Bible Study: December 30, 2020

Okay. As we begin, you know, today we'll begin in chapter 7, but as I always do, I kind of like to bring us, kind of remind us where we were last week, because the book of Hebrews is a book that shouldn't be taken only individually by individual scriptures, but we should continue the meaning and the purpose of the book and be refreshed of that as we go through the chapters. As, you know, we've talked about many times in the book of Hebrews, it's reminding us of the Jesus Christ and just how important He is in our lives. Important is a terrible word to use because there is no word, probably in any language, that can underscore the importance and significance of Jesus Christ, you know, to us. The book of Hebrews will tell us He's superior to really everything that has come before Him that we have become familiar with as we read through the Scriptures. Superior to the angels, superior to Moses, superior to Abraham, superior, as we learned last week, and we discussed last week, superior to the physical high priests who God committed into that office to serve the people of Israel and to serve Him in His work. And so last week we took, you know, we've talked a couple weeks ago about Melchizedek and traced him, you know, back to the beginning when he appears in Genesis 14 with Abraham. We talked about him, and today when we get into Hebrews 7, we'll rehearse a few of the verses we talked about a couple weeks ago. Oh, we took last week kind of a diversion, if you will, from Melchizedek into the principles, the basic principles of the truth of God, and that was in Hebrews 6. We talked about those things as the author of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 5 that we need to be building on that foundation that God has started with us. Jesus Christ, of course, is our chief cornerstone, and we are based on the foundation of the apostles, the prophets, on those basic doctrines that we all knew and understood and committed to when we came into God's Church, the doctrine of faith and repentance from dead works, the doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, eternal judgment. We spent some time talking about all those last week, and I would just encourage you if you have any questions about that, or it might be good just to go back and rehearse on your own those principles that are there in the Bible so that we're reminded of just how significant our calling is and what the process is that God puts us through, and also the understanding that we have that takes us from the time that God calls us right through eternity. So remember last week that we talked about our calling being one that it is either going to be to eternal life or to eternal death. We read some harrowing verses in there that much of the world and even some people in the Church really don't want to hear that we can lose our salvation.

And so we have to be very aware of it, very committed to God, as the author in Hebrews reminds us several times. Don't become dull of hearing. Don't take it for granted. Don't drift away. Don't become so enamored and wrapped up in the world that you lose sight of the calling that God has given us and the purpose for which He's called us has called us. And that is to become the people that He wants us to become. His Holy Spirit will lead us to change, will lead us to repentance, and will develop in us the character that we need to do what God wants us to do for eternity. So with that, you know, we came to the end of chapter 6 last week. We, you know, God accentuated, you will remember, the things He gave Abraham as an example of faith and how Abraham didn't waver in his faith. Of course, Abraham made mistakes along the way. He repented. He always came back to God. But God reminds us that His Word is sure, that when He tells us something, it is going to happen. And He gives us, you know, the two immutable things in chapter 6 and verse 18, the promise and the hope that He has for us. He's made us a promise that will stand. We know that. We've seen it. We believe that. Certainly, Abraham is a tremendous example of that, as well as every other fulfilled prophecy. God will certainly give what He has promised to us as well, if we remain true to the end. So with that, let me pause for just a second if anyone has any questions or comments about anything we covered last week or any time in the book of Hebrews. And if not, we'll move into chapter 7. Okay. Well, chapter 7, you'll remember that we looked at these verses, the first four of them, back at the time when we first introduced the Melchizedek back in chapter 5. So let's just read through those, and we've discussed them, so we'll be able to move through those pretty quickly here. It says, For this Melchizedek, because at the end of chapter 20, it brings us right back to the subject of Melchizedek. So verse 1, 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. And we did look at Genesis 14 back a couple weeks ago, where Melchizedek appeared. You notice in verse 1 that Melchizedek is king and priest. There's only one in the Bible who's king and priest, and one returning to earth who is king and priest throughout Israel's domain. It was a separate function, kings and priests, but Melchizedek is king and priest. To whom, verse 2, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, meaning king of peace. So we look at, we have these clues as to who Melchizedek was before he became Jesus Christ. He's called the king of righteousness. He's called the king of peace. Abraham honored him, now worshipped him by giving him a tithe when he came to announce his blessing on Abraham after he returned from Sodom victorious, and he knew that God had given him that victory.

Verse 3, more clues. Melchizedek is without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Only two beings in all of the universe that can fit any of that description. It's either God the Father or the Logos before he was born is Jesus Christ. So we have a pretty clear description in Hebrews here of who Melchizedek when he appeared to Abraham was. And Abraham, you recall, recognized him as a high priest, and he honored him, and he was going to give him a tithe. He talks about that here in verses 3. Verse 3, I didn't complete that.

He was born as flesh and blood, and he went through all the life as a human being, and he's now known as Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Let me just pause on that before we get into verse 4, because verse 4 is an interesting, and the next few verses are very interesting, and they're going to kind of remind us. And it's a kind of a New Testament validation of the tithing that is part of our worship of God and part of our commitment and life with him.

But when you look at Jesus Christ, I know this has been on my mind for several weeks now, and probably yours as well. Melchizedek appears. Abraham knows who he is, as we discussed back in Genesis 14. And we have the verses in Hebrews that tell us that Jesus Christ was made perfect by the sufferings that he endured.

And we have this concept of the perfect Jesus Christ who never sinned. He was perfect. That's who we aspire to be through God's Holy Spirit, that he cleanses us and our attitudes and our behaviors become such that sin is thoroughly repugnant to us and put out of our lives. And by the time we're spirit beings, we become blameless as well. But how does Jesus Christ become perfect?

And he becomes perfect as the high priest because of what he has done. His experience as a human being, part of the plan of God.

If I can say this in the right way, limited in human verbiage, it changed him as well. There was something now more complete about him for the purpose that he was going to be high priest to us. He, before, without the experience of living as a human being, going through the trials of earth, the experience of living on earth, experiencing the pain, the torture, giving up his life, understanding what that means as a human being, and literally yielding himself completely to God and putting all his trust in God the Father, that he would resurrect him after he died. He became Jesus Christ. He became the high priest that we need. So Melchizedek in the Old Testament is the one who became Jesus Christ.

But his name we know him today, not by Melchizedek, he's the same being, but his name is Jesus Christ. He is superior to all the high priests, as we'll talk about it, the physical high priests. But just as, but God, he's known by a different name today. So today we don't call Jesus Christ Melchizedek. We know that that is Melchizedek. That's who was there with Abraham back in Genesis 14 and other times that he appeared to him.

But today we know him as Jesus Christ because he is now been made perfect for the job or position that God has for us today. And it reminds me of the change that God makes in us as we progress through our lives. You know, if we go back to Abraham for a minute, when we were first introduced to Abraham, his name is Abram.

As Abram yields to God, and as God sees the faith in him, as Abram allows God to direct him and perfect him, and as Abram yields to God, remember that God changed Abram's name. He said, no longer will you be known as Abram. Now you are Abraham. You have become a changed person. I know who you are and I know what you believe.

He did the same thing with Jacob. Jacob was known as Jacob, usurper. But then Jacob went through his life and he had some, you know, not so great things in the beginning of his life that he needed to overcome.

He was a different person. But as he walked with God and as he yielded to God in those years that he worked with Laban, you can see that he became closer and closer and closer to God and more and more like him. So that when he wrestled all night, God said, now I know who you are, Jacob.

Now I know that you are completely loyal to me and you will follow me. And what did he do? He changed his name from usurper to overcomer, from Jacob to Israel. The same thing God says about us in Revelation 3. You know, today we're known by our various names and God calls us and we keep those names.

And as we are living in our physical life, as we're led by the Holy Spirit, as we yield to God, as we understand and completely surrender ourselves to Him, that we allow Him to show us what needs to change in our life, where we need to be, what our attitudes, behaviors, and so forth.

Attitudes, behaviors, choices, you know, temperaments need to be to develop the fruit of the Spirit. As we allow God to change us, He looks at us and He sees, yes, they're varying fruit. Yes, this is a tree I can use. Yes, they are overcoming. And in Revelation 3, verse 12, speaking to the church in Philadelphia, you know, He says, See who overcomes.

I will make Him a pillar in the temple of My God, and He shall go out no more. I will write on Him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, excuse me, the New Jerusalem, which comes out of heaven from My God, and I will write on Him My New Name. And so, so God has a new name in store for us. As we progress through this life, when we complete the transformation process that He has us in, as we yield to Him, when we're resurrected, or if we live until the time of Jesus Christ returns, and He sees that we've overcome Him, we are different people than when He called us, transformed into His way of life.

There will be a new name on us, just like there was a new name placed on Abraham, just like there was a new name placed on Jacob. In a way, there was a new name placed on Melchizedek, and we know Him now as Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, who God says there salvation is only through Him, through no other name than Jesus Christ. And so, as we begin this chapter 7, and as we look at Melchizedek, because the next few chapters are going to be talking about high priests, and Melchizedek was the high priest of God.

He was the King of Righteousness. He was and still is the King of Peace. He was and still is the high priest of mankind. We know He had no beginning and no end. And verse 4 of Hebrew 7, you know, again, the author, you know, we're just going to say it's God who is the author, and again, leave everything. It doesn't make any difference who wrote what physical man wrote Hebrews. It is God who inspired it, and God gave it to us to understand, to understand this whole process that you and I are in.

And it says in verse 4, now consider how great this man was. This is talking back in Genesis 14, Melchizedek. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. That Abraham knew as he was speaking to him. And we talked about in Genesis 14, and maybe we should go back there just to rehearse that for just a second.

But you remember we talked about how it wasn't as if Abraham was shocked, surprised when Melchizedek appeared. Melchizedek appeared, and Abraham knew who he was. You could tell by the tone that's there. And Melchizedek blesses Abraham and blesses God, and Abraham knew it was God who blessed him in the quest to bring back the spoils and lots from the hands of the other five kings that had conquered Sodom and the other three with them at that time.

Abraham knew it was, and it simply says, and Abraham gave him a tenth of all. And just in that simple statement, without more explanation, we see what Abraham did. His tithe, his giving a tenth of all to Melchizedek, was his way of honoring who he knew to be a man from God, his high priest, his king. You know, he didn't worry. He didn't worry. You know, someone, not on this Bible study, called me last week, and well, actually, they might have even asked it in the evening Bible study.

What did Melchizedek do with the tithe that Abraham gave him? It makes no difference what Melchizedek did. And Abraham didn't say, well, what are you going to do with it? I'll give it to you if I know what you're going to do with it. It was simply, I honor you, Melchizedek, high priest of God, with this with this tenth. I'm giving you a tenth of everything. If we go back to Proverbs 3, Proverbs 3, probably most of you have the New King James version in front of you, and I actually like, and I think the Old King James handles Proverbs 3, verse 9, or translates it better than the New King James. But in Proverbs 3 and verse 9, it simply says, you know, honor the Lord with your possessions.

I think the Old King James says, honor the Lord, honor the Lord with your substance. And in that, you know, we see the purpose of tithing. It's there, something that we do as part of our worship to God. You know, it says, honor the Lord with your possessions, honor the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase. He's reminding us there of what he taught Israel in a physical sense. But we've already seen in Genesis 14, Abraham was fully aware of tithing. It wasn't that the milk-cisadech took the time and said, well, you know, because of how God has increased you and blessed you, you need to now give him a tenth of everything to show him, you know, your gratitude toward him and because you worship him. Abraham already knew it. Abraham was already doing those things. He knew a milk-cisadech approached him. It wasn't like he could, you know, go to the post office or rent a U-Haul truck and send something to him. He was there. He just gave it to him. He just gave it to him. Much the same way we honor God. Tithing is just part of our worship of God.

You know, obeying God through those first four commandments. Not taking his name in vain. Not having any other gods before him. Learning to trust him, rely on him, and be dependent on him. Not having any other idols, physical idols, and putting those things behind us. And honoring him with our time on the Sabbath day. Completely giving that to him and keeping our stuff and our every other day lives out of it to the extent that we can.

And doing what God says on that day. That's honoring him with our time. We also honor God with our substance. Recognizing he's the one who gives us everything. You know, so if we go back to Deuteronomy 8 verse 18, just to quote it here, it says, you know, we have to remember that God is God who gives us the wealth. No matter how much we have or how little we have, we all have plenty. You know, and God honors, God is the one who gives us the ability to do that.

We worship him and part of our worship is to pay him, you know, tithes and honor him with our substance. If we go down to verse 10, look at the God always has a promise with us. He says, if you do it, you know, if you do it, your barns will be filled with plenty, verse 10, and your bats will overflow with new wine.

And then in verse 11 and 12, I just mentioned it here because later on in Hebrews 12, we're going to see these same words, these same words in Hebrews 12. It says, my son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord.

You'll remember back a few years ago, I gave a sermon on Pietya, you know, the training, the rigorous training that we go through now. It's tantamount to what the Greeks put their young, their young people, their young males that they thought had promise that they wanted to become, you know, valiant members of society and productive members of society, put them through some rigorous training in mind, body, and soul.

And that's the Greek word Pietya we're going to see later on in Hebrews 12, the Hebrew equivalent of it is here in Proverbs 3.11. My son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord. You know, he will correct us. He will show us where we need to go. And what we need to do, don't despise it because he has our best interest at heart.

He wants us to be part of this kingdom. My son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord. Don't detest his correction, for whom the Lord loves, he corrects, just as the Father, the Son, in whom he delights. And so we learn God's way. And we, you know, our natural, our natural being, you know, wants to resist some of those ways. We want to try to find ways out of having to do what God said.

So, you know, back in Hebrews 4, we talked about the Sabbath day and how Hebrews 4 verse 9 is quite a close one. There's quite a clear command when you look at it. There remains, therefore, a keeping of the Sabbath. And when you look at all the verses before that lead up to that, it's clear that there still is a Sabbath for the keeping of God. And yet so many people, so many people will try to talk themselves out of it and say, we don't need to do it today. We don't need to do that.

That's all for ancient Israel, etc., etc. And so we have so many people today who will look at tithing and say, oh, that's all for the Old Testament. We don't have to do that today. Everything we earn is for us. But we're going to get into a little bit.

It's not the main topic of Hebrews 7, but it certainly is there. And I think a reminder to us and the Hebrew Christians and the 21st century Christians of what our responsibilities and how do we honor God? How do we worship Him? We already talked about the Sabbath. We already talked about the foundational doctrines in Hebrews 6. And here in Hebrews 7, he comes back to this law of tithing and honoring God with our substance. Let's just turn, while I've mentioned it, to Hebrews, not Hebrews.

Deuteronomy 8 and verse 18. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 18. You know, Deuteronomy 8 is a very interesting chapter. Not a bad one for us to review and how God handled Israel as they went through Egypt. He does the same thing for us today. If we look at it from a spiritual aspect and put ourselves and look at the physical things that God allows us to have in the wilderness that we're wandering through, the lessons we should learn.

In verse 18, He cautions them and He cautions us. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. So He was telling Israel, you know, when things are good, when times are good, when you have plenty, don't forget God. And for the end times, as we discussed, and I've discussed many times, the end times are days when there appear, you know, there's plenty.

The world is living, and we are living in a time where plenty is where we are, and we can become distant from God if we get too enamored with the things that we have and all the distractions of life. So, so with that, let's go back to Hebrews. Hebrews 7. And we were in verse, we were in verse 4. The point here is going to talk about tithing a little bit, you know, in conjunction with this high priest Melchizedek.

Consider how great this man was to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. Verse 5, and indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi who received 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. Now, as we get into the next few verses, they can be...you gotta take some time to think about what the author is trying to do us here.

He's gonna take us through some logic to help us see the whole thing, but it's not the type of thing you can just read through and go through and say, I get it. There is, there is time. You gotta take some time to think about it, to process it, and I will tell you, it'll be over the next week that you'll begin to see how it all fits together and what God is trying to tell us here.

Remember that the Hebrew Christians, and even the Gentile Christians, we often say it's the Hebrew Christians, but the Gentile Christians were aware of what went on in the Jewish temple as well. They had the Old Testament. They knew what was going on. And they too had to understand, you know, what about all those temple sacrifices? What about all those temple rituals? How do they apply to us today? And this is what Hebrews 7, 8, 9, 10 is going to show us.

So in verse 5, he's taking us back to Levi. They were the ones who were to receive by law, by commandment of God. They were to receive the tithes of Israel. So it was Melchizedek who received the tithes from Abraham. And just remember that. God has, God never changes laws. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. So Abraham was aware of a law and a statute of tithing and a method and a part of our worship that is in tithing of Abraham, because that's what he did.

Genesis 26, verse 5, I think it is, it tells us that Abraham kept God's laws, commands, and statutes. And God didn't do away with the law of tithing. Every word there, but for the heat, as the Israelites came out of Egypt, he did say, here's how you're going to pay your tithes to me going forward. So let's go back to Numbers.

Numbers 18. And just see, God has the right to say, you know, today you pray it to Melchizedek, but hey Israel, as I bring you out of Egypt and I'm establishing my covenant with you, tithes are going to be there. That's going to be established. But today I want you to pay them to the Levites. And he establishes the Levites as the people to whom people pay their tithes to God.

They're not, they're paying them physically to Levites, but they're paying them in worship of God to support God's work at that time. Numbers 18, verse 21. There it says, Behold, I have given the children of Levite all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. So you recall that Levite was redeemed. They were the ones who would be doing this. God says they're not going to have any inheritance in land.

They're not going to have any inheritance in substance. They will be the ones responsible for taking care of the work of God. They will do these things, and that will be their inheritance that they continue to teach and work with the children of Israel that they will do the things God. Verse 24, he repeats it, For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance. Therefore I said to them, Among the children of Israel, they shall have no inheritance.

He says it again in verse 26, Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them, When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. So they too were to worship God. They received a tithe from the Israelites. They also pay a tithe to God.

It's much like the ministers of God today. You know, we're paid, but we also pay a tithe, a first tithe, just like members do, a second tithe, just like members do. Everyone does the same thing in their worship of God. So we can see as we look at Hebrews 7 verse 5, he's drawing attention to this because there at the time he writes this, the temple is about to disappear. You know, most commentators will say the book of Hebrews was written in 62, 63 A.D.

We know the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. There was no temple sacrifice. There were no high priests. Everything got scattered at that time. So God's perfecting them or not perfecting, instructing them in what to do here in this book. So let's go back to verse 5. And indeed, those who are the sons of Levi, who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law. That is, from their brethren, although they have come from the loins of Abraham.

Now here's where it gets a little tricky, a little tricky in understanding and taking the time to understand. So we're saying Abraham paid the tithes to Melchizedek. Today, one of Abraham's descendants, let me see, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, so three generations down, now Levi is going to receive tithes from the people of Israel, which would include all of Abraham's other descendants.

Verse 6, it says, but he, that's Levi, I guess whose genealogy is not derived from them, okay, it's not derived from them, he's derived from Abraham, but he whose genealogy is not derived from them, received tithes from Abraham. Okay, wait, let me go here. This is where it gets tricky here. Let's look at this again. But he whose genealogy is not derived from them, received tithes, okay, this is talking of Melchizedek, sorry, but he whose genealogy is not derived from them, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. You can see why you got to kind of parse the words out here and think about the logic that's going on here. Abraham paid the tithes to Melchizedek. Abraham and Melchizedek blessed Abraham to whom the promises was made. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser, that's Abraham in this case, is blessed by the better, that's Melchizedek in this case. So we've got Abraham the lesser being blessed by the better, that's what it's talking about here, and Abraham paid tithes to the greater. Okay, that was the premise back there in Genesis 14. But here in verse 8, here mortal men, that's people like you and me, these the Levites, they were, you know, they did have a beginning, they did have an end. They inherited the office, you know, dad was high priest and then the son became high priest, just like Aaron was the first high priest and his sons were to accede to that position, you know, down through the time. But here mortal men received tithes. So we're saying, okay, today we pay, or back in Old Testament times, it was it was to mortal men to Levi's that God said, the tithe is to be paid to them. Here mortal men received tithes, but there, back in the time of Abraham, he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

Now we could we could talk about that verse all day long. You're going to need to take just some time to piece all this together and follow the logic of the author here. Again, remember the law never changes. What Abraham did and what Abraham was taught is the same thing that the Old Testament Israel was taught, the same thing that we're taught today. God has the right to say, this person, this person is who you will get it to. You know, Melchizedek and Abraham's day, but I'm now saying in the Old Testament times, the Levites get that. They're responsible for the administration of the temple.

That's what they, that's their inheritance. That's their livelihood. So there's a change, if you will, not a change in the law, but a change in the administration that God has orchestrated. And he says, even Levi, even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak. And what he's going to say here is he was still, you know, well, he says it, for he was still in the loins of his father, you know, great grandfather here, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

So he's saying there's Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek and Levi, who, you know, wasn't even thought of at that time, Levi, in essence, as he came from Abraham, was also paying tithes to Melchizedek. See the guy is kind of see the logic again, it takes some time to doing that, but God is putting the pieces together for us if we take the time to see what he's saying. So, you know, we know Melchizedek, we know who he was or who he is, you know, we know he's got no beginning, no end.

We know he's the king of righteousness. We know he's the king of peace. We know he's the high priest of God. And verse 11 then brings us to the Levitical priesthood. It says, therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, okay, so he's making a distinction. Melchizedek was perfect. We know that if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, we know it wasn't.

We know it wasn't. They were mortal men. Tells us that in verse 8, even though God said these mortal men will receive the tithes, therefore if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, or under it the people received the law. They were the ones who were responsible for teaching the law and administering it and seeing it was done exactly the way that God said.

That was their job and administration of the temple. That was their work in the temple. God assigned them to that. And that's why He said, you know, as long as you teach it, you'll be taken care of. You ever depart from God? Your livelihood, you know, what you rely on is gone. But apparently, through imperfect human beings, there wasn't a perfect system then. If perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek? And not be called according to the order of Aaron?

So what God is showing is that physical priesthood wasn't perfect. That was there for that time, for that covenant, for Israel as they were living during the times of that age and the administration that God had on earth at that time. But we know, we know that that they, you know, we know from even the prior chapters in Hebrews, those people, Israel never entered into the rest. They failed. They did not, they did not reach or attain the promises that God wanted for them.

They never became the people that God wanted. We read that back in Hebrews 4. They did not enter into the rest. Therefore, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God because there will be those who enter into that rest. Hebrews 4, it wasn't ancient Israel.

They fell, so that system, run by mortal men, you know, was a failure. Not because of the law, not because of what God did, but because men were imperfect and they departed from it. And so the high priests were shown that's not the way to salvation. That's not the way that you can become, you know, the sons of God and who God wants you to be.

So God knew, and none of this took God by surprise. There is a reason that he had a physical nation of Israel and then a spiritual church that he was going to call. So, you know, he still remembers physical Israel and they're still called his people, but in a physical sense, that there was going to be people that would be called in the New Testament times who would, with the power of his Holy Spirit, be able to enter into that rest.

So again, if there's questions or if I need to slow down, just say, hold on a minute, hold on a minute, because it does take some time to piece this together. That priesthood of Aaron, you know, was an imperfect priesthood. That's what he's saying in verse 11. You know, that was the order of Aaron. He was a physical priesthood. Aaron's son became a high priest and then his son became high priest. It all fell apart. It didn't. It wasn't able to do what God wanted it to do. So there had to be, for God's plan to go forward, you know, the plan of foundation from before the foundation of the earth, there had to be another high priest.

There had to be someone who was perfect, who would be able to lead the people to salvation. It certainly wasn't going to be the physical priesthood. Israel failed. And so that covenant ended. And so it says in verse 11, there was further need that another priest should rise, this one according to the order of Melchizedek. I remember the order of Melchizedek. He had no beginning. He had no end. He was eternal. He had no mother.

He had no father. He was perfect. He was king of righteousness. He was high priest of the Most High God. That's a different order than the order of men. So by God's instruction, it was passed to the order of Aaron during the time of the ancient Israelites. But that failed. So there had to be a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, if there was going to be salvation for mankind. Mr. Shady. Yes, ma'am. Aaron. Yes. Is that Moses' brother? Yes, that's him. Okay. Moses didn't have the title of king, but Aaron was the high priest and Moses was the leader of Israel at that time.

So we have the physical. We have the physical. We have Melchizedek, who's the spiritual high priest. The order of Melchizedek, no one alive today can say there are the order of Melchizedek. You have to be born as a spirit being.

Only one person that's lived as a human has been born as spirit. Only one person could be high priest after the order of Melchizedek. That's Jesus Christ. That's what it is leading us to again, how superior is Jesus Christ as our high priest and salvation is through him. Not the physical priesthood, not the administration of the law as it was done in ancient Israel. Nothing wrong with the law.

The problem was with those physical people. Okay. Verse 12. For the priesthood being changed. I'll stop for that for a moment because that word change can throw us for a loop. The priesthood, you know, there's always been Melchizedek. There will always be Jesus Christ. But God said, okay, the priesthood today during Israel, ancient Israel's time, this is the priesthood. It's going to be after the order of Aaron. There was a priesthood, but it became after the order of Aaron for that period of time. That doesn't change the meaning of the priesthood or what it was intended to do.

It was just a change in who it was. Old Testament, Melchizedek. Old Testament through the order of Aaron. New Testament, Jesus Christ, who has become our high priest. Okay. For the priesthood being changed of necessity, there's also a change of the law. And again, that word change could throw us for a loop. There was back at the time of Abraham, a law of tithing. You know, I heard something this week, I was reading something this week, and a point was made that Torah, and I haven't taken the time.

Certainly had the time. I heard a comment from someone that Torah doesn't mean law, it really means instruction when you go back to the original Hebrew. And I thought that was interesting that the Torah is instruction to us. That makes sense. There's also a change in the instruction. So we know that Abraham, we're told in Genesis 26, he obeyed God's commandments, his laws, and his statutes. God looked at him and he made a judgment, you have completely yielded yourself to me. I have seen what you do, you're committed to me, you do everything.

We know that Abraham tithed, and he voluntarily tithed when he was in the face of Melchizedek, who he knew was a superior ability. And he did it willingly, he did it as an act of worship. Okay, we know that instruction, we know that law was there at the time of Abraham. We can also look and know that Jacob also... Do we want to do that?

Yeah, let's go back and look at Jacob for a second. Jacob also knew there was a law of tithing because he too mentioned to God that he would give him a tenth of everything that God would give him. This bears a little bit of explanation. I guess we have a little bit of time.

Genesis 28, there are some who will mutilate these verses. But let's look at Genesis 28 verse 22. Let's just look at that verse alone. You know, here Jacob is on his way to Laban's house. He's a young man at this point. We know that when he was in his father's house, he deceived.

You see Isaac into thinking that he was Esau. We know that Jacob is a very imperfect young man at this point. Deceitful usurper, as his name is, as we're told us. So as he's headed in exile to Laban's house, he sees this ladder. He's made aware of God, if you will. We'll get back to verse 20, but let's look at verse 22 here. It says, And this stone, which I have set as a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you. That's the word tithe again. I will give a tithe to you. So, you know, God didn't tell him as we look up at the ladder, don't forget, Jacob, let me instruct you what you need to do.

And I bless you. And at this point, Jacob has no increase. In fact, he's lost everything. He's lost home. He's headed toward, he's toward Laban's house, just hoping he can get a job there. He has nothing at this point to give God. He has no increase. In fact, he's left home and he's going to there. And he says, This stone, which I have set as a pillar, shall be God's house. Interesting that he says, this pillar, I'm just going to put this house here. And God inspired and said, it'll be God's house. In Old Testament time, it was a temple where God dwelled.

In New Testament time, we're God's house where he dwells. And this house, which I have set as a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you. So was Jacob aware of the law of tithing, of how you should worship?

Isaac taught his sons well. Isaac, you know, he, Jacob knew he had nothing to give at that point. He was a, he was not a perfect one. He was a young man who had a lot of things to, he had a lot of things to work out in his life. We know as we go through his life that God said, you know, I mean, he wrestled all night with God to get that, with the one who was Jesus Christ, to get that blessing. And God said, I'm changing your name to Abraham.

I see. I see that you will be, you know, that you are completely yielded to me. Now, I'm just going to address verses 20 and 21 a little bit here, because some people will, will twist this, forgetting who Jacob was at this point in his life. It says, then Jacob made a vow, okay?

Jacob made a vow saying, if, and they look at that word, if, and say, you know, something about tithing being conditional. If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.

Okay? Well, Jacob's a young man. He's lost everything. He's looking to God. He's got this vision. He remembers who God is, you know, and, and, and is going to follow him. We see as God perfects him while he's in exile, while he's a servant in, in his uncle's house. And as a young man saying, well, you know, God, if you're going to do this, I, you know, I, you'll be my God. It's almost like he's saying, this is, this is the process that I should go through.

It's not conditional. He's looking at his life. He's looking at his life, maybe as we did as young people too, and say, well, okay, God, you know, I'll, I'll follow you. I'll follow you. I believe you. I know you're there. Is this, you know, whatever, whatever the path is. And Jacob is saying, this is what I'd like the path to be, that I can be led back to my father's house. But in verse 22, you know, the sentence ends there. And then he just says, and this stone, it's not if, if you do all those things to me, I will give a tenth to you.

It's, I will give you, surely, of everything that you give me, I will give you. Of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you. There's no condition in that statement. You know, there's no condition in Jacob's, well, as a young man, he might say that, but what we pick out, what we see in verse 22 is just another confirmation and validation that tithing was known back in that time. Abraham's family knew it. Jacob knew it. And Jacob followed through.

So we, you know, who did he give it to? All we know is he gave it. I will give it to you. However, however God set up for Jacob to give that tithe, it happened, just like Abraham gave it to Melchizedek, just like he said in Old Testament times with Israel, give it to the Levites. That's who I want you to give it to today.

They are administering the tabernacle, the temple. And so the change was never in the law of tithing. It was there in the beginning. It was there with Jacob. It was there with the Old Testament.

But there was a change into whom it was given. In old Abraham gave it to Melchizedek. Jacob gave it to whoever, whoever, whoever God determined. Maybe it was Jesus Christ who appeared to him and he gave him a tenth of all the increase that he was yet to receive, because he hadn't received it at that time. All we know is that he gave it, because if he didn't, God certainly wouldn't have named him Israel, an overcomer with God, and had put his name on it.

He's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So we know Jacob did it because he said he would, and Jacob followed through. And so the law remains, but the way it was given changed. The law never changed. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. The law is the same. But the administration of it, and God has the right to say, you know, to whom today. In Old Testament times it was given to the priests who were the order of Aaron.

Before that it was given to Melchizedek, who was the, who, you know, we would say is the order of Melchizedek. Today, where do we give our tithes? We don't give it to the Levites. We don't give it. The order of Aaron is, is gone. The temple is gone. We give it to, we give it to the one who is high priest over, who, high priest, who is called according to the order of Melchizedek, the eternal one.

The law is the same, but today, today the tithe is paid in the same worship of God, but now to the one who is high priest after the order of Melchizedek. So it shows the superior of Jesus Christ, you know, also shows us what God does and how he works. The law doesn't change the worship of God and how he expects us to worship him with time, as we learned back in Hebrews 4 with the Sabbath and with substance, as we learn here in Hebrews 7, stays the same.

No longer today paid to the order of Aaron, but paid to Jesus Christ. However, he says to pay his tithe to wherever he wants it given, to how he wants it to support the work that he's doing. Just as whatever the work of Melchizedek was doing, just as whatever the work of God in the time of the Old Testament was, and as today, wherever the work of God is today, that Jesus Christ would say, that's, that's, you know, give it to him. We always give our tithes to Jesus Christ to God and honor and worship of him and trust him that it's used in the way that he intends it to be.

Is that clear? I mean, is that...do we follow what I'm saying here? Because verse 12 can be a tricky verse, you know?

Yeah, I'm not... Go ahead. I'm not necessarily saying that. I've been pondering over that myself. Because it says the priesthood was changed, and there is made of necessity a change also in the law. Okay, is it part of the law? All of the law? Or what? Sometimes a little bit mixed up there. I think if we...if the law is instruction, it's the way...it's not a change in the permanent law. You know, it's that the permanent law of God is in the Ten Commandments, and the statues that he did, and, and, and, you know, there's, there's just a part of the law that never changes. Mr. Shady. And that is...did someone have something they want to say?

Yeah. The law that was changed was the how it's administered. The law that made the priests of the Order of Aaron wasn't changed that there would not be a priest anymore. But since no Jew could hold the office before it was of the Levite, that law had to be changed so that a Jew could be in the priesthood of whom Jesus was of the tribe of Judah.

Yeah, good point. That's exactly where he's going in Hebrew 7 too, Paul. Thank you for that. So Winona, or, you know, I know, but just, yeah, they're there. The law is the same, but the administration of it is different. Okay. Okay. So, yeah, Paul makes a good point. Let's, let's, let's move forward in, in, in this. And we're going to see exactly what Paul said. It was Levi, but there are, you know, but it had to change back to Jesus Christ, who was a, a Judas. So let's go forward with that. I think it'll become clear in what God is saying here. Because in verse 13, you know, it says just that there's a change. There's a change, but for he of whom these things, capital he, right? Of Jesus, Jesus Christ, for he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar. Okay. So the, in the, in the physical, the physical priesthood was all of Levi. But Jesus Christ was from the tribe of Judah. It is evident in verse 14 that our Lord arose from Judah, of which time Moses spoke, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. So there's something, you know, something here again that, that, that's going to change, not in the law. There is still a high priest, but there's a different time and a different, I guess, administration of it, if I can use that word. And yet it is far more evidence if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest. And yet it is far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest, remembering that perfection didn't come through the order of Aaron, the high priest of the order of Aaron. If the perfection didn't come through the Old Covenant, the people failed. Now there's a, there arises another high priest who has come. We know who that is. That's Jesus Christ. Not according to the law of a fleshly commandment. Aaron, the order of Aaron was fleshly. The administration of the temple back then, it was a fleshly commandment, not the spiritual commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. Now, Melchizedek, Melchizedek certainly is superior to anyone physical, be it without beginning, without end, eternal. Aaron, you know, interesting. I was reading something and I, again, people take the time to do these things. They, I read that there were 83 high priests, 83 high priests. I didn't go back to count them up or anything, but 83 high priests under the physical administration of the temple. That would make Jesus Christ the 84th high priest if we want to do that, which is the multiplication of 12 times 7, which are two significant numbers to God. Interesting sometimes how the numbers work out. But anyway, that's just an aside. Sir Shaby? Yes, sir. So another, I guess, another way to look at that change in the law may also refer to the fact that there was a law based on sacrifices, physical sacrifices, that once Jesus Christ was offered as the ultimate sacrifice was no longer necessary. Then what comes is basically spiritual sacrifices versus physical.

Again, everything you're saying is right. And that's why we need to look at the book of Hebrews in total, and these things build on one another. Right? So today we're looking at Hebrews 7, Hebrews 8, Hebrews 9, Hebrews 10. It's going to complete the building block for us on how the meaning of the Old Testament, how that folds into our New Testament worship. So here we have the Old Testament priest, you know, being done, being superseded by the perfect high priest Melchizedek, who is there according to the power of an endless life. That's a significant, that's a significant, significant statement. For he testifies, this is God the Father speaking to, you know, the resurrected Jesus Christ, who he says is our high priest. We've read that several times in Hebrews before. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. And with that, he appoints Jesus Christ the high priest forever. He is the last high priest for mankind. No more death, succession. It is Jesus Christ forever. He is, he is the high priest forever. And so God, you know, replaces the physical high priest with the one who was the beginning. And now here, you know, at the beginning, then you have the physical and now you have the spiritual forever eternal priesthood high priest. That's Jesus Christ. So there has been that change in the priesthood. It's still the priesthood. They were still responsible for the, you know, the religion of you will of Israel, physical and now spiritual. It is, you know, if you can grasp that concept. The same, the same move now to the high priest. Back in Hebrews 1.1, it says, God, who in times past spoke to us through the prophets, today has spoken to us through Jesus Christ. He is the one through whom we hear now. He is our high priest. He directs. He inspires. And we have his words. He is the chief cornerstone. Verse 18, for on the one hand, there's an annulling of the former commandment. That's the physical law and administration under the old government. For on one hand, there's an annulling of the former commandment because of this weakness and unprofitiveness. It didn't lead anyone to salvation. Right? The law, how many times does Paul tell us in his writings that, you know, the law, the law didn't lead anyone to salvation. The law was there as a tutor, but if Jesus Christ's salvation only comes through him. And so one of the big hurdles for the Jews who were converting to Christianity to realize is that the law, while we obey it, it isn't the end all and be all.

It's what we obey, but perfection, I mean, eternal life doesn't come through just obedience to the law. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ. Obedience is part of it. The Holy Spirit is part of it. Producing spirit, the fruits of the spirit is part of it. A whole change in character and attitude and behavior is part of it. It's becoming a whole new being that God wants us to become, just like Abraham. And his conversion became a totally different person than what he was back in the time when he lived among the Chaldees, just as Jacob became a different person after all those years he spent with Laban in service to him, just like we become as we yield to God. And through this physical life, at the end of it, if we've done God's will, we're far different people. And as we look at our lives in progress, we're different people than when God called us. If we're still the same people that God called us, well, we have them. We need to better look out. We better be falling on our knees before God and asking for his Holy Spirit to change us, because he's looking for a transformed person upon whom, when we're resurrected, he can put his new name on who we've become. So in verse 18, he says, okay, the physical law is gone. It's been a nulling. It was weak. It was unprofitable. Human beings have now been proven that they can't do it on themselves. They need something more. The physical high priest couldn't do it. People on their own without God's Holy Spirit cannot overcome Satan, cannot overcome their own nature, cannot overcome the world. Without God's Holy Spirit, we learn it is impossible to become. Without Jesus Christ's sacrifice, we would never have received God's Holy Spirit en masse with the opportunity that we have today. Without God's Holy Spirit, we wouldn't understand what Jesus Christ has led us into and what he teaches us today in the worship of God and developing the mind that he has put in us so that we can become who he wants us to become. For the law, verse 19, made nothing perfect. The Jews still believe, and still the Jews of today believe the law makes them perfect. It doesn't. The law doesn't make perfect. There's nothing wrong with the law. It was never supposed to be making perfect. They have to obey it. They do obey it, but obedience is a part of what God is looking for. Just to say, hey, I obey the law, and to look at God and say, I obey the law, still the same person, the same attitudes that I had before, isn't going to cut it with God. There's a whole transformation that God is looking for. Body, mind, and soul, not just not just rote obedience. That's important. Acts 5, 32 tells us where there's obedience, there's the Holy Spirit, there has to be that spirit and commitment to God to change. For the law, that Old Testament made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. Under the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, there was no hope. Mankind failed. But with Jesus Christ, as we learned at the end of Hebrews 6, there is hope. In Him, there is hope. Now we know that we can attain those promises. Now we know that we can become what God wants us to be, so that we can enter into that rest as we worship Him in the way that He expects us to worship Him. As we obey Him, as we yield ourselves to Him, as we become who He wants us to become, as defined by the fruits of the Spirit and through the examples that we see in the Bible. The Old Law made nothing perfect. Only through Jesus Christ can we ever become perfect, so we need to draw near to God. Verse 20.

There is a greater that you can swear by, as we learned back in Hebrews 6 and verse 13. When God made a promise to Abraham, He could swear by no one greater. He swore by Himself. And so to this high priest, Jesus Christ, of the order of Melchizedek, He swears by Himself. There is an oath that He gives to Him that says, The Lord has sworn, and He will not relent, meaning He's not changing His mind.

This is it. The Lord has sworn and will not relent. You, Jesus Christ, are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. How many times does He remind us of that? Jesus Christ is our forever High Priest. We can put our faith in Him. He is the rock. We can look to Him. If we cling to Him, if we follow Him, if we listen to His voice, learn His voice, and learn how to discern good and evil right and wrong from His voice among all the confusing voices of the world. And if we follow Him through all the times on earth, He will lead us to those green pastures.

He will lead us to God. He will lead us to His kingdom. We don't have to worry about another High Priest coming in and a change in that administration happening from here on out. It is Jesus Christ from here on out. We can take that to the bank. Verse 22, by so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

The new covenant. Better. Better than the old covenant. It's Jesus Christ. It's God's Holy Spirit. It's what He's done for us. We have the opportunity to claim His sacrifice that all of us and everyone that God would call who will turn to Him and be baptized and go through the processes that God has established would have His Holy Spirit that would become His sons.

That's what He wants. It's a better covenant than the old covenant. Just like it tells us in Revelation 20, the first resurrection. The resurrection of the first fruits. What does it say about that resurrection? That's the people in this day and age, in this society, in this age before the return of Jesus Christ, who are called, who commit, who follow Him to the end.

It says to the people resurrected in that first resurrection. It's a better resurrection. So the new covenant is a better covenant than the old covenant. The first resurrection, what you and I, God, have given us the opportunity to be part of, is a better resurrection than the second resurrection. Certainly better than the resurrection of those who threw it all away because they wanted to follow the world. It was more important what family wanted to do, or what they wanted to do, or they became enamored with everything in the world and forgot God and decided to, well, not decided, sometimes just by neglect, just by drifting away, as we've talked about.

As the author saw the Christians of the first century beginning to do, they would just drift away, and pretty soon it just was a distant memory of what they used to do. We have to caution ourselves about it. Verse 23. Also, there were many priests. That's the 83. Also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing. Aaron died. His son died. All they died. So Israel was... there was a continuing change in the priesthood based on every man dies once.

But now there is no change in the priesthood. But he, Jesus Christ, because he continues forever as an unchangeable priesthood, what he tells us today, what he calls us to today with his Holy Spirit today, by working in the body that he places it in, by his word he started his church that he says, through this church, you know, through this body that I put you in, I want you to grow, I want you to develop, I want you to become one, I want you to learn how to get along with one another, I want you to learn how to love one another in the form of agape, I want you to become one as God the Father and I are one, Jesus Christ says.

This church that it even mentions back in Hebrews 12 in the very same book we're in, in Hebrews 12, you know, I remember Matthew 16 verse 18, Jesus Christ, I know I begin my church and on this rock himself, on himself, you know, I begin it as the chief cornerstone. Hebrews 12, yeah, Hebrews 12 and I was in the wrong chapter. Verse 22. You, that you and me, that was the first generation Christians that this is being written to, but it's you and me today too, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven.

God sees us today as his sons and daughters, not yet born as his sons and daughters. That happens upon the completion of this physical life when he has us be born into his kingdom as spirit beings, but we're registered in heaven. Just like physical fetuses can be aborted, you know, we can abort ourselves if we don't pay close attention and stay near to God.

We have come to the General Assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. In this lifetime, through the process that God has given us, through the body he puts us in, through following his words that he clearly speaks to us and leads us into truth with his Holy Spirit, we're made perfect.

That's the purpose of this life. Overcome self, overcome the world, overcome sin, overcome the faulty attitudes. We can only do it with God's Holy Spirit. To the spirits of just men, paid perfect, we've come to the Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Now that's a whole sermon or sermon in itself. Verse 25, he cautions us again, see that you do not refuse him who speaks. Don't become dull of hearing. Don't think you know it all. Don't think that we can just get away with things and God's okay with it and we have to listen to whatever. So, lean on our own understanding rather than leaning on his understanding. See that you don't refuse him who speaks, for if they didn't escape, who refused him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven. You can read the rest of it there. So, here's our high priest. Here's what he's leading us today. He's still here. He's still in the temple in which he lives today. In you, in me, in the collective body that he has called us to be part of. That's where he dwells. Our high priest is there just like the high priest watched over the administration of the physical high priest, of the administration of the physical temple. So, Jesus Christ, our spiritual high priest, our Savior, watches over, conducts, and is watching all of us and working with one of us for the purpose of salvation and making us perfect.

He's working with us individually and collectively today because he wants us there.

And we can follow him, and we can trust him, and listen to his words. No more change. He's it. He's it. That's why he said in Matthew 20 18 to his disciples, You go forth. You teach the world all things that I have commanded you to observe them. You make disciples of all nations. You teach them to observe all things I have commanded you.

And so his church today, he through his church today, as he leads and guides us and provides for us, we do that.

Okay, back in Hebrews 8. We were... Okay. There were many priests, we said in verse 23. He continues forever. He has an unchangeable priesthood.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same laws, different administrations, same laws from beginning to end of mankind's existence.

Therefore, verse 25, again, there's that word, therefore, given everything we've talked about before in this chapter, therefore, he, Jesus Christ, is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him.

Okay, he is able to do it. You know, back in John 644, Jesus Christ said, no man can come to me except the Father who sent me draws him.

Let's look at that just to tie that right directly back to that verse that we're looking at there, John 644. No one can come to me, Jesus Christ said, unless the Father who sent me draws him. Very same words there. He's able to save those who come to God through him. And Jesus Christ concludes verse 44, saying, and I will raise him up at the last day. That, of course, is if they continue to eat the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, they continue to eat of his words, digest those and make them part of them and let them let him lead them.

So he says the same thing here in verse 25, reminding us again, it is God. God calls us to Jesus Christ, who is our shepherd, who leads us. He administers his church in a different way than in the temple. He tells us that in Ephesians 4, how he administers his church today and how he directs his people. We just have to put it all together. Therefore, he is able to say to the uttermost those who come to God through Jesus Christ, since he, Jesus Christ, always lives to make intercession for them. He's our high priest. We read he is our perfect intercessor. He's the perfect one. He knows our frame. He knows what we're about. He knows the weaknesses that we go through. And so he goes to God in intercession. He has compassion on us. And he's there. He always never discount that word. He always lives to make intercession for them. Not to make excuses for us, but to make intercession for them. As humans, we're very good about making excuses. Jesus Christ doesn't make excuses for us, but he intercedes for us. Our job is to continually turn to him, repent of our ways, and move forward, not continually making excuses, but being thankful to Jesus Christ that he's there and he's always with us. He will always teach us. He might remind us of where we need to go, where we need to change, what we need to do. It might be through a passage we read in the Bible. It might be through a sermon. It might be through a Bible study. It might be through spouse saying something and showing it in the Bible. It might be through friends. He's always there to make intercession. He's always there to forgive, not there to make excuses for us. So that's what we do. We have to get away from excuses and just learn to follow God. Verse 26, for such a high priest was fitting for us. We needed it. And perfect God knew exactly what we needed. Such a high priest was fitting for us who is holy, who is harmless, who is undefiled, who is separate from sinners, and who has become higher than the heavens.

It's superior. We keep coming back to that. God has given us the perfect Savior, the perfect high priest there is perfect high priest. He is who whom we look. We worship God through Jesus Christ. We pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ. They are in unison. It's Jesus Christ who we follow as, you know, but He and God are in perfect unison. He is our high priest. We follow His direction. He's been made higher than the heavens, higher than Moses, higher than angels, higher than the high priests of old. He is it. Verse 27, He doesn't need daily as those physical high priests, those of the order of Aaron.

He doesn't need daily as those physical high priests of the order of Aaron to offer up sacrifices. Why did they offer up sacrifices? You know, we talked about, you know, like on the Day of Atonement before Aaron or the high priest could ever go into the Holy of Holies, they had to offer first sacrifices for themselves, that God would cover their sins, that they were acknowledging their sins because they were imperfect human beings. They sinned just like you and I sinned. They had to be made...they had to have their sins covered.

I want to say made clean because it's only Jesus Christ who covers. It wasn't the Old Testament law that forgave those sins back then. It was covered the way that God had done it, but they had to do that because they were imperfect, so those daily sacrifices had to be made by them. But Jesus Christ is perfect. He's sinless. He's higher than all that.

He doesn't need to do those daily sacrifices as those physical high priests of the order of Aaron did. The high priest of the order of Melchizedek, who is eternal, who is perfect, doesn't need to do that. He doesn't need to offer them up first for his own sins, like we read over and over in the Old Covenant, and then for the people, for this Jesus Christ did once for all when he offered up himself. He was the perfect sacrifice.

He was the sacrifice to end all physical sacrifices. When he offered his life, a perfect life, a perfect Lamb of God, those physical sacrifices were no longer necessary. He's now the high priest. We can come to him. We don't have to look to the high priest to cover our sins. We go to Jesus Christ and repent and ask him to give us the strength, the God the Father, to give us the strength through his Holy Spirit to lead us to becoming blameless, spiritually mature, however we want to put it.

Verse 28, for the law, that physical law of the Old Covenant, for the law points as high priests, men who have weakness. That was the law. That was God. He commanded that at that time. It wasn't a mistake on his point. There was a lesson that he wanted us to learn and a foreshadowing of what it needed to be so mankind would have a record. They can't do it for themselves, you know, and of themselves. For the law appointed as high priests men who have weakness.

They were physical. But the word of the oath, where God swore by himself forever. He never swore that those physical people were the high priests forever. He never said to Aaron, you know, that forever and I swear forever you will always be a high priest. Your order always be there. There was an end to the physical, that physical thing. But for Jesus Christ there is no end. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Chapter 8, verse 1. Now I think we can continue for a few verses here and get a completion of the verses 1 and 2, and then we'll pick it up in verse 3 next week. Now this is the main point of the things we're saying. Of the things that we've read here in chapter 7 and looking back at chapter 6 and beginning in verse 5 when we first introduced the Melchizedek. This is the main point of the things we're saying.

We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty and the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected and not man. That's what we're saying. Jesus Christ is it. Follow Him. Commit to Him. So next week, begin it there. Begin it there in verse 3. And again, we're going to talk a little bit about the high priest. But as you look down through chapter 8, you see we're going to see some of the things that were done in the administration of the temple.

We're going to get into some copies of things and shadows of things and how they all fit together. But we'll leave that for next week and let you contemplate what we've talked about today and let God submit that in our minds. But if there's any comments, questions, observations? Okay. Either you need more time to think, or maybe, maybe, just maybe, I did a little bit of a good job in explaining it to you. But I know you need to go back through some of those verses here, and you will.

If you'll go back and you'll think about some of those things, especially, you know, in the whole chapter, you'll see it come together and you'll understand what God is saying. Sometimes you just have to contemplate verses and let God clarify that in your mind as His Holy Spirit leads us into truth and to understanding. So, okay, if there's nothing else, then I'm going to go ahead and sign off, unless someone else has something else that they want to say. Yes, Mrs. Shavey. Why, Norma? Yes, I think I'm still a little bit confused. Okay.