Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the Book of Hebrews. We are continuing our series today, “Christ Supreme in All Things.” And today we come to what you might call the most Pauline section of the book of Hebrews. I told you at the beginning of this series that I don’t think the Apostle Paul wrote this book. But this section sounds an awful lot like him. In fact it sounds an awful lot like the book of Romans. Because it’s about the purpose of the law. And it’s about the shortcomings of the law. And that’s a big theme in the book of Romans.

But it shouldn’t surprise us that these two books (Romans and Hebrews) present similar ideas, because they were both written around the same time by Christian Jews who were very familiar with the OT. And they were both co-written by the Holy Spirit! So they are both presenting the truth of the gospel and how the NT gospel paradigm trumps the OT. 

And that’s because Jesus is the fulfillment of OT law, and he is a better priest than the OT priests. He’s from a better line, a better order. And his work as a priest is more lasting and decisive. And that’s clearly presented in the final verse of this passage. Look with me at verses 18-19:

18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 

I want to draw near to God. Do you want to draw near to God? God has made a way for us to do that. But it’s through law. And it’s not through any human priest, either of the OT variety or our modern-day imitations. IT’s only possible through a singular priest of perfection and reconciliation. 

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The title of today’s message is “A Priest of Perfection and Reconciliation.” Three points today from the text and then we’ll take communion together. Write this down as #1. There is only one priesthood that exhibits perfection. And there is only one priest who accomplishes perfection.  

Christ, from the order of Melchizedek, 

1)  accomplishes perfection (7:11-12)

The author of Hebrews says in verse 11,

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood 

Now stay with me for a moment because I want to share something technical with you. In Greek, this is what you call a second class conditional statement. This is used when the author is sharing something that is contrary to fact. “If perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood…” If, but it’s not. It can’t be. That’s the idea here. Perfection could not have possibly been achieved through the Levitical priesthood, so there has to be another way. 

And that shouldn’t surprise us. In the OT, we’ve got flawed men with a flawed process, offering up animals as sacrifices for sin. It wasn’t a bad system. It was good. In fact, I would argue that it was very good! The law was good, and the priesthood in the OT was good. It was meaningful for the people of Israel. It pointed out there sin and gave them a tangible way to deal with that sin. It was good, but it wasn’t perfect. 

God put it into place in Israel for good purposes. It was good, but it couldn’t achieve perfection. But thankfully, it was instituted to point forward to a coming perfection… that’s the key. 

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood [which it wasn’t and isn’t]

(for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

If the Levites were sufficient for achieving perfection, we wouldn’t need anything else. But the Levites weren’t sufficient. And their priesthood wasn’t sufficient. And so, we need something else. We need someone else! We need someone like Aaron, but unlike Aaron. We need a priest! But not an Aaronic priest! We need someone from the line of Melchizedek. 

And this was all part of God’s plan. Charles Spurgeon said, “The priesthood of Aaron and his successors was intended to be temporary. … They were candles for the darkness, but the sun was to rise, and then they would not be needed.”

Warren Wiersbe says the following about this passage: “Not only is Melchizedek greater than Aaron, but Melchizedek has replaced Aaron! It is no longer ‘the order of Aaron’ or ‘the order of Levi.’” And there’s no going back to the Levitical Priesthood! You know once the sun rises, you don’t go back to candles!

The author of Hebrews says another priest in verse 11. This is an entirely different kind of priesthood. This is the Melchizedekian priesthood. And Christ, who is from that order, is an altogether different kind of priest. He’s not from the line of Aaron; he’s not from the line of Levi. He’s not from a “line of a priest” at all, that is a genealogical line. He’s from an order. And that order is derived from Melchizedek. 

Look I know priests get a bad rap in our modern-day protestant world. And that’s because people go to a priest today, and they go through some ritual and offer up something to God on your behalf. It’s as if you have to go through them to get to God. I don’t blame you, if you have some negative association with that. 

But in the OT world, that was your only option. You went to an imperfect priest who offered an imperfect sacrifice for an imperfect people who were waiting for the Perfect One to come. And that’s the point of the author of Hebrews here. The Perfect One has come! And he puts us in a perfected state, so that we might be reconciled to the God of the Universe.

Look at verse 12. 

12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.

This is where the author of Hebrews builds on and even augments the arguments in Romans. Not only do we need a change in law, but we also need a change in priesthood. And that change in priesthood necessitates a change in law. The law and the OT priest are inextricably bound up together. But we, as Christians, don’t live by the law and die by the law. We live and die in Christ who is the perfect fulfillment of the law. 

A group of us have been reading through Pilgrim’s Progress together. One of the greatest books ever written. And there’s a great moment in Pilgrim’s Progress, that illustrates what the law does. John Bunyan describes it this way. There’s a scene in the book where a man named “Interpreter” leads Christian into a parlor. And the parlor symbolizes Christian’s heart. And there is dust everywhere on the floor of this parlor. The dust is a symbol of sin. And what do you think symbolizes the law in this room? The law is a broom. And Christian uses that broom (the law) to sweep up the dust (sin). But all he does is start stirring it up in the room. And the dust gets so bad that Christian can’t even breathe. That’s a good picture right there. Is the law bad? No. Is the broom bad? No. It shows us how much dust we have in our room. It’s just ineffective at getting the dust out of the room. The law exposes the sin in our hearts, but it’s ineffective in getting the sin out of our hearts! Paul says in Galatians 3:24 that the law was our tutor or guarding until Christ came, and it leads us to Christ in order that me might be justified by him. 

And Christ as our new priest, changes the law. He institutes what the Apostle James calls the “law of liberty” (1:25; 2:12). Jesus arose as the perfect priest to bring that change of law, so that we might be judged by a different standard. So that when God the Father sees us now, he doesn’t see us as broken, sin-stained miscreants. He sees us as perfected by the sacrifice of his Son.

You know, I’ve said several times here from this pulpit, we are a room full of rotten, dirty sinners who have been saved by grace. Right? And yet, there is a sense, biblically, in which we aren’t sinners anymore. We have been reckoned righteous through our faith in Christ. Right? So were both. 

Martin Luther said it this way. He said that we, as Christians, are “simul justus et peccator.” We are simultaneously “saint” (justus) and “sinner” (peccator). We are righteous or just and at the same time, a sinner. R.C. Sproul said once that this little formula summarizes and captures the essence of the Protestant Reformation. We are “simultaneously justified and a sinner.”

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Go ahead and write this down as #2. Christ, from the order of Melchizedek, accomplishes perfection (7:11-12). But also, he… 

2)  arises indestructible (7:13-16)

Okay, this is going to get really good. So brace yourself, church. Hebrews 7:13 says, 

13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 

Jesus doesn’t belong to the tribe of Levi. He belongs to the tribe of Judah, the tribe of kings like David! Actually the NT writers go to some lengths with their genealogies to show that (see Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). And some might think that’s a disadvantage for Christ’s priesthood. But not this author. 

14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 

That’s true. The priests came from Levi. The kings came from Judah. Everyone stayed in their lane. If anyone got out of line, they got popped for insubordination.  

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest 

There’s that “another” language again. Another priest!

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,

Now there are two words in verse 15 that are really important. The first is “arises.” What does that word suggest? The Greek word is ἀνίσταμαι, and it means “to arise” or “to raise up.” And that word is frequently used (frequently but not exclusively) in the NT to describe the resurrection of the dead (e.g. John 6:39, 44, 54; Acts 2:24, 32; 13:33-34; 1 Cor 15:51; 1 Thess 4:16). So I don’t think it’s a coincidence here that the author says another priest “arises” (ἀνίσταμαι). He could have said “another priest comes” or “another priest assumes the responsibilities.” But he didn’t say that. He intentionally used this word that was often used to describe Jesus’s resurrection. Log that away. I’m going to come back to that in a second.

The second word that’s key here is that word “likeness.” 

another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek

It’s not that Melchizedek is the same as Jesus. It’s not that Jesus is Melchizedek. He is “like unto” Melchizedek. He’s in the likeness of Melchizedek. It’s type and antitype. Remember what I said last week about typology? Remember Hebrews 7:3? The author said that Melchizedek, “resembling the Son of God… continues a priest forever.” Now he says it the other way. Now he says Jesus arose “in the likeness of Melchizedek.” Last week he said that Melchizedek was a type of the coming antitype. Now he’s saying that the antitype, Jesus, was in the likeness of the type.

another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 

That is an amazing statement right there. Jesus doesn’t meet the requirement of the priesthood based on bodily descent. Jesus doesn’t have the hereditary prestige of a Levite. He doesn’t have the genes. He doesn’t have the bloodline.

And you would think that’s a bad thing. It’s not. Because Jesus broke the system. He usurps bloodline. He doesn’t meet the legal requirement, but he did blow up the system with the power of his indestructible life. What is that a reference to? Indestructible life? What’s he talking about there? Jesus’s impeccable genetics? Is this hyperbole? A reference to how tall, dark, handsome, and athletic Jesus was? No, it can’t be. Because the author is contrasting bodily descent, what you might call “carnal essence,” with something else. With an indestructible life! What’s that a reference to?

Listen. Hear me on this. This is important. Of whom is this said?

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that [so and so] died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-5).

 Who’s the “so and so” in that passage? Is this statement made about a Levitical priest? Is that said about a priest in the order of Aaron? No! No priest in the OT died for another and then was raised from the dead! 

How about this? Who is this said about?

“We know that [so and so], being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God” (Rom 6:9-10).

 Who was that said about? I mean, I know this gets ridiculous. But it’s a good reminder. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb on Easter Sunday, they didn’t find an empty tomb of a Levitical priest (Matt 28:1-8). They didn’t stop and chat with a Levitical priest raised from the dead (Matt 28:9-10). They met instead a King from the tribe of Judah, a new and better Son of David. And they met a priest from the order of Melchizedek… not the tribe of Melchizedek and not the tribe of Levi… but the order of Melchizedek. That’s who they met. 

They met one who became a priest… 

not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.   

By the way, there’s a sense in which Jesus didn’t really become a high priest… he really didn’t secure that office until his resurrection. It wasn’t just his incarnation. It wasn’t just his crucifixion and sacrifice. Those things were essential. But it wasn’t until he was raised from the dead that he changed the paradigm forever. And he set up a priesthood by his indestructible life. 

Just so you know that word “indestructible” in Greek is the word ἀκατάλυτος. Do you know what it means in English? It means “indestructible.” The verb καταλύω means to “tear down” or “destroy” or “abolish.” But this is ἀκατάλυτος meaning “indestructible” or “un-abolishable.” It’s a word that only shows up once in the NT, right here in Hebrews 7:16. But what a statement! What a time for it to show up!

And you might be wondering at this point, why is this author going to such lengths to emphasize the supremacy of Christ’s priesthood? Why is he belaboring this point about Jesus and the order of Melchizedek? Well, I think what he’s trying to do is marshal as much evidence as possible and as many arguments as possible to prove to his audience that Jesus is better than the OT law and the OT priesthood. And once you have Jesus, there’s no going back to what came before.

And why would you want to go back? Do you want the law and its imperfect priests? No thank you! Do you want the law and its priests or do you want “the priest of indestructible life.” Do you want the law, or do you want life? That’s what the decision comes down to.

You know even in our modern-day world, we constantly battle with thinking “the law” or some kind of manmade legalism is going to save us. We tell our kids, “Be good little boys and girls and God will love you.” But that’s not true. And they don’t have the capacity to do good. Not enough of it. You know what we need to tell our kids? simul justus et peccator. We need to tell them, “Kids, we are sinners saved by grace. We are sinners, but we have an indestructible high priest who has conquered death and offers us life.”

Parents, do your kids a favor. Don’t over-encumber them with expectations of being good. We don’t want good kids here at VBVF. We want gospel kids!

 You know there’s an old ditty that goes like this. It probably dates back to the days of John Bunyan, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure. It goes like this: 

“Do this and that the law commands

But gives me neither feet nor hands

Far better news the gospel brings, 

It bids us fly and gives us wings.”

There’s another version of that poem that goes like this:

“A rigid matter was the law,

demanding brick, denying straw,

But when with gospel tongue it sings,

it bids me fly and gives me wings.”

Here’s another way to say that: “I fought the law, and the law won!” The original readers of this book couldn’t keep the law or trust in it for their salvation, and neither can we. We need a law-fulfiller. We need another priest who rises by the power of an indestructible life.  

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Finally. Write this down as #3. Christ, from the order of Melchizedek, accomplishes perfection, he arises indestructible, and thirdly, he…

3)  achieves reconciliation (7:17-19)

Look at verse 17 with me.

17 For it is witnessed of him, 

Who’s the “him” here? It’s Jesus, right?

17 For it is witnessed of [Jesus], “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 

Boy, I’ve heard that somewhere. Where’s that from? O yeah, that’s from Psalm 110. King David sits down, and he writes this prophecy. And he says, “The LORD says to my Lord, ‘sit at my right hand” (110:1). So King David writes about an even better King that will come who sits at the right hand of God the Father. Who could that be? A King greater than David? A Lord? Even King David’s Lord? Who’s that?

And it gets crazier. Because in that same psalm, King David says about this future king, “You will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (110:4) What! Melchizedek hasn’t been around for a thousand years. He’s some random, Gentile king from the book of Genesis! And David says a priest will come like that guy! What in the world! 

David says in that psalm, “There’s this person coming. He’s a Lord, He’s a King. And, unlike me, He’s also a Priest. And he’s not a temporary priest like the Levites. He’s a forever priest.” And sure enough he did come a thousand years later. 

By the way, here’s a little bonus material for you. I haven’t talked about this yet. There’s this really interesting place in the book of Zechariah where a priest becomes king. It’s a vision that the prophet Zechariah has in 6:9-14. And in the vision, the high priest is taken by a group of people, and he’s crowned as king. What’s that all about? That’s like the opposite of Psalm 110. It’s not just a king who is a priest, it’s a priest who becomes king. 

And here’s the greatest part of that vision. You know what the name of that high priest is in Zechariah 6? His name is Joshua. His name, in Hebrew, is יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. What’s going on there? What’s that all about? Well that’s typology too. Zechariah 6 is about a priest who becomes king; Psalm 110 is about a king who becomes priest. And both of those passages from the OT speak typologically of Jesus, the true and better Joshua, the true and better priest, the true and better king!

Back to Hebrews 7.

 17 For it is witnessed of [Jesus], “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 

19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

The great Scottish scholar from the twentieth century, F.F. Bruce, said once that “The whole apparatus of worship associated with sacrifice and ritual and priesthood was calculated rather to keep men at a distance from God than to bring them near.” Keep away! That’s the essence of the worship in the Tabernacle. But now we have “a better hope … through which we draw near to God.”

“Do this and that the law commands

But gives me neither feet nor hands

Far better news the gospel brings, 

It bids us fly and gives us wings.”

You know this is a really strong statement concerning the law in verse 18. The author says, 

a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect)

Yikes! I’m glad he said that because I wouldn’t say it that way: weak and useless. The issue with the law isn’t really its uselessness but its obsolescence. Jesus Christ has made the former commandment obsolete and ineffective. He has eclipsed it and surpassed it.

By the way, this is way stronger than what Paul says in Romans. Paul said in Romans 7:12, “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” It is holy and it is good. But it is also weak and useless in respect to bringing someone near to God. The law made nothing perfect, and you need perfection in order to draw near to God. God is holy, and he cannot abide with anyone or anything that is unholy. 

 So what did God do? What was the solution? How did Jesus achieve reconciliation? Here’s how.

Colossians 1:21-23: “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.”

 Church, can I interest you in reconciliation with the God of the Universe? Can I interest you in a chance to draw near to God? To draw near to the God who created you? Listen, you’re not going to find that in obedience to the law. You’re not going to find that in being a good little boy or girl. Like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory who makes it to the end and gets the company because he’s a good boy. Eternity doesn’t work like Willie Wonka’s Chocolate factory. 

“How do I get it, Pastor Tony? 

How do I get reconciled to the God of the Universe?” Here’s how. Tell me if you’ve heard this before.

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong, a perfect plea;

A great High Priest, whose Name is Love,

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,

My name is written on His heart;

I know that while in heaven He stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,

And tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look, and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free;

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb!

My perfect, spotless Righteousness,

The great unchangeable I AM,

The King of glory and of grace.

One with Himself, I cannot die;

My soul is purchased by His blood;

My life is hid with Christ on high,

With Christ, my Savior and my God.

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Let me just close with this. I can’t really improve on what Charitie Bancroft wrote there on the book of Hebrews. That’s just too good. But I do want to say this before we enter into a time of communion. 

Bancroft wrote a message for people in her day. The author of Hebrews wrote to a people in his day. And I’m here in this day, in this church, in San Antonio, Texas. I’m the spokesman, the herald of God’s Word for this church. And I’m here to say to you that there are two avenues for you in this life. There are two destinations. There is life and there is death. There is eternal life and eternal death. And there are many ways to death. Many ways. You can indulge your flesh all your days and end up with eternal death. You can try to fulfill the law in your own power and end up with eternal death. You can try to be a good boy or girl. You can try to be a good Jew or a good Gentile. You can follow other religions out there and still end up with eternal death. There are many ways to eternal death. And by the way, death hovers over all of us. It’s coming. The Grim Reaper is an equal-opportunity Reaper. There’s no escaping death in this world. But there’s only one way to eternal life. 

There are many roads to eternal death. But there is only one road to eternal life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Nobody.

Life… eternal life… indestructible life… is only found through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the great high priest from the order of Melchizedek who has died for your sin, and even now sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding on behalf of those who belong to him. He’s the only way. Put your faith in him.