith and not by sight, someone who matured spiritually, someone who received the promises of God, and someone who entered the rest of God, the author of Hebrews reminds us of Abraham, the illustration of faith and patience, two great virtues of spiritual maturity.  In fact, Abraham is the father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles, in that He is the father of all who believe by faith.  

Romans 4:9 says, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." ... 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,  and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”  So Abraham is the father of us all, both the circumcised, that is the Jews, and the uncircumcised, that is the Gentiles, though they are circumcised in their hearts.  And Abraham was a certain symbol of maturity, who through faith and patience, Hebrews tells us, inherited the promises; the promise of blessing and fruitfulness.

So in what respect are we to imitate Abraham?  Abraham lived a long life, and did a lot of things, and so we need to consider the text to determine exactly what God is indicating is worthy of imitating in the life of Abraham.  Well, let’s look at vs 13 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,  saying, ‘I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.’  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.”

Now if you look at your margin of your Bible, you should notice that this is a quote from Genesis chapter 22.  Now that’s important, because God made promises to bless Abraham and multiply his descendants many times prior to this incident.  But specifically this quotation is made after Isaac has already been born.    So the promise that God is making at this point is not in reference to Isaac being born, but rather the people who would come about as a result of Abraham’s faith.  And as we have already pointed out, that is a reference not only to the Israelites, but to Christians throughout the world.  But at the time of Abraham’s death, that had not come to pass.  The only grandchildren that he had prior to his death were Jacob and Esau.  

So how was the promise fulfilled to Abraham? Because it says, “having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.”  Well, the promise was fulfilled partially when Jacob had 12 sons, and they went to Egypt to escape the famine, and then they were there in Egypt 400 years, and by the time that Moses arose to lead them out they were a great multitude, numbering as the sand on the seashore.  

But the promise did not reach it’s ultimate fulfillment until the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And Jesus said that Abraham, though he was long dead, rejoiced to see His day.  John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw [it] and was glad.” He rejoiced because the promises that God had made to him while living upon this earth, the promise that from his seed would come one through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, was finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He was the promised seed of Abraham through whom the world would be blessed.  He was the promised seed of Eve, who would crush Satan’s head.  And so Abraham, though he was dead in the body, but alive in the spirit, rejoiced to see that day because that was the fulfillment of the promise made hundreds of years earlier.  

So we see that Abraham was patient, not just patient in that he waited 25 years since the promise that he would have a son, named Isaac.  But he waited 1260 years to see the promise fulfilled. (Matt.1:17)

Now that is an important principle that this is teaching; that not all of the promises made to us as Christians will be fulfilled on this earth.  But as Jesus said in John 11:26 “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”  Some of the promises made to us will be fulfilled at the resurrection, on the other side of the veil.  But we that are saved have received eternal life, so that even now we have a life that will never end, but some promises are not going to be fulfilled until some point in eternity. 

Let me make this point clear as well, and that is this; our faith is founded on the promises of God.  Abraham did not conjure up this idea of nations of people coming from his loins on his own.  He did not dare to imagine that all the nations of the earth would be blessed by his offspring.  No, rather God had a plan to redeem the world, and he chose Abraham to come out from a pagan land, and go to a land that he would show him, and He promised Abraham a son, and the blessings that followed.  It was God’s eternal purpose which prompted God’s promises, and Abraham believed God’s promises, and He counted it to him as righteousness.  Abraham, the forefather of faith, believed in the promises of God.

For many, many years, I have had a school boy fantasy that I would own a Porsche 911.  I think it started in 1978. Over the years that dream ebbed and flowed, sometimes stronger, sometimes more faint, but always there in the back of my mind.  A couple of years ago, I guess I was going through a series of mid life crisis, and I reignited that fantasy by watching countless you tube videos about vintage Porsche 911’s.  One day, my wife and I were at the gas station by our house, and an older man pulled up in a 1978 white Porsche 911 with a for sale sign in the window.  It was all I could do to try to contain my enthusiasm.  I think the guy felt sorry for me or something, so he offered to let me take it for a drive.  My wife agreed, thinking that maybe that would get this fantasy out of my system.  It didn’t work.  I loved driving the car and it became even more a dream of mine to own it.

Now long story short, there was no way I could afford to buy the car.  And yet, for some reason, the man still has the car, but has taken it off the market.  I drive by his house once in a while and check to see if it’s still there.  I sometimes park outside of his house and pray that God would give me that car.  I feel a little guilty about praying for it, but I do it anyhow.  

Now a lot of people would say that if I just have enough faith, God will give me that car.  But listen, as much as I want that car, God hasn’t promised me a Porsche 911.  No amount of faith, no amount of tears, no amount of pleading, is going to get the Lord to give me that car unless he wants to give it to me.  But no matter how much I want it,  I know that God has not promised to give it to me.  There is not one scripture verse that I can point to as a promise of God.  I might like to make some verse apply to that, like “he will give you the desires of your heart.”  But that is a classic example of taking a verse of scripture out of context.  

I tell you all of that silly story to illustrate something very serious.  Our faith is founded on God’s promises.  Not vice a versa.  God’s promises are not founded on our faith. We aren’t driving the car, God is driving the car.  We must trust in God’s word, and we dare not try to manipulate God according to our desires.

Speaking of men using God to accomplish their desires, the author says in vs 16 “For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.”  In other words, men make promises and to give themselves credence, they swear by God.  They realize perhaps that their word on their own is unreliable, so they add God’s name as a witness to try to convince men of their truthfulness.

But God isn’t like man.  God cannot lie, because it is not in His nature to lie. But nevertheless, for our sakes, God added an oath to His promise to Abraham, and because He could swear by no one greater than Himself, for He is above all things, He swore by Himself.  Vs 17 “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,  so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

In as strongest of terms possible, God has given His promises.  He says God desired to show us, the heirs of the promise, that His purpose is unchangeable.  He then adds, superfluously perhaps, it is impossible for God to lie.  And he says all that, so that we may have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  

What is that hope then that he is speaking of? Notice it says that there are two things, two unchangeable things sworn by God, by which we might lay hold of our hope.  Now what two things has God sworn?  Vs14, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.”  But aren’t they just promises to Abraham?  No, for in the original text of Genesis 22 we read that the promises are made to the seed of Abraham. Genesis 22:17-18  “indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”  The promise to Abraham extends to his seed, to those who will be born in the future. So because we are the seed of Abraham, children of faith, we inherit the promises of blessing and fruitfulness.  

Notice back in our text, in vs 17, it says that God wished to show the heirs of the promise.  See that?  Who are the heirs of the promise?  According to Romans 4 which I quoted from earlier, it is those of us who have faith in Jesus Christ. Notice that the writer changes the subject from Abraham, singular, to the  pronoun “we” in vs 18 and 19.  The promises are to us, the promises of blessing and fruitfulness. 

 We are promised blessing from God, that is all the benefits of salvation; eternal life, having the Spirit of God with us, having the righteousness of Christ, having victory over sin and death, and we are promised that God will multiply us.  That simply refers to fruitfulness. God’s blessings of salvation on our life causes us to come to maturity, which produces fruit in our life, causing us to bring others to salvation.

So our hope is our faith and trust in the promises of God for blessing and fruitfulness.  And we are strongly encouraged to take hold of that hope, and hold on to that hope, and persevere in that hope.  Paul said in Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he [already] sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Folks, this is the way of sanctification, this is the way of maturity, that we persevere, we lay hold of our hope and do not waver, do not let go, do not drift away.  We continue to be obedient to that hope until the end, through life’s ups and downs, through trials and tribulations, knowing that our hope is not in this world, nor even in the resolution of life’s circumstances to our satisfaction now, but in hope we follow the Lord in obedience and faith and in the light of His word, trusting in Him to bring all His promises to fulfillment.

Vs. 19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,  where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul.  Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions.  Our soul is the tempest in a teapot.  It’s the battleground of our faith.  Our soul is where our faith finds it’s footing.  Our soul must be tethered to an anchor to keep us from reeling to and fro like a ship without a sail in the midst of a blowing gale.  Our soul is where doubts arise from the deep and cause us to harden our hearts.  Our soul is  where passions rise up from the depths and try to sink us.  Our soul is where false doctrines blow here and there and toss us like the waves of the sea. If our soul is going to be preserved, to be kept from falling, to be kept from drifting away, then it must be anchored to a firm hope, which is our faith in Christ. 

And we can be sure that our anchor holds, because it is tethered not to just empty philosophy, but it is anchored to the Rock, Christ Jesus.  And He is unchanging, He has been shown victorious sin and death, He is eternal, He is standing at the right hand of the Father as our mediator, as our intercessor, as our great High Priest.   He remains there as our High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.  And because He has overcome the world, we will overcome the world.  Because He is blessed we will be blessed, because He is fruitful, we shall be fruitful.

Notice that it says He has entered into the Holy of Holies, that is what behind the veil refers to.  He has gone into the holy place where the priests went to make atonement for the sins of the nation.  Jesus has gone into that Holy of Holies, and He remains there, because His sacrifice was sufficient for all time.  His blood avails for us there continually.  He doesn’t go out again and have to come back next year.  But once for all He shed His blood for the remission of sins, and our faith is in His continual, perpetual sufficiency as our atonement. 

And finally, notice it says He has entered there as a forerunner for us.  He has gone before us into heaven, into the presence of the Father.  He has gone before us through the veil that separates the physical from the spiritual. And where He has gone, He will one day bring us.  Jesus said in John 14:2-3 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

That is the anchor of our soul, the promise of Jesus Christ, the eternal, immortal, Lord of All,  to return for His bride, and to take us to be with Him to live forever.  The promise of eternal life with the Lord is the anchor of our soul.  That is where we find our rest.  We find our rest in Him and by trusting in His promises.

Let me ask you this question.  Do you have that anchor of the soul?  Have you placed your faith and trust in the promise and atonement of Jesus Christ?  Have you trusted Him as your Savior and Lord?  The scripture says, that Abraham believed God and He counted it to him as righteousness.  Faith in Jesus Christ transfers your sins to Jesus, and His righteousness to you, so that you can be saved and know the hope and peace of His salvation.  The invitation is open and available for everyone who hears; believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.