Our Melchizedekian Priest, and Perfection Forever

My name is James. I'll be bringing the reading this morning from Hebrews chapter 7.

Hebrews 7 · chapter mention

We'll be reading the whole chapter together.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God,

met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him.

And to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.

He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness,

and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

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

but resembling the Son of God, he continues a priest forever.

See how great this man was, to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils.

And those descendants of Levi, who received the priestly office,

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

through the, though these are descended from Abraham, are also descended from Abraham.

But this man, who does not have his descent from them, received tithes from Abraham,

and blessed him who had the promises.

It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

In the one case, tithes are received by mortal men,

but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,

for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood,

for under it the people received the law,

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

rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.

For the one of whom these things are spoken belong to another tribe,

from which no one has ever served at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah,

and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests.

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,

who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent,

but by the power of an indestructible life.

For it is witnessed of him,

you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness,

for the law made nothing perfect.

But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced,

through which we draw near to God.

And it was not without an oath,

for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath.

But this one was made a priest with an oath,

by the one who said to him,

The Lord has sworn, and I will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever.

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

The former priests were many in number,

because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.

But he holds his priesthood permanently,

because he continues forever.

However,

consequently,

he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him,

since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest,

holy, innocent, unstained,

separated from sinners,

and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need,

like those high priests,

to offer sacrifices daily,

first for his own sins,

and then for those of the people,

since he did this once for all,

when he offered up himself.

For the law appoints men in their weakness,

as high priests.

But the word of the oath,

which came later than the law,

appoints a son,

who has been made perfect forever.

Well, good morning, everyone.

My name's,

well,

you all know,

anyway,

don't you?

I was too slow,

wasn't I?

For those who don't know my name,

it's David.

I'm one of the staff here.

Well,

the passage we're looking at this morning

is hinged around the word

perfection.

And it occurred to me

that perfection

is something

that we

all crave,

especially in relationships,

and perhaps especially

in our homes.

So I think we crave perfection

as husbands,

as wives,

father,

mother,

as children.

And I think we crave perfection

in our wider friendships.

And at work.

And even in our leisure pursuits.

And I think the source of that

is that deep in our innermost being,

I think we sense

that we're made for something

much better

than the imperfections

we see in ourselves

and the imperfections

we see in others around us.

The imperfections,

in fact,

we see at every point

in our world.

And

the problem is,

I think,

that striving for perfection

makes us

anxious.

Because

as we strive for perfection,

and I think in our world today,

we fear being judged

for imperfection.

And I think that may also,

then,

in part,

drive the current

focus

on the need

for resilience.

resilience.

We even have got

official government people

whose job

is to

pursue

resilience

in the nation.

And resilience,

I think,

is a measure of perfection.

Now,

back in the day,

a long day ago,

when you had physical bookstores,

does anybody remember

physical bookstores?

Oh,

a couple,

even Simon remembers them.

You're older than you think,

buddy.

Or older than you're prepared

to admit,

maybe.

If you get into a bookstore,

a physical bookstore,

by far and away,

the largest section

was always

the self-help section.

That has been replaced today

by online.

Endless online

influencers

and podcasters

who are constantly

giving us

stuff

to help us

be better.

Chase perfection

or,

in the terms

of today,

I think,

help us to be

the best version

of ourselves

in whatever context

that is.

Now,

of course,

like everything else

we do in life,

our measure of perfection

is usually individualistic

and self-centered.

Recently,

just last week,

in fact,

I saw a lady

at the supermarket

wearing a T-shirt

and I couldn't help

because the words

were large,

but it said,

I'm living my best life,

don't get in my way.

And I thought,

the two phrases

sort of jarred.

Her best life

wasn't that relaxed

for her,

I don't think.

Then last week

in Outback Magazine,

I read about

a 15-year-old girl,

PLC Armadale,

and they run

a program

for their year nine kids,

a 28-day program

of really challenging

outdoor tasks.

And the design

of the course,

by their own words,

is to build confidence

and resilience,

to make the girls

feel confident

and comfortable

with themselves.

Anyway,

this girl,

when she was asked

to report on her

at the results

of that course for her,

she said,

I thought it was

a really interesting

phrase for a 15-year-old.

I used to be

really scared

of imperfection.

It's quite interesting

for a 15-year-old girl,

isn't it?

I used to be

really scared

of imperfection.

And then she goes on

to describe

how the course

had reduced

her anxiety

and increased

her happiness

because,

as she said,

I've begun

to like this

new version

of myself

that appeared

during this 28-day

program.

Turn it aside again,

just thinking more

about this perfection.

We're very quick

to call out

and condemn

imperfection

in others around us,

I think.

Including those

closest to us.

Now,

in part,

I think that's

probably because

that we

need people

around us

to be perfect

as a sort

of reinforcement

or an offset

of our own

imperfection

to give us

peace of mind.

So,

when they

show imperfection,

that really

unsettles us,

unnerves us,

and perhaps

even disappoints us.

And so,

we express

almost a demand

that they get

their life

life in order

and become

more perfect

for us.

But partly,

it may also be

because

if I can point

out somebody

else's imperfection,

then I can

actually reassure

myself that I'm

up the scale

a bit

in the quest

for perfection.

And so,

I can build

my sense

of achieving

perfection

as I expose

the imperfection

of others

around us.

And again,

the familiar

word is a

very common

word in our

society today.

Anybody who

impacts my

sense of

perfection

by their

imperfection,

we often

just call

toxic people.

And of course,

we all know

what we have

to do with

toxic people.

We get rid

of them,

unfriend

them,

just move

away from

them.

Now,

for those

who have

been struggling

to engage

with the

story of

the letter

of Hebrews,

I think

the idea

of perfection

is a really

good point

of engagement.

Because this

was a letter

written to a

bunch of

Christians with

a Jewish

background who

were also

seeking

perfection so

they could

live the

best life

possible for

them in

their situation.

and that

best life

possible for

them clearly

included how

much Jesus

would figure

in their

lives, how

much Jesus

would shape

their lives,

how much

Jesus would

shape their

thinking and

living.

Especially

as they

started to

realize that

the cost of

serving Jesus

was getting

greater and

greater and

greater and

greater,

excluded from

family,

excluded from

their local

community,

excluded from

the local

synagogue,

not able to

be part of

the society

which was

built around

the Jewish

religious

calendar,

and increasingly

the reality

of brutal

persecution,

even death,

at the hands

of the Roman

masters.

So they

were trying to

work out,

well, what is

perfection for

us?

Yes, it

involves Jesus,

but how much

Jesus?

The argument

of the letter

of Hebrews is

very simple.

Don't be

tempted to

move away

from an

all-in

identification

and commitment

to Jesus.

That's the

argument.

Don't do it.

Don't be

tempted to.

Very simple

argument.

The answer

and the

reason, as

it were, is

also quite

simple.

Don't do

it because

Jesus is

the perfection

you crave.

Right?

To put

your hope

or confidence

of acceptance

with God

in anything

other than

the perfection

of Jesus

is to put

your hope

in

imperfection

and indeed

actually denies

the perfection

of Jesus.

Jesus.

And that

takes us

into chapter

seven, which

continues to

establish the

perfection of

Jesus as

God's long

promised and

uniquely

qualified high

priest.

priest.

So here we

go.

We have to

dive into

the bit that

sort of makes

it hard for

us.

Priests and

sacrifice in

the Old

Testament Jewish

religious system.

Well, priests

and sacrifice

were at the

center of the

Old Testament

Jewish religious

system.

They had a

very responsible

role.

And the role

was actually, it

was called a

mediator.

Mediator is

somebody who's

in between two

or more parties.

And the

priest's role

was to bring

dirty, rebellious,

sinful people

together into

relationship with

a clean, holy,

perfect God.

No mean

feat.

To do that,

the priest's role

meant he had to

deal with the

sin of these

dirty, sinful

people so that

they'd be

acceptable in

relationship with

the clean, holy,

sinless God.

And he did that

through sacrifices.

But also he

needed to pray for

these dirty, sinful

people because he

prayed to the

Lord for them

because he said,

Lord, you know

the weakness of

these people.

You know they

can't keep their

promises.

You know they

might mean well

but can't deliver.

So the priest's job

was to pray for

his people.

And help them

in their struggle

for obedience.

So the

argument of the

letter written

primarily to

Christians with a

Jewish background

is dominated by

the background

question of

which priest

will you

trust to

make you

acceptable to

God?

But

and ensure

you make it

home safely

to heaven.

Now from the

opening paragraph

of the letter

Jesus is

presented as

God's

unique

or purpose

built

perfect

high priest

who has been

perfectly

successful

in his role

as mediator.

and that

has been

set up

in contrast

to the

imperfection

and ultimate

failure of

every other

priesthood

and indeed

the whole

Jewish

religious

system.

That's the

contrast that's

operating right

through the

letter.

Jesus has dealt

perfectly with

sin.

He knows

and understands

our situation

perfectly.

He is

constantly

praying for

us.

He stands

ready to

help his

people be

faithful.

and ultimately

he will lead

us home to

glory or

the word that

we've been

introduced to

us in

Hebrews chapter

three and

four is the

word rest.

He will lead

us home to

rest.

Now what is

rest?

It is the

enjoyment of

the perfection

of God

from our own

point of

having been

made perfect.

So perfection

is everywhere

in Hebrews.

And the

letter is

saying we

can have

absolute

confidence

before God

because of

Jesus because

the refrain

is he's

our better

high priest.

Chapter

four verse

16.

So last

week we're

forever

anchored

his

perfection.

That was

where the

end of

Dave's

passage from

last week

chapter six

verse 20

18 through

20.

He's that

good.

Perfection

how do you

describe

perfection

except to

say perfection

is perfection

and Jesus

is perfection.

So we can

be totally

confident

totally

relaxed

to as

aware

just

wander

into the

presence

of God

as his

child.

to pick

up

what

Alan

said

this

morning.

Sorry to

kill you

Alison.

What could

be offensive

about that

Alan?

Okay I

don't know

where that

came from

I'm so

sorry.

Having said

all that

there's a

question

lurking in

the background

for those

who knew a

thing or two

about the

Old Testament

Jewish

religion.

And that

question

hitherto has

been unspoken

in the

letter but I

want to try

and bring it

out this

morning because

I think it

helps us

understand

chapter 7.

That is

how can

Jesus be

this bigger

and better

high priest

when in

fact he's

not qualified

to be a

priest at

all?

Now

God's law

was really

clear about

two things.

God's law

was really

clear that

priests had

to be from

the line of

Aaron and

Levi.

Clearly

our text

chapter 7

tells us

Jesus was

from the

line of

Judah.

So he

didn't have

that

qualification

therefore he

couldn't be

a priest.

The other

thing that

God's law

was really

clear about

was that

the role

of priest

and king

had to be

kept

separate.

Now

surely this

means that

Jesus being

a descendant

of King

David from

the line of

Judah and

given that

he's already

been described

multiple times

in this letter

as the

king and

lord of

this world

king of

kings and

lord of

lords.

Then

surely given

that he

can also

claim to

be a high

priest.

So in

two accounts

as it

were

Jesus

could not

properly be

considered a

great high

priest.

Dilemma.

Enter

Melchizedek

or as

Lachlan

introduced him

to us a

couple of

weeks ago

Milky

Joe.

Melchizedek

Melchizedek's

this mysterious

figure who

pictures or

gives us a

sneak peek

of the

into God's

plan for

an alternative

perfect

priest-king

figure.

I'll try and

unpack that a

little bit for

you.

Last week,

two or three

weeks ago,

in chapter 5,

verse 6 and

10, we were

introduced to

this guy,

Melchizedek.

And the

writer found

Melchizedek

back in

Psalm 110.

10.

And he uses

Melchizedek to

explain the

unique qualification

and perfection

of Jesus as

God's high

priest.

So Melchizedek,

as it were,

is a sneak

peek or a

video clip,

a real life

lesson, as it

were, something

like that.

And it goes

like this, I

think.

Just as King

David, back in

Psalm 95, and

Alan read that to

you this morning,

just as King

David in Psalm 95

had written of

the need for a

better rest than

the promised land

had ever

delivered, even

under his rule.

Remember, King

David was the

pinnacle of the

life of the

promised land.

So King David,

even then, said,

we need a better

rest.

We don't have

that enjoyment of

perfection in

God's presence.

It just didn't

deliver.

We couldn't

deliver it.

And that was

discussed back in

chapters 3 and

4.

But just as he

said that, so

also, in Psalm

110, King

David wrote of

the need for a

new and better

priest-king

figure to

deliver that

rest to God's

people.

So we need a

better rest, and

we need someone

who can deliver

us into that

rest.

In Psalm 110,

David envisages

this priest-king

figure to

who would do

that, in the

order of

Melchizedek.

The same

connection at the

end of Dave's

passage last

week, 620.

Melchizedek was

a sneak preview

of God's plan to

deliver the

perfection of

rest or

salvation, a

sure hope of

acceptance before

God, and

direct access to

him forever.

Now, the

background, the

backstory to

Melchizedek is in

Genesis chapter

Genesis 14 · chapter mention

14.

We're

introduced to

Melchizedek, and

he was

unusually both

a king and a

priest.

And as you

read that story,

and you should

go and read it,

very interesting

story.

As you read

that story, you

find that not

only was a

king and a

priest combined,

but he was

actually a

model of both

roles, a very

good model of

both roles.

You'll see when

you read Genesis

14 that as

king, he

was concerned

to recognize

and honor the

Lord.

And in

Genesis 14,

that makes

him stand in

sharp contrast

to another

king that was

mentioned there,

the king of

Sodom, who

was entirely

self-interested.

And then

again as

priest,

Melchizedek

brought God's

blessing to

Abraham, and

in turn

encouraged Abraham

to be thankful

to the Lord for

the victory he

had just won

against all odds.

So the priest

was actually

doing what a

priest was

meant to do.

He was

bringing the

clean God and

that sinful,

rebellious Abraham

together.

His name,

we're told in

chapter 7 here,

which in Old

Testament terms

always describes

a person's

character,

highlights his

desire to rule

his people in

righteousness,

and to

ensure rest

or peace,

that's in his

name,

exists between

the Holy God

and dirty,

rebellious people.

He's there on

the job praying

for his people,

encouraging

thankfulness and

obedience.

He is, in a

sense, the

model priest.

God, he

was really

good, but he

wasn't the

best.

But he does

give us a

sneak preview to

the one who

would be the

best, the

Lord Jesus.

Now then,

after that,

various other

things are made

to sort of

build the

point.

verse 4,

the authority

of Melchizedek,

because he just

bursts onto the

scene, and he's

not the normal

pattern for a

priest, but the

writer to the

Hebrew is saying,

well, look,

clearly, he was

recognized as a

priest by one as

great as Abraham,

the father of

all Jews.

He was

recognized and

honored as

Abraham accepted

a blessing from

him and offered

a tithe to him,

which was the

legislative response,

the entitlement

of a priest.

Verse 9,

it's an idea,

an argument that's

not familiar to

us, the

argument of

solidarity.

So the

argument is

this, that

Abraham approves

and endorses

and honors this

priestly

Melchizedek,

Levi, who

would be his

great grandson

because of a

principle of

solidarity, that

is what the

father of the

race gets,

then flows

right down

through to

everybody it

comes from.

In that

basic argument,

the writer says,

well, in that

sense, Levi has

also endorsed

and recognized

a greater

priesthood than

what he came

from.

But ultimately,

so he comes

with high

validation, but

ultimately,

verses 3 and

8, the

ultimate validation

of Melchizedek

is from the

Lord by the

way in which

the Lord brings

him into the

picture unannounced

and equally

quickly takes

him back

out.

So he's a

priest and

a king, but

because the

record doesn't

tell us anything

else, essentially

then he's a

priest and

king forever.

Melchizedek

is one who

was purpose

built as

God's savior

figure, a

king priest

with forever

authority.

Perhaps, is it

too much to say

he was purpose

built to give

us a sneak

peek of the

best priest

that would be

to come, the

best king that

was still to

come?

Whatever we

want to say

about Melchizedek,

he does actually

give us a sneak

peek of Jesus.

He is all that

God's people need

to be delivered

into rest.

a king that

will rule over

them and take

them to God, a

priest who will

deal with their

sins and pray

for them.

Pray for them

rather, sorry.

He is the

unique, purpose

built, perfect

priest who would

resolve the

problem of sin

once for all and

who would also be

a perfect king

figure as he looks

forward to Jesus,

leading his people

safely home to

glory or heaven.

Now all of that

in the first 10

verses of chapter

7 builds to

the main point,

the conclusion

that the writer

wants to get to.

And if you get

stuck on Melchizedek,

well then leave

him behind at

this point.

Come with me

through verse 11

to 28 because

that's where the

writer really wants

us to focus.

He sort of starts

to dig into now

the various

aspects of the

perfection of

Jesus as our

great high priest.

the conclusion

is that God's

perfection is

won for us and

gifted to us in

Jesus.

Now again, the

argument goes

something like

this.

Since God's

rest or heaven

is perfection,

and since God's

people are dirty,

rebellious,

imperfect,

perfect, then

how can we

achieve perfection

such that we

will be

acceptable in

relationship forever

with the perfect

Lord, perfect

God?

Answer,

Jesus is just

what the doctor

ordered.

not only was he

perfect,

which is

something remarkable

in itself,

not only did he

show us God's

perfection,

if you've seen me,

you've seen the

Father, which is

even more

remarkable,

most remarkable

of all,

he delivers

perfection to

his dirty,

sinful people

in such a way

as to guarantee

forever

perfection for

God's people

and therefore

complete

acceptance

before the

Lord.

Jesus delivers

what no other

others before

him could only

point to.

That's the

argument of

verses 11,

12, 13,

14.

So,

why does

Jesus turn

up with a

high endorsement

that he has

as God's

alternative

priest after

the order of

Melchizedek

when there was

apparently a

perfectly good

Levitical

priesthood system

already in

operation?

Answer could

only be.

The only one

logical answer

because that

existing system

was imperfect

and always

anticipated

something better

coming along

to do what

it couldn't

do,

to achieve

what it

could never

achieve.

The Old

Testament system

could never

bring God's

people to

perfection.

verses 18 and

19 sort of

flesh out that

a little bit.

Talking about

the weakness

of the law.

The law

made nothing

perfect,

but on the

other hand,

a better hope

is introduced

through which

we draw near

to God.

So,

how does it

work?

God's law

introduced by

Moses was

intended to

make people

aware of

their sin

or imperfection

and to

make them

aware of

their inability

therefore to

be acceptable

in relationship

with God.

So,

the Old

Testament law

highlighted the

vast gap

between dirty

sinful people

and a

clean holy

God.

The

sacrificial

system then

was God's

temporary

provision

to bridge

that gap.

Allowing

dirty

sinful people

to come

and have

fellowship with

them, but

in the

context of

pretty strict

limits because

they were

mixing as

dirty people

in a very

very dangerous

situation as

they fellowshiped

with the

holy God.

So,

there was a

guardedness,

a contingency.

Yes, it

brought God

and people

together,

but under

pretty strict

guidelines.

So,

you see,

at best,

God's,

sorry,

I jumped

ahead of my

paragraph there.

So,

add to that

weakness

the failure

of the

priesthood

itself.

Look at

verse 23.

So,

you get

an imperfect

system

run by

imperfect

priests.

Their

imperfection

and weakness

was obvious.

Every single

high priest

died.

Josephus,

the Jewish

historian,

has done

the hard

work and

he reckons

there was

83

high

priests

from

Aaron

through to

the time

of Jesus.

And guess

what?

Every one

of them

died.

And then

there was

thousands of

other priests

and all of

them died

too.

The

priesthood

itself

was part

of the

problem

of sin.

So,

at best,

that system

could only

point people

to God's

future

perfection.

It could

never deliver

perfection.

It could

make people

anticipate

perfection.

It could

make them

desire

perfection.

It could

make them

cry out

to God

for perfection,

but it

couldn't

actually

deliver it

in itself.

Jesus

is God's

purpose-built

perfect

replacement

for that

whole

imperfect

system.

And at

every point

his superiority

is obvious.

At every

point it

is clear

that he

is

perfection

and wins

perfection

for his

dirty,

needy

people.

Verse 16,

and then

21 and

24.

Verse 16,

he has

become a

priest not

on the

basis of

a legal

requirement

concerning

bodily

descent,

but by

the power

of an

indestructible

life.

Same idea

in 21 and

24.

Jesus is

God's

forever

priest

priest

because he

is God's

forever

person.

His

sinlessness

meant he

didn't die

like every

other person

before and

since.

he comes

with God's

specific

backing,

God's

special

oath,

which is

a really

big emphasis

there because

when God

says something

it's as

good as

done.

God

doesn't

have to

back up

his promise

with an

extra promise

saying I

really will

do it.

I mean

that's what

we have

to do,

that's what

kids do,

isn't it?

I really,

really,

really,

really promise.

But God

in this

case is

so determined

to give

us people

confidence

that he

set this

path in

motion and

it will

never change.

It is

perfect.

He adds

another

promise to

it.

It's sort

of ridiculous

in a sense

but it's

there to

tell us

how serious

God is

about this.

Jesus

comes with

God's

specific

backing

and is

fit for

task.

He does

not need

to be

replaced.

He will

never need

to be

updated.

There's

no new

or better

priest to

come

because he

is now

in heaven

with an

endless

role

continuing

daily

from heaven

to call

his people

home,

to lead

them

home,

to pray

for his

people.

Verse 27,

he has no

need like

those high

priests to

offer

sacrifices

daily,

first for

his own

sins and

then for

those of

the people

since he

did this

once for

all when

he offered

up himself.

Jesus

is God's

solution.

He's

never

been,

never

will be

part of

the

problem.

Yes,

like other

priests,

Jesus did

die.

But unlike

other priests,

he didn't

die as a

consequence

of his own

imperfection

or sin.

Jesus died

voluntarily as

a perfect

sacrifice

to deal

finally and

completely with

the sins of

his people.

And that will

be unpacked

more in

chapters 9

and 10.

Verse 25,

Jesus saves

us completely.

He meets

our every

need and

he never

leaves us

alone.

consequently,

verse 25,

consequently,

there you

go,

that's the

arguments

bringing

forward.

Given all

that's been

said,

consequently,

he is

able to

save to

the uttermost.

Now,

that's not a

word we use

very much,

but to

save us

completely,

perfectly,

meeting our

every need,

never leaving

us alone.

He has

unique power,

unique ability,

unique desire

to deliver

perfection to

his dirty,

imperfect people,

making them

acceptable to

God forever.

And that's a

really important

thing in there

because some

people have the

power to do

good in this

world, but

don't.

They apply

their power

for their own

benefit.

Jesus has

power and

ability and

authority,

all of which

has been

applied through

his own

death and

resurrection

to bring

perfection to

his dirty,

imperfect people

so they

might be

acceptable to

God and

in turn enjoy

the perfection

of God,

rest or

heaven or

glory forever.

Jesus does

it.

He follows

through every

step of the

way of

salvation.

From in

eternity, we're

told in other

parts of

scripture, as

he planned

this great

salvation of

horribly dirty

people, to

the other end

of eternity

when we're

sitting beside

him in

perfection,

enjoying the

perfection of

God, like

Jesus and

with Jesus

forever.

every step

of the way,

he's done

it, he's

followed

through.

One

confession to

Jesus in

contrast to

the old

Jew system,

one confession

to Jesus is

enough to

bring us to

God.

Jesus, only

you can do

for me that

which I know

I can never

do for

myself.

I could