Everyone has a right to have their opinion, and you have the right not to take it. No matter what you do, some people are not going to understand. Are you pressured into doing what people want you to be, not wanting to disappoint anyone? Start running your race. Follow what God put in your heart.

So, uh, no need to stand just yet in our scripture reading together. We are looking now everybody.
Can you believe it? Hebrews chapter seven. And if I do it right, you’re supposed
to do Hebrews chapter seven all in one teaching.
So I’m probably gonna be doing it wrong tonight.
But you’re it’s it’s one sweeping conversation.
Father, we pray for your Holy Spirit to inhabit the praises of your people.
That’s according to your bible. You said that you would do that.
We’ve been worshiping you, loving on your name, loving on your word. We love you god.
And father, we thank you so much that even a a
day as beautiful as today is nothing compared to what’s coming for all those who put their trust in you.
And so father we pray that
you would have your way with us tonight be over all the children’s ministry that’s going on junior high in high school, and the family night tonight after service.
My goodness, the last one, may it
be a tremendous time of making friends and seeing the kids have a great time and just all of
it together. We thank you god for freedom that we have right now together together as a church family.
We love it. We thank you lord in Jesus name and all god’s people said.
Amen. We’re looking at a message series now titled having a priest better than you.
Having a priest better than you.
It starts in Hebrews seven and the reason why it’s important that you have a priest better than you is because, listen, it is human nature for us to counsel ourselves in religious matters.
It’s weird. Think about it.
The pendulum will swing one way or the other when it comes to uh, you making determinations about your spirituality.
Uh, you might conclude this is the
way I’m gonna do it.
I feel like I should do this. Or, you know, I’ve talked to a few people.
I kinda got some thoughts together and I’m gonna embark, uh, on this issue or this vision.
And, um, technically, you leave god out of it.
You you view it from your own religious or spiritual uh perception and you you launch out in this chapter of your life.
Versus the pendulum as I said swinging the other way to where you so much are dependent upon an earthly priest or pastor or evangelist, fill in the blank, a spiritual person in your life that you’re sold out to that person or to that group.
Maybe it’s a leadership or maybe it’s a team.
Or maybe it’s even something that you have in your life where there’s just a handful of you, but there will always be somebody that will call the shot.
It just happens that way. And when that happens, Uh, you give up on what the Bible says because this person just told you.
I had this happen to me just a week ago. Somebody came up to
me and they said, I’ve gotta tell you what god wants to tell you.
And I said, okay. And so they
began to tell me. And I said, the only problem that what you
just said is that is not only none in
the Bible, it’s opposite to what the Bible says.
So when somebody says, listen, I’ll lead you. I’ll guide you.
And you say, oh, okay. You’ve got a priest going on in your life. That’s leading you.
What you need to hear tonight is there’s one priest in all of life that should be leading you.
And that’s Jesus Christ. Everything, a pastor, an evangelist, a priest, a pope, has to say has gotta be marked against the word of god.
Everything’s gotta be tested by this book, the Bible that will never lead you astray.
Somebody said just recently, uh, since last Thursday in the fallout of the school board meeting.
Here in town, which has made national news.
I was on Chicago news today regarding our school board meeting.
And Somebody had said, oh, you know what? All those people from that cult showed up.
From that cult. What cult is that? The by those bible thumpers, those bible people.
Oh, wait a minute. First of all,
you don’t even know what a
cult means. If that’s what’s if that’s how you’re describing us as Bible believing followers of Jesus.
Because listen, we don’t march to the the drum beat of some uh patriarchal uh denominational leadership that is stationed some place in the world that makes the decree and thus we must walk?
No. Listen. We’re supposed to go to the word of god.
The Holy Spirit’s gonna lead you in this book. And that’s all because of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
It’s Jesus. Let me add this while I’m on funky role here.
There’s a there’s a
thing going on. That you need to be careful about.
I’ve heard about it from afar.
I don’t know of any of it nearby and, uh, and that’s good. It can happen afar.
I don’t want it nearby. But there’s a thing that is doing exactly what we’re talking about and it’s called prophetic prayer
where people are going to churches and you make an appointment to meet with somebody and you are told to come in sit down, be quiet and get ready to receive from what god is gonna tell that church leader about your life and then you go do it without question.
You guys, I’m an old man. I’ve lived a long time.
And back in the eighties, that was called the shippereding Movement.
It’s back again. Where authoritative figures will tell you what you ought to do next. Listen. Avoid that.
Get away from that. In fact, I I hope this is the only thing
you’ll ever hear from me and it’s this. Read it in the Bible. The Bible. The Bible.
The Bible says go to the Bible. Always the Bible.
In these last days, you can’t play Russian roulette as it were, uh, with your soul and with your spirit.
You gotta make sure that
you’ve got a priest that is better than you or anybody else for that matter.
The Bible tells us, as we look to
this, it’s important. Take notes on this one.
Romans chapter fifteen verse four reminds us that whatever things were written before, Paul’s talking to the Romans about the old testament, were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, that’s the old testament might have hope.
What a tremendous word.
So as we get set up for this church, I want you to keep in mind the validity and value of the scriptures.
Look to the screens. It’s Sunday evening now. Uh, the sun is getting ready to set.
The faithful Jews, they’ve witnessed
the crucifixion of Jesus the Roman government has witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus. Nicodemus now and Joseph
of arimathea have come to the cross They took the body down and they buried the body of Jesus in the family tomb of Joseph of arimathea.
We know from history he was a wealthy man.
In fact, you know that when you go to his tomb. You can visit his tomb today.
It’s unearthed to an archaeological site. And it’s one of
our stops on our holy land tours.
And the reason how you know it’s a wealthy man’s sight is because uh, you’ll be hard pressed to find a larger tomb of that size in all of Israel.
Do you have to be if
you had a big tomb, you were a rich man.
And he had a big tomb and Jesus was laid in that tomb.
And, uh, by the way, the carving outs for other bodies to be laid were never happened.
It never they were never done. Isn’t that interesting?
There was one area carved out to receive the first maybe Joseph thought he would be
the first one to lay in there.
It turns out that it was Jesus Christ himself and in that tomb tonight or today in Israel.
Uh, Thursday in Israel right now.
Uh, you go to that tomb and there’s only one body had inhabited that tomb.
And then for whatever reasons, They seemed to have sealed it off and made it special.
But it’s kind of cool. It’s kind of amazing. It’s kind of awesome because you can fly fifteen hours.
And then take an hour drive with us to Tel Aviv, uh, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I should say, and, uh, go into the garden tomb, and, do what I saw a young teenager do one time.
We were standing there talking. We were given a teaching and we were overlooking the garden tomb and some teenager.
Uh, comes running in there. You see him. He’s a big tall lanky kid. I’ll never forget him.
He comes running in his head, his hat’s backwards, and he looks inside and he yells back to his friends.
I don’t know what the big deal is. There’s nothing here.
I think that was a stunt, but it was cute.
I don’t know what the big deal is. There’s nothing here, and that’s the whole point.
He’s risen from the dead. So now it’s late in the evening.
Jesus is in the tomb.
Now behold two of them, two disciples, traveling that same day to
a village called Demais, which was seven miles from Jerusalem, and they talked together of all these things that had happened.
And so it was while they conversed in reason that Jesus himself, excuse me, what?
His body was laid in the tomb on that Friday, and now it’s resurrection day now.
They found they they the tombs empty There are rumors all around down
that the women saw Jesus risen from the dead.
But I don’t know if you know this or not, but a woman’s testimony at in the first century was only worth half the testimony of a man.
Did you know that? It took two women eyewitnesses to make one man’s testimony. Yep.
So women were talking about how they saw Jesus resurrected from the dad.
Peter’s talking about it. John’s talking about it. They’re not exactly sure.
There’s a lot of people that were involved in that resurrection morning announcement, but these two guys, they’re walking along And as they talk together, that so it was verse fifteen, they’re conversing that Jesus himself drew near.
And went with them. Play this out in your
head, but their eyes were restrained so that they did not know him.
That must have been a god thing. God got either blinded them so that they did not understand.
I don’t mean blinded them, but they didn’t get it, or most scholars believe, and this is pretty romantic, but it’s pretty gruesome.
We know from bible prophecy and
we know from Jesus himself speaking to the disciples when Thomas was in
the room. Remember in the gospel of John, Jesus suddenly appears, and Thomas was the one who earlier in his bombasticity said, I’m not gonna believe any of this stuff,
any of this stuff until I take my finger and stick it in the holes of his hand.
Of course, he said that with such confidence while Jesus was not around.
The Bible says that Thomas was the doubter. Alright. Appreciate him. Doubting is okay for a moment.
The Bible is to dispel doubt.
The only buddy tell you that living in with doubt living with doubt as part of your your normal life.
God, listen, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of god, Romans ten seventeen.
Whenever doubt pops up, you slay it with faith in what god has said. Okay.
It’s very important. So Thomas was a doubter and the Bible tells us that Jesus suddenly appears and what does he say?
Jesus, it says Jesus turns to Thomas and says
to him, put your fingers in the holes of my hand. Here, Thomas.
And then Jesus says, now, thrust your hand into my side.
Remember there’s a gaping hole in his side? What’s your point, Jack?
My point is the resurrected Jesus has gruesome scars.
The Bible says when Jesus returns in the second coming, Israel will say to him, where did you receive all of these wounds in your body?
And he’s gonna be announcing to them. He says, I received them in the house of my friends.
He calls those who turned on him his friends,
quite remarkable. And so the
Bible says their eyes were restrained so that
they did not know him. And he said to them, what kind of conversation is
it that you have one with another as you walk and are sad.
Then the one who is named cleopas. We understand that cleopas
In church history would be Peter.
It’s possibly that Peter is walking with someone else home to Emeus at this particular juncture at this moment.
He answered and said to him, are you the only stranger in Jerusalem?
Have you not known the things which happened there in these days and Jesus
said to them verse nineteen, what things? Uh man, you got it. This is funny. What things?
And by the way, you know, we laugh at that and
I think that’s a cute thing and he’s he’s what’s he doing? He’s doing what he does to us.
Jesus wants to draw out of you and I confession that is backed up by faith.
He wanted them to speak about what had happened And he often does that.
When a when a woman came
to Jesus and she needed
a healing, what did Jesus say to her? He said, woman.
I I I’ve come for Israel, not for, not for you, and she hung on to him.
She demanded that he act. And he commended her faith. He wasn’t pushing her away. He was drawing faith out
of her. He loves a tenacious faith.
That if you read the word, hang on to it. And you can hold god.
You can say god, your word says right now that right here.
That if I put my faith in you, you’ll never leave me or forsake me.
Why am I so cast down? And don’t be surprised if god speaks to
you and says, Jack, I’m not concerned about how you feel. I wanna know what you believe.
Do you trust me in what I say? Yes, lord.
Then listen, the feelings will evaporate just as quickly as they came. But my word will never, never alter.
So you hang on to that. He’s very good about that. So what things? So they said to him
the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before god and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him, but we were hoping.
Listen. We were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel.
By the way, that’s a political steep statement. Uh, they were really confessing this.
We were hoping that he was the one that would redeem Israel out of the grip of Roman tyranny and establish the kingdom.
They it still hasn’t clicked that he died for the sins of the world.
You can know all about Jesus, but if you miss this that he died for your sins, then you just know stuff about Jesus.
But do you know the most important thing about him? He didn’t come to redeem Israel in its politics.
He came to redeem Israel and the world from their sins.
And the second coming is all about his politics and his judgment. Did you know that everybody?
You wanna talk political In the second coming Jesus is returning to establish on earth his government.
He’ll rule and reign from Jerusalem.
Man, that’s gonna be amazing. That’s gonna be, but that’s at least seven years and one day away.
So Wouldn’t that be great?
Wouldn’t it be great if tonight is our last bible study?
It’d be awesome. Wouldn’t it be great?
Well, I lost my place. Where was I?
Uh verse twenty two.
Yes, and certain women of our company who arrived at the tomb early astonished us.
When they did not find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
And assert and certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him, they did not see.
Then he said to them,
Jesus said to them verse twenty five. All foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all.
Here it is. That the prophets have spoken ought
not the Christ to have suffered these things and enter into his glory Watch this. And beginning at
Moses, that’s Genesis one. Beginning at
Moses and all of the prophets, he had bounded to them, expositional.
He taught them the word of god that is them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Absolutely stunning. He opened up the Bible.
Jesus opens up the word of god and told them about himself where? Genesis
to the Old Testament, Malachi, all the way through.
This is important for
where we’re going tonight because you’re gonna hear again and again and again about old testament scriptures and prophecies.
Very, very important. For note taking sake, I’m
not gonna read it, it’ll take too much time, but please mark this in your notes are marked down and the margins of Hebrews seven in your Bible.
Just write down Genesis fourteen verses eight to twenty. You can get all the details and I’ll just paraphrase.
Lot is separated from Abraham at this time.
Remember, lot is living near sodom and Gamora.
The Bible tells us that the kings of the East came and warred against the kings of the west and took lot and others captive and Abraham hears about it.
And so Abraham takes three hundred and eighteen of his commandos.
You ever think you never think about Abraham having warriors He has three hundred eighteen warriors that go to battle out against these uh kings that took his people and his concerned captive and defeated them.
And it was a miraculous thing.
And this happens in Genesis chapter fourteen.
And when Abraham or Abraham is coming from that battle back home, There’s a man by the name of Melchizedek that comes out from the Val or from the city of Salem.
Most believe Salem, of course Salem means peace and Jerusalem is the city of peace that It’s this guy Melchizedek, it says it in Genesis fourteen.
This man comes out and the Bible says that he’s the priest and king of the most high god.
In Genesis, it’s our first introduction to this guy. And his genealogy is not listed.
It’s almost that he appears on the scenes and we’ve talked about him before in earlier studies, but tonight we’re dialing down on the fact that the ministry of Jesus get this Hebrew chapter seven is about the Ministry of Jesus Christ Watch, which is not like the Arionic priesthood, Remember the priesthood from the levitical line, Old Testament, Moses had it set up by by the order of god, and Aaron, his brother, from Aaron came the levitical priesthood, and it’s a very big deal.
And if you’re due today, it’s the top.
But you’re gonna read tonight that Jesus is better than that.
Now for the Jew, that’s like, wait a minute. Oh, but just hang on for a second.
My friends who are Jewish. Listen. Do you know who Melchizedek is? You see, yes. Yes. Of course.
I
we read that in the Bible. Genesis. Yes.
Of course. Okay. Listen. The Bible says that Melchizedek was a priest of the most high god.
Are you hearing me? There were no levites in those days.
A levite hadn’t been born yet. You wanna know why?
Because, listen, Moses hadn’t been born yet.
There was no ten commandments.
There was no old regarding leviticus and Exodus to that priesthood order or to the conversation of how do we relate to god?
Oh, through this priesthood? That wasn’t yet given. So watch what’s happening. I hope you get this.
It really excited me.
If someone’s gonna say, nope. It’s got you it’s gotta be the levitical priesthood. It’s gotta be through Aaron.
It’s gotta be Old Testament. Listen. It’s got to be Judaism. This is important.
When you say Judaism, if you mean the reading of
the Old Testament, I’m all with you.
If you’re saying the traditions of men, remember Jesus spoke about that, you neglect the word of God and hang on to the traditions of men as though that’s
the truth. People began to embrace the traditions of leaders rather than the word of god and Jesus rebuked them for it.
Here’s what’s very, very cool. Before the levitical line ever arose.
There was a priest by the name of Melchizedek who was the king of Salem, the king of righteousness.
And when he met Abraham after that battle, press pause. Abraham’s a big deal.
God has spoken to him God is establishing him. Everybody in that region
of the world knew that god had promised Abraham, a nation that would last forever.
Abraham, many considered Abraham at the time,
the richest man in the known world at that time.
Be that as it may. Abraham being a great guy of tremendous influence.
What happens when Melchizedek comes up walking Abraham sees him and vows to him and offers him a tithe of all that
they had taken from the battle.
And then Melchizedek breaks open bread and wine, and they have a communion service.
Genesis fourteen. The Bible says that Melchizedek because he was a type He was a prototype, never had a beginning, never has an end, no lineage, he appears on the
scene as though divine.
I believe that he this is a picture of a type
of what Christ would be in the future. So it goes like this.
No priesthood, but Melchizedek, and the Bible says, in the Old Testament, Psalm hundred and ten, if we ever get there tonight, will tell you David said, oh, yeah, that guy Mochesed a day?
And you gotta remember David came along much later. David said, Neil.
Now, now, now, is it? His priesthoods forever.
David, the Jew, should have said if he was keeping the traditions of men.
Oh, no. It’s the levitical line. Are you with me, everybody?
Are you tracking this in my, um, I’m not the
only one excited. It’s very thrilling because this all comes into the part of who’s your priest.
How much Jesus qualifies?
Because the the vertical line was preempted by a priesthood was lived out in the life of one individual who was the king of Salem, the prince of peace, the prince of righteousness.
He’s the prototype of the coming Christ.
And then the Bible tells us that God would do away someday in the Old Testament.
He was gonna do away with the levitical priest and establish a establish a priesthood forever.
I just want you to think about that, especially if you’re Jewish tonight.
To be a true jew, Romans chapter two, tells you that you must worship god and be circumcised in the heart.
Not on the outward part. Do you know what the outward part I’m talking about?
God says, I don’t care about that. But I’m circumcised. God says, I don’t I don’t care.
But but no. I don’t care.
It’s like it’s like somebody’s saying, I got baptized, so I’m going to heaven. No.
If you’re looking at baptism to get you into heaven, you got wet.
God says, I need to know.
I don’t I wanna have I require your heart to be circumcised. Very, very important.
So you look at that later in your study. That’s your homework tonight. Genesis fourteen.
But mark this down, Jeremiah thirty one thirty one behold, the days are coming says the lord.
When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in that day that I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant, which they broke.
Though I was a husband to them, says the lord, but this is the cut listen, this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the lord, I will put my law into their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their god, and they shall be my people.
Are you seen this, everybody. This is the book of Jeremiah, the prophet.
When Jesus unlocked the scriptures to those two disciples, He no doubt would have gone to Jeremiah thirty one.
He would have shown them. He would announce to them. Remember the ten commandments? Of course, we do.
Can’t save you. They only pointed to me. I fulfilled the ten commandments.
When you believe that that I’m the fulfillment of the requirement of the law, the Holy Spirit writes salvation onto your heart.
He puts the law on your heart, not on a tablet in front of your face, It’s not how many ten commandments you have posted in your house.
Is it in your hearts? And that’s the new covenant.
The new covenant is that just shall live by faith in what god has done. Not any law.
You can’t keep that. Only Christ can keep the law. Colutions two verse sixteen.
So let no one judge you in food or in drink.
These are in line with sacrificial type things. Somebody’s gonna say, you see,
I can have my Bible in my beer.
I can have I can get that’s this that’s not the verse.
You don’t can’t judge me what environment I’m drinking. It’s requiring a worshipful act.
It’s it’s requiring a a a sacred act to god.
Don’t anybody judge you in food or drink or regarding a festival or new moons or sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things to come.
Here it is. But the substance is Christ, everybody.
The substance is Jesus Christ skipping ahead Hebrews eight verse five. Hebrews eight verse five. Who serve the copy?
Those that we’re holding on. He’s warning them.
If you depart out of Christianity or out of following Christ and you go back the old system, it’s a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things.
As Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make The tabernacle, remember that, the booth, the structure, uh, the tabernacle in the wilderness, for he said that as god spoke and said, see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
The wilderness experience in Israel with the ark of the covenant was simply a model.
Go to a toy store and you’ll see a model of a of an aircraft carrier.
It’s not an aircraft carrier. It’s a model of one.
When god told Moses, build the ark of the covenant. Here’s the blueprints.
It’s a model of the one that’s in heaven. We don’t need the Indiana Jones to find it.
God knows exactly where we listen. Well, where is it? It’s gonna be buried somewhere. Who cares?
Well, the meaning of it, honestly, if you know your Bible, if somebody dug a hole today and found the
ark of the covenant today, Do
you think if you walked up to
it and touched it, you’d fry it? Like, would it kill you? Absolutely not. You wanna know why?
It’s a shadow. It was a type of that which is in heaven.
Christ came and fulfilled all of its demands.
It holds nothing but archaeological meaning, which is awesome. But
The actual arc of a covenant is in heaven. It’s always been there.
It’s been there before Moses was ever born.
That’s why Moses made one after the pattern he saw in heaven.
And I love that because my salvation, your salvation is secure in the blood of Christ in heaven.
Not oh, thank god. Not in some room, not some museum, not some religious site. No.
Jesus buried our treasure. With himself rose again from the dead and then presented that treasure.
His blood on the altar before god in heaven above. Awesome. Hebrews ten verse one.
For the law having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect.
Did you know that everybody? Your priest, your religion, whatever you’re banking on.
If it’s outside of the person of Christ, you’re missing the mark completely.
So here we go Hebrews seven verse one. I’ll read it. You can follow along.
For this melchizedek, king of Salem, prince of the most high god, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all.
First being translated king of righteousness and then also king of Salem meaning king of peace.
Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the son of god.
Remains a priest continually, a model, a picture. Verse four. Now consider how great this man was.
To whom even the Patriot Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.
And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, this gets deep, everybody. Are you ready?
Take a deep breath. Get
o two in your brain. Get ready for this. This gets this gets exciting.
Those of you who are scientists in the room, you’re going to love this because it’s going to it’s going to flirt with DNA here in a second.
Those who are of
the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law that is from their brethren.
Though they have come from the loins of Abraham. What?
There were no levites when Abraham was around. But god says the levites were in Abraham’s DNA.
They’re gonna come later from Abraham. Look how god thinks.
Abraham’s looking around. People are looking at Abraham.
What what’s going on? What do I know?
God says inside of you looking ahead to the future, there’s gonna be levites that come out.
You’re gonna make levites. Okay. God looks prophetically.
Don’t you love that? Our god looks ahead. Nothing surprises him. He’s got it.
And so,
He says in verse six, but he whose genealogy is not derived from them receives ties from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
He’s just talking about Melchizedek. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better.
We get all that. The lesser, you know, listen. Um,
I was in England recently, uh, just after, uh, not too long after King Charles was installed.
Is that his name Charles, right? King Charles.
Uh, now I don’t think I mean, you know, there’s a big to do, you know.
It’s a big deal. Uh, for them. We’re Americans. We don’t really care, but anyway.
Um, but isn’t King King Charles I say King Charles.
Charles Chuck is just like us.
No, seriously. You understand that? See, Jack, he’s the king of England.
Yes, he’s the king. But as a person, human, he’s just like us.
What makes them different? A bloodline? A crown?
I could not walk into Buckingham Palace and bless King Charles.
Do you understand that?
They first of all, they’d arrest me. I’d I’d never be able
to get past the gate. But if King Charles came out and said, hey, Jack.
I want I wanna give you a free pass to go see the crown jewels.
He just blessed me. You wanna know why? He’s the king. The greater blesses the lesser.
Or both humans, but he’s the king. I’m not the king. Are you with me? Yes.
The greater always blesses the lesser. That’s always true. And so this is awesome.
Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better or the greater verse eight.
Here, that is in this world, mortal men receive ties, but there, he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Watch verse nine. Even Levi, who receives ties, paid ties through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father.
That’s Abraham will know when Melchizedek met him.
When Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth percent a tithe, that’s what that’s what tithe means. Ten percent.
The Bible here is saying, this is mind blowing. Us gentiles, we don’t get this.
When Abraham did that, because the levites were in his DNA, The Bible took it god took it this way.
Look, the the levites just tithed to Melchizedek. See, why don’t you see a levite anywhere?
Well, you can’t see them,
but I can see the future god says, and they’re in Abraham’s loins. They’re in his blood.
This is deep stuff all
of a sudden people. This is how your god thinks.
Abraham blessed Melchizedek and so did the entire human family.
Think of that for a moment. It’s extremely powerful.
Verse ten says for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Verse eleven, therefore, if perfection were through the levitical priesthood,
here we go, for under it, the people received the law.
What further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron.
I know this is technical, but hang on. This is beautiful stuff. Melchizedek has nothing to
do with the Arionic priesthood. Melchizedek has nothing to do with the levites. He’s greater than them.
And they through Abraham tithe to Melchizedek.
That’s how big of a creature or feature this is.
This guy is displaying bible prophecy in the meeting up with Abraham in chapter fourteen of Genesis.
It’s deep stuff. Verse twelve says for the priesthood being changed of necessity, there is also a change of the law.
That means the
law can only go so far and those who represent it.
For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar.
In other words, uh, there’s no representative but Melchizedek who’s ever done this.
Verse fourteen, for it is evident that our lord arose from Judah which Judah, the word means praise or to praise god, of which tried Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
And it is yet far more evident if in the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, he’s referring to the
Old Testament commandment and the priesthood, but according to the power of an endless life.
Now do you see why are you guys asleep?
Do you see why Melchizedek has spoken of where it says that he had no lineage, no day no end of days, no big because he’s a type of Christ.
Jesus Christ lives forever. He lived forever.
He came into this world where in human skin born from Mary only did his flesh die at the cross?
Remember that his body died, buried, and on the third day resurrect from the dead because that’s what god does to a people and to a world that he loves.
He came and he paid the price for our sin debt rose again from the dead to justify our life.
If you put your faith in Christ tonight, what assurance do you have? Christ is risen from the dead.
How do you know that god’s gonna keep his word of promise to you?
That he’ll wash away all of your sin, all of your guilt, all of your shame because Christ has risen from the dead.
And his priesthood thank god is not tied to Aaron.
It’s not tied to the levites because their priesthood expired.
But god was faithful to show a prophetic prototype in the man Melchizedek to get us all excited.
Man, I tell you,
if you’re a Jew and you’re getting this and you’ve got your old testament open, you’re you’re right now, you’re like starting to freak because it’s like, man, everything everything I’m hearing here
in this new testament bible study is all about the old testament.
And you’re talking about my people, man. Yeah. Yeah. Listen.
We’re talking about your people, but we want we want you to know that there is a Messiah, a savior that your book promises all peoples.
God’s redeemer was to come from Israel. And he did.
See, tonight, the Jews are waiting for the Messiah to come. How sad
is that? Listen up everybody. He said, what was wrong with that? Because the Bible’s crystal clear.
They’re waiting for the Messiah to come.
They don’t believe he came earlier. You’re you and I are waiting for him to come Again, exactly.
We’re waiting for him to come a second time.
He came two thousand years ago to die for our sins at the cross.
To be an atonement. He’s come in a second time to be the deliverer.
Tradically, the Jews do not believe he came the first time according to Isaiah fifty three. They don’t believe it.
They don’t believe he died in the cross for
their sins. They said no, no, no, The Messiah comes and he’s
a political deliverer. So they’re waiting for a political deliverer and they’re believing by the ways coming soon.
You know what the Bible says he is called?
The antichrist, anti means against and it also means instead of
they’re gonna go after the instead of Christ, and they’re waiting for him right now.
It’s very, very tragic and yet the scripture is very, very clear about it.
But note this that it’s an endless life that this melchizedek speaks of, and I’m just guessing Have you heard of anybody else in human history in relation to saving the world that has an endless life?
Only Jesus. For he testifies in verse seventeen, here we go.
You are priests forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
You guys were taught King David is is is saying this.
I believe it’s the hundred and tenth song. I’m going from memory if somebody could turn there
and make sure that I’m on target. If I’m not shout shout it out now. I’ll change my mind quick.
A hundred well, it’s the by the way, it’s a very short song if I remember.
The hundred and tenth song,
the whole song It’s what’s known as
a Mishanic Psalm, everybody. I ought to write that down.
Psalm one ten only applies to the Messiah of Israel in
the world. Okay? And when David prophesied, this is David.
This is so this is David after Abraham, this is David, after the levites, this is David, after Aaron,
Please get this.
I’ll put it to you this way. This is what David didn’t do.
In some one ten, David did not say Moses,
it it was talked about with Abraham Moses brought it forth the levitical priesthood.
Uh, that’s that’s it.
That’s all, end the story moving on to the hundred and eleven psalm. He didn’t do that.
Everybody, look at the tenth Psalm,
it’s as though David was born again. I said it’s as though he were born again.
Now he wasn’t born again, but he’s acting born again.
He is prophesying under the power of god,
the hundred and ten Psalm, and
he’s making this announcement. And part of it is right here, the author of the book of Hebrews goes back as it were in his bible study, and says you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
He’s quoting David, which means David says Aaron’s priesthood can’t do it. That’s what he’s saying.
Did you get it? Everybody? The levite David is saying the levites, they can’t do it.
David is saying this. David is saying somebody’s coming. He’s coming. He’s the one.
He’s DNA, the promises have been given to me David that he’s gonna come from my loins, my DNA, It’s already been promised to me that there will be one from my guts who will sit on the throne, my throne from Jerusalem who will live forever.
David knew way back then. It can’t be a levite. They die.
Can’t be anybody from Aaron’s group. They die.
Must be somebody in line with the typology of Melchizedek. Is it awesome?
Yeah. Psalm one ten. How many verses is
it like eight verses total though?
Seven verses total. All seven belong to the Messiah, but verse four is what the the author of the book of Hebrews is quoting here.
Isn’t it amazing? You’re reading right now a two thousand year old document
and that two thousand year old document is quoting a one thousand year before it statement from the Bible.
So when you read, you are a priest forever according
to the order of Melchizedek. You’re looking at a three thousand year old statement that’s in your hands right now.
But you love museums. Do you love museums? I love museums. I love them.
And I I wish I always wish the same thing, whatever I’m looking at.
If it’s a whatever it doesn’t matter what it is.
If it’s a statue, bones, pot, spoon, I always think the same thought.
Man, I wish this thing could talk to me.
You ever have that thought?
I wish it could talk. What what would it say?
Imagine what the pottery from the Babylonian Empire would say. I knew nebuchadnezzar.
I saw a tablet recently at Oxford that is in a museum, and it was a tablet, and it was written from the Court of Esther.
And it references her name. From Esther from Judah, it said. And there’s only one Esther from Judah.
And this was in a secular museum.
And I can turn chapter verse of the Bible. Isn’t that amazing? I love it.
I think Psalm one eighty five, boy, I’m in a bad role tonight. I’m just quoting these things dangerously here.
Living large. I think it’s Psalm eighty five verse four or Yeah.
I think so eighty five verse four that says that truth shall spring forth from the earth.
Is that the right one?
This is a you’ve learned tonight that it’s a
it’s a group bible study going on. Psalm eighty five four.
Uh, and I love that because when whenever you put a shovel on the ground and you dig,
eighty five eleven. Really? Alright.
Psalm eighty five eleven. Not four. Eighty five eleven.
Truth, I’ll spring forth from the earth.
You put a shovel on the ground in the Middle East and you bring up something. Guess what?
There it is in your Bible. Every time
they do an archaeological dig, they never disprove the Bible. They find out what was already written in the Bible.
It’s awesome. That’s our god. I mean, he’s just, it’s just awesome.
Verse eighteen, for on one hand, there is the anointing doing away with. It’s a very beautiful word, by
the way, Uh, the anolin, it the anolin is taking something and carrying it away and setting it down because it’s done.
It could be a life, It could be a broken part.
It could be something that is now complete, like the contract is now fulfilled, and it’s done and you lay it you let you kind of enshrine it.
There it is.
It’s done. Watch. It had its time. It had its season.
Let it rest. People listen. We’re almost done. You gotta do this.
It is announcing there was a there was a time when something was going to be annulled.
Friends, we’re talking about the Old Testament promises of a coming Messiah and that the law could not save you.
Legalism will kill you. It will destroy you.
It will draw you up and leave you hating.
Whatever
is church or whatever is faith or whatever is god, you’ll run from it.
And I don’t blame you. But it’s not true
The announcement that God gives you tonight is that he has done it all and that his life He wants to impart to you.
And in that is the righteousness of God. Amen. It’s freely given.
And so, verse twenty two, but so much more oh, excuse me, I’ve missed up. Verse twenty.
And in so much as he was not made a priest without an oath for they have become priest without an oath, but he
with an oath by him who said to him. Here it comes.
The Lord has sworn and will not relent. God’s not going to change his mind.
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. By so much more, Jesus has become a
surety guarantee down payment
of a better covenant. My goodness. You see the magnitude of this?
The Bible is saying Jesus is the better covenant. Moses gave the law.
God says, Fantastic, but no human can keep it. I’m gonna send my son.
He’ll keep the demands of the law, and that will put away put away and enshrine what was earlier given and complete it.
It’s fantastic. It’s great. It’s holy and pure.
Can’t save you, but it has its demands must be met. Yes.
That’s why the Messiah would be born a man come into this world, meet all of its requirements and put,
I like to look at it this way. Put Moses or the ten commandments.
Imagine just tucking them into bed and putting them to sleep, where Moses could lay down and say, finally,
someone met the demands of the law. I was getting so tired of all these bloody sacrifices.
Blood here, blood there, another lamb, another sheep, another are you with me?
Finally, the lamb of god has come who takes away the sins of the world. Moses lays down.
Moses is great, but Moses couldn’t save you. God just tucks the old testament away.
Once it was fulfilled, he puts it to rest. Why? Because the new covenant came.
And it’s all in him.
A better covenant. That’s right in your Bible, by the way. You read it a moment ago.
Jeremiah thirty one, thirty one. I’ll make a new covenant.
Also, there were many priests because they were men because they were prevented by death from continuing.
Uh, has such a great priest. He’s wonderful, but he just dropped dead.
Now, what am I gonna do? You see?
That’s what he’s saying. That’s what he’s saying. Why would you trust in a priest?
He’s got an expiration date on him.
Do you
see where this is going? Are you trusting a human to tell you what to do, when to stand up, when to sit down?
That’s first. Okay. That’s bad.
But if you are, what are you gonna do when they die?
Why waste your effort? Why don’t you put your faith in Jesus? Yes.
For listen, for one thing, it’s pretty awesome.
That he died and rose again, changed the calendar, changed the course of human history, fulfilled the old testament prophecies, I would rather put
my trust in him who I’ve never met knowing that he’s risen from the dead.
I’d rather go with that deal with him than what some nincompoop is saying about, follow me.
Let’s go. No.
I mean, it’s just a clincher.
If you’re listen, your faith has gotta be in Jesus friend or or your your you’re you’re mistaken big time, uh, because nobody in human history has ever had a book written about them like Jesus has, and it’s called the Bible.
I mean, it’s just, I mean, who
who who
are you hanging with spiritually? What are you gonna do with this?
Well, I’m just I’m just a member of the first best acostal congregation of whatever’s and we’re good.
No. When you need Jesus. You you really need him.
And so verse twenty four, but he, because he continues forever, has
an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, he is also this is awesome.
Is able to save to the uttermost those who come to god through him since he always lives to make intercession for them.
How about for you? Jesus always lives and he’s talking to the father. He’s talking to the father about me.
Why not you? I trust him. He he is he died for my sins and rose again from the dead.
He’s talking to the father about my life. I’m good with that. Somebody might say,
oh man, I don’t want to be talking to the father about my life.
You need to meet him. He doesn’t have a hammer. Not yet anyway.
I mean, he’s gonna come. He’s coming later with a sword and it’s gonna be nasty. But you
but listen, you need to decide on him now. You can be forgiven now.
And could you imagine that right now tonight, you can have your relationship set right with Jesus and then he starts talking
to the father. Imagine, I mean, I’m making this part up now.
Imagine if he’s saying, oh my goodness, this poor guy, this poor guy, oh, wait a minute.
This guy just accepted my sacrifice at
the cross. He believes he trusted.
I I rose again from the dead and my holy spirit has just moved inside this person who just opened up his heart and life to me, father, everything I said about that guy, we have on record, all of the spreadsheets on that dude’s sins?
They’re now covered in blood. They’re all washed red. They’re gone. They’re gone.
That transaction happens in heaven, friends. It can’t happen on earth. That happens in heaven.
And thank God it happens
there because it’s safe there. I’m gonna end this. No, man. I mean, I’m gonna finish.
That’s what I mean by ending. I’m not stopping now. Verse twenty six,
For such a high priest was fitting for us just right. How so?
Who is holy? Harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.
That means he was god sinless, and has become higher than the heavens.
That means he’s it means he’s positioned above all. Oh, think about the demonic realm.
Satan said, In ezekiel chapter twenty eight and in Isaiah fourteen, Satan said, I wanna be like the most high god I wanna be above his throne.
Well, that’s just tough. It’s not gonna happen.
Twenty seven, who does not need daily as those priests, high priests that’s priests of this earth, of this world, to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people for this, uh, he did once for all Jesus died.
He suffered once and for all people.
When he offered up himself for the law appoints as high priest men who have weakness.
The law appoints a man. If you’re a levite, you’ve been appointed by the law of god.
Here’s the problem. You’re a sinner. Who are you? Nicodemus, you guys. His righteousness was awesome.
His lifestyle probably makes us look terrible,
but he was lost. Nicodemus, like anyone else, like all of us, are sinners.
But Christ is not.
The weaknesses we can see what is good and can’t do it.
We can get up tomorrow morning and say that’s it. I got my big boy boots on.
I’m gonna be doing this. I’m gonna do this for God.
And before you get to your car, you slip on a banana peel and out fly some superlative.
And it’s like, what? And the Bible tells us here, but the word of the oath, which came after the law appoints the sun who has been perfected forever.
It means this church.
You can close your Bibles. It means this. You can stand.
You can stand. It means this.
Everything that god has required of mankind to do There are people who will not go to church because they think they’re gonna be told
what to do. Gotta do this. Thou shalt not. Thou shalt not.
Listen, in Jesus, thou gets to, thou gets to, and thou thy gets why? Because he changes your heart.
And what is the heartthrob of
heaven becomes the heartthrob of you.
It’s a whole new life. It’s not wrapped up in your priest.
They can drop dead on you.
Our high priest laid down his life only for the weekend, mind you?
And rose again to conquer death.
Thank you. I
tell you what, man. Trust Christ. Believe in him. You’ll never regret it.
Father, we pray that tonight, even right now. People would be saying that’s it. Yes, that’s for me.
He’s for me. Listen, my friend, maybe you’re thinking that’s gonna be more complicated.
You just come to god. You say yes to him.
Say lord, if any of the stuff I’ve heard tonight’s Will you reveal that in my life?
You can do that right where you’re at.
If you’re remotely curious, can you just say this If you’re real, will you show me?
You can ask them.
So from this moment on, I highly encourage you to be watching and listening.
You may be an atheist, a great skeptic right now.
You may be an agnostic, whatever your smokescreen is, you can have it.
Right now, in the solitude of your mind, just say, god, if this is real, show me.
And, um, by this coming Sunday, grab me in the courtyard and tell me what happened to you.
Don’t be surprised if God speaks to you on your way home tonight.
We prayed in Jesus’ name and all god’s people said.