2007 Book of Hebrews Series –
“What’s Your Name?”
Hebrews 7:1-10
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – May 6, 2007
Prayer Introduction: According to James Hamilton, there are two kinds of Bible readers – those who skim the surface and those who dig deep. He describes them by comparing them to two common insects. The butterfly is beautiful and graceful and covers a lot of ground quickly – darting here and there for elegant sips of ready nectar. The bee is a worker who makes a point of alighting everywhere. “If the flower-cup be deep, he goes down to the bottom; if its dragon-mouth be shut, he thrusts its lips asunder; and if the nectar be peculiar, he explores all about till he discovers it…The butterfly has no patience for such dull and long-winded details. The one died last October. The other is warm in his hive, amidst the fragrant stores he has gathered.” Which type of Bible reader are you? Butterfly or bee?
Today’s passage really calls us to be a bee as we come to the beginning of the priestly office of Jesus – with a comparison to the Old Testament figure, Melchizedek. This passage makes for a great in-depth Bible study. There is so much to explore – and each filled with life-giving nectar.
Unfortunately, we live in a day claiming short attention spans – especially when it comes to the preaching of God’s Word. And so this sermon will be more butterfly than bee – but hopefully will whet your appetite for more; so that you study it more. Let’s pray…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!
Scripture Introduction:
Our Scripture reading from
I. Melchizedek Like the Son of God (vv.1-3)
During the children’s time we talked about the names of the children here this morning. Why did you parents pick the names you did for your children, and what do those names mean?
In the Bible, names are loaded with meaning. Melchizedek, for example, we are told, means “king of righteousness” from the Hebrew words “melek” meaning “king” and “tsedek” meaning righteousness. We are also told that he is the king of Salem, which means “king of peace” – the Hebrew word “shalom” is connected to Salem. Salem is known today as Jerusalem – which means “vision of peace.” Ironic?
No, it is not irony, it is purposeful. It is not coincidence that a place, which has rarely known peace, should be called “vision of peace.”
It is not coincidence that the king of Salem/king of peace should be called “king of righteousness.” Can you think of anyone else who is known as the Prince of Peace, the King of Righteousness? Yes, Melchizedek prefigures, or was a foreshadowing, of Jesus the Christ.
Melchizedek typifies Christ in his name, as well as in his genealogy – or lack thereof. You know how the Bible often gives long lists of names: so and so begat so and so who begat so and so…Kings and priests followed an ancestral line.
Last week we went to the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. King Tutankhamen followed a long ancestral line. He was the son of Amenhotep the IV who was son of Amenhotep III who was son of Amenhotep II…you get the picture. Tut became king at 9 years old. How could someone become king at such a young age? Because he was the heir to the throne, and when his father died – poof – he became king.
Long genealogies can seem really boring to read; but they tell an important story. This is another place you could go for deeper study; because Melchizedek breaks the mold. He most certainly had a mother and father (he wasn’t born by immaculate conception), but no genealogy is given. There is nothing told about his birth – where he came from (or who he came from) – nor is anything given about his death.
The Bible typically concludes the account of a person by telling how long he lived, and when he died. But, again, Melchizedek breaks the mold. This is not an accident any more than his name is an accident. He foreshadows Christ by having no end of his life told. And so Psalm 110:4 says of the promised Christ, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus the Christ is not a temporary priest, like with Aaron and the Levites. He remains a priest forever. Right now, today, at this very moment, Jesus stands at the right hand of God Most High – continuing with the intercessory work of the priesthood.
In a little while we will sing, “Before the Throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea, a great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.”
We don’t come before God Most High all alone; we have Jesus interceding for us. When you are feeling guilty, come before God Most High and experience the undeserved grace of Jesus interceding for you. When you are facing trials and temptations, come before God Most High and experience the undeserved grace of Jesus interceding for you.
This is why, when we pray, we pray “in Jesus’ name” – recognizing that it is in Jesus that we communicate with our Father who art in heaven. And notice that we proclaim this truth by praying in Jesus’ “name.”
There’s the importance of the name again. Another place for deeper study is in the theology of names. To pray in Jesus’ name – to call on the name of the Lord – to praise his name forever. There is more to a name than you have ever realized.
How glorious that we have been given the new name “child of God.” How glorious that we have been given the new name “Christian.”
If Jesus is the king of peace, the king of righteousness, then those who are called by his name are the people of peace the people of righteousness. Discover the fullness of the new name you have been given, to the glory of the name of Jesus Christ.
II. His Greatness Seen in the Tithe (vv.4-5, 8-10)
I would love for us to drink
more deeply of this now, but alas we will move on. We need to look at the two
actions, which demonstrate the greatness of Melchizedek – and moreover the
greatness of Christ. READ
The first action
was that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of the plunder he had received in
battle – you can study this more in
Another place for deeper study is in the tithe. A tithe is a tenth – the giving of 10% of what God has given us – as our gift to God given to honor him for his greatness. For if Abraham gave a tithe to honor Melchizedek, how much more should we give a tithe to honor the Christ.
At a church meeting a very wealthy man rose to tell the rest of those present about his Christian faith. "I'm a millionaire," he said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I remember the turning point in my faith. I had just earned my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had to either give it all to God's work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today." He finished and there was an awed silence at his testimony as he moved toward his seat. As he sat down a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him, “I dare you to do it again.”
The tithe is one of the most tangible means by which we can honor Jesus Christ. Withholding a tithe is one of the most tangible ways we dishonor Christ.
A mother and father took their two children to the movies one Saturday. The tickets were $5 each. The children saw their mother open her purse, and take out a $20 dollar bill and they went into the theatre. The next day, they went to worship. When the offering was taken up, the children saw their mother open her purse, take out a five dollar bill, and put it in the plate as it passed by. As the organ played the soft music, the little girl looked up into her mother's face, and said, "Mommy, church sure comes a lot cheaper than the movies, doesn't it?”
I can remember the first time Jen and I made up a budget and started looking at where our money went by percentages. A sizable percent went to our rent, a large percent went to our car payment and insurance, and we saw how much went to groceries, clothing, medical bills. But what totally shocked us was the percentage we were giving to entertainment and non-essentials vs. our giving to Christ.
When we reflect on God’s greatness, and His goodness, to us – we are compelled to reexamine our priorities when it comes to how we spend our money as well as how we spend our time. It is legalism to give a tithe hoping God will bless you because of what you gave. It is faithfulness to give, because of what He gave.
A couple of years ago, the Session studied tithing and stewardship and determined that special offerings promoted poor stewardship that dishonored Christ as we encouraged people to give to a program, project or a particular fund, rather than simply giving to the glory of God.
The story is told of a wealthy member who was opposed to the renovation of a certain church’s building. One day, at a congregational meeting, he spoke out firmly against it. No sooner had he spoken, than a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and hit him on the shoulder. “I take that back!” he said. “I'll give a hundred dollars!” As he sat back in a contemplative pose, another piece of plaster fell and hit him on the HEAD. “I'll raise that to a THOUSAND dollars,” he said. At that, a fellow member was seen to cast his eyes heavenwards and mutter, “Hit him, again, Lord! Hit him again!”
III. His Greatness Seen in Blessing (vv.6-7)
The first action which
demonstrated the greatness of Melchizedek was Abraham’s tithe; the second was
Melchizedek blessing Abraham – the greater blesses the lesser. In
Melchizedek blessed
Abraham, how much more have we been blessed by Jesus Christ. He has delivered us
from our enemy – the evil one himself. He has delivered us from sin and death
and reconciled us to God – that we might be called children of God. As we sing
the words of
Oh that we should
be called sons and daughters of God. Oh, that God should call us at all.
“What is man that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4;
Who am I that God should elect me from all eternity to receive his divine blessing in this life with the promise of eternal life.
There is no doubt that Melchizedek had supremacy over Abraham. There is no doubt that Christ has supremacy over Melchizedek. The supremacy of Christ is what the opening chapters of the Book of Hebrews is all about.
We have seen, and I have no problem with, Christ’s supremacy over the prophets, Christ’s supremacy over the angels, Christ’s supremacy over Moses, Christ’s supremacy over Joshua and Christ’s supremacy over all the High Priests including Melchizedek.
What I have the hardest time with – is letting Christ have supremacy over me. Oh what arrogant rebellion is my sin in this.
One of my all time favorite opening sentences comes from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – the third book in the Narnia series – which begins, “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved it.”
My name was dirty and I deserved it. My name was sinner and I deserved it. But thanks be to God that we have been given a new name. Our name is righteous but we don’t deserve it. Our name is redeemed but we don’t deserve it. Our name is beloved but we don’t deserve it. Our name is Christian but we don’t deserve it.
MAY THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!