All right, here's our text for
today. I've got a text. I've got a scripture verse that
I'm going to begin with. Hebrews 8, verse 1. We've read portions of three
chapters already of Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. And here in chapter
8, verse 1, he said, Now the things which we've spoken This
is the psalm. This is the psalm and substance
of all that I've said. We have such a high priest. We have a high priest. We're
not national Israel, but we have a high priest. We're not Greek
Orthodox, a denomination today which has priests. We're not
Roman Catholics, another denomination which have acting, officiating
priest. But we have a priest. We have
a priest, we have a great high priest. And Paul declares this
over and over again. We have a high priest. Let me
show you some scripture. Turn to Hebrews 3, verse 1. Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. We have a profession of
faith. We believe God. We have a high
priest who is the great high priest of our profession. Hebrews
4 verse 14, I read this a little while ago. Seeing then we have
a great high priest. And then verse 1 chapter 8, we
have a high priest. And chapter 9, Let's do something
about this now. We have a high priest. Somebody
is going to have to preach on it in this generation. You can talk about phony priests
and all that, fine, but we have a high priest. Look at Hebrews
9, verse 11. Christ being come, a high priest
of good things to come, by greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, That is to say, not of this building
or any building down here, neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood. He entered once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. We have a
priest. And here are five things about
him. He's a man. He is a man, born of a woman,
born under the law, a man of flesh and blood. flesh and bones. We have a high priest, he's a
man. Secondly, he represents us unto God, called a mediator
between God and us. There's one God, one mediator
between or with God, between God and men. He represents us
to God. He represents God to us. Thirdly,
he ministers daily. He ministers in the Holy of Holies. That Old Testament priest that
went into the Holy of Holies, he's a picture of Christ right
now, who ministers not in the holy place made with hands and
carried about on the shoulders of the Israelites, but in heaven
itself. And our high priest has a sacrifice. It's blood. Not the blood of
an animal, a bull or a goat, but it's his own blood. But he
has a sacrifice, and he prays for us. And he has the power to forgive
sins. And nobody down here has that power. But our person does. He can absolve of all your sins. Absolution. Absolute absolution. He has the power to forgive sins. That's something. Now Aaron and
his sons, turn to Hebrews 5, what I read a while ago. Aaron
and his sons are pictures of Christ, our priest. Patterns
and pictures. It says here in Hebrews 5, I
read it carefully. Verse 1, every high priest taken
from among men, that's Aaron and the sons of Levi, things
pertaining to God. All right. And verse 4, no man
takes this office upon himself. that he is called of God, even
our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't glorify himself
to be made a high priest. Well, who made him our high priest?
The one who said to him in verse 5, Thou art my son, this day
have I begotten thee. And when he came to the earth,
this is what he said, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because
the Lord God hath anointed me. He hath anointed me. God made
him our priest. He hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, to set the prisoner free, and to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord. He commissioned me and anointed
me. And in verse 6, listen to this.
Hebrews 5, 6. And he says it in another place.
I'm going to show you. He says it in eight places. Eight
places. Thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. Now, the Old Testament priests,
God made them the priests. God anointed them. There were
many of them. Their business was temporary.
They lived and died and somebody took their place. And Christ
himself is our great high priest, but he didn't take that office
upon himself, God gave it to him, anointed him. And eight
times God says he's a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now let me show you that in the
scripture. Let's turn, Hebrews 5.6 is the first one. Look at
Hebrews 5.9. Hebrews 5.9. And being made perfect, he became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him,
called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. That's
twice. Hebrews 6, verse 20, talking
about within the veil, whether the forerunner for us is entered,
even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. That's three times. Hebrews 7.11, if therefore perfection were
by the Levitical priesthood, for under that Levitical priesthood
the people received the law, if that's the way perfection
or salvation comes, what further need was there that another priest
should rise after the order of Melchizedek and not after the
order of Abram? a priest forever, after the order
of Melchizedek. Four times. I'll write five.
Hebrews 7.15. It is yet far more evident that
after the similitude of Melchizedek, another priest arises. That's
five times that God says he's another priest arises in honor
of God after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 7.21. Those priests were
made without an oath. But this priest, with an oath
by God, who said unto him, the Lord swear and will not repent,
you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. One,
two, three, four, five, six, seven times. Now the eighth time,
back in the Old Testament. David writing about Christ. In
Psalm 110, let's turn over there, in the Old Testament, this is
an eternal truth, who Christ is, our great high priest. Hebrews
10, I mean Psalm 110, Psalm 110, verse 1. The Lord, the Lord God,
said to my Lord, Jesus Christ, The Father said to the Son, Sit
on my right hand, and I will make thine enemies thy footstool.
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion, rule
thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing to
believe, to receive, to rejoice, to walk in the day of thy power
and the beauty of holiness from the womb of the morning. For
thou hast the due of thy youth, the Lord has sworn and will not
repent. You are a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. We have a high priest. God made
him a high priest. He's a priest forever, not after
the order of Abraham, but after the order of Melchizedek. Who
is Melchizedek? Alrighty, he appears one time
in the scripture. Genesis 14. Genesis 14. He came here. One time, one time, as Melchizedek. He came many times as the angel
of the Lord. He came as Jesus of Nazareth.
This Melchizedek, all right. You know, the kings, the pagan
kings had swept down Sodom and Gomorrah and took everybody captive. Lot was down there, Abraham's
nephew. Took him, took him off. In Genesis 14 verse 11, and these
wicked kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all
their vittles and went their way and they took Lot, Abraham's
brother's son, makes him his nephew, who dwelt in Sodom, took
him and his goods and family, departed. And there came one
that had escaped and told Abraham, the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the
plain of Mamre. the Amorite brother of Eschol
and brother of Aner, and these were confederates with Abraham.
They were friends of his. When Abraham heard that his brother,
that is, his nephew, was taken captive, he armed his trained
servants born in his own house. Abraham was a powerful man, a
wealthy man, a well-known man. He had 318 servants. He armed them and pursued them
unto Dan. And he divided himself against
them, he and his servants, by night, and he smote them, and
pursued them unto Hoboth, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
And Abraham brought back all the goods, and also brought again
his brother Lot with his goods, and the women also, and the people.
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return
from the slaughter of Chedoleomer, and of the kings that were with
him at the valley of Shaveth, which is in the Kingsdale. And
Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought bread
and wine. He was a priest of the most high
God. And he blessed him. He blessed Abraham. He said,
Blessed be Abraham, the most high God, possessor of heaven
and earth. Blessed be the most high God,
which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hands. And he gave him
tithes of all." And then he left. And then over here in Hebrews
7, Paul wrote more about him. He identified him with a little
more information in Hebrews 7. But while he said it, Moses wrote
about him in Genesis. priest of the Most High God,
king of Salem, with bread and wine, and he blessed Abraham. And he departed. But now in Hebrews
7, verse 1, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the
Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter
of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth
part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, after
that also king of Salem, king of peace, without father, without
mother, without descent, pedigree, having neither beginning of days
nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abided the
priest forever. Now consider how great this man
was, this Melchizedek. We have a high priest, and he's
not of the tribe of Levi, he's not a descendant of Aaron, he's
not one of those Old Testament priests in their lineage. He's
a priest forever, after this Melchizedek that met Abraham
and blessed him and gave him bread and wine. Do you know who
this is? Melchizedek, it's Christ. It's Christ himself who came.
to Abraham. And I'll give you five reasons
why I know it's Christ. You listen to these now. First,
his office. The Lord said he's king of righteousness,
of Salem, which is peace. And he's the priest of the Most
High God. He had two offices no man ever
held except Christ. King and priest. Isn't that right?
That's right. No wine ever has to be crushed. Secondly, what was his offering? Bread and wine. Bread and wine
before the cross? Every high priest brought blood,
a lamb, a sacrifice, except one. And that's who shed his blood
and then before his disciples broke the bread and the wine.
So this is my body. This is my blood. Thirdly, Melchizedek
is said to be better than Abraham because the less is blessed by
the greater. No human priest ever said he
was better than other men. He's not better than the men
whom he represents, the natural priest, but Christ is. He's better
than the angels. He's better than Moses. He's
better than Aaron. He's better than all of them.
And he's the only one of whom he can say he's better. This
can't be a man, because a man is not better than another man.
Third, fourthly, it says of him, he lives. Look at verse 8, talking
about verse 7 and 8. And without contradiction, the
less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive
tithes. There he receives them, of whom
it is witnessed, he liveth. There is only one person of whom
it says, he liveth. Christ said, I am he, I was alive,
I was dead, but he liveth. He was dead, but he liveth. He
liveth. And fifthly, he is a high priest
forever. Forever can only be identified
with God. We are creatures of time. But
God is forever, both ways. So we have a high priest. He's a priest after the order
of Melchizedek. He's before Moses. He's before
the law and the sacrifices. He's before the tabernacle. He's
before the priesthood of Avon. He's a priest forever. And one
of the old writers has written a song, a hymn about him, about
our Melchizedek. King of Salem, bless my soul. Make this wounded sinner whole. King of righteousness and peace,
let not thy mercies ever cease. Come, refresh this soul of mine
with that sacred bread and wine. All thy love to me unfold, half
of which could never be told. Hail Melchizedek! I don't mind
saying that at all. Hail Melchizedek! I know who
he is. Hail Melchizedek, all divine,
great high priest, Abraham's and mine. All my being before
him follows. Don't just take my tithes, take
my all. That's our Melchizedek. We have
a high priest. All right, let's look at the
importance of the high priest. In Hebrews 9, the importance
of the high priest, Hebrews 9 verse 6, I'm talking about the importance
of the high priest. Hebrews 9, let's look at verse
1. Then there is the first covenant,
and we're talking about the Old Testament, that mosaic economy. The Old Testament,
the first covenant, the word covenant is testament. So the
first testament, covenant, had ordinances of divine service,
had a worldly sanctuary. There was a tabernacle made.
In the first part of the tabernacle was the holy place with the candlestick,
the table, the showbread, that's called a sanctuary. And then
the veil. And after that veil, the tabernacle,
which is called the holiest of all, It had the golden censer,
it had the Ark of the Covenant, overlaid round about with gold,
wherein was the golden pot that had manna, Aaron's rod that budded,
and the law, the tables, two tables of the law that God gave
to Moses. And over that mercy seat was
the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy seat of which we can't
now speak particularly. But when these things were ordained,
when these pictures and patterns were in effect before Christ
came, the priest, plural, lots of them, went always into the
first tabernacle, the first part of that sanctuary, where was
the bread and the incense and the candlesticks, doing the services
of God. But into the second, into the
Holy of Holies, where the mercy seat covered the law, the high
priest, went to High Priest alone once a year on the Day of Atonement,
not without blood, which he offered for himself for the sins of the
people. And that was the necessity of
the High Priest. Once a year on the Day of Atonement
he went there under the veil with incense, the prayers of
Christ, and with hyssop dipped in the blood he sprinkled it
on the mercy seat, cover the broken law, hail back the wrath
and judgment of God. Now look at verse 11, but Christ
being come, our Melchizedek, a high priest of good things
to come, all of the blessings of God, forgiveness, justification,
mercy, by greater and more perfect tabernacle, not this Tabernacle
made of badger skin and sheep skin and goat skin, dyed red. Not this tabernacle, but that
true tabernacle we're going to talk about tonight, his own body. Not made with hands, that is
to say, not this building, and neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood, Christ our Lord entered not once
a year. But once, once, into the holy
place, and what was the result of it? He obtained eternal forgiveness,
eternal perfection, eternal redemption. For whom? For us. If the blood of bulls and goats
back yonder in the days of Moses and Abraham, the ashes of a heifer
sprinkling unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh,
if that held back the judgment of God, Think how much more shall
the blood of his Son, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spite to God, purge your consciences from serving dead
works to serving the living God. What I'm saying and what Paul
said, Israel had to have a priest. There was a king that tried to
take the place of the priest and God killed him. His name
was Uzziah. He went into that holy place, and God turned him
into a leper, and he died. King Saul tried to do that. King
Saul, the prophet and priest of God was not there, and so
Saul offered a sacrifice. And when Samuel came, he said,
what's this I understand? You've offered a sacrifice? And
Saul said, well, you weren't here, and we were going into
battle, and so I offered a sacrifice to God. to obey is better than
sacrifice. You don't do this. And God took
him away. So it's always, you just, back
in the old, they had to have that Old Testament high priest
and the blood atonement, which was the blood of animals. And Christ is one mediator between
God and me and one intercessor, one high priest, and that's Christ,
and it's his blood. Not by the blood of boys and
girls, but by his own blood he entered once. Now look at Hebrews
10, verse 11. And every priest, all these fellows,
there were many of them, they stand daily ministering and offering
the same sacrifices which never take away sin. But this man,
after he'd offered one sacrifice for sin forever, he's a priest
forever. His work is finished. He sat
down on the right hand of God. From his forth expecting that
his union would be made his footstool, by but one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. All right. Now then, Hebrews
7. I want to show you four or five
things and I'll let you go through tonight. This is the foundation
for the message tonight. Our great high priest, we have
a priest. Who is he? Look at Hebrews 7,
beginning with verse 16. He's God, who is made not after
the law of a carnal ordinance, but after the power of an endless
life. That's our high priest. I need
to read verse 15. It is yet far more evident that
after the similitude of Melchizedek, there rises another Verse 16,
who is made not after the law of carnal ordinances, but after
the power of the endless life. He's God. All right? Verse 17. And he's a priest forever. He's
a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And now verse
21. Those priests were made without
an oath. But this priest, with an oath
by God that said to him, The Lord sware and will not repent
your priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, hold
your hand there and look across the page at Hebrews 6 verse 16. Talking about this oath. Christ
was made a priest. None of those Old Testament priests
were made a priest by an oath by anybody. They put all on them,
but no oath was involved. But Christ, verse 16. Men barely
sware by the greater. And an oath for confirmation
is to them an end of strife. When God, willing more abundantly
to show to the heirs of promise, believers, the immutability,
the unchangeableness of his counsel, God confirmed it with an oath. That by two immutable things,
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation. who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, and which entereth
into that within the veil, the Holy of Holies, whither the forerunner
for us is entered in, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek, with an oath of God." That's your
consolation. That's your comfort. This tabernacle
here had a sanctuary and a holy of holies. That high priest went
once a year with the blood, put it on the mercy seat, came out.
Did that for 2,000 years. He came. He didn't go in there.
He went there, within the veil, in the presence of God with his
blood, forever, forever. And God swore by himself, because
he could swear by no greater, this is my son. That satisfies me. Boy, that'd keep me from ever
going to anybody down here that says he's a priest. That'd keep
me from ever walking into one of those creepy places and some
fella sitting behind a veil and me confess my sins. That'd scare
me to death. I wouldn't do that for 10,000
worlds, 10 million worlds. I'd be damned your soul. One
priest. That's what this book says. Verse 22, by so much was Jesus
made a surety. What's a surety? It's a guarantor.
When you sign a note as a surety, you're signing guarantee, and
that's going to be paid by you, if he doesn't. And I don't. I
can't. He did. Surety of a better covenant. All right, verse 24. This man,
because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore, he is able to save
to the uttermost them that come to God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession." He's heard. He makes intercession. He's heard. God always hears
him. He said, Father, I know you always
hear me. Such a high priest became us
who's holy. A priest doesn't become me who's
not holy. He's holy, he's harmless, he's
undefiled. Who can get into the holy of
holies? Nobody else can. Who shall stand in God's presence?
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, separate from sinners
in his holiness, higher than the heavens. Higher than the
heavens? That's our high place. Who doesn't
need daily as those high priests to offer sacrifices, first for
his own sins and then for the people? This he did once, once,
once when he offered himself. The law makes men priests who
have infirmities. I'm going to close with this.
And did for 2,000 years. They anointed these fellows and
made them priests without an oath, without an oath. But when the Lord Jesus Christ,
Melchizedek of old, was anointed our priest, God swore it with
an oath. But the word of the oath, which
was before the law, after the law, when there is no law, makes
the Son, who is consecrated forevermore, our great high priest. All right,
this is great. This is good. This is essential.
This is essential. This is of God. This is talking
about my relationship with God. This is not talking about playing
church. This is not talking about Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Protestant, Jew, Catholic, all this stuff, invented names. This
is between you and God. Do you have a high priest? Do
you have a mediator? Do you have someone between you
and God? Somebody who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, made priest by an oath of God, who has God's ear,
You'll hear God on your behalf, who really loves you, and prays
for you, and died for you. It's just one. That's our Lord
Jesus Christ. And that's it. That's the difference. That's the difference. What's
the difference in this message and some others? That's the difference. It's Christ. Who He is. Who He is. Arise, my soul, arise,
shake off your guilty fears, the bleeding sacrifice in my
behalf appears. That's what we're going to sing
about, 223. That's what we've been talking
about all this morning, and we're going to talk about it at the
end of the night, because I love to talk about him and his sacrifice
and preach to them. Good news. Good news. The gospel of this day is not
good news. It hinges on too many ifs and ands and buts and perhaps
and maybes. It hinges too much on what you
do. My gospel hinges and depends entirely on what he did. One
hundred percent. That's all.