If you would to Hebrews chapter seven, we're
gonna pick up where Neal left off last week in
verse 11. This whole idea of entering into the
presence of God, you know that's a privilege
that we Christians have, right? All we Christians
have that right to enter into the presence of
God, and yet I think that sometimes we do not
fully understand the great privilege that that
is. I think we still think of ourselves a little
bit like old covenant saints who didn't have
that ability to enter into the presence of God.
You know, under the old covenant, only the high
priest could actually enter into the Holy of
Holies, and he could only go on one day of the
year, the day of atonement. And he only stayed
in there long enough to take care of his business,
to offer that sacrifice, and then he was out
of there. But today in Christ, we have constant
continual... perfect access to the Father. And
I just wanna encourage you today, in light of
what we're gonna talk about, to take advantage
of that. You know, we can draw near to God. We
can enter into his presence as we pray. I think
we typically think of that praying. We enter
into the presence of God, this communication
between me and my Heavenly Father. but we enter
into his presence through praise like we did
this morning, like I hope you did as I did this
morning. We enter into the presence of God as
we open his word and hear from him. There's so
many ways. We enter the presence of God as we
serve in the gifts and abilities that God has
given us, depending upon his strength and his
power to enable us to do what God has called
us to do in a manner worthy of our calling, as
Scripture often reminds us. So that's what we're
talking about this morning as we get into this
further discussion of Melchizedek, this mysterious
high priest. I know there's been lots of conversation
this week about whether or not Melchizedek was
a real man or was he a pre -incarnate Christ.
Neil shared last week and I agree that he was
a real man. There's just some things we don't
know about him. And so he became this perfect
illustration, this picture, this type of the
high priest that Jesus would be, an eternal high
priest, a priest with no end. And so again, that's
who we're gonna be talking about a little bit.
Really we're gonna be talking about Jesus this
morning. I often get asked, and I'm sure Neil
does too, by Brother Rick or somebody wanting
to know what our message is gonna be on, and
of course I usually sarcastically say it's gonna
be about Jesus. But that's what the message should
always be about, right? It should be about Jesus.
That's what our life should be about. It should
be about Jesus. It should be about this one who
has given us the ability to enter into the presence
of God. And so we're gonna talk about that this
morning, this high priest that has come according
to the order of Melchizedek. Let's read first
of all, I wanna read these verses to you and
then I wanna kinda introduce the passage with
some strong verses. Hebrews chapter seven verse
11, we're gonna read down through verse 19, the
words will be here on the screen if you don't
have a Bible. or a device that you can follow
along with. He said, now if perfection had been
attainable through the Levitical priesthood,
for under it the people received the law, what
further need would there have been for another
priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek,
rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
For when there is a change in the priesthood,
there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
For the one of whom these things are spoken belong
to another tribe. Of course we're talking about
Jesus who belongs to the tribe of Judah. So this
one of whom these things are spoken belong to
another tribe from which no one has ever served
at the altar. He had to be from the tribe of
Levi to serve at the altar. For it is evident
that our Lord was descended from Judah and in
connection with that tribe Moses said nothing
about priests. And yet he is our... Glorious
high priest. Verse 15 says, this becomes even
more evident when another priest arises in the
likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest
not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning
bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible
life. Jesus became a priest in a very different
manner than the Levitical priests became priests.
His was by the power of an indestructible life.
And then of course, Psalm 110 verse four is referred
to again for this, for it is witnessed of him,
you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
For on the one hand, a former commandment is
set aside because of its weakness and uselessness,
for the law made nothing perfect. But on the
other hand, a better hope is introduced. through
which we draw near to God. And there's the key
for us today. It's all about drawing near to
God. Entering into the presence of God. So I
just wanna read some verses to you and then I'm
gonna ask some questions and then we're gonna
talk about this passage of scripture, I hope,
in some detail. And what we're gonna look at
this morning is we're gonna lay out the shortcomings
of the Old Covenant. What's happening as we go...
forward in Hebrews is not only do we have this
comparison between Jesus and the prophets, Jesus
and the great heroes of faith, Jesus and the
Levitical priesthood, but we're gonna get this,
hopefully, this idea in our heads that there's
a transition that has been made. The author is
arguing we are no longer under the old covenant.
The old covenant isn't gonna do you any good
because that was the temptation that these professing
Christians were dealing with. or prayed to receive
Christ, to follow Him, and now they were having
a struggle in doing that. They were experiencing
hardship. And so the temptation was to go back
into Judaism, to go back under the old covenant,
to go back to the way things used to be, which
was much easier. And the author is saying, don't
do that, don't do that. And so he's going to
begin to share with us how the old covenant is
now obsolete. It's been replaced by a new covenant.
The law has been changed. And we're gonna see
that more and more clearly, I hope, with each
passing week. So let me read this to you and
then ask you some questions. Psalm one, verses
five and six issues a pretty strong warning.
This is what it says. Therefore the wicked will
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows
the way of righteousness, but the way of the
wicked will perish. And then New Testament, second.
Thessalonians chapter one verses eight and nine
speaks of Christ's return and of course the judgment
that will come with him. And he says that there
will be those who do not know God, those who
did not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They
will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction
away from the presence of the Lord and from the
glory of his might. In other words, no access
to God. So the question I want to ask is this,
what is it that makes a person fit to come before
God, to enter into his presence? And as you think
about it, I just want to share some things that
it's not. It's not good works, by the way. Neil
mentioned that this morning as well. It's not
our good works. It's not because we're good,
because we're not. and we're incapable of any
good works. It's not sacrifices if we want to
talk about the old covenant. It's neither sacrifices
nor the prayers of the Levitical priesthood in
behalf of the people. Wasn't that? It's not baptism.
It's not church membership. It's by grace alone.
That's what we're learning. Through faith alone
in our perfect high priest, Jesus Christ. That's
what makes us fit to come before God. being clothed
in the righteousness of Jesus. Of course, Paul
says in Philippians 3 .9, again, Neil's already
referred to this verse, he wants to be found
in him, not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law, but that which comes
through faith in Christ, the righteousness of
God that depends on faith. And let me tell you,
that ought to be the desire of every heart in
this room. We too. should one day want to stand
before the Lord, but not clothed in our own righteousness,
not proclaiming to God, we deserve to be here
because of what we have done. Remember, there
are people in the Bible that do that, right?
They ask the Lord, Lord, didn't we do these things?
Didn't we serve you? Didn't we honor you? Didn't
we help our brothers and sisters? Didn't we do
all these things? And what's Jesus gonna say
to that group who are depending upon their good
works? He's gonna say, depart from me. Never
knew you. So it's not our good works. Again,
not the sacrifices or the prayers offered by
the priests of the Old Covenant. None of these
things, but by grace alone, through faith alone,
our desire should be to be clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. Of course, in 2 Corinthians 521, Paul
writes to assure us that all of this is available.
He says to his fellow believers, he says, for
our sake, God made Jesus to be sin who knew no
sin. Now, there you go. That's kind of the heart
of what we're getting to right now. Jesus has
done for us something that no old covenant priest
could do, no Levitical priest could do, because
God made him to be sin who knew no sin, that
in him we might become the righteousness of God.
No one became the righteousness of God under
the old covenant. or at least under the old covenant
sacrificial system. No high priest of the Levitical
system could do this for someone, and that's
the point that he's making here. We are made
fit to stand before God, to enter into his presence
by being in Christ. So you ask yourself, well,
how could people under the old covenant be saved?
Well, they were saved the same way we are, only
they looked forward to what Christ would do for
them. With not nearly as much information as
we have, They didn't have nearly the information,
the detail that we have about Jesus Christ, his
life, his death, his resurrection. They didn't
have any of that, and yet Abraham believed God,
the scripture says, and it was accounted to him
as righteousness, and others throughout the Old
Covenant era did the very same thing. So will
we fellowship with saints of God who lived under
the Old Covenant? You bet we will. because they
believed, they looked forward, they believed
forward to the coming of Christ and to the salvation
that he alone could provide. So they are saved
by grace through faith the same way that we are.
You ever wonder about that? I think sometimes
we get the idea that under the Old Covenant and
the Old Testament it was a different God and
he had different rules and it was a different
standard and there was a different way of salvation.
Let me say that's not true. God is the same,
right? And salvation has always been by grace
through faith. So with that, let's take a look
at this passage of scripture. We're gonna talk
first about the shortcomings of the Old Testament,
and that's exactly what the writer of Hebrews
does here. And he uses a word that we're familiar
with, or at least we think we are, that word.
perfection. Now if perfection had been attainable
through the Levitical priesthood, for under it
the people received the law, what further need
would there have been for another priest to arise
after the order of Melchizedek, rather than the
one named after the order of Aaron. So a new
priest has come, that's the argument that he's
making. So why in the world is this new priest
even necessary? Well, he implies here, really
he doesn't imply, he spells it out pretty clearly,
that under the old covenant, under the old priesthood,
there were some shortcomings. So he is speaking
about the superior priestly ministry of Jesus
Christ over that of the Aaronic or the Levitical
priesthood, but he is also pointing out, as I
said a moment ago, this exchange that has taken
place from the old covenant to the New Covenant.
Of course, we read about the New Covenant in
the Old Testament, right? I wanna read a passage
of scripture for you. We've referred to this
already, but it's found in Jeremiah 31. So the
prophet Jeremiah says these words. He says, behold,
the days are coming, declares the Lord, when
I will make a new covenant. with the house of
Israel and the house of Judas. So again, this
idea of a new covenant isn't strictly a New Testament
idea, it's an Old Testament idea. And he says,
this covenant's not like the covenant that I
made with their fathers on the day when I took
them by the hand to bring them out of the land
of Egypt, for my covenant that they broke, though
I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this
is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.
He says, I will put my law Remember the old covenant
was an exterior covenant, an external covenant,
right? But he says this new covenant's gonna
be an internal thing. I'm gonna put my law within
them. I'm gonna write it on their hearts. I will
be their God and they shall be my people and
no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and
each his brother saying, know the Lord, for they
shall all know me from the least of them to the
greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive
their iniquity and will remember their sin. No
more. Now again, those words sound so commonplace
to us as new covenant Christians that sometimes
we just kind of yawn like ho hum, so what? But
let me tell you, these were revolutionary words
when Jeremiah spoke them. And that's now what
we see coming to pass or having come to pass.
Well, this is what the writer of Hebrews is writing
about. He's saying, look, the old covenant is
done. under the new covenant, the covenant of
Christ, and he lays out some of the imperfections
of the old covenant. And the very first thing
he did, I mentioned that word perfection. Usually
when we read that word, we think of perfection
in the sense of, well, of perfection, right?
Completeness. Maturity, we often say that's what
that word means. It doesn't speak of being perfect,
in other words, without sin, without fault, without
error, but it means complete, whole, mature.
And most of the time when you read that word
perfect or hear imperfection, that's what it's
talking about. But in this context, it's talking
about something much more. Here it indicates
the ability to put someone in a position in which
he can come and stand before God. In other words,
the writer of Hebrews is saying that the old
covenant couldn't do that. The Levitical priests
could not do that. That system and those priests
were incapable of doing for you what you need
in order to stand before God in a right relationship
with God. They couldn't do it. It was a problem.
It was a fault. It was a shortcoming of the Old
Covenant. The Old Covenant, the Levitical priesthood,
could not give you or anyone access to God or
to His throne of grace. And so really what he's
talking about here is salvation. So again, how
did Old Covenant people become saved? Well, looking
forward. to Jesus. Again, they may not have called
him that. Looking forward to this coming one,
the Messiah, who would usher in a new covenant
and clothe them in his own righteousness, having
died for their sins. So a new priest was needed,
is what's being said here. And of course, Jesus
is that new priest who would usher in the new.
So the old covenant simply was not capable of
doing for anyone what everyone needed. And so
there is a new covenant that has come with this
new high priest after the order of Melchizedek,
Jesus Christ. So, perfection, access to God,
the ability to stand before God, was not possible
through the Old Testament Levitical priesthood.
They couldn't do that for you. So another priest,
and we're gonna see this word a couple of times,
the word another there, for another priest to
arise after the order of Melchizedek, we're gonna
read that word again in verse 15, another priest
arises. There are two words in the New Testament
that are translated another. And one of those
words means another, of the same kind. You know,
I love my Calvary Hill coffee cup. And I have
another one of these in my office, just like
this one. That's what that word means, another
of the same kind. So it's a quantitative difference.
I have two, I think I have a half a dozen actually.
I have another one of these. But the word that
is used here, is a word that means another of
a different kind. Qualitatively different. Jesus
is different from the Levitical priests in every
way. Well, and of course it points out here,
he's not even from the tribe of Levi, right?
The priestly tribe. He's from the tribe of Judah.
So everything about Jesus is different and we
should be so very thankful. that it is. So, there
was need for another priest. And it speaks, this
idea that we need another priest, speaks of the
impermanence of the Levitical priesthood. The
old covenant was never intended by God to be
permanent. Again, Jeremiah talked about a new
covenant that was coming. And that's not the
only place where we read about a new covenant
coming. God always intended to send his son,
again, we've talked about this over and over,
Christ coming into the world to die for sinners
and to rise again and to take his seat at the
right hand of the father to ever live to be our
intercession, our access to God, was not plan
B. It was God's plan from the very beginning.
The old covenant was always an impermanent. There
was another covenant that would be ushered in
by another high priest, a priest of a totally
different kind. Jesus Christ would come and usher
in a permanent priesthood. That's the difference.
The old priesthood was impermanent. And again,
the Bible lists reason after reason of why. Number
one, it was an impermanent priesthood because
we kept having to replace priests because what
did they do? They died. They had to have a new
high priest every time the old high priest died.
They had to replace the priest that served in
the temple because the old other priest died.
Jesus has conquered death. Jesus will never die
and we who are in Christ, of course, we have
the same promise, we will never die. So the Levitical
priesthood was never intended to be permanent.
Again. Further down in our text, it speaks of
the weakness and uselessness of this old covenant.
It's hard for us to use those words connected
to the old covenant, isn't it? And let me just
say this. It wasn't that the old covenant was
bad or wrong. The old covenant was God's. It
was God's Word. The problem with the old covenant
wasn't the old covenant. The problem with the
old covenant was us. We couldn't keep it. We
were evil. We were wicked. We couldn't do it.
We were sinners. And as a result, its weakness
and its uselessness, those words speak of inability
and ineffectiveness. It simply didn't do what
human beings needed done for them. I mean, the
Levitical priests who stood in the temple and
offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people
daily, that whole system could not truly atone
for sin. That's why it went on every day. That's
why the Day of Atonement came every year. It
was a constant thing, a continual thing. And
of course, coupled with that, we read about the
law that came with the Levitical priesthood or
with the old covenant that has been changed.
The law couldn't impart life to anybody. Only
Jesus. Could do that so a change was needed the
old covenant was never intended to be Permanent
and of course the scripture tells us that that
it was absolutely impossible for it to do what
was needed. Of course, we have to look forward
a little bit to get a really clear picture of
that, but in Hebrews chapter 10, verses four
and verses 11, we get a really clear picture
of the inadequacy of the old covenant and the
Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system.
Let me just read these verses to you. Hebrews
10, four says, and this is a verse that y 'all
are all familiar with, I think. It says, for
it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats
to take away sins. That's what we needed. We
needed someone who could take away our sin. But
my goodness, what we were offering to God was
the blood of bulls and goats. I could never do
what we needed. I could never take away sin.
Hebrews 10 -11 further explains, and every priest
stands daily at his service offering repeatedly
the same sacrifices which can never take away
sins. The old system was flawed. Sin was only
temporarily covered, but it could never be canceled.
The law could reveal your sin, but it couldn't
take your sin away. And so that was the issue,
and that was why Christ had to come. And so he
begins to tell us about why this new covenant,
Christ's covenant, is sufficient for our needs,
and he talks about the power. Jesus was not a
high priest because he fell in the priestly order.
because of his heredity, in other words, he wasn't
from the tribe of Levi, he was from the tribe
of Judah. He was appointed, the scripture says,
God appointed him as a priest. And then not only
that, but we read here that he has arisen as
a priest. So Jesus was appointed by God to be
our eternal high priest. That's found back in
Hebrews 5 .5. But according to our text in verse
15, he has arisen to the position by the power
of an indestructible life. And of course, just
think about that word, he's arisen by an indestructible
life. It's talking about the resurrection, right?
The power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave
is the same power that has appointed him to be
our great. High priest it's that power that he
serves in the power of an indestructible Life
Jesus can take away your sin The law couldn't
do that the Levitical priesthood couldn't do
that the sacrificial system couldn't do that
But Jesus can take away your sin first Peter
2 24 says this Jesus himself bore bore our sins
in his body on the tree that we might die to
sin and live to righteousness By his wounds,
you've been healed. Jesus can take away your
sin. Only Jesus can take away your sin. Jesus,
unlike the law, can impart spiritual life. Galatians
321 says, for if the law could have been given
that could give life, then righteousness would
be by the law. But of course, no one achieved
righteousness trying to keep the law. Paul says
in 2 Corinthians 521, but for our sake, He made
him to be sinned who knew no sin so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus
perfectly kept the law, and yet for our sake,
God made him sin. He bore our sins as we read
on the cross. He paid the price for our sins
so that we might experience the mercy of God,
the forgiveness of God, and that we might ultimately
be clothed in the righteousness of God, again,
fitting us to stand before. the very presence
of Almighty God. So Jesus can impart life. The
law in the Old Testament system couldn't do that.
Jesus can clear your conscience. Hebrews 9 .9
says, according to this arrangement, speaking
about the Old Covenant, gifts and sacrifices
are offered that cannot perfect the conscience
of the worshiper. Hebrews 9 .14 follows that
up and says, how much more will the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered
himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience?
conscience from works to serving the living God,
to serve the living God. In Jesus there is forgiveness,
in Jesus there is life, in Jesus there is a clear
conscience by which we are to serve or in which
we are to serve the living God. And of course,
Jesus Our perfect high priest alone can give
you access to God. Jesus himself says in John
14, six, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
So how do we become fit to stand before the Father?
By being clothed in the righteousness of Christ,
by being in Christ. There is no other way. He
alone is our powerful. High priest the possessor
of an indestructible life And then of course
we read this promise again for you are a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek God promises
us this this high priest this Savior this eternal
life and of course Jesus is the one promised
by God He's the Messiah He is the one and only
Savior the one of a kind unique Son of God who
came into the world so that all who believe in
him will not perish but have everlasting life.
That's Jesus, the promised one. And of course
the perfection that was not attainable through
the Levitical priesthood is absolutely attainable
through the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Look
what it says in this last couple of verses. He
said this becomes even more evident when another,
again another of a very different kind, a completely
different kind, when another priest arises in
the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a
priest not on the basis of a legal requirement
concerning bodily descent, but by the power of
an indestructible life. For it's witnessed you
are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
For on the one hand a former commandment is set
aside because of its weakness and uselessness.
But on the other hand a better hope is introduced
through which we draw near to God. Jesus is the
one who introduces this better hope. As a matter
of fact, Jesus is a better hope, right? This
whole sermon series has been subtitled, Jesus
is better, all right? Better than angels, better
than the prophets, better than Moses. Better
than the old covenant Levitical system. It fell
short. But not Jesus. He never falls short. He
is our better high priest who introduces a better
hope, this assurance, this confidence. You know,
under the old covenant, no one had confidence
that they were right before God. But in Christ,
you can have that kind of confidence. Again,
you can have a clear conscience as a Christian
that you are in right standing before God. Doesn't
mean that you're perfect or that you're sinless.
simply means that you're clothed in the righteousness
of Jesus who is perfect and sinless. He is the
one through which we draw near to God. And let
me just say this, I believe drawing near to God
is the essence of the Christian life. That's
what we're to do. It's what our life is to be
all about. Drawing near to God, again in prayer,
in praise, through the preaching and teaching
of God's word, as we practice our faith out there
in the world, serving one another and serving
others. We draw near to God. So the writer of
Hebrews in chapter four verse 16 says, let us
then with confidence draw near to the throne
of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help in time of need. The greatest need of
anyone's life, the greatest need in your life
today is to be clothed in the righteousness of
Christ. To have your sins forgiven. to receive
the gift of eternal life. And let me tell you,
there is only one system, and really, not a system,
there's only one person that can do that for
you, and his name is Jesus. And that's why the
Bible says, in order to be saved, in order to
be in a right standing with God, in order to
be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and
what we have to do, we have to acknowledge our
need. We have to confess our sin and repent of
our sin. We have to turn from our sin, and in
so doing, turn. to Christ, receiving Him, believing
in Him as our Savior and Lord. So if you've never
done that, let me tell you, dads, if there's
one thing your family needs you to be, it's to
be a man clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
To lead your family, to show your children what
it means to be godly, to be a Christian. You
can only do that by being clothed in the righteousness.
of Jesus. So repent and receive Jesus Christ
as Savior.