Melchizedek Who? Series

HoHum:

If we were asked to name the most important people in the OT, I doubt that Melchizedek’s name would be on our list. He appeared once, in Genesis 14:17-24; and once more, in Psalm 110:4. Read both passages. Psalm 110:4 is referred to twice in this chapter of Hebrews

I would hardly call this top billing. But the Holy Spirit reached back into the OT and used those two passages to present a most important truth: the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to that of Aaron, because “the order of Melchizedek” is superior to “the order of Levi.”

WBTU:

A. We’ve been putting off this topic for a while now. Hebrews 5:10 and Hebrews 6:20

B. Hebrews 7:4 tell us to think how great he was. What makes him so great?

Great in his blessings. Hebrews 7:7. Abraham gladly received his blessings.

Great in that Abraham gave him a tithe, or tenth of everything. The victorious one, Abraham, gave to this little known King, a tithe, like an officer gives unto his commander in chief. Melchizedek was supreme over all those present on that day. By this act, all descendants of Abraham also pay homage to this King as talked about in vs. 9-10.

Consider how great this man was as to his personage or ancestry, "without father, without mother, without genealogy vs. 3": that is to say, we know nothing as to his birth, his origin, or his history. So mysterious is Melchizedek that many think that he was an appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are inclined to believe that he was not a king of some city in Canaan but that he was a manifestation of the Son of God. At any rate, we know very little about him, who he was and how he fits in with the story and history here.

Great in his special office of priest. No one came before him in this office as priest of God Most High, and we have no mention of anyone taking his place in that office once he disappears. We have no record of his birth or death. Vs. 3- without beginning of days or end of life. He remains a priest forever because no one took his position after him.

Great in the combination of the offices he held. He was prophet, priest and king. Now it was common for Canaanite kings to be a priest for their god. However, this was forbidden under God’s Law. Priests only came from the tribe of Levi. Kings came from the tribe of Judah (except in the case of King Saul who was from Benjamin, never from Levites). Those who tried to be both priest and king met with disaster. But here we have one who is all 3 and the Scripture puts this in a favorable light. Evidently Melchizedek was the one true God’s priest and he was also King and this was good. The only ones with God’s blessing here are Melchizedek and Abram. The king of Sodom is ignored or looked down upon in this account.

This is what the book of Hebrews is trying to establish is that Jesus Christ is all 3. He is prophet, priest and king. This is done through the order of Melchizedek.

I don’t want to spend anymore time with Melchizedek this morning, but I want to talk about one that is greater than Melchizedek and that is Jesus Christ.

The Revised Standard Version says of vs. 4: See how great he is!

Thesis: Let’s talk about the greatness of Jesus Christ

For instances:

Jesus Christ is great as to His Eternal Being

Jesus Christ did not begin to exist when he was born of Mary. John 1:1-2: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem did not mark the beginning of a new person, but rather it marked the incarnation of the eternal Son of God who had been present with the Father and “became flesh and made his dwelling among us- John 1:14”

Jesus was not just another man. He lived in the beginning when everything was started. Before the beginning began, Jesus was. Because Jesus has always been with God, He knows all about us. He knows how we were made. He knows the secrets of our hearts; He knows our needs; and what is more, being God, He is able to supply them all.

Jesus Christ is great as to his miraculous birth

The Bible declares that our Lord’s mother was a virgin, that His conception was miraculous.

Galatians 4:4: But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman

The birth of Jesus Christ was no ordinary birth. When the Jewish virgin Mary went down into the land of motherhood, she came back holding in her arms the only baby in all the world who had never had an earthly father. No birth like this had ever occurred before; no birth like this will ever occur again.