WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.800 My name is Sam. 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:07.599 I am the student pastor here, and I'm just overjoyed to be here with you worshiping this morning and to be a part of this family. 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:11.279 My wife and I are yeah, just so grateful and blessed to be here. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:21.839 And as Russ said, I am a preacher this morning, and in the words of Brad O'Kelly, you very much have the JVB team up in the pulpit today, so I hope that y'all are okay with that. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:28.719 But if you do know me, you probably know that I love sneakers, especially of the Jordan brand. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:36.479 And one way that I made money in college and even made enough money to ultimately buy my wife's engagement ring was by selling these sneakers. 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:44.320 So what I would do is I would set up reminders on my phone to let me know when these really hyped up sneakers would be releasing. 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.439 And they're hyped up because they have a lot of value behind them. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:50.799 A lot of people recognize that these are really valuable sneakers. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:55.439 And so everybody would line up online and get ready to buy these sneakers right when they release. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:02.320 And then these sneakers would sell out in like five, six seconds and then resell for like 600% of retail value. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:07.760 And again, the reason they sell for so much is because of how limited in number they are. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:20.239 So a couple weeks ago, uh, it was a Thursday, uh, we had a staff meeting, and uh it was recently that we started having these like all staff meetings all together on Thursdays, and uh again, I I'm pretty new here. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:27.040 I'm still kind of learning the ropes and proving that I'm like not as stupid as I may think I am at 23. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.680 Uh but we're having these all-staff meetings, and so kind of insecure still, kind of trying to find my way in here. 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:36.560 Uh, and we have a staff meeting, and it starts at the same exact time as these shoes release at 10 a.m. 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:37.760 on the nose. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:44.879 And so we have this staff meeting kind of in our little like general office area where my corner is. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:47.760 But Russ doesn't like when I call it my corner, so it's where my office is. 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:51.920 But it's where my desk and my chair is, and I call it my corner, but Russ doesn't like that. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:02:00.560 So they all shuffle out into the room, Annie, Sam, Russ, and they come out and sit in this meeting area, and I have my laptop open, but it's open to the Nike website. 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:06.400 Not to my meeting stuff I need to go over, but it's open to the Nike website with this pair of Jordans flashing the screen. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:11.680 So again, I'm in I'm kind of insecure, and I was anxious Russ was gonna walk out and be like, dude, we have a staff meeting like now. 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:13.919 Why why are you on the Nike website? 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:18.639 Um long story short, I taught Russ all there is to know about reselling Jordans. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:22.159 Um, and if that's my legacy here, then you know, so be it. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:27.680 But I got the shoes somehow and ended up getting lucky with that. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:35.520 But the thing is, Jordan sneakers like this are so valuable because of the thing or person that they represent. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:46.000 These shoes, in a sense, are a shadow of Michael Jordan himself, who is probably the best basketball player of all time and the most influential basketball player of all time. 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.520 And when you see a pair of Jordans, you see this very famous logo. 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:55.680 And when you see that logo, hopefully you will recognize that it's pointing to this guy named Michael Jordan. 00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:05.520 And all of this being said, the Old Testament is full of types or shadows or logos, you could say, of Jesus of Nazareth who was to come. 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:13.120 In fact, about a third of the verses in the New Testament are references or quotes to the Old Testament. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:17.599 So let's think of a few figures in the Old Testament that point to Jesus. 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:19.599 So we'll start with kind of a big one. 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:20.639 So Moses. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:24.479 He was the messenger between God and Israel, the mediator. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:32.400 He was the guy that God called with a burning bush to come lead his people out of Egypt and into the promised land, crossing the Red Sea. 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:34.479 Jesus is the better Moses. 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:36.319 Next, Job. 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:44.159 Though God counted him as a righteous man, God at the hand of Satan allowed him to suffer, kind of like Jesus. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:45.680 Jesus is the better Job. 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:49.919 King David, who was Israel's greatest king in the Old Testament. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:59.280 This was a reigning servant who, again, was Israel's greatest king, who was a man after God's own heart, and we see that Jesus is the better David. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:11.520 And then lastly, we have a man named Elijah who was called by God to announce to the people of Israel that they needed to turn from their sin and walk in righteousness, and he was rejected by those people because of that. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:14.479 Jesus is the better Elijah. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:15.840 And I could keep going. 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:23.920 The Old Testament is chalked full of these men and women who ultimately point us to Jesus of Nazareth, but I think that we get the picture. 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:33.360 But in our text today, which is Hebrews 7, we get one of the clearest types of Jesus in the entire Bible in the Old Testament. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:40.800 And see, Russ talked about this guy named Melchizedek a couple weeks ago, and I'm sure a lot of you before I just said that word, had never heard that name before. 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:49.040 So you might be wondering why this guy named Melchizedek is one of the most important figures, not only in the Old Testament, but in the Bible, I would argue. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.319 But before we go any further, let's hear God's word together. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:56.160 This is Hebrews 7, verses 15 through 22. 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:57.839 It says this. 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:16.079 For it is witness of him, you are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:23.680 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside, because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:28.319 But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:30.319 And it was not without an oath. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:40.639 For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him, The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:43.040 You are a priest forever. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.480 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:50.879 This is God's word, and before we go into it any further, would y'all pray with me? 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.519 Lord Jesus, you are King forever and you are also priest forever. 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:58.879 Please, Lord, come and show us your grace and your mercy. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:05.839 Show us your call to repentance, but also show us that we are not righteous because of whatever we do or do not do. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:08.480 Lord, we are righteous only by your grace alone. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:19.040 So I pray, Jesus, that you would come show us that today, that you would show us how rich the grace of Jesus is, that there is so much life that you are calling us to. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.759 Please come, Lord Jesus, and show us yourself. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:23.439 And it's in Jesus' name. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:24.399 Amen. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:35.600 So we've been going through this book of Hebrews the past few weeks, and I want to remind us that this book is written to Jewish Christians, once people who were Jews, but then converted to Christianity. 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:42.160 And the Old Testament references in this book make up for 70% of its content. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:49.279 So seven out of every ten verses you see in this book of Hebrews have some reference or quote or citation to the Old Testament. 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.560 And I think the writer of Hebrews had that in mind with his audience. 00:06:52.720 --> 00:07:00.959 He knew that they knew the Old Testament, they knew it well, but he wanted to say, hey, yes, this law is good, but let me show you how much better Jesus of Nazareth is. 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:09.040 And if there's one theme that this entire book sums up is this Jesus is supreme over all. 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:15.120 If the whole book of Hebrews could be summed up into one sentence, is that Jesus Christ is supreme over all. 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:16.879 And that brings me to my first point. 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:18.160 Point one. 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:23.199 Jesus has power and authority over all earthly rulers. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:28.800 Jesus has power and authority over all earthly rulers. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:32.560 I want to jump back into verse 15 and 16 really quick. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:33.680 Verse 15. 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:46.800 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:53.040 See, in the Bible, in the Old Testament especially, someone would become a king because their dad and grandfather were kings. 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:58.160 Kind of like Downton Abbey or the crown, right? 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:01.199 You become a king or a queen because you were born into it. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:02.800 It's in your blood. 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:07.360 However, this is not the case for Jesus, as we see here. 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:14.560 Jesus is king in his nature forever because he has it in himself as king. 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:23.040 The only reason I'm standing here talking to you, or I have breath in my lungs, or a mouth to communicate, is because Jesus has given these things to me. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:33.679 Jesus is king and priest by no man's decision, no orderly advice from the king, but by his only true nature as king of the universe. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:36.480 And he's the only person who has that. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:40.799 And see, we're in a very divisive time right now in American history. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:46.000 American history is filled with division, but we aren't especially in one right now. 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:50.799 My mom even said that in her lifetime, this is the most divided she's seen our country. 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:56.080 I believe that this divisiveness is, of course, first and foremost, because of our broken and fallen nature. 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:00.399 I mean, what happens when a bunch of broken presidents run a country is brokenness. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:05.919 However, I want to encourage us and remind us of something so beautiful this morning. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:09.279 We're almost exactly a month away from the election. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:13.360 And it's so important to vote and to use your voice. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:23.679 However, I want to encourage us from what we see in this text that Donald Trump and Joe Biden or Kanye West cannot be the king for us forever. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:25.840 They will not fix this country. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:30.399 This country does not rest on the decisions they make in that Oval Office, and that's good news. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:38.000 There is only one king, and his name is Jesus of Nazareth, and he is the only one who upholds this country by his power. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:43.919 And this king is perfect and full of grace and truth and love and generosity to us. 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:47.440 But again, we have one king ultimately. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:49.440 And that brings me to my second point. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:55.679 Point number two Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.919 Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:07.120 See, we see consistently in this passage that the priesthood of Jesus is one that lasts forever. 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:15.200 In the Old Testament, priests would come, priests would go, there were good priests, bad priests, mean priests, funny priests, etc. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:21.679 However, our priest, Jesus of Nazareth, is here to stay. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.840 And we have hope in this knowledge that Jesus is the same. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:30.639 That he always looks at us the same, he always feels the same about us every day. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.320 He cares for us, he loves us the same every waking minute. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:41.120 We will never approach this God and wonder if he's frustrated at us or sad about us or mad at us. 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:47.679 Even if we have the worst, most sinful day in history, we know that our Father in heaven is not looking at us scoffing. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:56.879 The other day, uh Grace, my wife, who by the way is way out of my league, but she, regardless, she was uh not having a very good day. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:02.240 We were playing tennis to try to you know get our minds off of it, went for a walk, tried to exercise, whatever. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:06.240 Uh we go play tennis, and Grace just is yeah, not having a great day. 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:10.240 And you know, I could tell she was off, but you know, we started rallying back and forth. 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.039 We're not very good anyways, but we were rallying back and forth. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:25.039 Um and sure enough, like she could kind of tell that I was getting frustrated because we weren't really playing that well, and when she saw that I was getting frustrated, she kind of just wasn't really feeling it anymore, and so she was done playing, and so we were done playing. 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:39.519 Um and I was discouraged and frustrated in that moment because of the way that I failed, because of the ways that when my beautiful sweet wife was having a hard day, I did not come to the rescue like I could have. 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:50.480 The thing about living in this broken world is that our physical examples of love and grace are parents, relatives, spouses, all broken people. 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:56.879 And a lot of these, a lot of the time, the good news is that these people are very sweet, they're helpful, they're generous, they're gentle, they're loving. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:12.720 But then this person who we love so deeply, who we look to, responds with anger or frustration, or you catch them having an off day or a moody day, and they respond and they snap at you, and then this image that we had of them of love and grace is tainted. 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:19.039 But the thing about Jesus that we see in this passage is that he never has bad days. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:25.360 He never has an off day, we'll never catch him in a bad mood, we'll never catch him frustrated or stressed. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:31.919 We can trust through what we see in his word that Jesus will always respond like the father in the prodigal son story. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:49.679 Or remind us, that story is met with this young man who takes his father's inheritance early and goes off and spends it all on who knows what, comes back basically crawling to the house, and instead of the father being upset and frustrated at him, he runs to the end of the driveway to meet him with grace. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.440 Or, like in Luke 15, we see the parable of the lost sheep. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:13:04.799 And when this one sheep out of the hundred leaves, the shepherd isn't angry to go find the sheep and rebuke it, but he goes and finds the sheep and holds it and holds it dear and hugs it. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:09.120 Jesus is happy to forgive us and free us of our sin. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:13.279 He's happy to come find us as the lost dead sheep. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.720 And that brings me to my last point for us this morning. 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:18.480 Point number three. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.480 There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in you. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:27.519 There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in you. 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:32.559 I want to read verses 23 through 25 of chapter 7. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:34.159 So y'all read this with me. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:41.039 It says this the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:45.679 But he holds the priesthood permanently because he continues forever. 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:54.639 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:57.039 Did you catch that in verse 25? 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:01.120 He says, He is able to save to the other the uttermost. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:06.799 And in Greek, this word could be translated as completely, totally, utterly, entirely. 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:19.679 But as I look through my life, I think through it and I wonder how often do I try or do we try to climb this mountain of discipline, of morality, of just trying to be as good as we possibly can, of just doing, doing, doing? 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:25.759 How often do we think that by doing these things, God will look at us and be a little extra pleased with us that week? 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:26.000 Right? 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:29.440 He'll smile at us a little bit more that week. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:39.440 Or on days where we were kind of the opposite and a little bit more rebellious, talked back to our children or our parents a little bit more harshly that week, or responded in bad ways. 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:43.120 Do we think that God is a little less pleased in those moments? 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:50.559 But I can rejoice this morning with you all that my faith is not built on what Sam Rap does or does not do. 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:58.080 My salvation, my justification before Jesus does not depend on what Sam does. 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:03.120 If that was true, then I don't doubt that I would have lost it a long time ago. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:10.799 But the truth about sin is that it's not just some mud that we wash our hands and get rid of at the end of a bad day. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:14.000 It's not just something on the surface we can wipe off and then we're all good. 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:22.480 One thing we see is that sin permeates every facet of our lives, all of our bloodstreams, all of our decisions, our thoughts, our motivations. 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:33.759 But see, Jesus in this picture saying he doesn't just save our addiction problems or our pornography addiction on the outside, he saves the deep sin issues that are rooted in our hearts and the inside. 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:38.000 He goes deep into our bloodstream and washes it white as snow. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:41.600 It's not just the exterior sins that he gets rid of. 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:44.960 He goes into our hearts and fixes the core issue. 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:57.039 All of our sin, our guilt, our worst misbehaviors to the worst extreme are lovingly and freely forgiven by Jesus if we put our faith in him. 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:15.279 And therefore we can rejoice with Paul and confess that we count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing this Jesus, the better Melchizedek, the priest king who brings us to God by nothing that we have done, but by his grace and mediation alone. 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:26.639 He is priest in that he has offered himself to be our replacement, our sacrifice, but he is our king and that he has authority and he sits on the throne forever, through the thick and the thin. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:32.159 Jesus is the better Melchizedek, the perfect priest king. 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:37.039 I want to close this with a quote from my personal faith hero, Charles Spurgeon. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:45.600 He says, This O my hearer, though your hand were even red with murder, yet the blood of Christ could wash it clean. 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:49.440 All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:51.919 Yes, let the silver trumpet sound it out. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.240 You chief of sinners, hear the news. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:58.080 The Savior lives that to the uttermost he may save such as you. 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:04.960 Come then to your living Lord, you that groan under the load of deadly guilt, for he can take it all away. 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:06.880 Would y'all pray with me? 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.880 King Jesus, you sit on the throne forever. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:20.559 And Lord, we confess that so often we just run to the things of this world to find our satisfaction, our identity, our salvation in. 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:25.279 We look to the affection of other peoples from friends, from relationships. 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.279 We look to the success of our children or our career or our money. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.759 We look to our own perfection and getting rid of that addiction or getting rid of that sin issue. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:40.720 But Lord, the reality is that we cannot, in our own power and our own strength, get ourselves up that mountain of the King Jesus in heaven. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:45.279 Lord, you had to come down to the bottom of the mountain to give us that freedom. 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:59.599 And so, Lord, I pray that today, if there's anyone in this room that feels like they're trying but can't just do enough, Lord, I ask that you would show them to you would show yourself to them. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:10.160 Lord, that the person who feels like they might have not lived right on Friday or Saturday, but came in this morning feeling guilty, Lord, I pray that you would show them that there's no more guilt to be found. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:15.039 That all guilt and shame has been washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and we thank you for that, Lord. 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:15.920 Thank you for your word. 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:18.960 Thank you that it's existed for thousands of years to our hands today. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:20.319 Please bless it. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:21.599 It's in Jesus' name. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:22.640 Amen.