Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20110216.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Hebrews: The Superiority Of Christ To Errant Religions
Part V: The Superiority Of Christ's Priesthood To Other Priesthoods, Hebrews 5:1-10:39
D. The Superiority Of Christ's Priestly Role To Abraham And Levi
(Hebrews 7:4-10)
  1. Introduction
    1. The religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity all lay claim to the patriarch, Abraham: in Judaism, he is the father from whom Israel's other patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob came; in Islam, he is the father of Ishmael through whom Muslims believe God's promises unto Abraham pass to them versus to the Hebrews or to Christians (Jean-Pierre Isbouts, The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas, p. 68-69; why-christians-convert-to-islam.com, a pro-Islamic web site); in Christendom, Abraham is the ancestor of Jesus Christ through Whom all the promises of Abraham find their ultimate fulfillment, 2 Cor. 1:20.
    2. Thus, the superiority of Christ's priestly role to Abraham and thus to all of his descendants reveals the supremacy of Biblical Christianity over Judaism and Islam, offering great application for us (as follows):
  2. The Superiority Of Christ's Priestly Role To Abraham And Levi, Hebrews 7:4-10.
    1. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews directed his readers to consider the greatness of Melchisedek to whom he had alluded in Hebrews 7:1-3 in that the patriarch Abraham paid this man a tenth of the spoils of war he gained in defeating the kings in Genesis 14:1-16, 17-20 according to Hebrews 7:4.
    2. This reception of tithes was practiced by the Hebrew Levitical line as the descendants of Levi, Jacob's third eldest son through Leah (Genesis 29:31-34), received tithes from their Hebrew countrymen who also descended from father Abraham, Hebrews 7:5.
    3. However, Melchisedek whose lineage is not described in Genesis 14, and thus who acts as a type of the Eternal Christ and His eternal priesthood (Psalm 110:4), received tithes from the patriarch Abraham, and Melchisedek also blessed Abraham, the recipient of God's covenant promises, Hebrews 7:6.
    4. This event has huge ramifications regarding the superiority of Christ's priesthood, and so of Christianity's superiority both to Judaism and to Islam as described in Hebrews 7:7-10 and applied as follows:
      1. First, the lesser party is always blessed by the greater party in Old Testament culture, so Melchisedek of whom is Christ's priesthood is superior to Abraham, Hebrews 7:7.
      2. Second, priests in Judaism or other religions received tithes and blessed other devout people of their faiths though they themselves were mortal and died, but Melchisedek is the type of the ever living Christ Who will not die, but Who is immortal in vast superiority to such other priests, Hebrews 7:8.
      3. Third, Levi, the great-grandson of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, and the man through whom the Aaronic priesthood of Judaism arose (Hebrews 7:11), in the loins of his father, Abraham, paid tithes to Melchisedek as the inferior to the superior, Hebrews 7:9-10. Accordingly, the priesthood of Judaism, the religion to which the recipients of the Epistle to the Hebrews were being lured to join in leaving the Christian faith (cf. Hebrews 13:9-13), was vastly inferior to the Melchisedekan priesthood of Christ!
      4. Fourth, by way of application, if Islam ALLEGES that the promises of Abraham flow to Muslims through Abraham's eldest son Ishmael who came from the union of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 16), which claim errs according to Genesis 17:18-21, since Levi in Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedek, Ishmael who was also then in Abraham's loins (cf. Genesis 14 with 16:1, 16) paid tithes to the superior Melchisedek! Thus, as Christ's priesthood is after the order of Melchisedek (Psalm 110:1-4), His order takes precedence over Ishmael's heritage to Muslims, so Christianity is also superior to Islam!
Lesson: Since a childless Abraham paid tithes to and was blessed by Melchisedek back in Genesis 14, and Melchisedek was thus greater than Abraham, Christ's priesthood after the order of Melchisedek has precedence over Abraham and all his seed, be it Levi, father of Judaism's Aaronic priesthood, or Ishmael, Islam's (wrongly) ALLEGED spiritual heir of God's promises to Muslims. Thus, Christ in Christianity is superior to Judaism and Islam, and we must go to God through Christ, our High Priest!

Application: May we not leave Christianity for Judaism or for Islam, for Christianity is superior to them by way of Christ's Melchisedekan priesthood! May we cleave to Christ's priesthood for blessing!