( HEBREWS 7:22-28 )

BY SO MUCH WAS JESUS MADE A SURETY OF A BETTER TESTAMENT, ( 23 ) AND THEY TRULY WERE MANY PRIESTS, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT SUFFERED TO CONTINUE BY REASON OF DEATH. ( 24 ) BUT THIS MAN, BECAUSE HE CONTINUETH EVER, HATH AN UNCHANGEABLE PRIESTHOOD. ( 25 ) WHEREFORE HE IS ABLE ALSO TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST THAT COME UNTO GOD BY HIM, SEEING HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM. ( 26 ) FOR SUCH AN HIGH PRIEST BECAME US, WHO IS HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED, SEPERATE FROM SINNERS, AND MADE HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS; ( 27 ) WHO NEEDETH NOT DAILY, AS THOSE HIGH PRIEST, TO OFFER UP SACRIFICE, FIRST FOR HIS OWN SINS, AND THEN FOR THE PEOPLE’S: FOR THIS HE DID ONCE, WHEN HE OFFERED UP HIMSELF. ( 28 ) FOR THE LAW MAKETH MEN HIGH PRIESTS WHICH HAVE INFIRMITY; BUT THE WORD OF THE OATH, WHICH WAS SINCE THE LAW, MAKETH THE SON, WHO IS CONSECRATED FOREVERMORE.

As we get into these verses to which a book could be written if we chose to cover all that is said here, I also realize that there are those that will disagree with what I might teach however, I will say this: just because you might disagree with me; doesn’t make what I teach wrong. I contend that it takes God’s Spirit to open blinded eyes and never simply the teaching of men.

We see that in ( verse 22 ) it says that ( Jesus made a surety of a better testament ). Although we know from study that Jeus Christ in his body of flesh was a sinless being and, that by design, he ussered in a ( better way ). Better than what? As far as the Hebrew children were cancerned, ( better than attampting to keep the law ).

( 2 Corinthians 5:21 )

FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; THE WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

Although we see that and, know it as a fact; the flesh of Jesus Christ was not the first flesh that God used to create ( a new way ) was it? There was however one basic difference in Jesus Christ and all the rest. In that; ( he knew no sin )! Do you realize that from the very beginning of creation, God has done that? When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden; God covered his flesh with the skins of a slain animal. ( Sacrifice )! That was the grace of God to fallen man. Now, by study we know that both Adam and Eve took that very Grace of God with them when they departed the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve shared that Grace with their children. We know that one received that grace and the other didn’t. Cain rejected it but Abel received it. We can study this in ( Genesis 4 ). We see there that ( Cain slew Abel ). You can count on it; the flesh will always seek to destroy anything that is of God or, seeks to show forth his grace by faith. However, this is the verses that I desire for you to see.

( Genesis 4:25-26 )

AND ADAM KNEW HIS WIFE AGAIN; AND SHE BARE A SON, AND CALLED HIS NAME SETH: FOR GOD, SAID SHE, HATH APPOINTED ME ANOTHER SEED INSTEAD OF ABEL, WHOM CAIN SLEW. ( 26 ) AND TO SETH, TO HIM ALSO THERE WAS BORN A SON; AND HE CALLED HIS NAME ENOS: THEN BEGAN MEN TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.

The point that I’m seeking to make here is that ( Eve ) was seeking to have a son that would carry on the faith that was lost in the death of Abel. She had that burden! As we move to ( Genesis 5 ) and we note that ( by God’s grace ); there has always been ( a seed ) that carried his grace foward. Eve, being a type of the Church, we should see that same passion in ever local Church. If you will notice in :

( Verse 4 )

AND THE DAYS OF ADAM AFTER HE HAD BEGOTTEN SETH WERE EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS: AND HE BEGAT SONS AND DAUGHTERS.

I also think it might be important to point out what it says in:

( verse 3 )

AND ADAM LIVED AN HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS, AND BEGAT A SON IN HIS OWN LIKENESS, AFTER HIS IMAGE; AND CALLED HIS NAME SETH:

As we look at this we see that Adam had many children however, we follow only one of his seeds. That seed is Seth. We see that in ( verse 3 ) it says the Adam begat a son ( in his own likeness ) ( after his image ). Can’t we say that every child that Adam had was ( after his image )? But, that doesn’t mean they were like him does it?

Adam And Eve, especially Eve desired for the world to know that God offered grace to the sinner. As I say that; Eve being the ( wife ) is the one that shows that passion. What can we see spiritually there? In this picture, Eve is a type of the Church. At this point, Adam has already done his part. Adam was not deceived when he bit the fruit, Eve was. Adam willingly bit that fruit because he loved his wife.

That is a picture of Jesus Christ and the price he paid to be with his bride. Eve was carrying out the will of her husband. That’s exactly the responsibility of the Church. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. It’s the Churches responsibility to carry out his will on this earth today.

As we move foward here, we also see that Seth had many children. We also see that we only follow the life and descendants of one of his sons. We can see that all the way to Noah. Although each of these men had many children, as time moved foward the desire to seek the grace of God grew less and less with each generation until Noah. In his life we see that; as he built the Ark, it was only he, his wife, their sons and their wives.

In all of this, even those that did follow the grace of God; we see at least one thing in common. They still all died. As we see this, it was all before a priest of any kind was mentioned. So, let’s see what we can find here. Do you realize that the next time we see any sacrifice offered in scripture; after God shed blood to cover Adam and Eve was when Noah’s Ark came back down to the earth?

That signifies that Noah still seen the need of sacrifice for sin. Within that concept we know that the passion of Adam and Eve was still alive and well! The revelation of the grace of God by faith had come through all that had happened in this world. All this just by simple faith in what God had done and, it had been ( shed abraod ) through these generations.

We can conclude this; that God’s spirit was alive in the heart’s of men! Although that faith was shared with ever child that was born to every person, it was not acknowledged by every person and, it became less and less as the generations went by.

Another point to be made is that even with the one seed that we see of every man, even the children of that seed didn’t receive the grace of God by faith in what was being taught. I’ve said this before. I believe that Melchisedec was ( God in Flesh ) revealing himself to Abram.

Would you mind if I share something here that I wonder about? In:

)

( Genesis 3:8 )

We read this:

AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN IN THE COOL OF THE DAY: AND ADAM AND HIS WIFE HID THEMSELVES FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD GOD AMONGST THE TREES OF THE GARDEN.

Can you see in this verse that normally God would come down and fellowship with Adam and Eve? God the father completely revealed himself to ( two perfect humans ) in the very beginning. The fact that he changed that was because of sin in man. We see that he ( shed blood ) killing animals to make a covering for both, Adam and Eve. Just as God came down in the cool of the day to fellowship with Adam and Eve, his desire is still to have fellowship with man.

The point is that its always been ( God’s grace ) given by the shedding of blood. I tried to get you to see that Eve craved a child that would continue to share this truth. I’d also like to make this point. Of all the people that ( believed by faith ) in the shedding of blood to make a covering for those that believe; not one of those people can be considered ( Israelites ) can they? All these were saved before that nation; to whom God gave the law, came into being.

Many people get obcessed with ( keeping the law ) and look at it as a necessity when that is not why any part of ( the law ) was designed, These thing are the point that the Apostle Paul was seeking to show the Hebrew believers.

Look at this verse and let’s see if we can tie Melchisedec and Jesus Christ together as in ( after the order of Mechisedec ).

( 2 Corinthians 5:19 )

TO WIT, THAT GOD WAS IN CHRIST, RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM; AND HATH COMMITTED UNTO US THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION.

Where we might be able to argue about whether God was in the body of Melchisedec or not, we can’t argue this verse if we are to believe God’s word. The Bible also says this:

( Hebrews 9:22 )

AND ALMOST ALL THINGS ARE BY THE LAW PURGED WITH BLOOD; AND WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS NO REMISSION.

All this; and every person and every priest ( died ), no exceptions! However, we don’t see where Mechisedec died do we? He had no beginning nor end.

The faith comes in if we can see Jesus Christ in this same way. When we look at the fleshly body of Jesus Christ, we know he was born and, he died on the Cross. However, by faith I see him just as I see ( God the Father ) in the body of Melchisedec.

God placed himself in the fleshly body of Mary, he had no beginning and death could not touch him. He proved that by raising the fleshly body of Jesus Christ from the grave. Man did not place God in the womb of Mary and, man cannot kill him.

Under the law, blood sacifices were made. That went on for many years, every year. The Apostle Paul says that ( the Son ) is forevermore! In the case of Melchisedec, God the Father made a man to visit and bless Abram. With Jesus Christ ( God the Father ) was born of woman live a life just like any other person yet, without sin. In this he was able to become the ( captian of our salvation ).

( Hebrews 2:10 )

FOR IT BECAME HIM, FOR WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, AND BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS IN BRINGING MANY SONS UNTO GLORY, TO MAKE THE CAPTIAN OF THEIR SALVATION PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERINGS.

As we look at at least three different aspects of God’s hand. ( 1 ) We see Adam and Eve gaining the knowledge of their sinful weakness, ( 2 ) We see God shedding the blood of an animal for a sacrifice for sin. ( 3 ) We see God in a fleshly body becoming that same blood sacrifice.

When we consider Jesus Christ; we can see his suffering as man. No animal could do that. That’s why he is the captian of our salvation. He faced every possible situation that any man would ever have to suffer. The animals that God the Father killed for Adam and Eve could never suffice; neither could those that were sacrificed under the law.

There’s no end to what we can teach concerning these things. However, I close with this. Abram, the man that met Melchisedec and offered tithes to him when we was blessed of him came to the knowledge as he matured spiritually that the sacrifice that he was trusting in would not suffice. God would have to do something else at some point. As I say he spiritually matured, God ask him to offer his son as a sarifice. I want you to notice what Abraham said to Isaac; his son when he went to offer him to God.

( Genesis 22:8 )

AND ABRAHAM SAID, MY SON, GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING: SO THEY WENT BOTH OF THEM.

Did you see how that was worded? ( God will provide himself a lamb ). I often say this: when Abraham was going up the mountian to offer Isaac, it’s a type of the Old Testament believers looking foward ( by faith ) to the crucifixcion of Jesus Christ. When he and Isaac were coming back down the mountian; it’s a type of we today, looking back to the Cross by faith.

There are those that get caught up in the necessity of keeping the law. The truth is that God doesn’t even consider that as a part of any salvation, he never has. God proved the weakness of our flesh in Adam and Eve. He proved to the Nation of Israel their weakness or inability to keep his law and, we as members of the Church also come to that knowledge when we ask Christ to be our sacrifice.

As Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they taught ( the blood sacrifice ) God’s grace toward them. The Nation of Israel taught, by their actions ( the blood sacrifice ). We, as members of the Church today teach the necessity of ( the blood sacrifice ).

As we look at Melchisedec and Abram and the eternal grace of God offered in the blood of Jesus Christ, it has always been forevermore! Again, Abraham and every believer in the OLd Testament looked back to the blood sacrifice that God offered for Adam and Eve by faith and they looked foward to the day that God would offer himself as that same sacrifice.

We that believe today trust, by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, We totally trust his righteousness and realize that even at our best we are just sinners. We have no righteouness at all!

One moe thing: when every believer from Adam and Eve foward considered themselves; they didn’t even consider or look at Adam and Eve keeping the law but, rather the mercy God showed them by his grace. The message of Adam and Eve could have something like this: We both are complete failures, we deserve whatever punishment God could place upon us but, God in his mercy ( shed blood ) and covered us with his righteousness. Their message was never about them but it was all about God and his mercy!

That’s my message as well!

Marshall Clayton

2 Timothy 1:7