Priestly Perfection

If you would to Hebrews chapter seven, we're

gonna pick up where Neal left off last week in

verse 11. This whole idea of entering into the

presence of God, you know that's a privilege

that we Christians have, right? All we Christians

have that right to enter into the presence of

God, and yet I think that sometimes we do not

fully understand the great privilege that that

is. I think we still think of ourselves a little

bit like old covenant saints who didn't have

that ability to enter into the presence of God.

You know, under the old covenant, only the high

priest could actually enter into the Holy of

Holies, and he could only go on one day of the

year, the day of atonement. And he only stayed

in there long enough to take care of his business,

to offer that sacrifice, and then he was out

of there. But today in Christ, we have constant

continual... perfect access to the Father. And

I just wanna encourage you today, in light of

what we're gonna talk about, to take advantage

of that. You know, we can draw near to God. We

can enter into his presence as we pray. I think

we typically think of that praying. We enter

into the presence of God, this communication

between me and my Heavenly Father. but we enter

into his presence through praise like we did

this morning, like I hope you did as I did this

morning. We enter into the presence of God as

we open his word and hear from him. There's so

many ways. We enter the presence of God as we

serve in the gifts and abilities that God has

given us, depending upon his strength and his

power to enable us to do what God has called

us to do in a manner worthy of our calling, as

Scripture often reminds us. So that's what we're

talking about this morning as we get into this

further discussion of Melchizedek, this mysterious

high priest. I know there's been lots of conversation

this week about whether or not Melchizedek was

a real man or was he a pre -incarnate Christ.

Neil shared last week and I agree that he was

a real man. There's just some things we don't

know about him. And so he became this perfect

illustration, this picture, this type of the

high priest that Jesus would be, an eternal high

priest, a priest with no end. And so again, that's

who we're gonna be talking about a little bit.

Really we're gonna be talking about Jesus this

morning. I often get asked, and I'm sure Neil

does too, by Brother Rick or somebody wanting

to know what our message is gonna be on, and

of course I usually sarcastically say it's gonna

be about Jesus. But that's what the message should

always be about, right? It should be about Jesus.

That's what our life should be about. It should

be about Jesus. It should be about this one who

has given us the ability to enter into the presence

of God. And so we're gonna talk about that this

morning, this high priest that has come according

to the order of Melchizedek. Let's read first

of all, I wanna read these verses to you and

then I wanna kinda introduce the passage with

some strong verses. Hebrews chapter seven verse

11, we're gonna read down through verse 19, the

words will be here on the screen if you don't

have a Bible. or a device that you can follow

along with. He said, 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. Of course we're talking about

Jesus who belongs to the tribe of Judah. So this

one of whom these things are spoken belong to

another tribe from which no one has ever served

at the altar. He had to be from the tribe of

Levi to serve 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. And yet he is our... Glorious

high priest. Verse 15 says, 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. Jesus became a priest in a very different

manner than the Levitical priests became priests.

His was by the power of an indestructible life.

And then of course, Psalm 110 verse four is referred

to again for this, 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 there's the key

for us today. It's all about drawing near to

God. Entering into the presence of God. So I

just wanna read some verses to you and then I'm

gonna ask some questions and then we're gonna

talk about this passage of scripture, I hope,

in some detail. And what we're gonna look at

this morning is we're gonna lay out the shortcomings

of the Old Covenant. What's happening as we go...

forward in Hebrews is not only do we have this

comparison between Jesus and the prophets, Jesus

and the great heroes of faith, Jesus and the

Levitical priesthood, but we're gonna get this,

hopefully, this idea in our heads that there's

a transition that has been made. The author is

arguing we are no longer under the old covenant.

The old covenant isn't gonna do you any good

because that was the temptation that these professing

Christians were dealing with. or prayed to receive

Christ, to follow Him, and now they were having

a struggle in doing that. They were experiencing

hardship. And so the temptation was to go back

into Judaism, to go back under the old covenant,

to go back to the way things used to be, which

was much easier. And the author is saying, don't

do that, don't do that. And so he's going to

begin to share with us how the old covenant is

now obsolete. It's been replaced by a new covenant.

The law has been changed. And we're gonna see

that more and more clearly, I hope, with each

passing week. So let me read this to you and

then ask you some questions. Psalm one, verses

five and six issues a pretty strong warning.

This is what it says. Therefore the wicked will

not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the

congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows

the way of righteousness, but the way of the

wicked will perish. And then New Testament, second.

Thessalonians chapter one verses eight and nine

speaks of Christ's return and of course the judgment

that will come with him. And he says that there

will be those who do not know God, those who

did not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They

will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction

away from the presence of the Lord and from the

glory of his might. In other words, no access

to God. So the question I want to ask is this,

what is it that makes a person fit to come before

God, to enter into his presence? And as you think

about it, I just want to share some things that

it's not. It's not good works, by the way. Neil

mentioned that this morning as well. It's not

our good works. It's not because we're good,

because we're not. and we're incapable of any

good works. It's not sacrifices if we want to

talk about the old covenant. It's neither sacrifices

nor the prayers of the Levitical priesthood in

behalf of the people. Wasn't that? It's not baptism.

It's not church membership. It's by grace alone.

That's what we're learning. Through faith alone

in our perfect high priest, Jesus Christ. That's

what makes us fit to come before God. being clothed

in the righteousness of Jesus. Of course, Paul

says in Philippians 3 .9, again, Neil's already

referred to this verse, he wants to be found

in him, not having a righteousness of my own

that comes from the law, but that which comes

through faith in Christ, the righteousness of

God that depends on faith. And let me tell you,

that ought to be the desire of every heart in

this room. We too. should one day want to stand

before the Lord, but not clothed in our own righteousness,

not proclaiming to God, we deserve to be here

because of what we have done. Remember, there

are people in the Bible that do that, right?

They ask the Lord, Lord, didn't we do these things?

Didn't we serve you? Didn't we honor you? Didn't

we help our brothers and sisters? Didn't we do

all these things? And what's Jesus gonna say

to that group who are depending upon their good

works? He's gonna say, depart from me. Never

knew you. So it's not our good works. Again,

not the sacrifices or the prayers offered by

the priests of the Old Covenant. None of these

things, but by grace alone, through faith alone,

our desire should be to be clothed in the righteousness

of Christ. Of course, in 2 Corinthians 521, Paul

writes to assure us that all of this is available.

He says to his fellow believers, he says, for

our sake, God made Jesus to be sin who knew no

sin. Now, there you go. That's kind of the heart

of what we're getting to right now. Jesus has

done for us something that no old covenant priest

could do, no Levitical priest could do, because

God made him to be sin who knew no sin, that

in him we might become the righteousness of God.

No one became the righteousness of God under

the old covenant. or at least under the old covenant

sacrificial system. No high priest of the Levitical

system could do this for someone, and that's

the point that he's making here. We are made

fit to stand before God, to enter into his presence

by being in Christ. So you ask yourself, well,

how could people under the old covenant be saved?

Well, they were saved the same way we are, only

they looked forward to what Christ would do for

them. With not nearly as much information as

we have, They didn't have nearly the information,

the detail that we have about Jesus Christ, his

life, his death, his resurrection. They didn't

have any of that, and yet Abraham believed God,

the scripture says, and it was accounted to him

as righteousness, and others throughout the Old

Covenant era did the very same thing. So will

we fellowship with saints of God who lived under

the Old Covenant? You bet we will. because they

believed, they looked forward, they believed

forward to the coming of Christ and to the salvation

that he alone could provide. So they are saved

by grace through faith the same way that we are.

You ever wonder about that? I think sometimes

we get the idea that under the Old Covenant and

the Old Testament it was a different God and

he had different rules and it was a different

standard and there was a different way of salvation.

Let me say that's not true. God is the same,

right? And salvation has always been by grace

through faith. So with that, let's take a look

at this passage of scripture. We're gonna talk

first about the shortcomings of the Old Testament,

and that's exactly what the writer of Hebrews

does here. And he uses a word that we're familiar

with, or at least we think we are, that word.

perfection. 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 the

one named after the order of Aaron. So a new

priest has come, that's the argument that he's

making. So why in the world is this new priest

even necessary? Well, he implies here, really

he doesn't imply, he spells it out pretty clearly,

that under the old covenant, under the old priesthood,

there were some shortcomings. So he is speaking

about the superior priestly ministry of Jesus

Christ over that of the Aaronic or the Levitical

priesthood, but he is also pointing out, as I

said a moment ago, this exchange that has taken

place from the old covenant to the New Covenant.

Of course, we read about the New Covenant in

the Old Testament, right? I wanna read a passage

of scripture for you. We've referred to this

already, but it's found in Jeremiah 31. So the

prophet Jeremiah says these words. He says, behold,

the days are coming, declares the Lord, when

I will make a new covenant. with the house of

Israel and the house of Judas. So again, this

idea of a new covenant isn't strictly a New Testament

idea, it's an Old Testament idea. And he says,

this covenant's not like the covenant that I

made with their fathers on the day when I took

them by the hand to bring them out of the land

of Egypt, for my covenant that they broke, though

I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this

is the covenant that I will make with the house

of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.

He says, I will put my law Remember the old covenant

was an exterior covenant, an external covenant,

right? But he says this new covenant's gonna

be an internal thing. I'm gonna put my law within

them. I'm gonna write it on their hearts. I will

be their God and they shall be my people and

no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and

each his brother saying, know the Lord, for they

shall all know me from the least of them to the

greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive

their iniquity and will remember their sin. No

more. Now again, those words sound so commonplace

to us as new covenant Christians that sometimes

we just kind of yawn like ho hum, so what? But

let me tell you, these were revolutionary words

when Jeremiah spoke them. And that's now what

we see coming to pass or having come to pass.

Well, this is what the writer of Hebrews is writing

about. He's saying, look, the old covenant is

done. under the new covenant, the covenant of

Christ, and he lays out some of the imperfections

of the old covenant. And the very first thing

he did, I mentioned that word perfection. Usually

when we read that word, we think of perfection

in the sense of, well, of perfection, right?

Completeness. Maturity, we often say that's what

that word means. It doesn't speak of being perfect,

in other words, without sin, without fault, without

error, but it means complete, whole, mature.

And most of the time when you read that word

perfect or hear imperfection, that's what it's

talking about. But in this context, it's talking

about something much more. Here it indicates

the ability to put someone in a position in which

he can come and stand before God. In other words,

the writer of Hebrews is saying that the old

covenant couldn't do that. The Levitical priests

could not do that. That system and those priests

were incapable of doing for you what you need

in order to stand before God in a right relationship

with God. They couldn't do it. It was a problem.

It was a fault. It was a shortcoming of the Old

Covenant. The Old Covenant, the Levitical priesthood,

could not give you or anyone access to God or

to His throne of grace. And so really what he's

talking about here is salvation. So again, how

did Old Covenant people become saved? Well, looking

forward. to Jesus. Again, they may not have called

him that. Looking forward to this coming one,

the Messiah, who would usher in a new covenant

and clothe them in his own righteousness, having

died for their sins. So a new priest was needed,

is what's being said here. And of course, Jesus

is that new priest who would usher in the new.

So the old covenant simply was not capable of

doing for anyone what everyone needed. And so

there is a new covenant that has come with this

new high priest after the order of Melchizedek,

Jesus Christ. So, perfection, access to God,

the ability to stand before God, was not possible

through the Old Testament Levitical priesthood.

They couldn't do that for you. So another priest,

and we're gonna see this word a couple of times,

the word another there, for another priest to

arise after the order of Melchizedek, we're gonna

read that word again in verse 15, another priest

arises. There are two words in the New Testament

that are translated another. And one of those

words means another, of the same kind. You know,

I love my Calvary Hill coffee cup. And I have

another one of these in my office, just like

this one. That's what that word means, another

of the same kind. So it's a quantitative difference.

I have two, I think I have a half a dozen actually.

I have another one of these. But the word that

is used here, is a word that means another of

a different kind. Qualitatively different. Jesus

is different from the Levitical priests in every

way. Well, and of course it points out here,

he's not even from the tribe of Levi, right?

The priestly tribe. He's from the tribe of Judah.

So everything about Jesus is different and we

should be so very thankful. that it is. So, there

was need for another priest. And it speaks, this

idea that we need another priest, speaks of the

impermanence of the Levitical priesthood. The

old covenant was never intended by God to be

permanent. Again, Jeremiah talked about a new

covenant that was coming. And that's not the

only place where we read about a new covenant

coming. God always intended to send his son,

again, we've talked about this over and over,

Christ coming into the world to die for sinners

and to rise again and to take his seat at the

right hand of the father to ever live to be our

intercession, our access to God, was not plan

B. It was God's plan from the very beginning.

The old covenant was always an impermanent. There

was another covenant that would be ushered in

by another high priest, a priest of a totally

different kind. Jesus Christ would come and usher

in a permanent priesthood. That's the difference.

The old priesthood was impermanent. And again,

the Bible lists reason after reason of why. Number

one, it was an impermanent priesthood because

we kept having to replace priests because what

did they do? They died. They had to have a new

high priest every time the old high priest died.

They had to replace the priest that served in

the temple because the old other priest died.

Jesus has conquered death. Jesus will never die

and we who are in Christ, of course, we have

the same promise, we will never die. So the Levitical

priesthood was never intended to be permanent.

Again. Further down in our text, it speaks of

the weakness and uselessness of this old covenant.

It's hard for us to use those words connected

to the old covenant, isn't it? And let me just

say this. It wasn't that the old covenant was

bad or wrong. The old covenant was God's. It

was God's Word. The problem with the old covenant

wasn't the old covenant. The problem with the

old covenant was us. We couldn't keep it. We

were evil. We were wicked. We couldn't do it.

We were sinners. And as a result, its weakness

and its uselessness, those words speak of inability

and ineffectiveness. It simply didn't do what

human beings needed done for them. I mean, the

Levitical priests who stood in the temple and

offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people

daily, that whole system could not truly atone

for sin. That's why it went on every day. That's

why the Day of Atonement came every year. It

was a constant thing, a continual thing. And

of course, coupled with that, we read about the

law that came with the Levitical priesthood or

with the old covenant that has been changed.

The law couldn't impart life to anybody. Only

Jesus. Could do that so a change was needed the

old covenant was never intended to be Permanent

and of course the scripture tells us that that

it was absolutely impossible for it to do what

was needed. Of course, we have to look forward

a little bit to get a really clear picture of

that, but in Hebrews chapter 10, verses four

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

and verses 11, we get a really clear picture

of the inadequacy of the old covenant and the

Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system.

Let me just read these verses to you. Hebrews

10, four says, and this is a verse that y 'all

are all familiar with, I think. It says, for

it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats

to take away sins. That's what we needed. We

needed someone who could take away our sin. But

my goodness, what we were offering to God was

the blood of bulls and goats. I could never do

what we needed. I could never take away sin.

Hebrews 10 -11 further explains, and every priest

stands daily at his service offering repeatedly

the same sacrifices which can never take away

sins. The old system was flawed. Sin was only

temporarily covered, but it could never be canceled.

The law could reveal your sin, but it couldn't

take your sin away. And so that was the issue,

and that was why Christ had to come. And so he

begins to tell us about why this new covenant,

Christ's covenant, is sufficient for our needs,

and he talks about the power. Jesus was not a

high priest because he fell in the priestly order.

because of his heredity, in other words, he wasn't

from the tribe of Levi, he was from the tribe

of Judah. He was appointed, the scripture says,

God appointed him as a priest. And then not only

that, but we read here that he has arisen as

a priest. So Jesus was appointed by God to be

our eternal high priest. That's found back in

Hebrews 5 .5. But according to our text in verse

15, he has arisen to the position by the power

of an indestructible life. And of course, just

think about that word, he's arisen by an indestructible

life. It's talking about the resurrection, right?

The power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave

is the same power that has appointed him to be

our great. High priest it's that power that he

serves in the power of an indestructible Life

Jesus can take away your sin The law couldn't

do that the Levitical priesthood couldn't do

that the sacrificial system couldn't do that

But Jesus can take away your sin first Peter

2 24 says this Jesus himself bore bore our sins

in his body on the tree that we might die to

sin and live to righteousness By his wounds,

you've been healed. Jesus can take away your

sin. Only Jesus can take away your sin. Jesus,

unlike the law, can impart spiritual life. Galatians

321 says, for if the law could have been given

that could give life, then righteousness would

be by the law. But of course, no one achieved

righteousness trying to keep the law. Paul says

in 2 Corinthians 521, but for our sake, He made

him to be sinned who knew no sin so that in him

we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus

perfectly kept the law, and yet for our sake,

God made him sin. He bore our sins as we read

on the cross. He paid the price for our sins

so that we might experience the mercy of God,

the forgiveness of God, and that we might ultimately

be clothed in the righteousness of God, again,

fitting us to stand before. the very presence

of Almighty God. So Jesus can impart life. The

law in the Old Testament system couldn't do that.

Jesus can clear your conscience. Hebrews 9 .9

says, according to this arrangement, speaking

about the Old Covenant, gifts and sacrifices

are offered that cannot perfect the conscience

of the worshiper. Hebrews 9 .14 follows that

up and says, how much more will the blood of

Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered

himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience?

conscience from works to serving the living God,

to serve the living God. In Jesus there is forgiveness,

in Jesus there is life, in Jesus there is a clear

conscience by which we are to serve or in which

we are to serve the living God. And of course,

Jesus Our perfect high priest alone can give

you access to God. Jesus himself says in John

14, six, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

So how do we become fit to stand before the Father?

By being clothed in the righteousness of Christ,

by being in Christ. There is no other way. He

alone is our powerful. High priest the possessor

of an indestructible life And then of course

we read this promise again for you are a priest

forever after the order of Melchizedek God promises

us this this high priest this Savior this eternal

life and of course Jesus is the one promised

by God He's the Messiah He is the one and only

Savior the one of a kind unique Son of God who

came into the world so that all who believe in

him will not perish but have everlasting life.

That's Jesus, the promised one. And of course

the perfection that was not attainable through

the Levitical priesthood is absolutely attainable

through the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Look

what it says in this last couple of verses. He

said this becomes even more evident when another,

again another of a very different kind, a completely

different kind, 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's witnessed 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.

But on the other hand a better hope is introduced

through which we draw near to God. Jesus is the

one who introduces this better hope. As a matter

of fact, Jesus is a better hope, right? This

whole sermon series has been subtitled, Jesus

is better, all right? Better than angels, better

than the prophets, better than Moses. Better

than the old covenant Levitical system. It fell

short. But not Jesus. He never falls short. He

is our better high priest who introduces a better

hope, this assurance, this confidence. You know,

under the old covenant, no one had confidence

that they were right before God. But in Christ,

you can have that kind of confidence. Again,

you can have a clear conscience as a Christian

that you are in right standing before God. Doesn't

mean that you're perfect or that you're sinless.

simply means that you're clothed in the righteousness

of Jesus who is perfect and sinless. He is the

one through which we draw near to God. And let

me just say this, I believe drawing near to God

is the essence of the Christian life. That's

what we're to do. It's what our life is to be

all about. Drawing near to God, again in prayer,

in praise, through the preaching and teaching

of God's word, as we practice our faith out there

in the world, serving one another and serving

others. We draw near to God. So the writer of

Hebrews in chapter four verse 16 says, let us

then with confidence draw near to the throne

of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace

to help in time of need. The greatest need of

anyone's life, the greatest need in your life

today is to be clothed in the righteousness of

Christ. To have your sins forgiven. to receive

the gift of eternal life. And let me tell you,

there is only one system, and really, not a system,

there's only one person that can do that for

you, and his name is Jesus. And that's why the

Bible says, in order to be saved, in order to

be in a right standing with God, in order to

be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and

what we have to do, we have to acknowledge our

need. We have to confess our sin and repent of

our sin. We have to turn from our sin, and in

so doing, turn. to Christ, receiving Him, believing

in Him as our Savior and Lord. So if you've never

done that, let me tell you, dads, if there's

one thing your family needs you to be, it's to

be a man clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

To lead your family, to show your children what

it means to be godly, to be a Christian. You

can only do that by being clothed in the righteousness.

of Jesus. So repent and receive Jesus Christ

as Savior.