Hebrews 7:15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
God wants us to know that His way is right and it is also amazing. I believe most people reading these devotionals are aware of the attempted assassination of the former president of the U.S. He is running to replace the current president. Mr. Trump has his following. Since the shooting, it seems that more people have come out of the woodwork in support of him. They see this event as a defining moment in this campaign. It is important to remember that there is someone coming in the future who will receive a deadly wound and will be healed. The world will worship him for that. Donald Trump is just a man and he is not the man of sin that the Bible speaks of. He is an antichrist but not The antichrist. Mr. Trump is an outspoken man. He is quite full of himself. He made some good choices in his first term, but he also made some very bad choices. He did not clean house as he stated that he would. Of course he is just one man and there are others who pull the strings. It might be different this time around, but unless he gets saved, he will still be the same vile man that he has always been. God wants us, those who are saved, to realize that He gave us a Saviour, a Great High Priest, A King, that is worthy! He gave the nation of Israel the priesthood through the tribe of Levi. He gave them kings, first through the tribe of Benjamin, and then through the tribe of Judah. He promised to guide the nation of Israel in the right way. He blessed them abundantly, but they threw that all away. They despised His blessings. They wanted the physical peace and prosperity. They did not want the spiritual peace and prosperity. Thus they lost the physical peace and prosperity as well. Since the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the nation of Israel has been set aside. They have not been replaced. The tree was cut off at the root and a new entity was graffed in. That new entity is the local God-fearing church. There are many churches today that are not graffed into that root. They want to claim they have been, but they despise the spiritual peace and prosperity that God promises. They are frauds and they are seeking to draw crowds to themselves. Sadly, they are quite successful with their tactics. There are thousands of people who are holding an empty bag. A few of them will realize it and turn to God and be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The majority will hold that empty bag all the way into hell. There they will regret it and yet there is no turning back. All that awaits them is the great white throne judgment and then the lake of fire. God wants us, those who are saved, to appreciate what we have in Christ and help others to see the importance of turning to God as well. In these verses God is declaring that this Great High Priest is after the similitude of Melchisedec. He has no beginning and no ending. He does not come from a human lineage. He is eternal. He is the eternal Son of God. In verse 16 we are reminded that He is not made after the law of a carnal commandment.
Psalm 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Old Testament priesthood was not a mistake. God chose Aaron as the first priest. He developed the priesthood and He gave them their orders. He gave them the law that was needed for the time. That system was not worthless. Those who would believe in the law of God would be given enough insight to know that there was a Messiah coming that would fulfil all that typology. Simeon and Anna were looking for the fulfilment of that Old Testament system. They were in the Temple at the right time and they were blessed with the opportunity to see the Messiah. They knew He was the fulfilment of all that they had been observing throughout their lives. They were not cheated in the past. Their faith was not in the Old Testament priests. It was not in the bullocks and the lambs. Their faith was in God. Today as well, those who are saved are not trusting in some man to save them. They are not trusting in some building to usher them into heaven. They are trusting in God. They know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour. He took His blood to the mercy seat that is in heaven. He presented His blood before His Father. We will see that yet in the book of Hebrews. The reason Jesus Christ can save us is because His is an endless life. Aaron and his sons are dead. People claim that the Jews have everything in place to re-establish the Old Testament priesthood. They are just waiting for the temple to be built. They will be excited when the antichrist comes on the scene and builds them his temple. They will be so thrilled with an empty shell and with rituals. They will be shocked to witness the antichrist, the man of sin, go into that temple and defile it and declare himself to be God. They will realize too late that they trusted in something that has been fulfilled and replaced by the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 17 God further declared that Jesus Christ is a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Jesus Christ has no beginning and He has no ending. In verse 18 we read that the old system has been disannuled. The Old Testament system has been replaced by the anti-type. It has been replaced by the Lord Jesus Christ. The old system was never intended to save anyone. It could not save anyone. Joab thought he could be spared by holding on to the horns of the altar. However he was killed right there. That altar was never designed to save anyone. The bullocks and lambs that were placed on it and offered up to God could not save anyone. They were accepted by God as an atonement for sin until the shed blood of His Son would be presented to Him. In verse 19 we are reminded that the law made nothing perfect. The few who trusted in God trusted in a better hope. They trusted in the promises of God. God cannot lie. The few who believed in Him will not be ashamed. They are resting in the Lord now. They will be resurrected and given their new bodies and they have an eternal home in heaven. In the last phrase of verse 19 God stated that it is by this better hope we draw nigh to God. This better hope was not just for the Old Testament saints. It is for New Testament saints as well. Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient to save anyone who comes to God in repentance and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation also know that they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to lead them in the right way. We who are saved, have so much more than a home in heaven. We have the forgiveness of sins and we have access to the peace that passeth all understanding. We have been given eternal life. Let us rejoice in the many blessings we have been given. Let us be careful that we do not cheapen God’s gift of salvation. Let us not defile this better hope that we have been given. As we live our few short years on this earth, let us grow in the Lord and live righteous lives that can shine into the darkness that is all around us. Pastor Bartel
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