The First Word FROM FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BONITA SPRINGS SERMON BY REV. DR. PAUL FAHNESTOCK DECEMBER 14, 2014 H ave you ever received a Christmas gift that the unwrapping of it is only the beginning? I am thinking back when I was a young boy and received an erector set, Lincoln logs, or a model airplane or boat. Today, I believe something comparable would be Legos; I ve seen some Lego sets with more than 2,000 pieces! You are going to have to spend some time with the gift to really appreciate it. My message this morning is a gift like that. I have a Christmas gift for you, and I will help you unwrap it. But if you want to really appreciate the gift, you will have to spend some time building it. It will require some extra study and prayer to really get the full enjoyment and benefit of the gift. I will begin with an ancient historical event from the first book of the Bible, Genesis. In Genesis chapter 12, God chose Abraham and promised to make him a great nation and God told Abraham that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God led Abraham to Canaan (Israel), along with his wife, Sarah, and his nephew, Lot. Abraham settled in one part of Canaan and Lot chose to live near the city of Sodom. In Genesis chapter 14, we read the account of four kings from the north (modern Syria) who attacked five kings in the south, including the king of Sodom, and they captured Lot, his family and his possessions and headed north. Abraham heard about this, gathered 318 of his fighting men and pursued after his nephew. He attacked the kings army, rescued Lot, his family and all the possessions. Upon returning south, Abraham had an interesting encounter with the king of Salem. Let s read what is written about that meeting from Genesis, chapter 14:
And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you. Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. Genesis 14:18-20 Abraham has this encounter with Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High who is the same God Abraham worships. Then 1,000 years later, God reveals this mysterious person, Melchizedek, in one other verse of the Old Testament in Psalm 110. The New Testament often quotes the Old Testament. One of the most commonly quoted verses is Psalm 110:1: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. Jesus himself quoted this verse as a scripture about the Messiah. Then, we come to verse 4, which has a thought found nowhere else in the Old Testament: The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. According to this messianic psalm, the Messiah is to be a priest not an old covenant Levitical priest, but a different kind of priest of a completely different order in the order of Melchizedek. Four obscure verses, almost hidden in the Old Testament, are the harbinger verses of one of the most important concepts of the role of the Messiah in God s plan of salvation the Messiah as High Priest. The explanation of Melchizedek found in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 is found in one letter of the New Testament which is the only other scripture text of the Bible that speaks of Melchizedek the letter to the Hebrews written 2,000 years after Genesis and 1,000 years after Psalm 110. 2
I believe the letter to the Hebrews makes the most thorough connections of all the New Testament writings, concerning what God was doing and revealing in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of it in the New Testament. And the fulfillment was through the advent or coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ. The letter to the Hebrews teaches that Jesus Christ is superior to the angels, to Moses, to the Law, and to the Old Testament priests and sacrifices. In other words, the Messiah Jesus Christ inaugurates a New Covenant between God and man that is not only superior, but it makes the Old Covenant obsolete. It is interesting to me that Hebrews is the only letter or book of the Bible that we cannot determine the human author. We have assigned the names of authors to every other writing. The apostles Peter and Paul teach that all Scripture is God inspired and written by those who are moved by the Holy Spirit, but it is as if God is putting an exclamation on this letter to the Hebrews. No man will share the glory of this letter; it is from God! The letter of Hebrews tells us that the verses about Melchizedek of Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 are pointing us to the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. It briefly mentions this in chapter 5, and then again at the end of chapter 6, telling us that Jesus has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews, chapter 7 then explains this in more detail. For the next few minutes, let s look at parts of Hebrews chapter 7 in order to understand this relationship of Melchizedek to the Messiah more clearly. We begin with chapter 7, verses 1-3 and a quick summary of the story in Genesis 14. This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means king of justice, and king of Salem means king of peace. 3 There is no record of 3
his father or mother or any of his ancestors no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God. Hebrews 7:1-3 The unusual name, Melchizedek, is from the Hebrew word melek which means king, and tsedek means righteousness, so this name, Melchizedek, means king of righteousness. And the name of his city, Salem, means peace, he was also the king of peace (v. 2). These titles are significant because they foreshadow Jesus Christ as the King of righteousness and the King of peace. The point that Melchizedek had no father or mother signifies that his position as priest did not depend on his parents or his genealogy. His priesthood was a different kind, a completely different order from the Old Testament, Levitical priesthood. The Levitical priesthood was hereditary beginning with Aaron. Psalm 110 predicted that the Messiah would be a priest, not according to genealogy, but by special appointment by God. Melchizedek is not like the Son of God in every respect. We know that Jesus had a Father, a mother, a genealogy, a birth and a death, so he was different in these respects. The text does not say that Melchizedek was the Son of God just that he resembled or was like the Son of God. It seems as if this Melchizedek came out of nowhere, and then disappeared. This mysterious Melchizedek, according to the author of Hebrews, was the prototype, a representation, of the Messiah Jesus Christ. What I am sharing with you this morning is not your traditional Christmas story about the advent of the Messiah with angels, shepherds, magi and stars, but it is an amazing sign given by God 4,000 years ago of his wonderful plan which would only be understood when the Messiah appeared. Let s continue in Hebrews, chapter 7: 4
Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. 5 Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 7 And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. 8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. 9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites the ones who collect the tithe paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. 10 For although Levi wasn t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him. Hebrews 7:4-10 We know very little about Melchizedek, but we can discern that he was very important. Abraham gave him 10 percent of the spoils of war (v. 4). The old covenant required the Israelites to give 10 percent to the priestly tribe of Levites, but Abraham gave 10 percent to Melchizedek even though Melchizedek was not a Levite (vs. 5-6). He received priestly honors before Levi was even born. One could argue that even Levi, who gets the tithe, paid a tithe to Melchizedek before he was born (vs. 9-10). The author knows that Levi didn't actually pay tithes to Melchizedek, but in a figure of speech he did. The point is that Melchizedek is greater than the patriarch Abraham and the priestly line of Levi. 5
To emphasize this point, we read Melchizedek not only received a tithe, he also blessed Abraham. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing (Melchizedek) is greater than the one who is blessed (Abraham) (v. 7). Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, and his priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood. But, the real point being made is that Jesus Christ is superior to them all! The Levitical priests die, but Jesus has been made a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, a priesthood that is superior for our salvation. Let s look at just three more verses in Hebrews, chapter 7, where the author quotes Psalm 110, verse 4: This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: You are a priest forever. 22 Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. Hebrews 7:20-22 God himself makes an oath to appoint Jesus as high priest (v. 20). The descendants of Aaron of the tribe of Levi became priests without any oath, but Jesus became priest by a vow of God. And not just an oath but also a promise of permanence: The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: You are a priest forever (v. 21). With the advent, the coming of Jesus Christ, the old priesthood is obsolete. The old covenant law was set aside. A new and better hope is given to bring people to a perfect salvation that the law could never give. Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God (v. 22). A new, better covenant with Jesus as the guarantor replaces the inferior, ineffective law of Moses. 6
Because Jesus lives forever, he will forever continue to be our High Priest, and his priesthood is effective in bringing us to salvation. We have a High Priest who perfectly meets our needs. Jesus is exactly who we need to be saved from sin and death and restored in our relationship with God. What does this mean for us? I want the Holy Spirit to have the last word from Hebrews, chapter 4: 14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:14-16 We celebrate Christmas, when God s Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man to experience all the trials and temptations we face in order to be our compassionate, merciful, and faithful High Priest the perfect mediator between God and man. The Incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas was not an option; it was a necessity. If God had never become a man, he never could have offered himself as the perfect and absolute sacrifice for our sins and restored all who believe in him to an eternal relationship with himself. Have you received the true Christmas gift? Have you received God s mercy and his gift of grace in Jesus Christ? If you have, thank God for his indescribable gift and offer yourself to God, as the apostle Paul instructs in Romans, chapter 12, as a living sacrifice which is your reasonable response to his love for you. If you have not received this precious gift, I invite you this morning to accept the gift of salvation from God through Jesus Christ and come boldly to the throne of our gracious God to receive his mercy and grace. 7
This letter to the Hebrews is a Christmas gift to you, and I have helped you unwrap it. But if you really want to appreciate the gift, you will have to spend some extra time in study and prayer to get the full enjoyment and benefit of the gift. To help you do that, I recommend a devotional commentary on Hebrews by the South African pastor and teacher Andrew Murray, entitled The Holiest of All, (Whitaker House Pub, 2004). It is available in the FPC BookCenter. 9751 Bonita Beach Road Bonita Springs, Florida 34135 239 992 3233 fpcbonita.org