Red Village Church

Transcription

All right, well, beautiful singing. If I’ve not met you, my name is Aaron and I’m the preaching pastor here. And glad you’re with us this morning to be here together to worship the king Jesus with us. So if you have a bible with you, which I hope you do, if you’d open up to the book of Hebrews, to Hebrews seven, specifically, if you don’t have a bible with you, there are Bibles scattered throughout the. And if you just want to grab one of those, if you want to open up to Hebrews seven, if you’re not sure where Hebrews is, it’s in the back, maybe a quarter or so of the Bible. So if you can find Hebrews. And then chapter seven. So I debated back and forth how to break up chapter seven, whether this would be two sermons or one, and I decided just to keep it one because I think everything kind of fits together. And so we’re going to be covering a lot of scripture today, but for this time here, I’m just going to read verse eleven. So Hebrews 711. And then I’m gonna pray as for the Lord’s help through this passage. And so would you follow along with me verse eleven. So what the Bible says, says, now, if perfection had been attainable through levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need would there have been for another priest to rise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order of Aaron? Okay, so that’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? Lord, thank you for bringing us all here together into this room, into this time. And Lord, to sit under the teaching of your word. God, please help me to be a good communicator of this text. My words to be clear, Lord, please help the congregation have good ears to listen to hear what the spirit is saying through your word. And Lord, please help us just rightly abide the truth, your truth this morning in ways that we better see Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen. So every good story starts out with, so there it was. So let me tell you a story that I think I may have shared some years back. You know, I’ve been at this a long time now, so I’m not actually sure if I share this with you. Maybe I have. Anyhow, so there I was. I was in the fifth 6th grade and had a friend who I knew was much more religious than I was. And I knew that he and his family were much more religious because they had, like, bible verses, like all over their house on wall decorations. And I knew they actually were pretty committed to going to church. And my friend was involved in something called a youth group, which I was not sure what that was outside. It had something to do with church and summer when I was like fifth or 6th grade, somewhere there, my friend’s youth group was getting together with a bunch of other youth groups to go to a Brewers baseball game in Milwaukee. Now, I had no idea what a youth group was, but I certainly knew what the brewers are. So from little on, I love brewers baseball. So it was my excitement when my friend asked me to join him to go on this trip to happily accept his invitation. So my friend and I, and his youth group, whatever that was, piled into a coach bus and headed to Milwaukee. However, before we arrive at the game, we’re going to meet up with a bunch of other youth groups at this large church in the Milwaukee area for lunch in a youth service with a message. Now, I knew what lunch was, which I was excited about. I was not familiar with the term message, so I knew sermon, but not message. So I guess I thought message might be some explanations on how we were to behave at the game. Not quite sure. So we get to the large church building, get to the parking lot, there’s grills all over cooking up food, youth. Youth leaders all over the place. And what I learned was on the speakers was playing christian rap music. No. Once again, I knew what rap music was. Never heard of christian rap. I didn’t know that that existed. But I was blasting all of the speakers, and honestly, I kind of liked it. So I asked my friend what the group was listening to, and I was told a group named DcTalk, never heard of them, but apparently they’re pretty popular in youth groups. Back in my day, well, after late lunch, it was time for the message, which I do. I am sure at some point there are probably instructions how we’d act at the brewers game. But I learned the message primarily was actually a teaching from the Bible concerning Jesus Christ. Now, I did hear Jesus, my family and I did go to a really little country church. So I knew, in a sense, some things about Jesus. But the church I grew up in, everything was very, very formal, where, at least to me, everything felt like very ritualistic, where we talk about Jesus, but in ways, like, outside of that 1 hour or so of that ritualistic service that was on Sundays, like, he had actually no bearing on anything else in our life. But at this youth event and this message, what was me communicating was actually something very different where Jesus seemed very real to the speaker and even to the other youth at this event. Jesus was not some type of figure who was there to perform rituals one time the week. Rather, he was relational, he was real, he was present. He was one to have an effect on all areas of our life and every moment of our life. And it was there in that message. I heard about the death of Jesus on the roman cross, his resurrection from the dead, leaving his tomb empty. And as I heard this, it was being communicated. They were to mean like, everything to us. And for me, as far as I remember, this is actually the first time anyone talk about Jesus in this way. So after he finished up, went to the game, I don’t remember anything what happened to the game. We’ll just assume that the brewers won after he got home for a bit, I was pretty intrigued by, by all the different things that happened on the trip. In fact, I was actually so intrigued, I was actually able to find and purchase a dctalk CD at the record store. And for a time, I even listened to the CD enough. I could actually wrap along beside the CD as it played. But soon after that event, everything kind of just faded to the back of my mind. Just one of many events in my life. Kind of interesting in the moment, but seemingly unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Now, from there, fast forward into my early twenties, where a different friend in college invited me to a college Bible study, which I agreed to go to. Now, I knew Bible studies existed, but I had no idea what was actually involved in them. And the study once again meant people who seemed very engaged in their faith. Where I actually heard a similar message, which I heard years back at this youth event. And it was here, actually, through this study, God grabbed ahold of my life in ways that I repented and believed. Where Jesus moved from being some type of ritualistic figure to someone who became very real and very personal to me, the one who actually meant everything to me in Bible language. Through that Bible study, I was saved. Where God saved me from sin, saved me from judgment, and saved me to himself in eternal life. My life completely, completely changed. Now, shortly after I trusted in Jesus, where my life was changed by him, I began to pull on the thread a bit, to retrace the hand of God, where he has been at work in my life leading up to that, to bring me to this point of salvation. And as I pulled on the thread, it’s kind of like for me to go to this college Bible study, this had to happen for that to happen. This had to happen for that to happen, that had to happen, and so on. And it’s really humbling to really retrace all these things of how God was at work in my life well before the moment I first believed. And as I began to pull on the thread, a place I actually had to stop and think about, a place that I actually had forgotten about. A place that kind of faded into my past, just faded to black shortly after it happened. That didn’t seem that significant. Yeah, you guessed it. It was going on a youth mission trip to Milwaukee, or not mission trip. A youth trip to Milwaukee to go watch the brewers, where, for the first time, I think I met genuine christians. Where I heard the message of Jesus in ways I’ve never heard explained prior. Looking back, I pulled on the thread, I realized how incredibly significant that seemingly insignificant event was in my life. It is a real part of my salvation, or God is at work in my life, even though I didn’t see it or even understand it in the moment. Now, I tell you, this story just set us up for our text today that tells the story of a man named Mechizildek, who’s actually someone we met in our study, Hebrews, a few weeks back. A man who seemingly was like a minor, insignificant character in the Old Testament, where there’s actually a lone passage that we read about him in the book of Genesis. That’s kind of interesting, but as mentioned, seemingly kind of insignificant. However, as the writer Hebrews looked back through the Old Testament, as he pulled on the thread of the storyline of the Bible, we see how God was at work, and seemingly in incredible ways, in this seemingly insignificant character, in ways that leads us to salvation in Jesus Christ. Okay, so that was introduction. If you look back at me starting in verse one, if you are new to us today, we’re really happy you’re with us. If you have that Bible open, keep it open. All I’m going to do is just kind of try to walk us back through the passage, and we have a lot to cover today. And as you go through this passage, this is a pretty heavy passage. In fact, one of the commentaries I read this week talk about, like, the density of this passage. We’re at different points as we kind of go along chapter seven, it might feel a bit muddy for us, but let me encourage you to hang in there as we work through all this, work hard to follow along, because I think as we get to the end, things are going to clear up and you’re going to feel very encouraged and at any point, you kind of get bogged down. I’ll give you, in short, what this text is about. The entire text is communicating that Jesus is just. He’s better. He is better. He is so much better than anything else. Okay, so verse one. So we read more details of Mechizodek, who the author briefly mentioned prior. This is chapter five, as well as actually the final verse where we left off last week. In our text today, we read that Melchizedek was the king of Salem, a priest of the most high. And we read that he met Abraham, which Abraham is actually character talked about last week, the father of faith, who God made an incredible covenant with, that through Abraham, all nations would be blessed. In our text, we see that these two men met while Abraham was returning from the slaughter of the kings. And as they met Mechisadek, blessed Abraham. No, just a few things here. First, Salem, this seems to be a place that is eventually called Jerusalem. Second, this is the only time in the Old Testament where we see an individual being both a priest and a king. Okay, so this is something we talked about briefly a few weeks back when we first met him. But this is very significant. This priest and King Sosnavi, the author of Hebrews, continues to bring this reality in front of us. Third, this telling the story of Mechizildek and Abraham, as mentioned, this comes from the book of Genesis. This is Genesis 14, if you want to read through that later. This is actually the only time we read about Mechisladek in terms of historical details in the Oldenhouse. Now, the book of psalms we’re going to get to in just a bit does point to him, which Hebrews quotes. That’s it in the entire canon of the old Testament. That’s it. Psalms kind of mentions him, and then this little story in Genesis 14. And then he just kind of fades into the background. Okay, verse two. Arthur Mechisadek, blessed Abraham, which seems to be picking up on the theme that he’s a priestley. We read that in turn. Abraham apportioned a 10th of everything he had, and he gave it to Melchizedek. And this 10th part is what the scripture refers to as like a tithe. This is something we refer to in our text in just a bit. But for now, let’s just keep going. The text, as we do that, we see some more biographical details of Melchizedek, where we read, first the translation of his name, that he’s the king of righteousness. So Melech is kingdom. Zedek means righteous. And as the king of Salem, he’s also the king of peace. Salem basically means peace. And while for us, names maybe have some significance in our culture, in the culture of the Old Testament, names are actually incredibly important in that names help tell the story of the character and certainly does here. For Mechisladek, he’s the king of righteousness, a king of peace. Verse three, which details the most talked about part of Mechislideck’s biography throughout church history, where we read that he was without father or mother or genealogy, where he had no beginning of days, no end of life, but resembling the son of God, he continues, a priest forever. And why these details are so talked about throughout church history revolves around debate on what are these details actually communicating to us specifically, if the details of, like, not having a father or a mother or beginning of days, end of life, if this is communicating that Melchizedek actually was like a pre incarnate Christ, if this was a Christophany where Christ appeared in the Old Testament for a specific event before he was born of Mary in his incarnation. Okay, so is this actually literally pre incarnate Christ? Now, there’s a lot of good christians throughout church history appointed to this. Indeed, this actually is Christ. And not just because the details we see in verse three, but also names that we just looked at in verse two, which are names that Christ alone fulfills, as he’s the one who is righteous, who gives peace, but also details of verse one, which are about to get to, again, where Abraham tied to him in ways that maybe some are feeling acts of worship. However, even though good points are made why this is pre incarnate Christ, I actually don’t think that’s the point the author is making here. Rather, the point that he’s making specifically in verse three is just how mysterious of a figure Mechisadek was, and that he’s like a figure that’s so different from all the other figures in Genesis. So if you read through the book of Genesis, what you read is a lot of genealogies, where we see who was born to who, which includes, actually, Abraham in Genesis eleven. We also see where that person died, often the age of when that person died. But for this Mandev, this Mechisedek, we don’t know those details. In a sense, he’s mysterious to us as he resembles the Son of God, the true eternal one, who has no beginning or end. So for me, I don’t think this actually is Christ. Rather, I think this is a type a picture of Christ to come so that we can better see who Christ is. By the way, the Old Testament is filled with all these different types of these pictures of Christ to come. And the book of Hebrews is actually really helpful for this end. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for me to talk through all the different types or typology that we see in the Old Testament. But if that is of interest to you, it’s interesting to me, and I’d love to talk to you about that sometime later, but let’s just keep going. Verse four, where he says, see how great this man, Melchizedek was, and that even Abraham, this great patriarch, the father of faith, even Abraham, gave a 10th of the spoils to this Mandev. And those descendants of Levi who receive priestly offices, which we’ll talk about more in just a second, have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, right? Those are the people that the Levites were to receive tithes from those who came from the tribe of Israel. But this man in our text, this one that we know nothing about in terms of the descent, received tithes from Abraham as he, Mechizedek, blessed Abraham, who had the promises. Okay, now, this is a lot going on here in these verses. So let me just kind of slow down to try to explain what I think is happening here. So, Levi, so this is actually the great grandson of Abraham. This is one of the sons born to Jacob. And you may remember the Old Testament law, the Old Covenant, as this is given to Moses, which we can get more to in just a bit. The tribe of Levi was set apart from the other tribes to be priests. And part of the way in which Israel was to support their priests, the Levites, was by taking up tithes. So in text here, the author is pointing that Mechisadech received a tithe before the law, before the old covenant was given, as he, Mechizedek was before Levi in terms of when he lived. So this is here the author of Hebrew is comparing and contrasting between this mysterious figure, Mechizladek, and the Levites. Levites, which is something he actually does throughout the text. And he does this for us to see just how superior the order of Mechizildeg is. I was going to mention start how Jesus is better, verse seven. Now, it’s beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior, which here in this text, Abraham is actually the inferior to Mechisedek, who’s the superior. Verse eight. In the case, the tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom is testified that he lives. And once again, it’s a little confusing here, but what’s being said is how the priests of Levi, how they were just mortal men, they received tithes, even though in time they would die. But in contrast, in the case of Melchizedek, because there’s no record of his death, in that sense, he still lives. And this is the author further showing why Jesus, a high priest, is a better high priest. He comes from Melchizedek, not Levi. Yes, Jesus has both recorded death or birth and death, but he also has recorded resurrection as he now lives eternally. And because he lives, that’s why he is from the order of Mechisladek, not Levi, the one who sense still lives. Okay, keep going with Levi. Right? This is a priesthood marked by death, where Christ is marked by life. Now, this is muddy here. Let’s keep trying to work through it. Verse nine, text says, one might even say that Levi himself, who received tithes, also actually paid tithes through Abraham. In a sense, one might say that because he, Levi in the text, was still in the loins of his ancestor Abraham when he met Mechisadek. And this here, this is saying that the giving of Abraham to Mechizzle deck was actually given in a representative way. Abraham given him Melchizedek, was done in a way that represents all those who came after him, including Levi. Right? This is the author continue to underscore the superiority of this priesthood of Melchizedek over the priesthood of Levi. It’s better a superior priesthood. This sense, even the Levites paid tithes through Abraham to this mysterious man. Verse eleven, which further compares contrast the true priesthood, where we see even more clearly why Mechisladek is greater than Levi. The author wrote, now perfection have been attainable through the levitical priesthood, through the old covenant, through the Old Testament law, which our text says, underneath the levitical priesthood, people received the law. Meaning, if in keeping the law, the old covenant, if that is what makes us perfect, where we can achieve righteousness and holiness, forgiveness of sin, by how well we keep the law, by our own good works, then logically in the text, what further need would there be for another priesthood to rise after the order of Melchizedek? Logically, we wouldn’t need another priesthood. Rather, as our text tells us, we would be good with Aaron, which this Aaron here, this is reference to the brother of Moses, the first high priest, who was from the lineage of Levi. However, because the Old Testament law, while still a good law, was not a sufficient law, meaning the law, the priesthood, the old covenant, could not make one righteous, could not make us perfect. We can’t be made right with God by our own works. Thus we need a new, a better, a superior priesthood. And in verse twelve, as a better superior priesthood is present Venus, necessity, a change in the law as well, meaning we don’t just like change the priests, but then keep the same old covenant structure. I already mentioned, the law can’t make us perfect. Thus we need something different, we need something new, we need something better, we need something superior, which is verse 13, for each one who these things are spoken belong to another tribe, not Levi, but one would come from a different tribe, a different son of Jacob, which is a tribe where no one ever served at the altar, which referenced the Old Testament sacrificial system filled in the law. So this new priesthood to come does not serve at that altar, because in verse 14, for it’s evident that our lord descended from the tribe of Judah and in connection with the tribe of Judah, Moses, our textiles said nothing about priest when the law was given through him. Okay, now hit pause again. If you’re not familiar with Judah, this is one of the middle sons of Jacob. He’s kind of a son. That seemed kind of fairly unimportant as we read through Genesis. That is, until Jacob came to Judah with an incredible prophetic blessing as he prayed over each of his sons. So let me just read for you part of that prophetic blessing. This is from Genesis 49. This is Jacob to Judah. Jacob said, Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s son shall bow before you. Judah is a lion’s club from the prey. My son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness who dare rouse him. Verse ten, which is why it’s so significant, says the scepter, the symbol of kingship. The scepter should not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until the tribute comes to him. And to him shall be obedience of the peoples, meaning this incredible blessing that is to come from the line of Judah is that of an eternal king, a king that would rule and reign forever. Now, this year, this is the author further linking this great promise of a priest and a king to come to be one like Melchizedek, which is verse 15, tells us this becomes even more evident, that one arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become the priest and king. And he’s become the priest and king, not that on the basis of legal requirements concerningly bodily dissent, which once again is referring to the Old Testament law, to the Levites, as priests were appointed based on birth from the tribe of Judah. But this priest who was to come, who was told about he would come and he would be appointed by the power of an indestructible life. That’s the basis on why he would be the great priest and king. That’s the basis why Jesus is a great priest and king. His indestructible life, that is a far superior basis on why he has been appointed. Keep going. Verse 17, which is where the author quotes psalm ten, actually quotes this for the second time, the first being in chapter five. Speaking of Jesus, it says, you are priests forever after the order of Mechisladek, not Levi, not a priesthood where priests die, but you are after the order of Melchizedek. Jonathan continues to tell us that this priesthood, this kingly reign, this will be one that will never end. He is better than all those who have gone before. As Jesus fulfills his role as the great priest, as the great king, he doesn’t do so simply for a time like what all the levitical priests did, as he served for a purpose but then dissolved. Rather, Jesus, he will never not be our great high priest and king. He will always be the priest and king for his people. Verse 18, if you want to take your eyes there. For on the one hand, a former commandment, former regulations, the Old Testament law is set aside. It’s set aside because of weakness, uselessness. For the law in verse 19 made nothing perfect. Once again, even though the Old Testament law is a good law, does it make us perfect by keeping it? But on the other hand, our text tells us there is a better hope that is introduced through Jesus Christ, through his priesthood, through his kingship. This is through him, through Jesus, through the hope that he offers that we can actually draw near to God. This priesthood that Jesus eternally fulfills, that allows us to come to faith, to come to God. Verse 20 is one that’s not without an oath, which is something we covered a good amount last week, where God in his kindness, actually makes oaths, promises to his people. All that he does, it’s because of our benefit for us. And if you’re here as a christian, you know how much the promises of God mean to you. You know how God uses the oaths, the promises to comfort you in the storms of life, as he is a sure and steady anchor of your soul. Back to our text, not only oaths the promises of God that are filled in Christ provide us with comfort. These oaths, these promises continue to prove why the priesthood of Christ is so much better, so much more superior. Because formerly in the old covenant, in the Old Testament law, those who became priests, they were not made with an oath. Kind of said earlier, they just kind of got to be put in that role because they’re born into the family of Levi. In our text, this one, Jesus, he was made a forever priest by an oath from the one who said to him, which is another quote from psalm 19, the Lord has swore and he will not change his mind. To Jesus, the eternal son, you are a priest forever. Now all this we just covered, all these things concerning Jesus coming from mechizzle deck, to be the great priest, to be the great king, to be the one who eternally fulfills these roles, all these make Jesus set apartheid better from the Levites, better from the Old Testament law, better than the old covenant. And it’s all driving us to see this in verse 22, that this makes Jesus a guaranteer of a better covenant. Keep saying it’s not like the Old Testament law. The old covenant was bad. It just wasn’t complete. It wasn’t able to bring full, complete forgiveness of sin to allow us to draw near to God, to have relationship with Goddesse, which by the way, on this note, this is why it’s folly. It’s deadly, it’s actually damning. It’s running in quicksand. To think somehow like you, on your own effort, your own good works, your own keeping of some type of moral law, could achieve your own perfection. To be able to come to God, that would not be good news to us. It would not be good news if all we have is the old covenant, the Old Testament law, if that’s all we had, we would be damned. Because it’s through the law we see how far short we fall. We see how imperfect, how imperfect we are. But friends, there’s good news. There’s really good news that Jesus Christ, he has come to once again be the forever priest and king to be a guaranteer of a better covenant, a new covenant, a covenant that he bought through the shedding of his blood on the cross, which he did in our place, so that his righteousness, his holiness, his perfection, his perfect keeping of the law by faith could be counted as ours. Friends, that’s good news to us. Righteous Jesus died for unrighteous sinners, so by grace, through faith in him, unrighteous sinners could be counted as righteous before God. This new covenant is the better covenant, one in which we indeed can have peace with God in ways we can draw near to him. Verse 23. The former priests, the Levites, yes, they were many in number, and that was the case because they kept dying. And so they keep adding ev more to fulfill those roles. Verse 24, Jesus, the one who died but rose again on the third day, forever, lives this indestructible life. Our text continues to tell us that he holds his priesthood now permanently. As he continues forever, there’s never going to be a need to replace him, Jesus. Thankfully, he’s not going anywhere. And because of that, in verse 25, consequently, he, Jesus, our great Lord, the eternal priest, the king, he’s the one who’s able to save and save to the uttermost. All who by faith draw near to God through him. Just mentioned at the start for me, it happened when I was in college. Curious, when that happened for you. When were you saved by Jesus Christ to the uttermost? Perhaps I even wonder maybe for some that’s actually yet to happen. And if so, can I plead with you today in this moment, by faith, draw near to God through Jesus Christ. Stop trusting in yourself and trust in him. Trust and believe that he died for you and rose again. Trust that he can save you to the uttermost. Our text, Jesus saves his people to the uttermost because he always lives to make intercession for them. Now, as mentioned a few times, there’s a lot going on in this passage. There’s a lot of density. There’s some things here that I’m sure feels a little muddy at first glance. That does take some heavy lifting to work through. But can we just sit on this just for a second here? Jesus, the high priest, the king, the one who died and rose again to save us to the uttermost, who’s now eternally sitting on the right hand of God, is always interceding for his people. Always. He lives to do that. He’s actually doing that for his people, even in this moment, which really is an incredible thought to think about. Friend, if you’re a Christian, Jesus lives to make intercession for you. Even right now, even in your worst, your darkest moments, where maybe you’re feeling like your heart is being like, filled up with just unbelief, he lives to make intercession for you. Now, let me read a little bit of lengthy quote from Calvin on this truth here on this intercession of Christ and what that communicates to us. So I actually found this in the pillar commentary in Hebrews, which is a really helpful commentary. So Calvin wrote this. It says, christ lives for us, not himself. Is that not humbling to understand? And as he lives for us, he was received into blessed immortality to reign in heaven. This has taken place as the apostle which references the writer Hebrew, as the apostles declared was for our sake, then the life and the kingdom and the glory of Christ are all destined for our salvation as their object. Kelvin went on to write, nor has Christ anything which is not applied to our benefit, for he is given to us by the Father once for all, on this condition that all his should be ours, which also is an incredible thought. He is at the time teaching us by what Christ is doing. He is performing his office as a priest, for it belongs to a priest to intercede for his people that they may attain favor with God. And Kalman wrote this, and please, please hear this. This is what Christ is ever doing. Like this intercession for his people. For it was the purpose that he rose again from the dead then of right, for his continual intercession. He claims for himself the office of priesthood. Friends, that’s why this is a better and a superior covenant for us. This through this covenant we get Jesus, where Christ has fully, fully given himself to us, where he will fully be ours for all eternity as our priest and king who saves his people to the uttermost. That’s actually why I love the wording of the nicene creeds. Are you familiar with that? For us and our salvation, he, Jesus, came down from heaven, friend. That’s why Christ came as he came for us. He came to be our perfect high priest, so that we, his people, might forever be under his grace and his mercy and love, so that forever he would intercede on our behalf. Which by this note, this is why Christ actually delights when we boldly and continually come to him, to his throne of grace, so that he might help us in our times of need. Listen, our great high priest is not annoyed or frustrated with his people as we continue to go to him. He lives to make intercession on our behalf as our better priest. Finally, we’re going to end today in the text starting in verse 26. You want to take your eyes there. For it be indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, one who is holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, in the sense that Jesus is not like us, and that he is separated from sin as he is exalted above the heavens. And because of these truths concerning the Lord Jesus, because he’s perfect, because he actually kept the law fully in our text, he has no need. Like the high priest from Levi, who had to offer up sacrifices daily, starting with sacrifices for their own sins and for the sins of the people, Jesus, the better priest, he has no need to do that, because unlike the sinful priests and their never ending sacrifices, Jesus only offered up himself one time. That was it. That’s all that was needed to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of his people, which actually something we’ll get more to in the weeks to come, this one time sacrifice to Jesus Christ for the atonement of sin. But to continue our text today, for the law appoints men in their weakness as high priest. But the word of oath that God has given to his people, which came later after the law, that oath appointed a son who has been made perfect forever friends. The work of God, this work that leads us to his son, this is a work that we see all over the Old Testament, even in seemingly insignificant passages and characters like that in Genesis 14 and Mechizodech, which leads, actually, I want to end our time here on how I want to end. I want to kind of retrace what we just covered. But just give me a few places where we see God at work in this seemingly unsignificant story. And as we retrace the text here, I want to encourage you to see how God is at work here and invite you to maybe to retrace, pull the thread on your own life and see where God may be, is at work, or has worked in similar ways. We don’t want to miss or take for granted the work of God in our life. So first, God works in ways to display the righteousness and peace of Jesus Christ. That’s who he is, the king of righteousness, the king of peace. Now, we don’t fully see the righteousness of peace of Christ in the present life. Those things won’t fully come until the life that is to come, eternal life. And because of that, what’s easy for us to see actually in this life is the opposite. What’s really easy for us to see, a world that’s filled with, like, unrighteousness and chaos and friends, if we’re not careful, what can happen is we can lead us to all sorts of frustration and worry and anxiety and fear. But today, as we close, as we look at this text, let us see that God is at work through Jesus, who is the king of righteousness, the king of peace. Now, this does not mean that we need to bury our head in the sands and all the issues in the world around us or issues in our own life. But friends, maybe we never get so focused on those issues that we actually miss seeing God at work, where he’s putting Christ on display, whether it be a display in public places or just a display in our own private lives, as he’s drawing us into greater righteousness and peace. Friends, even in this life, be encouraged. Find hope. Our text tells us that. Find hope. God is always at work in this way to put the righteousness and peace of Christ on display. And if that’s something you have a hard time seeing right now, whether publicly or privately, or maybe you’re starting to feel like bubbling over with frustration or anxiety or worry or fear, let me just encourage you to spend some time with a paper and pen. Or perhaps maybe you actually need to log off your social media unsubscribe from podcasts. Both, I think, have a way to get this all twisted around in our own heads, which leads us to so much anxiety and frustration. With your paper and pen, just write out where you see God at work in ways that he’s putting his righteousness and peace on display. Start with where you see that in the scripture, where God’s been at work, and then from there move up to where you see God at work in the world around you, as well as in your own life. Second, God works in ways that he’s causing his people to draw near to him, which is what verse 19 of our passage tells us. As God isn’t working this way to draw us near, he’s using all sorts of things to do this work. Remember the context of hebrews they included, like christian persecution. He used that to draw his people near. Now, I’m sure if we went around this room today, testifying all the different things God has used prior or maybe currently using in our life to draw us near to him, I’m sure it’d be a pretty diverse list. But many things on the list, I’m guessing, are not things we would necessarily choose for ourselves. The assumption is that many things that God is using to draw us near to him, or some type of difficulty, some type of trial, some type of challenge, maybe we not miss or take for granted. But God is at work to draw us near. That’s always what’s best. This is why often as a church, we try to testify to the evidence of God’s grace by which he’s drawing people to himself, where he’s working all things together for our good. God works in ways to save his people to the uttermost, and God has been at work to bring about his great salvation all throughout scripture through big stories, big stories that take up much space between all that’s written in the Old Testament law. We learn in the law that we can’t make ourselves perfect, so we need God to save us. But God is also at work in the scriptures by putting his salvation on display, even in these small, seemingly insignificant stories like Mechisladek, where we see the picture of Christ to come who saves his people as the great prophet, our priest and king, as he bestows his blessing on us. Again, if you’re looking for encouragement for your soul, grab a paper and pen, open up your bible and find the story of God’s salvation that not only runs throughout scripture, but the story of God’s salvation is actually put in motion before the foundation of the world was set in place. As God has desired to save a people to himself through his son, Jesus Christ, so through all eternity, the love and mercy and grace of Jesus Christ would be put on display. As you start there from there, if you’re in Christ Jesus, just start to pull on the thread of your own salvation. I start to think, you know, for you to come to faith in Jesus, well, this had to happen and that had to happen and then that had to happen. I think you’ll be encouraged how God worked to save you to the uttermost. Why? I’m sure as you pull on the thread you’re going to come across some seemingly insignificant moments. But now you look back and you see how God was at work. Princess clothes. Desire of this passage, I think, is for us to see this incredible work of God, to see it in ways where we see just how good our God is. Friends, he’s so good that through his words he’s even given his stories like Melchizedek. So we would better see Jesus. He is so good. He’s even given us the old testament law, the old covenant, to help us see that we’re not good. So in the end, the law could point us to our need for Christ. In this passage, he’s so good that through Jesus Christ, God is actively drawing people to himself. Friends, God is so good as he’s at work, then we have Christ who lives to make intercession for his people. God is so good that through Jesus Christ to keep saying he saves a people to himself all the way to the uttermost, we’re in that goodness to keep saying it. He even uses seemingly incinerative events in our life. But friends invite us to things like a youth group event or a college Bible study. Or perhaps for you today. Maybe that’s why you’re here. To the seemingly insignificant church service that you would be saved to the uttermost revelation church. May God give us the grace to see the work of God in the scriptures. To see the work of God and the world around us. To see the work of God in our own lives. And as we see this, may we forever exalt our great high priest and king, the Lord Jesus Christ. And may we see he’s always better. And he’s so much better. And he’s so good. He gives himself fully to us. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for Jesus. And Lord, thank you for sending your eternal son to live the life that we can ever live. To die on the cross in our place, only to rise again from the dead to prove that he is indeed from the order of Mechisadek. That he is the promised one of Judah, that he is able to save. Lord, thank you for the incredible truth that for those who are in Christ Jesus that we have confidence, we have this hope that our Lord Jesus is interceding for us and please help us to find comfort in that. And Lord, I do pray if there’s those or any here that have not yet trusted in Jesus today, through the power of your spirit, you would open up their eyes, that they would taste and see that you’re good. That they would believe that indeed Jesus is better. But he’s the one worth leaving all things behind in order to have him pray. Son, his name. Amen.