Mystery of Melchizedek (Part A)

I will not take anything that is yours list you say I have made Abraham great shot Norcross when he saw one and he wasn't about to have any association with him it wouldn't receive nothing from Sodom's King. We are not supposed to receive anything from Sodom's King but when Melchizedek comes out Abraham not only receives what he eats and he drinks and tides.

This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Hebrews chapter 7 with a brand-new study called mystery of Melchizedek. We are in Hebrews chapter 7 we will take verses one through 10 for this Melchizedek king of Salem and priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him whom also Abraham gave 1/10 part of all first being translated king of righteousness then also King of Salem, meaning king of peace without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end-of-life may like the son of God remains a priest continually consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave 1/10 of the spoils, and indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law that is from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham, but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the greater hear mortal men received tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed, he lives. Even Levi received tithes received tithes paid through Abraham, so to speak, or he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

It's very difficult to read that without wanting to comment have to stop and catch myself this morning. We are considering the mystery of this man. Melchizedek what helps in reading the Hebrews.

The Hebrew letter is a working knowledge of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch or the Torah Genesis through Deuteronomy. If you give a basic understanding of those books. It will help you out very much and going through the Hebrews, the writer never loses sight of these two facts Jesus Christ is real to him and he better be real to you that that's his whole focus. Everything he's writing is about the soles of this these people in a church that were unnamed to us. He knows who they are thoughts specified in his writings but is writing to them saying do not leave this faith for anything else with him. It happens to be Judaism, but for us it could be anything you could be any religion any other religion. Any other thing you could be no religion at all to leave Jesus Christ is to be damned so this very serious stuff, because the danger the reason why take a moment to point the these things out is because the dangerous thinking he's writing about religious things is just speaking about, you know Jesus was the high priest and it was a man they Melchizedek and the bright sunny day in the rainbow is in this and that's not what is going this is war.

He is fighting it and I'm sure is making enemies making friends to this paragraph.

These first 10 verses and probably even this entire seventh chapter is something to grapple with it, if if you're not careful you you you lose your bearings very quickly. The key the key is remembering why he is writing this. The objective what is his objective and I just of course laid some of that out is careful about expressing to them the seriousness of our faith and the danger of turning away from it now. Earlier he mentioned this man.

Melchizedek, the Jews never saw this coming. When he when he drops the name at first quoting Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. They never see what's coming.

I don't know that anybody ever saw what was really coming until he lays it out here. First would go back briefly to Hebrews 5 verses nine and 10 and having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him is talking about Jesus Christ use the author of our salvation called by God as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek well and the Jews heard that someone there is a rare figure inscription you line up the should be heroes of the faith you would not think of a deck right away, it would be so many other characters that you would put on your list before you got to Melchizedek so he throws it out there in the fifth chapter and then in the six chapter which really again as he's writing there no chapter divisions.

These the end of chapter 6 come right in the chapter 7 verse 20 Jesus, having become a high priest forever according to the order Melchizedek.

There he does it again is quoting Psalm 110 song written by King King who wore the E Fahd of the priests when they brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem he danced in a world with all of his might. Because of his love for God that love for God was something that God was able to grab hold of and show him the future we call it prophecy under the anointing of the Holy Spirit when he wrote those words when he Allied that little section in Genesis is just goes to three verses in the order of Melchizedek forever.

So this writer as anticipated that there would be those that would challenge what he is been saying about Jesus being our high priest, they being Jews. Following the Levitical law brought up in the little Levitical laws, highly protective of their priesthood and rightfully so. We are highly protective of truth concerning the Scripture that will overrule Scripture that is not properly developed as Jesus did in the wilderness when Satan quoted Scripture. Jesus quoted Scripture back and put it in its right context and in so doing, he shut him up, but they would say why wasn't Jesus called a priest when he ministered on earth. We called him a prophet from Nazareth. Why did we call the priest if he says I priest according to him, and because of that, how could he be a legitimate priest if he's not a Levite is from Judas tried not Levi's tribe that would disqualify him. Would it not, how could anyone expect to accept the non-Levite, contrary to the Scripture. And so he's anticipating these arguments and so he goes back further than the Mosaic law to Genesis and he says let me show you a high priest that was accepted by God whom Abraham the patriarch himself recognizes being a higher present himself as Abraham was priest over his own house will be going through Genesis, we cover the life of Abraham. We repeated the litter the landscape with altars.

He was always sacrificing, always offering up to God and yet when he encounters Melchizedek, Abraham Hall. Abraham is so impressed that kind of impression comes from love will come to that in the moment, but to help them understand what God's promise to fulfilled centuries earlier.

He takes them to their Scriptures.

We in the New Testament would say all Scripture is given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and were watching him do that very thing with the Old Testament is taking the Old Testament there.

Scripture and he's opening it up and showing them the New Testament and in doing this he is writing New Testament Scripture. Now we look at the first verse and continues he goes back for this Melchizedek king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him so again the Holy Spirit reaches back to the Old Testament.

These two passages in Genesis and in Psalm 110 to present this important truth that the priesthood of Christ is superior to the priesthood of Aaron that the law of Christ is superior to the law of Moses.

Not that it it destroys it. But it fulfills it. It continues and expands it. It modifies it without harming it follows a natural cost course of prophecy laid out in Scripture by God because the order of Melchizedek is superior to the order of Levi, hoping to lose you with all of this.

Those of you might not be familiar with Levi Melchizedek Jude and all of these because he is superior, you better not budge better not move away from the faith. This mysterious record, I believe, and I'm not the only one this little passage about Melchizedek was put into the Old Testament for this very moment. There's more said about the kids a deck in Hebrews.

Then there is in Genesis because the Holy Spirit knows what he's doing and so he planted he planted this concept there. In Genesis for such a time as this to show the entire nation that while their initial religion was formed by God. We know it is Judaism, God also had a major modification built into it and now here it is. As promised they would not be able to refute this from Scripture, they would not be able to say we reject Melchizedek because then they would have to say will reside against Abraham and they would never do such a thing. So now they had to face whether or not they would submit to the fulfillment of those promises or be dishonest with themselves and pretend they didn't exist with the people we see Christian students tell them that the Scripture forbids Christians dipping and dabbing with horoscope for example here of the him and about that some of them. They want to reject the Scripture so they can keep their practice or whatever it is that they're engaging in that's being dishonest. It's very very dangerous thing to do, so the time of modification had arrived in Christ, he says, here is a priest in the first verse of Hebrews 7 of priests are now before we go into this when we talk about priest in Scripture. If you can block out of your head. The concept of Episcopal priest of the Roman Catholic priest of any other kind of priest block those out. Scripture has another is going in another direction, especially when we get to the New Testament priest according to the law of Moses were to be reminders reminders to the people of the God who is there when you saw the priest you are mindful of God you wouldn't be mindful of carpentry unless you select priest working as a copyright is what but when you saw the priest you thought of God when you thought of the temple and you go down the especially the high priest we Christians, the Bible tells us, are a royal priesthood will priest to where supposed to be reminders to people of Jesus Christ of God and we are embraced we are persecuted for that, as the case may be, but we are supposed to stand in a dark world and say there is a God, and we know how to contact and if you are a believer and you going through hard times. We will intercede on your behalf. We will pray for you if you are a backslider. We will intercede and we will pray for you if you are an unbeliever, we will intercede and we will pray for you. That's what priest do they go to God on behalf of sinners and so when he says he is a priest. This Melchizedek. He was the man of all the priests in that pagan world. They were passed by because they want to follow false gods full of false religions have false priest true faithful God has his true and faithful witnesses.

So when we see David. David got men to touch God men who otherwise would never have done so.

They had distanced themselves for whatever reason from God, and he drew the man he wrote their songs. He lived his life. He preached to them, he rubbed off on them.

We going to Connor Chronicles and that's one of those many lessons it's coming out a first Chronicles is whirling before the ark of the covenant while wearing the priestly. He fought that was a shadow of a reality to come.

Christ seeing a king where the E part C a king has power with men of priest's power with God.

Jesus Christ is the one that fulfills that he has the power over men and he has the power of God.

He fulfills the picture that David was illustrating with his behavior. David did not usurp the priesthood when he donned the fought he joined it as King's and I am the king of Israel.

I am totally about the God of Israel. This is not so much a monarchy. It is a theocracy. God rules the nation. Total rule is the best rule. If the king is holy and righteous. Only Christ is in the millennial kingdom is all about that and the prophets write about how wonderful it's going to be in the millennial age when Christ rules from Jerusalem on earth. We talk about it as though it's already happened to God. It has we're so sure of it. It's just a matter of fact with us but the unbelievers they struggle with this a lot about what will answer your questions of your honest questions, but of the dishonest questions of you just want to provoke a fight we won't answer your questions would just let you fight yourself you won't strive with you will preach the truth and in addition, we might just be praying for you. You can't stop us from that.

He says of the most high God. I better get rolling here. This made it clear that Melchizedek a Gentile. Nonetheless, was distinct in his worship from all the other man-made gods in their priest that accompanied them.

This is a great honor to give such a character as Melchizedek priest of the most high God.

You don't get higher than that is a priest of LL Jan God most high, the Jews good they could not. They could not challenge that they could not say will that's not true is not in the Bible. We don't accept that authority.

They could not escape the city see this coming.

When he first mentioned Melchizedek. They don't see where he is going until he gets to the seventh chapter and they lays it out on them. They can get away from it. Have you ever been cornered by true if your born-again believer. Of course you RSA become born-again cornered your sin. Are you guilty of going to hell unless you repent receive the invitation. Jesus Christ says who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Abraham's conquest was brought about mainly by irritable nephew family lot.

A man named lot lot lived in Sodom. Sodom was not as bad as it was going to be, but was already starting and well that they actually yet, the time that Abraham is going to rescue him. It's already percolating Abraham wanted nothing to do with them. Will the kings from the East came and they conquered Sodom and Gomorrah and a captured lot in the king of Sodom and all the people and they were taking them away and this boils as slaves. Abraham gets word of this.

He rises up with his army.

He attacks the kings from the EC defeats them any captures or rescues all the people and retakes all the spoils and that is what this man is is talking about.

It was a day of stark distinction between righteousness and unrighteousness between the low level of Sodom's King and the high level of Salem's King Sema kids addict he was a priest and he was a king's name to the deck means the king of righteousness, but he was the king of a place call Salem king of righteousness, king of peace. We know selling today as Jerusalem and we pick it up in Genesis 14. This is the part where the king of Sodom and Gomorrah still says to Abraham, okay, I'll take the people you keep all the goodies Abraham wants no connection with him whatsoever.

I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap and I will not take anything that is yours list you say I have made Abraham great fame have a sharp pain.

No crook when he saw one and he wasn't about to have any association with him. He wouldn't receive nothing from Sodom's King as we are not supposed to receive anything from Sodom's King but when Melchizedek comes out Abraham not only receives what he eats and he drinks and he tides verse two, to whom also Abraham gave 1/10 of all first being translated king of righteousness and then also King of Salem, meaning king of peace.

You thought I was just really smart lamb what it said it right there really and I just got ahead while the Jews again had to admit that Melchizedek's ministry was legitimate. It's in this Scripture to the could not dismiss this argument. Some of them were going. He got us what is his right. And with that would come the freedom and glory. Others might've hardened up with Abraham acknowledged that Melchizedek was a priest over himself just like that.

Instantly he knew twitter righteous spirit does when it is in touch with another righteous spirit without hesitation is a kindred spirit, we would we would say so. If Abraham recognized no kids, a deck, then his descendents should do the same thing.

That is how they thought and that is how they lived Melchizedek. As I mentioned, impressed Abraham. This kind of impression comes from love. There was that about Melchizedek that Abraham was drawn to with the love we saw this happen with David and Jonathan.

There's Jonathan with his father in Israel's army on one side of the valley of the law. There the Philistines with bighead Goliath. On the other side and nobody wants to make a move because they don't want to give up the advantages that no one at the attack uphill for the giant comes on he challenges them for the champion to fight it out. No one wants to deal with the life except this little shepherd boy shows up with raising cakes from dad to give to his brothers and he says who is this Philistine. How dare he talk about God like this. What is dealing with.

I'll deal with them and they're all laughing at him go finish with your playset. So David word gets to Saul salt didn't care who he sent to the slaughter long as he got credit for any victory that could be had. He hadn't really little problems that sending David Albert Dave is not a little boy.

He's a he's a growing team is large enough for them to consider putting Saul's armor on. Of course, that won't work for David.

David goes with the shepherd's guard sling stone in a pouch that will hold for other stones. A loaded magazine and so David of course we know the story. He slays the giant Jonathan and all Israel wants this. Jonathan was instantly taken by this victory because it was crowded in faith.

David made it clear that he was fighting God's fight that he was all about Yahweh. He never, for one moment gave any indication that he was going to take down this giant just because he could and then we pick it up in Samuel 18 now when he had finished speaking to Saul this is Abby came back with that head in his hand chopped off. The giant said when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. That's what was going on with Abraham. He comes back from this great victory, but he sees Melchizedek, the high priest come out with bread and wine the emblems to us of our communion table and he smitten. He loves him right away. Has that ever happened to you.

Have you ever met a Christian away from your hometown, your church and you just love them, their brother, their sister is instantly that us portion what was going on. Melchizedek demanded nothing.

But he brought to Abraham didn't say here I am, would read one of the five dollars if you want to receive you and all the communion I have to offer you going to have to make a seed offering was none of that stuff. Genesis 14 eight Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of LL Jan God most high, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God most high possessor of heaven and earth, that is God's possessor of heaven and earth is get this right Abraham, we got the same God, and he continues and blessed be God most high. There it is again LL Jan, who has delivered your enemies into your hand and then Abraham gave him 1/10 of everything he had powerful moment Abraham is being blessed and is receiving the blessing and he is moved emotionally, spiritually, willfully, God wants his people move volitional without pressure of tricks. The pressure of love.

The pressure true of those not pressures more like forces is a subtle difference, as I'm using it here, move you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website.

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