Melchizedek

Today on life with Jeannie Greer. The question is this Jesus is the king. How can Jesus roll with perfect justice but in a way that sympathize with God shots and get law would be close to us who have committed many acts of injustice can answer the writer what you do is cross my pastor Jeannie Greer of the church in Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina.

As always, I'm your host Molly that events today. We are continuing our study in the book of Hebrews called Christ is better today we come to one of those unusual passages that most people just sort of scratch their heads and move on to the mysterious Old Testament figure, but he provides an important picture of Jesus's role as a high priest, and king's name is you've heard of him that much though.

Let's discover what made him so important we open our Bibles to chapter 5 back now I would guess that many of you probably never heard of him is not like he is one of your Old Testament Sunday school flannel revenue rose do not kill any giants or make any wall fall down or open up again will trash on thousand four state of the job. When the donkey, or anything exciting like that. But the writer of Hebrews tells you that this guy teaches you a lot of important things about Jesus.

Now look what you might've noticed in the reading that we skipped over chapter 6 because I know that you guys do not miss anything, and I know that if you have read Hebrews you know that some of the most difficult verses in all the Bible are in chapter 6, and I know that right now you are accusing me in your hearts, skipping things that are really difficult in the Bible, but that is not true. Okay, it is just that what the writer does. You might see this reading closely as he brings up Melchizedek.

In chapter 5, but then right after he brings him up. He seems to get pretty hacked all the people he's writing to because they should already understand the significance of milk is in verses 11 and 12 in chapter 5 notice and he says that understanding of back and how he points to Jesus is a test of spiritual majority and the fact that they don't know anything about him proves that they're not really spiritually mature goes all on this and read in chapter 6 about the need for them to grow up so they can understand this kind of stuff to come back to chapter 6 next week, which is his rant, the longer you talk about being spiritually mature growing up this week. What is going to combine what he says about it back in chapter 5 chapter 7 were to teach that is one okay not to be totally honest with you I thought long and hard about just skipping Melchizedek altogether, since some of you can barely even pronounce his name but when I got to the part in verse 11 about the writer saying that understanding of that is a sign of spiritual maturity. I didn't want any of y'all showing up in heaven and some guy coming up to you and say hi.

I'm not just you like to know civil reason, Christian rapper or something because then that looks bad on me as your pastor, because I did not get you to one of the clear benchmarks of the Bible gives of spiritual majority. So, for my sake we're going to learn all about Melchizedek so that I can say you are spiritually mature, and you understand things like this. I write because that was an Old Testament priest and I know that some of you here this stop about priesthood temples and you start to think, you know, I was not really sure how this applies to me, we don't really have a free system anymore and will go to temples and and this is not the same.

So what possibly could. This have to do with me today. I would strongly encourage you not to think that way because you gotta think about what the priestly system was expressing from them, what questions like they were approaching it with think about what was being expressed in the priestly system using these people felt like they needed something they needed something or someone to represent them before God.

They knew instinctively that there was a disconnect between them and the Almighty and they needed a go-between between them and him explained you a few weeks ago that when mankind's sin. The result was we were left with a sense of shame about our nakedness. Now treat was we were naked before we were sand, but our nakedness. Adam and Eve's nakedness in the garden did not bother them because they were remembered they were clothed in the love and the acceptance of God. But having been stripped of that love and acceptance of God, that a sense of shame about their nakedness. They felt like something was not right. God's approval was not there anymore so they were very self-conscious about something wrong in their first impulse of course was to do what we all do now when we feel naked which is to cover yourself right to cover yourself to do something to take away that Shay and I explained you that that's kind of like a metaphor for the universal human quest. Ever since like to find something that takes away our shame, something that we can do something that we can become something that we can accomplish that will give us goodness and righteousness and acceptability in the eyes of God to earn his approval again something that will take away our shame, even if you don't really believe in God, I would still tell you that you can look at your life and see that for most of your life you been on this quest to prove yourself to others. It's like you needed other people to validate you, you needed other people to make you feel important, important and worthy.

You need an external sense of validation.

Glad explained a few weeks ago was I using the Rocky Balboa Rocky one dear Todd and Adrian saying that he was going to go 15 rounds of the world. Chapter prove he wasn't a bomb and that all of us have a sense of bomb this about us, that's just up you know inner-city Philadelphia word for fallenness or nakedness, we have a sense of something's not right. So we gotta do something or accomplish something in order to take away that sense of nakedness abundance, so you're always trying to show that there something about you that makes you worthy of everyone's love and admiration. Something that sets you apart from others. All you've done is replace God's opinion with other people's opinions. They become a functional God to you so you still need a go-between, you still need some kind of priestly element to establish your worthiness in their eyes and so your personal accomplishments are like your priest that establishes your worthiness.

Ernest Becker Jewish agnostic wrote a book called the denial of death, which is quite a fascinating book said that after he quit believing in God he found his soul still searching for acceptance and validation from somebody he said in his book the denial of death is a quote that modern society after having ceased to believe in God has turned to the romantic partner as the most suitable replacement.

This self-glorification that we need in our innermost being.

When I look for love partner.

The love partner becomes the divine ideal within which to fulfill one's life. What is it he says that we want when we elevate that love partner to that exalted position. We want them to declare that we have no faults. We want to be rid of our feeling of nothingness. We want to we want to be justified.

We want to know that our existence has not been in vain is sitting shortly what redemption, nothing less in place in case we are inclined to forget how deified the romantic love object has become to our culture. The popular songs continually remind us by. The Bible tells you that the reason you need.

The reason that you seek that validation is because you have an inner sense of your separation from God, and you have a need for something or someone to go between you and him and to reestablish your worthiness in his eyes. You crave the acceptance of God. Even if you never realize that's what you're craving, what your mind might not admit there's a God, your heart knows without a doubt. That's why it's craving that one is looking for the acceptance of God's a bottom-line this discussion about Mel sizzle applies to you right and so there are only two things in this passage and I really want to do is give you a short sermon can be to long sections right on two things.

Number one what I want to show you who Melchizedek was in the number two. What he teaches us about Jesus and what that means for you.

Whether you are a religious person or not. Okay number one who Melchizedek was number one. He is only mentioned two times in the Bible other than this reference here in Hebrews. The first reference to Melchizedek happens in Genesis 14 verse 17.

Basically the story is this Abram had gone out to protect his cousin lot because lot had made some pretty dumb decisions and was being hunted down by a couple of OG's original gangsters from sought I and I apologize but I been a high school student all week long baby teach me how to talk so I can sound legit right so that's what's coming out today. Genesis 14 verse 70 says is after Abram's return from the defeat of a guy whose name I cannot pronounce and the Kings were with him. Melchizedek, the king of Salem brought out bread and wine for Abram or for you. More traditional Baptist near beer near beer for Abram because he was the priest of the God most high. In Hebrew, LL going.the most high and exalted God and he blessed Abram and Abram responded by giving him attempt of everything that he had so Melchizedek was a king and also a priest of the most high God.

He seems to have come out of nowhere and he disappears as fast as he appears to where he came from a descendent from his parents were begot him we don't know who he begat we don't know who anointed him as God freeze will know how he came to know Jehovah. We don't know any of that. All we know is that after Abram had won this battle. He knew that he wanted to thank God for the victory actually was looking for somebody that was God's representative that he could bless and he found this priest of God.

Melchizedek and he tied to this guy is an expression of thankfulness to God.

After that three verse reference reverses.

Melchizedek disappears and is not brought up again for a thousand years thousand years David King David makes a prophecy in the song someone tend to be exact about the Messiah just one line.

He says that the Messiah would be quote a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek that is a prophecy that is quoted there in Hebrews 5 that that is it a follow-up that is all that is in the Bible about Mel business is right before the book of the picture. Figure you're listening to Senate life with pastor Jeannie Greer will return to reteaching in just a moment. As we walked through Hebrews together each day. We are noticing that the Bible written to people's faith in Jesus. Many of us still struggle with the same problems as needed as we find it harder and harder to walk with God consistently each day to help us grow our faith and follow more deeply, we have a timecard Bible study this amendment to drive home the Jesus worthy of our trust and devotion. We want each chapter of the book of Hebrews to challenge and encourage you will send a study guide at our thanks for your gifts in ministry right now to give us a call at 866-3552 20 or check it out@jeanniegreer.com.

Now let's get back to reteaching down some people have speculated that Melchizedek was actually Jesus in a pre-incarnate form, which means before the incarnation shows up in the Old Testament. I'm not really sure about that. That's not what Hebrews says in verse 73 says he resembled the son of God. Now that he was the son of God.

But that's all we know, that's all we get in the Old Testament about him.

So number two number two what Melchizedek teaches us about Jesus what Melchizedek teaches us about Jesus in you, for things that we learn about Jesus from him. Here is the first one, number one we learn that the stories in the Old Testament all point to Jesus, we learn that the stories in the Old Testament all point to Jesus. This story about my kids that I can such a small reference kind. Hebrews writer identifies it is placed in the Bible teach us some things about Jesus. One of things that II love about reading the Old Testament is is discovering how the whole thing is woven together to teach us the gospel writer did you show us that there's one person that is being pointed you honestly this is one of being most substantiating things there is for my personal faith making. I am always wowed by the evidence for the resurrection, and I didn't press when I see the stuff about you know how messy specific prophecies in the Old Testament about where Jesus was born.

How it died. All that stuff that's not nearly as impressive and impacting to me when I start to discover that from Genesis all the way through Malachi. There is one major story being told in all the signs all the shadows, all these kind of patterns that are being set that ultimately Jesus would fulfill one person that was being pointed to some of them are pretty obvious you know things like him. When the Passover I went to see me when the accident happened. God told Israel to take a land that they didn't want her firstborn son to be killed when the death Angel came to Egypt don't take a lamb until the lamina put the blood on the doorpost and says when I see that what I will pass over you. Obviously a reference to the cross of Jesus Christ choose blood would go on our hearts and God would not curse us with doubt, but would pass over us because of that blood. Some of them are obvious like that and now Melchizedek will see all points to Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 2040. Talk of the disciple.

All the stories. There all of them would bear about me there all pointing to me there's a story told over and over and over here now before I move on to our next thing here is one quick word of caution for you Bible teachers, or even you studious Bible readers.

You can definitely go overboard with this.

I've heard people do it to Samson had long hair, which is assigned a factor Jesus would have long hair. Moses parted the Red Sea like Jesus parties here in the middle that that's not true I had to admit I went about never that, but I've heard some pretty ridiculous stuff you go overboard with it, but but the point is this the more you read the Bible, the more you develop an instinct to see the face of Jesus in the stories is that it's all about me, you start to see that he is everywhere theater. There's one thing was being told you not as I told you a few weeks ago.

Not not not just examples to emulate Melchizedek is not an example. You know what you can emulate him is not giving you to get examples the emulator he rose to admire giving you a Savior in whom to hoping to find refuge to worship and to adore all of the Bible is about Jesus is what Melchizedek teaches you number two teaches you speculated Jesus was a king and a priest. The Jesus was both a king and a prince.

One of things you see about Melchizedek was that he was both a king and a priest. Nobody else. Nobody else listen in the Old Testament was both king and priest were two offices, you would never combine you would want to combine on a slick policeman and pastor you want to combine those offices or about this Little League dad and referee your two offices do not go together will never combine king and priest, because the king was the lawgiver he was a judge he was about justice. The priest was a friend was a counselor is one that you would come to when you have messed up he could sympathize with people in their weaknesses, and he could help them with a messed up whereas the king represented God to the people. The priest represented the people to God. The king was the person of truth, the priest was the person of tears. And I never combine those offices in the Old Testament is one person simply could not be both. Melchizedek was the one exception in the next exception was Jesus. Verse 14 says that Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi roll the other Old Testament priest from if you want to be a priest in Israel. Your last name. Basically, I do believe I Jesus is not friendly Bible from Judah. It was from the kingly tribe Judah. Genesis 49, the proxy Judah with all the kings of Israel come out a and all the priesthood, Levi, the question is this Jesus is the King. How can Jesus roll with perfect justice but in a way that sympathize with sympathize with us in a week.

How can God be just yet. Love and be close to us who have committed many acts of injustice and answer the writer of Hebrews point you do is across the crosses were the absolute justice of God that the fullness of God's mercy the debt we owe to God. Our team was paid in full by God the son, so that now he can relate to us with mercy and acceptance without compromising his justice at all mentioned a few minutes ago that was from the tribe of Judah.

Judah that's a prophecy given in Genesis 49 the king would come from Judah if she story that I think about that prophecy that the writer of Genesis tells you right after that prophecy okay so Jude was 112 sons of Jacob. One of Jacob's other sons was a guy named Joseph and remember Joseph was Jacob's favorite console always of the brothers hated so they staged like this kind of fake accident they sold Joseph into slavery. So Joseph was open to slavery in Egypt and one thing leads to another and he ends up in Prime Minister of Egypt white surpassed for the clock many years later there's a famine going on in the land that would become Israel.

And so Jacob sends 10 of his sons to to Egypt to try to buy some grain so they can survive well they show up in front of the Prime Minister who is Joseph and they don't recognize him at all the turbine headgear the pain itself on his face and end up he recognized them, and so he says to them what he says in his mind. First, my brothers, these are the guys who sold me the slavery so he wants to see if they've changed okay and he remembers that he had a younger brother see him take have four wives and Joseph's mother had wanted to mention in Joseph will see Benjamin's was like his eye okay. I miss you control Benjamin so I want to go and what you get Benjamin and bring him back because you because they told him that they had all of your little brother when there and so they go off and get Benjamin and bring back and in Joseph wants to see a big they've actually changed their still sing dirt bags and sold him into slavery.

So what he does.

He takes a silver cup and he hides it in Benjamin's grain stock and he says okay take your grain to go away.

So, as they're leaving you since all guards to go catch them and he says you stole from the Pharaoh and that is the only thing I needed my note in your unit is as it was up and pulls out the silver cup.

Benjamin's grain size and godly panic and I Joseph says all right. Benjamin got a stay here, he's gonna die because he stole from from the Pharaoh and then when that moment happens.

Wasn't Judah. Judah stands up and says no, no, you cannot take him take me you take me let me dive his place so that Benjamin can go back to our father. And at that moment, the narrative says Joseph knew that his brothers had changed because Judah was willing to die in the place of his brothers, but you and I see in that a much bigger and better picture.

Do we not that you know one who would come from Judah would die for his brothers because he would die for us the penalty, the curse would be removed so that Jesus could be to us both king and priest because justice have been satisfied and mercy can be given to us.

We were sentenced to die. Jesus died in our place, which means see, even though he is our King. We no longer have to approach him in fear. Even though we know were sinners you know anything about yourself you know you have that sense that something is wrong with you all not to be afraid when you approach them. I told you for years that idea that Jesus was my high priest my intercessor, my advocate never brought me comfort. The reason is because I drew a picture of this picture Jesus like the priest and upfront God or the advocate and I pictured it like the wall you're in traffic court. You never got a ticket and you had to go in front of the judge and you hired a lawyer but basically Jesus was my lawyer and he's got a beginner stacking case files and pulls out one cut Greer and across.as I write. Father, we got Greer again. Without this file opens it up and says you know what yet they got caught speeding again.

He did this wrong but would you be lenient with him you let them all this one time you commute the sentence. Can you lower it please God. Pretty please my God, you only own the whole earth and everything in Mobile.

You can only so you better do this for him and never brought got much comfort because I just had this image that one day God would tell when I patients but if you show up in the same traffic court is from the same judge as I could hundred 19 Tanya got 120 miles an hour in a 35 mile speed zone.

At some point judge me like there's no way there's no way I would describe as much is this lawyer you have to pay this time and I needed some time. God's basins is going to run out.

See my high priest doesn't stand there and argue for leniency priest stands there and he argues for justice because he has suffered the full penalty of my sin in my place because he suffered the full penalty of my sin to my place and there's nothing that remains for me nothing because he's taken the full Senate to himself and what he says to God is simply this taken that penalty for him. So Gina JD can no longer be punished for that because it would be unjust better for you to punish twice for the same sin because you gave it to me. You can no longer give it to him because of him have nothing to fear when an encouraging message from JD Greer and Senate life. Your gifts help us bring gospel centered Bible teaching to the radio and Brad and we like to say thanks for your support by sending you a brand-new Bible study that follows our teaching through the book of Hebrews, JD, like you said in your message as we are prone to draft and when that happens, we can lose sight of God's greater plan and purpose for our lives. And that's one of the subjects of our new Bible study date of the book of Hebrews doesn't promise us and everything just perfect in our lives doesn't even promise us that we will live perfectly shows us is that Christ is better that Christ is the hope that we have in the midst of difficulty it shows us that that throughout the entire Old Testament point was not the sacrifices and the laws and the heroes of the faith point was learning to hope and trust in Jesus. So as you journey with us to the book of Hebrews, I want to encourage you JD Greer.com and get this study we call Christ is better than a help take you deeper into the message of Hebrews studying the Bible and driving deep in your heart change in this resource will help get the gospel get the message.

If you deeper inside you can get this exclusive new study when you donate today by calling five 220 never again be 3523 or give online Greer.com Molly joined us today and tomorrow and will continue our new friend now Tuesday on my