Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20110223.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
E. The Superiority Of Christ's Priesthood To The Law
(Hebrews 7:11-19)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Mormon Church holds to a lesser mortal priesthood, the Aaronic Priesthood, whose members can administer outward ordinances, and to the greater mortal priesthood, the Melchisedek Priesthood, that has the keys of power and blessing, Salem Kirban, Mormonism, 1971, p. 30.
    2. The Roman Catholic Church holds to a mortal priesthood where the priest in the mass "changes a piece of bread into a God! A greater fact than the creation of a world" according to a Catholic book with the imprimatur of the Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada (Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, 1978, p. 51.
    3. Yet, Hebrews 7:11-19 reveals the mortal Aaronic priesthood of the Mosaic Law has been replaced by Christ's immortal priesthood in vast superiority to all other conceivable human priesthoods (as follows):
  2. The Superiority Of Christ's Priesthood To The Law, Hebrews 7:11-19.
    1. The author of Hebrews argued that if perfection were attained by the Levitical priesthood that was established by the Mosaic Law, there would be no need for another priest to arise after the different order of Melchisedek like Psalm 110:4 predicted instead of being called after Aaronic order, Hebrews 7:11.
    2. However, the very prediction of Messiah being called after the order of the priesthood of Melchisedek in Psalm 110:4 reveals that perfection was not attained under the Aaronic Levitical priesthood!
    3. Accordingly, this change from the Aaronic to the Melchisedekan priestly order indicates a change was needed in the Mosaic Law that initiated the Levitical priesthood, Hebrews 7:12. Though in a different way, this voices the same argument Paul made in Romans 6:14, that we Christians are no longer under the rule of the Mosaic Law! (Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 798)
    4. Also, the fact that Jesus, the Messiah and son of David (Psalm 110:1, 4) is of the tribe of Judah (cf. Revelation 5:5), a tribe having no part of the Aaronic priesthood that came from the tribe of Levi, indicates God intended there be a change from the Levitical to Christ's priesthood, Hebrews 7:13-14.
    5. Furthermore, Christ as Priest after the order of Melchisedek has an indestructible life in vast contrast to the mortality of the Aaronic priests, Hebrews 7:15-16. Proof that Christ has an everlasting priesthood and life is the Psalm 110:4 claim that He would be "for ever" a priest after Melchisedek's order, Heb. 7:17!
    6. By way of application, not only the Mosaic Law's Aaronic priesthood, but all other priesthoods of all other religious orders are inferior to Christ's priesthood since He alone is immortal : He is sinless in vast contrast to all other priests who are sinners and who thus die! (1 Cor. 15:20-23; Rom. 5:12 with 3:23)
    7. Therefore, the former arrangement of the Levitical priesthood given under the Mosaic Law was to be done away since the Law that ordered it was to be done away due to the weakness and uselessness of the system of the Mosaic Law, Hebrews 7:18. This weakness and uselessness was evidenced in the fact that the Law could not make anything perfect in that it was weak through means of man's sinful nature unlike the new order in Christ does by God's grace through faith, Hebrews 7:19 with Romans 8:3-4.
Lesson: Christ's priesthood after the order of Melchisedek is vastly superior to the Aaronic priesthood established under the Mosaic Law, or to any other priesthood by mortal man: (1) Christ's priesthood was predicted to arise by Psalm 110:4, which prediction indicates the Aaronic priesthood and thus also the Law that established it needed to be replaced, (2) Jesus was of the tribe of Judah instead of Levi as was the Aaronic priesthood, indicating this change was needed, (3) the sinless Christ has an eternal priesthood and indestructible life in vast superiority not only to the Aaronic priests under the Law, but to all other priests of any religious group as they are all mortal sinners (4) and the Law that instituted the Aaronic priesthood could not then perfect anyone as could Christ in His eternal salvation.

Application: May we view the Melchisedekan priesthood of Christ as existing vastly superior to all other human priesthoods of any other religious entity, realizing Christ's priesthood replaces even the Mosaic Law's Aaronic priesthood, and so cleave to Christ in Biblical Christianity over all other religious faiths.