WEBVTT 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:15.939 If you would to Hebrews chapter seven, we're 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:18.359 gonna pick up where Neal left off last week in 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:23.519 verse 11. This whole idea of entering into the 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:25.260 presence of God, you know that's a privilege 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:31.500 that we Christians have, right? All we Christians 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:34.840 have that right to enter into the presence of 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:38.679 God, and yet I think that sometimes we do not 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:42.100 fully understand the great privilege that that 00:00:42.100 --> 00:00:46.060 is. I think we still think of ourselves a little 00:00:46.060 --> 00:00:49.259 bit like old covenant saints who didn't have 00:00:49.259 --> 00:00:52.179 that ability to enter into the presence of God. 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:53.740 You know, under the old covenant, only the high 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:55.479 priest could actually enter into the Holy of 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:57.719 Holies, and he could only go on one day of the 00:00:57.719 --> 00:01:00.140 year, the day of atonement. And he only stayed 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:02.740 in there long enough to take care of his business, 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:04.920 to offer that sacrifice, and then he was out 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:10.700 of there. But today in Christ, we have constant 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:17.939 continual... perfect access to the Father. And 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.439 I just wanna encourage you today, in light of 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:22.640 what we're gonna talk about, to take advantage 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:24.560 of that. You know, we can draw near to God. We 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.599 can enter into his presence as we pray. I think 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.500 we typically think of that praying. We enter 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:32.099 into the presence of God, this communication 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:36.409 between me and my Heavenly Father. but we enter 00:01:36.409 --> 00:01:38.650 into his presence through praise like we did 00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:41.349 this morning, like I hope you did as I did this 00:01:41.349 --> 00:01:43.650 morning. We enter into the presence of God as 00:01:43.650 --> 00:01:46.489 we open his word and hear from him. There's so 00:01:46.489 --> 00:01:49.989 many ways. We enter the presence of God as we 00:01:49.989 --> 00:01:52.469 serve in the gifts and abilities that God has 00:01:52.469 --> 00:01:55.090 given us, depending upon his strength and his 00:01:55.090 --> 00:01:58.730 power to enable us to do what God has called 00:01:58.730 --> 00:02:01.849 us to do in a manner worthy of our calling, as 00:02:01.849 --> 00:02:04.909 Scripture often reminds us. So that's what we're 00:02:04.909 --> 00:02:07.329 talking about this morning as we get into this 00:02:07.329 --> 00:02:11.009 further discussion of Melchizedek, this mysterious 00:02:11.009 --> 00:02:14.129 high priest. I know there's been lots of conversation 00:02:14.129 --> 00:02:16.650 this week about whether or not Melchizedek was 00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:20.870 a real man or was he a pre -incarnate Christ. 00:02:21.870 --> 00:02:24.229 Neil shared last week and I agree that he was 00:02:24.229 --> 00:02:27.129 a real man. There's just some things we don't 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:29.509 know about him. And so he became this perfect 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:32.169 illustration, this picture, this type of the 00:02:32.169 --> 00:02:35.770 high priest that Jesus would be, an eternal high 00:02:35.770 --> 00:02:41.330 priest, a priest with no end. And so again, that's 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:42.949 who we're gonna be talking about a little bit. 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:45.610 Really we're gonna be talking about Jesus this 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:49.580 morning. I often get asked, and I'm sure Neil 00:02:49.580 --> 00:02:52.199 does too, by Brother Rick or somebody wanting 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:54.419 to know what our message is gonna be on, and 00:02:54.419 --> 00:02:58.580 of course I usually sarcastically say it's gonna 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:03.659 be about Jesus. But that's what the message should 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:05.699 always be about, right? It should be about Jesus. 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:07.219 That's what our life should be about. It should 00:03:07.219 --> 00:03:10.300 be about Jesus. It should be about this one who 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:15.500 has given us the ability to enter into the presence 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:19.669 of God. And so we're gonna talk about that this 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:23.729 morning, this high priest that has come according 00:03:23.729 --> 00:03:27.949 to the order of Melchizedek. Let's read first 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:30.090 of all, I wanna read these verses to you and 00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:33.449 then I wanna kinda introduce the passage with 00:03:33.449 --> 00:03:39.689 some strong verses. Hebrews chapter seven verse 00:03:39.689 --> 00:03:42.710 11, we're gonna read down through verse 19, the 00:03:42.710 --> 00:03:44.250 words will be here on the screen if you don't 00:03:44.250 --> 00:03:47.000 have a Bible. or a device that you can follow 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.680 along with. He said, now if perfection had been 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:52.520 attainable through the Levitical priesthood, 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:55.479 for under it the people received the law, what 00:03:55.479 --> 00:03:57.919 further need would there have been for another 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:00.740 priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:04.599 rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.240 For when there is a change in the priesthood, 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:09.599 there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:13.000 For the one of whom these things are spoken belong 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:14.819 to another tribe. Of course we're talking about 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:18.639 Jesus who belongs to the tribe of Judah. So this 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:21.480 one of whom these things are spoken belong to 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:24.160 another tribe from which no one has ever served 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:26.120 at the altar. He had to be from the tribe of 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:28.939 Levi to serve at the altar. For it is evident 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.720 that our Lord was descended from Judah and in 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:33.839 connection with that tribe Moses said nothing 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:40.230 about priests. And yet he is our... Glorious 00:04:40.230 --> 00:04:43.750 high priest. Verse 15 says, this becomes even 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:46.389 more evident when another priest arises in the 00:04:46.389 --> 00:04:49.889 likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest 00:04:49.889 --> 00:04:53.110 not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:57.110 bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible 00:04:57.110 --> 00:05:00.310 life. Jesus became a priest in a very different 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:04.269 manner than the Levitical priests became priests. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.199 His was by the power of an indestructible life. 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:15.720 And then of course, Psalm 110 verse four is referred 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.300 to again for this, for it is witnessed of him, 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:21.639 you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:24.459 For on the one hand, a former commandment is 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:27.839 set aside because of its weakness and uselessness, 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:30.879 for the law made nothing perfect. But on the 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:33.829 other hand, a better hope is introduced. through 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:36.829 which we draw near to God. And there's the key 00:05:36.829 --> 00:05:40.290 for us today. It's all about drawing near to 00:05:40.290 --> 00:05:46.189 God. Entering into the presence of God. So I 00:05:46.189 --> 00:05:48.089 just wanna read some verses to you and then I'm 00:05:48.089 --> 00:05:49.550 gonna ask some questions and then we're gonna 00:05:49.550 --> 00:05:51.810 talk about this passage of scripture, I hope, 00:05:52.649 --> 00:05:54.750 in some detail. And what we're gonna look at 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:56.970 this morning is we're gonna lay out the shortcomings 00:05:56.970 --> 00:06:00.129 of the Old Covenant. What's happening as we go... 00:06:00.350 --> 00:06:03.350 forward in Hebrews is not only do we have this 00:06:03.350 --> 00:06:06.490 comparison between Jesus and the prophets, Jesus 00:06:06.490 --> 00:06:10.009 and the great heroes of faith, Jesus and the 00:06:10.009 --> 00:06:13.170 Levitical priesthood, but we're gonna get this, 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.250 hopefully, this idea in our heads that there's 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:17.990 a transition that has been made. The author is 00:06:17.990 --> 00:06:20.110 arguing we are no longer under the old covenant. 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:21.829 The old covenant isn't gonna do you any good 00:06:21.829 --> 00:06:26.310 because that was the temptation that these professing 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:31.699 Christians were dealing with. or prayed to receive 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:33.920 Christ, to follow Him, and now they were having 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:35.980 a struggle in doing that. They were experiencing 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:39.180 hardship. And so the temptation was to go back 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:41.699 into Judaism, to go back under the old covenant, 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:44.180 to go back to the way things used to be, which 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:47.959 was much easier. And the author is saying, don't 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:49.759 do that, don't do that. And so he's going to 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:51.800 begin to share with us how the old covenant is 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.379 now obsolete. It's been replaced by a new covenant. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.040 The law has been changed. And we're gonna see 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:01.699 that more and more clearly, I hope, with each 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:04.000 passing week. So let me read this to you and 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.160 then ask you some questions. Psalm one, verses 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:10.620 five and six issues a pretty strong warning. 00:07:10.980 --> 00:07:15.220 This is what it says. Therefore the wicked will 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:17.660 not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.860 congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:22.899 the way of righteousness, but the way of the 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:27.399 wicked will perish. And then New Testament, second. 00:07:27.470 --> 00:07:31.410 Thessalonians chapter one verses eight and nine 00:07:31.410 --> 00:07:34.350 speaks of Christ's return and of course the judgment 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:39.750 that will come with him. And he says that there 00:07:39.750 --> 00:07:42.110 will be those who do not know God, those who 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:45.329 did not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They 00:07:45.329 --> 00:07:47.970 will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:52.129 away from the presence of the Lord and from the 00:07:52.129 --> 00:07:55.149 glory of his might. In other words, no access 00:07:55.149 --> 00:08:00.579 to God. So the question I want to ask is this, 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.959 what is it that makes a person fit to come before 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:09.459 God, to enter into his presence? And as you think 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:11.000 about it, I just want to share some things that 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.040 it's not. It's not good works, by the way. Neil 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:14.699 mentioned that this morning as well. It's not 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:17.040 our good works. It's not because we're good, 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:20.819 because we're not. and we're incapable of any 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:23.720 good works. It's not sacrifices if we want to 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.500 talk about the old covenant. It's neither sacrifices 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:29.379 nor the prayers of the Levitical priesthood in 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:33.500 behalf of the people. Wasn't that? It's not baptism. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:38.559 It's not church membership. It's by grace alone. 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:41.139 That's what we're learning. Through faith alone 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:44.899 in our perfect high priest, Jesus Christ. That's 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:49.139 what makes us fit to come before God. being clothed 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:51.919 in the righteousness of Jesus. Of course, Paul 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.240 says in Philippians 3 .9, again, Neil's already 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:57.100 referred to this verse, he wants to be found 00:08:57.100 --> 00:08:59.559 in him, not having a righteousness of my own 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:02.259 that comes from the law, but that which comes 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:05.360 through faith in Christ, the righteousness of 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.299 God that depends on faith. And let me tell you, 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.480 that ought to be the desire of every heart in 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:15.299 this room. We too. should one day want to stand 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:18.080 before the Lord, but not clothed in our own righteousness, 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:21.779 not proclaiming to God, we deserve to be here 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:23.600 because of what we have done. Remember, there 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:25.279 are people in the Bible that do that, right? 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.759 They ask the Lord, Lord, didn't we do these things? 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:32.600 Didn't we serve you? Didn't we honor you? Didn't 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:35.299 we help our brothers and sisters? Didn't we do 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:37.019 all these things? And what's Jesus gonna say 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:39.200 to that group who are depending upon their good 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:42.320 works? He's gonna say, depart from me. Never 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:49.639 knew you. So it's not our good works. Again, 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:52.759 not the sacrifices or the prayers offered by 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:55.879 the priests of the Old Covenant. None of these 00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:58.059 things, but by grace alone, through faith alone, 00:09:58.179 --> 00:10:01.519 our desire should be to be clothed in the righteousness 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:06.059 of Christ. Of course, in 2 Corinthians 521, Paul 00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:08.519 writes to assure us that all of this is available. 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:11.419 He says to his fellow believers, he says, for 00:10:11.419 --> 00:10:15.490 our sake, God made Jesus to be sin who knew no 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:19.090 sin. Now, there you go. That's kind of the heart 00:10:19.090 --> 00:10:21.789 of what we're getting to right now. Jesus has 00:10:21.789 --> 00:10:24.889 done for us something that no old covenant priest 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:29.210 could do, no Levitical priest could do, because 00:10:29.210 --> 00:10:31.950 God made him to be sin who knew no sin, that 00:10:31.950 --> 00:10:35.830 in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:10:36.190 --> 00:10:38.809 No one became the righteousness of God under 00:10:38.809 --> 00:10:42.740 the old covenant. or at least under the old covenant 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:46.419 sacrificial system. No high priest of the Levitical 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:50.759 system could do this for someone, and that's 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:53.600 the point that he's making here. We are made 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.519 fit to stand before God, to enter into his presence 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:58.840 by being in Christ. So you ask yourself, well, 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:01.000 how could people under the old covenant be saved? 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:03.620 Well, they were saved the same way we are, only 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:06.559 they looked forward to what Christ would do for 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.240 them. With not nearly as much information as 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.429 we have, They didn't have nearly the information, 00:11:12.610 --> 00:11:15.110 the detail that we have about Jesus Christ, his 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:17.610 life, his death, his resurrection. They didn't 00:11:17.610 --> 00:11:21.950 have any of that, and yet Abraham believed God, 00:11:22.029 --> 00:11:23.590 the scripture says, and it was accounted to him 00:11:23.590 --> 00:11:26.169 as righteousness, and others throughout the Old 00:11:26.169 --> 00:11:29.090 Covenant era did the very same thing. So will 00:11:29.090 --> 00:11:33.250 we fellowship with saints of God who lived under 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:36.649 the Old Covenant? You bet we will. because they 00:11:36.649 --> 00:11:39.029 believed, they looked forward, they believed 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:43.429 forward to the coming of Christ and to the salvation 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:47.149 that he alone could provide. So they are saved 00:11:47.149 --> 00:11:49.730 by grace through faith the same way that we are. 00:11:49.730 --> 00:11:51.250 You ever wonder about that? I think sometimes 00:11:51.250 --> 00:11:53.669 we get the idea that under the Old Covenant and 00:11:53.669 --> 00:11:55.769 the Old Testament it was a different God and 00:11:55.769 --> 00:11:57.690 he had different rules and it was a different 00:11:57.690 --> 00:11:59.629 standard and there was a different way of salvation. 00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:03.610 Let me say that's not true. God is the same, 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:12.039 right? And salvation has always been by grace 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:16.539 through faith. So with that, let's take a look 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:18.039 at this passage of scripture. We're gonna talk 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:20.580 first about the shortcomings of the Old Testament, 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:23.240 and that's exactly what the writer of Hebrews 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:27.340 does here. And he uses a word that we're familiar 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:29.500 with, or at least we think we are, that word. 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:32.480 perfection. Now if perfection had been attainable 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:34.559 through the Levitical priesthood, for under it 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.840 the people received the law, what further need 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.840 would there have been for another priest to arise 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:42.279 after the order of Melchizedek, rather than the 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:44.559 one named after the order of Aaron. So a new 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:46.460 priest has come, that's the argument that he's 00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:49.659 making. So why in the world is this new priest 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:53.000 even necessary? Well, he implies here, really 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.019 he doesn't imply, he spells it out pretty clearly, 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.700 that under the old covenant, under the old priesthood, 00:13:00.299 --> 00:13:04.940 there were some shortcomings. So he is speaking 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:07.600 about the superior priestly ministry of Jesus 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.399 Christ over that of the Aaronic or the Levitical 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.460 priesthood, but he is also pointing out, as I 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:16.679 said a moment ago, this exchange that has taken 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.909 place from the old covenant to the New Covenant. 00:13:19.950 --> 00:13:21.870 Of course, we read about the New Covenant in 00:13:21.870 --> 00:13:25.049 the Old Testament, right? I wanna read a passage 00:13:25.049 --> 00:13:27.429 of scripture for you. We've referred to this 00:13:27.429 --> 00:13:33.450 already, but it's found in Jeremiah 31. So the 00:13:33.450 --> 00:13:38.990 prophet Jeremiah says these words. He says, behold, 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:40.690 the days are coming, declares the Lord, when 00:13:40.690 --> 00:13:43.279 I will make a new covenant. with the house of 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.399 Israel and the house of Judas. So again, this 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:49.120 idea of a new covenant isn't strictly a New Testament 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:52.059 idea, it's an Old Testament idea. And he says, 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:53.919 this covenant's not like the covenant that I 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.600 made with their fathers on the day when I took 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.179 them by the hand to bring them out of the land 00:13:57.179 --> 00:14:00.779 of Egypt, for my covenant that they broke, though 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:03.779 I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:05.639 is the covenant that I will make with the house 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.879 of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.269 He says, I will put my law Remember the old covenant 00:14:13.269 --> 00:14:15.629 was an exterior covenant, an external covenant, 00:14:15.830 --> 00:14:18.570 right? But he says this new covenant's gonna 00:14:18.570 --> 00:14:20.809 be an internal thing. I'm gonna put my law within 00:14:20.809 --> 00:14:23.970 them. I'm gonna write it on their hearts. I will 00:14:23.970 --> 00:14:25.950 be their God and they shall be my people and 00:14:25.950 --> 00:14:27.750 no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and 00:14:27.750 --> 00:14:29.509 each his brother saying, know the Lord, for they 00:14:29.509 --> 00:14:31.870 shall all know me from the least of them to the 00:14:31.870 --> 00:14:33.909 greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive 00:14:33.909 --> 00:14:37.179 their iniquity and will remember their sin. No 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:40.419 more. Now again, those words sound so commonplace 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:43.679 to us as new covenant Christians that sometimes 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.080 we just kind of yawn like ho hum, so what? But 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:50.600 let me tell you, these were revolutionary words 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:55.320 when Jeremiah spoke them. And that's now what 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:58.759 we see coming to pass or having come to pass. 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:01.220 Well, this is what the writer of Hebrews is writing 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:03.820 about. He's saying, look, the old covenant is 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:09.399 done. under the new covenant, the covenant of 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:12.139 Christ, and he lays out some of the imperfections 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:15.759 of the old covenant. And the very first thing 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:18.379 he did, I mentioned that word perfection. Usually 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:21.240 when we read that word, we think of perfection 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:24.419 in the sense of, well, of perfection, right? 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:27.620 Completeness. Maturity, we often say that's what 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:30.500 that word means. It doesn't speak of being perfect, 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:32.840 in other words, without sin, without fault, without 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:36.340 error, but it means complete, whole, mature. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:39.299 And most of the time when you read that word 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:43.639 perfect or hear imperfection, that's what it's 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:47.460 talking about. But in this context, it's talking 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:51.379 about something much more. Here it indicates 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:56.500 the ability to put someone in a position in which 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:59.340 he can come and stand before God. In other words, 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:01.899 the writer of Hebrews is saying that the old 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:04.360 covenant couldn't do that. The Levitical priests 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:08.840 could not do that. That system and those priests 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:13.980 were incapable of doing for you what you need 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:17.480 in order to stand before God in a right relationship 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:22.679 with God. They couldn't do it. It was a problem. 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:25.799 It was a fault. It was a shortcoming of the Old 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:31.879 Covenant. The Old Covenant, the Levitical priesthood, 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:38.100 could not give you or anyone access to God or 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:40.580 to His throne of grace. And so really what he's 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:44.559 talking about here is salvation. So again, how 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.279 did Old Covenant people become saved? Well, looking 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.889 forward. to Jesus. Again, they may not have called 00:16:50.889 --> 00:16:53.029 him that. Looking forward to this coming one, 00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:57.590 the Messiah, who would usher in a new covenant 00:16:57.590 --> 00:17:02.370 and clothe them in his own righteousness, having 00:17:02.370 --> 00:17:08.470 died for their sins. So a new priest was needed, 00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:10.849 is what's being said here. And of course, Jesus 00:17:10.849 --> 00:17:15.049 is that new priest who would usher in the new. 00:17:15.690 --> 00:17:20.369 So the old covenant simply was not capable of 00:17:20.369 --> 00:17:26.750 doing for anyone what everyone needed. And so 00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:30.869 there is a new covenant that has come with this 00:17:30.869 --> 00:17:33.349 new high priest after the order of Melchizedek, 00:17:33.369 --> 00:17:39.430 Jesus Christ. So, perfection, access to God, 00:17:40.109 --> 00:17:47.069 the ability to stand before God, was not possible 00:17:47.069 --> 00:17:51.069 through the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. 00:17:51.069 --> 00:17:54.329 They couldn't do that for you. So another priest, 00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:56.029 and we're gonna see this word a couple of times, 00:17:56.089 --> 00:18:00.450 the word another there, for another priest to 00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:02.990 arise after the order of Melchizedek, we're gonna 00:18:02.990 --> 00:18:06.069 read that word again in verse 15, another priest 00:18:06.069 --> 00:18:08.890 arises. There are two words in the New Testament 00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:12.529 that are translated another. And one of those 00:18:12.529 --> 00:18:20.019 words means another, of the same kind. You know, 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:23.700 I love my Calvary Hill coffee cup. And I have 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:26.640 another one of these in my office, just like 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.119 this one. That's what that word means, another 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.640 of the same kind. So it's a quantitative difference. 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:34.920 I have two, I think I have a half a dozen actually. 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:41.319 I have another one of these. But the word that 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:44.880 is used here, is a word that means another of 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:50.720 a different kind. Qualitatively different. Jesus 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:55.200 is different from the Levitical priests in every 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:56.980 way. Well, and of course it points out here, 00:18:57.099 --> 00:18:59.259 he's not even from the tribe of Levi, right? 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:04.559 The priestly tribe. He's from the tribe of Judah. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.400 So everything about Jesus is different and we 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:14.089 should be so very thankful. that it is. So, there 00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:18.150 was need for another priest. And it speaks, this 00:19:18.150 --> 00:19:20.509 idea that we need another priest, speaks of the 00:19:20.509 --> 00:19:26.849 impermanence of the Levitical priesthood. The 00:19:26.849 --> 00:19:30.130 old covenant was never intended by God to be 00:19:30.130 --> 00:19:36.450 permanent. Again, Jeremiah talked about a new 00:19:36.450 --> 00:19:38.750 covenant that was coming. And that's not the 00:19:38.750 --> 00:19:40.849 only place where we read about a new covenant 00:19:40.849 --> 00:19:44.269 coming. God always intended to send his son, 00:19:44.410 --> 00:19:46.130 again, we've talked about this over and over, 00:19:46.390 --> 00:19:48.509 Christ coming into the world to die for sinners 00:19:48.509 --> 00:19:50.670 and to rise again and to take his seat at the 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:53.130 right hand of the father to ever live to be our 00:19:53.130 --> 00:19:56.309 intercession, our access to God, was not plan 00:19:56.309 --> 00:20:00.569 B. It was God's plan from the very beginning. 00:20:00.710 --> 00:20:05.619 The old covenant was always an impermanent. There 00:20:05.619 --> 00:20:07.819 was another covenant that would be ushered in 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:12.500 by another high priest, a priest of a totally 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:18.779 different kind. Jesus Christ would come and usher 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:22.059 in a permanent priesthood. That's the difference. 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:24.660 The old priesthood was impermanent. And again, 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:27.359 the Bible lists reason after reason of why. Number 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:28.960 one, it was an impermanent priesthood because 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.779 we kept having to replace priests because what 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:34.369 did they do? They died. They had to have a new 00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:36.490 high priest every time the old high priest died. 00:20:36.750 --> 00:20:38.609 They had to replace the priest that served in 00:20:38.609 --> 00:20:41.309 the temple because the old other priest died. 00:20:42.609 --> 00:20:48.089 Jesus has conquered death. Jesus will never die 00:20:48.089 --> 00:20:50.329 and we who are in Christ, of course, we have 00:20:50.329 --> 00:20:53.730 the same promise, we will never die. So the Levitical 00:20:53.730 --> 00:20:56.170 priesthood was never intended to be permanent. 00:20:57.009 --> 00:21:00.170 Again. Further down in our text, it speaks of 00:21:00.170 --> 00:21:03.230 the weakness and uselessness of this old covenant. 00:21:03.509 --> 00:21:05.490 It's hard for us to use those words connected 00:21:05.490 --> 00:21:07.509 to the old covenant, isn't it? And let me just 00:21:07.509 --> 00:21:09.569 say this. It wasn't that the old covenant was 00:21:09.569 --> 00:21:13.650 bad or wrong. The old covenant was God's. It 00:21:13.650 --> 00:21:16.549 was God's Word. The problem with the old covenant 00:21:16.549 --> 00:21:18.190 wasn't the old covenant. The problem with the 00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:22.349 old covenant was us. We couldn't keep it. We 00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:24.190 were evil. We were wicked. We couldn't do it. 00:21:24.230 --> 00:21:27.599 We were sinners. And as a result, its weakness 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:30.299 and its uselessness, those words speak of inability 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:35.740 and ineffectiveness. It simply didn't do what 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:40.839 human beings needed done for them. I mean, the 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:44.480 Levitical priests who stood in the temple and 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:47.059 offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:55.559 daily, that whole system could not truly atone 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:58.559 for sin. That's why it went on every day. That's 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:01.920 why the Day of Atonement came every year. It 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:05.599 was a constant thing, a continual thing. And 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:07.920 of course, coupled with that, we read about the 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:11.079 law that came with the Levitical priesthood or 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:15.859 with the old covenant that has been changed. 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:21.160 The law couldn't impart life to anybody. Only 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:26.039 Jesus. Could do that so a change was needed the 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:30.079 old covenant was never intended to be Permanent 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:32.200 and of course the scripture tells us that that 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.890 it was absolutely impossible for it to do what 00:22:35.890 --> 00:22:37.569 was needed. Of course, we have to look forward 00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:39.450 a little bit to get a really clear picture of 00:22:39.450 --> 00:22:42.470 that, but in Hebrews chapter 10, verses four 00:22:42.470 --> 00:22:44.450 and verses 11, we get a really clear picture 00:22:44.450 --> 00:22:47.589 of the inadequacy of the old covenant and the 00:22:47.589 --> 00:22:49.670 Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system. 00:22:49.710 --> 00:22:51.789 Let me just read these verses to you. Hebrews 00:22:51.789 --> 00:22:53.890 10, four says, and this is a verse that y 'all 00:22:53.890 --> 00:22:55.829 are all familiar with, I think. It says, for 00:22:55.829 --> 00:22:58.250 it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats 00:22:58.250 --> 00:23:01.869 to take away sins. That's what we needed. We 00:23:01.869 --> 00:23:05.579 needed someone who could take away our sin. But 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:07.980 my goodness, what we were offering to God was 00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:11.940 the blood of bulls and goats. I could never do 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:15.000 what we needed. I could never take away sin. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:17.920 Hebrews 10 -11 further explains, and every priest 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:21.059 stands daily at his service offering repeatedly 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:27.059 the same sacrifices which can never take away 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:37.400 sins. The old system was flawed. Sin was only 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:41.859 temporarily covered, but it could never be canceled. 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:44.980 The law could reveal your sin, but it couldn't 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:49.440 take your sin away. And so that was the issue, 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.940 and that was why Christ had to come. And so he 00:23:52.940 --> 00:23:55.079 begins to tell us about why this new covenant, 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:57.680 Christ's covenant, is sufficient for our needs, 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:00.799 and he talks about the power. Jesus was not a 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.940 high priest because he fell in the priestly order. 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:07.329 because of his heredity, in other words, he wasn't 00:24:07.329 --> 00:24:09.170 from the tribe of Levi, he was from the tribe 00:24:09.170 --> 00:24:13.269 of Judah. He was appointed, the scripture says, 00:24:13.349 --> 00:24:18.170 God appointed him as a priest. And then not only 00:24:18.170 --> 00:24:21.089 that, but we read here that he has arisen as 00:24:21.089 --> 00:24:26.250 a priest. So Jesus was appointed by God to be 00:24:26.250 --> 00:24:29.490 our eternal high priest. That's found back in 00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:32.329 Hebrews 5 .5. But according to our text in verse 00:24:32.329 --> 00:24:35.849 15, he has arisen to the position by the power 00:24:35.849 --> 00:24:39.990 of an indestructible life. And of course, just 00:24:39.990 --> 00:24:42.890 think about that word, he's arisen by an indestructible 00:24:42.890 --> 00:24:44.410 life. It's talking about the resurrection, right? 00:24:46.529 --> 00:24:50.630 The power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:54.490 is the same power that has appointed him to be 00:24:54.490 --> 00:24:58.529 our great. High priest it's that power that he 00:24:58.529 --> 00:25:03.569 serves in the power of an indestructible Life 00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:10.210 Jesus can take away your sin The law couldn't 00:25:10.210 --> 00:25:12.809 do that the Levitical priesthood couldn't do 00:25:12.809 --> 00:25:15.230 that the sacrificial system couldn't do that 00:25:15.230 --> 00:25:17.450 But Jesus can take away your sin first Peter 00:25:17.450 --> 00:25:21.289 2 24 says this Jesus himself bore bore our sins 00:25:21.289 --> 00:25:23.990 in his body on the tree that we might die to 00:25:23.990 --> 00:25:27.769 sin and live to righteousness By his wounds, 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:31.750 you've been healed. Jesus can take away your 00:25:31.750 --> 00:25:36.210 sin. Only Jesus can take away your sin. Jesus, 00:25:36.410 --> 00:25:40.890 unlike the law, can impart spiritual life. Galatians 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:43.490 321 says, for if the law could have been given 00:25:43.490 --> 00:25:45.470 that could give life, then righteousness would 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:49.009 be by the law. But of course, no one achieved 00:25:49.009 --> 00:25:52.950 righteousness trying to keep the law. Paul says 00:25:52.950 --> 00:25:56.589 in 2 Corinthians 521, but for our sake, He made 00:25:56.589 --> 00:25:59.250 him to be sinned who knew no sin so that in him 00:25:59.250 --> 00:26:03.069 we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus 00:26:03.069 --> 00:26:06.349 perfectly kept the law, and yet for our sake, 00:26:06.390 --> 00:26:11.049 God made him sin. He bore our sins as we read 00:26:11.049 --> 00:26:14.329 on the cross. He paid the price for our sins 00:26:14.329 --> 00:26:16.630 so that we might experience the mercy of God, 00:26:16.690 --> 00:26:19.210 the forgiveness of God, and that we might ultimately 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:22.190 be clothed in the righteousness of God, again, 00:26:22.329 --> 00:26:27.430 fitting us to stand before. the very presence 00:26:27.430 --> 00:26:30.269 of Almighty God. So Jesus can impart life. The 00:26:30.269 --> 00:26:32.250 law in the Old Testament system couldn't do that. 00:26:32.450 --> 00:26:36.130 Jesus can clear your conscience. Hebrews 9 .9 00:26:36.130 --> 00:26:37.829 says, according to this arrangement, speaking 00:26:37.829 --> 00:26:40.869 about the Old Covenant, gifts and sacrifices 00:26:40.869 --> 00:26:43.069 are offered that cannot perfect the conscience 00:26:43.069 --> 00:26:46.910 of the worshiper. Hebrews 9 .14 follows that 00:26:46.910 --> 00:26:48.670 up and says, how much more will the blood of 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:51.269 Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered 00:26:51.269 --> 00:26:54.690 himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience? 00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:58.150 conscience from works to serving the living God, 00:26:58.569 --> 00:27:04.869 to serve the living God. In Jesus there is forgiveness, 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:08.349 in Jesus there is life, in Jesus there is a clear 00:27:08.349 --> 00:27:12.109 conscience by which we are to serve or in which 00:27:12.109 --> 00:27:15.150 we are to serve the living God. And of course, 00:27:15.549 --> 00:27:19.640 Jesus Our perfect high priest alone can give 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:22.079 you access to God. Jesus himself says in John 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:25.539 14, six, I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:30.579 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:34.099 So how do we become fit to stand before the Father? 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:36.759 By being clothed in the righteousness of Christ, 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:43.980 by being in Christ. There is no other way. He 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:49.240 alone is our powerful. High priest the possessor 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:51.700 of an indestructible life And then of course 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:54.740 we read this promise again for you are a priest 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:58.099 forever after the order of Melchizedek God promises 00:27:58.099 --> 00:28:02.539 us this this high priest this Savior this eternal 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:05.579 life and of course Jesus is the one promised 00:28:05.579 --> 00:28:09.599 by God He's the Messiah He is the one and only 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:12.579 Savior the one of a kind unique Son of God who 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:14.960 came into the world so that all who believe in 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:18.099 him will not perish but have everlasting life. 00:28:18.359 --> 00:28:22.099 That's Jesus, the promised one. And of course 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:25.440 the perfection that was not attainable through 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:28.759 the Levitical priesthood is absolutely attainable 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:31.339 through the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Look 00:28:31.339 --> 00:28:34.880 what it says in this last couple of verses. He 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:37.220 said this becomes even more evident when another, 00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:39.559 again another of a very different kind, a completely 00:28:39.559 --> 00:28:42.220 different kind, when another priest arises in 00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:44.839 the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:46.900 priest not on the basis of a legal requirement 00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:50.559 concerning bodily descent, but by the power of 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:52.420 an indestructible life. For it's witnessed you 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:54.819 are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:57.200 For on the one hand a former commandment is set 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:00.480 aside because of its weakness and uselessness. 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:03.720 But on the other hand a better hope is introduced 00:29:03.869 --> 00:29:09.650 through which we draw near to God. Jesus is the 00:29:09.650 --> 00:29:11.230 one who introduces this better hope. As a matter 00:29:11.230 --> 00:29:13.309 of fact, Jesus is a better hope, right? This 00:29:13.309 --> 00:29:16.869 whole sermon series has been subtitled, Jesus 00:29:16.869 --> 00:29:20.049 is better, all right? Better than angels, better 00:29:20.049 --> 00:29:24.650 than the prophets, better than Moses. Better 00:29:24.650 --> 00:29:29.470 than the old covenant Levitical system. It fell 00:29:29.470 --> 00:29:33.269 short. But not Jesus. He never falls short. He 00:29:33.269 --> 00:29:37.109 is our better high priest who introduces a better 00:29:37.109 --> 00:29:40.269 hope, this assurance, this confidence. You know, 00:29:40.349 --> 00:29:42.750 under the old covenant, no one had confidence 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:46.670 that they were right before God. But in Christ, 00:29:46.670 --> 00:29:48.390 you can have that kind of confidence. Again, 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:51.549 you can have a clear conscience as a Christian 00:29:51.549 --> 00:29:54.250 that you are in right standing before God. Doesn't 00:29:54.250 --> 00:29:56.269 mean that you're perfect or that you're sinless. 00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:59.440 simply means that you're clothed in the righteousness 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:05.059 of Jesus who is perfect and sinless. He is the 00:30:05.059 --> 00:30:08.880 one through which we draw near to God. And let 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:10.980 me just say this, I believe drawing near to God 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:13.519 is the essence of the Christian life. That's 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:15.559 what we're to do. It's what our life is to be 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:18.119 all about. Drawing near to God, again in prayer, 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:19.920 in praise, through the preaching and teaching 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:22.720 of God's word, as we practice our faith out there 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:24.960 in the world, serving one another and serving 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:30.220 others. We draw near to God. So the writer of 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:32.700 Hebrews in chapter four verse 16 says, let us 00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:34.579 then with confidence draw near to the throne 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:37.660 of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:43.119 to help in time of need. The greatest need of 00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:46.940 anyone's life, the greatest need in your life 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:50.339 today is to be clothed in the righteousness of 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:55.529 Christ. To have your sins forgiven. to receive 00:30:55.529 --> 00:30:57.990 the gift of eternal life. And let me tell you, 00:30:57.990 --> 00:31:01.650 there is only one system, and really, not a system, 00:31:01.690 --> 00:31:06.410 there's only one person that can do that for 00:31:06.410 --> 00:31:09.190 you, and his name is Jesus. And that's why the 00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:11.509 Bible says, in order to be saved, in order to 00:31:11.509 --> 00:31:13.390 be in a right standing with God, in order to 00:31:13.390 --> 00:31:15.029 be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and 00:31:15.029 --> 00:31:16.910 what we have to do, we have to acknowledge our 00:31:16.910 --> 00:31:20.130 need. We have to confess our sin and repent of 00:31:20.130 --> 00:31:22.589 our sin. We have to turn from our sin, and in 00:31:22.589 --> 00:31:26.859 so doing, turn. to Christ, receiving Him, believing 00:31:26.859 --> 00:31:32.200 in Him as our Savior and Lord. So if you've never 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:35.720 done that, let me tell you, dads, if there's 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:39.140 one thing your family needs you to be, it's to 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:42.119 be a man clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:46.619 To lead your family, to show your children what 00:31:46.619 --> 00:31:49.740 it means to be godly, to be a Christian. You 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:51.920 can only do that by being clothed in the righteousness. 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:58.519 of Jesus. So repent and receive Jesus Christ 00:31:58.519 --> 00:31:59.000 as Savior.